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WRITERS' Journal

Table of Contents
January/February 2006
Volume 27, Number 1

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

A big personal "Thank You" to Ron Kness for his encouraging information about using a digital camera. Our family got one not too long ago and we still haven’t figured out all the bells and whistles that it has to offer. At the close of his column he tell us to "shoot lots of images." I must agree with Ron in that frequent use of a digital camera will make a person much more comfortable with it and all it offers to writers as an important tool.

Dennis Hensley begins his three-part commentary on procrastination—something I am sure most of us are guilty of at one time or another. His treatment is straightforward, and at times humorous.

Humor writing can be a tough business. Lois Corcoran in "Humor Happens" guides readers through some of the hurdles the genre presents. Writers are introduced to some greeting card markets with a bonus sidebar.

Most winning contest entries are stories that include dialogue. Dialogue is the all-important ingredient in fiction that helps the reader form a mental picture of the characters in a story. "Get Into Character" on page 22 will help writers determine what character attributes can be readily portrayed by good revealing dialogue. Most writers will agree that well-crafted dialogue can bring a mediocre character to life.

"To Kill a Goat" offers a special insight into what writers should be doing for others. Whether it is technical writing or a piece of fiction, the author is using words to influence and direct the reader. Don’t take this commitment lightly—people are counting on you.

The Write to Win winning story "Cha-Chindi" is a must read. Keith D. Gillis did a fantastic job of creating a believable character, using good dialogue, and integrating suspense to hold the reader’s attention.

Our Romance Contest winning entries are well-crafted stories incorporating all the aspects of good romance writing. I hope they will give you a reason to snuggle up with a blanket, a warm beverage, and later, that significant other.

Columns

  4       .....Marketing Helps, by Janet Elaine Smith
           Name That...Product?

  5       .....Massaging the Muse, by Lynne Pisano
           Fresh Starts   

  6       .....Effective Screenwriting, by Christina Hamlett
           The Name Game: Not Every Character Needs One

   9      .....Photography Techniques, by Ronald D. Kness
           Your First Digital Camera
            Converting from a film-based camera to a digital one can be quite a traumatic experience. In addition, the idea of downloading those images to a computer and using an image-editing program to finish the image just enhances the anxiety. But once you see the instant gratification of the ability to review an image right after taking it, you will soon warm up to digital technology. Applying the following tips and techniques will help you and your new digital camera become the best of friends....

 11      .....Computer Business, by Colin G. West
           Using Microsoft Word, Part Five—Help for the Bewildered Writer
           In Part One of this series I detailed various ways to produce accented letters using Microsoft Word in your PC. Well, here is yet another way—this time using ALT plus four numbers. This works only if you use the numbers on the Number Pad. The Number Pad is on the right side of the Keyboard and is normally used for calculations.

 48      .....Creativity Contests, by Dorothy J. Geiger
           January/February 2006
           At this time of year, more so than any other, we experience family traditions, and so January is an ideal month for recording and submitting these thoughts. To help you focus on this we have listed below some markets for your submissions....

 58       .....For Beginners Only, by Marilyn D. Anderson
            Pacing the Short Story—Focus on the Stuff That Matters
            Suppose a friend wanted to show you a video of a trip to London, You agreed to watch, but he used most of his film on J. F. K. Airport in New York city. You'd say, "But I wanted to se Big Ben and Buckingham Palace...."

 59       .....Words...Tools of Our Trade, by Betty Garton Ulrich
            Categories and How Not to Take Them Seriously
            On the internet, I get the British "Book2Book" Daily report. A lot of it is not pertinent to my interests, In fact, some of it is a mystery, because I am not an insider in British publishing matters. But often in The Guardian, one of Britain's leading newspapers, articles refer to writing or books....

 60       .....WRITERS' Journal Market Report, by Laurie Graziano
            Some may say it's the free flashlight accompanying a one-year paid subscription to Snow Goer that attracts so many readers. But I think it's something more. Perhaps its editor Tim Erickson's vision for the magazine. With a professional snowmobiling background and a degree in English, he combines his two loves into one great adventure—both living the dream and writing about what it's like to live the dream....

