The Aelf's Bloggery

The Enemy

2009-05-26T04:36:00.000-07:00

"We are basically storytellers, descendants of the old men who sat around the fire and told us legends, fairytales, exploits, or maybe just how funny Og looked when he fell into the tar pit." --Sol Saks in Funny Business

The Rant 'N' Rave Section

The enemy. I've been writing now for about six years. Still a newbie to those who've spent their life as writers but I started late. The first year that I put butt in chair and focused on writing as a career I was tormented by what I like to call an “Awesome-Awful” cycle. I would write a passage or a short story and think, wow, that's awesome. When I came back to it a few days or a week later and read it, I would think, good lord, that's awful, and be crushed by my lack of talent.

I told myself that all I had to do was keep at it. As time went by I knew that awful feeling, that enemy that tore at my dreams of being a writer would go away. Well, it hasn't. With six short stories published, various poems and an article or two under my belt, the angst still attacks me. I have, however, learned to ignore it. I write what I write. My judgment of it really doesn't matter.

What does matter is what my editor thinks of it and what my readers think. They are the judges. The feedback I get from them tells me whether I can finally say “awesome”, pat myself on the back and move on to another story. The bottom line is, when I'm deep into a story and that old cycle comes up, telling me just how awful my writing is, I cheerfully thank it for sharing and keep on writing.

"TIDBITS"

Here's a great contest to enter:

The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to anyone who loves arranging words into the beautiful art of poetry or writing a short story that is worth telling everyone! And to all who have the ability to dream… Write a poem or short story for a chance to win cash prizes. All works must be original. http://www.dreamquestone.com/
Guidelines:
Write a poem, thirty lines or fewer on any subject, style, or form, typed or neatly hand printed.
And/or write a short story, five pages maximum length, on any subject or theme, creative writing fiction or non-fiction (including essay compositions, diary, journal entries and screenwriting). Also, must be typed or neatly hand printed.
Multiple poetry and short story entries are accepted.
Postmark deadline: July 31, 2009
All contest winners will be announced on August 31, 2009
Prizes:
Writing Contest First Prize is $500. Second Prize: $250. Third Prize: $100.
Poetry Contest First Prize is $250. Second Prize: $125. Third Prize: $50.
Entry fees: $10 per short story. Poetry Contest: $5 per poem.
To send entries: Include title(s) with your story (ies) or poem(s), along with your name, address, phone#, email, brief biographical info. (Tell us a little about yourself), on the coversheet. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope for entry confirmation. Fees payable to: DREAMQUESTONE.COM
Mail to:
Dream Quest One
Poetry & Writing Contest
P.O. Box 3141
Chicago, IL 60654

Visit http://www.dreamquestone.com/ for further details, to print out an entry form or to enter online.

No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude. “And remember in whatever you do, it’s okay to dream, for dreams do come true.” –Dream Quest One

Word of the month

Callipygean: Having a well-shaped butt.

Last but Not Least

"I didn't know that!"

Lewis Carrol

Lewis Carrol's real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson

Well, that's it for this time, see ya later gater…..Aelf

Sites to see, places to go and groups to join

Long Story Short: http://www.alongstoryshort.net/
Fantasy Gazetteer: http://www.fantasygazetteer.com/
My Writing Friend: writingfriend@yahoo
Linda Barnett-Johnson: http://lindabarnettjohnson.homestead.com/
Pindersoft's Writers Project Organizer: http://www.pindersoft.com/wpo.htm
StorYBook 2.1.11: http://storybook.intertec.ch/joomla/
Nick Daws Writers Circle: Nick Daw's Writer's Circle.
Wridea: http://www.wridea.com/
J.D.Vine Publishing: http://www.jdvine/com/index.html
Tennessee Writers Alliance: http://www.tn-writers.org/
USA Patriotism, Poetry: http://www.usa-patriotism.com/
Poynter 30 Writer's Tips: http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=78&aid=103943

Freebie Writers Tools

Idea Cruncher: http://www.ideacruncher.com/purchase/
Freemind: http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
Auto Crit: Automatic manuscript checker: http://www.autocrit.com/
Word Web download :http://www.wordweb.info/
I’ll be adding to the above list as time goes on and I find more newbie friendly sites.Copyright © 05/26/09

Writing Tool update

2009-04-29T04:23:00.000-07:00

"Writing is just having a sheet of paper, a pen, and not a shadow of an idea of what you're going to say." --Francoise Sagan

The Rant 'N' Rave Section

First I'll report on Dr. Wicked's online writer's tool. I've been using Dr. Wicked's software now for a month and have gone from chapter 6 of my novel through chapter 11. That's quite an impressive jump in my output. My average has been about one chapter a month or less. It has taken a bit of getting used to on my part. Francoise Sagan must be watching each time I sit down to write. Sitting down in front of a blank screen with a word goal of five-hundred words and a time limit of thirty minutes is daunting. Even more so when I haven't the foggiest idea of any specifics about what I'm going to put down. Oh, of course I have a general idea of where my main character is going and I know what his immediate and primary goals are but beyond that I haven't got a clue. That's where some of the magic of Dr. Wicked's site comes in. I have no choice. I have to start typing. Words flow, ideas abound and flow onto the screen like oil spilled on water. Oh, did I mention that if I pause for too long, the words I've written start to unwrite themselves? Okay, I'm impressed with this tool and highly recommend it. I wish I'd known about it when I started to write.

Next, let's talk about characters for a moment. I bought a how to book on characters a couple of weeks ago. (I've got several already but none of them seemed to click with me.) It's called Creating Characters, How to build people, by Dwight V. Swain. I usually only get through about the first chapter of a how to book before my eyes cross, my mind goes blank and my fingers go numb and my ears fall off. That's when the book winds up in my library with the promise that someday, maybe, I'll finish it. NOT!

This book is different. I've learned more in the first two chapters of this book than in all the others combined. I'm now on chapter 9, Wild Cards, building offbeat characters. Luckily for me I'm just finishing the first draft of my novel. I expect to have read this book cover to cover before my first rewrite. Knowing what the book contains and using it for a reference to make my characters leap of the pages will be a tremendous help. Did I mention that I recommend this book? Specially for newbies, but it's a great addition to any writers repertoire. On to tidbits...

"TIDBITS"

Here's a great contest to enter:
The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to everyone! This competition welcomes anyone who loves arranging words into the beautiful art of poetry or to write a short story that is worth telling everyone. And to all who have the ability to dream... Write a poem or short story for a chance to win cash prizes. All works must be original. http://www.dreamquestone.com/

Guidelines:
Write a poem, thirty lines or fewer on any subject, style, or form, typed or neatly hand printed.
And/or write a short story, five pages maximum length, on any subject or theme, creative writing fiction or non-fiction (including essay compositions, diary, journal entries and screenwriting). Also, must be typed or neatly hand printed.
Multiple poetry and short story entries are accepted.

Postmark Deadline: July 31, 2009

All winners will be announced on August 31, 2009

Prizes:
Writing Contest First Prize is $500. Second Prize: $250. Third Prize: $100.
Poetry Contest First Prize is $250. Second Prize: $125. Third Prize: $50.

Entry fees:
Writing Contest entry fee: $10 per short story.
Poetry Contest entry fee: $5 per poem.

To send entries: Include title(s) with your story (ies) or poem(s), along with your name, address, phone#, email, brief biographical info. (Tell us a little about yourself), on the coversheet. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope for entry confirmation. Fees payable to: “Dreamquestone.Com”
Mail to:
Dream Quest One
Poetry & Writing Contest
P.O. Box 3141
Chicago, IL 60654

Visit http://www.dreamquestone.com/ for further details or to enter!
No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude. “And remember, in whatever you do, it’s okay to dream, for dreams do come true.” –Dream Quest One

Word of the month
Aeolist: A pompous windy bore who pretends to have inspiration. “Sounds a lot like a politician to me!”

Last but Not Least
"I didn't know that!"

Jonathan Swift 1667 - 1745Dublin born Swift finished his education in Trinity College and was ordained into the Church of Ireland in 1695. Thought by many to be the greatest prose satirist in the English language his most well famous book,Gulliver's Travels. a childrens favourite was in fact intended for adults. He once stated that he thought Ireland 'the most miserable country upon earth'. Certainly a novel approach to getting on the list of famous Irish people. Nonetheless he was very fondly regarded. Apparently he died 'mad' and left much of his estate for the establishment of St. Patrick's Hospital which incidentally still treats mental illness.
My thanks to Real Irish Food at http://www.realirishfood-recipes.com/famous-Irish-people-2.html for the above.

Well, that's it for this time, see ya later gater…..Aelf

Sites to see, places to go and groups to join

Long Story Short: http://www.alongstoryshort.net/
Fantasy Gazetteer: http://www.fantasygazetteer.com/
My Writing Friend: writingfriend@yahoo
Linda Barnett-Johnson: http://lindabarnettjohnson.homestead.com/
Pindersoft's Writers Project Organizer: http://www.pindersoft.com/wpo.htm
StorYBook 2.1.11 http://storybook.intertec.ch/joomla/
Nick Daws Writers Circle: Nick Daw's Writer's Circle.
Wridea: http://www.wridea.com/
J.D.Vine Publishing: http://www.jdvine/com/index.html
Tennessee Writers Alliance: http://www.tn-writers.org/
USA Patriotism, Poetry: http://www.usa-patriotism.com/
Poynter 30 Writer's Tips: http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=78&aid=103943

Freebie Writers Tools
Idea Cruncher: http://www.ideacruncher.com/purchase/
Freemind: http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
Auto Crit: Automatic manuscript checker: http://www.autocrit.com/
Word Web download :http://www.wordweb.info/

I’ll be adding to the above list as time goes on and I find more newbie friendly sites.Copyright © 04/29/09

Write or Die

2009-03-18T04:58:00.000-07:00

“Writing is easy, all you have to do is cross out the wrong words.” Mark Twain

The Rant 'N' Rave Section

You've got nothing to lose as you sit at your desk contemplating your next scintillating sentence. What will it be? What's next? Uh-oh, you're stuck so you get up and walk away in order to “think about it”. HA! Procrastination and writers block leap wildly on your back like a pair of half-crazed gorillas, stealing all of your drive and motivation while leaving just a helpless husk of wannabe writer writhing on the floor. Is there a cure for this malicious malady?

You bet. You see, the problem lies in the fact that there are no immediate consequences to stopping. Oh sure, it'll take you longer to finish that first draft of your novel, if you ever do, but so what. Nothing to lose but that dream that sits waiting for you sometime in the foggy nebulous future. The only consequences are INTANGIBLE.

Ah, a key word is that. INTANGIBLE. NOTE: Only tangible consequences are known to produce results. Now to the cure for this malais. It's free, it's online and it's called Write or Die, Dr. Wicked's Writing Lab. http://lab.drwicked.com/writeordie.html. The writing lab is set up so the user can choose which mode of writing suits them. I started with the gentle mode, just to get a feel for it. The comments below explain it much better that I could. Read them, visit the site and watch your words per day escalate into a finished draft in no time. Note, this is a free service.

“Write or Die”

The idea is to instill in the would-be writer with a fear of not writing. We do this by employing principles taught in Introduction to Psychology. Anyone remember Operant Conditioning and Negative Reinforcement?Negative Reinforcement "strengthens a behavior because a negative condition is stopped or avoided as a consequence of the behavior."Consequences: Gentle Mode: A certain amount of time after you stop writing, a box will pop up, gently reminding you to continue writing. Normal Mode: If you persistently avoid writing, you will be played a most unpleasant sound. The sound will stop if and only if you continue to write. Kamikaze Mode: Keep Writing or Your Work Will Unwrite Itself.

These consequences will persist until your preset conditions have been met (that is, your time is up or you've written your word count goal or both)This text box is not a word processor, it is not for editing, the way to save is to select all of the text, copy and paste into your own text editor. The idea is to separate the writing process and the editing process as much as possible.This is aimed at anyone who wants to get writing done. It requires only that you recognize your own tendency towards self-sabotage and be willing to do something about it. If you're sick of saccharine writing advice that no one could honestly follow and you want a real method to getting work done. Works great for real deadlines too! Excellent for getting your 1667 words a day for NaNoWriMo

Good for writing on lunch breaks, just enter 30 minutes in the time limit box.

"TIDBITS"

Here's a great contest to enter:

The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to everyone! This competition welcomes anyone who loves arranging words into the beautiful art of poetry or to write a short story that is worth telling everyone. And to all who have the ability to dream... Write a poem or short story for a chance to win cash prizes. All works must be original. http://www.dreamquestone.com/
Guidelines:
Write a poem, thirty lines or fewer on any subject, style, or form, typed or neatly hand printed.
And/or write a short story, five pages maximum length, on any subject or theme, creative writing fiction or non-fiction (including essay compositions, diary, journal entries and screenwriting). Also, must be typed or neatly hand printed.
Multiple poetry and short story entries are accepted.
Postmark Deadline: July 31, 2009
All winners will be announced on August 31, 2009
Prizes:
Writing Contest First Prize is $500. Second Prize: $250. Third Prize: $100.
Poetry Contest First Prize is $250. Second Prize: $125. Third Prize: $50.
Entry fees:
Writing Contest entry fee: $10 per short story.
Poetry Contest entry fee: $5 per poem.
To send entries: Include title(s) with your story (ies) or poem(s), along with your name, address, phone#, email, brief biographical info. (Tell us a little about yourself), on the coversheet. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope for entry confirmation. Fees payable to: “Dreamquestone.Com”
Mail to:
Dream Quest One
Poetry & Writing Contest
P.O. Box 3141
Chicago, IL 60654
Visit http://www.dreamquestone.com/ for further details or to enter!
No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude. “And remember, in whatever you do, it’s okay to dream, for dreams do come true.” –Dream Quest One

Last but Not Least

Writer's Wrecipes
Erle Stanley Gardner's
Recipe for Podunk Candy

I haven't tried this yet but it sounds good. You may have to experiment with the timing on this, though.

4 ozs. Chocolate
1-2/3 bottles Dark Caro Syrup
1 lb. Dark Brown Sugar
2-1/2 Tbs. Butter (reserve 1 Tbs.)
Lots of Vanilla extract

Cook in a fair size pan over good heat until it bubbles like a volcano. Add 1 Tbs. butter at the end to soften.
Pour on greased (?) cookie sheet or candy plate. Cool and crack with a hammer.

From Valerie J. Naso, Gardner's grand daughter
Thanks to: http://www.phantombookshop.com/erlestanleygardner/esgodd_.htm

Well, that's it for this time, see ya later gater…..Aelf

Sites to see, places to go and groups to join

Long Story Short: http://www.alongstoryshort.net/
Fantasy Gazetteer: http://www.fantasygazetteer.com/
My Writing Friend: writingfriend@yahoo
Linda Barnett-Johnson Editing: http://lindabarnettjohnson.homestead.com/
Pindersoft's Writers Project Organizer: http://www.pindersoft.com/wpo.htm
StorYBook 2.1.11: http://storybook.intertec.ch/joomla/
Nick Daws Writers Circle: Nick Daw's Writer's Circle.
Wridea: http://www.wridea.com/
J.D.Vine Publishing: http://www.jdvine/com/index.html
Tennessee Writers Alliance: http://www.tn-writers.org/
USA Patriotism, Poetry: http://www.usa-patriotism.com/
Poynter 30 Writer's Tips: http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=78&aid=103943

Freebie Writers Tools

Idea Cruncher: http://www.ideacruncher.com/

Freemind: http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

Word Web download: http://www.wordweb.info/

I’ll be adding to the above list as time goes on and I find more newbie friendly sites.
Copyright © 03/17/09

Writer's Software

2009-02-09T08:45:00.000-08:00

“Writing is easy, all you have to do is cross out the wrong words.” Mark Twain

NEWS FLASH!

My short story, "Granny O'Toole's Recipe" has won first place in the March 2009 Short Story Contest sponsored by SWSilverlark Publishing. It will appear in the March issue of Fantasy Gazetteer. http://www.fantasygazetter.com As St. Patricks Day is nearly upon us it's a must read for anyone with a drop o' the auld sod in them!

The Rant 'N' Rave Section

Writer's Software

In my last post I talked about Pindersoft's great software, the Writer's Project organizer,(W.P.O.). I've been using it for a while now and find it to be excellent. I'm on chapter six of my novel, tentatively titled Time Spiders. The one area that I could wish for more from WPO is a better way of keeping track of characters, events and locations. In other words, a time line. I'm sure there are some who can do without a time line and, when writing short stories it isn't something I need or that I would use.

Writing a novel, however, is something entirely different. I spent more time re-reading what I've already written and trying to make sure there is a consistent flow than it's worth. With that in mind I set out to find a bit of software, preferably free, that would give me a quick and efficient overview and that would allow me to handle and keep track of various strands woven into the story. Well, I found one and it's outstanding. It's called StorYBook 2.1.11. http://storybook.intertec.ch/joomla/ Best of all, it's FREE!

