The Writers Network News, August 2010 http://ezezine.com
August 2010 Issue
The Writers Network News
No Rules; Just Write!
Editor: Bobbie Christmas
Contents copyright 2010, 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: Our editing makes books, magazines, and business
materials more marketable. We are a top-rated Better Business
Bureau-accredited business.
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770/924-0528
http://zebraeditor.com/
Note Bobbie’s NEW Blog: http://bobbiechristmas.blogspot.com/. Add your
own comments, too.
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Welcome to this issue of The Writers Network News
In This Issue
One: From the editor’s desk – If Not Now, When?
Two: Ask the Book Doctor – About Sits vs. Sets, Magazine Submission
Format, and How to Become a Writer
Three: This Month’s Writing Tip from Bobbie Christmas – I get so angry
when I see this usage!
Four: Subjects of Interest to Writers
Five: Contests, Agents, and Markets
Six: Creative Writing Assignment – Bad Decisions
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To view current and past issues of The Writers Network News, go to
http://tinyurl.com/c4otf6.
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[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.]
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Writer’s quote of the day
“Sometimes writing feels like pulling teeth, except the pain isn’t
localized in the mouth; it’s much more pervasive. It’s like pulling
your soul out of your skin. —Cathleen Rountree
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One: From the editor’s desk — If Not Now, When?
Dear Fellow Writers:
“If not now, when?” Many sources have been credited with that
quotation, including John F. Kennedy; however, it appeared long before
his lifetime in the Talmud and is attributed to Rabbi Hillel, one of
the most influential scholars in Jewish history. No matter who said it,
we’ve all heard it. “If not now, when?” It always sounded good, but the
other day I “heard” that quotation as if a sentient being spoke it
directly into my ear. For the first time, I internalized it, and it has
rolled around in my cranium ever since. “If not now, when?” That brief
statement addresses all the challenges I face.
I get exhausted merely pondering all the projects I put off. I still
have not completely cleared my office of all the confusion caused by
the small flood last September. I need new blinds in most of the rooms
of my house, yet I have done nothing other than get overwhelmed by the
choices. My yard needs tending. My car needs washing. I need to finish
my latest book, and I need to push harder to find an agent for it.
Nothing motivates me more to do a job I didn’t want to do than to take
on an even bigger task. In that way, I tackle the smaller task and
avoid doing the bigger one. In the end, I’m left with a bunch of big
tasks, none of which I want to do. I run five or six tasks behind,
motivated only to do something else, to avoid doing what I should be
doing. Is such behavior normal? Is procrastination a typical human
trait? I suspect it is.
When I examine my tactics, I have to question why I think I have to
complete one chore before I start the next. Can’t I work on several
challenges at once, working a little on this one and a little on that
one until all are done?
When the “If not now, when?” quotation sifted into my gray matter the
other day, it found a home. I got it. I heard it. I’m ready for the
challenge. I am tackling all the things I have put off doing.
My first challenge is my food plan. I should eat healthier, lighter,
and less, but I keep putting off going back on the world’s best food
plan (I never call it a diet; diet is a four-letter word!). When I used
that plan about a dozen years ago, I dropped sixty pounds. Since then,
however, I picked them all back up and added a few extra, and my knees
and legs feel it. Well, if not now, when? It’s time to regain my
health, cut down on salt, increase my intake of vegetables, decrease my
intake of starches, and stop thinking popcorn is essential to my daily
existence.
While I eat smarter, I also need to finish and polish my latest book
and start writing another that’s been simmering on the back burner of
my brain. While I write, I need to find another agent or publisher,
because my first agent dropped me, and my publisher shifted its focus
to books on gaming (an interesting euphemism the industry uses for
gambling).
Several Eastern religions as well as Western therapists tell us that to
be happy and productive we must stay in the “now.” We cannot be happy
if we dwell on the past, and we fail to be productive, if we promise to
do things in the future, but never get to them. The only moment that
counts is the one we are in at the moment. Now is the only time
anything gets done. If not now, when? I get it! I get it!
What have you been putting off? Do you have a project on the back
burner that needs to be moved to the hotter part of your stove? Well,
my friend, if not now, when?
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. 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.
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Two: Ask the Book Doctor — About Sits vs. Sets, Magazine Submission
Format, and How to Become a Writer
By Bobbie Christmas
Q: Once in a while the word “sits” comes up in our [southern city]
writers group, and another member (in her seventies) and I (at
eighty-three years) always wonder what is right. When she and I were
growing up, the word “sets” was used for an object, not “sits,” as it
seems to be used these days. An example is this: A potted plant sits on
the windowsill. In my day and age, it would have been this: A potted
plant sets on the window sill. Could you please straighten us out once
and for all?
