The Writers Network News November 2010 Issue http://ezezine.com
November 2010 Issue
The Writers Network News
No Rules; Just Write!
Editor: Bobbie Christmas
Contents copyright 2010, Bobbie Christmas
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Bobbie’s creative writing blog: http://bobbiechristmas.blogspot.com/
Bobbie’s weight-loss plan blog:
http://dontyoudarecallitadiet.blogspot.com/
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Welcome to this issue of The Writers Network News
In This Issue
One: From the editor’s desk – I’m Consuming Mass Quantities—of
Information
Two: Ask the Book Doctor – About Word Counts, Capitalizing Song Titles
and Album Titles, Plurals, and Accepting Credit Cards for Book Sales
Three: This Month’s Writing Tip from Bobbie Christmas – Only Use the
Word Only in the Right Location in Your Sentence
Four: Subjects of Interest to Writers
Five: Contests, Agents, and Markets
Six: Creative Writing Assignment – Love or a Call for Love
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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
If you wait for inspiration, you’re not a writer but a waiter. —Unknown
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One: From the editor’s desk —I’m Consuming Mass Quantities—of
Information
Dear Fellow Writers:
As I write this letter, my brand-new copy of The Chicago Manual of
Style, Sixteenth Edition, arrived an hour ago. I’m not impressed with
the cover color or design of this edition, but I can’t wait to dig into
the 1,025 pages loaded with delectable bits of information. Some folks
may wonder what I’m talking about, so let me explain.
Until the University of Chicago Press released the first edition of
this tome, editors of books had no singular source that answered
questions such as these: When should numbers be spelled out, and when
should they be used as numerals? When should a title be capitalized,
and when should it not be? When are abbreviations acceptable? How
should material in bibliographies, indexes, or footnotes be organized?
When should em dashes be used? When are en dashes appropriate? What are
em and en dashes, for that matter? How and when should commas be used?
Contrary to what we might think, even grammar rules are not finite, and
sometimes the right usage depends upon the intended publication.
Newspapers have one style, academics use one style, and book publishers
use yet a third style, Chicago Style.
When the University of Chicago Press released that first edition in
1906, editors of books could finally use one source to standardize all
books and forever end the differences of opinion among editors. As an
editor, I swallow grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and syntax
information the way a gourmet might enjoy a four-course meal. The CMOS
overflows with the meat and vegetables on which I thrive, and each new
edition addresses more subjects than the one before, and we editors
must stay current.
I’ll have to update some of my own materials, now that the new CMOS is
out, but I like having a reason to reread, rejuvenate, and revise my
reports and reference books for writers. You’ll probably see some
changes over the next months.
Meanwhile, I’ll be busy for the next few weeks devouring the new
edition and seeing what’s new, what’s the same, and what I never
noticed before. Yummy.
For those who asked, the latest figure on my weight loss is 36 pounds.
I refuse to call it a diet, and yet the weight is dropping off. I must
be doing something right. Follow my weight-loss blog, full of
information and tips at http://dontyoudarecallitadiet.blogspot.com/.
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 Word Counts, Capitalizing Song Titles
and Album Titles, Plurals, and Accepting Credit Cards for Book Sales
Q: What formula do agents and editors use to come up with the word
count?
A: The word count is estimation, not exact science, so almost any
formula will work, especially once your manuscript is in standard
manuscript format. I can’t speak for each agent and editor, for they
differ in opinions, but usually any one of the following methods will
work well enough to give agents and editors an idea of the length of
your manuscript:
The easiest method is to use your word-processing program. Go to Tools
and select Word Count.
The next most common method is to rely on standard manuscript format to
give you an estimate. Your manuscript should be in standard manuscript
format already, which is 12-point Courier type, double-spaced, with
margins of about an inch on all sides. In this format, each page
averages about 250 words. If your manuscript is 200 standard manuscript
pages long, you multiply 200 pages by 250 words to get the estimated
word count.
Other methods rely on character count, dividing by an average length,
and so forth. You don’t have to go to that much trouble, I assure you.
