The Writers Network News, October 2009 Issue http://ezezine.com
October 2009 Issue
The Writers Network News
No Rules; Just Write!
Editor: Bobbie Christmas
Contents copyright 2009, Bobbie Christmas
No portion of this newsletter can be used without permission; however,
you may forward the newsletter in its entirety to anyone who may be
interested in subscribing.
Newsletter Sponsor
Zebra Communications: We help you write in style, so you increase your
chances of success. We write, edit, and evaluate fiction and nonfiction
manuscripts, book proposals, query letters, synopses, reports, and
articles. We are a top-rated Better Business Bureau Accredited
Business.
Zebra Communications
230 Deerchase Drive, Suite B
Woodstock, GA 30188
770/924-0528
http://zebraeditor.com/
Bobbie’s Blog: http://bobbiechristmas.blogspot.com/.
New! Be Bobbie’s friend on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/bobbie.christmas
----------------------------------------------
Welcome to this issue of The Writers Network News
In This Issue
One: Kudos to Lynn Hesse, Walter Lawrence, and Ray Douglas
Two: From the editor’s desk – The Long Arm of the Writer
Three: Ask the Book Doctor – About Writing for the Market and Avoiding
Plagiarism
Four: This Month’s Writing Tip from Bobbie Christmas – Alright/All
Right
Five: Letters from Members
Six: Subjects of Interest to Writers
Seven: Jobs, Contests, Grants, Agents, and Markets
Eight: Creative Writing Assignment – It’s in the Stars
Nine: Web Sites of Interest to Writers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To view current and past issues of The Writers Network News, go to
http://tinyurl.com/c4otf6.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Note: Some links may include “tiny url” with the help of
www.tinyurl.com, which takes long Web addresses and converts them to
short ones.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Writer’s quote of the day
"Every moment of your life is infinitely creative and the universe is
endlessly bountiful. Just put forth a clear enough request, and
everything your heart desires must come to you." --Mahatma Gandhi
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One: Kudos* to Lynn Hesse, Walter Lawrence, and Ray Douglas
I have a story, “Murder: Food for Thought,” in a new anthology, Double
Lives, Reinvention & What We Leave Behind, published by Wising Up
Press. --Lynn Hesse
lynnhesse@aol.com
---
Autrey Mill has named Walter Lawrence its honorary writer in-residence
because of the four articles he managed to get published about the
nature preserve and historical center in Johns Creek, Georgia, a suburb
of Atlanta. His latest article appears in the current issue of Georgia
Backroads magazine and is titled “Relics of a Country Crossroads
Community.”
---
Ray Douglas’s sci-fi novel, And Into Dust (Morris Publishing), has hit
the market, and we’re proud to say that Zebra Communications was the
editor.
*Kudos: praise or honor, glory for an achievement (Like “praise,”
“kudos” is a singular noun and takes a singular verb.)
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Two: From the editor’s desk — The Long Arm of the Writer
Dear Fellow Writers:
First a note about the floods in Atlanta: This issue is a little later
and shorter than planned, because my office flooded. I’m finally able
to work a little, but amid roaring fans and hot dehumidifiers. I lost
many things, but no loved ones, so I am much more fortunate than
others. See elsewhere in this newsletter about my distress sale and
save $$ on copies of slightly damaged copies of Write In Style.
Now on to other things: As a businessperson and author it’s important
to keep up with where your name appears and who is publishing your work
with or without your permission. I jump on a magic carpet and take a
glorious ego trip every time I research my name and see how many places
it appears on the Internet.
I had gotten lazy, though. For years I relied on Google as my search
engine. It worked, so despite all the TV commercials for Bing, why
switch? About a week or so ago, though, I decided to try Bing. Yes, I
Googled myself on Bing, an oxymoron at its best.
Bing brought up things I had never seen on Google. It even brought up
cached pages that no longer existed, so I could see where my name had
appeared in the past. Best of all, it showed many places where my book,
Write In Style, resides, including the fact that my book, sits on the
shelf of the library of the College of Management for Mahidol
University.