A: I've found that southerners more than others confuse the two words
“sit” and “set.” I hope the following sets the record straight:
Set means the following:
1. place something: “Please set the flowers on the table.”
2. cause somebody to be something: “After a hearing, the judge set the
prisoner free.”
3. cause something to begin doing something: “His smile set my heart at
ease.”
4. apply fire: “The camper set fire to his refuse.”
5. concentrate mind: “He set his mind to finding an answer.”
6. arrange something for use: “Hunters set traps in the woods.”
The definitions go on, but to sum up, “set” usually shows action that
is done to something (a direct object).
Sit means the following:
1. rest with weight on buttocks: “The children always sit in the same
places.”
2. be placed: “The trash still sat where we left it.”
Again, the word has other definitions as well, but unlike “set,” “sit”
does not, indeed cannot, take a direct object. We cannot sit something
down; we must set something down.
In the example of “A potted plant sits on the windowsill,” the verb
“sits” is correct. If you wanted to show the action being done TO
something, the correct verb would be “set,” as in this example: “I set
the potted plant on the windowsill.”
By the way, using “set” for “sit” in a character’s dialogue would be a
great way to show that the character is from the South.
Q: I’ve heard magazine editors hate it if writers leave an extra space
between paragraphs. Is this true? What about writing competitions? Any
difference there?
A: What you have heard is true. Look at any magazine that has been
professionally produced, and you’ll see that it has no extra space
between paragraphs except to break for a subhead or a complete change
in subject matter. In addition, magazine articles have only one space
after periods, not two, so get into the one-space-after-a-period habit.
Why do magazine editors want you to follow their format? They don’t
want to have to reformat all the files they receive. In the old days
when writers submitted articles on paper, extra spacing was not an
issue, because a typesetter took the typed copy and keyed the words
into the typesetting equipment. Today editors want your file ready to
flow into their design program with as few keystrokes as possible. For
that reason, it is always best to send articles to a magazine in such a
way that no one has to delete extra spaces between paragraphs or after
periods. We’re talking about standard manuscript format, and using it
shows that the writer is a professional. The same holds true for
writing competitions.
Note that this guideline does not necessarily apply to whether the file
should be single-spaced or double-spaced, because changing the line
spacing is a simple process. To learn whether a magazine or competition
wants to receive single-spaced or double-spaced files, find and follow
the submission guidelines.
Q: The following question arrived by e-mail and is intentionally left
unedited:
whats your opinion about someone analyze all things around him ,
usually searching for trunth , scientific facts , research any case
confront , has high imagination , alawys contemplate , endure social &
world problems as his was the responsible for solving it , has
photographic memory , live his own live as serial episode , all his
wishes & principles hope to be done , moreover usually try to prove his
view for hisself & others , has the ability to write coversation
between two persons for more than one hundred pages , daydreaming all
the time, imagine seeing this by making stories in his mind
my question all people around me touch that suggest me that I may me a
good writer , or story writer
but I need your opinion as you an experts , are the above behaviours
can qualify me or intutive behaviours for a writer or artist ?
A: The analytical behaviors outlined in your note indicate an excellent
start on the path to visual or literary arts, but it takes much more
than intuition or inclinations to become a writer.
A person with good balance but no practice cannot hop on a bike and win
a marathon. First that person must practice many hours, days, months,
and years, to learn the skills and nuances of mounting the bike,
pedaling, steering, cornering, braking, and dismounting. The person
must also build stamina, muscle, and skills, before being able to
perform at peak level.
The same principle holds true for the arts. People who want to become
writers must hone their skills in grammar, punctuation, syntax, and
spelling. They must learn about writing clear, compelling copy and
believable dialogue; building characters; creating and sustaining a
plot; maintaining tension and conflict; and much more.
I’m concerned about the low level of clarity, grammar, spelling,
punctuation, and even typing in the note I received, so I have serious
concerns that the person who wrote that note has not yet developed the
basic skills necessary to become a good writer. If you want to become a
writer to take advantage of your great analytical skills, the next step
is to acquire and hone the skills you will need as a writer. Seek
classes in grammar, punctuation, typing, and creative writing. Learn to
develop an eagle eye for errors. Join writing groups, read books on
writing, write, and get feedback on your writing. Practice, practice,
practice, and you will see progress toward your goal.
