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

K. Cutter

How to Become a Professional Aspiring Author without Looking like a Fool

People don't take me seriously as a writer, because I don't have a six-figure book deal. Family and friends pop in unexpectedly, anticipating that since I don't work, I'll be home, bored, and looking for company. If I had a six-digit book deal, they'd keep away. "Better not disturb her while those creative juices are flowing," they'd say.

If I had a six-digit book deal, they would call me an "author" or better yet, "wordsmith," instead of "aspiring writer" or even worse, "housewife."  They wouldn't roll their eyes, sneer, and say in my head, "Writer? Yeah right. Get a real job." I wouldn't be paranoid, if I had a six-digit book deal. Unfortunately, I don't—just a dozen unpublished stories and two novels.

My labors haven't been without fruit, though. I have managed to find a few pieces home, earning a total of: $225, a coffee mug, and a can of beans. So counting the time I've been out of work, paper, stamps, computer, internet access, labels, envelopes, and ink cartridges, I'm only out about $130,000, which I'm sure the publication of my first novel will cover.

Anyway, I may not be qualified to give advice about developing story conflict or proper use of the em dash, but I have learned a few things about being a professional aspiring author.
  • Quit your day job.  Remember unemployment is the key factor in distinguishing professional aspiring authors from ordinary hobby writers.

  • Don't tell anyone you're a writer. Telling people you are a writer only invites an interrogation of difficult questions, including "How many books have you published?" and "How much money do you make?" The average writer's life is 99.5% rejection. On top of this, we don't need hairdressers, acquaintances, and in-laws making us insecure during routine chitchat.


  • Be modest. Don't brag about your first publication like it's your first publication. Play it cool. Mention it to your parents, partner, and best friend, the people most likely to brag about you. After some time has passed, leave conversation props around the house: the journal where your story appeared, a trinket you bought with the stipends, anything subtly obvious that people will comment on. "Where'd you get this?" "Oh, that's just something I bought with the money from that publication a few months ago." "I didn't know you got published." "It was nothing, really." This will give people the impression you get published more often than they realize. They will think you're just shy and don't like discussing it.


  • Don't give non-writer friends your stories to read. They will look for themselves in your characters and assume the abortion, one-night stand, and overdose you wrote about happened to you. Either they will offer bad advice via penciled notes in the margin or, most likely, not respond at all. After sharing your soul with this person, you will never hear them mention your story again. This isn't because, as non-writers, they don't know how to offer constructive criticism or insight. It's because they think your story sucked. Worse yet, now there is a printed copy of your story thoughtlessly discarded on their coffee table. Everyone who walks into their house reads it, and they all sit around the living room discussing what a horrible writer you are.


  • Having a partner who supports you is a lot of pressure. Once you've made writing your full-time career, your partner expects progress. They have invested time and money in your success. Unless it comes with a check, they do not care about the nice review of your story. They want profit. Never argue about money; you will lose. And don't forget to snuff out the candles from your afternoon bath and kick the clart off your shoes from that inspirational walk.


  • Having a baby relieves this pressure. Having a baby is the best decision a professional aspiring author can make (just make sure you're the one who gets nominated for home duties). People become amazed if you manage to brush your teeth during the day, let alone pump out 1,000 words. Write while baby's sleeping but steer clear of too many poopy-diaper and apple-cheek anecdotes (I know it's hard). If the dishes aren't done, blame the baby.


  • Save money. Hopefully when you quit your job, you remembered to take a stash of office supplies with you. Now, more than ever, those reams of paper, manila envelops, pens, pencils, paper-clips, staplers, erasers, labels, and liquid paper are going to come in handy. If you weren't able to stock up on stationary, trade with a friend who has access to the supply cabinet or get a temp job for a day.


  • Be Resourceful. Your job as a professional aspiring writer is not to deplete the forest. You will be amazed at how much paper is wasted jotting down notes, printing queries, envelopes, stories, and manuscripts, and then reprinting after you've spotted and corrected a typo that has bumped the second half of your novel one line forward. It's not just your paper you're wasting but the agents' and editors' too. Three months after that mass mailing, your mail slot will be so crammed with rejections that you'll need a crowbar to open it. Rejection letters come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, sometimes even on your original letter. Don't put these little slips of failure to waste. Wallpaper your bathroom, use them as poop liners for the birdcage, or cut out the individual letters and write a ransom note.
Becoming a professional aspiring author means constantly learning about style and structure. Publications I was once proud of now absolutely positively reek of prolix writing and way too many adverbs. This is a down side of becoming a better writer. Your writing will always improve, leaving everything in your path looking amateurish. This journey can be easily documented by the evolution of your bio. No doubt, one of my early query letters ended with a paragraph stating my publications in my high school newspaper. This was followed by a lengthy explanation about how the particular story had been work-shopped on-line and "is much better now."

As I struggle along in my Sisyphean pseudo-career, I hope one day, my third-person bio, in fifty words or less, will read, "K. Cutter has published dozens of short stories and three books. She's a lonely recluse whom no ever visits, but people finally take her serious as a wordsmith."


About the Author
K. Cutter lives in Australia with a house full of boys. She was the first place winner of the Net Author E2K Flash Fiction Contest. Her work has also appeared in Word Riot, Story House, Inkburns, FlashFiction.Net, and ByLine. She has two YA novels and a few odds-and-ends looking for homes. She once flew a plane.


