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01 December 2008
The Business of Writing The Writers' Ezine - T-Zero Xpandizine

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The Business of Writing

Darlene Duncan

That Nasty “M” Word

Editor's Note: In this article, author Darlene Duncan discusses how to market your self-published book. For information about deciding whether to self-publish, see her article, "The Benefits of Self-Publishing," in the December 2003 issue of T-zero.

You have books to sell! You knew when you decided to self-publish that you would be responsible for marketing your book. Now that you have boxes of books sitting around your house, that point is brought home with a vengeance.

You must learn marketing if you want your book to succeed. There are many books available on marketing non-fiction, most of which mention fiction but don’t offer a great deal of specifics. So it is up to the fiction author to modify the ideas presented and gear them toward whatever genre of fiction they write. The four books I currently have in my library on marketing and promoting are:

  • The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing by Tom & Marilyn Ross
  • The Self-Publishing Manual by Dan Poynter
  • Jump Start Your Book Sales by Marilyn & Tom Ross
  • Shameless Marketing for Brazen Hussies by Marilyn Ross 
Marketing Your Book Online
One marketing method that applies across the board is the Internet. If you don’t have a Web site, get one. Once you have a Web site, put its address on everything from business cards to letterhead to e-mails signatures. Although you can set one up at a free hosting site, buying your own domain name and paying to have it hosted isn’t that expensive.

You need to have a Web presence from which people can purchase your book. If you can’t afford to set yourself up to accept credit cards, get a Pay Pal account. While there are other companies offering services similar to Pay Pal, if you decide to use one of them, make sure they are reputable. Remember: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Marketing Your Book In Stores
Beyond the Web, in the brick-and-mortar world, you have to think outside the box. At a recent seminar on marketing and promotion, Dan Poynter said, “Bookstores are a lousy place to sell books.” Poynter is a recognized leader in the publishing industry and he recommends that authors tolerate bookstores, not pursue them. Defending his opinion, he says the three biggest disadvantages of bookstores are that they:
  • complain that the standard 40% discount isn’t enough
  • seldom pay on time
  • want to be able to return books regardless of their condition
Non-traditional markets, says Poynter, are a much better bet. The non-bookstore retail outlet will most likely be delighted with a 40% discount and probably wouldn’t think of returning unsold books. For non-bookstore retail outlets, consider the following discount schedule:
  • 1 to 2 books -- no discount
  • 3 to 199 books -- 40%
  • 200 to 499 books -- 50%
So what non-bookstore retail outlets should you target? That depends on many things. Let's start with the genre of your book.

Let’s say your book is a romance novel. Your main character is vacationing in your town. She stays at a local bed and breakfast and gets wined and dined at a local restaurant. Have a copy of your book in hand when you stop by these local hot spots and talk to the owner/manager. Explain to them how their business ties in with your story. Be prepared to leave a review copy, since it's likely they will want to read the book before they give you an answer about buying copies. Give them a week or so, then follow up.

A word here about “review copies” that will protect you from unethical individuals. Get a rubber stamp that says, “WOW! A review copy,” then use this stamp on the edge of the pages. It won’t prevent the book from being sold, but it can prevent a bookstore from returning it for credit. (This is another tidbit I picked up at the Poynter seminar.)

Back to the business of marketing. Let’s say that there are no local businesses that are directly mentioned in your story. However, the genre is still romance so what local businesses do you think of when you think romance? Perhaps your town has a candy shop that specializes in gourmet chocolates. Contact them. The local florist is another good possibility, and so is the candle shop down the road. Any store selling items that you think of in relation to romance is worth a try. The worst that can happen is they say, “No thanks.”

A common promotional method is to offer Chapter 1 for free. Visitors to your Web site should be able to read Chapter 1 or an excerpt from it. It’s relatively inexpensive to create a printout to give away to anyone who expresses interest in your book. Include an order form, online ordering information, and an author bio.

Look For Smaller Opportunities To Create Greater Exposure
You never know where your next marketing outlet may turn up, which is why the smallest details are worth a lot of attention.

Returning to the topic of marketing online, consider your e-mail signature—that short three- to four-line blurb that we often see at the bottom of e-mail messages. Define a default signature that your e-mail program will automatically put at the bottom of every message you send out. This signature should include your Web address and information on your book(s). Not only does this spread the word to the people you know, it also spreads the word to anyone that they forward your message to.

Another neat trick is to have a button made from your book cover. When people see it pinned to your coats and jackets, it's a great way to start a conversation on your favorite topic—your book.

Finally, always have your business cards with you. Minimally, your card should provide your postal mail address, e-mail address, Web site information, and phone number. If possible, include the cover of your book; if you have more than one book, include the titles of the others. Instead of paying a printer to design and print cards for you, design and print your own. Most office supply stores offer a variety of business card stock (plain and predesigned), and many word processing and small-business applications have features that help you set up the text for your card and then print it to your chosen card stock. This way, you can change your information whenever you want, are not stuck with 500 obsolete cards that you paid a lot of money for, and can print only what you need when you need it.

Look For Opportunities Everywhere
Some other ideas presented at the Poynter seminar include:
  • Look into the Literary Market Place for book clubs that deal in your genre. It also has information about awards that you might be able to win. Some cost nothing while others have entry fees. One of the big ones is Writer’s Digest International Self-Published Book Awards. The entry fee is $100 for the first book and $50 for each additional book.
  • International Literary Market Place provides information about foreign publishers to whom you can sell the foreign rights to your book.
  • Find a directory of catalogs. If your library doesn’t offer such a resource, go to www.catalogs.google.com, which lists 412 book catalogs. Most catalogs prefer to receive your submission six to nine months in advance of a book's release.
  • Tie your book to a holiday or special event. The example we’ve been working with is a romance novel, so let’s stick with that. For Valentine’s Day, offer your local newspaper a filler piece on Ten Romantic Things To Do In (name of your town). Instead of getting paid for the article, tell the editor that the only thing you ask is to include your name and book information at the bottom of the article. The paper gets an article they didn’t have to pay for and you get advertising you didn’t have to pay for.
  • If an article appears in your local paper about your book, write a letter to the editor about the article. Make sure you include your book information in your signature. Letters to the editor have a higher readership than ads—and they’re free.
  • Listen to the talk radio station in your area. If you think they might be interested in interviewing you, send them a review copy of your book.
  • Join writing and publishing organizations and network, network, network.
Open The Door To Independent Bookstores
Sure, Poynter says that you don't want to pursue bookstores, but that doesn't mean you should overlook them—particularly the independent booksellers. One of the most effective methods for getting a book into independent bookstores is the cold call. Most store owners are in the business because they love books and they’re usually willing to give you a chance.

Understand that some booksellers will want to carry your book on a consignment basis. In this case, you'll need to consider the potential sales and decide whether you’re willing to risk three to five books. You may or may not realize any money from such an arrangement. The books could be stolen from the store or simply be returned to you in unsaleable condition. Or they could sell quickly and the bookstore may contact you for more books. Since the other books sold, they might be willing to buy the books this time.

A Few Words About Advertising
In short: Do not pay for advertising. It’s a losing proposition.

Why? Let’s say you pay $100 for an ad that runs one time. If your book retails for $20, you must generate five sales from that ad to break even. Advertising salespeople will tell you that you need to run the ad many times so you can acquire a cumulative effect. However, if you run the ad five times for a total of $500, you will need to sell 25 books to break even. With all the free—or nearly free—marketing methods that we've covered here, it becomes very difficult to justify the cost of traditional advertising in the print media.

