The Writers Network News, September 2014 Issue http://ezezine.com
The Writers Network News, September 2014
In This Issue
One: From the editor's desk: The Mighty Pen
Two: Ask the Book Doctor about What and When to Capitalize
Three: This Month's Easy Editing Tip from Bobbie Christmas: Waive,
Wave, Waiver, or Waver?
Four: Subjects of Interest to Writers
Five: Contest, Agents, and Markets
Six: Got Muse? Smack Your Lipograms
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The Writers Network News
No Rules; Just Write!
Editor: Bobbie Christmas
Contents copyright 2014, 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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As book doctors, we write, edit, and evaluate fiction and nonfiction
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shepherds, we guide writers through the process of self-publishing. We
are a top-rated Better Business Bureau Accredited Business.
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770/924-0528
http://zebraeditor.com/
Follow my Write In Style creative-writing blog at
http://bobbiechristmas.blogspot.com/
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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
"All sorrows can be borne, if you put them into a story." --Isak
Dinesen, author of Out of Africa.
Isak Dinesen was the pseudonym used by the Danish author Karen Dinesen
Blixen-Finecke. Her stories place her among Denmark's greatest authors.
She was born in 1885, the daughter of a wealthy landowner, adventurer,
and author. In 1914 she went to Africa, married, and bought a coffee
plantation. After her divorce in 1921 she managed the plantation alone
until economic disaster forced her to return to Denmark in 1931, where
she lived the rest of her life on the family estate, Rungstedlund, near
Copenhagen.
The years in Africa were the happiest of Dinesen's life, for she felt,
from the first, that she belonged there. Had she not been forced to
leave, she wrote later, she would not have become an author. In the
dark days just before leaving, she began to write down some of the
stories she had told to her friends among the colonists and natives.
She wrote in English, the language she used in Africa. Her books
usually appeared simultaneously in America, England, and Denmark,
written in English and then rewritten in Danish.
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One: From the editor's desk: The Mighty Pen
Dear Fellow Writers:
Facebook fascinates me. I admit it. I probably spend more than an hour
a day checking, reading, and rereading posts from friends, relatives,
and fellow writers. Sometimes the posts have cute videos, which always
lure me into taking time to watch people, cats, dogs, bears, raccoons,
squirrels, and even foxes doing funny or astonishing things. My
next-door neighbor and I joke that the only way we know what the other
is doing is by checking Facebook, which thankfully is not completely
true.
Most Facebook postings are happy, upbeat, playful, and entertaining,
but sometimes I see a mean-spirited posting, and those make me shake my
head. What type of person feels the need to post ugly things on a
public forum? How does it reflect on the person who posts those things?
The pen may indeed be mightier than the sword, but in my opinion, nasty
posts on Facebook or Twitter only make the one who posted the note look
bad.
Facebook has helped me connect with friends from the past, and most of
the time those reconnections are delightful. One ex-boyfriend, though,
after reading some of my Facebook posts, commented that I made my life
seem idyllic. At first I felt a little hurt, until I realized he is
right, because my life may actually be idyllic. I have pursued a career
I love, and it has been financially rewarding to me and helpful to
hundreds of writers. I wrote a book that I sold to a publisher that
gave me an advance and paid me royalties, while the book was in print.
I've successfully self-published a few other books that are still
selling. I live in a comfortable house I bought on my own and have paid
for in full. I have a dog that loves to cuddle with me, so we nurture
each other. I have a loving family, and two of my siblings live close
enough now that we get together once or twice a week and always have a
blast together. I have checked off most of the items on my bucket list.
I have traveled the world on planes, trains, automobiles, cruise ships,
barges, feet, and more. I am blessed with supportive and loving
friends. I have a great reputation among writers. I am the mother of an
accomplished, handsome man who practices veterinary medicine and who
married his best friend, a woman I love as much as he does. So yes, if
my Facebook comments seem all too upbeat, blame it on me. I am an
upbeat person.
Of course I have suffered setbacks and sad times. I've lost many people
I loved, including a child. I spent time in poverty in the past. I
endured two divorces. I don't write about those things, though. They
did not stop me from moving on with life and building the life I wanted
to live.