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

April Aragam

Stop Procrastinating: 4 Ways To Jumpstart Your Writing

Ever have moments where you can’t write a word? All of a sudden you have absolutely no ideas and wonder why you ever became a writer?’ It might be writer’s block or something else, but whatever it we’ve all had it and it’s always annoying. We want to write, we love to write, so why can’t we? The reason doesn’t actually matter. What does matter is how you get going again. Use the following tips to help yourself start writing again:

  1. Brainstorm
    This is always a helpful to begin writing again. Jot down any ideas that come to mind or ideas that you’ve thought of doing before. You don’t have to commit to any of them, just write them down. The more ideas you write down, the more you have to choose from. If you really like an idea, make more notes about it. What will you include? Who will your audience be? Could you turn this one idea into two or three for more audiences? Think outside the box. Don’t throw ideas away simply because you think you can’t use them. Create an idea notebook that you can refer back to anytime you’re lacking ideas.

  2. Find inspiration
    If you have something or someone that inspires you to write, you are more likely to want to do it. You can find inspiration in someone else’s work, it doesn’t even have to be a writer. Maybe it’s someone whose success and work ethic you admire. Read about whoever it is. Study their work and their life. You can even find inspiration in yourself. Remember the feeling you get when your pieces get accepted and published? Go back and take a look at your own work. Notice the kinds of things you wrote. Often, reading your own previously published work gives you such a feeling of accomplishment that you want more. You might even want to start an inspiration book that you can refer to whenever you want. Include copies of your work, quotes, photos, anything that inspires you that you can grab at any moment.

  3. Try something new
    If you’ve always written the same thing, the well could simply be running dry. Maybe you’ve exhausted yourself writing in just one area. Try something new. If you normally write poetry and greeting card verse, maybe it’s time to try your hand at article writing. If you’ve always written health and fitness articles, maybe you can try your hand at a new topic. You don’t have to give up your passion for good, just try something new for a while. Challenge yourself. Even getting away from writing for a bit to try something new altogether could spark something. Writing about that experience for instance is sure to get you going again.

  4. Write badly
    That’s correct. Write badly. Many of us feel that if we’re not going to write our best, we shouldn’t write at all. Not so. It’s only true that we should submit only our best work. But you can write badly anytime. Don’t worry about spending time writing things you won’t use later. Those things you write might not be so useless. Free write about anything that comes to mind and you might actually be struck by ideas you can use for your articles, poetry, even books. The point is to get yourself writing. Once you start, the good ideas will come.
Writer’s block is something that we’ve all dealt with and will deal with many times over, but you don’t have to let it stop you from writing or frustrate you into hating your vocation.


About the Author
April Aragam’s work has appeared in such publications as Living, Fellowscript, Listen and Mahogany Baby. You can check out her blog at http://aprilaragam.blogspot.com.


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

The Role of Research

Recently in an interview, I was asked what role research plays in my writing. This was my answer:

Almost everything I write takes some research. For instance, in Caleb Sees the Light, I had to research what the lantern would be made of—what kind of handle—how to light it. I didn’t need to use all that information, but it gave me enough detail to make the experience real within the story.

This particular short fiction story is part of a biblical spec-fic anthology titled Light at the Edge of Darkness. It takes place in a rural setting; something I know. The protagonist’s grandparents live a rather rustic lifestyle, again something I know from my past. However, the use of the lantern offered a challenge. I needed authentic detail to make the use of the lamp realistic. Did it swing as he carried it? How would the handle feel in his hand? Although this short story pulls from background and experience I know—it still required research.

When to Research
When creating a new story or scene, if a question arises, make note of it and research the topic. Why? Because the same question may cross the reader’s mind, and secondly it puts the writer’s creative thoughts in order as the story continues develop. Research can mold your story depending on what you find. In my novel Windwalker, researching how to make gunpowder influenced the plot of the story.

It doesn’t matter what genre you create; research is part of the process. The following categories include (but are not limited to) facts and information often researched by writers:

Period or Ethnic Names
Character names should fit the story’s time and place. Babynames.com is my favorite site to search for names and meanings. It’s easy to navigate and offers not only a selection of names but also information on origin and meaning. Other fun features include categories such as celebrity baby names, celebrity real names, Lord of the Ring Names, Shakespeare names, soap opera names, and even pet names.

Careers
Characters take on life. Part of that life includes a career. In Windwalker, Jalil’s father worked as a metal smith. Since I knew very little about blacksmith tools or skills, research added enough detail to make the reader’s time in the smith shop valid.

Crime and Forensics
At the writing of this article, forensics plays a part in several popular TV shows. Some of the technology seems far-fetched but yet believable. Research forensic science and the equipment available to detectives. Small, obscure facts can present the clue that breaks the case. Research combined with imaginative characters and plot provides an unpredictable and entertaining read. For mystery and crime writers research makes and breaks the crime while weaving realistic threads throughout the plot leading to whodunit. Sites like Copnet.org link the police with the community and provide a wealth of information.

Correct Spellings
This may seem like a no-brainer, but research includes checking the dictionary. Don’t rely on the spellcheck feature of your word processing software to catch every spelling mistake.

