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 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
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Craft of Writing

Lynette Rees

The Freelance Writer’s A - Z Of Success

So, you’re thinking of trying your hand at freelance writing? A few words of caution—please don’t give up the day job, not just yet. Read my practical A-Z of freelance writing success first, then if you’re still determined, remember it’s a hard old game, but one where failure and rejection are the stepping stones to success!

A is for:
APPROACH
How you approach your writing is essential as to whether you consider yourself a professional or an amateur. To be professional you have to act it. This means doing whatever is required of you to meet with success. You need to have the right equipment, etch out the necessary research/writing time, and understand your prospective audience.

B is for:
BRAINSTORM
Initially, you might be at a loss what to write about. Do not fear. Simply grab a paper and pen to 'brainstorm' ideas. For example, what jobs have you had? You may have been in the medical profession, so would have knowledge on health matters, or you may have experience of working outside the home as well as being a parent. What hobbies and interests do you have? You may be a keen genealogist and therefore able to write an article on how to start researching your family tree.

C is for:
CLIPS
If you are fortunate enough to have had a few articles published then it’s often a good idea to submit 2-3 clips [clippings of your published work] when you query your next market. Sometimes editors request them. Never send your original clip, send photocopies. If you are applying to an online market, it’s usually acceptable, unless otherwise stated, to send links [URLS] to any online clips you might have.

D is for:
DEADLINE
Punctuality with regards to submitting your work to an editor is a must. Magazines have deadlines for a purpose and that purpose is to print up-to-date articles for their readers—meaning they often cut a close deadline. If for some reason you are running late, then inform the editor about it as soon as possible.

E is for:
EDIT
Before submitting your work anywhere, you’ll need to revise and edit thoroughly. This involves pruning out any unnecessary words and repetitions, checking both grammar and spelling. Don’t fall into the trap of expecting the editor to do it all for you. The editor’s job is to make sure your work is up to standard and they may make a few suggestions once in a while, but a busy editor is not going to take the time to correct badly spelled words and sloppy work!

F is for:
FACT CHECK
What could be worse than reading an article where the author gets his or her facts wrong? If this happens, the reader feels cheated and will probably not trust the author in the future to read any more of his or her work. Bear in mind when making use of the Internet that not all websites are accurate. Check and double check your sources. If you need help from an expert, try ProfNet Experts.

G is for:
GOALS
Writing goals are crucial to you and your writing career. Start small at first and keep them realistic. Try writing down your goals for the next week, next month, and what you hope to achieve in six month’s time. Type your goals up and display them somewhere prominent where you can see them on a daily basis. Next to your computer would be fine. Tick them off as you achieve them and treat yourself to a small reward. Finally, goals should not be set in stone; you are allowed to change them!

H is for:
HABIT
Get into the practice of writing at the same time each day, whether you feel like it or not. Don’t wait for inspiration to strike—chances are it won’t, even if you develop the habit of writing at the keyboard for just a half hour, five days a week, it all adds up. During one week you would have notched two and half writing hours under your belt. Don’t forget, the more you get into the swing of writing on a regular basis, the easier it becomes.

I is for:
IDEAS
Ideas are everywhere, every day, all around you: newspaper headlines, adverts, overheard conversations, chat shows, etc. Just reach out and grab one and make it your own.

J is for:
JOIN
Join a writing group either online or in your local community, this is invaluable for feedback from other writers and it will keep you motivated into the bargain. Online writing groups are particularly good for keeping abreast of the latest writing markets and trends.

K is for:
KILL FEE
Some magazines set a kill fee. This means that even if they do not publish the article they have accepted, they will pay you a percentage of what you have been promised for it. If you’re lucky, you may get as much as a 50% kill fee and have the bonus of selling the same article on elsewhere. More often than not though, the kill fee will be a lot lower, that is if the magazine offers a kill fee in the first place.

L is for:
LEARN
As a writer there is always something new to learn, always. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you know it all and that you have ‘made it as a writer’. Nowadays, there is no excuse for not learning something new even if money is scarce. Community lending libraries are free and there are some excellent free online writing courses. Barnes and Noble University often offer free writing classes that run for one month. Anything from ‘Writing Romance’ to ‘Writing for Quick Cash’. See here.

M is for:
MARKETS
Before submitting anything, study the market. It’s no use targeting a magazine with an article for teenage girls when it runs ads for stair lifts and incontinence pants! It’s a good idea to subscribe to several well known writing newsletters like:
www.absolutewrite.com
www.writersweekly.com
www.writingfordollars.com

Copies of ‘The Writers’ & Artists’ Year Book’ and ‘The Writer’s Handbook’ are also a must if you wish to write for the U.K market. If you wish to publish further a field, then visit: www.writersmarket.com

N is for:
NEWSLETTERS
Newsletters are an ideal way for a freelancer to get started. As a rule, they tend to be fairly low paying, but publication in a well known, respected newsletter, such as Writers’ Weekly.com will get you noticed and is a good clip to have. It’s an excellent way to break into the writing market and will increase your confidence.

O is for:
OPPORTUNITY
Don’t miss an opportunity. If an editor offers you a mere crumb of hope—then take it. It might be something along the lines of your article not being suitable for their magazine, but they like your style. Take this as an opportunity to try targeting that magazine again with something that would fit, also mentioning the editor’s prior interest. Or, in some cases, the editor may ask you to add something to your article or even make it a lot shorter—as a filler. Grab this opportunity with both hands. As well as giving you a foot in the door, it tells the editor that you are someone he or she can work with!

P is for:
PERSISTENCE
The writer who makes it is the persistent one who never gives up and keeps on sending their work out, even when they don’t feel like it. Persistence pays off in the long run.

Q is for:
QUERY
The query letter is your pitch to the editor to sell your article. You need to reel him in by the scruff of his neck. Your query should provide a little taster of your article and tease him so that he is his salivating to read more of your work. As well as giving a brief taste of your proposed article, you can also mention any relevant experience you might have. Of course, if you have never been published before and/or do not have any relevant experience, then simply do not mention it. We all had to start somewhere!