The people you deal with only want to know if your manuscript is too
short or too long. A close estimate is good enough. An exact count
won’t change that vital piece of information by much.
Q: When mentioning an album name in my book, like song titles, do you
lowercase conjunctions (and), prepositions (of, for), and articles (a,
the), even when they appear capitalized on the album covers?
Actual cover: Wheels Of A Dream
In my book: Wheels of a Dream
A: You have hit on a style issue. Advertising, labels, and such often
capitalize things at will. Advertising style is not the same as Chicago
Style.
Chicago Style, the standard for the book publishing industry, has
specific rules for when things should be capitalized, written out,
abbreviated, or punctuated. It says, in part, the following: “In title
capitalization, the first and last words and all nouns, pronouns,
adjectives, verbs, adverbs, and subordinating conjunctions (if,
because, as, that) are capitalized. Articles (a, an, the) and
coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, for, nor) are lowercased
unless they are the first or last word.
What you have in your manuscript, Wheels of a Dream, is correct as far
as capitalization goes, but I'm not sure if it is an album or a song
title. Chicago Style calls for putting quotation marks around the title
of a song, but it calls for italicizing the title of a long musical
composition, such as an opera or an album.
Q: When it comes to plurals for last names, which is correct? Hueys or
Huey’s or Hueys’? The Robersons or Roberson’s or Robersons’? Microsoft
Word always flags these as misspelled. I can never tell the difference.
A: Microsoft Word probably flags them because the words themselves,
Hueys and Robersons, are not in the dictionary, plus the computer
program cannot decipher whether the name is plural or possessive.
If it is strictly plural, it takes no apostrophe. Examples:
We ate dinner with Joe Huey and the rest of the Hueys.
Mike Roberson said all the Robersons are visiting next week.
If it is plural possessive, it needs an apostrophe. Examples:
We ate dinner at the Hueys’ house.
The Robersons’ dog is visiting, too.
Note that if the name ends in an s, the plural possessive for book
style is to add an apostrophe and an s. Examples:
The Jones’s house is painted white.
I agree with all of the Samuels’s suggestions.
Q: When I bought your book at a recent seminar, you used a credit card
company that notified me via e-mail of my charge going through. Can you
tell me about the company? Who are they, and how do I contact them? I
need to have the ability to accept credit card payments when I sell my
books, so I am shopping around.
A: The company I use is ProPay, and it can be found at www.propay.com.
A colleague highly recommended ProPay, and I have been completely
satisfied with the service I get. Through ProPay I can take almost any
credit card by e-mail, phone, or in person and later transfer those
funds to my own bank.
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 Book Doctor Bobbie Christmas at
Bobbie@zebraeditor.com.
Can’t get enough questions and answers? Order Ask the Book Doctor: How
to Beat the Competition and Sell Your Writing by Bobbie Christmas as an
e-book or printed book at
http://www.zebraeditor.com/book_ask_the_book_doctor.shtml.
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Three: This Month’s Writing Tip from Bobbie Christmas – Only Use the
Word Only in the Right Location in Your Sentence
Use “only” immediately in front of the word it should modify, to ensure
your sentence conveys your intended meaning. Notice how moving it can
change the meaning of a sentence: Only I had a slight injury. (Means I
was the only person with an injury.) I only had a slight injury. (Means
I was not otherwise injured.) I had only a slight injury. (Means my
injury was slight.) I had an only slight injury. (Means my injury was
quite slight.)
If you think you have used “only” too far from the word it was intended
to modify, or if you simply want to be sure that every use of “only”
results in your intended meaning, use my trademarked Find and Refine
Method to search your manuscript for every use of “only.” To use the
Find and Refine Method, pull down the Edit menu in your software
program and go to Find. Type the word “only” and click on Find Next.
Each time it shows up in a sentence, read the sentence carefully to be
sure the word modifies exactly the word you intended to modify.
If you notice you have used the word “only” too many times in the
manuscript, look for ways to rewrite those sentences to avoid overusing
the word.
Want to learn more tricks and tips? 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
Freebie! Listen to the 13-minute Shared Dreams Podcast where Gail Z.