Search for Another Word
Redundancy is one pitfall writers strive to avoid. It requires research. Keep an updated Thesaurus handy, and don’t hesitate to use it.

Grammar and Style
Grammar and style are as important as correct spelling. The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr is a valuable resource available online at no cost.

Experts
Why research experts? To add authenticity to your writing. An expert can sift through your scenario and tell you what works and what doesn’t and why. Talking with an expert provides minute details that pull the reader into the scene.

Markets
A writer’s research carries over from unearthing details that enrich writing projects to the search for markets where the submission process begins. What do publishers want, what do they pay? Once the manuscript is finished—where do you send it? Researching markets includes sifting through writers’ guidelines to find a match for your genre and word count.

Genealogy
When writing historical fiction or even speculative fiction, researching genealogies can open the door for a plot connected to reality through family ties.

Geography
Building a world sometimes calls for supplies outside the realm of current knowledge and experience. Research encourages the collection of specific new information necessary to build upon the writer’s foundation of knowledge and experience. For instance, if you want to create a world connected by waterways rather than roads, a cursory study of Venice could spark the creation of a lagoon near the train station.

Here’s a tip taken from Pumping Your Muse–map your world as it develops. Mapping provides logistical smoothness and continuity. It also offers a visual as the story takes shape. When your character heads down the road, you know where they’re going.

Government
Government organization puts an authority structure in place even in a fictional world. It provides a sense of history to help understand how the world operates. Understanding how the government works aids to determine the character’s actions, consequences to those actions and the direction of the plot. Research real world governments to inspire your writing.

Historical Research
Even in a pre-modern fantasy world, writers research to learn historical details to weave unique threads into the story line.

For example, writing about a character’s wedding in a historical fantasy or even an alien union on another planet—researching medieval weddings provides rich customs and details far enough from today’s reality to inject foreign and yet familiar customs and cultures. Researching triggers new ideas as you alter history to fit your story. Historical or alternate history scenarios also develop from finding an obscure moment in history and developing it into a novel. Writing historical fiction takes plenty of research to keep the details genuine.

Religion and Myths
People once believed the world was flat. Creating a belief system that affects the actions of the general population, takes research. For example, if characters believe the world is flat-most of them will not venture out to sea in fear of falling over the edge into oblivion.

Historical superstition blended with a fantasy realm feeds the writer’s imagination. Why do characters believe the superstition? Is it because government uses it to control with fear or because of a faulty premise? Something like travelers who experienced a great water fall and perceived it to be the end of the world when they lost traveling companions in the roaring, fog-enshrouded mist? Fictional superstitions and traditions can be based on history but transformed. Use them as a springboard.

Science and Technology
In Sci-fi, science makes the magic work. Researching cutting edge technology inspires gadgets like the communicators in the original Star Trek series. Have you ever thought about how much those now archaic devices resemble today’s cell phones? Writers must grasp the science enough to not only make it work in their minds, but to make it believable in the minds of their readers. Understanding the science behind wormholes in space, the dangers presented when a star goes super nova, or any such space travel science provides the details necessary to express the urgency to flee and the knowledge of how to do it.

Science and technology mold the culture. If your fictional world is pre-modern, research will include primitive beliefs and lifestyles. In a futuristic world, research will lead to cutting edge technology to be blended with the what if factor.

Research: The Springboard
Research feeds the imagination. Writing fiction generates questions. Searching for answers opens avenues of thought that reflect new ideas within the plot and construction of the fictional world. Use this list as a roadmap to discovery. It is not all-inclusive, but works as a springboard in the writer’s research process. No matter the genre, real facts and details create rich dimension and a believable story.


About the Author
Author and freelance writer, Donna Sundblad, resides in Georgia with her husband, Rick. Together, they are working on a budgeting book that will be out in electronic format by early 2007. Donna serves as the Fantasy Topic Editor at Inspired Author, and her books, Pumping Your Muse and Windwalker are available in paper or ebook formats at epress-online.com. Check her website for more information at www.theinkslinger.net.


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

Vivian Reed

For years, Joan McNulty Pulver has celebrated the tenacity and ultimate successes of Writers’ Village University members in this column. I hope to continue in her tradition with inspiring stories of shining moments in the lives of hard-working and dedicated writers.

Nikki Leigh
The celebration begins this month with news that print versions of two books by Nikki Leigh will be available this spring. This prolific writer works 60 to 80 hours a week, but she still finds time to savor her success. “It’s a huge rush every time I receive my e-book or print copies of a new book,” Nikki says. “The first was wonderful, but each one since then is just as sweet. My tenth book was recently accepted and I was thrilled about that, just like the first one. The feeling never gets old.”

Lady Lightkeeper, the second book in the author’s “Misty Cove” series, arrives in print this month, and the paper version of Lilah and the Locket will be issued shortly after that. Up-to-date book order information can be found at the author’s website, www.nikkileigh.com/book_4_sale.htm.

The writer known as Nikki Leigh to her friends at WVU, uses her name, Shri Henkel, for her business-oriented non-fiction books and articles. She writes in several genres, particularly historic and contemporary women’s fiction, and all of her fiction has elements of romance. “I have all kinds of favorite authors, in many genres,” she says. “I’m very happy to say I’ve met some wonderful authors and a number of very well known ones in the last several years.”

