The Writers Network News, January 2012 http://ezezine.com
The Writers Network News, January 2012 Issue
In This Issue
One: From the editor's desk--How to Celebrate a Twenty-Year Milestone?
Two: Ask the Book Doctor--About Inspiration and Completion
Three: This Month's Easy Editing Tip from Bobbie Christmas--Autumn,
Fall, Spring, Summer, and Winter
Four: Subjects of Interest to Writers
Five: Contests, Agents, and Markets
Six: Got Muse?--No
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Writers Network News
No Rules; Just Write!
Editor: Bobbie Christmas
Contents copyright 2011, 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
Excellent editing for maximum marketability
1992 -- 2012: Celebrating twenty years in the business of editing books
(We must be doing something right!)
As book doctors, we write, edit, and evaluate fiction and nonfiction
manuscripts, book proposals, query letters, and synopses. As book
shepherds, we guide writers through the process of self-publishing.
We are a top-rated Better Business Bureau Accredited Business.
Zebra Communications
230 Deerchase Drive
Woodstock, GA 30188
770/924-0528
http://zebraeditor.com/
Follow my "Write In Style" creative-writing blog at
http://bobbiechristmas.blogspot.com/
Follow my "Don't You Dare Call It a Diet" weight-loss blog at
http://dontyoudarecallitadiet.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meet Fellow Writers
Do you live in or visit metro Atlanta? Sign up for local meeting
notices today! Send your name and e-mail address to
Bobbie@zebraeditor.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Past Issues Available
To view current and past issues of The Writers Network News, go to
http://tinyurl.com/c4otf6.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some links in this newsletter 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
"Words are things, and a small drop of ink, falling like dew, upon a
thought, produces that which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think."
--Lord Byron
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One: From the editor's desk--How to Celebrate a Twenty-Year Milestone?
Dear Readers:
Once upon a time (the best stories start that way), I looked around and
questioned my sanity. At that time I had risen to the level of manager
of corporate communications for an international Fortune 500 company.
Yes, I felt pride in my accomplishments; however, my employees were all
doing what I wanted to do. They spent their time writing and editing,
while I, as manager, had to attend copious boring meetings, prepare
mind-numbing budgets, and listen to employees whine about every other
coworker. If I were to maintain my sanity, I had to leave the corporate
miasma and start my own business.
I did more than step off the corporate ladder, though. I took a giant
leap. I sold my house, moved to metro Atlanta, started Zebra
Communications, and bought a much more expensive house, trusting that
my knowledge would be enough to sustain me and pay my bills.
Twenty years later, my house, the one I call "The House That Words
Built" is paid for, and my business is still going strong. Although
most businesses fail within five years, mine has grown to the point
that I service authors and publishers around the world. Along with the
new year, I am celebrating twenty wonderful years in business, doing
what I love and making money by helping other writers succeed. I cannot
imagine living a better life than this. Twenty years in business. I
must be doing something right.
How should I celebrate my momentous milestone? I've decided to take
another leap of faith and expand into publishing. Read more in this
newsletter about the collection I'll be putting together for those of
us who lived in the era of Woodstock. I'll call it The Wisdom of
Woodstock. I decided to use Woodstock, because my business is based in
Woodstock, a suburb of Atlanta. No, it's not the site of the original
Woodstock concert, which took place in New York, but allow me a little
poetic license, okay?
Speaking of publishing, my supply of Write In Style is dwindling
quickly. I have fewer than twenty left. If you haven't yet gotten your
copy, your chances are getting slim.
New copies are selling for between $75 and than $270 on Amazon. While
they last, however, you can still buy one of the few remaining new
copies at the original price of $12.95. To purchase, go to
http://zebraeditor.com/book_write_in_style.shtml. Hurry!
Happy New Year, everyone. Here's to many new beginnings and great
middles and endings, as well.
Yours in writing,
Bobbie Christmas (Bobbie@zebraeditor.com or bzebra@aol.com )
Author of Write In Style (Union Square Publishing), owner of Zebra
Communications, and director of The Writers 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.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Two: Ask the Book Doctor--About Inspiration and Completion
By Bobbie Christmas
Q: When I finally make time to write, I can't think of anything to
write about. Where do writers get their inspiration?