Bobbie Christmas, book editor, author of Write In Style (Union Square
Publishing), and owner of Zebra Communications, will answer your
questions, too. Send them to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com. Read more “Ask the
Book Doctor” questions and answers at www.zebraeditor.com.
Send your questions to the Book Doctor Bobbie Christmas at
Bobbie@zebraeditor.com.
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Three: This Month’s Writing Tip from Bobbie Christmas – I get so angry
when I see this usage!
The word “so” often gets misused and overused. First, “so,” when used
as a conjunction should never begin a sentence. Otherwise, “so” should
mean “consequently,” “as a result,” “accordingly,” or “as a result.” It
should never be used to mean “very.”
Incorrect use as a conjunction:
The children wanted to play. So we took them to the park.
Correct use as a conjunction:
The children wanted to play, so we took them to the park.
Proper use of “so” requires the word be followed by “that.”
Incorrect:
I got a headache, I was so angry.
The woman had so much grace.
I admired him because he was so smart.
Correct:
I was so angry that I got a headache.
The woman had such grace that everyone seemed to notice.
I admired him because he was brilliant.
Because “very” is a word to be avoided, all uses of “so” to mean “very”
can sometimes simply be deleted.
Correct:
The woman had grace.
I admired him because he was smart.
If you think you have used “so” incorrectly anywhere in your
manuscript, use my trademarked Find and Refine Method to search for and
eliminate the word or recast the sentences that use the word
incorrectly. To use the Find and Refine Method, pull down the Edit menu
in your software program and go to Find. Type the word “so” in the Find
box and press Find Next. When “so” shows up, delete it and/or recast
the sentence. You may find yourself surprised at how often the word
appears, and if so (used correctly here), then you have the chance to
reduce the repetition of the word, which is another wise technique for
stronger writing.
If you wish to learn more about how to apply the Find and Refine Method
to other issues in your manuscript, send a note to
freereports@zebraeditor.com, and you’ll receive a link to many free
reports, including one on my trademarked Find and Refine Method.
For even more opportunities to Find and Refine, buy Write In Style
(Union Square Publishing) by clicking here:
http://zebraeditor.com/book_write_in_style.shtml
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Four: Subjects of interest to writers
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.
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More discussion on self-publishing
Hi, Bobbie,
Thanks for your informative newsletter. When I was reading about the
writer who was asking about poetry books, I wondered why she didn’t
consider doing it in e-book format. I'm getting very excited about the
money that can be made from e-books, and will certainly do my next book
that way. The cost for publishing an e-book compared to paper
publishing (self or otherwise) is amazing. Dan Poynter's July 1
newsletter (ParaPublishing) has several items on the e-book movement.
Steve Haber, president of Sony's digital reading business division,
states that within five years e-book sales will overtake published book
sales. When you consider how much money companies like Amazon, Apple,
Google and B&N are putting into their readers, it's food for thought.
FAWN O'CONNOR - AGELESS ACHIEVEMENT
Designer/Creator of the popular Face-Saver Pillow
Author of 'SLEEP - THE ULTIMATE SECRET TO AGELESS ACHIEVEMENT'
Speaker: "Becoming Ageless" Workshops
Web Site: www.facesaverpillow.com
Email: fawn@agelessachievement.com
Phone: 714-544-2043
Dear Fawn:
While it’s true the expense of creating an e-book is practically nil
and that people in the e-book business have every reason to cheer the
explosive rise in e-book sales, it’s still true that poetry books are
difficult to sell. Most poetry books are sold at poetry readings and
poetry slams, because the poets and the books are right there, easily
accessible, when listeners are most motivated to buy. Once people leave
the reading and drive home, few will make the effort to go online,
purchase, and download a book of poetry. On the bright side, though,
while poetry e-book sales may be low, the investment is low too, so
poetry e-books might actually make a small profit, if the poets
themselves can find good ways to market their books and motivate people
to buy and download them.
The report to which I referred also addresses the issue of e-books, but
thank you, Fawn, for bringing the subject to the forefront. –Bobbie
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My second novel, Knuckle Supper, is coming out on October 10, and I'm
giving away Xboxes, Kindles, an iPad, and eventually a publishing
contract with my publisher, Alphar Publishing. My main objective is to
raise awareness for a nonprofit called Children of the Night. For more
information see http://www.knucklesupper.com/faq.html -- Drew Stepek
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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. The metal coil lets the book lie flat for easy use. To order
as a printed book or e-book, go to http://tinyurl.com/4ptjnr.
