The Writers' Ezine - T-Zero Xpandizine since 1998

 

 T-zero Xpandizine
 The Writer's E-Zine

 

 Produced and published by the members of Writers' Village University since 1998    ISSN 1521-2639       
20 November 2008
Craft of Writing The Writers' Ezine - T-Zero Xpandizine

The Writer's E-Zine Home

Writers' Village University - F2K: Free Fiction Writing Course - ePress-online
Writers' Village University Membership Information

Craft of Writing

George W Bateson

Don't Let Your Murder Mystery Die

We are all told pick up the pen and start writing, but with most crime novels, in particular murder mysteries, you begin with a body, one that became dead in any one of a dozen ways, and the way that body had ceased living will become all important to the way the storyline will pan out.

From Mac the Knife
Think, has your corpse been stabbed to death, shot or maybe poisoned? In each of these cases there are several things to be considered. If the body was stabbed what sort of knife was used, short blade or long blade, broad like a machete or with the slim blade of a stiletto knife? 'What's the difference?' I hear you say a stabbed body is dead no matter what sort of knife was used. If you believe this then stick to writing romances for the type of weapon used could eventually lead the detective to the killer and whilst you as the writer supply the body you must also give realistic clues to help the investigator solve the crime.

Guns and Things
Consider the body dead from gunshot wounds? Was it a pistol or a revolver? A shot-gun or a high powered rifle? Each of these weapons leaves its own particular wound in the body depending from what range it was fired and will normally relate to the area in which the shooting took place. For example, urban area shootings are normally done with handheld guns, weapons that can easily be concealed and carried around in a busy environment. I mean, a person walking down the crowded main street of a city or large town carrying a rifle or shotgun under his or her arm would immediately arouse a great deal of interest and therefore many witnesses to the shooting. Whereas in a rural area the carrying of the same shotgun or rifle would rarely warrant anything more than a passing glance. So the type of weapon could dictate the place of the killing and affect the storyline.

The Hemlock Cup
'It's all getting far too complicated' you say. 'I'll just stick to saying the dead one was poisoned.' Maybe so but there are many poisons almost all of which have been used throughout time to dispose of someone's life. Most poisons leave a distinctive trace that will make the substance almost immediately recognizable but their availability normally will have to be taken into consideration when planning your crime.

Poisons run into six main categories, Fungi, Plants, Industrial, Medical, Pesticides and Street Drugs. In each of these categories there are many differing types of poisons, each with different symptoms, most with a differing degree of accessibility. Some are the more mundane garden pest killer type of poison that can be purchased at most garden or hardware stores, others are simply unobtainable—legally!

The type of poison used and where it was obtained will determine your type of killer, maybe a laboratory worker, even a professor in a similar position who has access to the poison, a gardener or council worker dealing in rodent killing or maybe a doctor who not only has the poison at hand but also the method of delivering it—the syringe.

Where, When and Why
If it does not follow that your body will have died by any of the above methods it could quite easily have been pushed off a cliff, elbowed under a passing train or bus or even smothered in bed using a pillow as the weapon. It is not the fact that he or she has been killed but how, where, when and why the killing took place that is at the heart and soul of your crime story. Your detective has to solve all of these. The how could be obvious and where will be easy if the body is found where the killing took place, if not then along with the when, the pathologist is the main source of help.

The why is different. Why was the victim stabbed, shot, poisoned or pushed to his or her death? Why is the motive and in many cases the method of killing can lead to motive. The domestic quarrel in which the wife picks up a knife to defend herself and the next minute the husband is lying on the floor with it protruding from his chest. A robbery or a revenge killing is normally done with a hand gun or a shot gun.

Other methods of killing include strangulation, the deliberate running down with a car or even the use of explosives as in a car bomb or booby trap.

Think Before You Kill
Whatever method you devise—and as the writer it is you who decides which way the victim has died. Remember HOW the body met its death is important to the plot of the story. How can lead to the where, when and why. So think before you write and don't let the death of your victim be the death of your story.

Reading: The Crime Writer's Handbook by Douglas Wynn. (65 ways to kill your victim)  Publisher Allison and Busby Ltd. ISBN 0 74900 345 6

Books written by Patricia Cornwell will give a good insight into the workings of the pathologist's department.


About the Author
George W Bateson was born in England where he still lives with Marjorie, his wife.  Has had articles and short stories published in various magazines and newspapers as well as having material broadcast on BBC local radio. He contributes a regular feature in a UK quarterly magazine and at the moment is working on a second crime genre novel.


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

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

The Writer's E-Zine Home

Writers' Village University - F2K: Free Fiction Writing Course - ePress-online
Writers' Village University Membership Information

Craft of Writing

Joan McNulty Pulver

Let’s Build A World

When I started writing the fantasy novel I’m currently working on, I needed to know how to build a fantasy world and extensively researched the subject. I became enthralled with the research and the different things that started happening in my world because of this research. My characters became more dimensional and the world grew in aspects I had never thought of. I decided I should share the information with others. I developed a worldbuilding class called, “So You Want to Build a Fantasy World, Do You?” and facilitate it online at Writers’ Village University. At first, I solely encouraged writers of fantasy to take the class but then a friend who is writing a Science Fiction story took it and learned from the class. While taking the class, one of the members wrote a horror story with demons, angels, and gods, alternately helping and terrorizing his characters.

It helped them stay on track and keep the little parts of their stories together and consistent. Placement of major cities, states, countries, mountains, etc., need to remain constant throughout your story. Geography and maps keep your muse in the right place at the right time as you write. What will happen if in the first chapter, you tell your reader about the eastern mountain range but in chapter eight, your protagonist travels south and west to climb the heights chasing the antagonist? Your astronaut starts a journey within an antimatter-powered ship but later in the book you write about a fight and the nuclear reactor goes off line.

The future is uncertain. Many things are possible and developing them can be a magical experience. How will your characters cope? What will be in the brave new world you build as you write? Will you have flying taxis? Will people be able to travel through portals from one continent to another? How will the science work? In fantasy, how will the magic work? You need to make it all believable. Rules exist and the rules must be consistent throughout the novel.

Benefits of planning your world before you write:

1. Geography – Mapping out your world lets you know the location of your characters at any given moment. If this is done beforehand, you can glance at your map and keep your characters on track as they travel along with the flow of your words accompanying your muse.

2. History – Back-story explains where your characters came from and how they got to where they are today. We all have history, either our own past or that of our ancestors. If my great grandparents hadn’t traveled to the United States from Ireland, my life would be very different if I even existed.

3. Social Structure and Government – How and where your characters fit in the overall scheme of hierarchy. The life of a peasant stands in contrast to that of royalty, just as a blue collar worker differs from the scientist who develops an alternative fuel that changes the world. This subject includes clothing, customs, and modes of behavior from the different levels of society.

4. Religion – One God or many gods? Is the main deity a Goddess? Does everyone in your story have the same beliefs? If not, how do they differ? Again, you need to look at clothing, customs and mode of behavior as they relate to their beliefs to ensure that they stay the same as in #3.

5. Magic and technology must have two things: rules and cost.

Rules:

a. Magic - How is the magic performed? Use of lei lines in the earth, something inherent to certain people, from the higher beings, or another way your muse may take you?

b. Technology – What fuel does your space ship burn? You don’t want to begin with an antimatter propulsion system and end up having a nuclear reactor go off line later. Rules for technology need to be checked using science and math for the most part, unless they are already a reality. Does the potential for the technology you want to use exist today? Examples of this would be alternative fuels, electric automobiles, improved highways or other means of travel, or smaller, more deadly weapons to be used in warfare.

Cost:

a. Magic - What is the price a wizard or sorceress pays for the use of magic? Do they get exhausted after using it? Does it take rest or food to recuperate? Or is there another cost?

b. Technology – The price of technology can be measured in many ways. How much money will it take to build that space ship or to get it repaired? What is the ratio of the amount of fuel used per mile or how long a supercomputer can keep going without needing replacement parts? How often does a ship have to stop to refuel and how many miles can he travel before then? Time, money, availability of parts, and rate of consumption of fuel are only a few things you should consider about the cost of technology.

When building a world, there are many things you need to keep track of. For this you should develop a way of keeping an inventory of everything in your story, from plants and wildlife to inanimate objects like knives, warp drives, swords, and clothing, as well as your characters. Some items you might consider using are as follows:

1. A journal, notebook binder, or recorder to carry with you. Observe the world around you and take notes. Whichever way you do it, be sure to put it into writing when you return home. I keep everything on my computer and use a disk for backup. I also print a hard copy of things which I deem important.

2. It is a good idea to record everything you think of, whether or not you use it in your story. I use Microsoft Access. It’s a database where I store all pertinent information, from the placement of stars to the location of cities and their position in various countries, on to a list of characters, their hair color, eye color, etc. If you don’t have or know how to use a database, make yourself a table in your word-processing program. If necessary, a handwritten chart or list will do.

