The Writers Network News, May 2018 issue
The Writers Network News, May 2018
In This Issue
One: From the Editor's Desk: I Wept for the Trees
Two: Ask the Book Doctor—Possessives, Collective Nouns, and Essential vs. Nonessential Phrases
Three: Subjects of Interest to Writers
Four: Contests, Agents, and Markets
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The Writers Network News
No Rules; Just Write!
Editor: Bobbie Christmas
Contents copyright 2018, Bobbie Christmas
No portion of this newsletter can be used without permission; however, you may forward the newsletter in its entirety to people in your network.
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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 notices of local (but sporadic) meetings today! Send your name and email address to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com.
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CHANGING YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS?
If your address changes, you must sign up again with your new address. We cannot change your address for you, because of our double-opt-in, no-spam policy. Go to www.zebraeditor.com, click on the yellow box, and sign up with your new address.
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Some links in this newsletter are shortened with help from www.tinyurl.com, a free service that converts long links to short ones.
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Writer's Quote of the Month
“The only impeccable writers are those that never wrote.”
—William Hazlitt
Britannica.com says this of Hazlitt: English writer best known for his humanistic essays. Lacking conscious artistry or literary pretention, his writing is noted for the brilliant intellect it reveals.
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One: From the editor's desk: I Wept for the Trees
Dear Fellow Writers:
Yes, I’m a tree hugger who does her best to conserve water as well as reduce, reuse, and recycle. I want to cry when I see acreage being raped of its trees for another subdivision or strip mall. Lately, though, I have had even more reason to bemoan what is happening to our trees. Many trees are being cut down, ground up, and turned into paper for printing books that should never have seen the light of day. It makes me thankful for eBooks; at least they don’t waste trees if the books shouldn’t have been published in the first place.
Most recently I wept for the trees for weeks while I worked on a manuscript that was nowhere near ready for publication. The job came through a company that helps people self-publish, though, which meant that whoever paid extra for all the editing I did was then going to pay further to have the book printed, regardless of my concerns.
I did all I could with what appeared to me to be a worthless manuscript. I added thousands of quotation marks, and I’m not exaggerating. Almost all were missing from the dialogue. I broke 245 pages into correct paragraphs, because few existed. I pointed out inconsistencies in names, timelines, and events. I commented on things that lacked logic or believability. I replaced dozens of incorrect words with correct words. I deleted countless uses of “at that moment,” “all of a sudden,” “just then,” “without warning,” and other phrases that added nothing to the story. I did all those things and many others, but I could not change the fact that the story had no plot and the content appealed to no specific audience. I had to leave some things as they were, because for more than 73,000 words the tense changed back and forth between past and present. If I changed every verb, it would have amounted to rewriting the book, which is not the job of an editor. I did at least keep the tenses consistent within sentences. Yes, the tense sometimes changed from present tense to past tense within the same sentence.
I kept thinking the book felt as if had been written by a twelve-year-old. I couldn’t believe anyone would spend money to produce such a worthless book. When I reached the bio at the end, I learned that indeed the manuscript had been written by a twelve-year-old. I felt a mixture of shock and relief, but still I felt disbelief that the book would be printed, probably with money that the kid’s parents paid.
I expressed my concerns to my significant other, who gave me a fresh perspective on the subject. “Think about it,” he said. “That child’s parents are supporting her efforts to become a writer. She’s going to have a book published in her name. It will encourage her to keep writing. In addition, think about all that your editing will have taught her.”
His comments and the remarks of other friends boosted my morale and helped me finish the project.
I recalled the few people who encouraged me to be a writer when I was a teen. If I had not had boosters and mentors along the way, I never could have become a writer or an editor.
That child’s parents are paying for the child to have a book edited and then published with her byline. Perhaps she will become a great writer one day. Yes, one day she may look at the book and want to weep for the trees as well, knowing her skills have grown considerably since the publication of that first book.
I can only hope.
You see, I wrote stories and “books” when I was young, but they stayed on notebook paper, where they belonged. They were far from worthy of publication.
Self-publishing has changed everything. Anything can get published these days. Should parents pay to have their children’s books published, even if the books are far from ready for publication? What do you think about the subject?