There are only two things limiting your marketing endeavors: your budget and your imagination. So stir up the gray matter and think of new and innovative ways to stretch your budget when marketing your book!


About The Author
Darlene Duncan is the author of Life Is Full Of Surprises, The Origin of Deanna Dorak, and Aneesha's Prophecy. Her Web site can be found at www.darleneduncan.com.

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Craft of Writing The Writers' Ezine - T-Zero Xpandizine

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Craft of Writing

Donna Sundblad

Trimming The Excess From Your Writing

"We'd like to publish your story." I hit the button and replayed the message. The voice on the tape announced the acceptance of my short story "Shelter in the Shadows." Penury Press planned to include it in their anthology, Who Died in Here. My inaugural break into print resulted from entering a contest. I proofread, edited, corrected, rewrote, and welcomed critiques from my writing peers before I submitted my manuscript.

This story originated in a scene from a writing exercise. The first draft weighed in at nearly 3,500 words. The allotted word count 2,500. The problem: How do you cut 1,000 words and keep your story in tact?

The steps put forth in this article will foster the skills you need to recognize weak verbs and various forms of redundancy. As examples, I use edited clips from this article. These freshly sliced selections highlight changes, point out reasons for the modifications, and emphasize the difference in word count.

Less Is More
Sharpen your focus. Look for what I call "lazy words." These weights slip in and bog down your pace. Not only do idle words add to your word count, they encourage the use of weak verbs. For instance, words like "suddenly" or "basically" are popular lazy words. Consider the phrase, "Suddenly, there was...". Notice the idle "there" and the weak, passive "was". These non-working words breed more of the same and generate a passive voice. Don't tell the reader that something suddenly occurred. Show it. Use short active sentences to add to the effect. "Suddenly, there was a light" tells us the story while "A light blinked on" helps us see the light.

A popular collection point for descriptive wordiness occurs at the beginning of a story or chapter. These first few sentences let us hook the reader. Setting the scene tempts us to dump a pile of eloquent vocabulary within a few paragraphs. Why use an overflow of descriptive terms? We want the reader to see what we see. Long-winded wordiness accomplishes the opposite. The overuse of adjectives and excess modifiers distract and bore readers. Hone your descriptions and sprinkle them throughout your action, and carefully consider your verb choice.

Selection of an active verb that compliments your subject will alleviate the need for superfluous verbiage. Check your use of adjectives and adverbs to see if you are trying to use them to describe your action rather than finding the right verb to do the job. This approach lets readers learn about their environment as they move through the pages.

Example
Original: "To my delight, the voice on the tape…" (8 words)
Revision: "The voice on the tape…" (5 words)

The focus in the first sentence is diluted. When I struck the words "to my delight", the tightened focus points to the voice on the answering machine, and the change reduced my word count by three.

Example
Original: "We'd like to publish your story." I'll never forget the thrill and surge of adrenaline. (15 words)
Revision: "We'd like to publish your story." (5 words)

This is purpose-driven editing. Grammatically, there is nothing wrong with the words I eliminated. They are factual, but the rush of adrenaline is unnecessary information within the context of this article. These irrelevant details stray from the focus of how to reduce your word count—the purpose of this piece. The fact that I replayed the message offers the feel of excitement and moves the story forward.

Weak Verbs
Craft your words to propel the reader into other times, lives, and worlds. Prudently conscripted verbs spur the direction of your story. Weak verbs such as "is," "was," "are," "had been," and "have been" tend to stagnate amid a collection of dormant verbiage. Readers stuck in such a quagmire skim the pages searching for the next interesting passage. Why? These verbs tend to tell us the story in a passive voice rather than involve us in the action. In the following examples, "are" and "is" breed more non-working words. Elimination of the verb and its baggage transforms the voice from passive to crisp and active.

Example
Original: Ask yourself if the details you are reading are moving the story forward. (13 words)
Revision: Do your details drive the story forward? (7 words)

Original: This is an often overlooked form of redundancy that lurks to hinder the flow. (14 words)
Revision 1: This overlooked form of redundancy lurks to hinder the flow. (10 words)
Revision 2: This overlooked form of redundancy hinders the flow. (8 words)

Revision 1 of our second example works adequately. "That" does nothing to push the sentence forward and neither does "often" as an expression of just how overlooked this form of redundancy is—"overlooked" is "overlooked," regardless of how often. In Revision 2, we cut another two words since it can be argued that "overlooking" implies that something is left behind to lurk; whether it is or not, it's the kind of elaborate phrasing that usually meets the Delete key when a writer has to cut a substantial amount of verbiage from a piece of writing.

Redundancy
Read your piece out loud. Watch for repeated points. There's no need to clog your text with information already provided. Do your details drive the story forward?

Example
Original: The first rough draft weighed in at approximately 3,500 words. (10 words)
Revision 1: The first draft weighed in at approximately 3,500 words. (9 words)
Revision 2: The first draft weighed in at nearly 3,500 words. (9 words)

A first draft is rough. The term "first rough draft" is redundant, which is why we cut it in Revision 1. While Revision 2 is the same number of words, compare the way the sentence flows with "nearly" instead of "approximately." With the quickness of the sentence, as established through shorter words, running into the word "approximately" is the reader's equivalent of hitting a speed bump at 45 miles per hour in their car.

Example
Original: Watch for things not worth mentioning. (6 words)
Revision 1: Watch for repeated points not worth mentioning. (7 words)
Revision 2: Watch for repeated points. (4 words)

Be sure to read and reread your revised work. When I replaced the ambiguous "things" with the more concise "repeated points" the words "not worth mentioning" became redundant. The editing process produces new opportunities for redundancy.

Example
Original: I expanded a scene I had written earlier in the week and within the week I finished the rough draft. (20 words)
Revision 1: I came up with my own idea as a result of a writing exercise. (14 words)
Revision 2: This story found its origin in a writing exercise. (9 words)
Revision 3: This story originated in a writing exercise. (6 words)

In the original example, the word "I" is used three times, the word "week" is used twice, and the focus is on when I wrote and how long it took. This sentence did not point the reader in the proper direction. Revision 1 is shorter, but the focus is on my idea and me. Plus, "my" and "own" say the same thing. This overlooked form of redundancy hinders the flow of our written words. Revision 2 is concise; I am out of the picture and the focus is on the story. Revision 3 thrusts us toward the need to reduce word count.

Example
Original: I hit the replay button to replay the message on the answering machine. (13 words)
Revision 1: I hit the button and replayed the message. (8 words)
Revision 2: I replayed the message. (4 words)

This redundancy—the same word repeated within the sentence or a nearby sentence—needs to be avoided. Revision 1 is shorter while still maintaining a narrative feel. The more severe edit in Revision 2 is another example of the kind of elaborative writing that often doesn't survive major edits. One useful tool to help eliminate repetition can be found at http://www.wordcounter.com.  This site lets you copy and paste your text into a window, provides a list of the top 25 words used and an exact count for each word.

Small Words Still Count
Size does not matter when it comes to word count. Small words used to connect our thoughts on paper add up quickly. The weak verb in the following sentence—"will"—flagged the need for revision. The editing process led to the elimination of some small, unnecessary words. In the final revision, I changed "edit" to "selections" to avoid redundancy.

