The Writers Network News, November 2013 Issue http://ezezine.com
The Writers Network News, November 2013
In This Issue
One: From the editor's desk: Writers Helping Writers (In Praise of FWA)
Two: Ask the Book Doctor about Permissions, Contests, and Writing as a
Career
Three: This Month's Easy Editing Tip from Bobbie Christmas: Laughing
Dialogue
Four: Subjects of Interest to Writers
Five: Contests, Agents, and Markets
Six: Got Muse? Get Your Anger Out
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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.
Newsletter Sponsor
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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
"Journalism allows its readers to witness history; fiction gives its
readers an opportunity to live it." --John Hersey (June 17, 1914 -
March 24, 1993).
Hersey was author of Hiroshima and other novels based on history.
Wikipedia says of Hersey, he "was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American
writer and journalist considered one of the earliest practitioners of
the so-called New Journalism, in which storytelling techniques of
fiction are adapted to nonfiction reportage. Hersey's account of the
aftermath of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, was adjudged
the finest piece of American journalism of the twentieth century by a
thirty-six-member panel associated with New York University journalism
department."
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One: From the editor's desk: Writers Helping Writers (In Praise of FWA)
Dear Fellow Writers:
I recently returned from speaking at the latest Florida Writers
Association conference, and this one was not only huge, but also wildly
successful in helping writers connect with agents, publishers, editors,
and fellow writers. The workshops were plentiful and packed with
information, and every attendee received all the handouts from every
workshop, even the ones they could not attend.
The Florida Writers Association has my heart for many reasons, and our
connection began when I midwifed it. Mind you, I did not give birth to
it; I simply helped the person who did.
Years ago, when I was an officer on the board with the Georgia Writers
Association, one of my Florida clients contacted me and said she wanted
to start a similar association in Florida. She had tried to work with
someone else in a state other than Florida, but that person considered
her organization's knowledge proprietary and wanted to connect the new
organization with one she already had formed. My client wanted the FWA
to stand alone and serve all of Florida, though. I gladly and gleefully
worked with my client. We had long discussions on the phone about how
to get the organization started, and I handed over all the information
I could find, to help her. Soon the Florida Writers Association (FWA)
was up and growing, with the mission of "writers helping writers," a
mission I completely endorse.
In appreciation for my help, the organization gave me a lifetime
membership, which I cherish. Over the years, FWA has invited me to
speak at quite a few of its conferences, and each one has been well
organized, well attended, and hugely successful for writers.
Today FWA has about fifty affiliated writers groups around Florida, a
number that, from what I can tell, is about forty-nine more than the
organization run by someone who originally would not share information.
Which organization wanted to help writers, I wonder, and which one was
run by someone who simply wanted control and personal recognition? As
you can see, when your mission is a worthy one, success comes your way.
Keep up the good work, FWA!
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 Permissions, Contests, and Writing as a
Career
Q: Do you need permission for every quote used in a nonfiction book, or
is giving proper credit, perhaps in a bibliography at the end,
sufficient? Does the length of the quote matter?
A: If a quote is clearly a quote and not written as if it were your own
creation, you can usually give credit near the quote without disrupting
the flow of information. A bibliography in the back is helpful, but
without seeing the actual work and length of quotations, and without
the knowledge of an attorney, I cannot give a definitive answer to your
questions. If in doubt, check with an attorney familiar with copyright
law.
Q: My poem has been chosen as a finalist for the annual contest by
[name deleted]. Keep your fingers crossed for me; I can use the ten
grand. Have you ever heard of this organization?
A: Yes, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it has a terrible
reputation. The same organization has used many names, all of which
have the reputation of telling everyone who enters that they are
finalists. To receive your reward, some of these scams make "finalists"
attend an expensive conference. In one news story about [name deleted],
4,000 alleged finalists paid more than $500 to attend a conference and
were not given workshops or meetings with publishers or editors as
promised and instead were forced to judge the poems themselves.
Almost all scam operations will sell books in which your poem or short
story appears, but the books are at highly inflated prices, and the
contents are not necessarily of high quality. The worst ones, in my
opinion, charge a fee to make your poem look better or bigger than
others and still charge a large price for the book, if you want one.
Before entering any contest or anthology competition, always research
the organization. Many competitions and anthology collections are
legitimate and offer a small honorarium plus publication, but when they
tempt writers with huge prizes, such as $10,000, a red flag should go
up in your mind.
Q: I'm a teacher. This year the job is more demanding then [sic] ever.
I want to know if my novel is marketable and whether I should continue
to consider creative writing as a replacement career for teaching.
A: I haven't seen your manuscript, so first I will speak in
generalities, because I have no idea of your skill level.
Creative writing rarely can be a replacement career for any other
profession. The profits simply aren't there. Nonfiction books usually
stay on the market longer than fiction and therefore have higher
profits, yet I wrote the proposal for my nonfiction book, Write In
Style, in 1999, and then it took me a while to sell it. It finally hit
bookstores in 2004. In the end, my profit was less than five thousand
dollars, but few people can live for five years on five thousand
dollars.