Yours in writing,
Bobbie Christmas Bobbie@zebraeditor.com or bzebra@aol.com
Author of two editions 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
Possessives, Collective Nouns, and Essential vs. Nonessential Phrases
By Bobbie Christmas
Q: When it comes to possessives, I find the rules can be confusing. Can you sort them out? What is the correct possessive of proper nouns, names that end in s, like Jesus, or a plural last name or noun, like Smiths or dogs? I want to say that both still require an apostrophe and an s after the final s: Jesus's prayer, the Smiths's lake house, the dogs's bones. What does Chicago style say?
A: To make a proper noun possessive, Chicago style adds an apostrophe and s. (Jim’s books) If the proper noun or its plural ends in s or an s sound, such as z, Chicago style still says to add an apostrophe and s. The Jones’s houses. Jesus’s sermon. When the singular ends in something other than an s, as in the case of Smith, the plural is Smiths and the plural possessive is Smiths’. The same would hold true for common nouns, such as dog, the singular possessive of which would dog’s and the plural possessive would be dogs’.
English has one glaring exception to the rule of apostrophes for possessives. The word “its” does not take an apostrophe when it is possessive, as in this example: Its fur was brown. “It’s” with the apostrophe means “it is,” as in this example: It’s time to leave now.
Q: Please help me determine the correct sentence. I think the grammatically correct way sounds weird. Generation after generation COMES here and SHARES a meal together, or Generation after generation COME here and SHARE a meal together.
A: Collective nouns take singular verbs, so the correct sentence would go like this: Generation after generation comes here and shares a meal together. Whenever a grammatical sentence sounds weird, as that example does, it may be time to recast the sentence. Consider this recast: Several generations have come here and shared a meal together.
Q: Although I'm an English major, I still encounter glitches in my knowledge. That's why your newsletter and book, PURGE YOUR PROSE OF PROBLEMS, are so invaluable. There is one grammar situation that continues to plague me, even though I've read about it and thought I had it down pat. It's the comma that comes (or doesn't come) after a name. I've studied the "essential" and "nonessential" comma rules but am stumped when I encounter names. Do commas belong in the following instances? My wife Cora is an excellent golfer. My twins Oscar and Oliver will start school in September. She praised my husband Albert.
I can never remember whether a comma is essential or isn't. And what's the meaning behind “essential?”
A: Even though I’ve been an editor for more than four decades, I too have quirks that I can’t quite grasp and have to look up again and again. Fortunately one of them is not the issue of commas with nonessential phrases. Perhaps the issue is confusing because the terms “essential” and “nonessential” refer not to the comma, but to the phrase that may or may not be set off by commas. In other words, if the information is essential for the understanding of a sentence, it is not set off by commas. If a word or phrase is nonessential and could be deleted without changing the meaning of the sentence, it should be set off by commas. Put to use in your examples, because in America men tend to have one wife at a time, the wife’s name is not essential to a sentence that refers to her as the narrator’s wife. The name is therefore set off by commas. My wife, Cora, is an excellent golfer. If the speaker is of a culture that allows more than one wife at a time, her name becomes an essential part of the sentence, to show which wife is the good golfer. Of my four wives, my wife Cora is the best golfer.
Along the same lines, if the speaker has only one set of twins, their names are nonessential and would be set off by commas. My twins, Oscar and Oliver, will start school in September. If the speaker has two or more sets of twins, the names become essential. I have two sets of twins, and my twins Oscar and Oliver start school in September.
Because I know of no culture that allows a wife to have more than one husband, his name is nonessential in the following sentence: She praised my husband, Albert.
Some of the confusion may arise from the fact that the word “essential” sounds as if it should add something, such as a comma, whereas essential phrases do not add commas; nonessential phrases do. I can imagine the conflict created in our minds.
Bobbie Christmas, book editor, author of Write In Style: Use Your Computer to Improve Your Writing, 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 much more information on these subjects and hundreds of others of vital importance to writers, order PURGE YOUR PROSE OF PROBLEMS, a Book Doctor’s Desk Reference Book at http://tinyurl.com/4ptjnr.
Bobbie Christmas’s award-winning second edition of WRITE IN STYLE: How to Use Your Computer to Improve Your Writing is available at http://tinyurl.com/pnq5y5s.