R is for:
REJECTION
Don’t take rejection personally. Rejection can actually be a good thing. Each rejection means you have been doing your groundwork as a writer and are learning something new. Even the greats like J.K Rowling and Stephen King got their fair share of it! If your article or story gets rejected then try sending it off elsewhere, after all, one editor’s meat is another editor’s poison. It could be that the magazine you targeted already bought a similar article or story, or perhaps a few tweaks here or there, might make it a stronger. And remember, any comments the editor makes are like gold dust. Learn from any constructive criticism and advice!

S is for:
SUBMISSIONS
Before submitting your work anywhere, ensure that you have followed the writers’ guidelines. If it’s an online market you’re aiming at, you’ll usually find the guidelines under: ‘Writers or Author’s Guidelines’, ‘Contact’, or ‘About US’ sections on the site. You might find what you’re looking for in the writers’ manuals already mentioned, such as ‘Writers’ Market’ or ‘Writers’ Artists’ Year Book’, or if not, it’s wise to write to the particular market in question, so that you are not wasting your time and money on postage. If you are able to do so, check out what percentage of freelancers the magazine employs.

T is for:
TAKE OUT
Remove superfluous words and phrases, why wrap your piece up in flowery language when ordinary, everyday phrases will do? No one wants to look up words in a dictionary every time they read an article or story. Keep it simple. Usually, less is more!

U is for:
UNDERSTANDING
You are going to need a complete understanding of the markets you choose to target. It’s no use submitting an article about maintaining good health in old age to a teenage publication! Check the magazine covers, what are they trying to promote? Take a look at the ads the magazine runs. What type of readership are they aiming at?

V is for:
VERBALISE
Read your work aloud to check for flow. It’s also a good way to pick up any errors you might have otherwise missed.

W is for:
WEBSITE
If you are fortunate to get some of your work published, think about setting up your own website to provide links to your online publications. You will be able to do this for free if you try one of the following:
www.tripod.lycos.com
www.geocities.yahoo.com
www.members.freewebs.com

X is for:
EXPLORE
[OKAY I CHEATED HERE—HAVE YOU SEEN HOW MANY WORDS BEGIN WITH ‘X’ IN THE DICTIONARY?]
Once you’ve carried out adequate research, written your article and submitted it, explore the options for writing further articles with your newly acquired knowledge. If the magazine hasn’t purchased all the rights to your piece of work, are you free to submit it as a reprint elsewhere? The canny writer can sometimes submit the same article to more publications, thus bumping up their finances even further! Or you could target an entirely different type of publication by writing your article from a different angle.

Y is for:
YOU
It might sound obvious, but YOU are the only one who can make this work for YOU. Some writers claim they don’t have the time to write, yet the same people spend hours watching their favourite television programmes and will chat online until the cows come home! You’ve got to be in it to win it.

Z is for:
ZONE IN
Zone in on all those prospective markets out there. Don’t think that you have to be an expert at everything you write about. What you don’t know you can research and in time you will find yourself being somewhat of an expert yourself!


About the Author
Lynette Rees has had many short stories and non fiction articles published, both online and in print publications. Her first romantic suspense novel, IT HAPPENED ONE SUMMER, is due for release at http://www.wings-press.com in May, followed by her second, RETURN TO WINTER, in December. You can view her work at her website below and also purchase copies of her creative writing e-books at the site: Author's Website.


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

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

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Craft of Writing

Suzan L. Wiener

Getting Your First Sale

Do you crave that first sale? Do you envy other writers who seem to get their work published effortlessly? Believe me, published authors work hard to get their poetry, etc. into publications. Even if they seem like they are overnight successes, they aren’t. Years of revising, submitting again and again go into that occurrence. Some writers have had their work rejected many times, but still keep trying. Nothing is easy and nothing is a free ride. That is the difference between a published writer and a non-published one.

After three years of trying to get published in Modern Romances with my poetry, I finally can say: “I made it!” I was just about ready to give up when the acceptance came in my mailbox. It was almost as if someone didn’t want me to quit...because it was that day I had seriously made the decision to stop sending them my work. I thought for sure I was getting nowhere, but I had noticed that an editor would write a nice “Try again” on my rejected poems and I did. That meant something to me and I’d keep it nearby so I knew I was making progress. I did get discouraged quite often, but my husband and my writer friends helped me continue. Even when I didn’t have faith in myself as a writer, they did.

When at last I saw my work in Modern Romances magazine, I realized all the rejections had paid off. How? By learning my craft and constantly improving my work. I paid more attention to rhyme, meter and other aspects of my poems. I created more exciting conflicts in short stories and watched my grammar and spelling to make sure it was as good as it could be.

I also studied the work of other poets and short story writers that interested me who were regulars in their publications. I made my work original, letting it stand on its own. I learned a lot from them as to form and style. And, even though the editors never commented on any rejected pieces, except for that occasional, “Try again,” I felt they helped me enormously—to study and learn in order for me to become a published poet.

Of course, if I had given up, my poetry would have stayed at the beginner’s level, which meant my work might never have seen publication, or would only have appeared in small presses, if I were fortunate enough. They, too, expect quality work. The old saying, “A winner never quits and a quitter never wins,” is a very important lesson. Perseverance also is one of the main ways to seeing your work online or in print.

Following these tips below will help you to get your first sale and many more of them as well.

  • Don’t just wish that you could be a published writer, make that wish come true by doing your ‘homework’. Research your markets, and create characters that are riveting and ones that will make the editor want to buy, as well as readers want to read your story all the way through.


  • If you don’t have a writer’s group in your area, get together online with one already in existence or form your own with some experienced writers who you know. They probably would be happy to help you with your manuscript and you would help them with theirs.