Nikki joined Writers’ Village University in 2001 and has belonged to Word Slingers, the Misfits and several other study groups. “I think the members helped me to see my work through a reader’s eyes,” she says. Following the advice in one of her groups, Nikki made sweeping changes to a manuscript before sending it to a publisher who’d liked her proposal. The publisher responded to the revised manuscript, “What happened to the tone and voice of the story that I loved?” Based on her experience, Nikki advises, “Listen to constructive criticism, but remain true to yourself, your character and your story.”

When asked to describe her latest work, Nikki replies with a smile, “I’m trying to decide which latest work to mention.” She’s working on two additional novels that will take place in the Outer Banks in the first half of the twentieth century as does Lilah and the Locket. She’s also researching another book in her historic “Misty Cove” series that will take place in Wilmington, North Carolina during the Civil War.

In October, she was hired to write a novel inspired by the true story of an inexperienced horse owner who struggles to compete in the snobbish dressage community. Nikki will also promote Shadow’s Pride (the horse story) for her client.

“I suggest that new writers stick with it and keep writing even when they have doubts,” Nikki says, adding that taking on books, articles and other writing projects “has really opened up a lot of possibilities and helped me spread my writing wings.” Building characters is a key element of Nikki’s writing technique. “My inner critic talks to me less than my characters do.” She admits that the submission process can be scary, but she has had remarkable success. Recently, she sent an excerpt from a work in progress to her editor for a preliminary look. The editor sent it on to the selection committee, and the book was immediately accepted. That excerpt is posted at www.nikkileigh.com/shadows_pride.htm.

Allie Boniface
“I’m always in the mood for adventure!” Allie Boniface declares, and the coming months should bring lots of writing adventure her way. Paradise, USA, her serial romance novella, will soon be released at www.virtualtales.com. Later this year, her full-length contemporary romance novel One Night in Boston will be available through www.samhainpublishing.com.

How does she feel? “Thrilled, of course!” Allie, or Alison as she’s known around WVU, says. “When the first one is actually released, I plan to pop a bottle of champagne and then throw a big party for all my friends.”

When she first joined Writers’ Village University, Alison belonged to Creative Energy Unlimited. Even though many of the original members moved on, she stayed in contact and still gets feedback on her writing from some of them. “The core members of CEU are hugely responsible for my growth as a writer,” she says. About two years ago, she joined Timeless Tales, a study group focused on romance writing. “This group has also been a wonderful resource for me,” Alison says, “since we’re all writing in basically the same genre and can discuss market needs and trends.”

Alison lived in several locations in the Northeast and Midwest before settling down in the lower Hudson Valley, where she currently lives with her husband. She teaches English there and chairs a program that introduces students to college courses and internships while they’re still in high school. She loves to travel and plans to visit Hot Springs, Arkansas this spring and mine for diamonds at nearby Crater Diamond Park. She enjoys writers who can tell a good story. Stephen King, Nora Roberts, Jodie Picoult, Terry MacMillan and William Shakespeare top her list.

She’s currently working on another “One Night” romance novel. Similar to One Night in Boston, all the action takes place over a single day and night in 24 chapters. “The spark for this story actually came from a trip I took to visit a girlfriend in Memphis, Tennessee,” Alison says. “You’ll have to read it and draw your own conclusions about what’s truth and what’s fiction.” She finds the “One Night” novels fun and challenging to craft and hopes to continue the series. “My ultimate goal is to secure print publication in the next few years,” she adds.

Looking back on her own experience, Alison advises new writers to be persistent and believe in themselves. Self-discipline, dedication and a thick skin can help counter the discouragement many writers face early on. She recommends writing almost every day, or as she puts it: “Whether it’s 10 minutes or 1,000 words, set a goal for yourself each day and make it as much a part of your routine as brushing your teeth.”

The author finds joy in her work. “It should be fun and on some level, it should be rewarding,” Alison says. “If you find that all your writing has become drudgery, then take some time away to remind yourself why you began in the first place.”

Alison welcomes questions or comments from writers, whether beginners or professionals. “I’d be happy to share my experiences with others,” she says. “I’ve been through the submission process almost too many times to count. I’ve signed contracts, and I’m in the process of learning a whole lot more about the marketing and publicity end of the business.” Emails can be sent to allieb@allieboniface.com.

Jeanne Vincent
“This may sound strange,” Jeanne Vincent muses, “but getting published after a long hiatus has given me a boost of confidence in my writing. It has helped me to get excited about writing again and to recommit to finishing my novel.” Her interview with best-selling author Vicki Hinze first appeared in the inaugural issue of Novel Writer Magazine in June 2006 and has just been reprinted by Absolute Write in its newsletter and website at www.absolutewrite.com/novels/vicki_hinze.htm. Jeanne, who’s known as Writegirl at WVU, recalls, “It had been quite a few years since I’d done any freelance writing so selling my work in print again was very exciting.”

Jeanne joined Writers’ Village University as a lifetime member in 2002. She belonged to the Hole in the Wall Gang and maintained the study group’s website for several years. Word Slingers, a group that focuses on novel writing under the guidance of Dorice Nelson, is Jeanne’s current study group. “The growth of the active writers in Word Slingers is clearly evident in their work and in the depth of the feedback they provide to each other,” she says. “I think one of the best things a writer can do for him/herself is to be around other writers who are seriously trying to improve their work.”