Example
Original: These freshly sliced edits will highlight changes and point out why the modifications were necessary along with the difference in the word count. (23 words)

Revision 1: These freshly sliced edits highlight changes, point out the reasons behind the necessary modifications, and emphasize the difference in the word count. (22 words)

Revision 2: These freshly sliced selections highlight changes, point out reasons behind the necessary modifications, and emphasize the difference in the word count. (21 words)

Revision 3: These freshly sliced selections highlight changes, point out reasons for the modifications, and emphasize the difference in word count. (19 words)

In the previous example, note the effect that deleting two instances of "the" has on the sentence. "Necessary" was deemed redundant; if the modifications were made—and particularly so for this article—then they were "necessary." "Behind" was exchanged for the shorter "for", but not because there was anything grammatically wrong with the original word choice. Consider, though, the "visual break" that a shorter word provides in a sentence full of multi-syllabic words; then read the original and Revision 3. Do you notice how the latter seems to "read faster"?

How To Do It
Take another look at your writing.

1. Highlight every other sentence with alternating colors. This alerts your brain to a new sentence when the story seeks to absorb you during the editing process. Circle the weak verbs. Challenge yourself to eliminate them. Removing passive verbs also scratches the lazy words connected to them.

2. Keep your focus. What is your purpose? Read one sentence at a time. Are the words leading you where you want the reader to go, or have they taken you on a detour? Draw a line through the words that do not steer in the desired direction. Read through a printed copy of your manuscript to test the changes before you make them on your computer.

3. Underline your modifiers. This forces you to consider their necessity. When you eliminate weak verbs, your need for excess modifiers disappears.

4. Read your piece out loud. If it doesn't flow, ask yourself why. Have you repeated yourself in a different way? Used the same word? Are your adverbs or adjectives excessive and causing the pace to bog down? Make your needed modifications.

These four steps not only reduce word count but refine your work. Put into practice, they sculpt passive, wordy manuscripts into works of art ready for the submittal process.


About The Author
Donna Sundblad resides in Florida with her husband, Rick. She recently joined the fiction panel for T-Zero. Her credits include short stories published at Writer’s Hood, and Night Wind the Fiction Magazine. Articles on the craft of writing have appeared in T-Zero and are scheduled for the spring issue of The Rose and the Thorn. Her short mystery, "Shelter in the Shadows," was published in the anthology Who Died in Here by Penury Press. Donna can be reached at birdiesquill@yahoo.com.

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Fiction Short Story

by M.L. Bushman

Equal To The Sum Of Its Parts

"I thought I put you away," said the Writer as she sped down the freeway in her blue sedan.

"Now, baby, you know you can't do that." Ego ran a hand through his thick hair. "Without me, b you won't dream about the future. You know—the hardcover novels, the six figure advances, the movie deals. You wouldn't have the guts to think about it. I'm the one who knows you're better than mid-list, even though you don't want to listen." He tapped his broad chest. "It's all right here, baby. I make it happen."

The Writer stared at him. "You're way out of control."

A frightened expression swept his face. "You planning on having an accident? Watch where you're going!"

She eyeballed the road through the cracked windshield, then jerked the steering wheel to the left. Tires squealed as the old car veered back into the center lane.

"Both of you are dead without me," said a sultry voice behind them.

Ego turned to gaze at Self Esteem seated in the backseat. A smile lit his face. "Ah, there's my girl. Bring your snazzy self up here so I can get my arm around you."

She materialized to his left and he slipped his arm around her to pull her close. The Writer frowned when he planted a big kiss on Self Esteem's lips. He grew larger until she passionately responded to become his equal once more.

The Writer pressed the accelerator. "Get a room," she said under her breath.

A baby's cry erupted. She glanced at the rear view mirror. Doubt lay in the middle of the backseat, her delicate jaw quivering in her bid for attention.

Rapid-fire honking snapped the Writer's attention back to the highway. She yanked the steering wheel to the right and swerved across the white line into her own lane. Through a hazy window, she scowled at the driver of a red Chevy Camaro who flipped her the bird as he raced by on the left.

Ego wrinkled his nose in disgust. "And why is Doubt here? I think she needs a diaper."

"Maybe we need some checks and balances in our life," said the Writer. They zipped past a slow-moving station wagon as she lowered her window an inch. "You're right though, Doubt stinks."

"You're not feeding her again, are you?" asked Self Esteem indignantly. "Did you forget? She was so big once, she could hardly get in the car. She really stunk then."

Ego glanced at the Writer and nodded while Self Esteem continued. "I used to be so tiny, smaller than Doubt is now. And you kept poor Ego locked down like he was some kind of prisoner. Don't you remember? When Doubt was in charge, she let Fear run rampant." She frowned. "I hate Fear. I'm glad she's gone most of the time now."

Self Esteem glanced at the Writer. "You have to admit it's been a much better life now that I decide who's allowed to run free and who isn't."

Ego gave her the eye. "Ooooh, baby. I'm in love."

"Will you knock that off?" cried the Writer. "You two get any bigger and I'll have to get rid of you both."

"You can't do that." The deep, melodious voice of the Muse surprised her. Seated directly behind her, he smiled as he met her stare through the rear view mirror.

"You need Ego and Self Esteem," he said. "You won't even try to publish without them and then what good is every night we spend together? Sure, it's fun and you know I won't leave you, but you need them, too. They let you know you can do this. Besides, do you really want to go back to the way you were before they matured?"

Ego laughed out loud and slapped his knee. "You can't argue with that."

"No writer argues with their muse," said Self Esteem with a grin.

"Not this one anyway." The Writer tromped the accelerator. "I want to get published some day."

"Oh, you will," said Ego. "Not a doubt in my mind."

"Don't you think you should slow down?" asked Common Sense. Seated next to the Muse, she cradled the shrinking Doubt.

"Maybe you ought to listen to Common Sense." Ego twirled a lock of Self Esteem's hair in his fingers. "You're exceeding the speed limit, you know." He chuckled as he shrugged one shoulder. "Ah, what the heck. I know you can handle it."

"She can do anything," said Self Esteem.

"You two make Doubt disappear every time," said Common Sense, with a smile and wink at the handsome Muse.

A siren blared to life. The Writer glanced at the rear view mirror. Blue flashing lights knotted her stomach. The cry of an infant ricocheted through the car.

"That's just great," said Common Sense. "Now Fear is here. I told you to slow down."

"Would you shut up?" The Writer eased her car through traffic to the breakdown lane where she slowed to a stop. The patrol car parked behind her.

She frowned at the empty seats beside and behind her now. "Deserters," she muttered.

Dread churned her innards while she waited for the patrolman to advance through the blue clouds of smoke that chugged from the tailpipe of her car.

The Writer rolled down her window and attempted a smile. "Yes, Officer?"

"Driver's license and registration please."

After she handed him the required documentation, he glanced at her license and said, "Ma'am, I clocked you at eighty-five miles an hour. Mind telling me what you thought you were doing?"

The Writer sighed. "Just talking to myself, I guess."

Copyright © 2004 M.L. Bushman


About the Author
M.L. Bushman makes her home in Great Falls, Montana. She has just started work on her seventh novel, fourth in a series. Her credits include short stories and one nonfiction article. For a wealth of information of interest to writers, check out the writing links page of her website at http://www.mlbushman.com.

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Copyright 1998 - 2007, Writopia Inc. All Rights Reserved

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Fiction Short Story

by Louisa Howerow

Pre-Valentine's

Jake and Catherine spent most of January and February shoveling the driveway of their shared duplex.