3. Poster board and construction paper make a wonderful map to hang on the wall of your office or writing space. Mapmaking software is always an option if you want to get that detailed. Another way is to use your Paint program or Microsoft PowerPoint to draw your own maps. A member of my writing group bought an inexpensive globe, covered it with papier-mâché and used the ridges to denote the outlines for her continents, countries, rivers, oceans, etc. Seeing your world in 3D would be exceptional.

Worldbuilding is a lot of work but truly worth it when you’re done with the finished product. You’ll have the knowledge and wherewithal to write that novel claiming your mind during all your waking hours with disjointed ideas of people, places and things to write about. Here are some links to help you get started on your world building adventure.

Fantasy Worldbuilding Question by Author Patricia C. Wrede.
http://www.sfwa.org/writing/worldbuilding1.htm

This is the site of Charlotte Dillon, Romance Writer but she has a wealth of information for all genres on this page.
http://www.geocities.com/charlottedillon2000/ResearchLinks.html

Glossary of Medieval Terms
http://netserf.cua.edu/glossary/home.htm

Here is a site that will give you entrance to the British Isles over the century. Great history site.
http://www.britannia.com

An Illustrated Speculative Timeline of Future Technology and Social Change. How advances in technology may reshape humanity
http://www.jrmooneyham.com/future_history_timeline.html

Designing your own magic system.
http://users.tkk.fi/~vesanto/link.useful/MagicHtmls/magic.html

Life in the middle ages.
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/middleages

Lots of links for horror writers.
http://www.redinkworks.com/horror_resources.htm

Possibility of a future city.
http://www.victorycities.com

Religions of the World.
http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html


About the Author
Joan McNulty Pulver, works as an Administrative Secretary for the State of Florida but considers writing and editing to be her vocation. Her love of writing shows in her short stories and monthly column, “Recognitions” at The Writers Ezine. She is the Acquisitions Coordinator/Editor at ePress-online and is currently working on a non-fiction book and a fantasy novel.. In an effort to help pass on what they've learned working at ePress-online and to help other writers reach for their dreams, Joan and Donna Sundblad will open the doors to their editing and critiquing business Team Spirit Critique and Editing, LLC in the near future.


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

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

The Writer's E-Zine Home

Writers' Village University - F2K: Free Fiction Writing Course - ePress-online
Writers' Village University Membership Information

Craft of Writing

Judy Simpers

Researching Children's Publishers

So I've finished writing a children's book. What do I do now?
Do I just pick a popular children's book publisher and mail it to them?
Aren't they all the same?

Selecting a children's publisher using the 'eeny meeny miny moe method' will probably get you a rejection letter quicker than Jack jumped over the candlestick. To give yourself and your story a fighting chance, spend some time researching children's publishers.

Children's writers market guides are a necessary first step in your research. The market guides can be purchased at bookstores, can sometimes be found at your local library, or may be purchased over the Internet. Guidelines are updated annually so make sure your research is up to date.

Within the market guides are handy tips, website addresses, writer's guidelines advice and more importantly an A through Z list of children's publishers. Read through the market guide. Become familiar with its symbols and abbreviations. Then find four publishers inside the market guide that fit your basic criteria such as:

1. The publisher accepts unsolicited manuscripts.
2. The publisher accepts unagented submissions.
3. The publisher is interested in fiction or nonfiction, whichever your story may be.
4. The publisher publishes your targeted age group.
5. The publisher publishes your format such as picture book, chapter book, novelty or whichever your story may be.
6. The publisher publishes your story's theme such as adventure, nature/environment, animal, and so on.

The information that you gather from the market guide is the publisher's generalized profile. Once you have selected four publishers who meet your criteria, you need to take your research a step further and become better acquainted with your prospective publishing house.

For publishers with websites, the address is sometimes offered in the market guides, check their websites for writer's guidelines. For publishers without websites, write and ask for their writer's guidelines. Make sure you enclose a SASE.

Sample Letter 1

Your next step is to obtain a publisher's catalog. Tempting as it may be to skip this step, don't. This step is your path to successfully placing your manuscript in the right publishing house.

A catalog is a publisher's list of their past, present, and future book titles. It's important to know what the publishing house is presently releasing so you can find a publisher who publishes books similar to the one you've written.

In addition, the catalog contains valuable information for you as a children's writer. Each page will contain an excerpt from a book, the story's targeted audience, the book's format, and its theme. By reading the catalog, you'll be able to zero in on the publisher's specific interests and find those books that compliment your manuscript.

For example, say I have a picture book manuscript and my targeted audience is ages 4 - 8, it's fantasy fiction, written in verse, with nature/environment as its theme. I'm researching a publisher who I think is a good candidate for submitting my manuscript. I see in their catalog that a few of their current books fit my criteria except for one aspect. They use facts with citations either in the back of the book or on each page. My picture book manuscript does not fit their interests. I must move on, save my postage, and research other publishers.

To obtain a publisher's catalog, you have three options. Occasionally, their catalog is available on their website. Another option is to mail a catalog request.

Sample Letter 2

Note: Two separate letters, one requesting the publisher's writer's guidelines and one requesting their catalog, can be sent together in a 9 x 12 envelope. On the bottom corner of the envelope write Guidelines and catalog request. Be sure to include a self-addressed and stamped [suggested amount of stamp $2.00 unless otherwise suggested by the publisher] 9 x 12 envelope.

Or you can go to www.amazon.com to view a publisher's catalog.

1. Go to http://www.amazon.com.
2. At the top tabs, click on BOOKS.
3. Under SEARCH BOOKS click ADVANCED SEARCH.
4. Type in publisher's name. Example: Tricycle Press.
5. Scroll down and in PUBLICATION DATE type 2004.
6. Then ENTER.

You'll find a list of books the publisher has released in 2004.

Ask yourself three questions to assure you have thoroughly researched a publishing house.

1. Why are you sending your manuscript to that particular house as opposed to another?
2. What niche can you fill in their house?
3. Can you list the publishing house's books that you've read which fit your manuscript in comparison?

Also, your answers to theses three questions will help you write your cover letter that accompanies your manuscript submission.

Following through on your research after reading a market guide may not guarantee an acceptance and an offer for publication but it will give you and your manuscript a greater advantage.


About the Author
Judy Simpers is a member of the SCBWI, a professional organization for writers and illustrators of children's literature and a member of the Writers' Village University, an online membership site. She has developed and currently facilitates children's writers' courses at WVU. Along with being founder and coordinator of the Annual Round Robin Study Group Challenge, Judy is a site guide for new WVU members. She has had writers' tips offered in the WVU newsletter and is on staff at ePress Online publishing. In between writing projects and submitting manuscripts, she finds time to be the playground attendant in the Children's Hour study group and participates in a Reading Children's Books club that she formed. Judy Simpers resides in coastal North Carolina.



Sample Letter 1

Your Name
Your Address
Town, State 11111
 
January 1, 2005
 
Publishers House
222 Writer's Road
Print Town, NY 22222
 
 
Dear Sirs
 
I am writing to request your writer's guideline. I have enclosed a SASE for your convenience.
 
Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.
 
Sincerely
 
 
Your Name

 

 

 

Sample Letter 2

Your Name
Your Address
Town, State 11111
 
January 1, 2005
 
Publishers House
222 Writer's Road
Print Town, NY 22222
 
 
 
Dear Sir
I am writing to request your catalog. I have enclosed a SASE for your convenience.
 
Thank you. I'll look forward to hearing from you.
 
 
Sincerely,
 
 
 
Your Name







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

Birdie's Quill The Writers' Ezine - T-Zero Xpandizine

The Writer's E-Zine Home

Writers' Village University - F2K: Free Fiction Writing Course - ePress-online
Writers' Village University Membership Information

Birdie's Quill

Birdie

Accumulating Clips – Where to Start

Writing a query or sending a cover letter with a submission fills many fledgling writers with dread. It’s not that they doubt their ability to write, but rather doubt their ability to sell themselves as a writer. What do you say about yourself if you haven’t been published? What do you offer as writing credentials if you have no clips?

Clips are copies of an author’s published writing made available to a publisher or editor during the submission process. Clips present editors with a sample of the writer’s style, voice and quality of work. Without clips, most beginning writers feel unqualified, yet the heart of a writer beats within them prompting them to submit.

It’s no different for the seasoned writer breaking into a new market. If you’ve published fiction in the romance genre and want to move into memoirs or writing an article for a woodworking magazine, the need to sell yourself presents itself like a reoccurring nightmare.

Clips establish the fact that you can write, but they don’t confirm that you can write in the new medium or genre. You need to not only sell your idea, but your letter or query needs to express the reasons why you are the person to write this specific story or article.