  • Read all the books you can on being a published writer. Here is a link to find well-known books that will help you in your quest to see your work in print: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743455967/002-0748285-4355235?v=glance&n=283155


  • Don’t send in your work the moment you write it. Instead, stay away from it for a few days and then come back to it. You will probably find things in it that can be revised and typos you didn’t see before. You will have a fresh outlook on it too.


  • Most importantly, if your dream is to be a writer, be one. Don’t just daydream hoping that it will come true. It won’t! You have to be the springboard to make it work.
If you follow the above tips, you are bound to see your first sale and you will know the thrill of holding your first check in you hands. I know how it felt first-hand, and it‘s wonderful.


About the Author
Suzan L. Wiener has had numerous poems, stories, articles and shorter pieces published in publications such as The Writer's E-Zine, Mature Living, Saturday Evening Post, Verses, Poetry Press (first prize) NEB Publishing (first prize), Moca Memoirs, Sacred Twilight, etc. She also has her love poetry e-book up at Lionsong Publications.


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

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Craft of Writing

Leanne Johnston

Internet Marketing – Image

Writers! Welcome to the 21st Century and an abundance of new writing opportunities!

Rollover, newspaper editors, the Internet is treading on your territory!

As newspaper companies flick through their pages, more readers and advertisers are migrating daily to the Internet and many newspaper-based businesses are grappling with the problem of keeping their readers and advertisers. It is not clear yet if newspaper-based businesses will keep pace with the Internet-based onslaught, but fortunately through this marketing war, writers are the winners, being given greater opportunities than ever before.

This millennium the Internet holds a multitude of opportunities for writers to reach their reading audience. This year alone more people became millionaires than in any other year. What consequence does this have on you as a writer?

It means people have more spare time for leisure activities and more time to read your wonderful words.

How many of these people would like to read your novels, articles or short stories?

Now, this is where we get to the nitty-gritty. If I were to read your work, what picture do you think I would get from it?

If I asked, “What image do you portray?” would you know how to answer?

More importantly, what image do you want to portray online?

Many hundreds of people have commented that online we,

“Find it hard to communicate because we cannot use facial expressions.”

How much harder is it to sell ourselves or our work online?

We have to gain trust. How can our words do this? Another difficult part about marketing our writing online is the lack of voice inflection, (unless of course you have invested in the latest video conferencing equipment). Tone of voice can give so much more meaning to what someone is saying and the way they intend their words to be interpreted.

Most human communication is non-verbal. That is why users of the Internet are easily misunderstood. You only have to join any online group and you will soon see the disagreements that ensue due to misunderstandings caused by a word written incorrectly here or there or the reader misunderstanding the intent of the post. We can use emoticons or the commonly used “LOL” or “ROFL” of today’s Internet language to help but they cannot replace the tone of our voices and intended inflection.

But, not to get too hung up on the communications side of things, back to concentrating on marketing.

How does your online image play a part in marketing your novel or any of your work?

And, how can a writer who wants to market a novel get taken seriously?

Basically, it is everything about you and your ability to project your persona. Projecting a professional image is paramount to getting your work sold.

For instance, if you were offering your services as an Editor, you would need to display your best work online, always. If your credibility was to be believed, the customer needs to know you are good at what you do and qualified to do what you say you can. If they viewed your website only to find it contained errors, what do you think the chances would be of that potential customer using your services?

If you are serious about writing then take your craft seriously too. If your work is not up to scratch, not as perfect as you can make it, then do not post it!

In my work in a small publishing company, I am constantly disillusioned, dumbstruck and annoyed by writers who submit poorly written query letters only to have a half-decent manuscript attached. Can I emphasize how much this upsets me? No. But, I can say, the query letter is the first point of contact. It is your “image” being projected to your potential publisher. Polish it, make it the best it can be and stick strictly to the publisher's guidelines. If you are not sure, read over the guidelines again or get someone to help you interpret them. Chances are, if the publisher's guidelines are too ambiguous for you to understand, then you will not find much joy in taking on a publishing relationship with them. Ask them to clarify if you are in any doubt. If they do not want to assist you – find another who will.

The other place a customer may “see you” or “your work” is on your web page, blog or wherever that customer happens to stumble across your posts while using an online search engine or a link from another site.

If we, as writers, don’t step up to the mark and make a strong bid toward marketing our work with perfection we will only ever be seen as mediocre. This is okay for some. Heck! A few have been sitting in their mediocre solar-heated swimming pools splashing around for years screaming at the top of their voices,

“Come on in, the water's fine!”

Our readers are a switched on bunch and they might realize that they deserve better work for their consumer dollar. They want their fantasy to be fantastical and their other people’s lives to be portrayed with substance.

If you want a bestseller to add to your list of accomplishments in this life, you can no longer be happy with mediocre or average. You have to aim for the best of the best, always strive for perfection. Not everyone wants to go where you want to go, and just as well, because there isn’t much room up there!

Don’t forget, once you are there, someone will always be willing to take your place. This is a fact of a writer’s life and a well-known marketing dilemma—competition!

Consider this: It took Dr. Seuss’s twenty-three attempts to get his first children’s book published. It was finally accepted by the 24th publisher he approached. That publisher sold six million copies!

What I am saying is, do not be discouraged, for all your effort, with persistence something good can happen!

Consider Moses, he said,

“I’m no good at communicating with people.” And yet, from a marketing viewpoint, what a success his story became! In fact, who are better marketers than religious organizations?

As I stated in previous articles in this e-zine, if you write a book you should decide on your target market before venturing into the first chapter, but due to the creative intent of most writers they usually write the book and then try to sell their work.

Again, with this point in mind it is important to project the right image from the start. If you know your writing goal in life, you need to start projecting that image from the very first post you make online or elsewhere. Not always possible and unfortunately this realization usually comes to light after you have posted online only to work out later what it was you wanted from writing.

