WRITERS' Journal

Table of Contents
January/February 2005
Volume 26, Number 1

Columns

  2        .....Editor's Note

  4        .....Readers' P.O.V.

  6        .....Marketing Helps, Janet Elaine Smith
            What It's Really All About

  7        .....Massaging the Muse, Lynne Pisano
            Operation Revision

  8        .....Effective Screenwriting, by Jerry McGuire
           Scene Descriptions
            Let's assume that you have written a one- or two-page synopsis and script treatment of your screenplay, in which special U.S. undercover agent Jack Snow is in London to obtain vital information from a wealthy, retired former KBG spy. A director is itching to read the script. This means that he or she has some idea of the overall story.

 10       .....Photography Techniques, by Ronald D. Kness
           Take the Weekend Off and Work
            The title is misleading in that, most of the time, shooting photos is not work; but if you are making money at it, it qualifies as work. In this article, we want to talk about different self-assignments you can shoot in a weekend.

12       .....Computer Business, by Robert Anthony
           Wireless Options
            Remember when "getting wired," "going online," "getting connected" was the latest and greatest way to deliver your writing to waiting and wanting editors around the globe? Those were the good old days, weren't they? And now yore online with dial-up, cable, or DSL (or should be, if you've been reading this column these last three years), flitting your intellectual property hither-tither by bouncing electrons over the Net at the flick of your index finger. But what if you're like me, a country boy—resident of the Midwestern rural wilds—and can't access an online connection?

51        .....Essay Writing Contests, by Dorothy J. Geiger
            January/February 2005
            Our mailbox contains an increasing number of letters from readers informing us that they now have an organized plan for focusing on and submitting entries. Also, they are digging up their rough drafts, family stories, memories, and tweaking them to meet the criteria of our listings.

60        .....For Beginners Only, by Marge Jasberger
            Think Before You Write—Business and Social Ramifications of Your Work
            Publishers want to entice new advertisers and keep the sponsors they already have. There is a fine line between attracting and alienating your editors. In today's economic climate, you might want to reevaluate your submissions. Because of supply and demand, periodicals quickly go in and out of circulation. Your small change of perspective could make the difference.

61        .....Words...Tools of Our Trade, by Betty Garton Ulrich
            It's about Lighting the Blessed Fire
           In my varied reading lately, I came across two quotes that, tied together, can give writers something to chew on. One was from Thomas Carlyle, the essayist whose life spanned the last years of the 18th century and well into the 19th. He once said, "Blessed is he who has found his work; let him ask no other blessedness."

62       .....WRITERS' Journal Market Report, by Laurie Graziano
            "Use your imagination." When was the last time you heard this phrase? Probably as a side remark when someone told you a funny or horrific story. But could you do it? Could you truly imagine past the words already spoken?
                    Markets: Scrapbooking & Beyond, Inside Triathlon, P.S. Greetings, Luxury Living, Robb Report Home Entertainment, Universal Designs, USA Today Sports Weekly, Ski Racing Magazine.

Feature Articles

14        .....Success in Writing: Pick Your Path, by Dominic F. Martia
            To Succeed as a Writer, Define Your Terms
            Among a plethora of definitions of success, we find everything from the debased to the sublime. One anonymous cynic, for example, says it's "the degree to which other people envy you." At the other extreme is the Latin proverb that defines success as "the end that crowns the work."

15        .....Impressing the Press, by Jeff Crilley
            Insider Shares Secrets for Getting Book Buzz
            You've spent countless hours writing the book—but the media won't even read your press release. It's a common problem. But as a veteran TV reporter, I have a scoop for you. Getting booked to talk about your book on TV doesn't have to be a s difficult as some authors make it. Here are five steps to becoming a guest that even some PR pros don't know:

16        .....The Benefits of Becoming the "Go-to Person," by Dennis E. Hensley
           Be Available to Do More
            Editors have a "stable" of writers whom they know they can call on in a pinch for specific writing jobs. For example, not long ago I got an e-mail from the editor of a quarterly devotional magazine. She told me that one of her writers had the flu and would be bedridden for a week or more. She asked if I could step in and write six devotions on pre-determined topics and submit them via e-mail in 48 hours. I said yes. And I met her deadline. This was the sixth time during the past three years that she has contacted me with similar emergency assignments. I am her "go-to-guy" when she is backed against a deadline and has no one else to turn to.