No Clips or Breaking Into a New Market

Query and cover letters offer the publisher a glimpse of what your story or article proposes to bring to their publishing company. Check the writer’s guidelines to be sure your submission meets needs specific to the publisher. For example, if the guidelines stipulate no sci-fi or fantasy, you would not submit your fantasy adventure. However, if the guidelines reveal the publisher is looking for authors in your genre, it’s a match. Explain to them what makes your manuscript right for them. In the second paragraph, give essentials to the content of your piece, and in the third paragraph, follow it up by explaining why you are the person to write it.

If you haven’t been published, don’t let that stop you from submitting. If you’re submitting science fiction or horror for the first time, tell them you’ve been an avid reader since you were in the third grade and not only love but understand the genre. You may even offer the names of a book or two to which your story can be compared. Show that you know what you are talking about, but condense what you say to two or three sentences. Don’t draw attention to the paragraph by trying to oversell. Instead, allow it to blend with the rest of the letter.

Use life experience as your qualification. “I work at the corner grocery and talk with hundreds of people each week. Many of them are looking for the information I’ve included.” Or, if you’ve written a children’s book, tell the editor about reading to children at your local library. Tie your topic to your experience. Let them see the connection.

Every writer begins somewhere. When you submit, don’t draw attention to the fact that you’ve never been published. You want to sell yourself as a writer, not highlight your lack of experience. Let your writing speak for you.

Where to Start

  • Writer’s Tips

    I can’t count how many times I’ve heard the advice to write what you know. That’s exactly how I earned my first clip. I used my experiences as a new writer. I submitted fresh lessons and imaginative tricks that helped me grow in the craft. Many writing newsletters and magazines publish such tips.

    One of my writing ideas developed into an online course through the encouragement and guidance of the editor with whom I’d built a relationship while submitting writer’s tips.

  • Online Publications

    In today’s electronic market opportunities abound for beginners as well as tested writers. No different than print publications, you’ll have to check guidelines to be sure the site accepts the type of story or article you’ve written.

    An added caution when submitting online is the matter of attachments. Some publications accept attachments while others reject e-mail attachments without opening them. Do your homework. The bottom line is that this electronic venue offers another source to establish yourself as a writer and build your collection of coveted clips.

    Another factor to consider when submitting electronically is what format the publisher requires. Rich text format (rtf) is a popular format because it crosses software compatibility barriers, other publishers bypass the problem by having the author cut and paste text into the body of an e-mail.

  • Contests

    Entering contests provides one more avenue to gain clips. Don’t be over-eager to submit. Take time to polish your work. Have other writers read it and take their comments and suggestions under consideration. Manuscripts flood the mailboxes to popular contests. Be sure to send your best work. Judges look for stories that not only grab but hold their attention. Set your manuscript aside for a few days once you think it’s ready. Take another look at it from a fresh perspective and make sure you haven’t missed anything.

    My first fictional clip appeared in an anthology titled, Who Died In Here? When submitting my story to this contest, my published clips included several writing tips, a course written for Writers' Village University and fictional stories published online for non-paying markets. This is how my bio appeared:

    “Donna Sundblad resides in Florida with her husband Rick Her published credits include a course developed for Writers' Village University, and short stories published at Writer’s Hood, and Night Wind the Fiction Magazine.”

    I had to cut a few hundred words from my entry to fall within the required word count limitations. With the cutting of so many words, I had to be sure the story flowed and logically made sense. With helpful critiques of mentors in my writer’s group, I honed my manuscript to become the best I could offer. Submit your best work. Contests can lead to dividends beyond a useful clip. My story, “Shelter in the Shadows,” was nominated for the Edgar Award, another bit of information to include in my bio.

  • Filler Articles

    Filler articles are short (300-800 words) and used by magazines and newsletters to fill empty space on the page around advertising and feature articles. Search for topics that can be used in a variety of publications and submit your article to multiple publications. For example, the topic “five quick ways to keep your kitchen clean” is an idea that could work for cooking, housekeeping and woman’s magazines. The same filler article has the potential to provide more than one clip. Such a clip would be useful if you’re pitching a book on how to save time, a cookbook or can even be tied in to the experience of the protagonist in your fictional book.

    Another benefit of writing filler articles is that generally you don’t query but submit the completed article with a short cover letter to a variety of publications. In the top left hand corner of your submission type: “Filler Article” followed by the title. On the next line type: “Word Count” after which you place the number of words in your article not including the title. On the third line you’ll inform the publisher that this is a simultaneous submission, but that you have only sent it to noncompetitive markets. To convey this information type: Simultaneous submission/noncompetitive on the third line. The fourth line would include your e-mail address. (Your brief cover letter will offer other pertinent contact information.)

  • Newsletters

    Some newsletters pay for stories and articles. Search for newsletters that support your hobbies and interests. The key is to write what you know. It minimizes the need for research and allows the spotlight to shine on your style and writing voice.
Electronic Clips Legitimate or Not

I attended a writer’s conference last fall to propose one of my novels to a couple of editors and had an unexpected opportunity to meet with an editor of a well-known writing magazine. I took advantage of the situation and made an appointment to see her. During my fifteen-minute session I pitched a couple of ideas; she asked if I had any clips.

I’d printed out various articles I’d written for on-line publications in case I might need them. I opened my folder and handed her copies of two of them. She glanced over one of them, tucked it in her briefcase and told me to query her with my ideas.

She didn’t hold it at arms length and wrinkle her nose because it was an online clip. Don’t sell yourself short. Take advantage of the opportunities that work for you and before you know it, you’ll find your portfolio overflowing with clips.

The Key

Polish your work, read the guidelines (and follow them), know your market and when your manuscript is ready, submit it. I’ve read the work of many good writers who remain unpublished because they don’t submit their work. Don’t let a lack of clips trick you into being one of them. Write with a purpose; plan to submit.


About the Author
Author and freelance writer, Donna Sundblad, resides in Florida with her husband, Rick. Check ePress-online for details regarding her soon-to-be-published book, Pumping Your Muse. As an owner/editor of Team Spirit Critique and Editing, LLC, Donna helps other writers follow their dreams. Visit her website at www.theinkslinger.net for more information.


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

Humor: Torment Behind the Art The Writers' Ezine - T-Zero Xpandizine

The Writer's E-Zine Home

Writers' Village University - F2K: Free Fiction Writing Course - ePress-online
Writers' Village University Membership Information

Humor: Torment Behind the Art

Edward L. Flaim

Anger and Humor: Oil and Vinegar?

With the exception of WVU students presently in a coma or deceased, all are aware this columnist recently waged war against several staff members at WVU.  As is true of all wars, an Idiot Child commenced this war. Yes—I am indeed that Idiot Child—and by the time I apologized for my lunacy, it was too little, too late.  The mysterious they claim time heals all wounds.  I do hope this is true, for I respect, admire, and dammit, I like these people!  I hope that someday we are capable of passing the Pipe of Peace and once again become friends.

This incident did cause a rarity.  It started me thinking.  A thinking Ed is the ultimate oxymoron, I thought, until I realized I was dwelling on my stupidity. Praise the stars, I found an exception!  Only the truly dense can comprehend density.  This revelation led to the title and subject matter of this story.  Is a mixture of anger and humor necessarily an impossibility, no more compatible than oil and vinegar?  Or can the two merge and produce humor?

A first impression indicates anger and humor are irreconcilable.  In the recent incident instigated by me, I find no humor.  However, there are several people on the board—yes, you know who you are—who have created elaborate and mystifying scenarios seemingly predicated on anger and hate that are actually well rehearsed scripts. They create an atmosphere of the vilest of emotions, but cause mouths to drop “Huh?” with certain clues indicating we are viewing a farce.  Or are we?  And thus the beat goes on.

For example, I depict Tanya, a/k/a Broom Rider (my creation), a/k/a Broom Rider in Training (her creation) as the most despicable of The Powers’ creations, with the possible exception of Zakgirl. In reality, though, we are the best of friends, always willing to assist each other in our efforts, supportive, kind, understanding, comrades in arms—OH, FORGET IT!  I CANNOT CONTINUE TO SPOUT THIS TWADDLE!  Put us in the same room and we’ll rip each other's throats out with sheer glee! Vile, beastly, horrendous creature further polluting the earth’s already rancid ecosystem.

Or is she?  Only The Shadow knows. And He ain't telling!

Our attacks, whether serious or in jest, are so exaggerated, reek of hyperbole, or so ludicrous, inane and insane they can only produce laughter or, at the very least, a quizzical smile, with the reader asking herself, are these people for real? Of course we’re not real. We are also not fiction. We are who you wish us to be. Heads or tails, take your pick, but always remember that occasionally the coin lands on its edge.