I love it when I find a free software program that really works and does what I want it to do. This one gives me a chronological view of what I've written as well as a book view and an ability to manage chapters and scenes. It ties together chapters, scenes, characters, locations, strands and parts in such a way that it's simple for me to quickly recheck something in an earlier chapter while working on the current one.

I'm using WPO and this new software in conjunction and am now managing to draft a couple of chapters a month. Needless to say I highly recommend both software programs to and new aspiring writers as well as any who haven't tried theses yet. Remember though, WPO isn't free except for a trial program but it's well worth the cost. I recommend trying the freebie first, then if you like it, buy it.

Word of the Month
Ergophobic: Someone who fears work."He hasn't worked for years because he's ergophobic."

"TIDBITS"

I don't like to be political, this isn't a blog about politics but it seems that, at least here in the good ol" U.S.A., we've found a cure for everything that ails us. Spend more money. Yep! Even if we don't have it to spend. That's okay though. We can just print more, or borrow more or something. After all, isn't that what it's all about, if you're in the hole, dig deeper, maybe someday you'll reach China. Hmmmm, aren't they the ones we owe the most money to now?? With the elections over now, we can either become an Obama- nation or an Obamaniton, wonder which it'll be. "I'm just sayin'"

Last but Not Least
"I didn't know that!"
Charles Dickens

Obsessive-Compulsive. Dickens was preoccupied with looking in the mirror and combing his hair- he did it hundreds of times a day. He arranged furniture in his home- if it wasn't in the exact "correct" position, he couldn't concentrate. Obsessed with magnetic fields, Dickens made sure that every bed he slept in was aligned north-south. He had to touch certain objects three times for luck. He was obsessed with the need for tidiness, often cleaning other homes as well as his own.
(Thanks to http://www.neatorama.com/)

Well, that's it for this time, see ya later gater…..Aelf

Sites to see, places to go and groups to join

Long Story Short: http://www.alongstoryshort.net/

Fantasy Gazetteer: http://www.fantasygazetteer.com/

My Writing Friend: writingfriend@yahoo

Linda Barnett-Johnson: http://lindabarnettjohnson.homestead.com/

Pindersoft's Writers Project Organizer: http://www.pindersoft.com/wpo.htm

StorYBook 2.1.11: http://storybook.intertec.ch/joomla/

Nick Daws Writers Circle: Nick Daw's Writer's Circle.

Wridea: http://www.wridea.com/

J.D.Vine Publishing: http://www.jdvine/com/index.html

Tennessee Writers Alliance: http://www.tn-writers.org/

USA Patriotism, Poetry: http://www.usa-patriotism.com/

Poynter 30 Writer's Tips: http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=78&aid=103943

Freebie Writers Tools

Idea Cruncher: http://www.ideacruncher.com/purchase/

Freemind: http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

Auto Crit: Automatic manuscript checker: http://www.autocrit.com/

Word Web download :http://www.wordweb.info/

I’ll be adding to the above list as time goes on and I find more newbie friendly sites.Copyright © 02/09/09

Some interesting stuff and my latest endeavor

2009-02-03T11:53:00.001-08:00

Hi, I am attaching an email that explains a book that I just launched today. It is the latest in book marketing concepts, you buy the book about finding your life's purpose and you get access to $10,000 in free gifts including mp3s, various inspirational reports, book chapters, just tons of stuff. Check it out - you may or may not be interested in the subject matter, but you can see the website I designed and coordinated.
Denise

Subject: An urgent announcement from Denise Cassino

Today is a Celebration and I knew you wouldn’t want to miss out. If you do one simple thing Today, February 3^rd within minutes you will acquire a windfall of wisdom from over 100 of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs, teachers and experts, such as Sir Richard Branson, Bob Proctor, Jack Canfield, Peggy McColl, Ken Foster and many others.

We have gathered together to offer you a package of 137 life transforming gifts worth $9,711 absolutely free, to help a very good friend of ours, Rosanna Ienco, celebrate the launch of her new book: Awakening the Divine Soul - Finding Your Life Purpose.

Check out your free bonus gifts: www.awakeningthedivinesoul.com/bookpromo.html

Rosanna’s profound and deeply moving story will awaken your senses, uplift your spirit and give you the key to unlock your hidden treasures. Rarely does a book come along that not only tells a compelling, captivating story, but will also inspire you to take a step of courage into the unknown and allow your soul to navigate your path. It will show you step by step how to live the life you were destined for and how to claim your birthright to manifest your heart’s desires. Her intention is to make 2009 Your Best Year Ever.

Rosanna is not someone who just talks about personal transformation; she has experienced it for herself. Discover how a young girl with low self-esteem, raised in a rough neighborhood in Toronto by a single mother of five, found herself at the age of 24 in the heart of London, England with only fifty pounds in her pocket and nowhere to live. Despite numerous obstacles and challenges standing in her way, she listened to her inner calling and against all odds found her true purpose and passion in life. Through her easy to follow 11 steps, she will inspire you to do the same.

No matter what your current situation, where you come from, or your past experiences, Awakening the Divine Soul –Finding Your Life Purpose will take you from where you are now to where you want to be. This is not just another self-help book; it is a whirlwind spiritual adventure that will take you on a fascinating journey of personal empowerment. You will learn how to face your deepest fears, overcome obstacles, let go of self-limiting beliefs, heal relationships, discover your hidden talents and embrace your creativity and uniqueness.

Go to this link now and find out how to unveil the greatest mystery of all…yourself.

www.awakeningthedivinesoul.com/bookpromo.html

In Celebration of You!

Denise Cassino

P.S. I’m sure that you have many friends, family and colleagues who will just love Rosanna’s book and won’t want to miss out on this incredible giveaway. Please forward this message to them so they too can find their life purpose and live extraordinary lives.

Final thoughts of 2008

2008-12-21T05:44:00.000-08:00

“Writing is easy, all you have to do is sit at the typewriter until drops of blood appear on your forehead. ( Sportswriter Red Smith)

The Rant 'N' Rave Section

First of all, Merry Christmas to everyone. Well, we're rapidly approaching the end of another year. Did you complete the list of resolutions you made last January? No? Ha, join the club. I fully intended to have my first novel completed. Not. (Working on chapter three.) I won't go in to all the other resolutions that somehow faded off into the realm of good intentions. I did, however, have a couple of short stories published. I also managed to finish a couple of writing courses at M.T.S.U.(Middle Tennessee State Uniiv.) I got the hardest part of my home remodelling finished, (major construction) and am left with the easier things like wall boarding etc. Sounds like something for my next new years resolution list. Hmm.

The last of this month will be spent re-thinking my writing schedule. Having a set time to write, daily, (like three hours a day) and sticking to it is imperative. My shedule fell apart a couple of months ago and I've been floundering about ever since. Oh well enough angst. May all of you have a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Taking notes, the best way to capture those brief moments of humanity that make your characters come to life. I must admit that I'm one of the world's worst note-takers. I hate to walk about with a notepad and pencil and for the most part, do not. The exceptions are anywhere that I know I'll have to wait, like the doctor's office, etc. I always take a notebook with me on those occasions. I've picked up some very useful snippets of conversation and colloquialisms from such places. The next step is to transfer them into my Writers Project Organizer under the Dialog Notes tab. Once transferred they are there, waiting for me when I need to add color to character by way of dialog.

Word of the Month:
Obambulate: To wander about (aimlessly). Something I do when I've got writer's block.

"TIDBITS"
Barbara Bush once accompanied her husband, President George Bush, on a state visit to Japan. During a formal luncheon at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, she found herself seated beside Japan's Emperor Hirohito. "Was the former palace so old that it crumbled?" she asked, noting the building's apparent youth. "No," Hirohito tersely replied, "I'm afraid that you bombed it..."

Thanks to Anecdotage.com.

Last but Not Least
"I didn't know that!"
William Faulkner

"Most of the time Faulkner couldn't pay his grocery bill, and the grocer, among other local businessmen, was forever sending somebody out to his house to hunt him down. Faulkner was used to this, and to other unannounced visitors, so when one drove up the driveway, he began sweeping it like a workhand. "'Where's Faulkner?' the visitor would inquire. And Faulkner, in overalls and a straw hat, head down, following the swish and swoop of his broom along the driveway would answer, 'Ain't seen 'im. Been sweepin' all day an' I ain't seen 'im-a-tall.'"
Thanks to Anecdotage.com for this one also.

Well, that's it for this time, see ya later gater…..Aelf
Sites to see, places to go and groups to join

Long Story Short: http://www.alongstoryshort.net/
Fantasy Gazetteer: http://www.fantasygazetteer.com/My Writing Friend: writingfriend@yahoo
Pindersoft's Writers Project Organizer: http://www.pindersoft.com/wpo.htm
Nick Daws Writers Circle: Nick Daw's Writer's Circle.
Wridea: http://www.wridea.com/
J.D.Vine Publishing: http://www.jdvine/com/index.html
Tennessee Writers Alliance: http://www.tn-writers.org/
USA Patriotism, Poetry: http://www.usa-patriotism.com/
Poynter 30 Writer's Tips: http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=78&aid=103943
Freebie Writers Tools Idea Cruncher: http://www.ideacruncher.com/
Freemind: http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
Auto Crit: Automatic manuscript checker: http://www.autocrit.com/
Word Web download: http://www.wordweb.info/

I’ll be adding to the above list as time goes on and I find more newbie friendly sites.Copyright © 12/21/08

Check out my Facebook profile

2008-11-21T13:03:00.001-08:00

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Check out my Facebook profile

Hi aelfwin2.
I set up a Facebook profile where I can post my pictures, videos and events and I want to add you as a friend so you can see it. First, you need to join Facebook! Once you join, you can also create your own profile.

Thanks,
Denise

To sign up for Facebook, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=748698180&k=XYAX46PZ3V4M5DDHWFVZTP&r

This e-mail may contain promotional materials. If you do not wish to receive future commercial mailings from Facebook, please opt out. Facebook's offices are located at 156 University Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301.

Character Checklist

2008-11-16T05:34:00.000-08:00

"Writing is just having a sheet of paper, a pen, and not a shadow of an idea of what you're going to say." --Francoise Sagan

The Rant 'N' Rave Section

Well, the first thing up is a rave. My short story, "Hop Village, a Christmas Story,." has won first prize in the Fantasy Gazetteer Short Story Contest for December. Be sure to read it for a little Chistmas cheer in December. Go to http://www.fantasygazetteer.com/.

Next up, I have a new acronym." PMF", which stands for Personal Motivation Factor. It works on a scale of 1 to 10 and is sensitive (in my case) to the time of day. Early AM I'm a ten. Lots of creativity and desire to work. By noon I'm about a 5, maybe even a 4. By 3 PM I'm useless (a zero, zilch, nada, worthless, good for nothing except vegetating and promising myself I'll do better tomorrow.)

Next I'm adding a new little section to the blog. It will be Word of the Month. Watch for a new one each month.

Word of the Month

Shpilkis - 2 definitions - {Transliteration from the original Yiddish} Noun: To
'bounce off the walls', nervous energy without purpose. Something we writers tend to do whenever writers block gets the best of us.

And finally, here's a great article I received on the net the other day from Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ

Using Real Life Events in Fiction Stories

You are as happy as you can be: your story, be it short story, novel or novelette, is finally finished. However, when you are using real life events as a source of inspiration, you may not always get a true-to-life effect. Before you send your work to a publisher, first check if the story makes sense as it does in real life.
In order to reach the final draft, you need to be tough with yourself and cast an editor’ eye over your piece. Although real life events have their own logic, when you read your story from head to tail for the first time you will surely notice some plotting errors. However, there are other vital points you should check off when comparing your version of the story to the events that inspired you.

1. Is the behavior of your characters as believable as it should be? Bear in mind that in fiction, the people you describe rarely, if ever, act "out of character." If your character behaves differently, you have to be attentive to this and ask yourself whether this corresponds to a real life pattern.

2. Do your characters relate to each other as they should? As in real life, events in your story may influence the attitudes and emotions your characters have towards one another. Real people would always mention events that happened to them within the story -- make sure your characters do, too.

3. Do your characters manifest believable reactions? If in the same type of situation your character is once enraged and the other time annoyed, there is something wrong. If you have a real person in mind, you should be aware of the fact that real people are usually constant in their reactions.

4. Do readers understand what your characters are doing at the precise time they are doing it? You need to make clear what happens in your story, otherwise your readers will lose the thread and your story may be lost altogether. When transforming reality into fiction, make sure you don’t forget any relevant links, so as to avoid alienating your readers.

5. Are your characters where they should be? You may easily have a character in two places at once if you do not control this critical thread. Especially if you have one or several subplots at the same time, you need to pay extra care as they can quickly spiral out of your control.

Checking all these points will take you a lot of time, dedication and effort. However, is you fail to make sure that your story makes sense according to the real events, you will only manage to waste your own time. Editors expect stories that hang together.
Copyright © Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ
About Shery: Shery is the creator of WriteSparks!™- a software that generates over 10 *million* Story Sparkers for Writers. Download WriteSparks!™ Lite for free at http://writesparks.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"TIDBITS"

"Dream Quest Contest"

And now for something entirely different, a hot tip on a great contest. The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to anyone who loves to arrange words into the beautiful art of poetry or to write a short story that is worth telling everyone! And to all who have the ability to dream... Write a poem or short story for a chance to win cash prizes. All works must be original. Visit http://www.dreamquestone.com for details or to enter!
Guidelines:
Write a poem, thirty lines or fewer on any subject, style, or form, typed or neatly hand printed.
And/or write a short story, five pages maximum length, on any subject or theme, creative writing fiction or non-fiction (including essay compositions, diary, journal entries and screenwriting). Also, must be typed or neatly hand printed.
Multiple poetry and short story entries are accepted.
Deadline: December 31, 2008
All winners will be announced on January 31, 2009
Prizes:
Writing Contest First Prize is $500. Second Prize: $250. Third Prize: $100.
Poetry Contest First Prize is $250. Second Prize: $125. Third Prize: $50.
Entry fees:
Writing Contest entry fee: $10 per short story.
Poetry Contest entry fee: $5 per poem.
To send entries: Include title(s) with your story (ies) or poem(s), along with your name, address, phone#, email, brief biographical info. (Tell us a little about yourself), on the coversheet. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope for entry confirmation. Fees payable to: “DREAMQUESTONE.COM”
Mail to:
Dream Quest One
Poetry & Writing Contest
P.O. Box 3141
Chicago, IL 60654
Visit http://www.dreamquestone.com for further details or to enter!

Last but Not Least
"I didn't know that!"
Hugo Gernsback.

The famous science fiction awards, The Hugo's are named after him.
One little known fact was that Gernsback was noted for sharp (and sometimes shady) business practices, and for paying his writers extremely low fees. H. P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith referred to him as "Hugo the Rat."

Well, that's it for this time, see ya later gater…..Aelf

Sites to see, places to go and groups to join.

Long Story Short: http://www.alongstoryshort.net/
Fantasy Gazetteer: http://www.fantasygazetteer.com/
My Writing Friend: writingfriend@yahoo
Pindersoft's Writers Project Organizer: http://www.pindersoft.com/wpo.htm
Nick Daws Writers Circle: Nick Daw's Writer's Circle.
Wridea: http://www.wridea.com/
J.D.Vine Publishing: http://www.jdvine/com/index.html
Tennessee Writers Alliance: http://www.tn-writers.org/
USA Patriotism, Poetry: http://www.usa-patriotism.com/
Poynter 30 Writer's Tips: http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=78&aid=103943

Freebie Writers Tools

Idea Cruncher: http://www.ideacruncher.com/
Freemind: http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
Auto Crit: Automatic manuscript checker: http://www.autocrit.com/
Word Web download : http://www.wordweb.info/

I’ll be adding to the above list as time goes on and I find more newbie friendly sites.Copyright © 11/16/08

Author Interviews, Lillian Cauldwell

2008-10-31T04:30:00.000-07:00

“Writing is easy, all you have to do is sit at the typewriter until drops of blood appear on your forehead. ( Sportswriter Red Smith)

The Rant 'N' Rave Section

Before we get to my latest interview I just have to pass on the good news. Last year I wrote a Christmas story titled "Hop Village". It's about a young boy in a toy store and about how easy it is for children to find doorways into far off lands, magic and adventure. It was too late to send it out for Christmas 2007 so I held it until September and sent it out. It won first place in the Fantasy Gazeteer Short Story Contest for December and will be published online. Be sure to look for it at http://www.fantasygazetteer.com/ in December. Now, on to the interview.

No rants, no raves, this month Insead I've got another bio about an author.

This week, I had a chance to visit with an author whose recent book, The Anna Mae Mysteries: The Golden Treasure, is a charming teenage tale of 3 sneaker-toed tweens who find themselves searching for Jefferson Davis' lost treasure with the help of a ghostly black fist and divining rods. Here's more about Lillian Cauldwell and her book:

About Lillian Cauldwell:

http://www.lilliancauldwell.com/

Lillian Cauldwell is an author of many articles, short stories and poems. She has a published novel, Sacred Honor, a science fiction/historical novel, and will soon release The Anna Mae Mysteries, the first in a series of books for young people. She also has POETRY: Urban Voices under consideration with a publisher. Lillian was formerly an instructor at Long Story Short School of Writing teaching several courses: Interviewing, Pre-Marketing Plan for Books, Internet Talk Radio, and Podcasting as well as a consultant for authors who require help marketing and promoting their book(s) and selves. She mentors teenagers interested in writing their first novels. After working for two years as an Internet talk radio host at two different radio stations, Lillian started her own station, Passionate Internet Voices Talk Radio, Inc. The Company is two and a half years old and is ranked as a mid-list Internet talk radio station. Lillian is a board member for ICWP and a member of CBWI, The Writer's Union, and Women in Media.

