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WRITERS' Journal

Table of Contents
March/April 2010
Volume 31, Number 2

      .....Editor's Note

     Critique groups are essential to a developing writer. Obtaining constructive criticism that improves one’s writing not only helps a person write better, but it also informs the writer why particular skills will improve the writing. You can tell me that I need to use active voice and show me how, but knowing the why I should use active voice gives me the impetus to actually use it. Active voice is stronger, makes characters jump off the page, moves the action along at breakneck speed, and keeps the reader turning pages in anticipation. Now I know why I should use active voice, thanks to my critique group!

     On page 56, Leland Thoburn analyzes the critique group for writers who need to breathe new life into their work. Leland’s article is a great recipe for a critique group, but I would like to add one ingredient:  a leader. Sometimes a leader or teacher is required—especially when most members are beginners and participants are not advanced enough to correct mistakes of others. The leader doesn’t have to teach, per se, but should be knowledgeable enough to help other writers and to keep the group focused. You might say that a critique group is no better than its best member.

     Joining a group is probably the best advice I can give to contest entrants. Oftentimes, I read a contest entry that obviously was not read by any person other than the author. Unexplained events, lackluster characters, poor grammar, improper punctuation, and rambling, incomplete thoughts are just a few hallmarks of a story that never received constructive feedback.

     I thank Leland for an important policy statement: “Critique the writing, not the writer.” How you critique can be just as important as the critique itself. As Leland says, “Have fun.” It should be enjoyable to write and then to receive criticism that enables you to write better. Growing as a writer enables one to achieve more.

     On page 14, Ron Kness explains the techniques you should use when taking pictures you hope to submit to publications for magazine covers. Cover images are very use-specific because of most magazine cover layouts. Study previous magazine covers to understand how the positioning of mastheads and other wordage determines the center of focus and subject matter. We at WRITERS’ Journal are always interested in receiving photos for our covers from readers. Writing-related subject matter goes to the top of the list, so become as creative with your camera as you are with your pen and show us some of your best offerings.

Leon Ogroske, editor

Columns

 5       .....Massaging the Muse, Lynne Pisano
          Stop, Look, Listen

 6       .....Marketing Helps, Janet Elaine Smith
          Do We Dewey Decimal?

 7       .....Effective Screenwriting, by Christina Hamlett
          Funding Your Film
          "If you would like to know the value of money," wrote Benjamin Franklin, "go and try to borrow some." Never has this observation been more true than in trying to keep the arts afloat—especially filmmaking—in a rapidly sinking economy. Although the trades still tout star salaries in the millions and producers continue to spare no expense in bringing bold, splashy eye candy to the silver screen, the reality is that , if a script can't promise from the first page to recoup its investment at the box office, a rejection is easier to justify than a gamble....

11       .....Computer Business, by Angela Render
          Integrating Social Networking into Your Web Presence
           Social networking is a lovely buzz term that goes right along with Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, and Facebook. But what does all the buzz mean and, more important, what does it mean for you?...

13       .....Photography Techniques, by Ronald D. Kness
          From Pixels to Payment
           One question frequently asked by budding and advanced amateur photographers alike is "How do I get one of my photographs published on a magazine cover?" This is important to photographers for two reasons:...

56       .....For Beginners Only, by Leland Thoburn
           Should I Join a Critique Group
           "We are unable to use your work at this time." Editors are fond of those ten simple words. So what do they mean to you?...

59       .....Words...Tools of Our Trade, by Betty Garton Ulrich
           They May Look the Same but Aren't
           Words can be tricky, especially when they take on a similar appearance, leading you to believe that they probably have about the same meaning. But on second thought (if you even give it a second thought), you begin to realize that such words can be almost opposite in meaning....

60       .....WRITERS' Journal Market Report, by Laurie Graziano
            March/April 2010 Market Report Plus, Alison Stacy of Family Tree Magazine
            This issue's market report interview is with Allison Stacy, editor of Family Tree Magazine....

                   Markets: Family Tree Magazine, The Family Handyman, Reminisce, Garden Design Magazine, Southern Living, This Old House, EatingWell, Discover, Redbook, Smithsonian.

Feature Articles

16       .....Harry Whittington, by James Tipton
           King of the Paperbacks
           Long before computers and word processing, Harry Whittington was cranking out novels using only three fingers on his old manual typewriter. Slow and tedious? Undoubtedly. But nevertheless, from the mid-1940s to the mid-1960s, Whittington published more than 170 novels! He boasted, "Did it in twenty years without working hard" because "I loved what I was doing."...

20       .....Children's Writing Resources, by Donna M. McDine
           Essential Resources in Writing for Children
           You have finally decided to fulfill your heart's desire—writing for children. You've jumped in and have hit the ground running. The first step you took was an Internet search of "writing for children," but you came up with more than sixteen million hits. Wow! That's daunting. Where do you begin?...

22       .....Eureka!—The Idea Factory, by Anthony D. Fredericks
           Generating Ideas—Hundreds at a Time
           The first essential ingredient of any story, book, or article is the idea. But the question any writer is likely to ask is, where do I get my ideas? Let's face it—you've asked that question many times, and so have I!...

41       .....Staying Afloat as a Freelancer, by Gay Ingram
           Making It as a Freelancer Demands Versatility
           Becca Anderson spent the first half of her writing career punching a clock. She worked for a publishing house, advertising and public relations firms, and a corporate PR job for thirteen years. Then in 2000, she called it quits and became a freelance writer—only after actively planning and working toward that break for fifteen months....

43       .....Writers' Notebook
           Publishing Industry Veteran Shares Tips for Authors, by Chris Roerden
           Cartoon, by Tomasic

44       .....Completing the Assignment, by Peter Smolens
           Writing the Nonfiction Article
           Congratulations, you have been assigned to write an article. What next? After a few moments of satisfaction, fear begins to set in. Now it's put-up-or-shut-up time. You have convinced an editor that you can write the article; now you must complete the task. The next step is key....

Poetry

47       .....Every Day With Poetry, by Esther M. Leiper-Estabrooks
           Idir Dha Comhairle
           The title is a Gaelic phrase meaning "between two worlds." This earth (and beyond) is full of mysteries and marvels, forces and fancies, and varied magical beings—some whimsical, yet others, unexplained or frightening. Think of angels and demons, gravity and magnetism, quarks and neutrons—or do I mean neutrinos, which are too small to see or even imagine?...

52       .....Esther Comments On..., by Esther M. Leiper-Estabrooks
           The Winners, August 2009 Poetry Contest
            Judging a poetry contest is rather like watching a tree in autumn. Some leaves turn color early; some tint in bland mauves and pastels; others fall to the first rough wind. Yet always a few hang bright as beacons seeming lovelier as the remainder lose their grip. These leaves are the ones I treasure....