The writer first got bitten by the journalism “bug” when she worked on her high school newspaper in the mid-1960s. She and two other classmates went to adult book stores and convenience stores and documented whether they could buy adults-only magazines. When they published an article based on their experiences, they caused quite a stir. “I think our work was vindicated, however, because the article won second place in a news writing contest,” Jeanne says with a grin.

Her past publications include poetry and an article on genealogy, but Jeanne focuses primarily on her novel writing. She got the idea from a news story she covered years ago. At first, she tried to stick to the facts. “It was a total disaster. You can’t just change names and places and call it fiction,” Jeanne says, laughing. After she created characters and restructured the plot, Jeanne sees no resemblance between her story and the original news event. Loglines and tentative titles of several of her works-in-progress are posted on Jeanne’s blog at www.jeannevincent.com/blog/so-ms-writer-what-is-your-novel-about/.

Besides writing, Jeanne’s other interests include genealogy, web design and reading. “My list of favorite authors is always growing and changing,” she says. Currently her two favorites are Allison Brennan and Illona Haus, new writers in the mystery/suspense field, and she also reads a lot of Jeffrey Deaver, Nelson DeMille, Lisa Gardner, Tess Garritsen and Suzanne Brockman.

“The best advice I can give any writer is to write,” says Jeanne, who jots down individual scenes as they pop into her head and has kept nearly everything she’s ever written. She also recommends studying the craft of writing. “Put yourself in the company of writers who are working to improve themselves, who challenge you to improve and grow,” she suggests. “Don’t take criticism of your work personally. Be open to suggestions about what works and what doesn’t. And never, never give up.”

Sharon L. Connors
“The important thing to me is accomplishing what I set out to do,” Sharon L. Connors says of the recent publication of her novel Dancing on the Edge,“ sharing my stories with people, sharing a piece of me.” Known as Shar around WVU, the author writes in two genres and has two websites to reflect her different writing styles. Her crime/suspense work is featured at www.sharonlconnors.com and her dark fantasy fiction appears in www.romawolftales.com.

“Callie Rowan is everything I am not but would love to be,” Shar says of the main character of Dancing on the Edge. “She is strong yet sensitive, passionate but afraid to let herself go.” The novel is available at www.epress-online.com and www.lulu.com in print format and www.fictionwise.com in electronic format.

An assignment at F2K, the free writing course offered by Writers’ Village University, inspired Shar to write Dancing on the Edge. “I created Callie and the entire plot of the novel while having a psychiatrist evaluate her after the death of her partner and friend,” Shar recalls. “I liked Callie and eventually built Dancing on the Edge around that one scene.”

Shar says she can’t believe she’s a published author. “When I tell people, I am still shy about it, and when I hand someone a copy of my book I just signed, I feel giddy and embarrassed at the same time.” When she first learned her novel was accepted, Shar says, “I did a ‘happy dance,’ a good old ‘Snoopy happy dance’.”

After the tragic deaths of her father and her Sheltie, Kassie, Shar searched for an outlet to vent her emotions online. Her positive experience at F2K led her to join Writers’ Village University in 2000. With fifteen other writers she’d met at F2K, she formed Hemingway Hall and currently mentors that study group. “I was petrified at the prospect of posting my writing at first,” Shar admits, “but the people in my group were so supportive and nurturing. Hemingway Hall is still my biggest motivational force.” Shar invites anyone interested in joining Hemingway Hall to drop in anytime.

As a child growing up in southern New Jersey, Shar loved to create stories based on her favorite television shows, mainly crime dramas and the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows. “So I guess you can say I write what I like best,” she says, laughing. She has managed stores and trained store managers and then began a new career in orthopedics as an x-ray technician, which she’s continued for 22 years. Shar lives in South Florida with her husband, Jim, her Sheltie, Gypsy Lee, and two large freshwater aquariums.

“I spend a lot of time outdoors gardening and nurturing my many orchids or sitting quietly on my patio lost in my muse,” Shar says. Her favorite authors are Laurell Hamilton, Anne Rice, Kim Harrison and J.R. Ward in the dark fantasy genre and Kathy Reichs, Patricia Cornwell, Janet Evanovich in crime/suspense.

Several future projects keep Shar writing. She has a sequel for Dancing on the Edge outlined and has recently completed a draft of the first novel in her dark fantasy “Roma Wolf Tales” series. Her flash fiction piece titled “Solstice,” which won honorable mention in Whim’s Place Flash Fiction Contest, will be published in an anthology in the near future.

“Keep at it! That is my best advice,” Shar says. Warning new writers to expect rejection, she points out that they can also be their own worst critics, adding, “Know when to leave well enough alone.” An ideal writing day for Shar is when the story just flows out unhindered. She explains, “I am not a write-on-demand person. I just write whenever the mood strikes me or my current character has something to say or do.” WVU plays a big part in her writing life. “I attribute my success in actually completing and publishing Dancing on the Edge to all the wonderful people at the WVU,” Shar says. “They are a bunch of motivated, supportive people, so all you would-be writers, or writers in whatever stage of success, know you are in the right place.”