When I still practiced law, I engaged in an anxiety reducing game when dealing with opposing counsel who thought propriety was a real estate concept.  Many attorneys specialize in arrogance which leads even the most stable, a club to which I never belonged, to rage. When dealing with such counsel, I would sit before the computer screen and write the most vitriolic letter I could create. The act of writing such a letter purged my soul of its anger, I deleted the letter and responded civilly. The mere act of writing eliminated the anger and I once again became as normal a human being as is possible for a misfit.

One morning after writing such a letter, I received a call from a partner who needed me to substitute for him at a hearing. I quickly changed into a suit and ran to the court house without deleting the letter. I had an extremely efficient secretary, for whom I was usually grateful, who printed the letter, stuffed it in an envelope and carried it to the post office. He showed enviable efficiency on the one occasion I neither needed nor desired it. When I returned to the office, I thanked him for his initiative, locked myself in my office and began to clean a .410 Beretta shotgun, a present from a grateful client who wouldn’t need it for five to ten years, and considered whether I should shoot him or me.

Fortunately I did neither. I called the intended recipient of this mail, informed him a confidential letter mean for another attorney was mistakenly sent to him and asked if he would return this letter to me unopened. Unbelievably he did!  I didn’t cease playing my game. I switched to a computer unable to print.

So are anger and humor inconsistent? Yes and no. Yes if the anger is real and readily susceptible to such an interpretation. No, if all participants recognize it’s a game.  And no, if the anger arises from the audience in response to a well-planned scenario by the humorist to create anger and who ultimately reveals the joke.

The best planned joke instigating apparently real mutual anger  between the humorist and audience I have personally witnessed was an act performed by the late Andy Kaufman on Saturday Night Live. Andy appeared on stage, straight faced and holding a book. He sat astride the typical comedian’s stool, adjacent to a small table with an ancient record player resting on top.  He announced that most of the audiences he encountered we’re utterly lacking in knowledge of the literary arts and, in an effort to educate the audience, he would read The Great Gatsby.  This initial insult to the audience’s intelligence caused scattered murmurs, but the audience believed this to be a prelude to the then little known comedian’s act. It decided to give him a chance.

Andy began reading The Great Gatsby.  And read. And read. And read.  The audience began to grow angry and heckle Andy, at which time he appeared to grow angry and asked it if should proceed or play the trash on the record sitting next to him. The audience relented and asked him to continue.

This pattern of reading and heckling continued. Andy apparently became enraged, and asked the audience if he should continue with their education or play the record.  The audience, in sincere and virulent anger, screamed the equivalent of Give us Barabas, demanding the record.  Andy ridiculed the audience for its ignorance, walked to the record player, dropped on the record and stormed off stage.  The record continued with Andy’s voice reading The Great Gatsby at the precise point he had stopped.  After a brief pause, the audience broke into exuberant laughter. It had been had.  The joke became apparent.

Yes. Anger and humor needn’t be oil and vinegar in the hands of an expert.  I am not such an expert so I’ll stick with why did the chicken cross the road?


About the Author
Ed was born in 1950. He entered the world butt-first and has since viewed the world primarily through this vertical eye. As most of those who survived the turbulent sixties, he faced several choices: death, prison, insanity or law. He chose both law and insanity. He graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1984 after touring the world's asylums.

He was a well-established and recognized practitioner when diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1993. He continued to actively practice law until 1998, when his physical and mental condition said, "Screw this," and he returned to Maryland. In Maryland he vegetated until he came upon WVU and attempted to write fiction.

Ed has published hundreds if not thousands of his writings. That's only because every document he has ever filed with the courts is considered published. Thus far, publishers have been kind and printed one of his 300 story submissions. He's waiting anxiously to see what will happen with number 301, hoping it might bring him wealth and fame like Stephen King. Or at the very least, a cookie.


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

Poetics Presents The Writers' Ezine - T-Zero Xpandizine

The Writer's E-Zine Home

Writers' Village University - F2K: Free Fiction Writing Course - ePress-online
Writers' Village University Membership Information

Poetics Presents

Helen V. Lundt

Helen V. Lundt is from upstate New York but travels to Florida in the winter. She is a retired nurse and has four daughters and six grandchildren. She says that writing has always been a hobby for her, even more so since computers came into her life. She has been a member of WVU for three years and has been previously published in T-Zero: The Writer's Ezine.

Dad, Sawdust and Curled Shavings

Creation from his thoughts - a hobby.
An inventor - free time, carpenter-full time.

Woodwork; curled yellow shavings
in a heap on the cellar floor -
pinned in play on my blonde hair.

The whiff of Prince Albert;
his pipe spiraled smoke at rest in the tray.
From him, radiated the slight
aroma of Old Spice After Shave.

Wild apples were scrunched by his homemade press.
Sweet cider dribbled out one end, the smell
of fruit juice pungent as it was bottled.

Dusty books, pages stuck together with mold,
Songs - the Irish tenor’s high-spirited glee
rang out after a few heady beers.
These things I remember about him.

But mostly that he was a quiet, gentle man;
content in the hush as he read,
at ease in the shop as he worked,
always ready to answer questions from a little girl.

Copyright ©2005 by Helen V. Lundt




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

The Writer's E-Zine Home

Writers' Village University - F2K: Free Fiction Writing Course - ePress-online
Writers' Village University Membership Information

Poetics Presents

Rae Anne Blair

Rae Anne Blair is the editor of Mountainechoes.com: An Online Magazine of Appalachian Culture. She teaches English at Glenville State College in Glenville, West Virginia.

Artificial Silence

Artificial Silence

We mask the sound
of conscience
with white noise-
the hum of fan,
gurgle of brook,
radio songs,
rainforest sounds-
anything to keep
from hearing
the ebb and flow of breath
the rhythm of the heart
the voices in our heads

There is no such thing
as silence








Copyright ©2005 by Rae Anne Blair




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

The Writer's E-Zine Home

Writers' Village University - F2K: Free Fiction Writing Course - ePress-online
Writers' Village University Membership Information

Fiction Short Story

by Cheryl Raber

Jack’s Suitcase

Stephanie stood in the back of the small chapel staring at the empty alter.  Sixty-seven white candles spread a blanket of light representing purity and protection. Four black candles in the corners of the chapel stood guard against evil.  Flames flickered softly devouring the upper half of each candle.  Fresh flowers handpicked at dawn began to wilt, and the resident monk scheduled to perform the ceremony had gone back to his mediations in the garden. All that remained of the wedding party was the maid of honor, Stephanie's best friend, Pam.

"It's been two hours Steph, Devlin's not coming." Pam pulled a flask from the satchel hanging from her gown and offered it.  Stephanie had chosen a medieval wedding theme. Pam thought the satchel a nice addition to the gauzy lavender pheasant dress she wore. The whiskey was the best man’s idea.

"Something's happened to him." The flask trembled in Stephanie’s hand as she steadied her body against a church pew. She drank the whiskey thinking about how he abruptly told her just yesterday of his previous marriage. Hurt and shocked, they'd fought and made up.  But she didn't mention the conversation.  "Devlin's a romantic. His style would be to arrive five minutes before the ceremony to add drama, but two hours late, this isn't like him."

Pam took the flask and knocked back a double shot. The best man peered around the doorway, his poet shirt hanging loosely over black breeches.

"Steph, I called the rental place. Prince Charming never picked up his noble robes and tights. I think we better check out his townhouse. I'll drive. Maybe he's still hung over from the bachelor party. He drank over a dozen shooters last night." Brian reached for the flask.

Stephanie pulled her satin and velvet fairytale wedding gown from dragging, bunching it in her fists. "Yeah, I can't stay here any longer." She imagined him still in bed asleep. Her anger faded a little and turned into disappointment.

The three piled into Brian's Jeep. A chilly November breeze sobered them.  The streets were nearly empty.  It was Saturday, still early afternoon.

Stephanie used her key to open the locked townhouse. The Old Spice Devlin always wore lingered in the air. He'd told Stephanie he thought the earthy scent old-world enough to inspire images of a rogue and contemporary enough to make him cool. The youngest English professor at Berkley, Stephanie often found him caught up in his own imagination.

The rooms seemed untouched. But that was normal. Devlin liked order.

"Look for anything out of place." Brian ordered and headed for the office.

Finding Devlin’s bed empty, Stephanie ransacked the organized dresser. She discovered his sock drawer empty and his underwear missing as well. Gone from the closet were his jeans and cotton shirts. The tweed jacket with elbow patches that he only wore when giving lectures on his favorite author Jack Kerouac was absent too. He said it put him into character.  The suitcase that belonged in the back of the closet was not there.

"He's gone. Run off without me." Stephanie flopped onto the double bed and cried.

"Hey, I found a receipt for a plane ticket." Brian’s voice carried from the office where he'd logged onto the computer.  "It's a one-way ticket to Montana. Bought five hours before departure, 7 o'clock this morning."

Stephanie rushed in. "Our honeymoon reservations are at Niagara Falls. Call the airline. See if he boarded the plane."