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Three: Subjects of interest to writers
MEMBERS WRITE…
Ed Gruber, a local writer that I have the pleasure to hug now and then wrote the following:
“Thanks for your recent Writers Network News. When I read [about the value of inserting the titles of songs popular at the time of a setting in a novel and about adding educational details within a novel] my eyes and ears perked. For me, today's work in progress is a piece of fiction (I call it Faction), that/which (ha ha!) takes place circa 1948 in my old Bronx, New York, neighborhood. Just the other day my old brain told me to start injecting even more events of that era - songs, events, culture, etc. Since this same old brain remembers only so much, I did more research into the year (brought back many personal memories of my life during that period), and am still in the process of finding the right places to insert the right material. While this certainly does add elements of authenticity and enhances the novel's mood, it also brings the reader deeper into the story.”
In my newsletter I had mentioned Michener as one of the authors who wrote educational material within his novels and how much I loved that type of novel. Ed responded, “Back about that time (1948), Michener was one of my favorite authors. I enjoyed how he uniquely and fascinatingly mixed true history and geography with his fiction. I did this with my first novel, TONY THE KNEEBREAKER, and received a comment from a reader about how much he learned from TONY about the Caribbean banana business.” He added, “By the way, I met Michener when I was in the service when he was a correspondent on his way to Korea.”
Ed has a fascinating background filled with many encounters with famous people.
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Fellow editor Marcia West wrote, “Bobbie, you asked if we ever experienced glaring errors. Here’s one for you. When we were almost ready to go to print with Fiona Page’s book, MY NIGHTLIFE IS 24/7, I shared it with a friend who found the author was ‘peddling’ [instead of pedaling] backwards in the first page of the introduction. It taught me to pay closer attention to things not in the body of the book.”
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JD (Jean) Young wrote, “Per your request for errors that might make you feel better, I helped write and proof a fairly large ‘briefing’ document at a large consulting firm. Approximately 300 pages and bound, going out to approximately 600 clients. The title was ‘Sustained Complications in the Public Sector.’ There were 1,000 booklets made up and ready for the mail department to send out. It had been proofread by a dozen people.
“One of the SVPs walked into the production room, picked up the book, and asked, ‘Is this correct?’ The title boldly screamed ‘Sustained Complications in the Pubic Sector.’ I was relieved we had not sent it to clients. It happens. You get used to looking at something, and the obvious passes right before your eyes. I do hope this makes you smile a bit.”
Oh, it did!
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Kaye D. Schmitz reports, “My debut novel, THE CONSORT CONSPIRACY, A COVINGTON FAMILY MYSTERY, was released in July.“ Her publisher is TouchPoint Press out of Arkansas, and she has plans for five additional books in the series. She is represented by Literary Agent Julie Gwinn from The Seymour Agency, originally of New York. “Thirty-one-year-old Kate Covington, downsized from her corporate position and desperate for work, calls in her last favor to land a film documentary job designed to boost the American president's ratings. She travels to his family home in Midway, but her research unearths clues in an ancient cemetery that not only prove his political career rests on two hundred years of murder and betrayal but also expose the leaders of a counterfeiting ring. With this knowledge, Kate must fight for her life.”
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JOURNALISTS BEWARE!
Use this phrase and The Washington Post columnist Gene Weingarten will call you out. Read the article here: https://tinyurl.com/y72bz99b
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MORE MANUSLIPS
In my Manuslips file I keep a list of errors I find that either tickle my fancy or prove a point about clear writing. I use quite a few manuslips in WRITE IN STYLE too.
Cyn McGregor sent two laughable examples of incorrect juxtaposition. The first made it into an article she read. The second came from an ad on Facebook.
1. Cameron said there was "no question" the situation would have been worse if the SRO had not engaged the shooter in an interview with the Post.
2. 6 Tips to Save Your Sight from an Expert
Cyn says of the second error, “Boy, those experts will try to steal your sight every time.”
Have you ever found any errors in your own work? If so, share them with me by email. If I use them I won’t use your name, if you wish to remain anonymous.
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THE NEXT NOBEL LAUREATE, AN AUSTRALIAN?