A: Everywhere. That is, we find inspiration almost everywhere but in
the very place we need it, in our writing space. When we sit down to
write, if we don't already have inspiration, the computer will mock us
with its uncaring silence. Instead of waiting for inspiration to hit
while you sit at your computer, take paper and a pen, a smart phone, or
a recorder with you everywhere you go. Pay attention to what goes on
around you, and take notes.
I jot down bits of overheard conversations, unusual names, and
stream-of-consciousness thoughts while I'm in waiting rooms. I've
written short-story ideas while waiting for a movie to start. I
scribble notes to remind myself of memories that go through my mind
while I'm doing something else. Potential titles come to mind when I'm
cleaning house or running errands. I've been inspired by a tidbit that
a minister said in church or a speaker said in a seminar. I've even had
to jump out of the shower to scrawl a memory or a dream worth writing
about.
Newspaper headlines, too, offer a zillion potential stories. Read the
headlines and make up your own stories from them. Read the actual
articles or listen to the news on TV, and then think "what if" and
change the story enough to be unrecognizable and make it your own.
Whenever you get a thought, a spark, or an interesting idea, record it
before you lose it. Inspiration, insight, and stimulation come at
inconvenient times. If we let those moments pass because we are busy,
the thought could be lost forever. Never assume you will remember those
inspired ideas; most of the time you won't, without something to remind
you.
Once you have notes, you will have instant inspiration, whenever you
sit down to write. Read your notes or listen to your recordings, and
something will trigger the urge to write. You'll soon be off and
running.
Q: What does it mean if a writer has about seven drafts and they all
stop in the same place? I know the story, have written synopses, done
research, and clarified the characters. I work around the clock to get
the immediate idea on paper, but then stop and go on to another book
idea and do the same thing. I like that initial stage when I'm inspired
to work on a new book; I hate the stage where I work on the book
chapter by chapter.
At first, when I worked on one draft and then worked on another, I said
it was to keep from getting bored. I thought I was discovering my genre
and style, but it seems crazy now. It's overwhelming, yet I'm a
columnist; have been a columnist for years. I complete the columns
okay, but all these books! (Not books, ideas, drafts) I feel like I
will never finish any of them. I'm thinking I need to hire staff to
finish these manuscripts. Is this normal? Is there a name for me? Help!
A: The book doctor is here to help! Here's my diagnosis, and the
prognosis is good.
First, is there a name for you? Yes. You are what we in the industry
call “a writer.” Oh, you expected a disparaging term? Writers must
create. Call it their inspiration, muse, right-brain thinking,
creativity, whatever, but something drives writers to develop
characters, stories, and article ideas.
Being a writer does not necessarily mean you have the editor within
you, though. The creative part draws from one set of skills, sometimes
considered right-brain thinking, while revising and editing a
manuscript requires a different set of skills. The editing or
completion ability resides in the academic, left side, or analytical
part of the brain.
You have highly developed your creative side, but not the other, more
detail-oriented side. You thrive on the beginning, rather than the
completion—the creation of ideas, but not the thought of seeing the
book in stores. Sure, you would like to see your book finished, but
your focus is not set in that direction, right now.
The fact that you meet column deadlines proves that you work well with
short-term goals. The long-term work necessary to revise, rewrite, and
edit a book-length manuscript overwhelms you, so you get stymied like a
doe in the headlights. Instead of crossing the street and getting to
the finish line, you've stopped dead in your tracks each time you face
finishing a large task. Perhaps the completion of a full-length
manuscript is simply too crushing to confront all at once.
Here are my recommendations to break through your barriers and confront
your metaphorical two-ton vehicle:
1. Decide what you really want. Do you want to complete one of the
novels? Do you want to sell the book to a traditional publisher? Do you
want to self-publish?
2. Place a deadline for completion of what you really want. Do you want
to finish one novel within twelve months? Do you want to sell the book
to a traditional publisher by the end of next year? Do you want to have
a book in your hands within a year and a half? Write down your answers
from questions number one and two. I mean it: write down what you want
and the date by which you want it. When you write down a goal and
deadline, you set the goal in motion. It is a proven fact. Post your
goal and deadline somewhere where you see it every day. I hang mine on
a wall peg in my office.
3. Break your goal into small pieces. You have shown yourself that you
can meet deadlines. Your goal for your novel, then, may be “Rewrite,
revise, and polish one chapter a month.” It might be one chapter every
two months. Set realistic mini goals based on your schedule and your
final goal. Write down your mini goals. Add them to your calendar or
planner.