I feel sorry for those who are not upbeat, who resent other people's
successes or good attitudes. I feel sad that some people try to make
themselves feel better by spending time and energy trying to hurt
others with their poison pens. I think those folks are only poisoning
themselves, though. I'm too busy being happy to let negative people
pull me down.
You can become my friend on Facebook through either my personal page or
my Zebra Communications page. Hey, join me on both, and you'll get to
follow my personal posts, which are usually upbeat, as well as my
professional posts, which are entertaining and educational. You might
see me groan about having a cold or stubbing my toe, but for the most
part, I hope my posts are uplifting.
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 What and When to Capitalize
By Bobbie Christmas
Q: I edit books on China, and the current one uses the word non-sinic
and also non-Sinic. I’ve looked around on the Internet and cannot find
a definitive capitalization. Is it non-sinic with or without a capital
S?
A: Because Sinic pertains to the Chinese and allied races, I would
capitalize the word as non-Sinic.
Q: I am ready to send my newest book to the printer. One question that
has arisen is the proper way to capitalize dog breed names. In
consulting people, the dictionary, and online resources, there is much
confusion.
With German Shepherds, Belgian Sheepdogs, and Doberman Pinscher, do you
cap both words? I have seen it both ways. With Bloodhounds, do you cap
it? In most of my print and online resources, it is in caps.
In the books I have read for my resources, they have capitalized all
breed names. Online, I learned that the AKC caps all breed names. At
many websites for these breeds, they cap the names. To be consistent, I
chose to cap them all. What is your professional opinion?
A: The Chicago Manual of Style (now in its 16th edition) sets the
standard for books. The AKC can set its own style, and the Internet has
no set style, but for books, CMOS is the authority on what and when to
capitalize.
As for dog breeds, CMOS says to capitalize the portion of the name that
is a proper noun, so it's German shepherd, Belgian sheepdog,
bloodhound, and Doberman pinscher. It's also French poodle, Jack
Russell terrier, Chihuahua, Scottish terrier, bichon frise, etc. CMOS
also bows to Merriam-Webster, so it's good to check M-W, where you can
see what to uppercase or lowercase in dog breeds.
Q: If I write a story about King George, I know to capitalize "king"
when accompanied by his name. If I refer to that same king but not with
his name, when do I capitalize, and when don't I? "King George was
happy." "It was nice when the king was happy." (referring to King
George) "The king has arrived." (still referring to that specific king)
What is the rule?
A: You are correct that when the name follows a title, the title is
capitalized, and in Chicago style, when the title is unaccompanied by a
name, it is lowercased. Examples: I saw President Obama on TV
yesterday. After the president spoke, he answered questions from the
press.
Q: When should I capitalize the word "mafia?"
A: Capitalize the word when referring to the specific secret
organization that originated in Sicily; do not capitalize it when
referring in general to a close-knit or influential group. Examples:
Although Joe Gordino looked like a friendly grandfather, rumor had it
he was a made Mafia member. The school board had to fight a mafia of
mothers who insisted that the cafeteria serve only vegetarian meals.
Q: I’m writing a book on the history of Park Central Square,
Springfield, Missouri. Hundreds of times throughout the book I will
refer to it as the square; should "square" be capitalized?
A: In general, books that follow Chicago style would not capitalize a
generic word such as square, when preceded by an article (a, and, or
the) or possessive pronoun (my, your, his, etc.), the same as it would
be incorrect to capitalize such words as mother, doctor, or president,
when preceded by an article or possessive pronoun. See these examples:
The square opened in 1888. Ask my mother if she can come with us.
Please call the doctor. I saw the president on TV.
When used as a title and not preceded by an article or possessive
pronoun, however, all those things would be capitalized, as in these
examples: In 1888, Park Square opened. Ask Mother if she can come with
us. Please call Doctor Smith. I voted for reelection of President
Obama.
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.
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Three: This Month's Easy Editing Tip from Bobbie Christmas: Waive,
Wave, Waiver, or Waver?
Some of my most intelligent clients confuse these words. See the
definitions and examples below:
Waive: (verb) relinquish or put aside. He waived his right to a jury
trial.