My brother-in-law, a native Australian, send me a link to an article in The New York Times magazine about a fascinating Australian whose writing style and unique perspective will keep you intrigued. Read the full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/27/magazine/gerald-murnane-next-nobel-laureate-literature-australia.html?smid=fb-augroup&smtyp=cur
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WANT TO KNOW HOW TO MARKET YOUR BOOK?
You may want to attend this conference: www.805WritersConference.com
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FINALLY AVAILABLE: SAVE THOUSANDS ON EDITING
The latest edition of PURGE YOUR PROSE OF PROBLEMS—the sixth edition—is hot off the press. It has been expanded and updated to include the most important changes in the latest edition of THE CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE. It answers all the vital questions you may have as you work through the editing phase of your manuscript. Order your printed or PDF copy here: http://zebraeditor.com/book_purge_your_prose_of_problems.shtml
Where do the commas belong? (page 59)
What’s the difference between “which” and “that?” (page 174)
How do good writers create believable characters? (page 53)
What is a dangling modifier, how can you recognize it, and how can you repair it? (page 66)
What is better, “towards,” or “toward?” (page 180)
What’s the difference between “assure,” “insure,” and “ensure?” (page 40)
When should you write out a number, and when should you use the numeral? (page 128)
Which is correct, T-shirt, tee shirt, or t-shirt? (page 171)
PURGE YOUR PROSE OF PROBLEMS answers these and more than 700 other questions, all vital to writers who want to edit their own books.
Order your printed or PDF copy here: http://zebraeditor.com/book_purge_your_prose_of_problems.shtml
Editing is costly because editors must charge for their time and expertise. What if an editor put all her time and expertise into a book that allowed you to edit your own book? You could save thousands of dollars using such a book. PURGE YOUR PROSE OF PROBLEMS, A Book Doctor's Desk Reference, is that book. It’s even the resource that many book editors use.
Order your printed or PDF copy here: http://zebraeditor.com/book_purge_your_prose_of_problems.shtml
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NEW TOLKIEN BOOK TO BE RELEASED IN AUGUST
According to “The Guardian,” JRR Tolkien’s THE FALL OF GONDOLIN, his tale of a beautiful, mysterious city destroyed by dark forces which THE LORD OF THE RINGS author called “the first real story” of Middle-earth, will be published in August.
THE FALL OF GONDOLIN will be the second “new” Tolkien work to be released in two years, following the release of BEREN AND LÚTHIEN in May 2017. The book was edited by Tolkien’s son Christopher Tolkien, and its announcement came as a surprise even to Tolkien scholars: Christopher Tolkien, who is now 93, had described BEREN AND LÚTHIEN in a preface as “(presumptively) my last book in the long series of editions of my father’s writings.”
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BOBBIE’S BLOGS
In my Write In Style blog, you’ll find tips on creative writing. For my latest blog on some of the Oscar nominees, see http://bobbiechristmas.blogspot.com/
Neurotica: Crazy Stories of Love, Lust, and Letting Go—If you like relationship stories, I’ve got a ton of them. Some are funny, some a little sexy, and all true. I reveal some of my stories at https://neuroticastories.blogspot.com.
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NY TIMES REVIEWS ALL 2018 PULITZER PRIZE WINNERS
https://tinyurl.com/yaz7kbcl
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BECOME MY FRIEND ON FACEBOOK
Follow my adventures, opinions, and observations: http://www.facebook.com/bobbie.christmas
FOLLOW ZEBRA COMMUNICATIONS ON FACEBOOK
Get news, writing-related cartoons, immediate updates, and other good stuff for writers.
Like and follow Zebra Communications at http://tinyurl.com/7vcxaxu.
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CMOS ONLINE Q & A
Someone wrote to the Chicago Manual of Style Online to ask the following question:
“I see that we initial cap Satan, Satanism, Satanist. Do we initial cap Satanic?”
To get the answer to this question and many more based on Chicago style, go to http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/latest.html.
THE CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE sets the standard in book publishing for issues such as punctuation, capitalization, whether to spell out numbers or use numerals, and much more. If you write books, you will want to know more about Chicago style or be sure to use a professional book editor intimately familiar with Chicago style. The seventeenth edition was just released, changing some old issues, so be sure your editor is familiar with the seventeenth edition of Chicago style, rather than an older version.