4. Break the mini goals into micro goals. If you want to finish
polishing one chapter a month, write down that you will polish five
pages a week (or whatever will break down to a typical chapter length,
once added together). Write down those micro goals in your planner.
5. Celebrate each time you meet your micro or mini goal. Take yourself
out to dinner, see a movie, buy a book, whatever. Reward yourself for
meeting each of your goals, no matter how large or small, and you will
be inspired to continue.
Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich said, “A goal is nothing
but a dream with a deadline.” I live by that quotation.
Goal-setting works for most people, but for even more inspiration to
keep going, find a mentor, join a critique circle, hire an editor or a
coach, but do whatever you must to find someone or something that keeps
you motivated.
If you do all those things and still do not see yourself moving
forward, consider enjoying the creativity that you have. Remember that
eventually you can compile your columns into a book (or pay someone to
do it), and you will still have a book to sell.
Bobbie Christmas will answer your questions, too. Send them to
Bobbie@zebraeditor.com. Read more “Ask the Book Doctor” questions and
answers at www.zebraeditor.com or www.zebracommunications.com.
Would you like to read, save, or share the Ask the Book Doctor column
as a PDF file? At http://zebraeditor.com/files/ask_the_book_doctor.pdf,
the newest column is posted around the first of each month.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Three: This Month's Easy Editing Tip from Bobbie Christmas--Morning,
Noon, Night, Autumn, Fall, Spring, Summer, and Winter
First a correction from last month's information regarding morning,
noon, and night.
Member Fran Stewart wrote the following:
You said:
12:00 a.m. or 12:00 m. (noon)
12:00 p.m. (midnight)
I was taught, however, that the way to remember whether a 12 was a.m.
or
p.m. was to call it 12:01. Therefore 12 a.m. would be midnight (because
12:01 a.m. is one minute after midnight) and 12 p.m. is noon (because
12:01
p.m. would be one minute after noon).
One of us is obviously wrong, since we disagree. Hmmm...wonder who? I'm
hoping I'm right because it's so much easier to remember my way
.
I responded:
My mistake is typical, and I apologize. I can't even recall where I got
my information now, but I like the advice I found in The American
Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (Fourth Edition, 2000),
which says, "Strictly speaking, 12 a.m. denotes midnight, and 12 p.m.
denotes noon, but there is sufficient confusion over these uses to make
it advisable to use 12 noon and 12 midnight where clarity is required."
Now, on to the next subject.
Autumn, Fall, Spring, Summer, and Winter
Seasons of the year are not capitalized unless they appear at the
beginning of a sentence or in a headline. Examples: I'll see you in the
spring. Fall weather dries my skin. The headline said Save Now on
Winter Coats. Aren't the autumn leaves beautiful?
Use my trademarked Find and Refine Method to locate incorrectly
capitalized uses of the season. If your manuscript has mistakenly
incorporated capital letters for autumn, fall, spring, summer, or
winter, for example, go to the Find function on your computer (Control
+ F on a PC or Command + F on a Mac) and under "Find What," type one of
the words. Click the box that says "More," and click "Match Case." When
you hit "find next," your computer will find the first capitalized use.
If the word is not at the beginning of a sentence and is therefore
capitalized incorrectly, click on the "Replace" tab and type the word
starting with a lowercase letter. Use "Find Next" for each use to check
for incorrect capitals on the same word. Do the same for each season,
to finish the edit.
For more opportunities for improving your manuscripts, buy one of the
few remaining copies of Write In Style at
http://zebraeditor.com/book_write_in_style.shtml.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Four: Subjects of interest to writers
Amazon Goes into Publishing Business
Is Amazon's move to go into competition with its suppliers good or bad?
Read more at http://tinyurl.com/78zmbnf.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another Sign of the Paperless E-times
As the banking industry uses less paper and has gone more electronic, I
should not have been surprised to read that the US Treasury has stopped
issuing Savings Bonds in paper form. What's next? I'm sure we'll one
day see e-titles to cars and real estate, too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What Does a Writer Do?
Excerpt from an editorial by Sandra Murphy, editor of SPAWNews, the
Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network Newsletter (used by
permission):
It took a while for me to work out in my mind just what a writer is and
does. A writer writes instead of waiting for a Muse to whisper a story
into the ear. A writer asks for more work instead of starving in an
attic.