Martin of DreamSpinner Communications interviews Bobbie Christmas about
how to write in style. Go to http://www.audioacrobat.com/play/WDx9N9D7
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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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A Not-So-Humbug Newsletter
In Dickens's immortal A Christmas Carol, as the Ghost of Christmas
Future was taking leave of Ebenezer Scrooge, Scrooge declared, "I will
honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year." That is
the intent of Ebenezer Scrooge's Good Tyme Gazette, keeping Christmas
"all the year." Published by A Christmas Carol devotee and The Writers
Network member Roy Lantz, the Gazette contains Carol trivia, an "Ask
Ebenezer" column, Dickensian recipes and more. E-mail Roy at
dickens@roylantz.com and ask to be added to the list. Visit
www.achristmascarolreading.com to hear excerpts from Roy's new A
Christmas Carol audiobook and view vignettes from his live performance
readings of A Christmas Carol.
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Rejection Rant from a Member
As every writer learns early in Creative Writing 101, when submitting
an article or short story for consideration to any publication, be sure
to include a stamped, self-addressed return envelope for its possible
rejection.
Unfortunately such an esteemed publication as Esquire never took the
same class. I recently sent a short story along with some background
and did receive my stamped, self-addressed, manila envelope back, BUT
the only thing inside was the "rubber stamped" Esquire rejection note.
Rejections are, of course, part of this writing game but that was all
that was inside the entire manila envelope. Article not
returned--background data not returned--just a one-page rejection.
I immediately contacted the editors asking if the material might be
sent back. and now, three weeks later, all I've heard is the sound of
silence.
Are they that callous, contemptuous of writers, as to not take the time
to return the material? It would have been just as easy to return
everything inside the same envelope as it took them to insert their
letter of rejection.
When I last looked, Esquire, as well as all magazines, depend on
writers to fill their pages. Esquire has obviously forgotten rejections
are a two-way street. They show a serious lack of respect for the
writer.
Keep up your great newsletter.
Thanks, Alvin Guthertz, Marin County, California
My reply:
It's true that for many years, the standard for a SASE (self-addressed,
stamped envelope) was a manila envelope large enough to hold all the
materials, with enough postage attached to cover the return of all the
materials. Because postage costs have escalated and copying costs have
decreased, the standard has changed. Now the SASE should be only a #10
(letter-size) envelope and a single stamp (whatever the postage for a
one- or two-page letter may be at the time). Publishers trash or shred
submissions now and return only the cover letter and a stamped or
printed rejection. Many publishers today don’t even bother to send a
rejection note; no response is considered rejection, nowadays. The few
writers who get personal rejection letters are those the periodical
hopes to encourage to keep writing and submitting. It's rare, so it's a
treat to get a real letter, even if it is a rejection letter.
I should have added this:
As for getting materials returned after the initial SASE has been
mailed back, I’m sure everyone at the magazine thinks they have more
urgent business than digging through a pile of rejected submissions to
find specific materials, create a label, attach it to an envelope, and
pay for the mailing. The rejected submission probably went into the
garbage immediately, anyway.
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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. To order as a printed book or e-book, go to
http://tinyurl.com/4ptjnr.
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Do all writers feel this way about rejections?
Someone sent me a Dave Coverly cartoon that appears to have been in a
periodical such as Parade. In it a man sits at his desk looking at a
manuscript, and a woman is sitting in a chair on the other side of the
desk, with her head lowered. The man is saying, “We loved all the words
in your manuscript, but we were wondering if you could maybe put them
in a completely different order.”
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Download Bobbie’s seminars! Go to
http://zebraeditor.com/seminars_on_cd.shtml.
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Words Writers Should Know
Metonymy (noun): A figure of speech that substitutes the name of one
thing for the name of another when the substituted name is associated
with the original by a common quality or function. Examples: He was a
Santa Claus of a man. A Pollyanna, Joan always had a smile on her face.