We can't all be like J.K. Rowling and produce fiction hits like the
Harry Potter series. Many writers can, however, supplement their income
with creative writing. I, for example, sell my books, but I also edit
books, a profession that keeps a roof over my head and helps other
writers, while I work with the raw materials I love: words.
More specifically, I would be remiss if I did not point out a mistake
in the e-mail question I received ("then" should be "than"). Even the
most brilliant writers cannot edit themselves, so if you want to sell
your creative writing, be sure to use a professional editor before you
submit your work for potential publication.
by Bobbie Christmas (responding to real questions from writers like
you)
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: Laughing
Dialogue
People can groan, laugh, and chuckle, but they can't groan dialogue or
laugh dialogue or chuckle dialogue. Do not use such words as the
attribution; use them for action and let the action act as the
attribution.
Incorrect:
"This homework is hard," Junior groaned.
"You never had trouble with it before," his mother laughed.
"I pulled a prank on the teacher," he chuckled.
Correct:
Junior groaned. "This homework is hard," he said.
"You never had trouble with it before." His mother laughed.
"I pulled a prank on the teacher." He chuckled.
In addition to being used incorrectly, I often see "laugh" and
"chuckle" overused in manuscripts, and strong writers avoid repetition.
Use my trademarked Find and Refine Method to search through your
manuscript for those words, to ensure you used them correctly and did
not overuse them.
Here is how to use the Find and Refine Method to find and repair many
mistakes and missed opportunities for improvement throughout a
manuscript.
Let's say in your manuscript you want to see when and how you used the
word laugh. To use the Find and Refine Method in Microsoft Word, type
Control + F, and in Word 2010, a Navigation will panel open on the left
side of your monitor. Type in "laugh," and every instance of the word
will be highlighted. It also tells you how many times the word appears
in the manuscript, so you can immediately tell if it is overused. Use
the arrow keys in the Navigation panel to move from one instance of the
word to the next, repairing or replacing the word as necessary.
To use the Find and Refine Method in Microsoft Word 2003 - 2007, when
you type Control + F you will get a dialogue box. Type in the word you
are seeking and click on Find Next and navigate through the document
finding and repairing or replacing the use of the word you seek.
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
Congratulations to member Arlene Appelrouth, whose article appeared at
http://atlantajewishtimes.com/making-the-years-count/ this past month.
Check it out!
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Kudos to Susan Klaus, whose novel, Secretariat Reborn, was released by
Oceanview Publishing in early October. Read an enticing review of the
book at http://tinyurl.com/lfygstm. I'm honored to be her editor.
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My brilliant and perfect son, the veterinarian, is also a great writer
who writes articles on veterinary medicine for a consumer magazine. He
sent me a link to a great poster that explains semicolons in a way you
may never forget. See http://tinyurl.com/ybgbmv5.
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National Novel Writing Month begins November 1. The challenge has
helped many a writer pound out a first draft in thirty days. To read
more and sign up for the challenge, see http://nanowrimo.org/.
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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 are 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 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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Terminology Writers Should Know: Vernacular
Vernacular refers to the common spoken language of a people, as
distinct from formal written or literary language. It can also be the
distinctive vocabulary or language of a profession, group, or class.
Think of vernacular as word choices and word order. For example, using
vernacular to show a character has less schooling, that person's
dialogue might go like this: "You don't know nothing, girl. Let me tell
it like it is." Another character with a college degree might say, "You
don't understand what I'm trying to say. Let me put it another way."
Yet another character with an academic background might spout, "Perhaps
you lack the knowledge to understand the concept I'm trying to relate.
Allow me to illustrate my point."
By word order or word choice, writers can use vernacular to show that a
character did not learn English as a first language. For example, a
German person once said to me, "You don't know what is." I mentally
filed that sentence away, if I ever use a German character in a novel.
Here's a great way to tell if all the characters in your novel have
their own voice. Eliminate the tags or attributions (he said, she said)
and see if you can tell who is speaking simply by the cadence, word
choice, word order, subject matter, and style of speaking. Warning: do
not rely on dialect, such as taking out letters and adding apostrophes,
but do feel free to write in vernacular.
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Track Your Time Easily
Whether you simply want to know how much time you spend or a project or
need to track your time to bill clients for editing or writing, you'll
like the Toggl.com website. See https://www.toggl.com/ for a free and
easy way to keep track of your time.
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This page provides lists of best-selling single-volume books and book
series to date and in any language. How many of them have you read?
Wouldn't you love to have your book on this list? See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_books
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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.
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Nobel Prize winner Alice Munro uses not one but three editors. In the
December issue of Quill & Quire, Scott MacDonald asks her editors, how
do you edit one of the most precise writers working in the English
language? According to them, even a master can sometimes use a helpful
nudge (but not too often). See more at: http://tinyurl.com/me76e9s.
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Hearst Magazines held what it called "the very first magazine Upfront,"
where it showcased new content for the coming year for an audience of
media buyers and marketers. Despite the failure rate of magazines these
days, several new magazines will soon launch, according to
announcements made at the event. To read the whole article, see
http://tinyurl.com/m6hy6uz.