"Valentine's Day. Two more days," said Catherine one morning. She was a large woman who could easily clean the driveway herself. The physical exertion, the steady bending and pushing, gave her pleasure. But, being generous by nature, she had not protested when her upstairs tenant came to help, understanding that he needed to be seen as useful.

"Never knew you to keep track," said Jake. He pulled down the flaps on his wool cap to cover his ears.

"Flowers. Chocolates." Catherine hesitated. "Ladies like that sort of thing."

"Which lady might that be?"

"Well, you're mooning over somebody. I've seen that look before."

"Mooning? Crazed. Dazed. I had a heart valve replaced, not a brain transplant. A near death experience. It changes one."

"You saw a white light—an operating room light." Catherine savagely scraped away at the snow, exposing the asphalt.

"I began to assess my life. Prioritize." He paused to blow his nose and pull his jacket zipper up to his chin. "A useful exercise."

"You know your trouble?"

"Shall I sweep the steps?"

"You need to act, not diddle daddle. Assert yourself. Take advantage of the season."

"Ah, yes. Take the bull by the horns. Strike while the iron is hot. Make hay while the sun shines. Stride up— "

Catherine laughed in spite of herself. "Do something useful. Shut the garden gate behind you."

"I'm not sure what she likes," said Jake.

"Have you asked her?"

"Come right out and say—what do you like, chocolates or flowers? Catherine, what would you do if you got flowers?"

"I'd think the sender was batty."

"Well, then." Little spurts of snow flew from Jake's broom and onto the evergreen shrubs he had helped Catherine plant last spring. "How long have we known each other?"

She took a deep breath and her body seemed to grow taller. "I bought the house in '94. You moved in '96. And you can do the math, Mr. Accountant."

He resumed his sweeping, she the shoveling. Neither spoke. They seemed to be in a hurry to finish, as if pressured by time.

It was Catherine who brought them out of their silence. "Let's call it a day."

Jake stretched out his hand and took the shovel from Catherine. He gave it a good tap with the broom. "Don't want snow puddles in the shed."

"I'm going to put a pot of tea on." Catherine stood back, admired her handiwork. "Would you like to join me in a cup of tea, Mr. McCarney?"

"I have a box of biscuits upstairs," said Jake. "Chocolate-coated. Shall I bring them?"

"Real butter in the biscuits? Real chocolate? And your heart?"

"For a special occasion. Real butter. Real chocolate."

"Pre-Valentine's." Catherine tapped Jake on the shoulder. "I'll see you in five, Mr. McCarney."

Copyright © 2004 Louisa Howerow


About the Author
Louisa's short stories have appeared in print and on-line journals, such as: E2K, Tryst, The Danforth Review, Drexel Online Journal, Room of One's Own and The Antigonish Review.

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Fiction Short Story

by John McDonnell

Unlocked

When Jimmy Fortunato walked in to the Mod Shoppe in 1965 to get his hair styled, the girl at the front desk said, "Who do you want to cut your hair?"

Jimmy looked down the line of stylists and saw one of them adjusting her pink miniskirt in front of a mirror. She had a Beatle haircut with brown bangs that came down to her eyebrows, green plastic hoop earrings, raccoon eye mascara, and white lipstick.

"Her," he said.

His heart was pounding as he sat down in her chair. He'd been going to the same barbershop since he was three years old, a place that smelled of talcum powder and wintergreen hair tonic, where big-bellied men came in to talk football and get their crewcuts trimmed. He was scared to try something new, but he wanted more out of life. He was in high school now, and he wanted to look hip, happening, stylish.

"So, what'll it be?" the girl said, scissors in hand. There was a sign on the mirror that said, "Candy".

"I want to look like George Harrison," Jimmy said.

"No problem." Jimmy closed his eyes and let Candy do her work. He drank in the sweet smell of her perfume, the sound of her bubblegum popping, the soft presence so close to him. It was the first time a girl had put her fingers in his hair. He awoke from his reverie to find that he did indeed have that British Invasion look. It would probably get him beat up at school, but he didn't care. He felt cool, on the edge, for the first time in his life.

That was the end of barbers for Jimmy. His father questioned his manhood, but Jimmy tuned him out. He was the only kid in his neighborhood with hair like that. He quit the football team and started guitar lessons. Wherever he was, he looked at his hair—in every mirror, every window, every shiny surface. He loved the way he looked.

In the 70s, Jimmy dressed in open-necked shirts and white shoes, and Candy trimmed his hair into an upswept disco cut. By now she was wearing a silver lame jumpsuit, and she had orange hair with blond—all the people he met looked like teenagers, and they had full, luxuriant hair, thick as the bristles on a paintbrush.

Now the shop was called Slash, and everyone was younger than him, except Candy. Candy had sensible hair these days, modest in length, and dyed a muted blonde. She wore peasant dresses that came to her ankles, and her body was thicker and softer than before. Jimmy still liked to close his eyes and dream when she cut his hair, but now the process ended much too soon.

Then one day Candy said, "There's not much for me to work with here."

She turned his chair so that he was facing the mirror, and she held up another mirror behind him. Under the bright lights, Jimmy could see the patch of bare skin on top of his head. It was like looking at someone else's head, maybe one of those guys from the neighborhood so many years ago, the guys who looked at Playboys in the barbershop and told dirty jokes. Jimmy couldn't understand how it happened. Once he looked like Beatle George; but now he looked like someone screaming,

"Great deals on pre-owned vehicles!" on late night TV.

"How about I shave it off?" Candy said. "I could shave you clean in a few minutes. It's easy to take care of, and it looks good for men like you who are losing their hair."

She was right, of course. It was the right solution. And it would look better than the desperate swirling windmill his hair had become these last few years.

He sighed, and then agreed. She got out an electric razor, switched it on, and amid its high-pitched whine, he saw his precious hair falling on his lap. He felt a pang of grief as she lathered his head up and used a straight razor to get rid of the stubble. When she was finished, she turned him around toward the mirror and said, "There. That's better, isn't it? And you know what? You don't really need me to do this anymore. You can do it at home yourself."

He looked at the bald man staring back at him, and the middle-aged woman with lines around the corners of her eyes, and he felt the walls of his life crashing down around him. His throat swelled, and he stifled a sob. It had all been so wonderful, and he couldn't let go.

"You know, I've been coming here for a long, long time," he said. "And I don't know your last name. Do you think we could talk for awhile? Have you had lunch? I'd love to take you to lunch."

Copyright © 2004 John McDonnell


About the Author
John McDonnell is a freelance writer living outside of Philadelphia with his wife and four children. He has been published in many online magazines, including Aoife's Kiss, The Harrow, The Writer's Hood, and Biff's Boards. This story was inspired by the realization that John has been going to the same female hair cutter for 15 years.

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Fiction Short Story

by Kavitha Punniyamurthi

The Welcome

He walked on. He leapt over the ditch, onto a small pile of leaves. Unmindful of the dried mud and leaves that clung to his body, he walked on. Through the dark and silent night listening to the muffled sounds of his own footfalls and the rustling of leaves beneath his feet, he walked on. Carefully, sidestepping the bigger mud puddles and the slippery moss covered rocks, he walked on. He paused to look at the tree that had fallen across his path—a victim of the storm that raged last night. His head brushed the huge branches sprawled on the ground, sending down a shower of raindrops.