She enjoys her status of grandmother to identical twin granddaughters, her son, a graphic artist nominated for The Eisner Award two years ago for his original comic book, The Dare Detectives. LillianI lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan where she loves to bake, lift weights, walk, and do worldwide community work. She is an avid advocate of the US Military and her support has been acknowledged by President George W. Bush.

Review

Rowena Cherry:

"Parents and teachers will love.... The Anna Mae Mysteries by Lillian Cauldwell

Lillian writes with a voice that speaks to the rich imagination of a child. A ten year old child's mind plays tricks. She fears dark

places in buildings where the grown-ups are not, because she believes in ghosts and apparitions, and squeaking, creaking things that could be a monster spider's joints. Yet, she yearns to find buried treasure, or to make headlines in a good way, or to

improvise and solve a mystery. One example of masterly "childlike" problem solving is the use of coat hangers as divining rods.... Dowsing is such a cool thing for children! Vivid images strike a chord in my memory, and linger in my mind of the

phantom fist, the schoolyard bully, the horror in the air ducts, the dusty, thirsty hard work of digging in the fruit cellar... for buried gold. It's "real", it's delightfully scary in the way of all good and gripping page-turners, but it's not frightening. Perhaps Lillian's writing is so believable, and so immediate because Lillian pays attention to details - such as the ring on fourth finger of ghostly black fist. Parents and teachers will love Lillian's writing, too, not only because the children will be immediately engaged by the mystery, but because of the tie-in with history, including Jefferson Davis and Georgia's exciting past. Lillian Cauldwell is a splendid storyteller, and my child and I are eagerly looking forward to the next gripping tale in the series!"

~Rowena Cherry http://www.rowenacherry.com/

Description

Anna Mae Mysteries - The Golden Treasure

Three 'tween sneaker sleuths face the unsolved mystery of Jefferson Davis'lost gold treasure with a little bit of help from a ghostly black fist and divining rods. Twelve-year-old Anna Mae Botts, her eight-year-old brother Malcolm, and Anna Mae's best friend Raul Garcia, face a ghostly black fist on their first day of school. It blocks their entrance into school, while dropping paper

clues about Jefferson Davis' lost Civil War gold. Things get more complicated when a school fire occurs. Mysterious events soon overtake Raul, Malcolm, and Anna Mae at school as well as at home. Rats, alphabet noodle clues, floating chalk, and phantom

false-bottom wagons lead the tweens to travel the same route by car that was taken by Jefferson Davis and his gold-laden wagon train. With divining rods given to her by her grandma, computer printouts, and Spirit Journey memories that take her back to a Civil War past, Anna Mae, Raul, and Malcolm find Jefferson Davis' lost gold treasure, part of it buried on Chennault Plantation and more of it in a vacant lot on the outskirts of Warthen, Georgia

"TIDBITS"

"Dream Quest Contest"

And now for something entirely different, a hot tip on a great contest. The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to anyone who loves to arrange words into the beautiful art of poetry or to write a short story that is worth telling everyone! And to all who have the ability to dream... Write a poem or short story for a chance to win cash prizes. All works must be original. Visit http://www.dreamquestone.com for details or to enter!

Guidelines:

Write a poem, thirty lines or fewer on any subject, style, or form, typed or neatly hand printed.

And/or write a short story, five pages maximum length, on any subject or theme, creative writing fiction or non-fiction (including essay compositions, diary, journal entries and screenwriting). Also, must be typed or neatly hand printed.

Multiple poetry and short story entries are accepted.

Deadline: December 31, 2008

All winners will be announced on January 31, 2009

Prizes:

Writing Contest First Prize is $500. Second Prize: $250. Third Prize: $100.

Poetry Contest First Prize is $250. Second Prize: $125. Third Prize: $50.

Entry fees:

Writing Contest entry fee: $10 per short story.

Poetry Contest entry fee: $5 per poem.

To send entries: Include title(s) with your story (ies) or poem(s), along with your name, address, phone#, email, brief biographical info. (Tell us a little about yourself), on the coversheet. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope for entry confirmation. Fees payable to: “DREAMQUESTONE.COM”

Mail to:

Dream Quest One

Poetry & Writing Contest

P.O. Box 3141

Chicago, IL 60654

Visit http://www.dreamquestone.com for further details or to enter!

Last but Not Least
"I didn't know that!"
Kurt Vonnegut once managed a SAAB dealership.

The Bronte sisters lived in a house surrounded on three sides by graveyards.
Thanks to blogs.usatoday

Well, that's it for this time, see ya later gater…..Aelf

Sites to see, places to go and groups to join

Long Story Short: http://www.alongstoryshort.net/
Fantasy Gazetteer: http://www.fantasygazetteer.com/
My Writing Friend: writingfriend@yahoo
Pindersoft's Writers Project Organizer: http://www.pindersoft.com/wpo.htm
Nick Daws Writers Circle: Nick Daw's Writer's Circle.
Wridea: http://www.wridea.com/
J.D.Vine Publishing: http://www.jdvine/com/index.html
Tennessee Writers Alliance: http://www.tn-writers.org/
USA Patriotism, Poetry: http://www.usa-patriotism.com/
Poynter 30 Writer's Tips: http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=78&aid=103943

Freebie Writers Tools
Idea Cruncher: http://www.ideacruncher.com/
Freemind: http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

Auto Crit: Automatic manuscript checker: http://www.autocrit.com/

Word Web download: http://www.wordweb.info/

I’ll be adding to the above list as time goes on and I find more newbie friendly sites.
Copyright © 10/31/08

Interview with Author Rosemary Chaulk

2008-09-15T03:35:00.000-07:00

Friday Sept.26th, 2008

" Critics are a dissembling, dishonest, contemptible race of men. Asking a working writer what he thinks of critics is like asking a lampost what it feels about dogs. - John Osborne

The Rant 'N' Rave Section

No rants, no raves this time. This is the third of three posts this month. Each one with an interview of a writer. The previous one was with Author Jane Bernard, see my last post to read it. This one is with Rosemary Chaulk.

Rosemary Chaulk, author of Nissitissit Witch, a "fact"ional story about a small New England town in the early industrial age where rivers and streams were the dumping ground for toxins from dyes and other chemicals which caused illness and death on a huge scale. Ignorant of the causes of these deaths, the populace blamed a highly intelligent woman who warned against certain activities and was dubbed, the "witch" when her predictions proved true. Learn more at www.rosemarychaulk.com. I had a chance to interview Rosemary, and here's what she said:

Rosemary Chaulk: The Person:

What three words do you think describe you as a human being?
An emotion receptor.

How do you think others would describe you?
Intelligent but misguided.

Please tell us what you are most passionate about outside of writing.
Helping fight for the rights of the working person against the abuse of them by the government.

What is your most precious memory?
My son

If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing with your life?
I would have to find some other outlet for my emotions.

Rosemary Chaulk: The writer:

Can you describe the time you realized you were indeed a “real” writer?
Three years ago was when I started writing for real.

What is going on with your writing these days?
Marketing Nissitissit Witch and finish writing J1T (just one tear)

What are your future goals for your writing?
To write a bestseller and make the world cry.

Can you describe a typical writing day for you?
I can only write during the winter months when I can take time off from land survey. I migrate to Florida to my life’s sister in Florida and write stories while sitting in her porch.

Why do you write?
I want to take my life’s experience both good and bad and feed them back to the world. I want to touch the hearts of people and move them forever. I want to leave my readers better off than they were before.

What writer most inspires you? Why?
Robert A. Heinlein. His book Stranger in a strange land helped show me the folly of modern religions.

How do you define your writing?
Straight from the heart. Raw and emotional.

In one sentence—what do you want people to say about your writing in fifty years?
Wow, she was right.

Rosemary Chaulk: The Details:

Can you tell us where to find more information on you? Website? Blog? www.rosemarychaulk.com,
Blog: http://nissitissitwitch.wordpress.com

Is there a place where readers can reach you?
On my website and on Helium.com

Can you list all your book titles so people can look for them?
Summer Dreams by Rosemary Chaulk, Dragonfly Daughter pen name Violet Rose, Nissitissit Witch by Rosemary Chaulk

For new readers—what can they expect when they read your book(s)?
Summer Dreams is whimsical, Dragonfly Daughter is an epic tragedy that turns into salvation, Nissitissit Witch is spiritual and environmental.

In conclusion:
I write for the chance to help change the world.

"TIDBITS"
"Dream Quest Contest"

And now for something entirely different, a hot tip on a great contest. The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to anyone who loves to arrange words into the beautiful art of poetry or to write a short story that is worth telling everyone! And to all who have the ability to dream... Write a poem or short story for a chance to win cash prizes. All works must be original. Visit http://www.dreamquestone.com/ for details or to enter!

Guidelines: Write a poem, thirty lines or fewer on any subject, style, or form, typed or neatly hand printed.And/or write a short story, five pages maximum length, on any subject or theme, creative writing fiction or non-fiction (including essay compositions, diary, journal entries and screenwriting). Also, must be typed or neatly hand printed.Multiple poetry and short story entries are accepted.

Deadline: December 31, 2008
All winners will be announced on January 31, 2009
Prizes:Writing Contest First Prize is $500. Second Prize: $250. Third Prize: $100.Poetry Contest First Prize is $250. Second Prize: $125. Third Prize: $50.
Entry fees:Writing Contest entry fee: $10 per short story.Poetry Contest entry fee: $5 per poem.
To send entries: Include title(s) with your story (ies) or poem(s), along with your name, address, phone#, email, brief biographical info. (Tell us a little about yourself), on the coversheet. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope for entry confirmation. Fees payable to: “DREAMQUESTONE.COM”Mail to:Dream Quest OnePoetry & Writing ContestP.O. Box 3141Chicago, IL 60654Visit http://www.dreamquestone.com/ for further details or to enter!

Last but Not Least
"I didn't know that!"

The Bronte sisters lived in a house surrounded on three sides by graveyards.Thanks to blogs.usatoday

Well, that's it for this time, see ya later gater…..Aelf

Sites to see, places to go and groups to join

Long Story Short: http://www.alongstoryshort.net/Fantasy Gazetteer: http://www.fantasygazetteer.com/My Writing Friend: writingfriend@yahooPindersoft's Writers Project Organizer: http://www.pindersoft.com/wpo.htmNick Daws Writers Circle: Nick Daw's Writer's Circle.Wridea: http://www.wridea.com/J.D.Vine Publishing: http://www.jdvine/com/index.htmlTennessee Writers Alliance: http://www.tn-writers.org/USA Patriotism, Poetry: http://www.usa-patriotism.com/Poynter 30 Writer's Tips: http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=78&aid=103943

Freebie Writers Tools

Idea Cruncher: http://www.ideacruncher.com/Freemind: http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_PageAuto Crit: Automatic manuscript checker: http://www.autocrit.com/Word Web download : http://www.wordweb.info/

I’ll be adding to the above list as time goes on and I find more newbie friendly sites.Copyright © 09/26/08

Interview with author Anna Maria Prezio

2008-09-08T02:10:00.000-07:00

Interview with Author Anna Maria Prezio

No rants, no raves this time. I'll be having three posts this month. Each one with an interview of a writer. The first is with author Anna Maria Prezio, who's new book "Confessions of a Feng Shui Ghost-Buster" is available -

Interview Questions

Anna Maria Prezio

1.What three words do you think describe you as a human being?
Generous, Intuitive, Humanitarian

2.How do you think others would describe you?
Humorous, Generous, Dependable

3.Please tell us what you are most passionate about outside of writing.
Photography, Cinema, Family.

4.Do you have any pets? If so, introduce us to them.
No but I love animals.

5.What is your most precious memory?
Seeing my son for the very first time.

6.What is your most embarrassing memory?
Standing in from of my 4th grade class with a drippy nose and without a tissue.

7.If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing with your life?
Fundraising

The Writer:

8. Can you describe the time you realized you were indeed a “real” writer?
While studying journalism in college, my first English class project involved writing poetry that I enjoyed.

9.What is going on with your writing these days?
I write every day and as much as I can.

10.What are your future goals for your writing?
I would like to do public speaking, consultations, radio shows, and TV shows to bring about awareness of how ghosts can be released and how to alleviate the fear around the subject of spirits, ghosts and entities as well as to introduce people to the positive effects of Feng Shui.

11. Can you describe a typical writing day for you?
There is nothing typical about a writing day. Inspiration comes in many forms.
Sometimes my book ideas come to me in a dream. Sometimes they come to me in my meditations. I’m blessed with inspiration.

12.Why do you write?
Writing for me is cathartic.
I write to inspire, to heal, to give of myself, my knowledge and my wisdom.
I write to enjoy wonderful words on paper. I write to teach. I write to be heard.
I write to give something to someone who needs it. I write because the imagination gives us new experiences to pass on to others and old stories, traditions, cultures, experiences to hand down to generations to come so that they can be preserved. Writing allows me to tell my innermost part of me in the form of a character or a story. Writing is creating, imagining, dreaming. What would be do if we could not imagine, dream or create?

13.What writer most inspires you? Why?
Writers who inspire me are so many from Aristotle, Plato and Socrates to Tom Clancy, Ernest Hemingway and Anne Frank. The authors who inspire are those who give a bit of themselves as they write, fertile with imagination and spirit.

14.How do you define your writing?
Simplistic, Daring and Provocative in a very understandable way…I want to provoke your thinking and I want you to open your mind and your heart when you read my works.

15.In one sentence—what do you want people to say about your writing in fifty years?
She was ahead of her time.
Art and Science do mingle, mix and match…
Anna Maria Prezio was an innovator…

The Details:

16.Can you tell us where to find more information on you? Website? Blog?
http://www.prezio.com/
http://www.fengshuiharmony.net/“Confessions of a Feng Shui Ghost-Buster”
My blog on my website is full of information.

17.Is there a place where readers can reach you?
prezio@sbcglobal.net or my website, http://www.prezio.com/

18.Can you list all your book titles so people can look for them?
You can opt-into my website and receive my free report entitled, “Power &Prosperity Through Feng Shui and Color”

19. For new readers—what can they expect when they read your book(s)?
In conclusion: Clarity, knowledge and intrigue on a subject I write about for the
first time. It will inspire you and enlighten you to a new way of thinking about entities, ghosts, spirits and supernatural forces.

"TIDBITS"
"Dream Quest Contest"

And now for something entirely different, a hot tip on a great contest. The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to anyone who loves to arrange words into the beautiful art of poetry or to write a short story that is worth telling everyone! And to all who have the ability to dream... Write a poem or short story for a chance to win cash prizes. All works must be original. Visit http://www.dreamquestone.com/ for details or to enter!

Guidelines:
Write a poem, thirty lines or fewer on any subject, style, or form, typed or neatly hand printed.
And/or write a short story, five pages maximum length, on any subject or theme, creative writing fiction or non-fiction (including essay compositions, diary, journal entries and screenwriting). Also, must be typed or neatly hand printed.
Multiple poetry and short story entries are accepted.

Deadline: December 31, 2008

All winners will be announced on January 31, 2009

Prizes:
Writing Contest First Prize is $500. Second Prize: $250. Third Prize: $100.
Poetry Contest First Prize is $250. Second Prize: $125. Third Prize: $50.

Entry fees:
Writing Contest entry fee: $10 per short story.
Poetry Contest entry fee: $5 per poem.

To send entries: Include title(s) with your story (ies) or poem(s), along with your name, address, phone#, email, brief biographical info. (Tell us a little about yourself), on the coversheet. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope for entry confirmation. Fees payable to: “DREAMQUESTONE.COM”
Mail to:
Dream Quest One
Poetry & Writing Contest
P.O. Box 3141
Chicago, IL 60654
Visit http://www.dreamquestone.com/ for further details or to enter!

Last but Not Least
"I didn't know that!"

The Bronte sisters lived in a house surrounded on three sides by graveyards.
Thanks to blogs.usatoday

Well, that's it for this time, see ya later gater…..Aelf

Sites to see, places to go and groups to join

Long Story Short: http://www.alongstoryshort.net/
Fantasy Gazetteer: http://www.fantasygazetteer.com/
My Writing Friend: writingfriend@yahoo
Pindersoft's Writers Project Organizer: http://www.pindersoft.com/wpo.htm
Nick Daws Writers Circle: Nick Daw's Writer's Circle.
Wridea: http://www.wridea.com/
J.D.Vine Publishing: http://www.jdvine/com/index.html
Tennessee Writers Alliance: http://www.tn-writers.org/
USA Patriotism, Poetry: http://www.usa-patriotism.com/
Poynter 30 Writer's Tips: http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=78&aid=103943

Freebie Writers Tools

Idea Cruncher: http://www.ideacruncher.com/
Freemind: http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
Auto Crit: Automatic manuscript checker: http://www.autocrit.com/
Word Web download : http://www.wordweb.info/

I’ll be adding to the above list as time goes on and I find more newbie friendly sites.
Copyright © 09/08/08

Writer's Software

2008-08-31T04:04:00.000-07:00

"Many people hear voices when no one is there. Some of them are called mad and are shut up in rooms where they stare at the walls all day. Others are called writers and they do pretty much the same thing."- Margaret Chittenden.