Wave: (verb) move back and forth. She waved a magic wand.
Waiver: (noun) voluntary surrender of a right or claim; a document
giving up a right or claim. Before skydiving, Bob had to sign a waiver
that said he would not sue the company if he had an accident.
Waver: fluctuate between possibilities, become unsure about a previous
opinion, move in different directions, fluctuate in tone. His voice
wavered when he asked, "Would you like to go out?"
Bobbie's Find and Refine Method: use your Find and Replace Function
(Ctrl+H) to locate uses of each word to be sure you have used each one
correctly.
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
If you like this newsletter, so will your friends. Tell them to
subscribe to The Writers Network News by going to www.zebraeditor.com
and clicking on the yellow box at the top. To view back issues of this
newsletter, go to http://live.ezezine.com/feeds/Bobbie_Christmas.rss.
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I have been eager for member Amy Lewis Bear, a psychotherapist, to
release her book titled From Charm to Harm, because I edited it and was
shocked at what I recognized as behavior that had been directed toward
me in past relationships. Any person who has felt frustrated in a
relationship but could not define what was wrong needs to read this
book.
From Charm to Harm provides simple words and definitions that name and
explain harmful interactions between intimate partners. Many of these
interactions, although emotionally toxic, are hard to distinguish from
the normal experience of being in a relationship.
From Charm to Harm will empower you to recognize and describe the
psychological destruction wrought by an intimate partner who claims to
love you. It will provide you with ways to protect yourself and your
loved ones in current and future relationships.
To read more or to order the book, go to
http://www.fromcharmtoharm.com/
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Member Myrna Lou Goldbaum, master palmist and soul mate specialist,
writers, "My latest book, Cruise to the Other Side: A Metaphysical
Journey, was released by Abuzz Press in August. It is a paranormal
fiction book." Congratulations, Myrna Lou.
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What if your computer refused to boot? Would your data, your novels,
and all your business information be lost? Not if you have Carbonite to
back up your computer regularly, without any effort from you. I swear
by Carbonite, or I wouldn't promote it. It saved me twice, so far, with
files that corrupted or simply disappeared, but they were easily
accessible again on the Carbonite website. If you follow this link and
sign up for Carbonite, you and I both get a $20 gift card, but if you
don't, please, be sure your computer is always backed up to a safe
place separate from your computer.
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2014 Winners of Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest Named
Elizabeth Dorfman of Bainbridge Island, WA, is the 32nd grand prize
winner of the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest that began at San Jose
State University.
The contest challenges entrants to compose bad opening sentences to
imaginary novels and takes its name from the Victorian novelist George
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, who began his Paul Clifford (1830) with "It was a
dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents--except at occasional
intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up
the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along
the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps
that struggled against the darkness."
Dorfman's winning entry reflected the type of long-winded, almost
incomprehensive openings that Bulwer-Lytton (groaningly) made famous,
and the site says, "In keeping with the bignitude, high dignity, and
general importance of the competition, the grand prize winner receives
a pittance (about $150)."
To see the winners and runners-up (mostly funny) entries, go to
http://bulwer-lytton.com/2014win.html.
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Terminology Writers Should Know: Assonance
MEANING: The use of words with same or similar vowel sounds but with
different end consonants. Example: The o sounds in Wordsworth's "A host
of golden daffodils."
USAGE: "The passage offers many beauties: the nearly incantatory
repetition, the assonance (define and confine, streets and treat, space
and faces), the homophones (rains and reins--but not reigns?), the pun
(no sign of motorway)." --Kevin Dettmar; Less Is Morrissey; The
Chronicle of Higher Education (Washington, D.C.); Dec 9, 2013.
This entry comes from the Wordsmith.org A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg.
Sign up for your free subscription at
http://wordsmith.org/awad/subscribe.html.
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Make Others Ask You about Your Book
If you are too shy to mention your book to others, promote your book by
wearing a pin that reads "Ask me about my book." Others will ask you,
and you can give a brief pitch and offer to sell them a copy. For pins
that say "Ask me about my book" and other great gifts for writers, go
to http://www.zazzle.com/gifts?ch=writingandediting.
