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WRITERS' Journal

Table of Contents
July/August 2008
Volume 29, Number 4

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

     In her book, WIN! Poetry Contests, Esther Leiper-Estabrooks titled a chapter “Title: Vital.” She explains that “The title strengthens or trivializes what follows.” Of course, Esther is writing about choosing a title for a poem, but the same can be applied to choosing the title for a work of fiction. On page 16, Anna Clark will guide you as you consider naming your next piece.

     Most authors learn that the more publicity you can generate for your book, the more sales you will accumulate. Alice B. Acheson is an experienced publicist who visited with Susan Wingate and explained the role a publicist can play in the life of a writer. See page 22 for the interview.

     Once a writer determines the need for an agent, the querying process begins. On page 41, Anthony Policastro offers his advice on how to best contact agents.

     Three wonderful stories can be found in the fiction section, and Esther comments in her column on the three prize winning poems from the December contest.

     The Write to Win! grand prize-winning story “Origins” offers a morality lesson. The first prize winner of the 2008 Fiction contest, “The Mourners,” uses detailed descriptions to create a setting, humor and dialect in its depiction of characters, and an interesting storyline to keep the reader turning the pages. The second prize winner captures the imagination of the reader with a story about angels. We didn’t have space for the third prize winner in this issue, but we will publish it in the future. Congratulations to all the winners for challenging the judges and providing good stories for our readers.

Leon Ogroske, editor

Columns

  4       .....Readers' P.O.V.

  5       .....Massaging the Muse, Lynne Pisano
           Join the Club

  6       .....Marketing Helps, Janet Elaine Smith
           How Alert Are You?

  7       .....Vocabulary Review, Carolyn Howard-Johnson
           Alliteration

  8       .....Effective Screenwriting, by Christina Hamlett
           Getting to Hollywood via Your Keyboard
           As recently as a decade ago, the idea of new screenwriters being able to access Hollywood producers without actually living in a Los Angeles zip code wasn't taken seriously. To many of the "old school" industry professionals, the belief still holds that only through relocation to Southern California can the merit of one's work truly be proven....

 11      .....Computer Business, by Angela Render
           Using Interactive Media on the Web—Part 5
           The primary reason authors need a Web presence is to get in touch with their target audiences. If you're starting out, this may mean identifying your audience first. Ultimately, it means establishing a dialogue with your readers, so that you can better understand their wants and needs and cater to them. Nurturing your fan base means you have eyeballs eager to purchase and read your next book, which leads to happy editors and publishers, bigger advances, larger print runs and—dare I say it?—best-seller status.....

 13      .....Photography Techniques, by Ronald D. Kness
          What Makes a Good Photo?
           When you look at some photographs, they grab your eye. Why do those photographs grab your attention when others did not? We will answer that question by discussing the five elements contained in every good photograph. So let's get started....

 58      .....For Beginners Only, by Elaine L. Schulte
           An Exceptional Encourager
          The best writing teacher I ever had was Zola Helen Ross, who taught "Advanced Fiction Writing" at an adult trade school in Kirkland, Washington. Plainspoken, whiskey-voiced, and a hallway smoker, she was a perfect fit for a trade school, although a fiction-writing course seemed misplaced among the welding and woodworking classes taught there....

 59      .....Words...Tools of Our Trade, by Betty Garton Ulrich
           A Story Is More Than a Series of Incidents
           What's the difference between an incident—or series of incidents—and a story? Simply stated, and incident is just a happening. A story is an incident or, more probably, a series of incidents with a theme that ties them together and makes some kind of meaningful statement about life, about people—or both....

 60       .....WRITERS' Journal Market Report, by Laurie Graziano
            July/August 2008 Market Report Plus, Mike Weber of Exotic Cars Magazine
            In 1885, German engineer Gottlieb Daimler patented one of the first internal combustion engines. By 1886, German engineer Karl Benz created the world's first car. Eventually, these two pioneers would merge into Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and by 1926 become known as Daimler-Benz—later forming Daimler-Chrysler....

                   Markets: Exotic Cars Magazine, Inked, Heal, New Jersey Home & Style, Bits & Pieces, Musician's Guide, The Catholic Answer, Yankee Magazine, Spirituality & Health.

Feature Articles

 16       .....Let's Get It Started, by Anna Clark
            Choosing a Title
            Why do so many writers stink at titles? It seems that many titles aren't chosen so much as they are a point of retreat. While simplicity is not an inherent evil in the art of titling, copping-out is. It's as if we've spent so much time on our stories or novels or poems that we haven't got a drop of inspiration left for the title brainstorming. This is unfortunate because failure to use a good title equates into passing on the opportunity to fill out stories, to amp up the reader's experience of the text, or even to have our stories read at all. We can do better....

 22       .....One Woman's Impact, by Susan Wingate
            The Role of a Publicist in a Writer's Career—An Interview with Alice B. Acheson
            Alice B. Acheson received her B.A. in English from Bucknell University and her M. A. in Spanish (with a minor in French) from the City College of New York. Ms. Acheson has spent the last thirty-five years of her life working in the book industry. She began her publishing career at McGraw-Hill as an editor; after six years she crossed over into the role of publicist and remained at McGraw-Hill for two more years. Acheson then moved on to Simon & Schuster as associate publicity director and finally ended her corporate career at Crown Publishing....

 41       .....E-mail or Snail Mail an Agent, by Anthony S. Policastro
            The Best Way to Query
             Okay, after several months or years of hard work, your novel is complete. You've proofread it several times; your spouse, relatives, friends, and maybe some professionals in the writing business have read it, and they all agree it's ready for publication. You've written your professional query letter, a synopsis, and a short biography. You are now ready to find an agent to represent your work.

 42       .....Writers' Notebook
           And editors think writers are confusing..., by Betty Wilson Beamguard
           What type of writing pays the best?, by Rob Loughran
           books on line, by Joseph Farris

44       .....Never Answer a Question, by Laurence MacNaughton
           Five Keys to Dramatic Dialogue
           You have a brilliant idea for a story, with compelling characters that have taken such a hold on your imagination that they seem to come alive. You can't wait to get them talking. But when they open their mouths, the words just fall flat on the page. How do you write dialogue that brings your story and characters to life?....

 46       .....Mining for Ideas, by Laverne Daley
           Ideas Are Everywhere for Salable Articles
           Aspiring writers often have one burning question when they meet published writers: "Where do you get your ideas?" The answer, of course, is "everywhere"; but those hopeful writers always seem a tad disappointed with that response. It's almost as if they think there is some secret cache of ideas somewhere that established writers dip into whenever they want to write an article....

Poetry

 48       .....Every Day With Poetry, by Esther M. Leiper-Estabrooks
            So, You Want to Do a Picture Book?
            "Show, don't tell!" Haven't you heard those words so often you could yell, "I'm am  ready!"? Yet, "showing" a reader does not have to be done with words alone, I like to show by combining words and pictures; thus, I've worked hard to establish credentials in both disciplines via giving readings, lectures, exhibitions, plus publication....

 54       .....Esther Comments On..., by Esther M. Leiper-Estabrooks
            The Winners—December 2007 Poetry Contest
            One tends to pick as favorite poems—and in this instance, to select as winning poems—pieces with which one identifies. This is true for the three top winners of the December 30, 2007, contest. First, some backstory to orient you to my choice of First and Second Place entries. (I identify with the Third Place poem, as well, though from a later time period in my life.)...