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Ask the Book Doctor: How to Beat the Competition and Sell Your Writing
by Bobbie Christmas quickly answers all the questions you wish you
could ask an expert on writing and editing. It’s a compendium of
questions asked by writers like you and answered by Bobbie Christmas
and other experts. The printed book makes a great gift to fellow
writers for $14.98 plus $4 shipping.
The e-book version also features clickable links that take you to
resources that also help you write, edit, and sell your work, whether
you write books, short stories, articles, reports, or anything else,
for that matter. The e-book costs only $8.54, you get almost super fast
delivery, and you pay no shipping and handling fee.
To order Ask the Book Doctor: How to Beat the Competition and Sell Your
Writing as a printed book or e-book, go to
http://www.zebraeditor.com/book_ask_the_book_doctor.shtml
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Cup of Comfort, an Adams Media Corporation inspirational series, offers
the following forum where writers of personal essays and nonfiction
short stories can share writing tips, writing advice, and the writing
life: http://www.cupofcomfort.com/writing-forums/writers-group
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Write In Style teaches Bobbie’s trademarked Find and Refine Method
along with information and dozens of tips that power up your prose.
Bobbie Christmas reveals secrets only a book doctor could know. To
order, go to http://zebraeditor.com/book_write_in_style.shtml. Get your
copy while supplies last. The remaining copies are going quickly.
Don’t pay $90 for my book! Amazon has no new copies of it but offers
used copies starting at $89.93. Don’t pay those prices! I still have a
few brand-new copies left, and you’ll still pay the original price,
$12.95 plus shipping. As a bonus, I’ll even sign the book. Once the
remaining copies are gone, the book will no longer be available at this
price, and you’ll have to pay the prevailing prices for a used copy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From The Chicago Manual of Style Online
The Chicago Manual of Style Online site recently posted the question
and answer below. It’s an issue I often must address when I edit
manuscripts, because we were taught in school to capitalize titles.
Q. I understand that a title following a person’s name should be
presented in lowercase. Our Human Resources Department defines official
job titles at my college. We have titles that are presented with a
comma rather than a preposition. For example: director, human
resources, rather than director of human resources. What is the correct
way to present the title after a name that includes the comma? Should
“human resources” be uppercase or lowercase? Should it be Mary Smith,
director, human resources?
A. In running text, Chicago style lowercases titles but caps the names
of departments: Mary Smith, director of Human Resources. On a résumé,
business card, diploma, door plaque, or such, your comma is appropriate
and the title may be capped: Mary Smith, Director, Human Resources.
For more questions and answers, see the site at
www.chicagomanualofstyle.org.
The new 16th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style is now available
online and is also available in print wherever books are sold.
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November is National Novel Writing Month
http://www.nanowrimo.org
National Novel Writing Month is a seat-of-your-pants approach to novel
writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a
175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.
Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo
is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly
about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort
involved.
Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in
NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze
approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write
on the fly.
Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good
thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving
yourself permission to make mistakes, to forgo the endless tweaking and
editing and just create, to build without tearing down.
As you spend November writing, you can draw comfort from the fact that
all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants
are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great
Frantic Novel. Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement,
commiseration, and—when the thing is done—the kind of raucous
celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children.
In 2009, we had more than 165,000 participants. More than 30,000 of
them crossed the 50K finish line by the midnight deadline, entering
into the annals of NaNoWriMo superstardom forever. They started the
month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English
teachers. They walked away novelists.
No fees, no cash prizes, but self-satisfaction and perhaps getting
listed as one of the writers who finished. Confused? Visit the How
NaNoWriMo Works page at http://www.nanowrimo.org/hownanoworks.
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Free Tools for Writers from Bobbie Christmas and Zebra Communications
Download 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. Go to http://zebraeditor.com/reports/reports.php
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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Want to know what to expect to pay or to charge for various editing
services? See the Editorial Freelancers Association Web site at
http://www.the-efa.org/res/rates.php
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Barnes & Noble has a new site that lets you upload and sell your
e-books to what could be millions of readers. See
http://tinyurl.com/2da8gv9.
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Are you on Facebook? Do You Twitter? Do you read blogs?