Mahidol University? What is Mahidol University? I wondered the same
thing, so I searched again. It’s a college in Thailand, folks! My book
is available to college students reading and writing in English in a
college of management in Thailand. I cannot describe the joy and
satisfaction I felt, with that knowledge. When I wrote that book, my
hope was to get my tips and techniques into the hands of as many
writers as possible. I wanted to teach them my super-fast way to find
and destroy artery-clogging phrases in their manuscripts so their
writing grew more stylish and direct. I hoped to make a little money,
of course, but my mission was to teach and spread the word about how to
make writing unique, stylish, and clear. Obviously the book is
fulfilling my intention.
I’ve found my book mentioned on sites based in America, of course, but
also in India, Australia, Canada, and now Thailand. I feel satisfied
and validated. My arm has reached around the world, and I have hugged
and helped writers all over the globe. What a great life, this life of
a writer!
By the way, now that Write In Style is officially out of print, it is
no longer available directly from Amazon, but Amazon lists several
used-book dealers who have priced used copies of Write In Style, now
considered a rare book, anywhere from $52.99 to $95.94. Because I do
not make anything when a used book is sold, and because those prices
are outrageous, order one or two of the few remaining new copies
through my Web site, www.zebraeditor.com. I’ll make a little, and you
pay only the original price, $12.95, plus shipping and handling. I’ll
even autograph it. We have a limited quantity though, so order today!
Yours in writing,
Bobbie Christmas (Bobbie@zebraeditor.com or bzebra@aol.com )
Author of triple-award-winning Write In Style (Union Square
Publishing), owner of Zebra Communications, and director of The Writers
Network
P.S. Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Let me hear from you
when you have questions, kudos, markets, or any other information to
share with your network.
If someone forwarded this newsletter to you, please sign up to get your
own copy. Simply go to www.zebraeditor.com, click on “Free Newsletter,”
and follow the prompts. I never share your address or send out spam.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Three: Ask the Book Doctor — About Writing for the Market and Avoiding
Plagiarism
Q: I've written a short story. I had three people--one fellow writer
and two avid readers who are not writers--read this story and provide
feedback. They all love the story, except each one told me that she
doesn't like the ending. Each offered suggestions for alternative
endings that range from fairy tale to Barney the Dinosaur endings. (I
love you; you love me; oh, how happy we will be.)
I ended it the way I did because it made more sense to me. [The
protagonist] grew up a little and learned that sometimes it's okay to
assert himself, even if it brings conflict. Our hero was content with
the way the story ended.
I know I'm writing for a market, and I want my stories to entertain and
satisfy readers. But I don't feel right ending a story in a way that I
personally think is a cheesy cliché. Should I write something I
wouldn't read myself, just because others like it? Can I even trust the
response of such a small sample of readers, even though their
independent feedback concerning the ending is resounding and
consistent? I know this is a terribly subjective question, but I'd like
to know what you would do.
A: You may be asking the wrong person. To be able to make a living
writing, I have made it my motto that "I'll write anything for money."
As a result I have written and/or edited many things that did not
reflect my personal opinions.
Examine your motives. If indeed you are writing to sell your work, you
do have to consider the market, and if you consider the market--your
focus group sounds like a small but good specimen--you will change the
ending to suit the market. If you write for yourself without hope of
selling your work, you can write anything you want, including
gibberish, and it won't matter. In that case, you can make the ending
as unpleasing to the public as you wish, because in reality the public
will probably never see it.
You are the god who created your story. You can control the outcome,
depending upon your goals. As you know, the endings of many movies have
been changed when focus groups did not like the first ending. As a
result, some movies have become blockbusters that may have otherwise
bombed, if the ending had not changed.
Q: With all the stories of plagiarism in the news, how do you keep
honest when writing a researched article?
A: The plagiarism in the news tends to refer to fiction--stories
allegedly created from thin air--not nonfiction, which is information
gathered from various sources. In nonfiction, you can cite your sources
within the article and reword information so sentences are not exactly
as written in your sources. When you show where your information
originated, you should be in the clear, as long as you do not copy
information from another source and allege that you alone originated
the material.
To clarify, in a nonfiction article, you may refer to other sources by
writing something like this:
Has New Orleans recovered yet from its Hurricane Katrina devastation?
Not according to the news and those who visit there. In a Washington
Post article, journalist Tom Calvert reported having seen a group of
teenagers living without adult supervision under the Burlington Bridge
in New Orleans.
"It looks like a third-world country that had been hit by a bomb," said
Media Specialist David Baker with the Georgia State Public Library
System. He attended a conference in New Orleans ten months after
Katrina. "Nothing's been done. I could just scream," he said.