A writer isn't insulted by the change of words or phrases, but learns
from every edit. A writer eavesdrops on conversations, reads the paper
for ideas, and says, "What if?"
Writing is said to be a solitary job, but with the help of. . . a group
like SPAWN, writing becomes a community.
Writing is an art. Writing is a craft. Writing is a job. It's just the
best job you could have.
Sandra Murphy, editor@spawn.org
Publishers, Artists and Writers Network (SPAWN)
PMB 123, 323 E. Matilija St., Suite 110 Ojai, CA 93023
Telephone: 805-646-3045; Fax: 805-640-8213
To subscribe to the full newsletter, go to
http://www.spawn.org/subscribe.htm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Write In Style Soon to be Unavailable; Do NOT pay $278 for a copy!
Hurry! I have fewer than thirty copies left of Write In Style, my
award-winning book that teaches writers my Find and Refine Method ™ to
locate specific words and phrases you can delete, upgrade, or rewrite
to power up your prose.
After I sell all my copies, you'll have to pay the prices on Amazon, up
to $278 per book, unless or until I find a new publisher or
self-publish it. Prices are likely to rise even more, when I run out of
new copies.
When I last checked, new copies of Write In Style were selling for
between $75 and $278 on Amazon.com. Don't believe me? See
http://tinyurl.com/4hc2bxu. Used copies were selling for as much as
$108. Don't pay those prices! While they last, you can still buy this
book at the original cover price of $12.95 plus shipping, and I'll even
sign it for you. To order, to go
http://zebraeditor.com/book_write_in_style.shtml.
Write In Style: Using Your Word Processor and Other Techniques to
Improve Your Writing by Bobbie Christmas 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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From The Chicago Manual of Style website Q & A this month:
Q. I am a fourth-grade teacher and am currently teaching my students
how to insert dialogue into their personal narratives. Can the students
insert the dialogue directly into their paragraph, or do they need to
create a new paragraph and indent? What is the rule? When looking at
novels I see dialogue being written each way.
A. It's traditional to start a new paragraph with each new speaker.
That is, a piece of dialogue can go straight into the paragraph as long
as the person saying it was the last person mentioned. If someone else
speaks, begin a new paragraph instead. This makes it clear who is
speaking and when the speaker changes; it eliminates the need to write
"Louise said" or "Fernando said" every time.
Tell your students that experienced writers break the rule when it gets
in the way, but that they should follow the rule until they're able to
give a reason for breaking it.
Q. What is the rule for including the place of printing with regard to
an e-book, which is not actually printed on paper anywhere? If this
information is necessary, where should it be inserted in the front
matter? Many thanks for your response.
A. Conventionally the printing statement goes on the copyright page,
along with the place of publication. It’s not clear under what
circumstances it would be "necessary" to include a printing statement
in an e-book, but if forced, write "This book was not printed
anywhere."
The Chicago Manual of Style is the reference that book editors use. For
more CMOS Q & A, see http://tinyurl.com/2xscwn.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Purge Your Prose of Problems
A Book Doctor's Desk Reference, Fifth Edition
Please don't buy this book! I'd rather you pay me thousands of dollars
to edit your book. I don't want you to use this book to go into the
business of editing books for others, either, yet many people do.
If you insist, though, you can order my proprietary book-doctor desk
reference book online at http://tinyurl.com/4ptjnr.
In alphabetical order and in easy-to-understand language, Purge Your
Prose of Problems covers all you need to know to revise and edit
fiction and nonfiction books, including grammar, punctuation, word
choices, creative writing, plot, pace, characterization, point of view,
dialogue, Chicago style, format, and much more. The spiral binder lets
the book lie flat in front of your computer, for easy use. Available
printed or as a PDF e-book that allows you to keep all this vital
information on your computer for ready reference.