The Rant 'N' Rave Section

Writer's Software

Well, I've finally found a bit of writer's software that works for me. There are lots of software packages out there and I've tried most of them. The problem I've always had is that, after a short time I quit using then and go back to good ole' Open Office. It's not that the package's weren't good, it was just that they didn't work for me. HA! I've found one that does. It's called Pindersoft's Writer's Project Organizer. Now for any of you that have followed my blog for awhile, you know that I'm thrifty (read as cheap). I always take the free download to try before I buy and so far haven't bought, that is until now.

As an example, I'm working on a novel that is based on Greek Myth. When I get to a point that I have to check on an aspect of that mythology, all I have to do is click on the tree list next to my notepad and it brings up, listed in tree form, all of my notes and research about the subject. How cool is that?

The key word to this package is ORGANIZER. All, and I do mean all, of my writing projects are in one place. One of the most nifty features about the software, IMHO, is its ability to let the user link to any other files on the hard drive. That means I can copy and paste into my word processor then just add a link in my organizer to that specific page. If, while working on my novel I need to check on a tidbit of information, such as how many teeth T-Rex had, all I have to do is click on the link in my Archeology research file and Voila!, it brings up the info.

That's a vast improvement over the "now where in the world did I file that?" There are many more pluses but rather than try to paraphrase them I've taken the liberty of pasting a bit of their comments below for your perusal. For more information click on this link http://www.pindersoft.com/wpo.htm or the link at the bottom of the page.
All the Organizer your writing needs ...

Writers Project Organizer is manuscript orientated software for writers. The program will help you organize your writing projects to make you more efficient at what you do best -- write. What it will not do is correct your spelling, format your manuscript or write your story.

Draft your manuscripts...
Writers Project Organizer (WPO) organizes all aspects of your novel, book, short story or screenplay, from first draft to polished product.
Use the manuscript window to track word and page count, date started, date finished and date sold.
You can also link to individual chapters and scenes located on your hard drive, complete with page and word count, along with a header and notes for referencing in a list view for fast and easy referencing.
Also included in the manuscript window are references for characters, plot, outline, synopsis, theme/pitch, ToDo, notes, RTF notes and a submissions viewer.

A reference page will link you to all documents related to your manuscript so you can access them from within the program and not have to navigate to another working environment.

Track your submissions...
WPO has a submission tracker for all your manuscripts. Use it to see how many days your manuscript has been out by an agent or publisher, and how many more days until you expect an answer.

Storyboard your plot...
to outline, plot and roadmap your manuscripts. This new function, released in version 1.5, rounds out version 1.x.
Organize your stories by inserting, deleting or rearranging the order of your chapters, scenes or acts. And keep track of its progress by tagging its status with icons designed to catch your attention when the storyboard loads.
Fields you can use for organizing include characters, date, location, time and date, along with several others to help you keep tabs on your storyline in one blink of the eye.

Bring your characters to life...
Develop and breath life in all your characters in the Character window. Here you can set their names, age, date-of-birth and death, gender, personality type and view their horoscope sign. You can also link each character to a document located on your computer or network.

Other pages inside the Character window include History/Notes, physical appearance, traits, family relationships, conflict and POV.
Use these function to solve the problem of character consistency. It doesn't matter where you are working inside your manuscript, you can easily refer to a character to refresh your memory and get it right the first time around.

In summation I've been using this software now for a couple of months and am still finding new ways of using it to keep a handle on all of the factors that go into writing a novel. For any of you who have to scramble to find notes or constantly turn pages or switch from one program to another to check on story line I highly recommend this program. Like the old saying goes, "try it, you'll like it!" Their website is http://www.pindersoft.com/wpo.htm.

Now to something entirely different and yes, I am a rabid fan of Monty Python. Once in a while I like to add, with permission of course, comments by other writers that I think are apropos for writers. One of those writers is Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ. Here is her latest blurb.

The Successful Writer
by Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ (mailto:shery@writesparks.com)

I don't believe in luck. I don't subscribe to the idea that successful people get to where they are because they happened to be "at the right place at the right time." They're successful because they stick their necks out and give more than what others wanting the same thing they do are willing to give. They find ways to achieve what they want, accomplish what they want to accomplish. When there aren't opportunities, they create the opportunities. When they fail for the thousandth time, they can't wait to try again.

Now apply all the above to writers. Talent is nothing if you don't have the guts to do what you need to do to accomplish your goals. If your goal is to be published, then you have to do what it takes to get published, and that involves a lot of hard work -- from honing your craft, reading, studying the markets, submitting your work, accepting the rejections and submitting again.
In my view, a persistent writer is better than a talented writer who does nothing. The persistent writer is the one who gets published. She's the one who eventually becomes "big" or well known in her chosen writing genre.

Successful writers like Stephen King, JK Rowling and Erich Segal didn't get to where they are through luck. I'm willing to bet they spent thousands of hours honing their craft. They aren't untouchables; they didn't breeze through the top with nary a rejection hiding somewhere in their drawers. They did the things aspiring and beginning writers should do if they want to realize their goals -- the successful writers picked up their pens, wrote, submitted their works, treated rejections as a part of the writing life, wrote again, submitted again, got rejections again, wrote some more, submitted some more, and so on.

Instead of idolizing successful writers, an aspiring or beginning writer is better off emulating them. I think it's dangerous for an aspiring writer to idolize a successful writer. Why? She's putting the successful writer on a god-like status, unconsciously lowering herself in the process. Emulation, on the other hand, is different; it's positive, constructive. By emulating the successful writer, the aspiring writer sets a goal for herself -- that is, to be the successful writer's equal, or to attain the level of the success the successful writer has achieved. In this regard, the aspiring writer gives herself a goal -- a purpose -- to want to become the best she can be as a writer.

Commitment, too, is a big part of the writing life, and writers become successful when they are committed to their craft. Commitment is regularly showing up to write; it's never missing a date with your notebook, typewriter or computer; it's sifting through feedback (or critiques) and making intelligent decisions regarding your work; it's developing the thick skin for rejections; it's keeping an open mind and reading not only what you like; and above all, it's keeping the passion for writing burning, and feeding it...even if it's only for as short as five minutes a day.

So...are you ready to become a successful writer?
Copyright (c) 2004 Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ
Shery created WriteSparks! - a software that generates over 10 *million* Story Sparkers for Writers. Download WriteSparks! Lite for fr*e - http://writesparks.com

"TIDBITS"

Do I need an editor? Really?

When I started writing I thought that short stories would be the best approach. Why? You ask. Well the primary reason was that it didn't take a commitment of a year or two of my life in order to find out whether or not I had it in me. I can, and do, write a short story each month, usually around 2000 words. With each story I improve and have had several works published. I recently decided, thanks mostly to feedback from readers, that I'm not just traveling on an ego trip. I do have the imagination and stamina to be a writer.

With that in mind and after writing shorts for the last four years, I've started my first novel. Along the way I decided to hire an editor. Was that a leap of faith or a foolish waste of money? If one is serious about writing and about being published, it behooves the writer to make sure the work he or she sends out into the world is the best it can possibly be. That means having someone (not family or friends) read it, suggest corrections in grammar and spelling, look for inconsistencies in plot, theme and logic and return a final marked up copy for a last edit.

My editor, Linda Barnett-Johnson,( http://lindabarnettjohnson.homestead.com/, ) went over the first story I sent her with a fine toothed comb. After a final edit on my part, based on her suggestions, I sent it on its way to the world of publishers. A month later it was picked up and I made my first bit of real money. So, is an editor worth it. You betcha. There is also a link to my editors site in the list of sites to see etc, below.

Last but Not Least
"I didn't know that!"

Charles Dickens

A number of pets graced the Dickens household over the years, including all manner of dogs, cats and ponies. But Charles' favorite pets were his two ravens, both known as Grip.
Dickens was particularly devoted to Grip I, going so far as to write the bird into his 1841 mystery novel, Barnaby Rudge. This same talkative bird reportedly was the inspiration for Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem, "The Raven," published four years later.
Upon Grip I's demise, Dickens had his beloved bird stuffed. These days, Grip can be seen at the Free Library of Philadelphia's Rare Books Department, where he stands guard over the Poe and Dickens collections. (Thanks to cnn.com/living)

Well, that's it for this time, see ya later gater…..Aelf

Sites to see, places to go and groups to join

Long Story Short:http://www.alongstoryshort.net/
Fantasy Gazetteer: http://www.fantasygazetteer.com/
My Writing Friend: writingfriend@yahoo
Linda Barnett-Johnson: http://lindabarnettjohnson.homestead.com/
Pindersoft's Writers Project Organizer: http://www.pindersoft.com/wpo.htm
Nick Daws Writers Circle: Nick Daw's Writer's Circle.
Wridea: http://www.wridea.com/
J.D.Vine Publishing: http://www.jdvine/com/index.html
Tennessee Writers Alliance: http://www.tn-writers.org/
USA Patriotism, Poetry: http://www.usa-patriotism.com/
Poynter 30 Writer's Tips: http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=78&aid=103943

Freebie Writers Tools

Idea Cruncher: http://www.ideacruncher.com/
Freemind: http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

Auto Crit: Automatic manuscript checker: http://www.autocrit.com/

Word Web download: http://www.wordweb.info/

I’ll be adding to the above list as time goes on and I find more newbie friendly sites.
Copyright © 08/30/08

Mind Mapping for Writers

2008-07-15T02:23:00.000-07:00

"Many people hear voices when no one is there. Some of them are called mad and are shut up in rooms where they stare at the walls all day. Others are called writers and they do pretty much the same thing."- Margaret Chittenden.
The Rant 'N' Rave Section
Mind Mapping

I don't know about you but I've been looking for a good (but simple and inexpensive) software program that allows me to lay out my ideas for a story, add thoughts, research and notes to it and then, if needed, re-arrange the whole mess into something that makes sense. Well, I've found a couple of them that I'm trying out. The first one, called Freemind works quite well. I've used it for a year or so and it does help me organize my thoughts. Here are some ideas for using this free program:

1) Keeping track of projects, including subtasks, state of subtasks and time recording
Project workplace, including links to necessary files, executables, source of information and of course information.

2) Workplace for internet research using Google and other sources.

3) Keeping a collection of small or middle sized notes with links on some area which expands as needed. Such a collection of notes is sometimes called knowledge base.

4) Essay writing and brainstorming, using colors to show which essays are open, completed, not yet started etc, using size of nodes to indicate size of essays. I don't have one map for one essay, I have one map for all essays. I move parts of some essays to other when it seems appropriate.

5) Keeping a small database of something with structure that is either very dynamic or not known in advance. The main disadvantage of such approach when compared to traditional database applications are poor query possibilities, but I use it that way anyway - contacts, recipes, medical records etc. You learn about the structure from the additional data items you enter. For example, different medical records use different structure and you do not have to analyze all the possible structures before you enter the first medical record
Thanks to Wikipedia for the above.

Next on the list is new one I've just picked up. It's called Idea Cruncher and it allows you to test the program for 30 days, free. After which, if you like it and I do, you may purchase it for a mere pittance of $9.99, such a deal! I think the cost is well within the range of most writers and newbies.

Here is a sample of what they have to say about the program:

Imagine you're about to start a new project (e.g., an essay, article, report, presentation, proposal, etc.). You sit down with a notepad and start planning. As you get into it, your mind starts bombarding you with ideas. The ideas are good, but they're coming in more-or-less random order. Notepads weren't designed for randomness; the only way to re-organize is to rewrite. You spend a lot of time flipping pages and copying by hand.

Idea Cruncher gives you an easier way to capture your early ideas and work them into an outline. As the outline evolves, you can quickly move ideas around and incorporate new ones. Before you've written the first word of your first draft, you have a detailed, coherent plan. When you start writing, you refer to the outline as the roadmap for your document. Most importantly though, you should feel free to change the outline as you write.

Don’t think of outlining and writing as separate tasks -- your outline is not a rigid structure that cannot change once you’ve started writing. Instead, think of the outline as your best representation of your ideas at that moment in time. As you write, you will naturally ask yourself questions about how well the outline represents the subject you are writing about. Make changes to the outline as you write to improve its logic, flow and completeness. (From Idea Cruncher Help menu).

I am using this program now and so far it's doing a really great job of laying out a novel I'm working on such that I get the kind of overview I need, allowing me to see holes in my plot and re-arrange thoughts and ideas so that they flow through the stories time line and actually make sense, HA.

"TIDBITS"
Well for tidbits this time I'm puttin' on the Brag Rag. I just got word that one of my short stories, "It's All in the Cards," has won first prize for the July edition of The fantasy Gazetteer. For those of you who haven't yet stumbled on to this great site, here it is. http://www.fantasygazetteer.com/ .

For any of those interested, as I am, in the Fantasy Genre, this is a great place to visit. It's a new e-zine venue that went live in March of this year. They run short story contests almost every month and a novelette length about every three months. There is usually a cash prize for the winner and second place and, get this, even some non-winner stories get published if the are good enough. Best of all, the publishers are looking for new writers. According to the editor, they love fantasy stories, lots of them. Be sure to check it out.

Last but Not Least
"I didn't know that!"
Kurt Vonnegut once managed a SAAB dealership.

The Bronte sisters lived in a house surrounded on three sides by graveyards.
Thanks to blogs.usatoday

Well, that's it for this time, see ya later gater…..Aelf

Sites to see, places to go and groups to join

Long Story Short:http://www.alongstoryshort.net/
Fantasy Gazetteer: http://www.fantasygazetteer.com/
My Writing Friend: writingfriend@yahoo
Nick Daws Writers Circle: Nick Daw's Writer's Circle.
Wridea: http://www.wridea.com/
J.D.Vine Publishing: http://www.jdvine.com/index.html
Tennessee Writers Alliance: http://www.tn-writers.org/
USA Patriotism, Poetry: http://www.usa-patriotism.com/
The Write Place: http://www.kimn.net/
Poynter, 30 Writers Tips : http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=78&aid=103943

Freebie Writers Tools
Idea Cruncher: http://www.ideacruncher.com/

Freemind: http://www.freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/main page

Auto Crit: Automatic manuscript checker: http://www.autocrit.com/

Word Web download :http://www.wordweb.info/

I’ll be adding to the above list as time goes on and I find more newbie friendly sites.
Copyright © 07/15/08

Keep Going

2008-06-26T11:58:00.000-07:00

"Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia. "~E.L. Doctorow

The Rant 'N' Rave Section

I've taken lots of writing classes over the last few years. As money, time and location (of classes) are factors, I've taken all of my classes online with an eye for cost. (Read as inexpensive.) Now each class did have tidbits of knowledge, all of which advanced my skills a bit, but none carried with them that moment of epiphany, that time when the lights went on and I said, "Now I've got it. Now I know how to sit down, structure and write an novel. Well, in the process I did get a short story and a couple of poems published. I also won a contest or two. Just enough acknowledgment to keep me going. Just enough to allow me to believe I might have a modicum of talent. Finally, I bit the bullet and took a college course at a local college. Midway through the course I started getting the feeling that the long sought after moment, that epiphany, was just about to spring forth, and it did. That's not to say that suddenly I'm a great writer, far from it. It is to say that this course is truly an eye-opener for me. I'm not quite through the course yet, about a month to go to finals, but I've taken a huge leap forward in obtaining the tools I need to be able to sit down, like a musician at a piano, and stroke the keys, knowing what I'm doing, where I'm going with the story, and how to play it so that readers will be entertained. Believe me, the cost is worth it. Don't skimp. Don't allow logical reasons to get in the way of becoming a writer if that's your choice. Do whatever it takes...above all, keep on going.

"TIDBITS"

Well for tidbits this time I'm puttin' on the Brag Rag. I just got word that one of my short stories, "It's All in the Cards," has won first prize for the July edition of The fantasy Gazetteer. For those of you who haven't yet stumbled on to this great site, here it is. http://www.fantasygazetteer.com/For any of those interested, as I am, in the Fantasy Genre, this is a great place to visit. It's a new e-zine venue that went live in March of this year. They run short story contests almost every month and a novelette length about every three months. There is usually a cash prize for the winner and second place and, get this, even some non-winner stories get published if the are good enough. Best of all, the publishers are looking for new writers. According to the editor, they love fantasy stories, lots of them. Be sure to check it out.

Last but Not Least

"I didn't know that!"

Novelist and film critic James Agee, poet Robert Lowell, and comedian Shemp Howard, of 3 Stooges fame, all had one thing in common. The all died in taxicabs. All had heart attacks.
Thanks to funtrivia.com for the above.