Sniffing the night air, rapturously breathing in the scent of fresh rain on earth, he walked on. He jumped over the culvert that drained the rainwater stagnant on the tar road. He shook himself a little, trying to rid himself of the dirt that stuck to his hair.

He walked on, down the tar road half-eaten by the rain. Mounds of gravel washed away by the water’s impact had collected by the side of the road. He looked up once at the huge black expanse with its sprinkling of stars twinkling ostentatiously like sequins on a woman’s black evening gown. The moon crouched, faintly visible behind the black clouds.

The entire stretch was lined with street-lamps, all of which were broken but for one at the far end of the road. He squinted, trying to make out the dim figures in the hazy yellow light shed by the lamp.

Occasionally, he glanced at the yellow patch in the distance from under his shaggy eyebrows as if to ascertain his proximity to his destination. As the circle of the lamp’s light grew brighter, he quickened his steps, hastening towards the end. A light drizzle began to fall as he reached the lamp post. The light showed the dirty little hovel that stood some distance down the side of the road. The wafts of hot tea drew his attention to the dark outlines of men huddled round a small wooden table, their hands cupped around tea-warmed clay mugs. The smell of food. The faint rumbling of his stomach. He hadn’t eaten since morning.

The light of the street lamp was now behind him. The drizzle was steadier than a while ago and the raindrops became fuller and heavier. He shook himself again and moved to stand under the tree.

Deep in the shadows, he stood waiting. He turned his head to look down the road—the direction from which he’d walked tonight, just like he had done the night before and the one before that—just like he had every night of his life, to wait under the tree.

The rainwater ran in rivulets from the raised surface of the tar road to where, cold and hungry, he stood waiting. The rain came down faster and, through the sheets of rain, he strained to catch a glimpse of the man for whom he waited.

The dark clouds had completely veiled the moon’s face. In the pitch darkness that enveloped him, he stood waiting. With an earnest impatience, counting the minutes that crawled by, he stood waiting. The rain seemed to slow down a bit and he finally saw the familiar figure in the distance, moving slowly towards where he stood waiting.

The frail little figure carried a shapeless brown sack over one shoulder. The left hand held in place a big plastic cover, covering his rags—a makeshift protection against the rain. As he bounded from the shadows, the figure stopped. In recognition the old, tired face became wreathed in a toothless grin—emphasizing its countless wrinkles and wiping out all signs of weariness.

He joyfully leaped up at the old ragpicker, barking his welcome, wagging his long bushy tail excitedly and pawing his master eagerly. He quieted down a bit to receive the fond pats and have his ears lovingly fondled. He then trotted back home by his master’s side, like a bodyguard escorting a royal personage, like any devotedly attached pet dog.

Copyright © 2004 Kavitha Punniyamurthi


About the Author
Kavitha Punniyamurthiis, a 20-year-old writer based in India, is in her third year in Computer Science and Engineering. She moved from New Delhi to Chennai ten years ago. Kavitha has been writing since the age of 9 and has had her articles published in Indian magazines for children. Apart from writing poems, essays and short stories, she enjoys reading, sketching and painting.

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Poetics Presents

Christine Bloom

Christine Bloom is a special educator and mother of two who resides in La Verne, California with her husband. She has been active in the Writers' Village University program for the past two years through the advanced poetry classes. She is a member of the senior poetry workshop. Christine holds a master's degree in the education of learning handicapped children, a counseling credential and several other teaching credentials. Her undergraduate degrees are in history and in English.

Summertime on Market Street

Two little girls skip down the street skirting
the lumps of tar that have dripped from the roofs
in the summer heat. One springs to a sudden stop
that tumbles them into a giggling flop.

Their search for a new coloring book has brought
them to the corner where the A& P sign flashes
and the door opens and closes to release the cool
air conditioning inside, as advertised on the window.

The little girls untie the corner of a flowered hanky.
to count coins, decide they need to search for more.
Like Indian scouts, they survey the sidewalk for loose change,
slowly, round the corner to view a treasure lying in a grate.

Plump arms squish through the grate while
knees are scraped and pretty pinafores are soiled.
The trove lies just a few inches below their reach,
pretty lips pout and then the girls eye a branch.

One secures the stick while the other grabs
a lump of sticky tar in her sweaty fingers.
Smoosh, the tar goes on the end of the twig
and they are back on their knees, hot and hopeful.

The hunt is on for pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters.
The skinny one tries this time with a sure aim
and dangles almost upside down as she
fishes down to the bottom, adheres a prize.

Slowly, she draws her skewer up to the top of the grate
as the plumper one chuckles and cheers.
Three more times and then they are done,
two pennies and a quarter added to their stash.

The little girls skip down the street,
passing the hanky wallet between them,
by-pass Kresge's five and dime
head down to the opposite corner.

Count out their change and buy
Two icy-cold, cherry snow cones.

Copyright ©2004 by Christine Bloom



In a House that Children Love

The grandfather clock ticks in the long hall.
And the wood floor still creaks in that worn spot,
where the children love to sock slide and fall.

The walls echo with the laughter and calls
of small girls playing house with tiny pots.
And the great clock ticks in the long hall

Here the tabby kitten bounces her jack's ball
off the walls until it rolls to a slow stop
where the children love to sock slide and fall.

In that corner the baby learns to crawl
to the piano bench, pulling to a stand,
while the grandfather clock ticks in the long hall.

Standing by the doorframe the boys stretch tall,
as dad marks their growth with push pins,
near where the children sock slide and fall.

Through the house runs the dog with a doll
in his mouth, as screaming girls chase him,
and the great clock ticks in the long hall
where the children love to sock slide and fall.

Copyright ©2004 by Christine Bloom



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Drabble Corner

Michelle Swisz

Our Drabble for the month of February is, appropriately or not, on the topic of Romantic Complications.

Lust at the East Side Diner
by Shelly Sinton

His sexy eyes narrowed and a wanting grin spread across his face as he watched me sink my teeth into a succulent, sauerkraut-sopping Reuben sandwich. The blushing waitress said, "You two sure seem hungry for the same thing." Laughing, we chimed, "You aren’t kidding." Coveting his touch, I sighed as he bit into a perfectly crisp French fry. Mesmerized by his hungry stare, I slowly licked my fingers, knowing that he would soon voice his manly desires. He leaned forward. I anticipated his lips. And then he asked, "You aren’t going to eat all of that, are ya?"

You may have heard of invisible illnesses—I mean those conditions people have that are not apparent at all from casual appearances. When someone's got crutches or a cane or wheelchair, you've got a visual aid, but what if they have fibromyalgia or some other little-known and poorly understood internal condition (invisible illness), there may be no external, visible clue to its existence, without MRI (better than X-Ray) vision.

Someone in a wheelchair who begins to walk is making a pretty visible accomplishment. But someone with an invisible illness who is walking is making an invisible accomplishment. They're doing it every day, with or without an audience, and nearly always not only without applause but without even the simple acknowledgement of the fact that it is indeed an accomplishment. The magnitude and significance is not seen at all. Any witnesses see what isn't done in one's life, not the triumph that is made.

We've all made our invisible accomplishments—it may have been a struggle with an addiction that no one else knew about, or living with abuse that we couldn't fully admit even to ourselves, much less admit to someone else who could witness the meaning of our survival under such conditions.

Not only have we all made invisible accomplishments—we all make them every day. We don't know how to fully share with others what it is we're battling—most of what we fight we don't want to talk about. If we did talk, or write, about it, I think that we might all be better off.