When you project your marketing image over the Internet, as my mother used to say,

“Don’t do as I do. Do as I say!”

“When marketing your writing on the Internet—Image is everything! Project the image you want people to see and most of all, be seen!

Good luck with your writing career!


About the Author
Imagine 60’s Australia: A cool, early, autumn morning. A mother gives birth to a girl child. This child continues to wake early every morning, talk the leg off an iron pot,* including any animals nearby, entertains herself with her vivid imagination and detest late nights because they interfere with her precious dreamtime.

Nowadays Leanne lives and works on a Stud Murray Grey cattle farm. She considers the Murray Grey breed exceptional and one that will become the most popular breed in the world due to their wonderful temperament and marbling. She shows absolutely no bias of course. Her love of animals will not cease.

The other side of her personality loves to tell tales and until a few years ago she worked in office management. One wild Wednesday she quit her job to pursue a career as a writer. She believes everyone is here for a reason. Everyone has something unique or great about them and others should encourage them to develop their special skills. Leanne likes to use her ability as a writer to help others become all they can, realising there is heaps of good in the world if you seek it in people.

Life is like a large brainteaser to Leanne and she believes in things unseen, unheard of, and sometimes only felt.

If you wish to contact Leanne, you may, at huonmurraygreys@bigpond.com.

*Common Aussie slang


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Copyright 1998 - 2007, Writopia Inc. All Rights Reserved

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

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Birdie's Quill

Birdie

Six Ways to Backup Your Files

A sinking feeling washed over me. I stared at my computer screen, willing it to come to life. I hit control, alt, delete to bring up the task manager program. Nothing. I mashed F8 to go to safe mode. Nada. My mind raced. When did I last back up? A strange black screen flashed into existence. OS not found. What about the submissions I’d sent in? Even worse, how could I recreate chapters to my current novel?

In my case, I’d backed up a month previous. Is once a month enough? It depends on how much you produce. If you write something you don’t want to lose, back it up.

1. Paper - The Old Fashioned Way
Printing hard copy and keeping it on file ensures you have a copy. Drawbacks to this backup method include space, expense of paper, toner, a filing cabinet or two and all the other hardware necessary to store paper in an organized manner. If you do lose your electronic files, you’ll have to retype each printed document to recreate it.

Another element to consider: What to do with documents when it’s time to delete them. I’ve recently taken on the challenge of eliminating piles of old manuscripts printed for editing purposes. Paper copies require shredding to prevent opportunities for plagiarism. Searching, filing and deleting are less time consuming when done electronically.

2. Floppy Disk
Floppy Disks offer 1.38-1.4 megs of memory. Available memory limits the size of files backed up using floppy disks. Organizing disks is a monumental task as portfolios grow. Color coding helps, but files scattered over a multitude of disks make it time consuming to find the document you need.

IT Consultant, Kraig Thomas warns, “Floppy disks do not last forever and are susceptible to magnetism, moisture and heat to name a few.” If you plan to use floppies as a back up for any length of time, be sure to save fresh copies on new disks.

The filing factor is another element to consider. How faithfully do you file? Floppy disks piled next to your monitor, on the shelf with your writing books or elsewhere quickly turn into one of those tasks that breed procrastination. We’ll get them organized later. When later hits with a computer meltdown, we hope and pray to find the files we need.

3. CD-R or CD-RW
CD’s offers more memory than floppies, but the filing dilemma still exists.

“CD-R allows one time write only,” Thomas explained, “CD-RW provides rewriteable CD storage. CD’s are susceptible to scratching if not stored correctly and heat can warp them enough to where they will not work in a CD drive. 650-700MB is the capacity of standard sized CDs, they also come in a mini size that stores about 150MB, but I don’t recommend them because of cost and not every player will read them.”

CD’s provide a convenient way to take files with you, but as a back up of your hard drive, it’s time consuming. If you use CD’s to back up your files, be sure to date them and store them properly. In the event your computer crashes, you can easily identify the most recent copies of precious documents.

4. Backup Systems Built into Your Software
The Backup utility in Windows® XP Professional helps protect files and information if your computer fails. Backup can be used to copy data on your hard drive and archive it on another hard drive, a disk, a CD, or another computer if on a network. If your hard drive is erased or damaged, the data from the archived copy can most times be restored. Counting on this option can be expensive and take days after you drop off your precious broken computer for a technology whiz to search out your files, hopefully in one piece.

5. Online Storage
Yahoo briefcase provides 25 MB of free space to registered users. Xdrive, Inc. offers 5GB of space on the Internet to organize, store, publish or share documents and files and a place to keep them backed up for a small fee each month. Ibackup offers secure online backup, storage, access, and collaboration for consumers and businesses for multiple platforms for the same price.

6. Flash Drive or Mini USB Drive
I’ve lived through a crashed hard drive. It reminds me of a fatal disease. You never think it will happen to you. With preparation and forethought, you can number yourself among the survivors when it hits. Replacing your hard drive is one thing; losing your files is another. After the crash, I learned about the SanDisk Mini-cruiser memory stick. It’s a portable flash drive used in a USB port. Plug it in, drag and drop your files.

The computer recognizes it as another drive. I can back up all my files on this one tiny contraption. It even comes with a strap to hang around your neck as you move about from one computer to another.

Another advantage to a flash drive is its portability. You can take it on a trip, plug it into any computer and have all your files at your fingertips.

According to Thomas, “Flash drives come in 128, 256, 512MB, 1GB, 2GB, & 4GB sizes. The most common currently are 256MB-2GB. One of the most durable removable storage solutions. (and quite cost effective also) USB interface is widely used so readability isn’t really an issue.”

Conclusion
No matter the method, take the time to back up your work. How often should you back up your work? Think of it this way. If the next time you turned on your computer, the dreaded blue “fatal error” screen popped up what would you lose? Don’t let it happen to you. Back up those files.