                   Markets: Snow Goer, Country Folk Magazine, Tongue Magazine, Absolute Marbella, Rider, RACK Magazine, MotorHome Magazine, ATV Sport Magazine, Trailer Life, Cruising Rider Magazine.

Feature Articles

 14       .....Beating Procrastination, Part One of Three, by Dennis E. Hensley
            Adopt and Adapt an Ad
            Do you sometimes find it hard to get started on your current writing project? Yeah, me too. Let me suggest that you try a gimmick I use: Rewrite your favorite advertising slogan as a personal motivator. Check out these examples:

 16       .....Humor Happens, by Lois Corcoran
            A Crash Course in Comedy Writing
            The world could use a dose of humor. If more people laughed at life's ups and downs, we'd see a lot less road rage, fewer terrorist attacks, and not so many Little League Moms....

 22       .....Get into Character, by Betty Wilson Beamguard
            Like Actors, Writers Get into Character
            To write believable dialogue, writers must get into character. In order to be able to speak for the people in our stories, we need to slide into their minds just as actors do with the characters they portray. Before writing dialogue, we should consider each character's age, socioeconomic level, beliefs, personality, education, and locale, as well as his emotional state.....

 41       .....Technical Writing ABCs, by Patrick M. Kennedy
            Scratching the Surface of the Craft
            Writers are now and then called upon to create technical documentation. This is a good source for additional income. The majority of writers can do it, for sure, but for those unsure, certain guidelines must be followed to create clear and practical documents....

42        .....Writers' Notebook
            Favorites: www.timeanddate.com , www.encyclopedia.com , www.wordcounter.com .
            How to Choose a Dictionary, Erin McKean, editor, The New Oxford American
            Dictionary

 44       .....Top Five To-Dos for Aspiring Authors, by Dehanna Bailee
            Tips for a Successful Publishing Experience
            So, you've decided to take the plunge and publish through a fee-based, print-on-demand publishing service. Congratulations on your decision—soon you'll be joining forces with hundreds of independent individuals just like yourself, willing to do whatever it takes to get their work out to the general masses. Before you jump headlong into the fray, however, please take a few moments to consider the following hints and ideas....

 45       .....To Kill a Goat, by Gary Eberle
            Modern Writers Have It Too Easy
            Writing today is too easy. Most of us just sit down, whack at the keyboard, click the mouse, and print out our words. It was not always so....

 47       .....Rights, Rights, and More Rights, by Gail E. B. Padilla
            Carefully Choose Which Rights to Sell
            Current law allows writers to choose what they do with their copyright. You may sell or give away all or some of your rights, or you may transfer them to another party....

Fiction

July 2005 Romance Contest Winners:

 27       .....Return to Burbon Creek, by Cassondra Leigh Givans
            First Prize Winner of 2005 Romance Contest

 28       .....Starting Over, by Janice Broyles
            Second Prize Winner of 2005 Romance Contest

 30       .....Passport to Adventure, by Ken Wallin
            Third Prize Winner of 2005 Romance Contest

More Fiction

 32       .....A Manor of Belief, by Nancy Colistro
            Honorable Mention Winner of 2004 Horror/Ghost Contest

 36       .....The Labor Day Weekend Show, by Ronald W. Tew
            Honorable Mention Winner of 2004 Short Story Contest

August 20, 2005 Write to Win! Winner

 38       ....."Cha-Chindi"—The sun was just coming over the...," by Keith D. Gillis

Poetry

 51       .....Every Day With Poetry, by Esther M. Leiper
            "Seasons of the Sea"
            A bumper sticker reads, "Life is a beach," while some cynic promptly changed the ea of beach to an i—a less cheerful assessment. But on a spring morning (though it will be winter before my words reach you), it is good to think of the land's margin, a place where the elements meet: earth and water, with air layered above, and fire arching high—the sun....

 55       .....Esther Comments On..., by Esther M. Leiper
            "Under the Firefly Sky" and "Brazen Angels"
            "Under the Firefly Sky" showed us a girl—grown to a woman—remembering a childhood companion and her impulse to protect him. "Brazen Angels" by Kyha J. Floyd also addresses our basic need for protection and intervention....