To save thousands of dollars by editing your own book, order Purge Your
Prose of Problems today at http://tinyurl.com/4ptjnr.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Free Tools for Writers from Bobbie Christmas and Zebra Communications
Order PDF reports on writing-related subjects, including 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. Go to
http://zebraeditor.com/free_reports.shtml. Newest report: Genre: A
Slippery Subject Essential to Fiction: Learn about genre fiction
categories and the benefits of complying with genre specifications.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Words Writers Should Know
Ibid
Ibid is an abbreviation for the Latin word "ibidem," which means "in
the same place." It is used in footnotes, with a page number or
numbers, to indicate that the same source was cited in the immediately
preceding footnote.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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: $8.95, no
S & H, with almost instant delivery. You'll save almost $10 by buying
the e-book! To order either, go to http://tinyurl.com/lexp7n.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Keep up with Bobbie's activities on Twitter:
http:twitter.com/BookDoctor4u
Become Bobbie's friend on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/bobbie.christmas
New! Zebra Communications on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Zebra-Communications/133481530079088
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Five: Contests, Agents, and Markets
Wisdom of Woodstock Anthology
Call for Personal Experience Essays
Were you living at the time the world came together in peace, love, and
harmony for the now-infamous Woodstock concert? If so, you've spent
enough years on earth to have learned some valuable lessons and
experienced unique, pleasant, or even unpleasant events that gave you
wisdom. Now it's time to share that wisdom in the Wisdom of Woodstock
anthology.
We are looking for personal experience essays that show through action
and dialogue a scenario in which you learned a big life lesson, whether
wise, funny, or even foolish. The best entries will appear in an
anthology that will be sold to the public.
If we choose your entry for inclusion in the Wisdom of Woodstock
anthology, you will get one free copy of the anthology (value
undetermined, but probably between twelve and fifteen US dollars). You
also will have the opportunity to buy more copies of the anthology at a
deeply discounted price, which you can then sell at the full cover
price to everyone you know.
The stories we choose to include will be those that demonstrate a high
quality of writing skill while revealing an interesting experience that
resulted in an epiphany or wise realization worthy of sharing with
others.
A nonrefundable entry fee of $9.50 USD is required for each submission,
but there is no limit to the number of entries per person. Yes, you may
have more than one story accepted in the anthology.
Official Rules
Eligibility
Anyone who writes in English is eligible to send personal experience
essays for potential inclusion in the Wisdom of Woodstock anthology,
with the exception of current and former employees, interns, or
contract workers of Zebra Communications.
Only original work will be accepted. You must be the writer of any
submission you send. Multiple submissions are welcomed.
Length
We accept personal experience essays that are anywhere from 250 words
to 2,000 words. Nothing above 2,000 words will be accepted. The word
count is determined by the Microsoft Word word count.
Deadline
While the absolute deadline is December 31, 2012, once a sufficient
number of high-quality entries are selected for entry, the competition
will close and the anthology will go to press. For that reason, early
entries have a much higher chance of being accepted than later entries,
so enter early and enter often. Entries received before the deadline
date but after the anthology is filled will be considered for the
second edition of the anthology.
Fees
The entry fee is $9.50 USD per entry, payable by cash, check, or money
order made out to Zebra Communications (see mailing address below), or
through PayPal.com by sending the funds to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com. A
$2.00 transaction fee will be added, for a total of $11.50, if paid
through PayPal.
Cash payments are accepted, but sent at your own risk.
International payments should be sent through PayPal in US dollars or
mailed in the form of a money order or cashier's check in US funds. No
international personal checks are accepted.
If you send payment by mail, include in your envelope a printout of the
first page of your submission (see Submission Guidelines to see what
information must be on the first page). This printout is essential so
we can match your payment with your submission.
If paying by cash, check, or money order, send US funds and the first
page of your entry to
Zebra Communications
Wisdom of Woodstock anthology editor
230 Deerchase Drive
Woodstock, GA 30188-4438
Submission Guidelines
Only Microsoft Word documents will be accepted. We will not import or
download documents of any other kind. Only electronic submissions will
be accepted. Do not mail your entries, although you are welcome to mail
your fees.
On the first page of every submission, include the following
information:
Your name (and your pseudonym if you use one)
Your mailing address
Your city, state, and zip code (If outside the USA, add postal code and
country)
Your e-mail address
Your daytime phone number
The title of your submission
The word count of your submission
One paragraph about you, your background, and anything you would want
your readers to know about you. Limit this paragraph to 110 words or
fewer.
If you pay by cash, check, or money order, be sure to print out and
mail with your payment the first page with all the above information on
it.
Only electronic submissions of Microsoft Word files will be considered.
After sending payment by mail or through PayPal.com, send your
submission as an attachment to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com.
Caution: Submissions that do not follow the guidelines will be
ineligible, but entry fees are nonrefundable.