What’s your question for book doctor Bobbie Christmas, author of Write
In Style (Union Square Publishing, and owner of Zebra Communications?
Send question to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com. Read more “Ask the Book
Doctor” questions and answers at www.zebraeditor.com.
Would you like to read or save the Ask the Book Doctor column as a
clear PDF file? Now you can! See
http://zebraeditor.com/files/ask_the_book_doctor.pdf. The newest column
is posted around the first of each month.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Four: This Month’s Writing Tip from Bobbie Christmas – Alright/All
right
You will see “alright” used in many places. I often see it on closed
captioning and English subtitles on TV. “Alright,” however, it is
considered substandard English spelling. The preferred spelling is two
words, “all right.”
If you think you have used the substandard spelling “alright” in your
manuscript, use my trademarked Find and Refine Method to search for and
repair any misuses. To use the Find and Refine Method, pull down the
Edit menu in your software program and go to Find. Next click on
Replace. Type in “alright” in the Find box and type “all right” in the
Replace box. Check “Match Case.” Press Enter on your keyboard or Find
Next in the dialogue box, and the computer will stop on the next
instance of the word. You can safely tell your computer to repair all;
however, you will also have Find and Replace “Alright” with “All
right,” to ensure that the manuscript maintains the correct
capitalization at the beginnings of sentences.
For more information on editing your own manuscript or finding
opportunities for improvement in your writing, buy Purge Your Prose of
Problems at http://tinyurl.com/4ptjnr.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Five: Letters from Members
Your newsletter is always encouragement to keep at the challenges of
writing. I have served as my own agency for all my previous books, but
in this economic publishing market, I am now seeking a professional
agency. This pursuit can be as daunting as seeking a publisher, can't
it? --Marsha Maurer
===
Dear Bobbie,
Thank you! I had been sending manuscripts out for EONS, only to have
them fly back so quickly it felt as if no one could have even looked at
them. Finally, after some correspondence with you, I learned to format
the manuscripts using Courier as the font. My first submission in
Courier was to an editor at the children's division at [name deleted, a
major, top-notch publisher] and was liked well enough for them to
assign me an editor who sent a five-page letter of recommendations, the
first sixty pages of my manuscript partially edited, and follow-ups of
e-mails with encouragement along with a "let's see what you can do."
--Maggie Wimberley
===
[referring to my entry in “From the Editor’s Desk” last month]
A dedication story: I dedicated my second book to my son, Fred, and
Susan, the woman he planned to marry. The book came out a week before
the planned wedding, which was the same time Susan canceled the
wedding! They are no longer a couple. – Ruth "Windi" White
===
Your newsletter is extremely helpful- I gain at least one "nugget" of
writing wisdom that I can immediately apply to my efforts.
In your last newsletter you advised readers that to become successful,
writers "must acquire a great deal of knowledge in the craft of
writing. They gain that knowledge by studying the masters, joining
critique circles..."
First of all, would you please share specifics on studying the masters?
Also, I'm sold on your ideas of joining critique circles; however, I am
a brand new writer and don't know how to go about finding a group to
join. Would you please expound upon your idea? In addition, should I
seek out a group that focuses on my style of writing, Christian
spiritual and humor?
Thank you for putting together such a helpful and inspirational
newsletter. --Jim Rehl
[Jim, read my free report on how to form and maintain a critique
circle. To get a link to that free report and many others, send an
e-mail to freereports@zebraeditor.com.
It’s my belief that it is easier to form a circle that suits your needs
than to find one that does, and yes, the group should focus on fiction,
nonfiction, or poetry, not all three. In your case, you may want to
form a Christian-based nonfiction group, so you won’t end up having to
critique someone else’s writing on a subject you might find offensive.
See my Web site for many more free reports.
As for studying the masters, read what is selling, especially in your
genre, to get a feel for what the contemporary reader and publisher
wants. Today’s style differs greatly from the classics we read in
college.—Ed.]
Tell me what you think of the newsletter, what you’re doing, or any
tidbit of information you want to share with other writers. E-mail me
at Bobbie@zebraeditor.com or bzebra@aol.com.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Six: Subjects of interest to writers
Where is Bobbie Christmas speaking?
Write Well U offers telephone seminars you can take in the comfort of
your own home.