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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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Looking for a Book Reviewer?
Mom Loves 2 Read
Reviewer accepts: e-books and physical copies
Blog/website name: Mom Loves 2 Read
Web address: www.momloves2read.com
Main reviewer’s name: Susan Milby
Genres: Anything clean and family friendly, from infant to adult (does
not have to be Christian fiction, can be clean - no cursing, sex,
etc.). See
http://momloves2read.com/p/review-policy-ftc-disclosure.html
Do you accept nonfiction? Yes, occasionally
Do you accept e-books? Yes, mobi/kindle
Do you accept fees for any type of promotion or service? Occasionally.
I don't charge fees, but do accept a "thank you" occasionally for
promoting. It does not ever affect my honest reviews.
For even more reviewers, buy the Book Reviewer Yellow Pages ($9.99) at
http://tinyurl.com/lbbl9wr.
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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 do not 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 will save almost $10 by buying
the e-book! To order either, go to http://tinyurl.com/lexp7n.
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Become my friend on Facebook and follow my adventures, opinions, and
observations: http://www.facebook.com/bobbie.christmas
Like Zebra Communications on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/7vcxaxu.
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Five: Contests, Agents, and Markets
Benjamin Franklin Awards for Independent Publishers
The IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards, which include fifty-five categories
recognizing excellence in book editorial and design, are regarded as
one of the highest national honors for independent publishers.
The Awards are administered by the Independent Book Publishers
Association (IBPA), with help from more than 160 book publishing
professionals, including librarians, bookstore owners, reviewers,
designers, publicity managers, and editors. The Benjamin Franklin
Awards are unique in that the entrants receive direct feedback on their
titles. The actual judging forms are returned to all participating
publishers.
Deadline: December 31, 2013 for titles published September 1 – December
31, 2013
All titles carrying a 2013 copyright date will be accepted. For more
information, see http://ibpabenjaminfranklinawards.com/.
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Absey & Co., Inc.
23011 Northcrest
Spring, Texas 77389
Edward Wilson
Editor-in-Chief
We accept mainstream fiction and nonfiction, poetry, educational books,
especially those dealing in language arts. We do not accept e-mail
submissions of manuscripts. Please adhere to the following guidelines
when submitting manuscripts:
Submit:
1. A brief cover letter
2. A chapter-by-chapter outline
3. An author's information sheet (focus on relevant qualifications and
previous publishing experience)
4. Two or three sample chapters
5. A self-addressed, stamped envelope
We prefer not to receive simultaneous submissions. Response time for
manuscripts is six to nine months.
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Call for Entries to Anthology
Weddings: the good, the bad, the ugly
Parasol Press seeks true, unpublished stories of your wedding
experience, whether from the bridal party, guests, or a wedding
professional. Any aspect at all, from gifts, themes, and music to the
ceremony, etc., is welcome. Send maximum two paragraphs to Claire at
info@parasolpress.net with "Weddings"in the subject line. Those chosen
for publication will receive two copies of the book and will be
acknowledged therein, unless anonymity is preferred. If similar issues
or experiences are received, consideration will be given to early
submission and originality of expression. We reserve the right to edit.
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Willow Creek Press, Inc.
P.O. Box 147
Minocqua, WI 54548
http://www.willowcreekpress.com/
Willow Creek Press publishes books specializing in nature, outdoor and
sporting topics, gardening, wildlife and animal books, and cookbooks.
We also publish nature, wildlife, fishing, and sporting calendars.
Personal memoirs, children's books, and manuscripts dealing with
limited regional subject matter may be considered, but generally stand
little chance of acceptance. We are known for high-quality,
lighthearted books and feature more than forty titles in a continually
expanding line.
For information on how to submit book proposals to this publisher, go
to http://www.willowcreekpress.com/aboutus.php.
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Jill Grinberg Literary Agency
16 Court Street
Suite 3306
Brooklyn NY 11241
http://www.jillgrinbergliterary.com/
Nonfiction: autobiography, biography, business, current affairs,
economics, government, health, history, law, medicine, multicultural,
politics, psychology, science, spirituality, technology, travel,
women's issues, women's studies
Fiction: commercial, fantasy, historical, juvenile, literary, romance,
science fiction, women's, young adult, middle grade
Send a proposal and author bio for nonfiction; send a query, synopsis,
and the first 50 pages for fiction to info@jillgrinbergliterary.com
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Six: Got Muse? Get Your Anger Out
What really ticks you off? Do you get chafed when a sibling uses
something of yours without asking? Do you find yourself fuming when a
friend is late meeting you for lunch? Think about the things that make
you angry, pick one, and write a scene in which someone angers another
by doing the same thing that makes you angry. Show what each character
says and how the issue is resolved. Does the couple end up shouting at
each other? Does one character finally see the other character's point
of view, or do the characters end up walking away from each other? Do
the characters threaten to start a fight but then decide the issue
isn't worth losing a friend over? How does this argument come to a
climax and then get resolved? Be sure to use action and dialogue to
show your scene as it unfolds.
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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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