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Style versus Style, Rx from the Book Doctor: http://tinyurl.com/kypvhpj
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Have you been keeping up with the battle between Amazon and Hachette?
Here's a little more information from a NY Times article titled Plot
Thickens as 900 Writers Battle Amazon. http://tinyurl.com/pp7ekon. You
may also want to read Amazon's letter to readers at
www.readersunited.com.
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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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Jane Lael, a member in Ecuador, wrote to ask if I had mentioned a site
that gives daily writing tips. She had lost the address. Here it is,
and it's full of good information: http://www.dailywritingtips.com/.
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You read my newsletter, so you love writing as much as I do. I highly
recommend joining SPELL (the Society for the Preservation of English
Language and Literature), a playful organization run by people like
you. For $15 a year you get to claim membership in an organization of
language lovers and also get a subscription to one of the few
periodicals I read from cover to cover, SPELL/Binder. It has articles
about the language and goofs found in other places. Soon you'll be
collecting and sending in goofs, too, I'm sure. The newsletter usually
includes a Grammar-Gram by fellow writer Dick Dowis, a word puzzle that
results in a quotation of interest to writers. Join in the fun. Send
your $15 to SPELL, P.O. Box 321, Braselton, GA 30517.
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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.
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Smashwords Survey: "A few [self-published] titles sell fabulously well
and most sell poorly."
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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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The Psychology behind Messy Rooms: Why the Most Creative People
Flourish in Clutter
Using a paradigm consisting of one messy room and one tidy room and a
series of trials, psychological scientist Kathleen Vohs, from the
University of Minnesota, concluded that messy rooms provoke more
creative thinking, and she even provided scientific evidence. See
http://tinyurl.com/lll2qgv. .
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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
Black Mountain Press
P.O. Box 9907
Asheville, NC, 28815
http://www.theblackmountainpress.com
Established in 1994, the Black Mountain Press is dedicated to promoting
work of emerging authors. Black Mountain Press strives to find and
publish works that aspire to a higher ideal, many times by unknown,
first-time authors, without agents representing them. From 2014
through the end of 2017 our focus will be in collections of poetry,
memoir, novels, and collections of short stories. We do not accept
query letters, sample chapters, or proposals to the editors. We are
interested in seeing your completed manuscript. We ask you to read the
guidelines and submit work that fits our needs.
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Dana Awards
http://www.danaawards.com/
Awards offered annually for unpublished work written in English. Works
previously published online are not eligible.
Prizes: $1,000 for each of the novel, short story, and poetry
Costs: $25 per novel entry, $15 per short fiction entry, $15 per five
poems
Deadline: October 31 (postmarked).
Read guidelines here: http://www.danaawards.com/guidelines.htm
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2014 Connecticut Review Poetry Contest
CRR Poetry Contest
P.O. Box 270554
W. Hartford, CT 06127
http://ctpoetry.net/contests.html
The Connecticut Poetry Society is now accepting submissions to its
contest. Prizes of $400, $100, and $50. Hurry! The deadline is
September 30. To enter, send up to three unpublished poems, 80-line
limit each. Include two copies of each poem, one with complete contact
info on it and one with NO contact info on it. Include SASE for results
only. A $15 reading fee is required. Make the check out to CPS.
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Six: Got Muse? Smack Your Lipograms
Lipogram refers to writing composed of words that do not contain a
specific letter. Lipo means "lacking; without," and gram comes from
gramma, meaning "letter." Because the letter E is the most common in
the English language, the most challenging lipogram excludes the letter
E. In 1939, Ernest Vincent Writer published Gadsby, with more than
50,000 words, without using the letter E. Peter Blinn, on
www.curiousnothions.com, posted the following lipogram version of "Mary
Had a Little Lamb" without using the letter O.
Mary had a little lamb
The bleached and chalky kind
And everywhere she went, the lamb
Was rarely left behind.
Read more at http://tinyurl.com/l3zs3bm.
Take any short poem, short story, or vignette from any book and rewrite
it without using a specific letter of the alphabet. Choose any letter
except the less common ones, Q, V, X, or Z.
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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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