WRITERS' Journal

Table of Contents
May/June 2006
Volume 27, Number 3

      .....Editor's Note, by Leon Ogroske 

If you have been waiting for Dennis Hensley’s third and concluding piece on procrastination, you may now continue your writing. See page 13.

John Fox offers writing-workshop etiquette on page 19. Many of his points are common courtesy, which is never out of place, but some are particular to helping writers write.

You claim your writing is in a slump. It isn’t that you are putting off your writing, but rather that you just can’t seem to get going again. Susan Miles gives us ten suggestions on page 22 to get you back in the game.

Networking is a term relevant to most occupations. It enables people to share with others their own strengths and in turn to benefit from the knowledge, skill, or position of others. Don’t be shy. Tell others that you are a writer and you may be surprised by the doors that open for you. Candice Vetter shares some of her experiences on page 23.

Have you ever read a book and then wanted to share with others your opinion of it? Get paid for your two cents. James Patterson with "Writing Book Reviews," page 46, explains how and why you should add this skill to your freelancing toolbox.

Betty Ulrich tackles the topic of ellipses on page 57. Many contest entries are chock full of dots as though authors just can’t seem to express themselves. If you are guilty of misusing the ellipsis, you should spend some time reviewing its proper purpose.

The Travel Writing contest winning stories take us to the wilds of Michigan, the grandeur of North Carolina and Georgia and finally to a peaceful valley in Italy. The Write to Win! winning story is a classic romance story you may enjoy. The Photography contest- winning photos will delight the child in all of us.

Columns

  4        .....Readers' P.O.V.

  5        .....Massaging the Muse, Lynne Pisano
            Pack Your Character's Suitcase

  6        .....Marketing Helps, Janet Elaine Smith
           The Verdict Is In 

  7       .....Effective Screenwriting, by Christina Hamlett
           Making the Most of Professional Script Consultations
            One of the terms you'll often encounter on the path to being a screenwriter is "script coverage." Script coverage actually refers to two different levels of critique. The first type is done by studio readers whose job is to give each project either a pass (thumbs down) or a recommend (thumbs up). they are looking for—and subsequently summarizing in one page or less—projects that are not only professionally packaged but in keeping with the studio's corporate vision, budget, and wish list....

 10      .....Photography Techniques, by Ronald D. Kness
           Flower Power
           Flowers, with their endless variety of colors and graceful designs, are hard to beat, photographically speaking. But those images come with a price—flower photography has some unique challenges associated with it......

 12      .....Computer Business, by William I. Lengeman, III
           How to Build an Electronic Clip File
           The Digital Age is here to stay—like it or not—and with more publications accepting queries by e-mail, it's in your best interest, as n organized and efficient writer, to be able to present electronic copies of your writing samples.....

 55       .....For Beginners Only, by John Corrigan
            Utilizing the Tools of the Trade Fine Tune Your Manuscript
            When I was a rookie journalist, my editor on the city beat told me we were "reporters," that "writers" were guys who wore tweed jackets, smoked pipes, and wrote on old manual typewriters. For a while, I bought that romanticized, artistic image of the fiction writer. (After all, every aspiring novelist has seen pictures of Hemingway doing his two-finger shuffle on his black manual.) However, four published novels later, with contract in hand to write a fifth, I've learned to use every technological advantage I can get. And I can show you how to fine-tune your manuscript by utilizing two options you probably didn't know your computer had...."

 57       .....Words...Tools of Our Trade, by Betty Garton Ulrich
            A Surplus of Ellipses
            It seems that the "powers that be" at WRITERS' Journal feel that contestants in the writing contests are inclined to overuse—and incorrectly use—ellipses. They thought I ought to write a column on the correct usage of these pesky little dots......

 59       .....WRITERS' Journal Market Report, by Laurie Graziano
            Writing is one of the most valuable talents a person can contribute to society. It gives you an opportunity to express your thoughts as well as those of others. Sometimes, you are able to put into words what another person cannot. But writing does not exist by itself. Words become the complement to other forms of expression....

                   Markets: BeadStyle Magazine, Body + Soul Magazine, Reason, OSV (Our Sunday Visitor), My Child Magazine, Bridal Guide, Texas Sporting Journal, Success From Home, Drive!.

Feature Articles

 13       .....Beating Procrastination, Part Three of Three, by Dennis E. Hensley
            Sink or Swim...It's All a Mind Game
            During Marine Corps boot camp, my son and the other trainees had to put on combat uniforms, backpacks, and full field gear and jump into a swimming pool in which the water was fifteen feet deep. This was phase one of a process to train them how to make a shore assault after being dropped from helicopters....