In closing, I turn to our expert. Thomas offers this advice:

“Daily back-ups are the best most practical solution for anyone doing real work. Weekly back-ups are good for casual users. Monthly back-ups are the minimum for anyone that has any data stored on a computer!

“Also as a side note, backing up email and internet favorites is really more important than most people think. Think of all the time you spent finding the places you visit or use on the internet.”


About the Author
Author and freelance writer, Donna Sundblad, resides in Florida with her husband, Rick. Her creative writing book, Pumping Your Muse, is available in paper or ebook format. Check her website for more information at www.theinkslinger.net. Donna also edits for and co-owns Team Spirit Critique and Editing, LLC.


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

Recognitions The Writers' Ezine - T-Zero Xpandizine

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Recognitions

Joan McNulty Pulver

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

Donna Sundblad worked hard to build her freelance writing business over the last two years. Besides her book, Pumping Your Muse, short stories, and her articles on writing, she’s written several stories for U. S. Legacies, where she is listed as a freelance writer. A consulting firm contacted her regarding writing a legacy story for a client’s mother in order to preserve her story and create a booklet to be used as a take away gift at her upcoming birthday party in April. The job involved interviewing, researching and getting the job done with a deadline.

“I enjoy interviewing elderly people and listening to personal histories unfold. Getting paid to do it makes it all the sweeter.” To learn more about Donna go to her website: The Inkslinger.

Donna joined WVU several years ago, participates as a member of several study groups and takes and facilitates classes. She lives in Florida with her husband, Rick, and works as a rental agent. She also has a job as a Senior Fantasy Editor at ePress-online where she edits manuscripts and trains other editors. “There’s no greater thrill as a writer/editor than finding a good story and working with an author to make it better. I’ve been on both sides of the process. I remember how thrilled I was to hear my book was accepted. To this day, I cherish the help I received from my editors. Now, I’m able to do the same for others.”

Rayne E. Golay wrote The Wooden Chair, a novel of victory over childhood abuse, sending a message of hope to others. She won the Royal Palm Literary Contest from the Florida Writers’ Association for it. It will be published in August 2006 by ArcheBooks Publishing, Inc., who do not accept manuscripts from unagented authors unless it has won a recognized and reputable contest.

When Rayne first found out that her book would be published she was overjoyed. “It took a couple of days to sink in that it's really happening.” The story starts in 1943 during the war in Helsinki, Finland. My female protagonist, Leini Bauman, is four and a half years of age at the outset. Throughout her childhood and teenage years, she suffers both physical and emotional abuse from her mother, Mira. The hard and unyielding wooden chair in their kitchen is symbolic of Mira's hostile lap when Leini, in search for affection, wants to cuddle. At the age of nine, Leini, in a desperate effort to win her mother's love, agrees to undergo surgery of her right eye to correct strabismus. Through a mishap, she loses sight in this eye.

Married to loving husband, Bill in Geneva, Switzerland, she becomes pregnant with their first child, a turning point; she's determined to break the pattern of abuse, to heal from the trauma. She struggles through the pains of past hurts, little by little growing into a nurturing and loving mother and wife, a successful professional as she grows from victim to victor over adversity and suffering.

As a child and young woman Rayne wanted to write, to be a writer. Her father had other plans, so she studied psychology to become a therapist. She is a retired psychotherapist and addictions counselor, now a full-time author. She managed to fulfill both their dreams. To learn more about Rayne visit her website at: Rayne Golay

“When I first joined WVU, I posted in the Independent Novel Workshop, F-200, then in the Misfits study group, where I posted parts of The Wooden Chair and my first novel, Life Is a Foreign Language, published in June 2006. I'm also a member of Colin R. Onstad and Spilt Milk study groups. Most of what I know about creative writing I've learned at Writers' Village University both through receiving and giving feedback. I've learned to accept even the toughest critique as a learning experience, not anything that diminishes me as a person.”

When asked what advice Rayne would give to other writers or students of writing she answered: “In my limited experience as a writer I'd like to stress to all those who think they have a book or two in them: if you're a writer, write - every day even when it seems tough. Never give up your dream. Nobody said it better than Richard Bach, writer of Jonathan Livingston Seagull: “A PROFESSIONAL WRITER IS AN AMATEUR WHO DIDN'T QUIT.”
 
Jim Kelley gathered and compiled true life stories from the Special Forces into an enjoyable read in Volume II of Tales from the Teamhouse published by Special Forces Teamhouse in conjunction with Old Mountain Press. This book continues where Volume I left off by allowing the reader to gain insight into the lives of Special Forces, also known as The Quiet Professionals Jim shared with us the following excerpts from the book:

  • There is an important use for helium-filled balloons. You see, we had this monkey and we named him (what else?) Jocko.
  • As it turns out, a tiny baby rat had wiggled through a plastic loop on a set of curtains she [a seamstress] was making, and the loop was stuck around his "waist" and he couldn't get loose! Well, I held him down, cut the stitches free and had myself a rat with a self-equipped collar.
  • About 5 P.M. I was sitting in our radio bunker. Suddenly a most awful, terrifying noise came over the radio. I had heard it before. It was the screams of dying men; a sound, if heard once, you could never forget.
  • Finally, one guy about twice as big as Ben steps up to him chest to chest and puts his hand in his back pocket. Ben looked him right in the eye and said "Son, what ever you pull out of your back pocket better be between two pieces of bread 'cause you're gonna' eat it." Bang, the fight was on.
A reprint of Volume II is in the works and Volume III will be produced around January 2007. Portions of the proceeds from Volume II go to Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

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.

Congratulations, Donna, Rayne and Jim. 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 Personnel 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.


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Fiction Short Story

by  Melissa Mead

Carpe Demon

Bill discovered the demon in his manuscript drawer—the one where all his creations lay waiting for the day when he found a publisher worthy of considering them. It crouched and appeared like a leggy ink spot on clean white paper.