Well, that's it for this time, see ya later gater…..Aelf

Sites to see, places to go and groups to join

Long Story Short:http://www.alongstoryshort.net/
Fantasy Gazetteer: http://www.fantasygazetteer.com/
My Writing Friend: writingfriend@yahoo
Nick Daws Writers Circle: Nick Daw's Writer's Circle.
Wridea: http://www.wridea.com/
J.D.Vine Publishing: http://www.jdvine.com/
Tennessee Writers Alliance: http://www.tn-writers.org/
USA Patriotism, Poetry: http://www.usa-patriotism.com/
The Write Place: http://home.earthlink.net/~tcwrites/
Poynter: 30 Writers Tips http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=707

Freebie Writers Tools

Auto Crit Automatic manuscript checker: http://www.autocrit.com/
Word Web download :http://www.wordweb.info/

I’ll be adding to the above list as time goes on and I find more newbie friendly sites.
Copyright © 06/29/08

Writing for one's own amusement?

2008-05-06T03:43:00.000-07:00

"Only amateurs say that they write for their own amusement. Writing is not an amusing occupation. It is a combination of ditch-digging, mountain-climbing, treadmill and child birth. But amusing? Never." -Edna Ferber

The Rant 'N' Rave Section

I think Edna Ferber hit the nail on the head though there is a certain amount of amusement also inherent in writing. At least I find that to be so when it comes to fiction. In and amongst all of the aforementioned ditch-digging and all, I always find little veins of not only amusement, but sometimes amazement. Like when words flow onto my monitor with a brilliance that I know can't be mine or when a character I've worked long and hard on suddenly comes to life. Those times are, to me, magic.

Now if I could just control those moments. Maybe once just sit down and write a story without having to continually fight with that inner voice that says everything I write is junk. Maybe not let it get to me when I think of the massive amount of work I've yet to do in order to master the art of writing. Sometimes I get to a place where I think I should just walk away. Leave it. And I do but only for a few days. After being away from the keyboard for a while, the art calls to me. Softly at first, then louder and more insistent. The characters I've created, the imaginary realms and the magic moments when the words flow like molten silver all lure me back to them like treasures just waiting to be unearthed. Perhaps the most amusing part of it all is the fact that I'm incurably hooked. Oh well, guess I'll get back to working on my novel....

"TIDBITS"

In keeping with this month's rant I found the following good advice.

Show Up and Write Down the Flab
by Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ (shery AT writesparks.com)

Do you know why when some writers write, the words come easily?

Why it doesn't seem to require any effort at all for the words to take shape on the page?

Why their prose is almost fluid?

Why, when other writers may take seven, eight or nine drafts, it only takes them two or three drafts to the final draft?

The answer is simple: These writers keep showing up and writing.

They have made it a habit to show up on the page regularly -- whether it be every day or every other day or some other schedule.

Showing up and then writing means most of the time, you end up writing mostly flab -- excess fat.

You do not tone muscles and get a shapely and perfect body right after an hour of aerobics or tae-bo. It requires months and months of religiously following a regimen -- a balanced diet and continuous work outs.

Writing is no exception. It follows the same principle: you follow a writing regimen. You face the page no matter what. And you keep on writing down the flab, the awful stuff, the icky drafts.
Eventually, they will give way to the good stuff -- your prose becomes more textured, your voice clearer and more true.

Write as much and as often as you can, and never allow bad writing to stop you from writing.

Copyright © Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ
About Shery: Shery is the creator of WriteSparks!™- a software that generates over 10 *million* Story Sparkers for Writers. Download WriteSparks!™ Lite for free at http://writesparks.com

Last but Not Least
"I didn't know that!"
"Ambrose Gwinnet Bierce"

Vanished without a trace in 1913. No one knows what
became of him. See below.

Ambrose Gwinett Bierce , 1842-1914?, American satirist, journalist, and short-story writer, b. Meigs co., Ohio. After distinguished Civil War service, he turned to journalism. In San Francisco he wrote for the News-Letter, becoming its editor in 1868. He soon established a reputation as a satirical wit, and his waspish squibs and epigrams were much quoted. In London (1872-75), he wrote for the magazine Fun and finished three books, including Cobwebs from an Empty Skull (1874). After his return to San Francisco, he wrote for the Argonaut, edited the Wasp (1881-86), and was a columnist for Hearst's Sunday Examiner (1887-96); his writings in the Examiner made him the literary arbiter of the West Coast. Later he was Washington correspondent for the American and a contributor to Cosmopolitan.

Bierce's collection of sardonic definitions, The Cynic's Word Book (1906), was retitled The Devil's Dictionary in 1911. Often dark in tone, grisly or macabre in subject matter, and masterful in their spare language, his short stories were collected in such volumes as Tales of Soldiers and Civilians (1891) and Can Such Things Be? (1893). He was also highly praised for The Monk and the Hangman's Daughter (1892), which he adapted from a translation of a German story. Bierce's distinction lies in his distilled satire, in the crisp precision of his language, and in his realistically developed horror stories. Disillusionment and sadness pervaded the latter part of his life. In 1913 he went to Mexico, where all trace of him was lost.

Bibliography: See his Collected Works (12 vol., 1909-12; repr. 1966); Collected Writings (ed. by C. Fadiman, 1946); Phantoms of a Blood-Stained Period: The Complete Civil War Writings (ed. by R. Duncan and D. J. Klooster, 2002); biographies by R. O'Connor (1967) and R. Morris, Jr. (1996); studies by M. E. Grenander (1971), C. N. Davidson (1984), and R. Saunders (1984).
With thanks to High Beam Encyclopedia. http://www.encyclopedia.com
Well, that's it for this time, see ya later gater…..Aelf

Sites to see, places to go and groups to join
Long Story Short:http://www.alongstoryshort.net/
My Writing Friend: writingfriend@yahoo.com
Nick Daws Writers Circle: Nick Daw's Writer's Circle.
Wridea: http://www.wridea.com/
J.D.Vine Publishing: http://www.jdvine.com/
Tennessee Writers Alliance: http://www.tn-writers.org/
USA Patriotism, Poetry: http://www.usa-patriotism.com/
The Write Place: Poynter: 30 Writers Tips: http:www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=707

Freebie Writers Tools

Auto Crit Automatic manuscript checker: http://www.autocrit.com/
Word Web download : http://www.wordweb.info/

I’ll be adding to the above list as time goes on and I find more newbie friendly sites.
Copyright © 03/17/08

Seven Easy Ways to Keep Dialogue Sharp.

2008-05-01T03:22:00.000-07:00

First I must aplolgize for not posting anything for two months. It's not that I didn't try to, it's that I couldn't. Every time I tried to post, I got an error message telling me my article was posted but with errors. When I checked to see if it was on line, NADA, nothing, blank, zip. I tried to figure it out ( that's what took so long) on my own. Finally, I called in the big guns, in this case Kathy at MyHelpHub.com. It was fixed in a flash. "Thanks Kathy." Now, on to the posting.

I thought I'd have lots of time to write over the last few months. I was sure that, with winters cold breath keeping me inside I could skip all the distractions that come with spring, summer and fall. WRONG! I found just as many distractions inside to keep me out of my writing chamber. Oh well, I did get a few short stories written and off to pubs. I also sent some out to contests. Speaking of which, I found a really good site that tracks upcoming contests. It's The Write Place-contests column by Kimn Swenson Gollnick. Now some of you may already know this site but for those who don't, check it out. The site has lots of goodies for new as well as published writers. Be sure to cruise the whole site, not just the contest listings. The web address is http://www.kimn.net/. I've also listed it at the bottom of the page under sites to see, places to go and groups to join.

Next, one of the hardest things for a new writer to overcome is lack of acknowledgment. It's the stuff that life is made of. It's that which tells us we live, we matter, we are noticed by others as being worthwhile. Without it we fade and shrivel up to nothing. Without it our works become meaningless as do our lives. So, how do new writers overcome that first hurdle on their way to success? A mule-stubborn mindset is the key. It doesn't help when friends and family tell you how good you are. Most of the time you know they are just being kind. It's only when, in and among all the rejection letters you get, you find one that says your work has been accepted. That is the key that unlocks the prison of lack of acknowledgment. That is the weapon that fights and conquers the self-doubt that permeates the minds of first time writers. That is the first big step along the path to becoming a pro. Okay, enough pontificating, on to Tidbits......

"TIDBITS"
Here's a helpful article I picked up in my surfing travels.

Seven Easy Ways to Keep Dialogue Sharp

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson

1. Keep it simple. "He said" and "She said" will usually do. Your reader is trained to
accept this repetition.

2. Forget you ever heard of strong verbs. Skip the "He yelped" and the "She sighed."
They slow your dialogue down. If you feel need them, look at the words.the actual
dialogue. your character used when he was yelping. Maybe it doesn’t reflect the way
someone would sound if he yelped. Maybe if you strengthen the dialogue, you can ditch
the overblown tag.

3. When you can, reveal who is saying something by the voice or tone of the dialogue.
That way you may be able to skip tags occasionally, especially when you have only two
people speaking to one another. Your dialogue will ring truer, too.
4. Avoid having characters use other characters’ names. In real life, we don’t use people’s
names in our speech much. We tend to reserve using names for when we’re angry or
disapproving or we just met in a room full of people and we’re practicing out social skills.
Having a character direct her speech to one character or another by using her name is a
lazy writer’s way of directing dialogue and it will annoy the reader. When a reader is
annoyed, she will not be immersed in the story you are trying to tell.

5. Avoid putting internal dialogue in italics. Trust your reader. She will know who is
thinking the words from the point of view of the narrative.

6. Be cautious about using dialogue to tell something that should be shown. It doesn’t
help much to transfer telling from the narrator to the dialogue. It just makes the character
who is speaking sound long winded. Putting quotation marks around exposition won’t
draw the reader into the scene or involve him more than if you’d left it part of the
narrative.

7. And magic number seven is, don’t break up dialogue sequences with long or overly
frequent blocks of narrative. One of dialogue’s greatest advantages is that it moves a story
along. If a writer inserts too much stage direction, it will lose the forward motion and
any tension it is building.

For more on writing dialogue check out Tom Chiarella’s Writing Dialogue (Writers’
Digest) and for more on editing in general.from editing query letters to turning
unattractive adverbs into metaphoric gold.find The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book
Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success on Amazon.
----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson is an instructor for the UCLA Extension Writer's Program. The first book
in her HowToDoItFrugally Series of books, The Frugal Book Promoter, won USA Book News'
Seven Easy Ways to Keep Dialogue Sharp by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, 478 words 2
Best Professional Book Award and Book Publicists of Southern California's Irwin Award. The
second, The Frugal Editor, was just released and includes many editing tips on dialogue, the use
of quotation marks and more. Learn more at www.howtodoitfrugally.com .

Last but Not Least
"I didn't know that!"

"Sax Rohmer"

Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward (February 15,1883-June 1 ,1959 ), better known as Sax Rohmer, was a prolific English novelist. He is most remembered for his series of novels featuring the master criminal Dr. Fu Manchu.

Born in Birmingham, he had an entirely working class education and early career before beginning to write. His first published work was in 1903, the short story The Mysterious Mummy for Pearson's Weekly. He made his early living writing comedy sketches for music hall performers and short stories and serials for magazines. In 1909 he married Rose Knox. He published his first novel Pause! anonymously in 1910 and the first Fu Manchu story, The Mystery of Dr. Fu Manchu, was serialized over 1912-13. It was an immediate success with its fast paced story of Sir Denis Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie facing the worldwide conspiracy of the 'Yellow Peril'. The Fu Manchu stories, together with those featuring Gaston Max or Morris Klaw, made Rohmer one of the most successful and well-paid writers in of the 1920s and 1930s. But Rohmer was very poor at handling his wealth. After World War II the Rohmers moved to New York.
Ward was often attacked, even shortly after the Manchu stories were published, for creating a character that reflected "racist assumptions". He himself, while "bemused" at the furore, occasionally defended his character by saying that the portrait was "fundamentally truthful" because "criminality was often rampant among the Chinese", especially in Limehouse.
Rohmer died in 1959, somewhat ironically, due to an outbreak of Asian Flu.
*Thanks to Wikipedia for the above.

Well, that's it for this time, see ya later gater…..Aelf

Sites to see, places to go and groups to join

Long Story Short: http://www.alongstoryshort.net/
My Writing Friend: writingfriend@earthlink.net
Nick Daws Writers Circle: Nick Daw's Writer's Circle.
Wridea: http://www.wridea.com/
J.D.Vine Publishing: http://www.jdvine.com/index.html
Tennessee Writers Alliance: http://www.tn-writers.org/
USA Patriotism, Poetry: http://www.usa-patriotism.com/
The Write Place, Poynter, 30 Writers Tips : http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=5408

Freebie Writers Tools

Auto Crit Automatic manuscript checker: http://www.autocrit.com/
Word Web download : http://www.wordweb.info/

I’ll be adding to the above list as time goes on and I find more newbie friendly sites.
Copyright © 05/01/08

Seven Tips about Dialogue

2008-03-26T04:43:00.000-07:00

The Rant 'N' Rave Section

Next, one of the hardest things for a new writer to overcome is lack of acknowledgment. It's the stuff that life is made of. It's that which tells us we live, we matter, we are noticed by others as being worthwhile. Without it we fade and shrivel up to nothing. Without it our works become meaningless as do our lives. So, how do new writers overcome that first hurdle on their way to success? A mule-stubborn mindset is the key. It doesn't help when friends and family tell you how good you are. Most of the time you know they are just being kind. It's only when, in and among all the rejection letters you get, you find one that says your work has been accepted. That is the key that unlocks the prison of lack of acknowledgment. That is the weapon that fights and conquers the self-doubt that permeates the minds of first time writers. That is the first big step along the path to becoming a pro. Okay, enough pontificating, on to Tidbits......

"TIDBITS"

Here's a helpful article I picked up in my surfing travels.
Seven Easy Ways to Keep Dialogue Sharp
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
1. Keep it simple. "He said" and "She said" will usually do. Your reader is trained to
accept this repetition.
2. Forget you ever heard of strong verbs. Skip the "He yelped" and the "She sighed."
They slow your dialogue down. If you feel need them, look at the words.the actual
dialogue. your character used when he was yelping. Maybe it doesn’t reflect the way
someone would sound if he yelped. Maybe if you strengthen the dialogue, you can ditch
the overblown tag.
3. When you can, reveal who is saying something by the voice or tone of the dialogue.
That way you may be able to skip tags occasionally, especially when you have only two
people speaking to one another. Your dialogue will ring truer, too.
4. Avoid having characters use other characters’ names. In real life, we don’t use people’s
names in our speech much. We tend to reserve using names for when we’re angry or
disapproving or we just met in a room full of people and we’re practicing out social skills.
Having a character direct her speech to one character or another by using her name is a
lazy writer’s way of directing dialogue and it will annoy the reader. When a reader is
annoyed, she will not be immersed in the story you are trying to tell.
5. Avoid putting internal dialogue in italics. Trust your reader. She will know who is
thinking the words from the point of view of the narrative.
6. Be cautious about using dialogue to tell something that should be shown. It doesn’t
help much to transfer telling from the narrator to the dialogue. It just makes the character
who is speaking sound long winded. Putting quotation marks around exposition won’t
draw the reader into the scene or involve him more than if you’d left it part of the
narrative.
7. And magic number seven is, don’t break up dialogue sequences with long or overly
frequent blocks of narrative. One of dialogue’s greatest advantages is that it moves a story
along. If a writer inserts too much stage direction, it will lose the forward motion and
any tension it is building.
For more on writing dialogue check out Tom Chiarella’s Writing Dialogue (Writers’
Digest) and for more on editing in general.from editing query letters to turning
unattractive adverbs into metaphoric gold.find The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book
Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success on Amazon.
----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson is an instructor for the UCLA Extension Writer's Program. The first book
in her HowToDoItFrugally Series of books, The Frugal Book Promoter, won USA Book News'
Seven Easy Ways to Keep Dialogue Sharp by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, 478 words 2
Best Professional Book Award and Book Publicists of Southern California's Irwin Award. The
second, The Frugal Editor, was just released and includes many editing tips on dialogue, the use
of quotation marks and more. Learn more at www.howtodoitfrugally.com .