“Write in Style and You Write to Win”
Wednesday, September 30, 2009, 6:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
Learn the basis of Write In Style, Bobbie’s award-winning textbook on
creative writing. Discover how to make your writing stand head and
shoulders above the rest, so it wins the attention of agents and
editors. Write in style, and you are much more likely to achieve the
success you deserve.
To register for these and other classes, go to www.WriteWellU.com.
BEST NEWS: Whether or not you actually call in for the event,
AuthorSmart and Write Well U send you all the handouts and an MP3
recording of the event, so even if you forget to listen in, you’ll
still get all the information you need.
===
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Sisters in Crime
Smyrna Library
Smyrna, Georgia
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
===
Scribblers Writers Retreat
St. Simons Island, Georgia
May 2010
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Attention Writers in Metro Atlanta!
The Writers Network has occasional local meetings in the
Roswell-Alpharetta general area. If you’re interested in meeting with
other writers, send me an e-mail (Bobbie@zebraeditor.com) and ask to be
put on a list of local members to be notified if and when we plan a get
together.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Authors! Have You Taken This Vital (and free) Marketing Step?
Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia created by users. Anyone can add
articles and information. As part of your marketing plan, create a
Wikipedia entry for you and your books and link it back to your Web
site.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Purge Your Prose of Problems
A Book Doctor’s Desk Reference, Fourth Edition
Save thousands of dollars by editing your own book!
This proprietary desk reference book is not available in stores.
Written in easy-to-understand language, the information covers all you
need to know to plow through the maze of the editing phase: grammar,
punctuation, word choices, creative writing, plot, pace,
characterization, dialogue, Chicago Style, formatting a manuscript, and
much more. Spiral binder lies flat for easy use. To order go to
http://tinyurl.com/4ptjnr.
Save shipping costs PLUS instantly get Purge Your Prose of Problems as
an e-book with clickable links and bookmarks that zip you directly to
any subject. Go to http://tinyurl.com/4ptjnr.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Free "Learn to speak in public" video series now available on YouTube
Writers must promote themselves and their books, and if you have the
fear of speaking in public, Keith Lightfoot’s tutorial series will
help. A New Zealander, Lightfoot is a confident public speaker who
passes his tips along to you. See
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7i_H3epgd4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Download Bobbie’s newest one-hour seminars in MP3 format from the Zebra
Communications Web site! Below are the newest seminars, ready to
download:
"Write In Style and You Write To Win, an Introduction"
Gail Richards of AuthorSmart presents this hour-long seminar (#1 in the
series) with Bobbie Christmas. Learn the secret of Bobbie's trademarked
Find and Refine Method to make your writing unique, direct, and tight.
This method allows you to be objective about your writing. After you
apply Bobbie's suggestions to your manuscript, it will win the
attention of your intended audience and more likely win the eye of an
agent or acquisitions editor. Instant download. $5.00
"Self-Editing Techniques You Can't Live Without"
Gail Richards of AuthorSmart presents this hour-long seminar (#2 in the
series) with Bobbie Christmas. After you have taken the first seminar,
take this one to learn even more ways to apply Bobbie's trademarked
Find and Refine Method to all your written materials. Learn the most
common flaws and errors Bobbie spots in manuscripts and learn how to
avoid making the same mistakes. Instant download. $5.00
"Tricks You Didn't Know Your Word Processor Could Do"
Gail Richards of AuthorSmart presents this hour-long seminar (#3 in the
series) with Bobbie Christmas. After the first two seminars, you're
ready to learn even more tips and tricks in Microsoft Word or Word
Perfect, tips that can save you hours of time and endless frustration
when you prepare your manuscript for submission to an agent, publisher,
or printer. Instant download. $5.00
SPECIAL! Purchase all three AuthorSmart seminars featuring Bobbie
Christmas and save 20%.
You'll get...
• "Write In Style and You Write To Win, an Introduction"
• "Self-Editing Techniques You Can't Live Without"
• "Tricks You Didn't Know Your Word Processor Could Do"
Instant download. $12.00
To buy and download these seminars go to
http://zebraeditor.com/seminars_on_cd.shtml.
Also available on that site: Bobbie Christmas seminars on CD
“Write In Style and You Write to Win”
“Travel Writing for Fun and (a little) Profit”
“Write it and Reap: Make Money Selling Your Expertise”
“An Editor’s 10 Secrets to More Persuasive Writing”
“I’ve Finished My Book; What Should I Do Now?”