"Get off those! You'll singe the pages!" Bill shouted. "What are you doing in there, anyway?"

The demon's beady lizard-eyes glittered. "Like you, O Ingenious One, I am merely waiting for my moment of opportunity. In this case, the opportunity to grant you a wish."

"That's genies!" Bill snorted and scowled at the tiny creature. "And that's not a bottle you're in. In fact, it used to be my underwear drawer."

The demon leapt from the drawer, folded its spidery limbs and dropped on Bill's bed. "And you're no Ali Baba. But anyone perceptive can see that you're underappreciated. I can give you money, fame . . ."

"If you'd read any of those manuscripts you were sitting on, you'd know I'll have all that soon without resorting to selling my soul or believing any hocus-pocus garbage." Bill jutted his nose into the air and paced around the room. "You'll see!"

The demon waited and watched as thoughts percolated through Bill's mind.

"All I want is to see my talent appreciated. That's it!

"Master?"

"I want to see it all." Bill gazed at the mini monster. "The book signings. The conventions. The TV interviews. All of it!"

"All of it?" The demon extended its limbs and jumped from the bed to the top of Bill's cherrywood dresser.

"You heard me. A life of fame. That's my wish."

The demon's lips curled back, exposed fang teeth and flashed a fake smile. He handed Bill a mirror and bowed before him. "Look then, O Celebrated One, and see your life."

Bill clutched the mirror with both hands, stared at his image and grinned.

****
The first article appeared in the local paper: Man Held Spellbound! Tabloid headlines, magazine cover stories, and televised news reports soon followed. Psychiatrists, surgeons, psychics and hypno-therapists failed to remove the mirror from Bob's catatonic embrace. Local strongmen and heavy equipment workers flooded the nursing home and attempted to pry the mirror from Bob's grip.

Fifty years passed as Bob clenched the mirror. One chilly winter night the monitors stopped beeping, Bob exhaled and the mirror fell from his frozen hands. Media vans rushed to the scene and cameras flashed as reporters scrambled around the nursing home.

The world famous "Man with a Mirror" graced the headlines one more time.


About the Author
Melissa Mead lives in Upstate NY. She has sold over 30 short stories and one e-book (Between Worlds, from Double Dragon Publishing). Read more about Melissa at her web page at: http://home.earthlink.net/~carpelibris/id12.html.


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Fiction Short Story

by  Charlotte Dougherty

Maybe Next Year

The party at the boss’s summer home on Mason Lake was terminally dull. Doug Pierce, impeccably dressed in his corporate-casual uniform of khakis and polo shirt, hovered listlessly on the perimeter of the group clustered around CEO Everett Tucker.

Mr. Tucker, gray-haired and portly, held court with a cigar in one hand and a scotch in the other. When he delivered the punch line to yet another lame joke, everyone laughed. Doug wanted to gag. He told himself it was time for a walk.
 
He wandered the property and ended up on the boat dock. A warm breeze ruffled his thinning hair, but Doug didn’t notice. He was replaying in his mind an earlier conversation with his co-worker, Mike Carter.
 
“You have the experience to run the Garrison project, Doug, but so do others. It’s not enough. Get Tucker to notice you. Flatter the guy. Laugh at his jokes. Schmoooooze for God’s sake.”
 
Doug was terrible at schmoozing.
 
He pondered his options as a dinghy glided towards the dock.
 
“Hi,” said a small voice.
 
He looked down. A tow-headed boy encased in a life jacket and wearing horn-rimmed glasses was staring up at him from the stern of the boat.
 
“Hi, kid. Nice boat.”
 
The boy, who looked about nine years old, nodded as he brushed the hair off his forehead. It fell back when he smiled.
 
“My dad gave it to me.”
 
It was an eight-footer, with squared prow and a single sail. Doug sailed but hadn’t been on a boat in years.
 
A burst of canned laughter wafted from the terrace prompting a decision.

“Say kid, you wouldn’t want to take me out for a spin would you?”
 
“Sure.”
 
Doug situated himself in the tight quarters and introduced himself.

“My name’s Kyle,” the boy replied.

They shook hands, and Kyle used the tiller to maneuver away from the dock. He trimmed the sail and set their course for the beach club. As they passed the marina, Doug noticed the course markers in the water.
 
“Races today?”

Kyle shrugged. “Yeah.”
 
“I used to race my own boat when I was kid,” Doug explained. “I was pretty good.”
 
The boy’s eyes sparked with interest. “I’ve never been in a race.” He added, “Wanna be in one today?”
 
“What class?”
 
“El Toro…like this one. My dad and I entered, but he’s stuck in London on business, and Granddad is busy. They both said maybe next year.
 
Doug was familiar with the phrase. He said it constantly to everyone. Even himself. It was a convenient phrase that offered no commitments. Commitments that might get in the way of work.

Doug glanced at the boy and felt guilty. He knew ‘Maybe next year’ would probably be the first words his own child would learn if he ever found time to get married and have kids.
 
Kyle was waiting for his answer.
 
Oh hell, Doug thought. The party’s already a lost cause. “Is there a boat I can borrow?”
 
Kyle beamed. “My dad’s.” He swung the sail about and started towards the marina.
 
An hour later, they were in their boats jockeying for the best position nearest the starting buoy.

Among the six other competitors, all male, Kyle was the youngest and smallest. Earlier, three of the men boasted they would run over anyone who got in the way.
 
Kyle’s eyes were wide with second thoughts, but Doug took him aside.
 
“Let’s make this a strategy session. First: Ignore those jerks. Second: There’s not much wind so use your tiller if you have to, but don’t let anyone block your sail. And third: Remember to have fun. Okay?”

Kyle nodded, and Doug gave him a high-five.
 
By the time the bell signaled the start, a sneeze would have produced a stronger breeze. The sails flapped impotently as each of the competitors pumped their tillers back and forth in an effort to move forward.
 