Last but Not Least

"I didn't know that!"
"Sax Rohmer"

Well, that's it for this time, see ya later gater…..Aelf

Sites to see, places to go and groups to join
Long Story Short:http://www.alongstoryshort.net/
My Writing Friend: writingfriend@earthlink.net
Nick Daws Writers Circle: Nick Daw's Writer's Circle.
Wridea: http://www.wridea.com/
J.D.Vine Publishing:
Tennessee Writers Alliance: http://www.tn-writers.org/
USA Patriotism, Poetry: http://www.usa-patriotism.com/
The Write Place:
Poynter: 30 Writers Tips

Freebie Writers Tools
Auto Crit Automatic manuscript checker: http://www.autocrit.com/Word Web download :Word Web
I’ll be adding to the above list as time goes on and I find more newbie friendly sites.Copyright © 03/17/08

2008-03-26T03:56:00.000-07:00

"Writing is the voice that calls us from dreams, that peeks out of the corner of our eyes when we think no one is looking, the longing that breaks out hearts even when we think we should be happiest, and to which we cannot give a name." Judy Collins (1939) U.S. Folk Singer, Film Maker….
The Rant 'N' Rave Section
I thought I'd have lots of time to write over the last few months. I was sure that, with winters cold breath keeping me inside I could skip all the distractions that come with spring, summer and fall. WRONG! I found just as many distractions inside to keep me out of my writing chamber. Oh well, I did get a few short stories written and off to pubs. I also sent some out to contests. Speaking of which, I found a really good site that tracks upcoming contests. It's The Write Place-contests column by Kimn Swenson Gollnick. Now some of you may already know this site but for those who don't, check it out. The site has lots of goodies for new as well as published writers. Be sure to cruise the whole site, not just the contest listings. The web address is http://www.kimn.net . I've also listed it at the bottom of the page under sites to see, places to go and groups to join.
Next, one of the hardest things for a new writer to overcome is lack of acknowledgment. It's the stuff that life is made of. It's that which tells us we live, we matter, we are noticed by others as being worthwhile. Without it we fade and shrivel up to nothing. Without it our works become meaningless as do our lives. So, how do new writers overcome that first hurdle on their way to success? A mule-stubborn mindset is the key. It doesn't help when friends and family tell you how good you are. Most of the time you know they are just being kind. It's only when, in and among all the rejection letters you get, you find one that says your work has been accepted. That is the key that unlocks the prison of lack of acknowledgment. That is the weapon that fights and conquers the self-doubt that permeates the minds of first time writers. That is the first big step along the path to becoming a pro. Okay, enough pontificating, on to Tidbits......
"TIDBITS"
Here's a helpful article I picked up in my surfing travels.
Seven Easy Ways to Keep Dialogue Sharp
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
1. Keep it simple. "He said" and "She said" will usually do. Your reader is trained to
accept this repetition.
2. Forget you ever heard of strong verbs. Skip the "He yelped" and the "She sighed."
They slow your dialogue down. If you feel need them, look at the words.the actual
dialogue. your character used when he was yelping. Maybe it doesn’t reflect the way
someone would sound if he yelped. Maybe if you strengthen the dialogue, you can ditch
the overblown tag.
3. When you can, reveal who is saying something by the voice or tone of the dialogue.
That way you may be able to skip tags occasionally, especially when you have only two
people speaking to one another. Your dialogue will ring truer, too.
4. Avoid having characters use other characters’ names. In real life, we don’t use people’s
names in our speech much. We tend to reserve using names for when we’re angry or
disapproving or we just met in a room full of people and we’re practicing out social skills.
Having a character direct her speech to one character or another by using her name is a
lazy writer’s way of directing dialogue and it will annoy the reader. When a reader is
annoyed, she will not be immersed in the story you are trying to tell.
5. Avoid putting internal dialogue in italics. Trust your reader. She will know who is
thinking the words from the point of view of the narrative.
6. Be cautious about using dialogue to tell something that should be shown. It doesn’t
help much to transfer telling from the narrator to the dialogue. It just makes the character
who is speaking sound long winded. Putting quotation marks around exposition won’t
draw the reader into the scene or involve him more than if you’d left it part of the
narrative.
7. And magic number seven is, don’t break up dialogue sequences with long or overly
frequent blocks of narrative. One of dialogue’s greatest advantages is that it moves a story
along. If a writer inserts too much stage direction, it will lose the forward motion and
any tension it is building.
For more on writing dialogue check out Tom Chiarella’s Writing Dialogue (Writers’
Digest) and for more on editing in general.from editing query letters to turning
unattractive adverbs into metaphoric gold.find The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book
Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success on Amazon.
----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson is an instructor for the UCLA Extension Writer's Program. The first book
in her HowToDoItFrugally Series of books, The Frugal Book Promoter, won USA Book News'
Seven Easy Ways to Keep Dialogue Sharp by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, 478 words 2
Best Professional Book Award and Book Publicists of Southern California's Irwin Award. The
second, The Frugal Editor, was just released and includes many editing tips on dialogue, the use
of quotation marks and more. Learn more at www.howtodoitfrugally.com .
Last but Not Least
"I didn't know that!"
"Sax Rohmer"
Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward (February 15,1883-June 1 ,1959 ), better known as Sax Rohmer, was a prolific English novelist. He is most remembered for his series of novels featuring the master criminal Dr. Fu Manchu.
Born in Birmingham, he had an entirely working class education and early career before beginning to write. His first published work was in 1903, the short story The Mysterious Mummy for Pearson's Weekly. He made his early living writing comedy sketches for music hall performers and short stories and serials for magazines. In 1909 he married Rose Knox. He published his first novel Pause! anonymously in 1910 and the first Fu Manchu story, The Mystery of Dr. Fu Manchu, was serialized over 1912-13. It was an immediate success with its fast paced story of Sir Denis Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie facing the worldwide conspiracy of the 'Yellow Peril'. The Fu Manchu stories, together with those featuring Gaston Max or Morris Klaw, made Rohmer one of the most successful and well-paid writers in of the 1920s and 1930s. But Rohmer was very poor at handling his wealth. After World War II the Rohmers moved to New York.
Ward was often attacked, even shortly after the Manchu stories were published, for creating a character that reflected "racist assumptions". He himself, while "bemused" at the furore, occasionally defended his character by saying that the portrait was "fundamentally truthful" because "criminality was often rampant among the Chinese", especially in Limehouse.
Rohmer died in 1959, somewhat ironically, due to an outbreak of Asian Flu.
*Thanks to Wikipedia for the above.
Well, that's it for this time, see ya later gater…..Aelf
Sites to see, places to go and groups to join
Long Story Short:http://www.alongstoryshort.net/
My Writing Friend: writingfriend@earthlink.net
Nick Daws Writers Circle: Nick Daw's Writer's Circle.
Wridea: http://www.wridea.com/
J.D.Vine Publishing:
Tennessee Writers Alliance: http://www.tn-writers.org/
USA Patriotism, Poetry: http://www.usa-patriotism.com/
The Write Place:
Poynter: 30 Writers Tips
Freebie Writers Tools
Auto Crit Automatic manuscript checker: http://www.autocrit.com/Word Web download :Word Web
I’ll be adding to the above list as time goes on and I find more newbie friendly sites.Copyright © 03/17/08

"Acknlwledgement, or the lack thereof"

2008-03-23T09:56:00.000-07:00

"Writing is the voice that calls us from dreams, that peeks out of the corner of our eyes when we think no one is looking, the longing that breaks out hearts even when we think we should be happiest, and to which we cannot give a name." Judy Collins (1939) U.S. Folk Singer, Film Maker….

The Rant 'N' Rave Section

I thought I'd have lots of time to write over the last few months. I was sure that, with winters cold breath keeping me inside I could skip all the distractions that come with spring, summer and fall. WRONG! I found just as many distractions inside to keep me out of my writing chamber. Oh well, I did get a few short stories written and off to pubs. I also sent some out to contests. Speaking of which, I found a really good site that tracks upcoming contests. It's The Write Place-contests column by Kimn Swenson Gollnick. Now some of you may already know this site but for those who don't, check it out. The site has lots of goodies for new as well as published writers. Be sure to cruise the whole site, not just the contest listings. The web address is http://www.kimn.net/. I've also listed it at the bottom of the page under sites to see, places to go and groups to join.

Next, one of the hardest things for a new writer to overcome is lack of acknowledgment. It's the stuff that life is made of. It's that which tells us we live, we matter, we are noticed by others as being worthwhile. Without it we fade and shrivel up to nothing. Without it our works become meaningless as do our lives. So, how do new writers overcome that first hurdle on their way to success? A mule-stubborn mindset is the key. It doesn't help when friends and family tell you how good you are. Most of the time you know they are just being kind. It's only when, in and among all the rejection letters you get, you find one that says your work has been accepted. That is the key that unlocks the prison of lack of acknowledgment. That is the weapon that fights and conquers the self-doubt that permeates the minds of first time writers. That is the first big step along the path to becoming a pro. Okay, enough pontificating, on to Tidbits......

"TIDBITS"

Here's a helpful article I picked up in my surfing travels.

Seven Easy Ways to Keep Dialogue Sharp
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson

1. Keep it simple. "He said" and "She said" will usually do. Your reader is trained to accept this repetition.

2. Forget you ever heard of strong verbs. Skip the "He yelped" and the "She sighed."
They slow your dialogue down. If you feel need them, look at the words.the actual
dialogue. your character used when he was yelping. Maybe it doesn’t reflect the way
someone would sound if he yelped. Maybe if you strengthen the dialogue, you can ditch
the overblown tag.

3. When you can, reveal who is saying something by the voice or tone of the dialogue.
That way you may be able to skip tags occasionally, especially when you have only two
people speaking to one another. Your dialogue will ring truer, too.

4. Avoid having characters use other characters’ names. In real life, we don’t use people’s names in our speech much. We tend to reserve using names for when we’re angry or disapproving or we just met in a room full of people and we’re practicing out social skills. Having a character direct her speech to one character or another by using her name is a lazy writer’s way of directing dialogue and it will annoy the reader. When a reader is annoyed, she will not be immersed in the story you are trying to tell.

5. Avoid putting internal dialogue in italics. Trust your reader. She will know who is thinking the words from the point of view of the narrative.

6. Be cautious about using dialogue to tell something that should be shown. It doesn’t help much to transfer telling from the narrator to the dialogue. It just makes the character who is speaking sound long winded. Putting quotation marks around exposition won’t draw the reader into the scene or involve him more than if you’d left it part of the narrative.

7. And magic number seven is, don’t break up dialogue sequences with long or overly
frequent blocks of narrative. One of dialogue’s greatest advantages is that it moves a story along. If a writer inserts too much stage direction, it will lose the forward motion and any tension it is building. For more on writing dialogue check out Tom Chiarella’s Writing Dialogue (Writers’Digest) and for more on editing in general.from editing query letters to turning unattractive adverbs into metaphoric gold.find The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success on Amazon.
----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson is an instructor for the UCLA Extension Writer's Program. The first book
in her HowToDoItFrugally Series of books, The Frugal Book Promoter, won USA Book News'Seven Easy Ways to Keep Dialogue Sharp by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, 478 words 2
Best Professional Book Award and Book Publicists of Southern California's Irwin Award. The second, The Frugal Editor, was just released and includes many editing tips on dialogue, the use of quotation marks and more. Learn more at www.howtodoitfrugally.com .

Last but Not Least:

"I didn't know that!"

"Sax Rohmer"

Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward (February 15,1883-June 1 ,1959 ), better known as Sax Rohmer, was a prolific English novelist. He is most remembered for his series of novels featuring the master criminal Dr. Fu Manchu.
Born in Birmingham, he had an entirely working class education and early career before beginning to write. His first published work was in 1903, the short story The Mysterious Mummy for Pearson's Weekly. He made his early living writing comedy sketches for music hall performers and short stories and serials for magazines. In 1909 he married Rose Knox. He published his first novel Pause! anonymously in 1910 and the first Fu Manchu story, The Mystery of Dr. Fu Manchu, was serialized over 1912-13. It was an immediate success with its fast paced story of Sir Denis Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie facing the worldwide conspiracy of the 'Yellow Peril'. The Fu Manchu stories, together with those featuring Gaston Max or Morris Klaw, made Rohmer one of the most successful and well-paid writers in of the 1920s and 1930s. But Rohmer was very poor at handling his wealth. After World War II the Rohmers moved to New York.

Ward was often attacked, even shortly after the Manchu stories were published, for creating a character that reflected "racist assumptions". He himself, while "bemused" at the furore, occasionally defended his character by saying that the portrait was "fundamentally truthful" because "criminality was often rampant among the Chinese", especially in Limehouse.

Rohmer died in 1959, somewhat ironically, due to an outbreak of Asian Flu.

*Thanks to Wikipedia for the above.

Well, that's it for this time, see ya later gater…..Aelf

Sites to see, places to go and groups to join

Long Story Short:http://www.alongstoryshort.net/
My Writing Friend: writingfriend@earthlink.net
Nick Daws Writers Circle: Nick Daw's Writer's Circle.
Wridea: http://www.wridea.com/
J.D.Vine Publishing. : http://www.jdvine.com
Tennessee Writers Alliance: http://www.tn-writers.org/
USA Patriotism, Poetry: http://www.usa-patriotism.com/
The Write Place: http://www.kimn.net
Poynter: 30 Writers Tips

Freebie Writers Tools

Auto Crit Automatic manuscript checker: http://www.autocrit.com/
Word Web download :Word Web

I’ll be adding to the above list as time goes on and I find more newbie friendly sites.Copyright © 03/17/08

Writer's classes and workshops

2008-02-01T04:10:00.000-08:00

"Quantity produces quality. If you only write a few things, you're doomed."
Ray Bradbury

The Rant 'N' Rave Section

Well, 2008's started with a bang. My short story, Anasazi Moon, is now in print! For those of you who would like a great read check out JD Vine Publishing: http:www.jdvine.com. The book is called The Creative Writer series book 2, Quaquay's Birthday and Uncharted Life with other stories and poems. My story, Anasazi Moon, is one of the "other stories" in this book. The price is $13.99 U.S. and only 6.5828GBP or 8.81454EUR. There, you've got the conversions, why wait, you can't find a better deal than that. Note that shipping and handling are free even to Europe for those of you who would like it but think the postage would be too much. I checked with the publisher to make sure that they hadn't made a mistake when I first saw it, but no, it's truly free shipping. The book is also on the shelf at Amazon.com and B.Dalton among others but I don't think they offer free postage.
Okay, enough promo of my stuff, on to what's new and exciting.

Check this out. Outstanding software for writing a novel.

I recently found a new online software program that seems to be the best I've used so far. As you may know I use Open Office (instead of MS Word) and Liquid Story Binder when I write. While casting about on the net for a good freebie time line software program I ran across StoryRight, an on line program. Now I usually don't care much for on line software, I like to have it loaded into my hard drive, it just seems better to me for some reason, BUT, I was intrigued when I noticed that an aspect of the program was the ability to interview each character. Well, being as trying out the software program is FREE, I thought I'd give it a go. WOW! I'm impressed. I'm starting to work on a new novel based on my original short story, Savannah, and decided to use StoryRight. It's a perfect fit for me. It does three major things that I always have trouble with:

1.The Story Plan: Handles all vital details about plot, themes and settings.
2.Story Outline: A full outline organized chapter by chapter and scene by scene.
3.Character Dossiers: For each character, a full dossier is generated automatically.
(This feature allows the author to inteview his potential character
with a list of questions.)

Rather than my going into long boring details about it, suffice it to say that it is now my primary software for creating stories. For more information and to give it a trial spin, go to: http://www.storyright.com. Note: Though the first trial run is free, It costs $4.95 U.S. to use it for a month. Then it's about $12.95 per year OR $49.00 approx. for a lifetime membership. I am usually turned off by software that is free trial, then a fee, but this is an exception. As it is the best writing tool I've yet to find, IMHO it's well worth every penny. I've paid my $4.95 for the first month to give it a real workout but, unless I find something that I can't live with, I'll be signing up for my lifetime membership.

Finally, here's a great little freebie from last month called Motivator Software.

MOTIVATOR SOFTWARE

Here’s how it works. You start by simply installing the Motivator software onto your computer. Then, like the samples below, you provide it with a series of messages that help you to remember your goal...
I am achieving my goal of eating healthy foods.
Take five deep, long breaths... NOW!
I have fully released my old addictions.
I am enjoying my smoke-free lungs!
SMILE!
I have great posture. Sit up straight!
I am super-focused and in The Zone!
Take five minutes right now to appreciate life.
I am using today to demonstrate how patient I am.
In business, I focus on making money.
Of course, these are all pretty generic. Your goals as a writer may be a LOT more specific.
Then you just let Motivator run silently in the background of your PC. At set intervals, Motivator will remind you of your goals.
The messages appear a little like one of those instant messenger popups that tells you a friend has just logged on. But instead, the Motivator software will be shifting you ONE STEP CLOSER toward your desires.
Like that stone in your shoe, Motivator makes itself noticed, and helps keep YOUR GOALS fresh in YOUR MIND.
And within an average of TWO SHORT WEEKS, you’ll have adopted that positive behavior pattern as a NEW HABIT.
"... All THANKS to the POWER of PROGRAMMED REHEARSAL." Sound interesting? Check my website, http://www.aelfbooks.com/ under "Good Stuff" which is where you will find links to writer oriented freebies.

"TIDBITS"

I take writer's classes every time I can afford one. The more, the better. The most obvious benefit is that I hone my skills as a writer. There are other, less obvious benefits also. Being enrolled in a class puts the brakes on any lazy streak I might fall into. It keeps me writing. It also is an external validation and critique of my work. Learning is, to me, a trial and error process, one where I reap the most benefit by having an instructor reviewing what I do and guiding me toward that elusive plateau of mastery.