Take seminars in the comfort of your own home. Repeat as often as you
want. Invite your friends to join you. To order, go to
http://zebraeditor.com/seminars_on_cd.shtml.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From The Chicago Manual of Style Q & A this month:
Q. Is the word “how” necessary in sentences such as “Learn how to bake
breads and cakes”? In some cases, it sounds better with the word “how,”
but it seems unnecessary in this case.
A. Learning to do something isn’t necessarily the same as learning how
to do it. If I say “I learned to turn off my cell phone at the opera
during act 4 of Otello while Desdemona was singing that soft, wrenching
aria and hoping Otello wouldn’t strangle her,” it doesn’t mean I was
learning how to turn it off. So use the word “how” whenever it’s needed
to make your meaning clear.
For more CMOS Q & A, see
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/CMS_FAQ/new/new_questions01.html.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ask the Book Doctor: How to Beat the Competition and Sell Your Writing
answers many of the questions you wish you could ask an editing expert.
Whether you write books, short stories, articles, reports, or anything
else, learn more about how to write, edit, and sell your work.
Paperback: $14.95 plus $4.99 S & H (total: $19.94 US) E-book: $14.95
and no S & H. To order go to http://tinyurl.com/lexp7n.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The last week of September (this year it’s September 26 - October 3,
2009) is observed in the US as Banned Books Week. For more information
as well as events you can plan to assist, see
http://bannedbooksweek.org.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Write In Style: Using Your Word Processor and Other Techniques to
Improve Your Writing by Bobbie Christmas teaches the Find and Refine
Method ™ to locate words and phrases you can delete, upgrade or rewrite
to power up your prose. Bobbie Christmas reveals secrets only a book
doctor could know. First Place winner of the Royal Palm Award for
education, Best in Division (Georgia Author of the Year Awards), and
Finalist in USABookNews Best Books 2005. Available at
http://zebraeditor.com/book_write_in_style.shtml.
The bad news/good news—do not pay $93 for Write In Style!
When inventory got too low, the publisher of my book, Write In Style,
took the book out of print rather than invest in another edition in
this economy. I bought the last books available and am selling directly
through my Web site, something my contract with the publisher did not
allow me to do when the book was still in print. Because the book is
officially out of print now, it is considered a rare book, so several
Web sites that sell used copies are selling the book as a rare book and
charging between $52 and $93 for the book. I get absolutely nothing
when my book is resold as a used book, though, so that's bad news.
You still have a chance to buy it directly from me for $12.95 plus
shipping while supplies last, though, so that’s the good news. If you
are a writer or know a writer who can benefit from tips that make your
writing stand out as pristine, clear prose, order Write In Style today,
while supplies last. See
http://zebraeditor.com/book_write_in_style.shtml.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Distress sale! Save Five More Bucks! About two dozen copies of Write In
Style got slightly damaged in the flood in my office. All are still
completely legible, but the covers may curl and/or the pages may be
slightly wrinkled. The price for pristine copies is $12.95 plus $3.99
S&H (total: $16.94 US), but I am selling slightly damaged for $10.00
plus $2.00 S&H (total: $12.00 US). You’ll save almost $5.00! To order
these special copies, send me $12.00 using PayPal and any credit card.
Simply go to PayPal and say you want to send $12.00 to Bobbie
Christmas, and send me your mailing address. I will even autograph the
books. They may become collector’s copies! Note: This offer is good
only for US customers. I apologize, but international mail costs too
much to offer this low price to those outside the United States.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Free Tools for Writers from Bobbie Christmas and Zebra Communications
Order PDF reports on correct manuscript format, how to form and run a
critique circle, how to identify weak writing and repair it,
self-publishing versus traditional publishing, and much more. Sixteen
reports are available, and the list keeps growing. Go to
http://zebraeditor.com/free_reports.shtml. Newest report: How to choose
the correct editor for your manuscript. Surprise! It may not be me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Keep up with Bobbie’s activities on Twitter:
http:twitter.com/BookDoctor4u
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Seven: Jobs, Contests, Grants, Agents and Markets
Nominate your book for an Eric Hoffer Book Award. See
www.HofferAward.com and click on the “Nominate” link. Deadline January
21, 2010. $45 entry fee.