"Why?

"Just do it." She wrung her hands.

Brian dialed the airlines. Stephanie wanted something to calm her nerves, to kill her worst fears. The ex-wife lived in Montana. She marched over to the party cabinet over the stereo and drank vodka straight from the bottle. A wave of indifference flooded her.

"Everything is as it is." She sighed heavily. At least she could have some closure knowing where he'd run off. She would call tomorrow and place an ad for her slightly used wedding dress.

"He didn't board the plane." Brian hung up the receiver loudly. He went to Stephanie and snatched the bottle from her.

"Then where the hell is he?" Anger took control of her pity. She grabbed the vodka bottle from Brian.

"Could be some tactic to keep you off his trail. Anything happen between the two of you?" Pam finished poking around in the kitchen cabinets. She brought a box of cheese nips over to where Stephanie and Brian sat on the couch.

"Yes. Before your bachelor party last night he surprised me with news of his first marriage. His ex lives in Montana. He also said that someone anonymously informed the Dean of the College that Devlin and his credentials were a fraud.  The Dean dismissed the phone calls as a prank."

"Did Devlin?" Pam munched on a cheese nip.

"He never said."

"Did he say anything more about his ex? Odd that he never mentioned her until the day before your wedding."

"Her name is Diana Stetson. He'd filed irreconcilable difference. She contested the divorce.  She was into black magic. I guess it got ugly in court. She swore he'd come back to her, she'd see to it."

"So he went from black magic to white magic with you. And knowing Devlin’s wild mind, there's no telling where he disappeared. Hey Steph, why don't you cast a spell? Where's all your psychic energy?" Brian ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm running out of logical ideas."

The vodka rushing in her veins, Stephanie closed her eyes and pictured Devlin.  A white flash exploded inside her eyelids. He appeared holding the missing suitcase wearing the tweed jacket. He stood in front of a train station marquee. The letters read: 'Written into a corner.' Now, where the hell did that come from and what did it mean?

Maybe he went off to research his novel!" Stephanie sprang into action and ran to the computer. She pulled up the document file. Hope surged through her. Perhaps all was not lost.  "It's not here!" Sobbing, she found the search menu and punched in: Beyond the reflection.

"On the road with Jack Kerouac, eh?" Brian mused almost laughing. Stephanie glared at him chasing the smile from his face.

"Why would he be so secret about it? And why on your wedding day?" Pam paced, vodka bottle in tow.

"Ok, I'm grasping at straws." She tapped the desk impatiently.

"A novel, what about?" Brian scanned Devlin's bookshelf silently reading off titles, Celtic Magic, Physic Energy, and The Dreaming Life.

"About a guy who wakes up in his dreams and changes his real world by affecting his dream world." Stephanie kept typing. "It's gone. The file is gone. Even his notes are gone."

"Erased? Check the recycle bin." Pam closed in on the computer. Stephanie took the vodka from her.

"Recycle bin is empty." Stephanie's heart plunged in despair.

"What about a hard copy?"

Stephanie knelt, took the bottom drawer out of the desk and sat it on the floor. Behind the drawer was a wooden box. She pulled it out. "Empty. It's gone too." She crumpled like a broken doll inside her drooping wedding dress.

A muffled ringing brought Stephanie to attention.

"His cell phone? He didn't take it? Find it!" A strange sense of anticipation took over Stephanie. A madwoman looked out through her eyes. Hope took on new meaning now, obsession.

"Under the couch!" Brian dove and came up with the cell phone.

"Answer it!" An ounce of possibility rekindled in Stephanie strained voice.

"Hello…Brian Conklin...” He rested on his knees and put a shushing finger to his lips. “Yes, this is Devlin Scott's cell phone…No, he's not here. He seems to be missing...Yes that is odd. I’ll pass on the message…you're welcome, good-bye."

"Well, what was all that?"

"That was the Dean of the college. The police traced the mysterious calls. They came from Devlin's cell phone."

"Devlin was sabotaging himself?" Stephanie rolled on the floor, laughing and crying at the same time. In her hysterics she moved towards Brian. Her arms outstretched as if crucified, she touched something that was not solid. “Something’s under here.”

"What is it?" Pam knelt beside her.

Stephanie shoved her arm under the couch and grasped the balled up piece of paper. She closed her eyes and willed herself to sit up. A current of frustrated anger swept through her body. It didn't belong to her; it was Devlin's. She'd felt it before when they'd argued.

"Well, are you going to read it or not?" Brian grumbled.

Anger permeated the room, or maybe it was the vodka. With fierce expectations and great care, she unwrinkled the page and read aloud. "Jack’s new world sparkled in front of him, a beautiful witch to lay with and new rules to keep. Damn, it scared the crap out of him. Jack grabbed his suitcase."


About the Author
Cheryl is a Southern California native now living in middle Georgia via a few years in Montana. She has been a member of WVU over a year and is working on a romance novel. A stay-at-home mom with a 4-year-old, she considers her writing time sacred.


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

The Writer's E-Zine Home

Writers' Village University - F2K: Free Fiction Writing Course - ePress-online
Writers' Village University Membership Information

Fiction Short Story

by Susanne Shaphren

Just Another Day In June

Nothing special about the sun shining so brightly through the curtains that it wakes me before the alarm has a chance to blare. Daily routine to scramble eggs for Brian, make French toast for Jeff, and pour Michael's favorite cereal.

Ever so dutifully, I chew and swallow exactly the right amount of nutrition-packed calories without tasting a single bite. Business as usual in the Taylor household.

I tuck Mr. Bear at the very bottom of Michael's bright red backpack so nobody at preschool will make fun of his need to have a furry friend nearby. A quick glance to be sure everybody's safely belted in before I heave my ever expanding girth into the driver's seat and carefully guide the SUV into traffic.

Never a hair over the posted speed limit. Always an eagle eye on all the mirrors. My heart beats much too fast as I anticipate every possible danger and prepare to swerve out of the path of some phantom drunk driver. Precious cargo; steer clear!

First stop is Harlan's Hardware. Brian hopes to save enough from his summer job to pay for car insurance. Gil and I planned the perfect seventeenth birthday surprise, a bright red Mustang we picked up for a song at auction and lovingly restored. If things had turned out differently, we could have stretched the budget to cover insurance too.

Jeff grumbles more than a little when I drop him off at the middle school recreation program. No secret that he'd rather be somewhere else.

Last stop is Michael's preschool. Except for the inevitable tears on the first day, Michael used to love going to school. Now, it's a daily challenge to find just the right combination of hugs and encouraging words to get him out of the SUV and into the brightly painted building.

So many errands. So little time before Michael's half-day at preschool screeches to a halt.

The carefully budgeted money evaporates even quicker than the condensation from the SUV's air conditioner on the parking lot. Brian's underwear doubled in price since the last time. If I don't buy it, he'll keep throwing the same worn too often undershirts and briefs into the laundry. No way he'll spend his hard-earned wages for this. Jeff's computer math game is on sale, but even with the promised rebate it costs a fortune. The cartoon character pajamas Michael insisted on are three times as much as the plain ones. Not a good day for the budget.

All the brightly colored banners in the Men's Department prove too hard to resist. "Don't Forget Father's Day!" "Doesn't the Special Man in Your Life Deserve the Best?" "Dad's Day!"

As if by magic, my arms fill with exactly the right gifts for Gil. I'm halfway to the cash register before the voice of reason reminds me this is just another day in June. My hands shake ever so slightly as I retrace my steps and place each of my carefully selected purchases where I found them.

I somehow manage to make it through the mall and back to the SUV before grim reality and an overdose of hormones pound me with full force.

There's no time in the schedule for trembling and sobbing. Never enough hours in the day to do all that needs to be done. Don't dare be late in picking up Michael. I wipe away the tears that escaped without warning and pull myself together. Nice deep breaths. I invest an extra minute to make sure my hands are steady before I turn the key in the ignition and drive to the preschool.

Michael chatters happily about his morning while I throw together sandwiches, pour tall glasses of milk, try to smile and nod at the right times. More tears I can't control when Michael proudly displays the morning's craft project, a Father's Day card.

Ever so patiently, I try to explain again what a barely four-year-old can't be expected to understand. My carefully chosen words don't seem to help at all.

Finally, I coax the tiniest hint of a smile. "I'm sure your Daddy would have loved this card, Michael."

No time to even think about starting dinner. The computer printer dutifully spits out monthly invoices for me to fold and stuff into window envelopes. Michael carefully adds stamps. Barely enough time to stop at the post office before the Taylor Trolley picks up Brian and Jeff.

The last thing I need is the answering machine's annoying red light flashing to welcome us home. NO! How many times this year have I urged Jake to replace that cooler? How many times have I crunched the numbers to make sure he could fit the deposit and monthly payments into his tight budget?