Congratulations to Nikki, Alison, Jeanne and Shar. Your success inspires us all to get our thoughts together and share them with the world. I apologize if I haven’t included a deserving writer in this month’s column. Please e-mail me at recognitions@wvu.org and let me know of your acceptances, publications, e-launches or awards. Your achievements will appear in the next column.


About the Author
Vivian Reed lives and writes in Long Beach, California. With the patient support of her husband and two sons, she is currently “transitioning” into a full-time writing career. Several of her poems have appeared in literary magazines, and before she became a mother, two of her plays were produced in the Los Angeles area. She is proud to write the Recognitions column for T-Zero: The Writer’s E-Zine.


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 Edward McDermott

The Lady at the Grave

If one must wait for a delayed plane few places surpass the comfort of the first class lounge. While the economy passengers sat on crowded plastic seats, drank bad coffee and listened to loudspeakers bray, I relaxed in an overstuffed chair and sipped Glenlivet from a crystal glass. The smoky taste rested on my tongue as the ice cubes clinked against one another in my drink.

I sat with four strangers, each reluctant to retreat into our laptops and return to work. The morning papers held stale news. Our flight remained marked as delayed but not yet cancelled. To pass the time we chatted.

As casual conversation between business travelers often does, the topic of success and failure led the discussion. I espoused hard work, intelligence and the reading of ‘The Prince’ as cornerstones of success.

A man called Meriweather introduced himself and spoke. He struck me as older than the rest of us. He wore the confidence of a man who worked for joy, not the need for money.

“I once thought as you did,” he said, “but now I am convinced that luck is the single greatest determiner of success. We throw the dice, but do not control the outcome. Furthermore, gentlemen, I believe that luck rules every aspect of our lives. Let me prove my point with a personal anecdote.”

He shifted in his chair, sipped his drink and continued.

“In the months following my wife’s death, I sought comfort in visiting her grave. As winter gave way to spring, I wandered to the cemetery to insure that the staff performed the maintenance specified in the contract. When the azaleas bloomed, a flower I consider the Mother’s Day flower, I found the grass green and the sculptured lawn irresistible. The precise progression of headstones provided a sense of order to the view, and to my life. I always knew where I came from and now felt assured where I would go.

The old understand death far better than the young. It’s not so much wisdom as resignation that filters into the bones as parents, friends and relatives pass away. No one lives forever, and none will avoid the final journey to the grave. However the young are often caught unprepared and the shock makes them almost inconsolable.

One day I noticed a young woman, perhaps half my age, standing beside a newly filled grave, wiping tears from her eyes. I knew the grave was fresh because the loose, earthen mound protruded from the ground and no stone marked the spot.

Not wanting to intrude, I walked discretely around the grieving widow, or daughter. She remained oblivious to me as she expressed her pain, and I understood her sense of loss too well.

She turned from the grave and stumbled. I stepped closer and offered my hand. The wet spring grass offers treacherous footing, especially for leather soled shoes. Her eyes appeared red and puffy as she looked up at me. I thought I read surprise and gratitude. Sometimes the slightest gesture holds the greatest meaning.

She thanked me, took my hand and wavered as she stood. Her grip was strong, and I felt her lean on me as she found her balance. From there, we talked. I escorted her back to the tarmac path and offered to drive her home. We stopped for coffee and continued conversation.

She told me how her young husband, Henry Jamara, met his premature fate. On a stormy night, as torrential rain fell, his Honda Civic crossed the path of a Ford Explorer, and only mangled wreckage remained.

I shared how my Martha felt a little tired one day, and fell asleep early, a sleep from which she never woke. The doctors said she suffered an aneurysm, a painless death. As if the severing of two hearts and two souls could ever be painless.

Ludmilla, the young widow, met and married her husband in Europe and came home with him. Now he was dead and she had no family here. She had no profession, no skills and no job. The little insurance barely paid the undertaker’s tithe, and she felt torn. Should she return to her native land, in her widow’s weeds and abandon his grave, or struggle to stay close to it?

I found comfort as I talked to her and she listened well. She never imposed, but I observed frayed sleeves on her winter coat, and the way she gulped down dinner. I could afford to be generous, and willingly lent her a small sum to cover the landlord’s needs, for rent in arrears.

We talked over dinner and walked along the city streets. Our footfalls sidestepped the mounds of garbage thrown out by the restaurants as the crowds hurried from the cinema. I comforted her and held her hand. And when she cried, I pulled her close, and gave her a handkerchief. After her tears had subsided I jollied her up with a treat of some sort.

In June she visited me, distraught. Her father fell ill, on his deathbed, she said. She must travel home to see him, but could not afford the fare. She felt so like a beggar. All she could offer me was her mother’s broach as a surety against the loan for the airline tickets.

After I drove her to the airport and dropped her off at departures, I decided to visit the cemetery. I wanted to explain to my wife’s ghost that any impure thoughts existed as such. I spent a pleasant hour engaged in one-way conversation with my missing half and wandered back to my car.

On the way, I passed by the grave where I met Ludmilla. Fresh grass covered the hump that now almost sunk into the lawn’s flatness. A headstone marked the spot, which surprised me, and an ancient bent-over woman, stood beside the grave and placed stones on the four corners of the plot.