Kyle’s weight became a big advantage. Because he weighed the least what little wind there was helped him the most. He inched ahead and was the first to make the north turn. A slight gust of wind allowed him to shoot even further ahead before it died away. By the time he crossed the finish line no one else was close.

At the awards ceremony, Doug cheered as the club president awarded Kyle the silver cup. The boy hugged his trophy proudly while a photographer snapped his picture.
 
They returned to Tucker’s dock, and Doug intended to rejoin the party hoping he hadn’t been missed.

Though he’d figured out early on that Kyle was his boss’s grandson, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of trepidation when Kyle scrambled out of the boat and let go with a whoop followed by, “Granddad, I won!”
 
Doug looked up to see the boss walking towards them. Mr. Tucker greeted Kyle with a pat on the head and shot Doug a quizzical look.
 
“Your grandson wanted someone to enter the race with him, and I went along,” Doug explained. “He’s a real competitor. Kept his cool and beat us all.”
 
Kyle piped in, “Doug told me how, Granddad. We had a strategy session!”
 
The boy’s glee was infectious and both men laughed. Mr. Tucker admired the cup and suggested, “Kyle, why don’t you show your grandmother?”

As the boy ran off, Mr. Tucker turned to Doug. “My party bored you?”
 
Doug detected the challenge in the man’s voice.

“Yeah. Life’s short and the jokes were getting stale.”

Mr. Tucker’s eyebrows arched before he exploded with laughter. “That’s the first honest comment I’ve heard today.” He shook Doug’s hand. “I like your style.”

Eyeing the young man with interest, Tucker continued, “You know, Doug, we have the Garrison project coming up. It’s big…really big. I’ve been looking for someone like you to lead it. Whaddya say?”

Doug shifted his gaze toward the marina while he pretended to consider the offer. “I’m going to pass,” he replied firmly. “I’ll be too busy shopping for a sailboat.” He offered an apologetic smile. “But hey, maybe next year.”


About the Author
Charlotte Dougherty was raised on the West Coast and currently resides in the NYC area. Her job as a business analyst for a Fortune 200 firm takes her around the world and her work experiences provide inspiration for much of her writing. Her non-fiction has been published in the Long Story Short Magazine and she recently received Honorable Mention in Byline Magazine’s Short-short fiction competition for another work inspired story, ‘Company Policy’.


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Fiction Short Story

by  Cynthia M. Saracco

Nano Fiction

Stories exceeding 1000 words will be rejected outright.

"Twelve thousand, and four. Damn. Well, a little nip and tuck can't hurt, right?"

Wow us.

"Dazzling scenes, spitfire dialog, an intricate plot—I can do that."

We want vivid images, compelling characters. Make us think. Make us laugh. Make us cry.

"Now you're making me cry. Wait a minute . . . Maybe I can change my main character. How about a two-headed, snot-dripping Cyclops overcome with jealousy instead of a middle-aged housewife distraught over her daughter's death?"

We like stories with an edge.

"OK. The two-headed Cyclops stabs her daughter, fries up the kid's heart and feeds it to the girl's father. Ending: 'Emily's heart always belonged to you.' Edgy enough?"

We prefer literary works that break new ground.

"Fine. I'll have the Cyclops quote Shakespeare—in Latin."

No pornography or excessive violence.

"Alright. The Cyclops will spike Emily's chamomile tea with sedatives, lulling her into everlasting sleep. Not too much rewrite there."

Don't tell us everything. Good flash fiction lets readers fill in the blanks.

"So do I keep the snot-dripping part or not?"

No genres, please.

"Damn. There goes the Cyclops."

We only accept submissions on even-numbered days in even-numbered months ending with a hard consonant.

"Uh, I guess I'll send it Thursday."

We offer this advice for would-be authors: kill your darlings.

"I can think of something else I'd like to kill right now."

We favor very short stories—micro fiction of less than 300 words.

"What happened to 1000?"

Above all, surprise us.

"OK. I've got the perfect story for you . . . No gore. No profanity. No horror. No romance. Just a quick tale that's provocative, experimental, even edgy:

'!'

Try editing that!"


About the Author
Cynthia M. Saracco lives in California and writes fiction in her spare time. Her work has been published in several magazines and will soon appear in an anthology. For details, visit her web site at http://www.geocities.com/cm_saracco.


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Fiction Short Story

by Jennifer Gomoll

Thunderstorm, 1890

Anya set down her brush and braided her hair in front of the distorted mirror, a tarnished relic, something she dragged out of the old attic before her father brought her here. The sparse room's reflection wavered along a seam where chipped wall met cracked ceiling; light rain spattered against the closed window, and a first pimple blossomed on Anya's chin. She frowned as she tied off her rope of dark hair.

Anya blew out her lamp. In bed, knees drawn under her thin nightdress, she watched the room flare with lightning and darken again. A crack of thunder tore through the air like a ripped seam. Heart pounding, she pressed her hands to her ears.

A baby wailed in the apartment above; floorboards creaked overhead as someone came to soothe it.

Anya shut her eyes, wanting to be soothed, but her father snored soundly in the next room. She allowed him sleep. He would leave in a few hours, and she would not return to school but begin work. Her days would be spent in front of a machine, sewing identical seams over and over.

Rain pattered against the window. Hard. The room's faulty radiator knocked and hissed. Anya kicked aside her quilt. She lifted the water-streaked pane to watch the black sky wring itself out onto the street as the wind pulled strands of her long hair free. Jagged, white-hot lightning bolts quickened her breath with fear. Fear—and awe.

A white flower, drooping in bone-dry dirt, sat on her windowsill. Anya grasped the pot in both hands. She didn't know the name of the bloom, only that her father bought it for her from a man on the corner, and that her mother had liked such things. She leaned over the sill with the plant so that rain splattered the soil and reached the roots.