* $1,500 Grand Prize (the Eric Hoffer Award for Books)
* Winner of the Montaigne Medal for most thought-provoking book
* Winner and First Runner-Up awarded for every category
* Honorable Mentions for every category
* Individual Awards for Micro, Small, and Academic Presses, as well as
Self-Published Books
* Coverage in The US Review of Books (www.theUSreview.com), the annual
anthology, Best New Writing, and on www.HofferAward.com.
* Gold Seal Certificates
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Write a Memoir, Get Free Admission to Conference
The Infinite Writer is looking for Memoirs–creative and original
stories in first person. The piece has to create an emotional
connection with the reader. The editors will look for mood and a story
line in which the writer has an epiphany, large or small. Word count
between 1,000 and 2,000.
We will choose from the best and publish them in succeeding months.
Selected memoirs will be listed in the October, November, and December
issues of The Infinite Writer. A panel of judges will select one out
of the three for a first prize of one free admission to The Do It!
Write one-day writer’s conference in New Port Richey, Florida, Sunday,
April 11, 2010.
Deadline for submission is September 25, 2009. For submission
guidelines, go to http://mysite.verizon.net/resockeb/e-zine/id784.html.
Hurry! Deadline is September 25.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Strange Horizons (www.strangehorizons.com) is a weekly Web-based
magazine of and about speculative fiction. The term "speculative
fiction" refers to what is more commonly known as "sci-fi," but which
properly embraces science fiction, fantasy, magic realism, slipstream,
and a host of sub-genres.
Strange Horizons hopes to give rising stars another place to shine.
Strange Horizons pays fiction and poetry writers professional rates.
Strange Horizons publishes short fiction, poetry, reviews and articles
of interest to the speculative fiction community each week.
See http://www.strangehorizons.com/Guidelines.shtml for submission
guidelines.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TRIQUARTERLY
Northwestern University
629 Noyes St.
Evanston, IL 60208-4302
Phone: 847-491-7614
triquarterly@northwestern.edu
www.triquarterly.org
Needs:
Essays
Translations
We do not usually publish philosophical essays.
"We are committed to presenting the finest works of literature and
graphic art for discerning readers. By publishing a combination of
general issues and occasional special issues, such as for Vladimir
Nabokev on his seventieth birthday, TriQuarterly quickly became one of
the most widely admired and important literary journals." Work may be
submitted without query from Oct. 1 to Feb. 28. Manuscripts. submitted
between April 1 and Sept. 30 will be returned unread. All work
submitted must be unpublished anywhere, including on the Web.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Eight: Creative Writing Assignment – It’s in the Stars
Look for horoscopes in the newspaper or on the Internet. Read a
few—they don’t have to be your own—and let them start your creative
juices flowing. For example, here’s part of a horoscope I read
recently:
“There's a fine line between being charmingly talkative and being a
blabbermouth. You know how to walk that line, but not all people do.
Keep an eye out for friends or coworkers who aren’t watching what they
say today.”
If I were to use this horoscope as the basis of a story, I might think,
“What if some employees were eating lunch together and one person
revealed too much about the management’s intents.” “What if friends
were at a party and someone started a rumor that starts a feud?” “What
if at a family reunion a relative said something that upset the
family?” Instantly I had three separate and good setups for stories.
Once you read a horoscope that speaks to you, apply the “what if”
technique to the horoscope and see how many story lines you can
conjure. Write them down. Use one to write a story. Keep the others for
potential stories later.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Nine: Web Sites of Interest to Writers
Grammar, Apostrophe and Comma Catastrophes: Read ’em and weep.
http://www.apostrophecatastrophes.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tools for writers plus free reports, information, and answers for
writers like you: www.zebraeditor.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Be sure to send us your favorite Web resources for writers to share
with your network.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Do YOU have news for The Writers Network News? Please send it in the
body copy, not an attachment, to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com. Deadline: The
15th of each month.
…………………………………………………………………………….
Send a copy of this newsletter to all your writing friends. Tell them
to join The Writers Network F-R-E-E by visiting www.zebraeditor.com and
clicking on “Free Newsletter.”
…………………………………………………………………………….
With the exception of Zebra Communications, information in this
newsletter is not to be construed as an endorsement. Be sure to
research all information and study every stipulation before you accept
assignments, spend money, or sell your work.
The Writers Network News– a newsletter for writers everywhere. No fees.
No officers. “No Rules; Just Write!”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++