I recently took a small class on creating characters called "Who is that person,? Developing four dimensional characters." by Dorry Pease. It's an inexpensive five week course that I found to be excellent. The critiques I received after each lesson were clear, concise and, in some cases, eye opening.

I found this class through my association with Long Story Short, an Ezine for writers. Part of the Ezine is The Long Story Short School of Writing. Tons of courses are offered, courses that won't be found anywhere else on the net. LSS can be found at http://www.alongstoryshort.net/. See also link at bottom of page. This was the first writers site that I joined. Directly or indirectly the school, along with the writers group I belong to which is part of it (see My Writing Friend link below), are responsible for my being published. Of course, I had something to do with it also but they supplied the foundation as support for me to continue. Okay, you've got the picture. They're great! Check 'em out!

Last but Not Least
"I didn't know that! Bits about the Bard"

Here's a couple of facts regarding Shakespeare I stumbled across on www.cummingsstudygiudes.net . There's more for those interested, just click on the link.

1) Moons of the planet Uranus are named after characters in Shakespeare's plays. For example, two moons discovered in 1787 were named Oberon and Titania, after characters in A Midsummer Night's Dream. A moon discovered in 1986 was named Juliet, after a character in Romeo and Juliet. Two moons discovered in 1997 were named Caliban and Sycorax, after characters in The Tempest.

2) The ceiling of Shakespeare's stages was called "The Heavens."

3) Shakespeare and other writers of his time probably did most of their writing during the day to avoid paying for the expensive candles required for nighttime writing.

Well, that's it for this time, see ya later gater…..Aelf

Sites to see, places to go and groups to join

Long Story Short: http://www.alongstoryshort.net/
My Writing Friend: mailto:writingfriend@yahoo.com

Nick Daws Writers Circle: Nick Daw's Writer's Circle.
Wridea: http://www.wridea.com/

J.D.Vine Publishing: http://www.jdvine.com/
Tennessee Writers Alliance: http://www.tn-writers.org/

USA Patriotism, Poetry: http://www.usa-patriotism.com/
Poynter: 30 Writers Tips: http://http//web.archive.org/web/20060622070944/poynteronline.org/content/content_view.asp?id=707

Freebie Writers Tools

Auto Crit Automatic manuscript checker: http://www.autocrit.com/
Word Web download :Word Web

I’ll be adding to the above list as time goes on and I find more newbie friendly sites.
Copyright © 02/01/08

Motivate and enhance your creativity

2008-01-05T05:22:00.000-08:00

“Writing is the hardest way of earning a living, with the possible exception of wrestling alligators.” Olin Miller

The Rant 'N' Rave Section

Happy New Year all! May your writing be published, may your days be filled with purpose and may your year be prosperous and filled with joy! I must admit that I was a baaaaaad blogger over the Christmas holidays, as a matter of fact, I used most of December as an excuse not to write. You know, the old "I'm too busy, too many interruptions, too many guests in the house, too distracting and all that rot. I trust that you all did a lot better.

Now to the New Years Resolutions. Last year I promised myself I would get at least one little short story published. I did. This year I will tackle the dread novel. I will also attempt to find an editor that can help me with my final drafts. That is something that, to me, is quite daunting but, onward and upward. What about you? Hmmmm.

I've found a few things to pass along to you to kick off '08'. First is a little site that I've been using for a while to see if I like it. It's called Wridea. The thought behind it is that it would be great if we, as writers, had a convenient place to store our ideas, other than on assorted bits and scraps of paper. Mine wind up getting lost or thrown out. Well, Wridea has come up with a great solution that allows one to record their ideas by email.

They've created an Ideaboard that is set up so that it lists the title of each idea. When you click on the title, it brings up a box with any details or notes that you've added. The thing that makes this site outstanding, IMHO, is that adding new ideas to the ideaboard is a snap. All you do is send an email to your free Wridea default inbox.

When you send it a new idea is created. The email subject becomes the title and the email body becomes the description. It's quick, it's easy and best of all, it's FREE! Whenever I come up with an idea that might make an interesting story, I email it to my mailbox at Wridea. Then, when casting about for something to kickstart a new story, I head for my Wridea. See bottom of page for a link to Wridea. Next is Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ's article on creativity.

5 Ways to Enhance Your Creativity

1. Surprise Your Mind. List laughable, ridiculous, outrageous and bizarre ideas. Don't limit yourself to ideas that other people consider "sane," "reasonable" or "logical." The best and most creative ideas stem from silly ones. When you're in a creative mode, you're suspending judgment on ideas you generate. You simply list them all down and never worry whether they make sense or not. Allow yourself the freedom to think outside the box.

2. Aim for Quantity. Generate loads of ideas for you to go through later. It's normal that your first few ideas won't really be fresh. The gems will come out later so it's important to keep going. With a large list of ideas, you'll have more to choose from, adapt or combine. Creativity is not coming up with something new from nothing; creativity is the ability to create something novel from ideas/things that already exist by combining, improving or refining them.

3. Be Playful. A relaxed and playful attitude fosters creativity. Those creative juices flow best when you're not restrained by your logical, left brain. Toy with ideas and forget about being too careful. Be a child again and play.

4. Believe that Everything has a Solution. An optimistic outlook always leads to solutions, no matter how impossible a problem or task may be. Often when a solution can't be found, all that's needed is for the problem to be redefined. Or when you think you're stumped, surprise your mind with silly solutions then work backwards, leading to the original problem. Cultivate an attitude of continuing search for solutions.

5. Let Go of Your Fear of Failure. Don't expect to do something perfectly for the first time. Thomas Edison tried about 1800 things for the perfect filament for the incandescent lamp. Fear of failure is one of the major factors that can hinder your creativity. Instead of looking at failed attempts negatively, look at your failures as learning opportunities. Failing isn't fun, but neither is doing.

Copyright © Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ
About Shery: Shery is the creator of WriteSparks!™- a software that generates over 10 *million* Story Sparkers for Writers. Download WriteSparks!™ Lite for free at http://writesparks.com/

Finally, here's a great little freebie called Motivator Software.

MOTIVATOR SOFTWARE

Here’s how it works. You start by simply installing the Motivator software onto your computer. Then, like the samples below, you provide it with a series of messages that help you to remember your goal...

I am achieving my goal of getting my works published.
Take five deep, long breaths... NOW!
I write from 3:am to 8:am daily, that is my work shedule.
SMILE!
I write, therefore I am!
I am super-focused and in The Zone!
In my business as a writer, I focus on making money.

Of course, these are all ones that I use. Your goals as a writer may be a LOT more specific.
Then you just let Motivator run silently in the background of your PC. At set intervals, Motivator will remind you of your goals.
The messages appear a little like one of those instant messenger popups that tells you a friend has just logged on. But instead, the Motivator software will be shifting you ONE STEP CLOSER toward your desires.

Like that stone in your shoe, Motivator makes itself noticed, and helps keep YOUR GOALS fresh in YOUR MIND.

And within an average of TWO SHORT WEEKS, you’ll have adopted that positive behavior pattern as a NEW HABIT. Did I mention that it's FREE?
Sound interesting? Check my website, http://www.aelfbooks.com/ under "Good Stuff" which is where you will find links to writer oriented freebies.

"TIDBITS"

In the last posting of Tidbits I mentioned a new freebie software reader that I was going to try out. Well, it's okay, not great but okay. There are words it doesn't recognize and it tries to pronounce them anyway. This comes out as an unintelligible mumble. Other than that it's pretty good. I'll continue to use it to help me edit my stories. I find that I can pick up on mistakes a lot easier if the story is read to me. My reading it out loud makes me feel a bit foolish.

Last but Not Least

"I didn't know that!"

Recently I read a posting on Interesting Facts about Earle Stanly Gardner (Perry Mason), on http://www.phantoms.com/. Gardner decided to write 66,000 words a week figure after reading the work of a fiction writer whose writing he admired and who preceded Gardner by several decades. William Wallace Cook was a prolific writer of pulp fiction who wrote between 1889 and his death in 1933. He managed to regularly turn out 66,000 words a week. If anyone could have been considered Gardner's mentor during his early pulp-writing days, it was Cook. Cook maintained in his book The Fiction Factory (1912) that "if the product is good, it passes at face value and becomes a medium of exchange."

"and I try to get out a pitiful thousand words or so, Hmmmm...."

Well, that's it for this time, see ya later gater…..Aelf

Sites to see, places to go and groups to join

My Writing Friend: writingfriend@earthlink.net

Nick Daws Writers Circle: Nick Daw's Writer's Circle.

Wridea: http://www.wridea.com/

My Favorite Publisher: J.D.Vine Publishing

Tennessee Writers Alliance: http://www.tn-writers.org/

USA Patriotism, Poetry: http://www.usa-patriotism.com/

Poynter: 30 Writers Tips

Freebie Writers Tools

Auto Crit Automatic manuscript checker: http://www.autocrit.com/

Word Web download :Word Web

I’ll be adding to the above list as time goes on and I find more newbie friendly sites.Copyright © 01/05/08

Plots, It's all just a big plot anyway.

2007-11-18T07:47:00.000-08:00

"Many people hear voices when no one is there. Some of them are called mad and are shut up in rooms where they stare at the walls all day. Others are called writers and they do pretty much the same thing."- Margaret Chittenden.

The Rant 'N' Rave Section

"Plots"

"Go figure," One of the biggest stumbling blocks I ran into when I first courageously took up pen in hand, (or was it key in finger?) was the mystery of plot. Oh sure, I've read jillions of books. I presumed that cooking up a good plot would come easily to me, after all, I'd read a ton of books and in some cases, had the plot figured out long before I got to the last page. Well, wrong wrong wrong. Looking back my approach to writing now reminds me of a (paraphrased) saying by Jim Bishop.

"A good reader is not necessarily a good writer-no more so than a good drunk is automatically a bartender."

I wrote three or four short stories (read as attempted to write). It finally dawned on me as I wallowed in the mire of disjointed and nonsensical plots I had concocted, that help might be just as close as my keyboard. I limbered up my trusty key finger and surfed to see what I could find. One of the best things I found was a 10 Point Plotting Checklist. I don't know who came up with this or I would give them credit for it. It's the best checklist and the meanest critic I've yet to run into.

10 Point Plotting Checklist
1.A main character actively and emotionally involved in resolving a conflict?
2.A conflict important enough to hold the readers interest? Introduced early?
3.Age appropriate features, including length, characters and situations?
4.Sufficient motivation for the protagonists? Is it clear to the reader why the outcome or the story is important to the main character?
5.Several varied scenes that provide forward motion to the plot?
6.A logical basis for characters behavior, as well as a natural cause and effect sequence of events?
7.A unified plot that does not wander into unrelated territory?
8.Chronology that will be easy for the reader to follow?
9.A believable and satisfying climax brought about by the main character?
10.All crucial loose ends tied up by the end, including those introduced in secondary plots?

As I mentioned earlier, this checklist is a mean critic. I can't count the times I've merrily been typing along, pleased at my writing skill and story telling prowess, only to turn to this checklist and find I've missed an important step. Oh well, back to the old drawing board.

News Flash: One of my favorite publishers has a new blog that they've started recently. Sarah M. Gibson writes the blog while Jared D.Vineyard edits it and provides many of the tips. Can't beat that, where better to get tips than from a publisher. They'll be adding new tips from time to time so do check it out. I added tips one and two in my last blog. Here is the beginning of tip #3:

"The tips so far have been about character. Of course, you can't truly know your character without knowing the places that they come from. Where a character grows up helps shape who they are, whether it's tough inner city streets of New York in the 1980's or the large home of a rural farming family on an alien planet int the year 3085.........

Want more?? Just go to: J.D.Vine Publishing and click on "blog" or use the link at the bottom of the page.

Well, that's it for this issues Rant n Rave section, on to Tidbits.
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"TIDBITS"

I made a comment a while back about reading ones story aloud to check for errors and to see if the dialog was realistic or stilted. Some of us(read as me) feel a bit silly reading out loud, even in an empty room. I've just downloaded and new free program called "Natural Readers" that seems pretty good. I got the lead on this from The Hamilton Writers Guild in Hamilton Ohio. No, it's not the mechanical disjointed voice of most software readers. I'll be trying it out over the next week or two and will report on it at my next posting.
Now, on to Last but Not Least….

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Last but Not Least

Did you know? That Charles Dickens favorite pets were birds.

"I didn't know that!" CNN posted this interesting tidbit: A number of pets graced the Dickens household over the years, including all manner of dogs, cats and ponies. But Charles' favorite pets were his two ravens, both known as Grip. Dickens was particularly devoted to Grip I, going so far as to write the bird into his 1841 mystery novel, Barnaby Rudge. This same talkative bird reportedly was the inspiration for Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem, "The Raven," published four years later. Upon Grip I's demise, Dickens had his beloved bird stuffed. These days, Grip can be seen at the Free Library of Philadelphia's Rare Books Department, where he stands guard over the Poe and Dickens collections.

Well, that's it for this time, see ya later gater…..Aelf

Sites to see, places to go and groups to join

My Writing Friend: writingfriend@earthlink.net
Nick Daws Writers Circle: Nick Daw's Writer's Circle.
Wridea: http://www.wridea.com/
J.D.Vine Publishing: http://www.jdvine.com/
Tennessee Writers Alliance: http://www.tn-writers.org/
USA Patriotism, Poetry: http://www.usa-patriotism.com/
Poynter: 30 Writers Tips

Freebie Writers Tools

Auto Crit Automatic manuscript checker: http://www.autocrit.com/
Word Web download : Word Web
I’ll be adding to the above list as time goes on and I find more newbie friendly sites.
Copyright © 11/18/07

Writer's Tips

2007-10-15T02:01:00.000-07:00

"Writing is the voice that calls us from dreams, that peeks out of the corner of our eyes when we think no one is looking, the longing that breaks out hearts even when we think we should be happiest, and to which we cannot give a name." Judy Collins (1939) U.S. Folk Singer, Film Maker….

The Rant 'N' Rave Section

"Writer's Tips"

Writer's tips are like refined gems scattered about the grazing land of the Internet just waiting for us newbies to find them. I can't resist them and I'll bet you can't either. I'm a complete nut about them. Whenever I find a writer's tip or a link to one, I follow it like the Holy Grail, sure that, when I find the right tip, that magical formula or method of writing, I'll sit down and instantly write a best seller. HA! As a writer I'm always on the hunt for anything that will enhance my skills. Do I use all the tips that I glean? No, but that doesn't dampen my zeal when it comes to looking for them.

It's important to remember that not all tips work for all writers. What resonates with me might skip off your skull like a rock skipping off a lake, or vice versa. The important thing, in my opinion, is to search them out and read them. I like to keep a file of those that I find useful. One of the sites I found quite a while ago is Poynter Online. He has a list of Thirty Tools for Writers that are excellent tips. I have a link that will take you there at the bottom of the page in the Sites to See, Places to Go section.

News Flash: News Flash: One of my favorite publishers has a new blog that they've just started. Sarah M. Gibson writes the blog while Jared D.Vineyard edits it and provides many of the tips. Can't beat that, where better to get tips than from a publisher. They'll be adding new tips from time to time so do check it out. The first two tips are already posted. Here are teasers from each one:

Physical Character Development.

"The first tool we want to share with you is physical character development.
Part of creating a great story is creating great characters. A great way to begin developing a character is figuring out their physical characteristics."

The second tool is: Writing Tip 2 - Wants

"Now that we have covered how your character looks, it's time to figure out what he/she wants. Stories are about characters who want something, their struggles to get that want, and what happens when they succeed or fail in getting what they want. Wants need to be a part of all of your characters, antagonists and protagonists alike."

Want more?? Just go to: J.D.Vine Publishing and click on "blog" or use the link at the bottom of the page.

Well, that's it for this issues Rant n Rave section, on to Tidbits.

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"TIDBITS"

I don’t know how many of you use a little freebie program called Word Web but if, for some reason you don’t use it or have never heard of it here's a news flash. GET IT NOW!!. I use it all the time when I'm writing. If I think that maybe, (perish the thought!) I've misspelled a word or am looking for another word to use in place of the gem I've just placed on screen, salvation is just a click away. All I have to do is place my cursor at the beginning of the verbal culprit and click on the friendly little icon on my desktop.

VOILA! Up pops this wonderful little screen that shows me what the word is, i.e.: noun, verb, pronoun, etc, pronunciation and meaning. It also allows me to check out all the synonyms, type of word, spelling and other Internet resources such as Wikepaedia and Wiktionary. All with one click of my mouse and, BEST OF ALL, it's a FREE download. I've used the free version for years now and wouldn't be without it.
There is also a Pro version, which can be purchased for a mere $29.00. It's Wordweb Pro 5 and, in addition to all that the free version features, the full Pro version includes 6000 more definitions and numerous extra features including: Adding custom web references, custom glossaries, wildcard word search and much more. I'll be purchasing my copy as an early Christmas present to me unless I can drop enough heavy hints to get my wife to pick it up for me.

Now all of that may sound a bit like a commercial and it is! When I find something this good, I like to share it with everyone!! No, I don't get paid for advertising. Do yourself a favor, download it and try it. Use this link: Word Web or use the link on my homepage to go to their site. Now, on to Last but Not Least….