Our topic for March 2004 is: invisible accomplishment

Here are the Guidelines for Drabbles submissions. By the way, if you don't get an acknowledgement of your submission within a day or so, please email me again— thanks!

Happy Valentine's Day to all of us!

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E is for...

Margaret I. Carr

Finding it hard to wait through the lengthy process of submitting, waiting and then submitting again? Many writers now are choosing to look for alternatives, and the most glamorous appearing alternative today seems to be Print on Demand "Self" Publishing. Unfortunately, those who dive in without thoroughly researching and planning are quite likely to find themselves swimming with sharks.

The best shark repellant is to educate yourself. Find as much information as you can before making any commitments. Learn what the warning signs are that tell you sharks are in the area. If you are interested in self-publishing, explore the options before making any commitments. Maybe there's a local printer who will make you a good deal.

The businesses offering Print On Demand 'publishing' either on the web or advertising in magazines can help you develop your shark alert system. Often you can download their promotional material without even giving an email address. I just did a quick check and found I have about 80MG of files, mostly pdf, from web accessible POD publishers. There's a lot of Puff, those first few paragraphs or pages where they tell you how great they are and how happy you'll be if you sign with them, a great deal of Fluff, all that stuff that sounds good but really has nothing to do with your project, many testimonials and some actual figures.

When I first started researching, I skipped everything and just searched for the cost figures. How much for setup, how much for per book and how much for shipping went into a spreadsheet. As I continued searching, I went back and added a column for the hourly charge. I joined a dozen of lists run by or for writers and browsed through the archives of more. After eliminating unreasonable expectations of instant success simply because a book exists, I came away with some definite impressions. The commonest complaints were of many hours of extra charges and of having the process stopped and being charged the setup fee again.

I also learned that although there were dozens of companies supposedly doing POD, most of them actually just did the initial contact and the books were then sub-contracted out to one of two printers in the United States. Both have setup fees just under a hundred dollars and pretty much the same charges per book. They break the charges down differently but it adds up the same. Both have detailed instructions on how to submit and offer templates to make it easier. Both assure the writer that POD means YOU have complete control.

Complete control? All of the POD firms stress that. What does it really mean?

Let's see. For the basic fee you send them two pdf files, one with the book contents and the other with the cover, and they print it, assuming it passes their quality control check. The check is to make sure the layout will feed into their printers properly, that's all. They send you the first one to check. If you find a mistake they made, they correct it free. If you want other changes, well, you pay.

They will either do a book-at-a-time fulfillment where you take the order and send them the money and they print the book and mail it to the buyer, or you can order twenty or more at a time to be shipped to you.

They have other options, but again, you have to pay for them.

So, you get to do the copy-editing, the format, the conversion into pdf, the finding of a cover artist and getting that into pdf. Then you get to proofread, set up a website, a merchant account, a method for getting orders and payment to them and the promotion. You can also pay someone to do some or all of this for you. Yes, you're in control. You're paying the bills.

I'm trying hard to stay neutral but I'm sure you've realized that I am not in favor of writers paying anything they don't really have to. True, even with conventional publishing, most authors find that the main burden of promotion is their responsibility, but publishers underwrite most of the rest of the costs.

Wanting to make a profit isn't shark-sign, just good business, and publishing is a business. It is rather an odd business in some ways. Paying more for something two or three times in a row than you expect to make back from sales in the hope it will build a market and the third or fourth release will pay off isn't your usual business practice.

One of the big problems with POD companies is that they all seem to encourage prospective authors to ignore the practicalities of the process. They push dreams and mostly unrealistic dreams.

When you submit to publishers, you are asking them to invest a relatively large sum of money in your work. Take a look at http://www.sfwa.org/bulletin/articles/profit-motive.html for some cost estimates for conventional publishing. Look hard at the list of expenses. With POD, you won't be spending that much on any of the areas, but you will spend something on most of them. It won't be just money you spend. Time will go into each of them.

Back to shark detection. I found the Puff part of the brochures and such material was very useful. Now, Puff is closely related to the Hook we try to get into our stories and queries. It is telling someone we're good and they will profit from associating with us. We can learn from the good Puff how to better present ourselves and our writing. The other Puff, well, that's where we develop our shark detection.

A writer friend asked me about a new POD company. I didn't recognize the name so went online and checked the site and downloaded the pdf brochure. Eighty pages worth of pdf! The first three pages are Puff and loaded with shark warnings to my eyes. Most of them, by themselves, are minor. I wouldn't rule this company out, for one or two particularly since they seem to take files in word processor format rather than requiring pdf. The $499 setup fee is still a bit high but not excessive if they do the conversion and they do have detailed instructions on setting up the word processor file.

But...

Dubious association alarm. They name Big Name Author as one who has self-published, not mentioning it was an e-book.

Mud slinging alarm. This is a big one for me. If they can't get my interest by telling me what they do, they certainly aren't going to get it by saying their competition doesn't do whatever it is. They claim they ship in 48 hours while the competitors take weeks. Hmm, Booksurge claims 48 hours or free. Lightning Source has different times, but not weeks.

They claim they print in the U.S. while competitors print overseas and may charge extra for shipping. Check Booksurge and Lightning Source again and both are in the eastern U.S. These two are the ones most other POD companies in the U.S. use for printing.

There are more like that. Pretty much the same except for the attack on e-books. Now, I like e-books. You may not. That's okay, tastes differ, but the fact is I've read a lot of books both on my computer and on a PDA (electronic personal desk assistant), and the blurring vision and aching eyes they state e-books will cause aren't a problem for me. Maybe they need to replace their monitors! Next is the tired old "vulnerable to piracy" accusation. So, they think print books aren't pirated? Finally the charge that e-books cost as much as hardcover books which is at least half true. There are publishers who do that, usually coupled with very restrictive DRM, digital rights management. They are the ones quitting and predicting the demise of e-books. Huh! Drop by http://www.baen.com and check out the Free Library and Webscriptions. Reasonably priced e-books are available there and other places, too. Our own ePress-online.com will be bringing you some.

Is that a good idea alarm? This company is the only one that accepts returns, or so they say. They don't say how they handle the allowance for returns. Also, they list all books purchased on your royalty statements, including those you buy with author discount. This, they assure you, could be important if your book is a best seller.

They are quite critical of Lightning Source. Then they say they can get your book listed with Ingram. Then they say Ingram only accepts books printed by Lightning Source so they have to charge you an extra $95.

If you are really determined to go the POD route, I'd suggest either Booksurge or Lightning Source. There've been complaints about both of them but that is true of all but the ones that are too new to complain about and at least you won't be paying their price plus add-on charges.

Before you do, however, check out Small Press. There are thousands of them. Some are affiliated with universities and others are independent. Most specialize in a particular area so you'll have to do some research, but you will get editing and they will invest in producing your book rather than just printing it and having you do all the work and pay all the costs.

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Literary Lights

Priscilla Fagan

A Season of Change

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain." Maya Angelou

When I read this, I heard my mother; Stop complaining and do something.  I have to admit there are some things I just can’t change, however  I can change my attitude and I can make hard decisions . . .well, it might not be easy but I keep telling myself, change is good.

