The Writers Network News, July 2013 Issue http://ezezine.com
The Writers Network News, July 2013
In This Issue
One: From the editor's desk: Happy Birthday
Two: Ask the Book Doctor about Point of View and Internal Dialogue or
Thoughts
Three: This Month's Easy Editing Tip from Bobbie Christmas:
Aggravate/Irritate
Four: Subjects of Interest to Writers
Five: Contests, Agents, and Markets
Six: Got Muse? Plagiarize? Not me!
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The Writers Network News
No Rules; Just Write!
Editor: Bobbie Christmas
Contents copyright 2013, 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.
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http://zebraeditor.com/
Follow my Write In Style creative-writing blog at
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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.
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Note: I have shortened some links in this newsletter with the help of
www.tinyurl.com, a free service that takes long web addresses and
converts them to short ones.
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Writer's quote of the month
Shirley Hazzard, best known for her novel The Transit of Venus (1980),
which won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1981, said of
writing, "It's a nervous work. The state that you need to write is the
state that others are paying large sums to get rid of."
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One: From the editor's desk: Happy Birthday
Dear Fellow Writers:
I am writing this on the day that would have been my father's birthday,
and had he continued to live past eighty-six, he would have been 101
years old today. While I wish he could still be here, his health had
deteriorated to the point that he could no longer play tennis, drive,
or even enjoy listening to his beloved classical music. He was ready to
go.
Thinking of his personal decision to give in to his ailments, let go,
and leave this world makes me realize how not ready to go I am. I may
one day reach the point he reached and happily succumb to morphine and
Morpheus, but not yet. No, no, no! I'm still kicking, screaming,
writing, bowling, traveling, editing, and loving life. With that
thought in mind, I've decided to undertake a project I've been
avoiding. I must revamp, update, and re-release Write In Style, my
wildly popular book on revising manuscripts to make them the best they
can be. The book is out of print, although used copies are selling for
big bucks, none of which I receive.
Many people have asked if the book will be re-released, so it's time to
put that project on my to-do list and start chopping away at it. It may
take a year or more, but I'll do it, because the information it
contains has helped thousands of writers, and I want to help thousands
more, with even more information that I've learned since writing the
original book in 2003 for a 2004 release.
Yes, life is short. We must always have projects on our plates to drive
us on, keep us going, and give us something to look forward to. My
father loved life. He worked daily and played tennis weekly well into
his eighties, but when he gave up on those things, he deteriorated and
died. I'll miss him always and cherish the many lessons he taught me,
including the final one he probably did not mean to teach me: to make
life worth living, always have something to look forward to, something
to strive toward. Envision life, love life, and keep writing!
Yours in writing,
Bobbie Christmas (Bobbie@zebraeditor.com or bzebra@aol.com )
Author of Write In Style, owner of Zebra Communications, director of
The Writers Network, and coordinator of the Florida Writers Association
Editors Helping Writers service.
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 Point of View and Internal Dialogue or
Thoughts
By Bobbie Christmas
Q: Here is a quote from the March 26, 2006, Atlanta Journal
Constitution about Elizabeth Strout's book, Abide. "One of Strout's
strengths is a gift for omniscient narration that takes us smoothly and
convincingly into the consciousness of whomever she wishes..."
Is the trend changing again? Is the once-popular omniscient point of
view coming back? I have struggled to stay true to one point of view in
a particular section or chapter (what I thought was the current trend),
to the extent that sections and chapters often go through extensive
rewrites because there is only so much a writer can say in any one
particular viewpoint. Now it seems my struggles have been in vain. What
is your take on this subject?
A: I haven't read that particular book, but when I checked Amazon.com,
I saw several other reviews of it, most of them good, but then one
review came from a reader, Gwyneth A. Baumgartner, rather than a
professional reviewer, and it said this:
"I can honestly say that it is the worst book that I have read in years
. . . it ended up being a hard-covered Harlequin romance. The story was
shoddy . . . it was written for someone in a nursing home. The best
page was the last page. Definitely do not recommend . . . except for
someone born in 1920."
True, the reader's complaint is not about the point of view, but her
statements show that you cannot please all people, no matter what you
do. I have not heard of any big shift back to the omniscient point of
view of the classics, and I know why.
As an exercise, I recently reread The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel
Hawthorne. Despite the fact that it involves sex, ostracism, Native
American shamanism, single motherhood, and many other hot topics today,
such a book would never be a bestseller in today's market. Contemporary
readers want books that show, rather than tell, that move forward like
a movie, rather than sounding like a lecture. Written in omniscient
point of view, The Scarlet Letter rambles, drags, and even refers to
"you, dear reader." It tells readers what we should be thinking. The
narrative goes on for many pages with little to no action or dialogue.
No wonder I did not enjoy reading it back in the 1960s, either.