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Rick Bragg and Sonny Brewer to give workshop in Atlanta
Pulitzer Prize-winning nonfiction author Rick Bragg--one of best
storytellers the South ever produced--and author/editor Sonny Brewer
are teaming up and blowing in from 'Bama on Saturday, September 25.
They'll grab ahold of your attention all day with discussions about
every kind of writing; the good, the bad, and the stupid worlds of
publishing; and perils, adventures, and rewards of the writing life.
The cost for the full-day workshop and lunch is only $60 for members of
the Atlanta Writers Club or $100, if you are not yet a member, which
includes membership in the club for the rest of 2010 and all of 2011.
To register, send an e-mail to John Sheffield at dacejohn@aol.com. John
will reply with payment instructions.
Location:
Georgia Perimeter College - Dunwoody campus
2101 Womack Road
Dunwoody, GA 30338
Building NC, Room 1100 Auditorium
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Member Richard Lowrie sent in some vital shortcuts he’s found in
Windows 7 Microsoft Word. Here are a few:
To change the case of a line or a word, select the word or sentence, go
to Home, select Font, and click on Aa, which allows a case change for
the selected sentence or word or you can capitalize the first letter of
each word selected.
To get the word count of a document on the screen, go to Review, select
Proofing, then select the (tiny) ABC and 123 (combined).
To undelete something just done, (this is a good one to know) hit
Control and Z together. This particular tip works in older versions of
Word as well.
To place the word "DRAFT" on the document, go to Page Layout, go to
Page Background, click on Watermark, and select the desired word, such
as Draft, Confidential, Do Not Copy, or Sample.
To save a document to a flash drive, plug the flash into any USB socket
(port). On your Documents Library page (the screen that lists all your
documents,) highlight the document to be saved. Right click on this
highlighted line, select Send To, select Removable Disk (N:), and wait
a few seconds for the transfer to take place.
Thank you, Richard Lowrie, for sharing this information with your
fellow writers.
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Download Bobbie’s seminars! Go to
http://zebraeditor.com/seminars_on_cd.shtml.
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Six Common Self-Publishing Mistakes
Mark Coker, founder of e-book publisher Smashwords, shares some of the
most common mistakes he sees authors make in self-publishing.
1. Sloppy editing: Although Smashwords makes it fast, easy and free to
publish an e-book, we don’t make it easy to write a great book. Many
indie authors rush their books to market before the book has been
properly edited or proofread. I can’t underscore the importance of good
editing. Every book benefits from the unforgiving eye of an independent
editor and proofreader.
2. Sloppy book covers: Some authors, after investing a lifetime in
writing their book, invest under five minutes to create a quality book
cover. If a picture tells a thousand words, an ugly book cover image
tells the book buyer, “don’t click here.” Good e-book cover design
services can be had for under $40, so why sell yourself short?
3. Failure to understand that e-books are formatted differently: Some
authors, especially those with years of professional publishing
experience, have a difficultly making the transition from print design
to e-book design. With e-books, simpler formatting and layout actually
improves the value of your book to the reader. If authors obsess over
making their e-book look like an exact facsimile of their print book,
they invariably cause themselves great frustration, and ultimately
release their book in fewer formats or worse, they damage the reading
experience.
For more information, see http://www.Smashwords.com. This interview is
excerpted with permission from The Savvy Book Marketer by Dana Lynn
Smith. To read the full interview, visit The Savvy Book Marketer at
http://tinyurl.com/2fmug49.
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Write In Style by Bobbie Christmas teaches her trademarked Find and
Refine Method along with dozens tips that power up your prose. Bobbie
Christmas reveals secrets only a book doctor could know.
http://zebraeditor.com/book_write_in_style.shtml. Get your copy while
supplies last. The remaining copies are rapidly dwindling.
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Soon to start up, a new submission service through Bowker
BowkerManuscriptSubmissions.com is being initiated as a cooperative
effort between Bowker and the publishing community for publishers
looking for new authors and desiring an efficient way to discover and
evaluate new manuscripts.
Bowker says its new service has a special flagging process that
indicates which submissions have been professionally edited, to help
publishers quickly identify the most professional submissions.
While authors pay an annual fee to post their offerings, publishers can
scan the offerings and examine them free. To learn more, see
http://tinyurl.com/2dk5vrx.
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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: I’ve revised,
updated, and expanded my report on “How to Tell When You’re Telling”
for those who need to learn how to show, rather than tell a story. Be
sure to download it today.