"Change is the law of life, and those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future." John Fitzgerald Kennedy

If your future is writing and it’s just not happening, try looking inside yourself. What is it I need to do? Do I need to stop clinging to the past, the present, that safety net? Stay with the status quo? After all, it’s familiar. Why am I discontent? Perhaps it’s because I need to change, and that wise creative child is screaming at me to do something, anything, for heaven’s sake. Just stop complaining about the way things are and start something new, or go back to the future.  I haven’t written in months, maybe more. Frustration leads to anger and anger without action is a waste of energy. Julia Cameron tells us, “Anger is meant to be acted upon. It is not meant to be acted out. Anger points the direction . . .Anger is the firestorm that signals the death of our old life.”

Although I changed my attitude and faced a big decision, I have returned to a friend, Literary Lights, and in doing so have refocused on the future and my writing.

George Bernard Shaw wrote, "Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything." Isn’t this also called a woman’s prerogative? Regardless, change is the way of life. Yes, change can be unsettling, it can even be bad, but if we look at change as a new beginning . . . well, that is exciting. Stop complaining and get on with it.

"When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us." Alexander Graham Bell

Change your attitude; look at your world from a different perspective, and with that said, I am once again the eternal optimist.

Priscilla

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Recognitions

Joan McNulty Pulver

Welcome to Recognitions, a column dedicated to proclaim the writing successes of Writers' Village University members!

Sharon Hicks-Bartlett wrote "Watershed," a personal essay about what it was like as a child to have her birthday on the day that President Kennedy was assassinated, in the WVU memoir class. The Chicago Tribune published it on November 16, 2003. “I was absolutely thrilled to learn that the piece would appear on the front page of Perspective! I read that section every Sunday and to know that the next time I read it, it would have my byline ‘above the fold’ was a pleasure.”

Joining WVU in September 2003, Sharon said she is now a “soon-to-be more active" member of the scriptwriting group. “WVU has allowed me access to a group of serious readers and writers at all levels, interests and abilities. That diversity provides a forum for evaluating how that amorphous public out there might receive one’s work. Providing constructive feedback to other writers has also enriched me. Having a community of writers to interact with on a regular basis made me take my writing goals most seriously.”

Sharon is a former business owner who closed shop to work at a job that would allow her more time to write. The job has turned out to be an absolute energy drainer! “However, I've stuck to my goals and I write no matter what, which only goes to show that when you want something bad enough, you'll find a way to realize it. I hope to finish my first book before the summer of 2004.”

Donna Sundblad entered her short story, "Shelter in the Shadows," in a contest at Penury Press. She is a member of Time Trading Nortonians Rule, a study group that provides an exercise and writing prompt each week. The seed for this story germinated from one of these. Within a week or two following the completion of this exercise, one of the other members posted contest information for writing a short mystery. “I'd never written a mystery and decided to stretch myself and give it a try. The word count was limited to 2,500. I wrote, rewrote, edited and cut. Finally, I sent it in and moved on to the next project.

“About three months later, my husband called me at work to tell me I had a message on the answering machine. He tried to hold his cell phone to the answering machine so I could hear the message but the connection was not clear. I sat at work bubbling with anticipation. The voice of Pat from Penury Press told me they wanted to include my story, "Shelter in the Shadows," in their anthology, Who Died in Here. I'll never forget that day, the day I first held the print copy in my hands. I gazed at the title page and my words stared back at me. My words. I had a hard time coming up with a title for this one, and now here it was in print. From hundreds of manuscripts, mine was selected. I could never have done it without the support provided by my friends and fellow writers.”

For those interested in purchasing a copy of this book, visit Penury Press or contact Donna at birdiesquill@yahoo.com.

Joseph Arechavala had five essays published at Clever Magazine. "Day of Infamy" is in the current issue and "Gab," "Suffering is Good," "A Man's Guide to Buying Shoes," and "He Looks Normal" were in previous issues. His story, "On a Cold Winter's Night," appeared in the January issue of Writers Hood. “'He Looks Normal' is the piece I am proudest of, because it is a very personal account of my reaction to my younger son's diagnosis of autism last year. I have two terrific sons, 13 and 2, and have been happily married for almost 19 years.”

Joseph has been a member of WVU for two years now and belongs to the Trail Mix and Flash Fiction groups. “I have found WVU a great help in improving my writing ability. The people in those two groups have been thoughtful and honest in their feedback to my posts, and I value their input greatly. They should have a share in my success as much as I, and it is to them that I owe a great debt.”

Rhoda Twombly, who resides in Ireland, recorded her essay, "Crossing to Home," on a radio program called Sunday Miscellany on RTÉ 1, Ireland's national radio. “I was, as they say over here, 'gob smacked!'—speechless. This is a nationally broadcast program and I was thrilled that my piece was good enough to be accepted.”

Joining WVU a bit more than two years ago, she became a member of Time Trading Nortonians Rule study group. She said that she has brushed up her grammar and punctuation skills through the classes, plus gained more knowledge on the structure of the short story. “I have also found some of the boosters helpful in sparking story ideas. All of the classes and TTNR have helped me hone my critiquing skills, which, while still not perfect, are much better than they used to be. Not only that, but I now read published books and stories differently, am more aware of their structure and with an eye towards picking up techniques and ‘tricks’ I wouldn't have otherwise tried.

“Personally speaking, WVU has also been the venue by which I have made several ‘cyber-buddies’—people I would never have otherwise met, who I now correspond with daily, who are important to me not only in helping with my writing but also as friends I can chat to about the everyday joys and sorrows of life.”

Rhoda gives this advice to other writers: “Keep on writing, keep on trying even if you only have an hour a day and even if the publishing world continues to elude you. Although it is a thrill to be published, some of my happiest moments writing have been when I finally get on paper exactly what I wanted to say.”

Congratulations, Sharon, Donna, Joseph and Rhoda. We wish you continued success in all your writing endeavors.

We look forward to reading about your writing accomplishments in this column. If you or someone you know received recognition for writing, please send the information to recognitions@wvu.org.  Let us know!


About the Author
Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Joan McNulty Pulver moved to Florida about 30 years ago and decided to stay. She has five children (two girls and three boys) and five grandchildren (four boys and one girl). An Administrative Secretary for the State of Florida, she plans to retire in about seven years and then start her real career, writing. Joan hopes to have at least one novel finished and published by that time. She does a little volunteer work here at WVU and enjoys this community of writers. "I have learned so much here and like helping others learn along with me."

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Signs of Life

Nancy L. Horner

Stick to the Facts

In the commentary track for a movie I recently watched, the director made a statement about details within a setting. “Most people just overlook those things, so accuracy isn’t all that important,” he said.

That fellow apparently hasn’t met my friend’s husband.

The widescreen TV in their living room was tuned to a Western when I showed up with Christmas gifts for Judy and Mike. For the first few minutes of our visit, I didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to the movie, other than to ask Mike if he knew its name.

“Crossfire Trail,” he said. “It’s pretty good.”

“Boy, Mark Harmon isn’t getting any uglier with age, is he?” I commented. “He looks just as pretty as ever.”

“He’s meaner than dirt in this one,” Mike said. “You just watch.”

Intrigued, I stopped to watch the remainder of the scene. Sure enough, the character played by Mark Harmon seemed sweet and soft-spoken for a moment but then suddenly showed his evil side by making a sinister threat to the woman he wanted to marry.

“Wow,” I said. “You weren’t kidding.”

“Meaner than dirt,” Mike repeated with a nod.