I asked what she was doing and she replied, ‘Why I’m weighting the corners of the grave. Me Harvey was a hard man, and he promised he’d come back to haunt me if’n I ever touched his things. Well, wish he may, wish he might, he’ll no more haunt me in the night. The stones will weigh his pockets down, and keep him where his soul has gone.’

She chanted those words in a sing-song monotone rhythm each time she placed a stone on the edge of the grave.

I stood astonished. I said, ‘Your Harvey? I know this man’s wife. I met her here not four weeks ago?’

‘So Harvey had another bit on the side? That’s no surprise to me. If it wasn’t the ponies, it was the birds, or the drink. But marry her, never. Besides, since he turned seventy, he hadn’t the heart for the girls, he didn’t, if you get my drift. He wasn’t up for it.’

Seventy? Why she said he was a young man. I questioned the old woman on this and she replied, ‘Well, if you’ll pay me no mind, read the headstone. Just don’t disturb the stones. I don’t want him haunting me.’

She turned and marched away from the grave. I stepped closer to the headstone, adjusted my glasses and read the simple carved words. ‘Harvey Smith, Born April 7, 1930.’”

Meriweather paused and sipped his drink. A good storyteller, he had us in the palm of his hand.

“Well man, go on,” I said.

“As I was saying,” he smiled, “luck took a hand. If the old woman hadn’t been there, I never would have noticed the gravestone’s words. Good luck for me. Back luck for Ludmilla, although I feel certain some other widower experienced a less fortunate outcome.

As for the broach. A piece of cheap costume jewelry. I framed it. It hangs on a wall above my desk.”


About the Author
Born in Toronto, Edward has pursued a professional career during the day, while taking writing courses, joining writer’s groups, and writing at night. When not writing, he spends his time sailing and fencing. Currently, he is planning to sail around the world and preparing his boat while sailing in the Caribbean.


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 Wayne Scheer

Late Night Heroics

My wife sleeps peacefully beside me. I lie awake, afraid of something. A nightmare? Fragments of a schoolyard fight dissolve in my mind like a movie fadeout.

Perspiration soaks the back of my neck. I flip the pillow searching for a cool, dry spot. Stripping off my pajamas offers no relief.

I tiptoe to the bathroom and stare into the mirror, squinting at white hair and stubble growing like weeds on cracked terrain. Water splashed on my face fails to wash away the bad dream.

A creaking sound. Unsure if it's a footstep, I stand as still as possible and listen. Is this what woke me? I remain at the doorway of the bathroom, naked, my heart pounding.

Is someone lurking in the darkness, standing as still as I? Will he retreat out the front door or will he attack? Does he have a weapon?

Do I call out, "Who's there?" and add, "I have a gun." No. I'm quite certain my voice would fail me, cracking like the cry of a schoolboy pleading for help. Do I slip back into the bedroom and call 9-1-1? I think of the embarrassment if the sound is just my imagination. And I'd frighten Mary. Besides, if there is someone in the house, I don't want him following me into the bedroom. I imagine an unknown figure raping Mary as I, tied to a chair, watch helplessly.

My mind drifts back to the schoolyard nightmare. The Otis twins bloody my best friend Paul Newsome. Paul cries for me to help him. I turn and run, too afraid to even call a teacher. I can still hear the Otis boys' taunting laugh.

Another rustling sound from the front of the house. I feel my knees buckle.

I can't stand it any longer; I have to do something. Squinting furiously, I look around the bathroom for a weapon. I grab the plunger and hold it, arm-bent, as if it were a rifle. Perhaps in the shadows it might deceive the intruder.

Stepping from the security of the bathroom, I feel like a child leaving the safety of home base, knowing I could be tagged "it" at any moment. But this isn't a child's game. I want to flee to the bedroom, crawl under the covers, and pretend none of this is happening.

A tapping sound interrupts my cowardly fantasy. My hands shaking, I head towards the noise, clinging to the plunger like a soldier to his weapon.

"Who's there?" I shout, surprised by the clarity of my voice.

Silence.

"Who's there, damn it?"

Silence.

I make my way to the front of the house and, with a jolt of courage, turn on the living room light. I see the front door still latched, windows locked shut, everything in place. Checking the other rooms, I breathe normally for the first time since I awoke.

I close a window in the study I remember leaving open. The blinds stop rustling.

"Honey," I hear Mary call. "Is everything all right?"

I turn to see her staring at me. Her eyes tell me she suspects my early senility. "I just heard a noise. But it's nothing. I left the window open is all."

"My hero," she says, laughing.

I'm reminded that I'm a sixty-year-old naked man holding a plunger in his right hand like it's an M-16.

"Let's get some sleep," I say, wrapping one arm around her shoulders while twirling the plunger with my free hand and placing it in an imaginary holster. "My work here is done."


About the Author
After teaching writing and literature in college for twenty-five years, Wayne Scheer retired to follow his own advice and write. He's been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and a Best of the Net. His work has appeared in The Christian Science Monitor, The Pedestal, Smokelong Quarterly, Pindeldyboz, The Potomac, Art and Understanding, Monday Magazine, Stone Table Review, Triplopia and Free Verse News. Wayne lives with his wife in Atlanta and can be contacted at wvscheer@aol.com.