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WRITE IN STYLE: How to Use Your Computer to Improve Your Writing
My book on creative writing titled WRITE IN STYLE has won seven big awards. Copies are selling fast on Amazon, but please order it here, directly from the publisher: http://tinyurl.com/zeq6z5g. WRITE IN STYLE is not about grammar. It teaches writers how to find their fresh voice. If you want a book on grammar, order PURGE YOUR PROSE OF PROBLEMS, mentioned elsewhere in this newsletter.
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FLORIDA WRITERS ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE
The FWA puts on one of the best and biggest conferences in the Southeast, and you can get a discount if you sign up early for the October conference near Orlando, Florida. I’ll be one of the many people giving helpful seminars. I hope to see you there. See
https://floridawriters.net/conferences/florida-writers-conference-2018/
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NEW PRINT MAGAZINE LAUNCHES
Select subscribers to People magazine will receive the debut issue of HelloGiggles the magazine—a print counterpart to the millennial-focused lifestyle brand cofounded by Zooey Deschanel and acquired by Time Inc. in 2015.
The magazine will be geared toward millennial women with a focus on beauty, fashion, and pop culture.
Read more here: http://www.foliomag.com/meredith-launches-print-hellogiggles/
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Four: Contests, Agents, and Markets
CLAY STAFFORD BOOKS
https://claystaffordbooks.com/
Clay Stafford Books is a brand-new publisher open to submissions. It is an independent book publisher based in Nashville, Tennessee. The company was incorporated in 2017 by Killer Nashville Founder Clay Stafford as a subsidiary of American Blackguard, Inc.
“We aim to publish the most hard-hitting, riveting, and thought-provoking fiction and nonfiction titles—particularly those in the mystery, suspense, and thriller genres.
“Unsolicited manuscripts will be deleted unread. However, if you wish to pitch us a story, send us a query of no more than three sentences of what your book is about. If interested, we will request the full manuscript from you or your agent.”
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PRESS 53 AWARD FOR POETRY
Complete guidelines here:
https://www.press53.com/award-for-poetry/
Award: Publication by Press 53 of the winning poetry collection as a Tom Lombardo Poetry Selection under a standard publishing contract. Cash advance of $1,500
The Press 53 Award for Poetry is awarded annually to an outstanding, unpublished collection of poems. This contest is open to any writer, regardless of his or her publication history, provided the manuscript is written in English and the author lives in the United States and its territories.
Dates for submission: April 1, 2018—July 31, 2018. Submissions will close at midnight Eastern Standard Time on July 31. Revised manuscripts cannot be accepted after deadline.
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NATIONAL WRITERS ASSOCIATION SHORT STORY CONTEST
10940 S. Parker Rd., #508
Parker CO 80134
natlwritersassn@hotmail.com
www.nationalwriters.com
Judging will be based on originality, marketability, research, and reader interest. Copies of the judges’ evaluation sheets will be sent to entrants furnishing an SASE with their entry.
Prize: Prize: 1st Prize: $250, 2nd Prize: $100, 3rd Prize: $50, 4th-10th places will receive a book. 1st-3rd place winners may be asked to grant one-time rights for publication in Authorship magazine. Honorable Mentions receive a certificate.
Costs: $15
Any genre of short story manuscript may be entered. All entries must be postmarked by July 1. Contest opens April 1. Only unpublished works may be submitted. All manuscripts must be typed, double-spaced, in the English language. Maximum length is 5,000 words. Those unsure of proper manuscript format should request Research Report #35. The entry must be accompanied by an entry form (photocopies are acceptable) and return SASE if you wish the material and rating sheets returned. Submissions will be destroyed, otherwise. Receipt of entry will not be acknowledged without a return postcard. Author's name and address must appear on the first page. Entries remain the property of the author and may be submitted during the contest as long as they are not published before the final notification of winners. Final prizes will be awarded in June.
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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 enter a competition, pitch or accept an assignment, spend money, or sell your work.
To access past issues of The Writers Network News, click here: http://live.ezezine.com/feeds/ezine/886_2.
The Writers Network News: a newsletter for writers everywhere. No Rules; Just Write!
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