 15       .....Curriculum Writing and Beyond, by Nat Reed
            The New Frontier in Freelancing
            Taking a stroll through the Teachers' Resource section of the local bookstore can be a pleasantly overwhelming experience. A practical, hands-on, idea-enriched curriculum has enjoyed a veritable explosion of interest during the past few years....

  19       .....Ten Workshop Mistakes, by John Fox
           How Well Do You Workshop?
           Feedback from a group of writers is essential, but some activities sabotage the efficiency of a workshop. These ten mistakes can identify a bad workshop or improve your workshopping skills. By avoiding the activities on this list, you will give better feedback, elevate the quality of your workshop, and increase your potential for networking....

 22       .....What to Do When the Writing Motivation Waivers, by Susan Miles
            Quick Fixes for the Writing Slumps
            We've all experienced it: Your writing is churning along happily, you are a fountain of ideas, steadily turning them into proposals, outlines, and submissions. But then you hit a wall. The idea of sitting at our computer is unappealing; if you do, you end up surfing the Net rather than writing. Themes and stories seem elusive, and the only thing staring back at you is a blank page or screen. At times like this you look at your clip file not with a feeling of "Whoa! I did that!" but rather "How did I do that?"....

 23       .....Network Your Way to a Freelance Career, by Candice Vetter
            Making Contacts Count
            Businesses spend millions of dollars every year trying to discover  what their customers want. They hire market research companies, dig through public information files, conduct client surveys, and go to great lengths to obtain customer feedback....

 41       .....Take Care of "The Little Nails," by Tatiana Claudy
            How to Avoid Common Mistakes in Your Writing
            What do King Richard III of England and a writer have in common? During a battle the king's horse lost one nail from its horseshoe. In vain cried the king, "A horse! A horse! my kingdom for a horse!" (William Shakespeare). the enemies defeated his army, and as a result the king lost his kingdom. When a writer neglects "little nails"—details—such as checking names of people, he may lose readers as a result. It may also cost him assignments, because editors will evaluate his writing for accuracy....

42        .....Writers' Notebook
           Fait Accompli?, by J. Wallace
           The Internet for Writers, by Robin Sellers

 44       .....The Charm of Haiku, by Donna Musser 
            A Teacher's View of Haiku Poetry
            In more than thirty years of teaching, I never found a subject more universally disliked than poetry. My students came to class with a prejudice against all forms of poetry . It seemed almost inbred in the seventh graders and even more deeply ingrained by the ninth grade. For several years I force-fed poetry. then I remembered a camp counselor who had introduced me to haiku, and I began to use haiku as an introduction to the poetry unit. Almost miraculously, students clamored for more haiku, and it didn't take long to transfer that excitement to other forms of poetry!..

 46       .....Writing Book Reviews, by James Patterson
            Qualifications Improve Chances of Assignments
            Freelancers often try book reviewing to enhance their portfolios while earning a few dollars. A review in a national newspaper of magazine will tell prospective editors that you are a recognized authority on your subject....

Travel Writing Contest

25        .....Isle Royale National Park—Wilderness, Wolves, and Wildflowers, 
                     by Kathy Paulson
            First Prize Winner of November 2005 Travel Writing Contest

28        .....A Landmark Christmas, by Courtney L. Mroch
            Second Prize Winner of November 2005 Travel Writing Contest

29        .....Merano—A Break from the Usual Italian Tour, by Susan D. Harper
            Third Prize Winner of November 2005 Travel Writing Contest

Fiction

38        .....Weighing In, by Kathe Gogolewski
            Honorable Mention Winner of 2005 Fiction Contest

36        .....Only Anemia, by Kathy Arrington
            Honorable Mention Winner of 2005 Horror/Ghost Contest

December 20, 2005 Write to Win! Winner

38        ....."Portrait of Julie"—"The paint wasn't even dry...," by Diane Meholick

Poetry

 48       .....Every Day With Poetry, by Esther M. Leiper
            "Of Bugs and Bolts"
            If I asked you what a poem is made of, you might tilt your head skyward and sigh, "Sunlight and starlight, feelings and philosophies, rainbows and roses—and some rich compost to make those roses bloom."...

 53       .....Esther Comments On..., by Esther M. Leiper
            "Remembrance" and "In My Garden"
            Within eighteen lines of evocative free verse, David Napolin captures a remembered mood—and, we presume, a remembered love—whose presence remains in his mind's eye, though now snow falls and the woman is far away. At first, the falling snow "hurries down" and tree branches rebel and "claw the white air." This is not peaceful imagery, especially when contrasted with the memory of the woman standing below a hanging vine and beside a warm peach tree....