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From a recent Chicago Manual of Style Q & A:
Q. I am editing a piece that makes several references to unspoken
orders. For example: He climbed up the plank and handed the engineer a
“go” order. Or, After ten minutes he signaled “stop.” Should these
orders be in quotations?
A. Yes. Quotation marks needn’t imply that something was spoken. Your
sentences are much easier to read with quotation marks signaling the
special uses of “go” and “stop.”
To read many more CMOS questions and answers, go to the Chicago Manual
of Style Web site at http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org.
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Hate the nouning of verbs and the verbing of nouns? It’s been around a
long time, according to Anu Garg, originator of A.Word.A.Day on
Wordsmith.org. Here’s what Anu says:
"Did you receive my invite?" If the noun use of the word "invite"
grates on you, you are not alone. Perhaps you could simply respond
with, "Yes, didn't you get my accept?" Or you could go to such great
lengths as to create a Web site about it: IsInviteaNoun.com.
The truth is that the nouning of verbs (and verbing of nouns) is
nothing new. The Oxford English Dictionary shows the word "invite" used
as a noun going as far back as 1659 (the verb sense is from 1553).
Numerous words in the English language do double duty as nouns and
verbs (permit, look, commute, transport, address, to name a few). These
noun senses usually follow a short while after the verb sense. Most
such nouns become an everyday part of the language, while some continue
to carry a stigma, as does the noun invite.
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I’m pleased to toot my own horn and say that Sphinx Publishing, an
imprint of Sourcebooks that specializes in legal reference books,
recently released a book I edited titled The Art of Lawyering by Paul
Lisnik. Buy it at any bookstore or go to http://tinyurl.com/252p2yt.
Do you want your book to sell? Turn to Zebra Communications for your
editing service.
--Bobbie Christmas
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E-book Sales Soaring
Sales of electronic books for the Amazon Kindle have outnumbered sales
of traditional hardcover books for the last three months, says Amazon.
Amazon has averaged 143 Kindle book sales for every 100 hardcover book
sales over the last three months; in just the last month, that ratio
increased to 180 Kindle books for every 100 hardcover books.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Are you on Facebook? Do You Twitter?
Keep up with Bobbie’s activities on Facebook (search for Bobbie
Rothberg Christmas) or on Twitter at http://twitter.com/BookDoctor4u.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Five: Contests, Agents and Markets
Art in the Air Poetry Contest
Inventing the Invisible/"Art in the Air" Radio Show, 3128 Walton Blvd.,
PMB 186, Rochester Hills MI 48309. Fax: (248)693-7344. E-mail:
lagapvp@aol.com. Website: www.inventingtheinvisible.com. Established
1991. Contact: Margo LaGattuta, award director. Offers biannual award
of 1st Prize: $100, 2nd Prize: $50, and 4 Honorable Mentions. ("All
winners read poems on the radio." ) Submissions may be previously
published. Considers simultaneous submissions. Submit 3 poems maximum
in any form, typed, single-spaced, limit 2 pages per poem. Accepts
inquiries by fax or e-mail. Guidelines available for SASE or on Web
site. Entry fee: $5 for up to 3 poems. Deadline: October 30 and April
30. Competition receives over 600 entries/year. Winners will be
announced 2 months after deadline. Copies of winning poems or books may
be obtained by sending a SASE to the Inventing the Invisible address.
"'Art in the Air' is an interview radio show on WPON, 1460 AM, in
Bloomfield Hills, MI, hosted by Margo LaGattuta and may be heard on the
Web site Fridays at 1:00 pm EST. The theme is creativity and the
creative process, especially featuring writers both local and national.
Send only your best work, well crafted and creative. Judges look for
excellence in content and execution."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Chariton Review Short Fiction Prize
Truman State University Press
100 East Normal Ave.
Kirksville, MO 63501-4221
Contact: Nancy Rediger
An annual award for the best unpublished short fiction on any theme up
to 5,000 words in English. Entries must be postmarked by August 31.
Include a nonrefundable reading fee of $20 for each manuscript
submitted. Check payable to: Truman State University Press. If you
prefer to pay by Visa, MasterCard, or Discover, include your credit
card number, expiration date, cardholder name, and signature. Winner
gets a $1,000 prize and publication in The Chariton Review. Three
finalists will also be published in the spring issue. All U.S. entrants
receive a one-year subscription (two issues) to The Chariton Review.
Entrants outside the U.S. receive the prizewinning issue only.