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

Special Poetry Exhibit At Writers’ Village University

Once again, April is coming and with it a time to celebrate poetry with National Poetry Month. One of the objectives of National Poetry Month is to "to bring poets and poetry to the public in immediate and innovative ways." Poets in the United States and Canada will celebrate poetry in many different ways, from exhibits to poetry reading.

Writers' Village University will celebrate National Poetry Month by hosting its fifth special online exhibit of poetry by twenty-first century poets.

The 2007 Exhibit will feature the work from the poets of the Advanced Poets’ Workshop (P123) as well as some Alumni members of the Workshop. This workshop is a group for experienced poets where members follow WVU’s philosophy of writers helping writers. In this workshop, members hone their skills as advanced poets, expand their knowledge of poetic forms, and discuss poets and poetic issues. Members also participate in the development of group exercises and course facilitation, have a place to pursue literary critiques of poems and poets and work with some of the master poets at WVU.

The Exhibit will run throughout the month of April. It is open to WVU members, the readers of T-Zero: The Writer's E-zine and to everyone in cyberspace. Visitors to the Exhibit will be able to access our previous exhibits through the Archives link.

The actual site is currently under development. The URL will be announced in the April issue of T-Zero as well as in the WVU newsletters.


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

J. R. Salling

J. R. Salling is an antiquarian bookseller specializing in the history of science and medicine, a fact sometimes reflected in his written work, more often than not. His writings have appeared in Pindeldyboz, Flashquake, Eyeshot, Thieves Jargon, Monkey Bicycle, Ten Thousand Monkeys, Word Riot, Mad Hatters' Review, Champagne Shivers, Poor Mojo's Almanac, Gator Springs Gazette, Opium Magazine, and Slow Trains.

RAGE AGAINST THE TULIPS

I found you between the continents
signalling distress with your limp neck
and diminished cup of flame.

Thus lured, I buried my hands
into your charred earth
and crumbled the clods,
scattering sleepy seeds of murder
across fertile sands.

When you blossomed,
your veins so distended,
so full of hate,
I saw through my cloud of ignorance
and began this defensive crusade.

The sadists gleam
each time I peel away your skin
in search of that perfect garden,
because your bloody fragrance
only grows.

Copyright ©2007 by J. R. Salling




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

Dr. Charles Frederickson

Dr. Charles Frederickson is a Swedish-American-Thai poet and traveller who has wandered through 206 countries. He is a member of World Poets Society. His poetry has appeared in over 100 poetry publications including Aspirations, Auckland Poetry, Blind Man’s Rainbow, Caveat Lector, Cordite Poetry Review, and many others.

CASINO

No clocks shades of addiction
Drawn day indistinguishable from night
Rotating mirrored ball twinkling stars
Crystal sconce fixtures teardrop prisms

The setting sun flipped like
Tossed coin suspended in midair
Calling heads landing tails clinked
Into Lady Luck slut machine

Winsome charmer on the prowl
Fixated on evening score for
Last time’s losses re-vowing commitment
To never again in vain

Spinning roulette wheel beyond control
Snake eyes crapshoot no dice
Ace of hearts in hole
One-eyed jack about-face drawing card

Deep pockets turned inside out
Embossed last chance silk linings
Bloodshot eyes saggy hangover lids
Yawning one for the road

Time to call it quits
Pick up chips can’t afford
To still have plastic justifications
Credit limit not yet spent

Copyright ©2007 by Dr. Charles Frederickson




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

Natalia Zaretsky

Natalia Zaretsky taught Physics in college in Moscow, in 1980 emigrated to the United States. She has published two books of poetry, “Autumn Solstice” and “City of Naked Feelings.” As well as “Dayenu - My Journey into the Jewish World.” Her poems have been published in Poetry Magazine, Iliad Press, Poetry.com, California Quarterly, Moment (magazine), The Louisville Review, Paterson Poetry Review, Gin Bender Review, The Louisville Review, The Georgetown Review and others.

Room with a View

I.

The cage of my room I pace
between the door and tomorrow -
a moving mark on my time-string,
short like a noose tying me
to an oxygen machine in the corner.
At times I take a world tour
scanning lithographs on four walls -
Goya, Renoir, Al-Greco,
Rodos, Paris, Jaffa -
mute memorial to past travels erected
in my final claustrophobic confinement.


II.

A window's sliding glass
as half-closed eyes warily
let sun sieve into a comely room
reflecting in parquet and mirror.
Melancholy of the Albinony's adagio
fills the calm coffer up to the rim
brushes the past off paintings
hanging by thin threads of memory.
A flat skillet of the yellow lackluster wall
of the building across the ground strip,
narrow like a prison yard,
loads the entire square of the view,
rising to the edge of sun's pancake.
The room idles away languorous hours,
abiding to the space limitation between
the window and the opposite drugged domicile.
At night the outside blackness bears
the illusion of vast green pastures,
shores, licked by tongues of warm sea,
metropolises peopled with travelers.
Then dawn cracks through

curtains soon enough,
and nightly hallucinations vanish.
Again the insipid yellow wall
looms before the window
with frightening nearness -
it may move closer and block the light,
and the room will die from suffocation,
quietly expire without a sound of complaint.
The Cause of Death will state:
lack of air and laughter.

Copyright ©2007 Natalia Zaretsky




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