Keep up with Bobbie’s activities on Facebook (search for Bobbie
Rothberg Christmas) or on Twitter at http://twitter.com/BookDoctor4u.
Bobbie’s blogs:
Creative Writing: http://bobbiechristmas.blogspot.com/
Weight Loss: Don’t You Dare Call It a Diet! -
http://dontyoudarecallitadiet.blogspot.com/
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Writer Gazette offers a book review service for self-published authors.
The books are reviewed by volunteer subscribers to the magazine. You
can post your request for a review here:
http://wgbookreviews.blogspot.com/
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How to appeal to your intended audience
(Excerpt from http://www.writersdigest.com/article/he-said-she-said/)
by Leigh Anne Jasheway
No matter what you’re writing, if your intended audience is female,
make sure to include plenty of personal pronouns—“I,” “you” and
“we”—and descriptive terms. If your intended audience is male, on the
other hand, trade in pronouns for articles—such as “a,” “the” and
“that”—choose active verbs, limit adjectives, and include concrete
figures, like numbers. Observe the stylistic differences between these
two statements: “I’m sorry we’re late; we had a flat tire on our way
here,” and, “The tire blew when we hit seventy on the freeway.” Chances
are you can tell right away which sex is talking in each one.
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Learn From Other Published Authors
http://www.oncewritten.com/PublishingMyFirstBook.php
OnceWritten.com speaks with traditionally published authors and asks
them to share their experience in getting their first book published.
Authors listed on this page are ones who have chosen to take a
traditional publishing route, rather than being self-publishing. They
have firsthand experience in the trials of finding an agent, finding a
publisher, working with a large or small press, and signing a
publishing contract.
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Five: Contests, Agents and Markets
Call for Entries – 2011 Independent Publisher Book Awards now open!
http://www.independentpublisher.com/ipland/IPAwards.php
Announcing the 15th annual Independent Publisher Book Awards, honoring
the year’s best independently published titles. We’ll accept entries
until March 19th, 2011 for books with 2010 and 2011 copyrights or that
are released in 2010 or early 2011. Early-bird entry incentives are
available .
The “IPPY” Awards were conceived as a broad-based, unaffiliated awards
program open to all members of the independent publishing industry, and
are open to authors and publishers worldwide who produce books written
in English and intended for the North American market. We define
“independent” as 1) independently owned and operated; 2) operated by a
foundation or university; or 3) long-time independents that became
incorporated but operate autonomously and publish fewer than 50 titles
a year.
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Hopscotch and Associated Magazines for Children Welcome Submissions
Hopscotch arrives bimonthly on the even months, February, April, June,
August, October, and December. There is no advertising and nothing
about fashion, fads, boyfriends, teen issues, or anything we think
would try to make girls grow up too fast. We are promoting childhood.
Includes adventuresome reading, fun-filled puzzles, creative craft
projects, intriguing science experiments, awesome poetry, clever knot
tying columns, plus contests, penpal club, Potsy's Post Office, Kids'
Corner and more.
Each issue centers on a different theme. The themes are not repeated.
We suggest you study copies of the magazine if you are seriously
interested in becoming a contributor. As you can see from the dates for
open themes, we are scheduling years in advance. We will continue to
change this list as new themes are added and current themes fill up.
We are happy to read any manuscripts submitted. When we review
manuscripts, we automatically consider them for any of our three
magazines, so it is not necessary for you to submit the same
manuscripts more than once. E-mail manuscripts to submissions AT
funforkidz DOT com. It is important to include in the subject and body
of the e-mail message which of the open issues your story is intended
for.
For complete guidelines for all three children’s magazines go to
http://funforkidzmagazines.com/writers.
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Get paid to write brief articles for the Internet. You pick the
subjects. See http://www.tips.net/writing/.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EVENT
The Douglas College Review
P.O. Box 2503
New Westminster, BC
V3L 5B2
Canada
E-mail: event@douglas.bc.ca
http://www.douglas.bc.ca/visitors/event-magazine.html
Tel: 604-527-5293
Fax: 604-527-5095
We mainly publish fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction. We publish
mostly Canadian writers, but are open to anyone writing in English. We
do not read manuscripts in January, July, August and December.