Manuscripts must be double spaced on standard paper and bound only with
a clip. Electronic submissions are not allowed. Include two title
pages: one with the ms title and the author's contact information
(name, address, phone, email), and the other with only the ms title
(The author's name must not appear on or within the ms.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Short Scripts Sought
Write a ten-minute script exploring the theme “madness is a matter of
degree.” Teams of actors and directors will be given just 24 hours in
which to workshop the best ten scripts for performance. The final
outcome will be a live show to challenge preconceptions of mental
illness.
Writers are invited to submit short scripts (up to 10 minutes long) and
the best will be performed by teams of actors and directors given just
24 hours to rehearse and ready their short shows. The final show will
be made up of these short, sharp, exciting, and innovative performances
that will span a variety of styles, from comedy to tragedy and
everything between. The only limit is the imagination. The best of the
best will be filmed and those films exhibited on Web sites such as
Youtube, RETHiNK, Titirangi Theatre and Dramatrain. We are seeking
scripts that can be performed with no set, minimal props and deal with
mental "illness" in a positive manner.
By submitting a script writers agree to having them be performed live
for the RETHiNK Theatre Challenge shows and possibly being filmed and
shown on Web sites; however, live shows and Web sites aside, as this is
a voluntary competition with no financial reward, and ownership and
copyright of the script remain with the author.
Closing date for the script submissions is Wednesday September 1, 2010.
Send scripts to Adam@DramaTrain.co.nz. For more information and
writer's guidelines, see http://titirangitheatre.co.nz./whatson.htm#24.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sourcebooks offers consideration and feedback on your book proposal,
but hurry! Offer ends July 31.
You work on your manuscript for months, carefully craft a proposal and
pitch letter, and send out your heart and soul to agents and
publishers, and what do you get in return? A form letter saying “Thank
you for your submission, but it does not meet our needs at this time.”
Really?
We at Sourcebooks and Julie A. Hill and Associates know how you feel.
Well, now we know, thanks to Stephen Markley and his hilarious,
innovative, and amazing new memoir Publish This Book. You see, sick of
getting rejections that say nothing, Stephen decided to cut to the
chase and write a memoir about how hard it is to get a book published.
And then try to get that book published—a book about its own creation.
Crazy, right? Well, he convinced us, getting agent representation from
Julie Hill of Julie A. Hill and Associates and finally publication by
Sourcebooks. And after reading his whole manuscript, we see how hard it
is for you out there. So in honor of Stephen’s achievement, and all
aspiring writers, we’ve decided to tear down the walls that keep
writers from honest and helpful feedback about their work from the
publishing industry. That means: no more form letters, but an actual
critique of your submission from an agent or publishing company
How Does It Work?
1. Purchase a copy of Publish This Book.
2. Between March 9, 2010 and July 30, 2010 submit your proposal along
with a proof of purchase (receipt, order confirmation, etc.) via the
form below or by email at ptbsubmissions@sourcebooks.com
3. Wait two to six months (While you’re waiting, why not read your new
copy of Publish This Book? It’s amazing.)
4. Receive a two- to four-paragraph critique of your submission.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
International Transactions, Inc.
P.O. Box 97
Gila, NM 88038-0097
E-mail: submissions@intltrans.com
Web site: www.intltrans.com
This literary agency includes Peter Riva (nonfiction, fiction,
illustrated, television and movie rights placement), Sandra Riva
(fiction, juvenile, biographies), and JoAnn Collins (fiction, women's
fiction, medical fiction). The agency is mostly interested in
nonfiction authors who have been previously published. Read and follow
submission guidelines on Web site.
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Six: Creative Writing Assignment – Bad Decisions
A friend sent me a list of funny truisms, and one item stood out: Bad
decisions make good stories. Hmm. In fiction, conflict must always
drive the story. Bad decisions create conflict. How appropriate for a
creative writing exercise!
For this exercise, begin with a character who has to make a choice
between two courses, two relationships, two paths, two anything. Your
character may be at a literal crossroads and decide to take the fork to
the right instead of the fork to the left, which puts him in danger.
You may have a man who must choose between two women, a woman who must
choose between two potential roommates, or even a student who must
choose between two courses of study. After your character makes a
choice, follow the story and show the consequences of a bad decision.
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Tools for writers plus free reports, information, and answers for
writers like you: www.zebraeditor.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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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.
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Send a copy of this newsletter to all your writing friends. Tell them
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With the exception of Zebra Communications, information in this
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research all information and study every stipulation before you accept
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The Writers Network News: a newsletter for writers everywhere. When you
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for writers. No fees. No officers. “No Rules; Just Write!”
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