Mike’s great fun to watch Westerns with because he happens to be a gun collector, hunter, marksman, and a serious expert on weapons, both modern and historic. “That gun didn’t even exist in the 1800s!” he’ll shout at the TV. Or, “Somebody oughta teach that guy how to hold a gun; he’d shoot his own head off it this was real life.” He even sometimes counts the number of shots. “Fifteen shots from a six-shooter,” he’ll say. “That’s a new record.”

In this particular movie, however, Mike said the moviemakers had done their research. Each time a gun was picked up, aimed or loaded, he’d utter the name of the chosen weapon.

Tom Selleck’s character stood beside a table in one scene, loading what I’d probably wrongly call a rifle. Mike blurted out the gun type. “Good choice,” he said. “Definitely right for the time period.”

“Is he loading the right kind of bullets?” I asked.

“Yep.”

Eventually, the reasoning behind the movie’s title became apparent as the good guys and bad guys faced off in an action-packed crossfire that left most of the good guys wounded. I sat in fascination, listening to Mike rattle off the names of numerous weapons that were loaded, aimed, and pulled out of holsters.

“That’s a great gun,” Mike said about one of the weapons that Tom Selleck used. “Seventeen shots—click, boom, click, boom, click, boom, just like that.” He was obviously disappointed when Selleck ran out of bullets and switched to a lesser handgun.

As the credits began to roll, Mike sighed with satisfaction. “That’s a pretty good movie,” he said. “Maybe someday I’ll get to see the whole thing. I’ve seen the beginning and the end, now. Still missed the middle, though.”

As a new movie began to play and Mike nodded off, I thought about the director who saw no need to go to great effort when it came to detail. It would certainly be interesting to stick him in a room with Mike, a Western, and a bowl of popcorn. I can easily imagine the director staggering out of the room as the credits rolled, holding his head and muttering, “Stick to the facts. Better stick with the facts.”

T-Zero: The Writer's Ezine
http://TheWritersEzine.com
Copyright 1998 - 2007, Writopia Inc. All Rights Reserved

Submissions Guidelines The Writers' Ezine - T-Zero Xpandizine

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Submissions Guidelines (Updated)

Until further notice, only plain text submissions in the body of the email will be considered.
NO ATTACHMENTS.

What We Pay For

Fiction: Stories should be of interest to writers in general, not just a narrow group.

Fiction should be submitted to fiction@thewritersezine.com. Payment starts at $15.00.

If considered for publication, you will be asked to return an email agreement including your name and address.

Craft Features: Queries about Craft features should be sent to nonfiction@thewritersezine.com.

Payment starts at $15.00, and, if considered, you will be sent an email agreement to fill out and return.

Poetry: Due to the large number of recent poetry submissions, a temporary hold on further poetry submissions is in place until early 2008.

Please do not email us to ask what we pay for in other categories. When we can add to our list, we will include it in these guidelines.

What We Publish

Original short fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, particularly non-fiction related to the craft of writing and interviews.

For fiction we prefer something with a plot and resolution. If we like the main character, we are more likely to accept the story. If the main character has a problem to resolve or has to make a choice, that's conflict, and we love conflict! Too many writers confuse conflict with fight scenes. Don't be one of them. Give us a protagonist who acts, makes choices no matter how hard they are to solve his or her dilemma, not a wimp who drifts along and has to be rescued.

Non-fiction should be related to the craft of writing or be good resource material for writers. Accuracy and originality are vital. No reprints. If it has already been published somewhere else, our readers will spot it and let us know.

What We Won't Publish

Anything that inspires "hate," is defamatory or is pornographic.

Simultaneous submissions.

Material that has appeared elsewhere (reprints).

Seasonal material submitted during the same month (i.e., a Christmas story in December). Our lead time is short compared to print publications, but we do need time to edit, html and proof submission. A good guideline is to submit the manuscript by the first of the preceding month (i.e., submit a Christmas story before November 1st).

Length Recommendations

  • For Fiction, under 1500 words is preferred. We will consider excerpts from longer works.

  • Poetry should fit on one printed page if possible. A maximum of five poems may be submitted at one time (when the hold is lifted).

  • Non-fiction or Craft features have the most leeway in word count. In general these manuscripts should be 750 to 2,000 words. We like to take advantage of the hypertext capabilities we have available and link to charts, graphs, lists and so forth. Thumbnail versions may be included in the body of the article.

Rights

All rights other than first electronic, non-exclusive 'anthology' (for collections of T-Zero: The Writer's Ezine works only), and non-exclusive archival rights (we keep back issues online) are and remain the sole and exclusive property of the author.

Formats We Will Accept

Plain text in the body of an email.

T-Zero: The Writer's Ezine is an HTML publication. This gives us access to a variety of options but it is also a limiting factor.

  • Underlining is used exclusively for links in HTML. Please do not underline in your manuscript. It you are including a link to a webpage for reference, please mark the link the following way: (WEB LINK) http://thewritersezine.com (END WEB LINK).
  • The less than (<) and greater than (>) signs are used to enclose HTML encoding. If you need to use brackets, please use the square [ ] ones instead.
  • Paragraph indentation requires time consuming insertion of multiple HTML symbols. Please separate paragraphs by inserting a hard, blank line between them.
  • Fonts need to be simple. No multiple fonts. We prefer standard fonts such as Times New Roman, Courier or Arial set at 12 point. If your subject matter requires something else, ask us first.
  • The curly (smart) quotes, apostrophes, the em dash (two hyphens together) and ellipsis … (three periods) become strange and exotic characters when copied from your word processor into email. Check your preferences or options to see if you can use straight quotes. 
  • Text formatting such as bold, italic, centering, bullet list, etc., should be noted in the text by using all caps in parentheses. For example, if you wanted to italicize the word submission, you would type: (ITALICS) submission (END ITALICS).

Editing

We expect you to run spell-check and to check your grammar and punctuation before submitting. We will not reject a submission for a few typos or errors, but will if there are an excessive number of errors.

Note: Since our reading audience is international, we do not require a specific version of English. Use the spelling appropriate to your region.

We will automatically correct obvious typos such as “ton” for “not” and may correct simple agreement problems. For anything beyond that, time permitting, we will return the submission to you with a request for corrections.

Getting to Know You

Fiction and Craft features published in T-Zero: The Writer's Ezine include brief third person biographical notes on the writers. For all submissions, please compose your own bio and include it to save our editors and yourself time later if/when your piece is accepted for publication. We suggest sharing a little about your background, occupation, geographical location and what inspired your story.

How and Where to Submit

We do not accept submissions via US mail. Email submissions only, to the appropriate department, in the body of the email. No attachments accepted.

Fiction should be sent to fiction@thewritersezine.com.

Craft Non-fiction should be queried first. Send query to nonfiction@thewritersezine.com.

Poetry: Due to the large number of recent poetry submissions, a temporary hold on further poetry submissions is in place until early 2008.

Include the type of submission (fiction, non-fiction) in the subject line.

Be sure to include your name and email address in the body of the email.

If you do not receive an acknowledgement that your submission or query was received within a week, please send a follow-up query with “Did you Receive?” in the subject line. In the body of the email, please include your name and email address, the title of the work submitted, and if different, the email address sent from. Do not resend the submission unless we request it.

Good luck!


T-Zero: The Writer's Ezine
http://TheWritersEzine.com
Copyright 1998 - 2007, Writopia Inc. All Rights Reserved

 

© Copyright 1998 - 2007, Writopia Inc. All rights reserved