I grab snacks, herd the reluctant trio of passengers into the SUV, and head for Jake's Bar-B-Q Shack just off Highway Exit 51.

Jake's wife, Emma, greets me with an apologetic smile. She knows I'm just the lady who sells restaurant equipment, not the repairman. "Sorry, we just didn't know who else to call."

Before we tackle the necessary paperwork, I grab my cell phone to creatively beg for the earliest possible delivery date. Even with my best negotiating skill, this fortune in beef, pork and chicken will surely spoil long before the new unit arrives.

None of the handful of people who might be able to jerry-rig a temporary repair answer my calls. I can't just walk away. Jake and Emma can't afford to lose their inventory.

Brian easily slips where I can no longer force my bulk, reports exactly what he sees and follows my directions to the letter. Thank goodness, I paid attention all those times I tagged along with my Dad. The parts are hardly factory approved. No guarantee of long-term success, but with a little luck, the temperature will hold long enough for the new equipment to arrive.

Jake sends us on our way with enough barbequed goodies and side dishes to feed an army. Emma tucks in one of her famous peach pies still warm from the oven.

Gripping the steering wheel just a bit too tightly, I navigate through rush hour traffic and say a little prayer for God to bless our perilous journey. I used to enjoy driving BGA. Before Gil's Accident. A drunk driver's carelessness changed everything in one split second of useless brakes and mangled metal.

That was the day I paced back and forth in front of the living room window as if I could somehow magically will my husband to come home a few minutes earlier than usual.

There were candles on the table and my mother's best china. Gil's favorite pot roast simmering to perfection with a garden of vegetables. Chocolate fudge cake for dessert.

I'd balanced the tiny flat pink package tied with frilly lace ribbon against Gil's water glass. He couldn't get away from the office to come to the doctor with me, but the next best thing was waiting for him. The special package contained a sonogram picture of our dream come true baby girl, Emily Anne. I was positive Gil would agree that combining our mothers' names would be perfect for our precious baby.

Gil never saw that picture. When I finally heard the welcome sound of a car door slamming and rushed to greet Gil, there was a nervous young police officer standing on my front porch. He stumbled over the words neither of us wanted to hear, tried to assure me that my husband hadn't suffered, told me as gently as possible that there was nothing any driver could have done to avoid the inevitable and tragic outcome.

I prayed things would get easier with time. No such luck. Months after Gil's memorial service, my hands are every bit as clammy whenever I reach for the keys to the SUV as they were that first impossible time when I had to pick up the pieces and start driving again.

Every time I get behind the wheel, I feel exactly like the target in one of Jeff's computer games. Always on alert for that split second when some drunk comes out of nowhere and destroys everything precious.

Almost like a miracle to arrive home safe and sound.

Brian carries in the paper sacks. Jeff sets the table. Michael insists on distributing the stack of mail "all by myself." He can't really read yet, but he knows the difference between his brothers' names and recognizes his own. Everything else gets dumped at my place.

"There's a letter from Mom! Open it first and see if she liked the Mother's Day card I sent her."

"See if she sent the check for computer camp," Jeff chimes in. "I already missed the first session."

No thank you for the card. No regular child support check much less the extra check Jeff was hoping for. Just the excuse of the month from Gil's ex-wife.

"She loved your card, Michael. We'll fill out the application and send the check for computer camp later, Jeff." One more expense to magically fit into the budget.

I'll never understand why Gil's ex-wife chose a big city career over her family, can't figure out how she can afford a fancy condo and bright red sports car but never manages to send even a token check to help support her sons.

I paste on my very best imitation of a smile. Brian, Jeff, and Michael have already lost Gil. I won't let myself say angry words to make them lose respect for their mother.

Brian is unusually quiet while Michael and Jeff giggle their way through dinner, catch us up on the important news of the day. He's had to grow up much too fast since Gil died.

Dishes to do while supervising homework. Lunches to pack and tuck in the refrigerator. Michael's precise bedtime routine. Prying Jeff away from the computer long enough to do a couple pages of the math exercises his teacher suggested we work on over the summer. Just another day in June.

When I come downstairs, Brian is sitting in Gil's favorite chair. He smiles and hands me a bright blue envelope.

"You can open this later. Right now, you have to come see the surprise."

Tears stream down my cheeks when Brian opens the door to Gil's old den. Rosebud pink paint on the walls with carefully painted ballerina bears.
Changing table under the window. Rocking chair in the corner. Tiny crib in exactly the right spot.

"Mr. Harlan helped me refinish what I bought at yard sales. We decided the crib should be new. Jeff helped. Michael too. We all wanted to be sure that Emily Anne comes home to a special place of her own. Open the card, Mom."

"Mom." None of the boys has ever called me that. There's a bear on the card too. A silly smiling bear holding a heart that says, "To the best father in the world!" Brian's firm handwriting on the inside. "And mother too! We may not say it often, but wanted you to know we appreciate what a special home you've made for us!"

Brian shuffles as nervously as Gil did the night he proposed to me. It seems like forever before he admits calling his mother after Gil died.

"I told her it would be better if we came to live with her since you were going to have a baby of your own to take care of. The little guys don't know, but she said no."

"Brian, I'm sure your mother loves you every bit as much as your Dad and I. Emily Anne is very lucky to have such special brothers to help her grow up."

Just this once, ever so grown up Brian lets me hug him and kiss him on the cheek before we double-check the locks and turn off the lights.

Such a special day in June!


About the Author
Susanne Shaphren's fiction and articles have been published in a wide variety of print and online venues including: NEWN (New England Writers' Network), ABSOLUTEWRITE, DANA LITERARY SOCIETY ONLINE JOURNAL, ESPRESSO FICTION, and MONTHLY SHORT STORIES.


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

The Writer's E-Zine Home

Writers' Village University - F2K: Free Fiction Writing Course - ePress-online
Writers' Village University Membership Information

Fiction Short Story

by Kay Sexton

Klimt's Kiss

The traveling library lady volunteers surprised Anna with a lunch at 'Pilgrims' for her forty-seventh birthday.  She ate butterfly chicken and strawberry cheesecake.   When the meal was finished, they gave her their combined gift of a silk scarf depicting Chartres Cathedral Rose Window.  Her birthday card benefited a minefield-clearing charity and was signed by all the team. It showed The Kiss, by Klimt.  She set the card in the middle of the table while they sipped their coffee and planned the next month's rota.

"I'll take Tuesday and Thursday at the hospice, as usual," Anna said.

"Mmm uuh..." offered Jennifer around a mouthful of carrot cake. After she waved her hand to indicate she wanted to swap, she swallowed convulsively and said, "If you do Wednesday for me—the sheltered housing day, I'll take the hospice on Monday instead?"

Anna nodded, but Jennifer hadn't finished, "Wednesday is supposedly when John plays squash after work.  I want to grab the chance to make sure he really is at the club."  Anna continued to stare at her card, she didn't want to catch Jennifer's eye and have tales of Jennifer's husband's infidelities spoil her birthday.  "I found a business card from the Purr Club in his sports bag last week, and we all know what that means, don't we?"

"What's the Purr Club?" Anna felt she had to ask.

Jennifer laughed bitterly as she picked up cake crumbs on her finger and popped them into her mouth, "Oh, that new lap dancing club where the old bingo hall was.  Apparently most of the girls there are Russian; big silicon bazooms and long blonde hair.  The rotten thing is, lots of men go there as part of their business—they actually take clients to lunch at the Purr Club.  Isn't that awful?"

Lunch finished, she drove past the club, though it wasn't on her route home. The grey windowless building had a large pink neon cat jiggling its curvy rump around next to the entrance.  She parked in the big, half-empty car park and watched the cat run through its limited neon repertoire. Two wriggles to the left and one to the right, one to the left, and back to the beginning again.  It was as predictable as long blonde hair and surgically enhanced breasts.  Surely it became boring to have such a limited and predictable menu to choose from?  But then, perhaps she had presented Colin with a limited menu for twenty-three years.  Compared to the Klimt—coloured gorgeously, full of the tension and richness of desperate love, what was she—or indeed the entire Purr Club?

Anna wondered why she felt that only a woman would have chosen Klimt's Kiss for her birthday card.  The card Colin had given her this morning had flowers on it.  It always did.  No man would have chosen it.

But why not?

Wasn't it full of wonderful sensuality and rich erotic detail? She remembered Jennifer's words, 'big silicon bazooms and long blonde hair'. Was that what men found sensual? Or was sensuality only important to women, while men wanted sexuality?  What would Colin say if she asked him?  After twenty-three years of marriage, she might have expected to know the answer, but she didn't. 

Did Colin visit the Purr Club?  Did she care?