Read between the lines of the AJC review of Strout's book. It says,
"One of Strout's strengths is a gift for omniscient narration that
takes us smoothly and convincingly into the consciousness of whomever
she wishes . . ." I interpret that statement to mean that although
omniscient narration is not popular today, Strout has overcome the
objections to it with her skilled writing. In my opinion, it sounds as
if Strout's book is not setting a trend; it is bucking one.
Q: I am writing a (historical/fantasy) novel with multi protagonists (a
society) all striving for the same goal, more or less. I have looked
for examples in books on writing to make sure I am doing it right, but
could not find more than a page here and there. For instance, how much
interior monologue is too much? I am pretty certain I should use
limited omniscient third. What do you recommend?
A: I have not read the manuscript, but from your definition, my first
concern is that the conflict and tension will not be high enough if all
the main characters want the same thing. Conflict among characters is
what makes a good story, and if everyone agrees, the story sounds more
like a saga than mainstream fiction. Plots are built on one main
protagonist wanting something so badly that he or she is willing to
take risks or do whatever is necessary to obtain a goal. When obstacles
and people get in the way of that main character's reaching a goal, a
story develops, and in the end the protagonist either triumphs or not.
When a whole group is working toward a common goal, where is the
conflict and suspense? Perhaps that is why you have not read many
novels with such a theme. Even in the classic Lord of the Flies, some
boys have one goal, while other boys have other goals, and their
conflict builds into a solid, memorable story.
All that said, you can have several main characters and change point of
view logically by ensuring that each scene is written from only one
point of view. To change the point of view, shift to a new scene or a
new chapter.
As far as internal monologues—thoughts—I strongly advise against using
them. Create scenes that involve characters speaking to each other and
sharing their thoughts and opinions through dialogue, to avoid having
to resort to internal monologues. Why am I against using thoughts as a
way of revealing a character's motivations? Because thoughts always
tell, rather than show, whereas dialogue always shows rather than
tells. A good novelist knows to show, rather than tell the story.
Think of the novel as a movie. In a movie, how would a character's
thoughts be revealed? If not as dialogue with another character,
thoughts become voiceover. Voiceover is not popular because it takes
moviegoers out of feeling that they are experiencing the story and
makes them realize they are watching a movie.
Internal thoughts in a novel do the same thing; they remind readers
that they are not experiencing a story, they are reading a book,
whereas the best books keep readers embroiled in the story so they
forget they are reading.
How much interior dialogue is too much? In my opinion, one single lapse
into a character's thoughts is too much, but do not rely on my opinion
alone, just remember that a little internal dialogue goes a long way,
and less is best.
Bobbie Christmas, book editor 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.
For more questions, answers, and comments, order the book, Ask the Book
Doctor: How to Beat the Competition and Sell Your Writing. Go to
http://zebraeditor.com/book_ask_the_book_doctor.shtml.
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.
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Three: This Month's Easy Editing Tip from Bobbie Christmas:
Aggravate/Irritate
Be sure not to confuse aggravate with irritate.
Aggravate: To make worse or more troublesome. Scratching aggravates a
rash.
Irritate: To rouse to impatience or anger; annoy. Loud sounds irritate
Grandpa.
For more editing and creative writing tips, order Purge Your Prose of
Problems here: http://tinyurl.com/4ptjnr.
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Four: Subjects of interest to writers
Where is Bobbie speaking next?
"The Greatest Writers Conference on Earth," where members find their
agents, meet their publishers, and get the scoop on the industry. Feel
free to e-mail conference planners at
ConferenceMarketing@FloridaWriters.net.
When: October 18-20, 2013
Where: Orlando Marriott
1501 International Parkway
Lake Mary, Florida 32746
407.995.1100, 800.380.7724
Ask for special FWA Conference rates. See
http://www.floridawriters.net/2013_FWA_Conferences.html.
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Thank you, subscribers, for keeping me on my toes. I mentioned Kirkus
reviews and its stringent requirements in the last newsletter, because
I'd heard their reviews were free. Not so, writes member Marcia
Leonard, so I looked it up. Sure enough, she's right. Kirkus charges
upwards of $500 for a review and then promises only that it will put
some of the reviews (for the best books, I'm sure) in its newsletter.
Don't go there! Paid reviews are rarely taken seriously by major
periodicals, because paid reviews are automatically prejudicial, for
the mere fact that they are paid. Paying as much as $500 in the hopes
that your review will appear in a newsletter is a high-risk gamble and
one I personally would not take. Of course people pay for reviews all
the time, and I bow to their reasons, but I do not recommend spending
resources on a crapshoot. I don't buy lottery tickets for the same
reason.