Last but Not Least

"I didn't know that!"

Did you know? That Lewis Carrol's real name was Charles Ludwige Dodgson?
"I didn't know that!" His pseudonym, Lewis Carrol, was a play on words of his real name. Lewis is the English form of Ludovicus, (Latin for Lutwige). Carrol is the English version of Carolus (Latin for Charles). He wrote `Through the Looking Glass", among other great stories. Well, that's it for this time, see ya later gater…..Aelf

Sites to see, places to go and groups to join

My Writing Friend: writingfriend@earthlink.net

Nick Daws Writers Circle: Nick Daw's Writer's Circle.

Wridea: http://www.wridea.com/

J.D.Vine Publishing:J.D.Vine Publishing

Tennessee Writers Alliance: http://www.tn-writers.org/

USA Patriotism, Poetry: http://www.usa-patriotism.com/

Poynter's Tips:Poynter: 30 Writers Tips

Freebie Writers Tools

Auto Crit Automatic manuscript checker: http://www.autocrit.com/

Word Web download :Word Web

I’ll be adding to the above list as time goes on and I find more newbie friendly sites.

Copyright © 10/10/07

"Contests and Dialog"

2007-09-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

Leave "said" alone. Don't be tempted by the muse of variation to permit characters to "opine," "elaborate," "chortle," "cajole," or "laugh." Roy Peter Clark "

The Rant 'N' Rave Section

"Dialog, Say it like it is!"

Have you ever picked up a novel, started to read it and stumbled over the stilted dialog of the characters? I read lots of first drafts and rewrites and one of the sure signs that I'm reading someone's first or second attempt at writing is the absence of contractions in their characters speech. Red flags go up at once. The following are examples of what's certain to detract from any good story.

"Bill, will you hand me the knife please? I cannot reach it."

"Okay, just one minute and I will give it to you."

All I have to say is "OUCH". Stilted, stilted stilted. Now let's try it again using contractions.

"Bill, will you hand me the knife please? I can't reach it."

"Okay, just a minute and I'll give it to you."

That reads much better, doesn't it? Good dialog should never read or sound artificial. Always, always avoid stilted, contrived, wooden or too formal dialogue. The only exception to that is if your character is stilted, formal and contrived.(HA) If you are unsure of your dialog, READ IT OUT LOUD! Yeah, that's right, go ahead and feel like a fool. That's how I felt the first few times I did it. I always read my dialog out loud; of course I'm alone when I do. That protects my fragile ego from the unabashed assaults of uncontrolled laughter. Try it! It won't take long for you to find out what a valuable tool reading aloud is.

Well, that's it for this issues Rant n Rave section, on to Tidbits.

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"TIDBITS"

Every time I post a new Rant on my blog, I like to share my thoughts on any Tidbits or morsels I've found that might come in handy for new writers. These "tidbits" take the form of any articles, websites, software programs or other things that might be beneficial. Last time I discussed a writer's websites and the reasons it's a good idea to have one. This time it's all about contests.

If your serious about writing and getting published it's imperative that you use every avenue available to put your work in front of readers and editors. One such avenue is contests. Some contests are free and some have a small entry fee. I started out by just entering the free ones. There were two reasons for that. One was that I didn't have much money and the other was that I didn't have much confidence in my writing ability.

After I won my first little contest however, (see below) my confidence factor jumped. Now when I write a short story, my first thought is to see what contests might be out there waiting for my submittal. The only caveat to paying a fee that I have is that the R.O.F. (return on fee) must be worth it. If the fee is $10.00 and the first prize is only $20.00, forget it.
The contest I've highlighted below, for example, has an entry fee of $10.00 but the first prize for writing is $500.00. Well worth the investment. Not only will contests get your work "out there", they'll also give you important little morsels of accomplishments to add to your "Bag-o-Tricks."

You do have a "bag-o-tricks" don't you? You know, a writers bio that lists all of your successes. A brag rag that lets the world know you're the greatest. If you don't, contests are a great way to get one started. There are tons of contests out there. Contests for poetry, short stories, novels, best beginning chapters and more. The first contest I won was the "Authors Unlimited Readers Feedback Contest." This wasn't so much about writing a story as it was about giving my opinion about the website and the authors listed on it. I tried to make my article as interesting as possible and, to my delight, won second place. That was back in 2005 and it gave me just the added spark I needed to continue on.

Needless to say, my "Bag-o-Tricks," has grown quite a bit since then. The last contest I entered carried a $5.00 entry fee with a 1st prize of $150.00. Now I didn't win first prize BUT, my entry was chosen to be printed in the newest edition of The Creative Writer put out by J.D.Vine Publishing. That is well worth the entry fee. By the way, J.D.Vine's newest contest is now open for submittals. See the link below in (Sites to see, places to go and groups to join.) Now, if you check out the "Good Stuff" page on my website you will (ooops, no contraction?) you'll find a continually updated list of contests to enter.

A contest that you won't see on that list is one that I just heard about from the contest administrator. It's the Dream Quest One Poetry and Writing Contest. "WOW," what an enticing name. Makes me want to sit down and write a fantasy short story. Here are the details:

The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest.

The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to everyone whether experienced or not. This competition is open to all and anyone who loves to arrange words into beautiful art or write a short story that is worth telling everyone. And to all who have the ability to dream. Write your best short story or poem for a chance to win cash prizes. All entries must be original.

Guidelines:

(1) Write a poem, thirty lines or fewer on any subject or style, single or double line spacing, neatly hand printed or typed.Or(2) Write a short story five pages maximum, single or double line spacing, on any subject or theme, creative writing, fiction and non-fiction (including essay compositions, diary and journal entries), neatly hand printed or typed.Deadline: Deadline: December 31, 2007.Winners will be announced on January 31, 2008.Prizes: Writing Contest First Prize is $500. Second Prize is $250. Third Prize $100.Poetry Contest First Prize is $250. Second Prize is $125. Third Prize is $50.Entry fees: Writing Contest entry fee is: $10 per short story.Poetry Contest entry fee is: $5 per poem.To send entries by mail: Include title of story or poem, your name, address, phone#, e-mail, brief biographical info. (tell us a little about yourself) on the coversheet, add a self-addressed stamped enveloped for entry confirmation. Mail entries/fees payable to: Dreamquestone.com.

To enter online: Go to http://www.dreamquestone.com/.
Dream Quest OnePoetry & Writing ContestP.O. Box 3141Chicago, IL 60654Visit http://webmail.tds.net/do/redirect?url=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.dreamquestone.com%252F for further details, to print out an entry form or to enter online.

So what are you waiting for? Write something! Enter-enter-enter! Needless to say, I have a submittal or two to send in, who knows??
On to Last but Not Least….

Last but Not Least

"I didn't know that!"

Well, I've taken up so much space with the Tidbits section this time that I'll keep Last but Not Least brief. Did you know? That Jack London's pseudonym was John Griffith Chaney? That his father deserted him? That his spiritualist mother and his stepfather raised him in Oakland, Calif.? That he was a hobo? "I didn't know that!" He was also a seaman, before educating himself and gaining admission to the University of California at Berkley. London, a noted Socialist, also once ran for mayor of Oakland California in 1901 under the Social Party ticket. He wrote `Call Of The Wild', amongst other stories. Well, that's it for this time, see ya later gater…..Aelf

Sites to see, places to go and groups to join

My Writing Friend: writingfriend@earthlink.net

Nick Daws Writers Circle: Nick Daw's Writer's Circle.

Wridea: http://www.wridea.com/

J.D.Vine Publishing: http://www.jdvine.com/

Tennessee Writers Alliance: http://www.tn-writers.org/

The dreaded "C" word.

2007-09-19T02:46:00.000-07:00

"Proof Reader (n) A malefactor who atones for making your writing nonsense by permitting the compositor to make it unintelligible." Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) From The Devil's Dictionary…

NEWS FLASH: My short story, "Anasazi Moon", has been accepted for publication in the next issue of: "The Creative Writer"
series of books. The publisher is J.D.Vine Publishing

The Rant 'N' Rave Section

"Commitment!"

So, you think you are a writer huh? When did that happen? At what point did you say to yourself "I'm a writer," and believe it? Has that little voice deep down inside stopped laughing at you yet? I can't say it enough; keep writing, as much as possible, as long as it takes. Know in advance that some of your work will be junk. I write junk, you write junk, we all write junk. Don't be discouraged by it, be grateful for the time you put into it. Buried in that junk are covert treasures. Each word, each sentence and each completed chapter is a step closer to the day when you open an email or a letter and it starts off with "Congratulations, your story has been chosen for publication."

It can be a long and lonely road from wanna be writer to published author. What is the one common thread that keeps all new writers on the sacred path to published-dom? Commitment. Yeah, that's right, the big "C". Fingers bloody yet? Finished your first story? Well send that work out! Not just to one publisher or contest, oh no, send it to as many as you can. The more you have out there, the more likely it is that one of them will find a home. Publishers say that sending out multiple submissions, "shot gunning it" is a no-no. Well, that's just fine for the publisher, but what about you. Your job is to get your work in front of as many potential buyers as possible.

Some publishers take six months or more to review and reply to submittals. If it took you a year to write and submit your first story and it's been rejected twice, you've just blown two years and only put your work in front of two possible buyers. On the other hand, if you submit to multiple publishers you will start getting rejects pretty quickly. Sooner or later, among them, will be that magic acceptance letter. First come, first serve, so say I.

If you are committed to becoming a writer, you must also be committed to doing whatever it takes to get your work in front of as many potential publishes as possible. That's what advertising's all about. (See tidbits section) That's why I write short stories. It only takes me a month or two to write one. If you do the math that means that in the two years it took for the aforementioned novel to be submitted to one publisher at a time, I have approximately twenty-four short stories out in the world. Who do you think will get published first?

Speaking of which, I just received one of those magic congratulation letters for a short story I wrote called "Anasazi Moon." The acceptance was from J.D.Vine Publishing and the story will be published in the next edition of "The Creative Writer" series of books. I'm always thrilled when that happens. It does, however, create an instant flurry of activity on my part. I instantly send out letters of withdrawal to all the other publishers I submitted to. What a delightful problem to have! As always, this is just my opinion and after all, I'm still a newbie……….

For all you kindred newbie writers, pay attention to this. J.D.Vine is looking for good stories and poems. For more information on how to submit your work, go to http://www.jdvine.com/.

Well, that's it for this issues Rant n Rave section, on to Tidbits.

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"TIDBITS"

Every time I post a new Rant on my blog, I like to share my thoughts on any Tidbits I've found that might come in handy for new writers. These "tidbits" take the form of any articles, sites or programs that might be beneficial. Last time I discussed a great little website called Wridea. This time it's about writer's websites. Nick Daw's (see link below) originally planted the idea in my head in an article he wrote regarding freelance jobs he's been offered through his website. I read quite a few pros and cons about having one and finally decided to "give it a go." Following is a most informative article by Stephanie Chandler that I found on the net which should give you a good idea what a website entails.

Websites for Writers – Why You Need One and How to Get Started
By Stephanie Chandler
It may seem like the publishing industry’s equivalent of Beanie Baby madness- everyone is talking about writer’s websites. Freelancers and authors everywhere are jumping on the bandwagon, publishing sites to promote themselves and their work. This craze leaves many writers wondering if it’s just a fad or if it’s really worth the expense and effort. While it may seem like an overwhelming or frivolous endeavor, there are some solid business reasons why you should consider setting up your own website.

¨ Editors like Writer’s Websites. When querying an editor for the first time, you can add credibility to your writing resume by referencing your website. Instead of attaching clips, you can provide a link to clips on your site. This minimizes paperwork and lets you avoid sending email attachments that can get scrubbed or cause your email to be routed straight to the trash bin. It also makes the editor’s job easier-, which could cause them to reward you with a new assignment.

¨ Your Site Can Save You Time. When you put your clips online, you avoid having to copy them over and over again and instead just upload them once to your website. Your clips file can be as current and as varied as you want it to be. This can streamline your query process and ultimately make you more productive.

¨ Writers with Websites Get More Work. Writers with websites will tell you that they get more assignments as a result. When you start listing your site in writer’s databases, job boards, on your resume and in directories across the Internet, you inevitably catch the attention of people who do the hiring.

¨ Your Site Can Promote Your Work. Whether you are writing freelance articles, books, eBooks, copy for corporations or offering editing services, you can use your site to promote your offerings. Corporate clients will be impressed by a thoughtful website with samples and testimonials. Your site becomes a reflection of you and your work and can impress editors, agents and publishers. The more you work to advertise and market your site, the more attention you can expect to receive.

Setting Up Your Website
It’s relatively inexpensive to start a website and often the biggest investment will be in your time. You can hire someone to help you get your site up and running, or you can take this on yourself.
If you want to have the flexibility to manage your site and change the contents frequently, it would be worth it to learn how to do it yourself. Microsoft Frontpage and Dreamweaver are two of the most popular software programs for website design. If you don’t want to design it from the ground up, many companies offer templates that you can purchase for as little as $15. You can then customize the template to meet your needs.
If you decide to hire a website designer, there are many to choose from. The best way to find one near you is to ask writer friends or business owners in your community for a referral. You can also ask someone whose site you admire to share their designer with you.

Website Hosting
You can opt to use a free website hosting service like the one offered by Geocities, but keep in mind that you won’t have your own domain name. Instead, your URL would look something like: www.geocities.com/mywebsite.html.
For a truly professional site, you can register your own domain name and have your site hosted for as little as $12 per month through providers like Yahoo. Yahoo Small Business also offers free tools for website design, so if you want to create a simple site with just a few static pages, their tools may be enough to get you up and running.
Though I use FrontPage for designing my business website, I found Yahoo’s Site Builder tool easy to use and was able to design my writer’s website in just a few hours. Check out the result at http://www.stephaniechandler.com/.

Getting Your Clips Online
If you don’t already own Adobe Acrobat PDF Creator software, you should give it some serious consideration. You can use the program to easily convert scanned files and Word documents to PDF format, making it easy for readers (more importantly, editors) to view your published clips from your website.
The software also makes it easy to publish your own eBooks and other files that can be used for all kinds of business needs. Adobe allows you to create you first three PDF documents for free. You can also sign up for a subscription based service or bite the bullet and purchase the full software package.

Merchant Card Services
If you want to accept credit card payments online, you can attempt to get a merchant services account. Unfortunately, these are difficult for new businesses to obtain from the big banks due to the amount of fraud in the small business arena. There are many merchant brokers that provide credit card services, but keep in mind that you will have to pay a monthly fee in addition to the percentage per transaction. Luckily, PayPal has come to the rescue and now offers credit card payment services that are surprisingly easy to implement and do not involve a monthly fee.

Marketing
Once your site is live, you need to let people know you’re there. There are endless opportunities for marketing your site on the internet. Here are some possibilities:
¨ List your website with all associations where you are a member.
¨ Trade links with other websites.
¨ Write articles for publications and reference your site in your bio.
¨ Write a blog and reference your site with each entry.
Website listings with the major search engines are calculated based on a number of factors. One way to improve your rankings with the search engines is to make sure you link is listed on as many other websites as possible. In addition to the marketing ideas above, make sure to submit your site manually to all the major search engines. You can access a free list of sources at http://www.BusinessInfoGuide.com/submitsite.htm.

Don’t Put Off Until Tomorrow…
If you’re still not convinced that you need your own website, join some online discussions and talk with your writer friends. I have yet to meet a writer with a website who didn’t agree it is a valuable tool. For more information on building a website and the publishing industry visit: http://www.BusinessInfoGuide.com/publishing.

About the Author:
Stephanie Chandler is a small business expert and the author of FROM ENTREPRENEUR TO INFOPRENEUR: MAKE MONEY WITH BOOKS, E-BOOKS AND INFORMATION PRODUCTS. She is the founder of www.BusinessInfoGuide.com, a directory of resources for entrepreneurs and www.ProPublishingServices.com, a custom writing business specializing in electronic newsletters, information marketing, and sales copy for websites and brochures.
*This article can be reprinted in full provided the author resource box is included with the publication.
Needless to say maintaining a website also involves the dread "C" word, commitment, but then that's the cornerstone of success, isn't it? On to tidbits….

Last but Not Least

Well, I've taken up so much space with the rant section this time that I'll keep Last but Not Least brief. I just read an article by Alan Alda called "Learning to Write with a Sledgehammer." I get tons of email from sites I've subscribed to. This article is posted on the WRITER GAZETTE WEEKLY UPDATE http://www.writergazette.com/. I think you'll find it interesting reading and why not subscribe to Writer Gazette while you're at it?? That's it for this time, see ya later gater…..Aelf

Sites to see, places to go and groups to join

Aelfbooks: http:www.aelfbooks.com

My Writing Friend: writingfriend@earthlink.net
Nick Daws Writers Circle: See link on this page
Wridea: http://www.wridea.com/
J.D.Vine Publishing: http:www.jdvine.com

I’ll be adding to the above list as time goes on and I find more newbie friendly sites.