The next morning she should have driven the library van to the Old People's Home, but she rang and said she was unwell.  She sat at her computer, with the Klimt card and the rose bedecked card from Colin perched on top of her CPU.  After an hour browsing the Internet, she went upstairs and threw up.  She had never known how boring, how futile or how mundane pornography could be until today.  It seemed evil to her, made even more so by its repetitive similarity. There were hundreds of women—and some men—displaying their perfect bodies and empty emotionless faces to the viewer.  She had seen deeper into some of those bodies than she had into her own but she'd found nothing that came near the erotic, mind-spinning desire in the Klimt painting.

After an hour spent weeding the garden with cold ferocity, she went back indoors and visited the chat rooms she'd seen mentioned on the pornography sites.  They were worse than she'd imagined.  Nobody talked about love, sensuality, flowers or golden backgrounds to glowing kisses.  It was all screw, screw, screw.  Some of it was new to her such as fisting, rimming, anal, threesomes, pearl necklaces and who knows what else.

Carrying the Klimt card in a taut, white-knuckled hand, she went upstairs. She chose a floral blouse from her wardrobe; Klimt's woman wore flowers. She put on her lipstick, staring into the mirror at a face that had never been kissed like Klimt kissed.  She drove back to the Purr Club and paused in the car-park, the car in neutral, to kick off her shoes.  Klimt's woman was barefoot.

She drove at the wall of the club, hitting the neon cat at forty miles an hour in third gear. Her bare feet flew from the pedals as her lipsticked mouth kissed the top of the steering wheel.  Afterwards, there was silence, except for the gas hissing from the shattered glass tubes of the cat.

After a minute, Anna sat up.  She wiped the blood from her split lip, located her shoes in the foot-well and satisfied, drove home.


About the Author
Kay Sexton is a Jerry Jazz Fiction Award winner, with a column at www.moondance.org. Her story, "Domestic Violence," was runner-up in the Guardian fiction contest judged by Dave Eggers, Tats earned an honourable mention in the Desdemona's Erotic Fiction contest. Sarah Hall (The Electric Michelangelo) has just chosen Acorns and Conkers as the runner-up in the ESSP short story contest and Kay's work appeared in seven anthologies in 2004.  Her website, www.charybdis.freeserve.co.uk, gives details of her current and forthcoming publications.  Her current focus is 'Green Thought in an Urban Shade' a collaboration with the painter Fion Gunn to explore and celebrate the parks and urban spaces of Beijing, Dublin, London and Paris in words and images.


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

The Writer's E-Zine Home

Writers' Village University - F2K: Free Fiction Writing Course - ePress-online
Writers' Village University Membership Information

Fiction Short Story

by Lori Law

Preschool

The problem with sending Katie to the prestigious Academy of Advanced Preschool Studies wasn't the outrageous tuition. Her father paid that. It wasn't the ridiculous name of the school, though I found it to be an oxymoron that ranked right up there with 'Reagan memoirs'. The problem wasn't the curriculum, or the teachers, or the kids. The problem was the moms. Janelle came to be my least favorite of them. She wore the pinched expression of a terrier, and dressed in sleek silk suits, even on her days to volunteer at the school. Unaware that silk was proper finger painting attire, I'd arrived in jeans. I'm pretty sure Janelle was also a founding member of the My Kid's Better Than Yours Club, to which I'd declined membership. Still, I felt the need to be civil to these people. Katie would be here awhile at the insistence of her father, Mr. Man About Town. Unfortunately for him, he was Mr. Man About Town with any woman who had a pulse, and on the fast track to unmarried. Regrettably, I was stuck being the misfit mom at the Academy for Pompous and Over-Privileged Parents, which is what the school should rightly have been named.

"Which one's yours?" Janelle asked.

Let the small talk begin, I thought. I pointed out the window at the little blond with flyaway hair. "Katie," I answered. She was on top of the jungle gym, a suspicious purple stain on her white shirt. I guessed she'd pilfered the grape jelly again, and made a mental note to check her backpack.

Janelle nodded, and graced me with forced smile.

"And yours?" My turn to feign interest.

"Elizabeth," she replied.

"Ah." She needed to say no more. Elizabeth had earned preschool notoriety for being such a proper, lovely young lady. Elizabeth. Not Beth, or Lizzy, or even Liz. Elizabeth. She wore a lacy pink number, sans grape jelly accessories. Her sleek hair was pulled back into the latest debutant designer braid. I had to bribe Katie with fruit snacks just to let me brush her hair. Getting it into a doo like that would have required a tranquilizer dart. Curari maybe. But not Elizabeth. She was the pinnacle of preschool haute couture. She was also Katie's new best friend.

"She's three, but she's in the four year old class," Janelle gloated.

"Yeah, so's Katie. I think all the three year olds are in the four year old class." I laughed. "It appeases us parents."

"Yes. Well…" Her terrier face went from pinched to puckered, until she resembled a pug. Apparently, my insight was unappreciated.

"So what does your husband do?" she asked.

"Gallivants about town with women other than myself.  He is soon to be my ex-husband."  Again, the pug face.  Not welcome information.  Damn my mouth. "He's a physician," I said.

"Yours?" I asked.

"He's CEO of a medical supply company," she informed me, as if she'd climbed the corporate ladder herself.

I changed the subject, hoping to save myself. "Today must be your snack day?" I gestured toward the basket she'd clutched since we entered into this little foray of forced camaraderie. Janelle beamed. I'd stumbled upon the right topic, at last. Persistence had paid off.

"They're all natural date muffins sweetened with applesauce," Janelle said.

I figured those to be just above cardboard on the food pyramid, especially if you were a preschooler, but I maintained my new resolve. Janelle glowed with sanctimonious pride. I'd have sworn, in that moment, she was channeling Martha Stewart. Before the unfortunate arrest and subsequent incarceration, of course.

"I only use natural sweeteners. We don't believe in sugar." She said it like some people say they don't believe in Santa, or the tooth fairy, as if questioning the very existence of sugar. Too tired for such metaphysical musings, my resolve slipped fast.

"Really? I do," I said.

She smiled, but her expression went from pug to puzzled, more dachshund-like now. She was clearly confused by my failure to concur with her stance on processed food stuffs. Maybe she thought we'd at last found a common ground.

"Honestly, the more sugar the better, I say.”

Her smile turned complacent. A bit patronizing actually. Back to terrier. We'd come full circle.

"You can't be serious," she said.

"I can," I really wasn't committed to any ideology closely tied to sugar, but now I wanted to win. "In fact, tomorrow is my snack day and I'm thinking of bringing a ten-pound bag of the refined white stuff."

A crimson flush crept up her neck.

"The kids'll LOVE it," I said.

Her red face could've warmed those stupid muffins.

I figured this was about as close to winning as I dared get.  The next step would be watching her head explode, likely sending a high velocity spatter of gray matter against the life-sized mural of Little Bo Peep.  That, coupled with the bloodstain on the carpet, would have left an inescapable trail that pointed straight to me. I opted to take my leave of my newfound friend and join in circle time.  Besides, I hated to miss a rousing chorus of Wheels on the Bus.

Much to my dismay, I ran into Janelle that very afternoon at the Mike's Food Mart. It seemed we were indeed out of grape jelly, the bulk of it having been consumed sometime between breakfast and circle time.  I'd have liked to catch Janelle surreptitiously slipping vast quantities of sugar into her cart, but damned if she wasn't down the organic food isle like a proper Academy mom. I had just come from the "No Natural Additives" isle with a cart full of frozen pizzas, individually wrapped cheese-flavored slices, and fruit snacks that sullied the name of fruit.  And grape jelly, of course.   I looked straight ahead, fixated on the end display of strawberry Yoohoo, hoping to go unnoticed and avoid another opportunity to exchange recipes and venom.

"Momma!  It's Lizbeth!" said Katie, clapping her pudgy toddler hands together in jubilation.

I really wasn't up for another round.  Winning the last one about did me in.  And I couldn't help but wonder if 'pit bull' wasn't somewhere in Janelle's canine repertoire.  But Katie adored Elizabeth nearly as much as she adored grape jelly.

Resigned to my fate, we made our way toward them.  Elizabeth still looked perfect.  Thankfully, Janelle still looked like a terrier.

"Hello again, Janelle," I said.  "How nice to run into you."  With a truck, I wanted to add.

"Hello," she replied, her gaze somewhere over my left shoulder, as if making eye contact might cause me to attack.  Or perhaps the Yoohoo pyramid fascinated her too.  Fortunately, our girls were having a much more pleasant go of it, chattering away about their respective shopping cart contents.

"We got carrots," Elizabeth said. "You got carrots?"

"Nope.  We gots peeetza," said Katie.

"We got apples," said Elizabeth.

"We gots grape jelly," said Katie. "I love grape jelly!" she added with enthusiasm only three year olds are capable of. At least with regard to grape jelly.  Much to the consternation of Janelle, who was back to pug, Katie’s verve was contagious.

"Momma!  Can we get some?"  Elizabeth asked.