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Way to go, Jill Jennings! She reports, "I'm happy to let you know the
good news about my writing career. I have a poem, 'Strangler Fig,' in
the current issue of Atlanta Review! Recently Radio Kinver in England
picked up my two books and selected the poem 'Heaven Has Fourteen
Windows,' which was read on the air to a weekly podcast of several
thousand poetry lovers in England. This was unsolicited. Someone heard
about me and recommended my work to the producers of the radio program,
www.RadioKinver,co.uk."
Jill, a longtime member of The Writers Network, is quite an
accomplished and award-winning poet.
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Write In Style No Longer In Stock
Write In Style is the first book to teach how to write tighter,
stronger, and more creatively, PLUS how to speed through your editing
phase using tricks available in the software you're already using.
Write In Style won the Royal Palm Literary Award for education, Best in
Division (Georgia Author of the Year Awards), and was a finalist in
USABookNews Best Books.
I warned everyone to buy from me, while I had a few copies on hand, but
there are only a few water-damaged copies plus a couple of new ones
left, now, and they are all selling on Amazon.com.
To order, go to http://tinyurl.com/omzow26.
To order a used or slightly water-damaged copy, click on the Used tab
or contact me directly at Bobbie@zebraeditor.com for more information.
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Do you plan to self-publish? Do you know what it takes to be successful
at it? Are you willing to do all that it takes? See
http://www.screenwritingtricks.com/2013/06/indie-publishing-are-you-willing-to-do.html
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Final Offer for $10 discount on Purge Your Prose of Problems, the
ultimate desk reference book for writers and editors. Read to the
bottom, to get discount information.
Purge Your Prose of Problems
A Book Doctor's Desk Reference, Fifth Edition
Save thousands of dollars and edit your own book! 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.
The e-book is the best deal, because you get it immediately and pay no
shipping, and it then resides on your computer for the speediest
reference, whenever you need it.
To save thousands of dollars by editing your own book, order Purge Your
Prose of Problems today at http://tinyurl.com/4ptjnr.
Discount Information:
Want a $10 discount on the price of Purge Your Prose of Problems? I
have one remaining copy of the fourth edition, cram-packed with
excellent information, but a little older than the fifth edition. To
acquire the discounted copy of the fourth edition, e-mail me to be sure
I still have the copy available, and if so, instead of $29.95 plus
$3.99 shipping and handling, you will pay only $19.95 plus $3.99
shipping and handling. Interested? Write to me at
Bobbie@zebraeditor.com.
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Terminology Writers Should Know
Eggcorn
noun: An erroneous alteration of a word or phrase, by replacing an
original word with a similar sounding word, such that the new word or
phrase also makes a kind of sense.
For example: "ex-patriot" instead of "expatriate" and "mating name"
instead of "maiden name."
ETYMOLOGY:
Coined by linguist Geoffrey Pullum (b. 1945) in 2003. From the
substitution of the word acorn with eggcorn. Earliest documented use as
a name for this phenomenon is from 2003, though the term eggcorn has
been found going back as far as 1844, as "egg corn bread" for "acorn
bread."
USAGE:
"Will eggcorns continue to hatch? This is a moot point (or is that
mute?). Yet certainly anyone waiting with 'baited' (bated) breath for
'whole scale' (wholesale) changes may need to wait a while."
Bill & Rich Sones; If Elevator Falls, Don't Jump to Conclusions; Salt
Lake Telegram (Utah); Jul 3, 2008.
This month's word comes from A.Word.A.Day by Anu Garg. To subscribe go
to http://wordsmith.org/awad/subscribe.html.
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Free $10 gift card to one lucky person who lives in or near Birmingham
or who plans to visit Birmingham!
No, you don't have to buy any of my books, use my services, or even
know me, but I have a $10 gift card to Continental Bakery/Chez Lulu,
and chances are I won't get to Birmingham, Alabama, again for a long
time. If you'd like the gift card or know someone who would, send me an
e-mail (Bobbie@zebraeditor.com), and if you're the first to contact me,
I'll let you know. You'll then send me a self-addressed, stamped
envelope, and I'll send you the gift card. I hope my $10 gift card
finds a "good home," with someone who will use it.
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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.
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Jane Friedman's blog gives the five main publishing paths; examine all,
before you decide your path to publication. See
http://janefriedman.com/2013/05/20/infographic-5-key-book-publishing-paths/
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Attention Writers! Try Before You Buy: A New Way to Find a Qualified
Editor for Your Book
The Florida Writers Association offers a unique service to members
through its Editors Helping Writers service, and you have the
reassurance that you are dealing with fully vetted professional editors
who are overseen by a coordinator of the service as well as the strong
Florida Writers Association itself.
To learn all the rules and regulations for the Editors Helping Writers,
go to http://tinyurl.com/96eklu5. To participate in the service, you
will have to be a member of FWA, but the membership fee is low, the
advantages of membership are many, and you don't have to live in the
state or even in the country.
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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.