Privacy Policy
Zebra Communications does not release or sell client or entrant
information to third parties or mailing lists, period. You may receive
an e-mail invitation to subscribe to The Writers Network News, our free
newsletter for writers, but you will not be inundated with e-mail from
us. We resent that type of mass marketing as much as you do.
Rights
All essays remain the property of the person who wrote them. If any of
your entries are published in our anthology, you have the right to sell
your work elsewhere, after the anthology is published.
We reserve the write to edit, tighten, or otherwise revise any entry
before publication; however we will never change the message or the
meaning. We also will ensure all accepted entries comply with Chicago
style.
Judging
All entries are judged on the basis of originality, creativity,
characterization, writing quality, adherence to the 2,000-word limit,
and the ability to make a good point about wisdom. All decisions of the
judges are final.
Notification
All authors whose work is selected for inclusion in our anthology will
be notified by postal mail, e-mail, or telephone.
Questions?
All submissions and questions should be sent to
Bobbie Christmas at Bobbie@zebraeditor.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the Fray Magazine
We are looking for writers and artists who can contribute original
pieces in the following areas:
News: profiles, interviews, and reportage
Commentary: personal essays, op-eds, and travel writing
Art: photo essays, artwork, videos, and multimedia projects
Cultural criticism: essays and reviews of books, film, music, and art.
Written articles are typically in the range of 1,000 to 4,000 words.
Photo essays generally feature five to twenty photographs. We will
consider other pieces in special circumstances.
We prefer pieces with a strong connection to the magazine’s themes of
understanding other people, encouraging tolerance, and defying
categories and conventions. Review essays must concern works of
relevance to the magazine’s themes and discuss those issues at length.
In The Fray is a small nonprofit organization, and our funding comes
almost entirely from individual donors. We pay an honorarium for each
piece in the following ranges:
News: $50-100
Commentary: $25-75
Art: $25-75
Cultural criticism: $20-30
Art/photos accompanying articles: up to $30 per article
Payment is made by PayPal in any of the currencies that PayPal
supports. You are responsible for any fees charged, such as PayPal
transaction fees.
For complete submission guidelines, see
http://inthefray.org/content/view/192/167/.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Addicus Books Accepting Queries
We're seeking titles on consumer health, self-help, psychology,
business, economics, investing, and books of regional interest -- true
crime. We prefer first a proposal outlining the nature of your work,
who your market is and information about your background. Due to the
amount of queries we receive daily, our editors are not available for
phone interviews. If we're interested in taking a closer look at your
book, we'll contact you after we receive your proposal.
Note: when querying electronically, send only a one-page email, giving
an overview of your book and its market. Please do not send attachments
unless invited to do so.
If you want to submit a query, you must follow all the guidelines
outlined at http://www.addicusbooks.com/submission_guidelines.cfm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Daw Books Wants your Sci-Fi and Fantasy Novels
Peter Stampfel
Submission Editor
DAW Books
375 Hudson St
New York, NY 10014
We publish science fiction and fantasy novels. We do not want short
stories, short story collections, novellas, or poetry. The average
length of the novels we publish varies but is almost never less than
80,000 words.
Send us the entire manuscript with a cover letter, not three chapters
and a query letter. We do not accept electronic submissions of any
kind. Do not submit handwritten material. Manuscripts must be
letter-quality computer generated. Clear photocopies are acceptable.
The manuscript should be on 8 1/2" x 11" good white paper,
double-spaced, with at least 1" wide margins all around. Please use
only one side of the page, number your pages consecutively, and put the
title of your novel at the top of each page. Manuscripts should always
be unbound.
Very important: You must follow the guidelines posted at
http://us.penguingroup.com/static/html/daw/submissions.html.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Six: Got Muse?--No
"No" is only two letters long, yet it may be one of the most difficult
words for most of us to say, especially to people we like. If we fail
to say no, though, sometimes we can find ourselves in exhausting, odd,
awkward, or even dangerous situations.
Think about situations where you or a fictitious character might have
been asked to do something you or your character did not want to do.
What happened or might have happened as a result? Use a real event or
create one of your own and then think it through. Did it turn out well,
or did it turn out poorly? Write about the event in an essay, if it is
real, or story, if it is fabricated. Start with someone asking you or
your character to participate in some activity and then write about
what develops and how you or the character felt after it all played
out.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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!"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++