"No dear.  We don't eat that." The puckered pug was back, but at least we were spared pit-bull.

"Puleeze, Momma?"

"But it is the bestest ever!" Katie insisted.

To Katie, I knew, life without a daily dose of grape jelly was an unfathomable injustice.

"But it isn't GOOD for you," Janelle explained to my daughter.

 Katie looked incredulous.  Elizabeth looked ladylike. And perfect. And sad. Suddenly I didn't care so much about winning. I cared about Katie. And Elizabeth. And grape jelly.


About the Author
Lori Law lives and writes in Colorado, where she enjoys hiking in the mountains. She is raising two teenagers, who were formerly preschoolers. Lori can be contacted at co_lori@lycos.com.


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

The Writer's E-Zine Home

Writers' Village University - F2K: Free Fiction Writing Course - ePress-online
Writers' Village University Membership Information

Drabble Corner

Michelle Swisz

Our Drabble for this month, on Questionable Truths, is called The World in Which She Lives, by Jessica Michaan.

The World in Which She Lives

“Jazmineland”, he calls it—the reality in which she lives. And she thinks it’s very appropriate, it fits perfectly.

Jasmine has always shielded herself from reality. She knows bad things happen, just not in her world, not in “Jazmineland”.

But when three family members died in three years… she had to question it. At first, she found excuses… One was old, one was sick, but what about the boy!? He had absolutely no reason to leave this world; to leave us behind.

And as she walked away from the cemetery, she took one look back and said goodbye… to “Jazmineland”.

My life is mysterious lately. Recently, a good male friend and I were discussing our love lives. It was an intense conversation in which I told him just how I wanted to feel in any new relationship that might come along. For some reason, I was particularly sure of how it was that I wanted to feel, and also very passionate about that. The old relationship, which had ended a couple of years ago, had since gone to just friends, and the person I was speaking with was this same friend.

Sometimes you're in a relationship that at the beginning, as my old relationship had, and even maybe for awhile afterward, felt so absolutely right—but then went mysteriously sour. He/she loved only you, and you only him/her, and life, the universe, and everything was beautiful. Later, he/she still loves you, but loves someone else, too. You hurt. Or he/she finds that your now having a child together is more responsibility than they can fathom handling, and freaks out and runs out. You want a new relationship—one that feels almost any other way. But have you ever thought, in detail, of just how you really do want it to feel? Compare and contrast how you feel now, with what you want to feel like. Old relationship—hurting. New relationship—cherished. Or challenged. Or both. Really get into this exercise—this image you're creating is what you're telling the universe that you want! Tell it with passion, to push the message out there. And tell it in a Drabble! That's exactly 100 words, excluding title, in story form. Maybe you will meet someone with whom you feel just that way, as I recently have. So be very careful—you may get what you wish for!

In your submission, please put the word Drabble somewhere in the subject line. Here are the Guidelines. Send your Drabble to drabble@wvu.org.  It's due by the 10th of June for consideration for July. See you next time.


About the Author
Hello, and welcome to Drabbles. I'm Michelle, your Drabbles editor. I live south of San Francisco, with four spoiled cats, near the sea where I love to walk every day. I've tutored English in workshops, classrooms, and individually at San Jose State University, and have worked on the Fiction Panel here at Writers' Village. Comments and questions are always welcome!


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

Recognitions The Writers' Ezine - T-Zero Xpandizine

The Writer's E-Zine Home

Writers' Village University - F2K: Free Fiction Writing Course - ePress-online
Writers' Village University Membership Information

Recognitions

Joan McNulty Pulver

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

Jennifer Turner entered the First Chapter Paranormal Contest at Thunder and Roses with the prologue and first chapter of Racing the Moon, a truly paranormal experience. To read her entry, click on Paranews and then on her name.

“When I found out I had won the contest I felt immense relief! I've worked hard on this very challenging manuscript because I was pushing my skills to a whole new level, one that I know I needed to master in order to compete with authors like Michael Crichton and Dean Koontz. I don't know if I've succeeded fully, but to have this win, and be able to use it in my query, feels very much like a validation of all my efforts.”

When asked about her realization about becoming a writer, Jennifer said, “I could go back to second grade, or the moment I decided to write the story I'd been daydreaming and give up my career as a contract artist. Or I could say that I knew I wanted to write the moment I read Mrs. Piggle Wiggle—the first book of any real substance that I recall reading. (See Jane Run or The Little Red Hen didn't count!) But if I might twist the answer to this question a bit, I'd say that the first time I really believed I was a writer, that I could truly see a future, successful, financially sustainable life as a writer, had to be the first time I was published in print. I wrote a humorous essay for an anthology, "Crumbs in the Keyboard" and seeing my name listed beside some highly respected and well-known authors, such as Rebecca Vineyard, was a real rush.”

Jennifer loves watching movies. She says that they have influenced her writing skills. “I devour great storytelling in all formats (books, audio, movie, television) and have been visually inspired more than once by a wonderfully beautiful cinematic experience. I also learned a great deal about the craft of storytelling from M. Knight Shyamalan. In my opinion, his works (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs, The Village) are perfect examples of delivering, unexpectedly, on the promises woven into the opening of the tale. Awesome experiences.”
 
Jennifer joined Writers' Village University in 2005 and is a member of the Artistic License study group. “I couldn't have achieved the level of skill I have if it weren’t for the multitude of opportunities being a member here has afforded me. The Romance Writing course was my first class on the craft I ever took and from then on, I've been learning at a much faster rate than I ever could have dreamed possible. Groups like The Writing Process and the new Marketing Your Manuscript have been especially helpful as well.”

Her advice to new writers is that writing is a much tougher job than she expected. Reading wonderful books is like watching an Olympic figure skater—they make it look so easy. Falling on your butt on the way to the big time is a necessary part of the process. We learn from our mistakes almost more than we learn from our successes.

“I remember John Travolta commenting once that his early recognition for "Saturday Night Fever" was a bit of a career obstacle in that, although he was proud of the success, it made it a little difficult to repeat the performance. I'm sure all of us would love to debut with #1 Best Seller, but if that doesn't happen, I hope everyone enjoys their successes, no matter how large or small, as they continue toward their highest aspirations.”

Jim Kelley’s Tales of the Teamhouse contains over 500 pages of stories from the Special Forces, in such categories as How It Was, Bar Stories, Creature Tales, Humor, and more. Find out more about the book at the Special Forces Teamhouse website The book was released for publication by Morris Publishing in April 2004.

“After I retired as a senior financial controller for Motorola, I developed and web mastered the Special Forces List Teamhouse website, which infused me with a desire to write. I read fiction constantly and study books on grammar, punctuation, and English words.”

Jim became a WVU lifetime member in 1998. He has been mentoring F2K for many years and developed, facilitates and mentors the F1001 Erotica class.

“I have become close friends with the members, and have developed some close personal relationships at WVU." Read more about Jim at http://www.writopia.net/f2k/mentors/jim-kelley.shtml

Gary Frank submitted his novel, Forever Will You Suffer, to Medallion Press, Inc. He said that he was shocked and elated at his dreams finally beginning to come true. It will be released in February 2006.

Forever Will You Suffer is the story of Rick who discovers he and his ex-girlfriend are being stalked by someone who remembers a past they don’t. Rick has to learn who this stalker is, what she’s talking about and stop her before she succeeds in killing them both. Again.

“I realized I wanted to write some time back in the mid-eighties when I wrote a 587-page science fiction novel taking plot lines from Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica and my own starship. That was so exciting to create characters and have them live and face a life I made up in my imagination.”

Gary plays guitar and sings, reads an awful lot, be it books, magazines or comic books, and he enjoys a good scary movie every now and then. When asked if his hobbies helped his writing, Gary said, “If so, it is how I read critically and that helps me understand what published writers have done to get where they are.”

He joined Writers’ Village University three years ago and is currently a member of the Shadowlands study group. “Shadowlands has been an immense help in getting the novel in the right direction, helping me get the tone down better than I could’ve alone. The classes at WVU have also helped get me focused on what I need to make my writing tighter, clearer and just plain better."

Gary and his wife live in northern New Jersey with their two cats, Zen and Socrates.

Congratulations, Jennifer, Jim and Gary. We wish you continued success in all of your writing endeavors and thank you for sharing your information with us.

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
Joan McNulty Pulver, mother of five and grandmother of five, works as an Administrative Secretary for the State of Florida but considers her writing and editing to be her vocation. She is a columnist for T-Zero: The Writer’s E-Zine, a course developer and facilitator at Writers’ Village University and the Acquisitions Coordinator/Editor for ePress-online. Joan has had two short stories published and is currently working on a non-fiction book and a fantasy novel.


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

The Writer's E-Zine Home

Writers' Village University - F2K: Free Fiction Writing Course - ePress-online
Writers' Village University Membership Information

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