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Become Bobbie's friend on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/bobbie.christmas
Like Zebra Communications on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/7vcxaxu.
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Five: Contests, Agents, and Markets
Seeking Novels Set in Jim Henson's world of The Dark Crystal
From October 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013, The Jim Henson Company and
Grosset & Dunlap of the Penguin Young Readers Group will be accepting
writing submissions to find the author for a new novel set in the world
of Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal. This author search is open to all
professional and aspiring professional writers. See all the details at
http://www.darkcrystal.com/authorquest/
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Black Lawrence Press
Black Lawrence Press is an independent publisher of contemporary
poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. We also publish the
occasional translation from the German and the French. Founded in 2004,
Black Lawrence became an imprint of Dzanc Books in January 2008.
Through our annual contests and open reading periods, we seek
innovative, electrifying, and thoroughly intoxicating manuscripts that
ensnare themselves in our hearts and minds and won’t let go.
Below are two competitions and their deadlines.
The St. Lawrence Book Award: Submit from July 1 to August 31
(First book competition, poetry, and short story collections)
The Fall Black River Chapbook Competition: Submit from September 1 to
October 31
(Open competition, poetry and fiction chaps)
For more information on Black Lawrence, see
http://www.blacklawrence.com/about/press/, To submit to the
competition, see https://blacklawrencepress.submittable.com/submit
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CRIMSON DRAGON PUBLISHING
P.O. Box 460147
Aurora, Colorado 80046
Phone: (303)693-8455
Fax: (303)693-8455
E-mail: info@crimsondragonpublishing.com
Website: www.crimsondragonpublishing.com (site being revised)
Contact: Ward M. Clark, president/CEO/senior editor, Dawn D. Clark,
CFO/senior editor.
"We do not publish nonfiction."
"We do not accept e-mail submissions."
"We do not publish poetry."
Publishes manuscripts one year after acceptance.
"We are seeking new, cutting-edge, character-based fiction. Emphasis
should be on the story, not the surrounding."
Needs: fantasy, science fiction, young adult
"Please proofread your manuscript carefully before submitting."
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Crystal Spirit Publishing, Inc.
P.O. Box 12506
Durham, NC 27709
E-mail: crystalspiritinc@gmail.com
Website: www.crystalspiritinc.com
Crystal Spirit Publishing, Inc., is an independent general trade book
publisher specializing in business, children’s, erotica, fiction,
inspirational, nonfiction, poetry, religion, & self-help books. Our
mission is to create books that are developed well and provide a good
story, whether for entertainment, inspiration, or learning.
As a general trade publisher, our mission is to publish high-quality
books that are sold in book and gift stores and placed in libraries and
schools. We also function as the primary distributor worldwide for all
of our printed and digital works.
Nonfiction needs: business, creative nonfiction, economics, ethnic,
memoirs, multicultural, New Age, religion, sex, spirituality, young
adult inspirational, Christian romance
Formats: autobiography, biography, booklets, children's, coffee table
book, general nonfiction, gift book, how-to, humor, illustrated book,
juvenile, multimedia, self-help
Submission Method: Submit cover letter, synopsis, and thirty pages (or
thirty chapters) by USPS mail ONLY.
Fiction needs: confession, contemporary, erotica, ethnic, feminist,
gay, humor, juvenile, lesbian, literary, mainstream, multicultural,
poetry, religious, romance, short story collections, spiritual, young
adult inspirational, Christian romance
Submit cover letter, synopsis, and thirty pages (or thirty chapters) by
USPS mail ONLY.
Poetry
"All poetry must have titles. Include a description of the collective
works and type of poetry."
Submit ten sample poems.
"Submissions are accepted for publication throughout the year, but the
decisions for publishing considerations are made in March, June,
September, and December. Works should be positive and non-threatening.
Typed pages only. Non-typed entries will not be reviewed or returned.
Ensure that all contact information is correct, abide by the submission
guidelines, and do not send follow-up e-mails or calls."
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Six: Got Muse? Plagiarize? Not me!
Plagiarism means using or closely imitating another person's material
without permission, acknowledgment, or compensation. Plagiarism is
illegal when it infringes on someone else's copyright, and the
copyright law states that the person who writes the copy owns the
rights to it.
Although we must never steal another's material, we can sometimes use
material to write our own story. For this exercise, then, pick up a
newspaper and read a few of the articles about local businesspeople,
crime, or events and write a story from scratch that includes similar
(but not exactly the same) information. For example, you might read a
story about a five-year-old girl who dials 911 and saves her
grandmother's life, when the grandmother was having a heart attack. You
could then write a short story about a five-year-old boy who was
visiting his grandfather, who falls unconscious suddenly. You can then
take the story from there, wherever you want to take it.
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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
to join The Writers Network F-R-E-E by visiting www.zebraeditor.com and
clicking on Free Newsletter.
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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!
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