Men walked in the street below, stopping to whisper and nod, shake hands or shove, continue. Droplets fell from the brims of their hats. One man tipped his head back to look at the girl leaning out from a small, high window. He made a gesture.

Anya's cold cheeks flared with red heat. She drew back her arm, but held it there too long. Only when she flung the flowerpot with all her strength did she notice that the man had laughed and moved on.

Down on the pavement, the white blossom in its broken container shimmered as rain pelted it, too delicate, too frail. Like her mother, like her father's money, another thing that wouldn't last long.

Anya closed the window and stood in front of the hissing radiator, waiting for her drenched body to steam, leaving her dried out and hardened from the pit of her stomach to her flushed skin. Thunderbolts continued to disturb her dark room with flashes of garish light and noise, but she no longer paid them any mind.

She closed her eyes and could still see the flower, beautiful and perfect, but gone.


About the Author
Jennifer Gomoll is a former office worker who now spends her days writing articles, humorous filler, short stories, and poetry. Her work has appeared in a variety of magazines and websites, including The Sycamore Review, The First Line, VerbSap.com, and Highlights for Children. Currently, she splits her time between her home town of Chicago and her soon-to-be new home of Springfield, Illinois.


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Legacy - A Celebration of 21st Century Poets The Writers' Ezine - T-Zero Xpandizine

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Legacy - A Celebration of 21st Century Poets

Writers' Village University is please to present "Legacy," in honor of National Poetry Month. Poetry is a legacy of past, present and future.

This online exhibit was put together to highlight the legacy and ongoing achievement of poets everywhere, to introduce a larger audience to the pleasures of reading poetry and to bring poets and poetry to public attention.

The exhibit features the work of twenty-four poets from Writers' Village University.

Gwen Austin, Glennis Hobbs (Glenda Walker-Hobbs), Maureen (Mo) Swanson, Lana Wiltshire Campbell, Helen V. Lundt, and Connie Walker poets are members of the Advanced Poets’ Workshop at WVU. Kathy Kubik and Lori Romero are former members of the Advanced Poets.

Judy Beaston, Michael P. Bryk, Nadene R. Carter, Debra S. Cox, Mary Dorman, Gabriela Esquivel, Virginia Gillespie, Jana Griffin, Sylvia Kaye Hamilton, emma, Sherry King, Rachael Kvapil, Joan Myers, Jeanne M. Perkel, Tammie Schaaf and Sharon Walker are members of the poetry community of WVU.

Thanks go to Bob Hembree for granting the space for the exhibit, to Judy Hunt for her help and preparation in getting the exhibit online, to Joyce Heon for her introduction and to all the poets who helped with the organization and preparation of the exhibit.

The poetry features a cross section of work and covers a variety of topics from family, nature, social issues, travel, cats, witches, children’s poetry, fantasy and spirituality. Each poet brings his or her own gift of poetry to the exhibit and each will leave his or her own unique legacy of poetry to be shared with the reader.

The exhibit can be viewed here during the month of April and is accessible to everyone.


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Poetics Presents

Elizabeth Barrette

Elizabeth Barrette writes speculative fiction, gender studies, and alternative spirituality. She serves as Managing Editor of PanGaia. She won Sol Magazine’s 2003 Poet Laureate Competition. Publication credits include articles in Sol Magazine and Internet Review of Science Fiction and poems in Mytholog and in the Pedestal She maintains a website at http://www.worthlink.net/~ysabet/sitemap.html.

Palettes

I saw the moon painted purple once
By a setting sun.
Winter's colors covered the sky
Lavender, azure, and jade.
The moon rose through floating shadows,
Shouldered them aside with its light.
As it ascended, it brightened
To rose, to gold, and finally
To shining silver.
Still the colors remained,
Smoky and alluring, draped over the ground.
I considered them, soaked in them,
Mentally rolled around and reveled in them.
I savored those colors, sensuously,
And then I stole them.
I painted a purple sky in my mind,
Dappled with lavender clouds
Wrapped in a rose petal wind.
I hung a white sun in a clear jade dome,
Companioned it with four blue moons
Dressed in the tints of twilight.
I set dashing captains to sail on seas
The shade of sunset in honey,
Brought them home on ships
As sultry as dusk.
O Winter,
How glorious your rainbows
How perfect your palette for all places,
For the palaces of mind
And magic.

Copyright © 2006 by Elizabeth Barrette




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Poetics Presents

Jennifer Yaros

Jennifer Yaros lives in Valparaiso, Indiana. She writes poetry, short stories, and is working on her first novel. Her poetry has appeared in Living Poets, Volume II, Number II, and Spirits literary magazines and is scheduled to appear in the winter issue of Beginnings.

drafts
 
don’t mind when I eavesdrop      watch
the whispers   blowing     steamy
moistening the page to the point of weeping
 
beading drops      magnified words
presenting clues to the next cut
turned trance   turned séance   turned Ouija board
 
lights dim      silence serenades
sage and lavender to blossom in a
glowing halo   sparking
 
the oracle      in the rough
a swift diamond flying waking      each word chosen
following a magic spell      potion
 
piecing together ingredients of disposition and dialogue
a character      a poem      a tale
led by fingers      diligent in the subconscious
 
on once empty paper      in a new draft ink
renovated framework readies for breathy contemplation
     time to murmur again
 
in spirited composure joining its formers
breeding and breeding and breeding
     in the wind they call their own

Copyright © 2006 by Jennifer Yaros




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Submissions Guidelines (Updated)

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

What We Pay For

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What We Publish

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

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

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

What We Won't Publish

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

Simultaneous submissions.

Material that has appeared elsewhere (reprints).

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

Length Recommendations

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

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

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

Rights

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

Formats We Will Accept

Plain text in the body of an email.

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

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

Editing

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

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

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

Getting to Know You

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

How and Where to Submit

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

Fiction should be sent to fiction@thewritersezine.com.

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

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

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

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

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

Good luck!


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

 

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