19        .....The Ten-Minute Writer, by Annette Abma
            Too Little Time Is More Than Enough
            Finding time to write, especially if you're a stay-at-home parent or have another full- or part-time job, is often a writer's toughest assignment. Celeste Resche, a Wisconsin writer, agrees. "It's easy to get caught up in the daily demands of wearing many hats. Being a wife, mom, writer, author, active community member, and business owner—there is always something that needs my attention." Yet...

21        .....There's Still Gold in Them Hills, by Connie Kutac
            Slant Is the Magic Word
            I hadn't been writing very long when I hit upon the bright idea of writing travel articles. That way, I thought, I could combine my vocation, writing, with my favorite avocation, visiting ghost towns, old mines, frontier forts, etc.

22        .....The Query Letter, by Tom Jenkins
            Be Brief, Be Bright, Be Gone
            A one-page query letter is the first step in selling your article to a magazine or newspaper. 

41        .....Rejection or Refusal, by Jil McIntosh
            Accentuate the Positive!
            Recently I received a call from a friend. She'd written an article and believed that it was a sure-fire winner (as we all do about our work, of course). She sent it off to one magazine, then another and another. Naturally, with each rejection letter, she became more and more depressed. By the eighth one, she was just about ready to give up writing completely. 

42        .....Writing On-Site, by Belinda Anderson
            Forming Fiction on the Spot
            I was minding my own business, scribbling away in my  little notebook, perched at the top of the grandstand at the State Fair of West Virginia. 

42        .....Writers' Notebook
            Cartoon, by Dominic Procopio
            Favorites: www.tinyurl.com , www.grammarnow.com , www.vocabulary.com
            When Authors Visit Schools, Everyone Can Benefit, by Linda F. Radke
            Painter's Swatches, by Lisa McManus Lange

45        .....The Public Face of Writing, by Garrett Chaffin-Quiray
            Literary Readings to Find Your Audience
            You've written a book, short story, poem, or investigative report. Should you approach a magazine, newspaper, literary agent, or publishing house? Or is there another method for reaching your ideal audience?

46        .....Keeping the Author Out of the Story, by Rekha Ambardar
            Let Your Characters Do the Telling
            What's a family reunion? To Johnny, aged nine, it means barbecued brats, chicken, juicy hamburgers, ice cream. But it also means putting up with Aunty Eunice who fusses over him, pinches his cheek, and tells him how big he's grown. And Uncle Henry, who wants to arm wrestle.

Fiction

July 2004 Romance Winners:

27        .....A Potential Hero, by Robbi Hess
            First Prize Winner of 2004 Romance Contest

28        .....The Ring, by Vicki Pitts Caine
            Second Prize Winner of 2004 Romance Contest

30        .....Whirlwind Romance, by Daisy Bailey
            Third Prize Winner of 2004 Romance Contest

More Fiction

32        .....A Perfect Sand Dollar, by Ken Wallin
            Honorable Mention Winner of 2004 Fiction Contest

36        .....George and Gladys, by Janice Wilson Gorow
            Honorable Mention Winner of 2004 Horror/Ghost Contest

August 20, 2004 Write to Win! Winner

38        ....."Grave Dancing"—Cars were still going by...," by MK Mancos

Poetry

52        .....Every Day With Poetry, by Esther M. Leiper
            "Inspiration: Can You Trust It? Perspiration: Does It Work?"
            Poetry is like a spark in the dark. When lines are set on paper, they gain the power to light mind-corners and scary places; they help writer and reader alike to decipher feelings kept hidden beneath the surface projected to lovers, family, or friends. Poetry holds power to both shake and shape our thinking; it can grab attention with delight, disgust, pity, or any strong emotion. Our own lines may startle us writers, even though—or perhaps because—they come from deep, murky areas of self.

57        .....Esther Comments On..., by Esther M. Leiper
            "D52" and "Shudders"
            Simon Perchik, the author of "D52," has a stellar reputation with a quota of endorsements from poets including Charles Olsen, James Tate, and David Ignatow.
                "Shudders," by Curt Rogers, has interesting parallels with "D52," as it, too, contains eighteen lines of verse, is studded with imagery, and is difficult to paraphrase.