Is your work appropriate for EVENT? Our best advice is to read the
magazine before submitting. Check major bookstores and libraries near
you for the current issue; sample back issues are available ($9 for
Canadian residents; US$9 for US residents; CDN$13 for overseas
residents and institutions).
In fiction, we're looking for readability, style, well-handled
characters and a strong, effective point of view (although not
necessarily all in the same story). In poetry, we tend to appreciate
the narrative and sometimes the confessional modes. In any case, we are
eclectic and always open to content that invites involvement.
Generally, we like strong narrative.
We pay a minimum of $25 ($30 for a poet's first page) on publication
(up to a maximum of $500), and publication is within a year of
acceptance. We buy first North American serial print rights and
limited, non-exclusive digital rights; copyright reverts to the author
after publication.
We run a $1500 Nonfiction Contest every spring; entries must be
postmarked no later than April 15. For information about the entry fee,
the final judge, and other submission details, send a stamped,
self-addressed envelope to Ian Cockfield, Managing Editor, or visit the
Contest page. Full guidelines at http://tinyurl.com/2cqjmmz.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anthology print magazine seeks shelter and lifestyle articles
http://www.anthologymag.com
Contact editorial department: editorial@anthologymag.com
Anthology is new quarterly shelter and lifestyle print magazine that
takes a narrative approach to its coverage of home décor, travel,
design, entertaining, and culture. We envision the magazine as a
collection of stories shared with readers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
US Airways Magazine is a high-paying market looking for freelance
articles. See http://www.usairwaysmag.com/pdfs/USAWwriterguide.pdf for
full details.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WRITERS’ Journal Horror/Ghost Competition
Horror Contest
Val-Tech Media
P.O. Box 394
Perham, MN 56573
(Multiple entries from one party may be mailed in one envelope.)
Prizes: First: $250.00, Second: $100.00, Third: $50.00, Plus Honorable
Mentions
First, Second, Third, and selected Honorable Mention winning stories
will be published in future issues of the WRITERS' Journal. Reading
Fee: $7.00/entry, U.S. funds only. Make checks or money orders payable
to WRITERS' Journal. Submissions must be postmarked by March 30, 2011.
Manuscripts will not be returned. Read full guidelines at
http://www.writersjournal.com/HorrorGhost.htm
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Six: Creative Writing Assignment – Love or a Call for Love
We are told that all interpersonal communication indicates either love
or a call for love. Think about it. When you initiate a conversation
with a friend or person of significance in your life, it’s because you
want to show your love or express dissatisfaction, right? If you call
your sister because you want to go bowling with her, it’s because you
love her. When you call your brother to say you didn’t appreciate how
he spoke to your date, it’s because you love your brother and want him
to show his love by respecting your friends. When you get miffed
because your spouse squeezes the toothpaste from the middle of the
tube, you are actually complaining that he doesn’t care enough for you
to do what you ask him to do and squeeze from the bottom of the tube.
Love or a call for love. Think about it. It fits every communication.
Yes, even when people argue, they simply want the other person to show
love. It doesn’t make sense that even domestic abuse is a call for
love, but examine a typical situation: A man comes home after a few
drinks with friends and the wife is angry that he didn’t come straight
home from work. She’s hurt that he wants to spend time with friends and
booze more than he wants to spend time with her, so she greets him with
angry words. He gets furious and says he deserves to spend time with
his friends, and why should he even want to come home to a wife who is
always complaining? The situation spirals out of control, and the woman
gets so frustrated that she grabs a pillow to toss. The man seizes her
arm. The scene escalates, and all because of love or a call for love.
Write a scene that involves an interpersonal relationship and a
conversation that reflects the concept of “a call for love” in some
negative way, remembering that conflict creates drama. You can use the
scenario I gave above, adding setting, personality, dialogue, and
action, or you can create your own scenario between strangers,
siblings, relatives, parent and child, or whatever comes to mind.
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