This Week's Practice Exercise~

Graffiti~

Prepared by: Ruth Douillette
Reposted, revised on: Sunday, 31 August 2008

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Exercise: In fewer than 400 words write a story in which the conflict revolves
around graffiti. Use first person POV. The person speaking need not be the one who
wrote the graffiti, but could be.

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Coming up with story ideas can be the hardest part of writing, yet imaginative
writers often build stories around seemingly inconsequential objects or
commonplace images that others might overlook. Creating a story from the smallest
detail is a skill worth developing. This exercise provides practice in developing a
story around such a simple detail: a few words of graffiti.

Words are everywhere, even places they don't belong: spray painted on bridges,
lipsticked on public restroom walls, scratched into an old school desk, carved on the
trunk of a tree, smudged in the grease on the back of a truck.

You might write about a sixteen year-old girl who writes a note using her finger on
the fogged rear window of her dad's Chevy. The message emerges again on a rainy
day when Dad is driving the family to church. Or perhaps a man calls the number
scratched on the wall of a gas station restroom, and recognizes his neighbor's voice.
Does she recognize his?

Have fun with this, but remember the point is to spin a story from a simple detail.
Push your imagination, and enjoy.

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These exercises were written by IWW members and administrators to provide structured practice opportunities for its members. You are welcome to use them for practice as well. Please mention that you found them at the Internet Writers Workshop.

Gary Presley's "Seven Wheelchairs" is rolling right along~

IWW administrator Gary Presley has written the book of his life. Literally. His memoir details, in "painful, powerful, and poetic detail," Gary's life after contracting polio from the very immunization designed to protect him from the disease.

Seven Wheelchairs: A life Beyond Polio will be published by University of Iowa Press this October, and it's already creating buzz.

Writing a book is hard work, getting it published even harder, and the PR push can be toughest of all. Gary completed the first two and is already rolling along on the third, and I don't just mean in his seventh wheelchair.

Seems a friend of Gary's told him that her husband pointed to an advertisement in Poets and Writers magazine, and asked, "Isn't that your writing buddy from Missouri?" It sure was.

Then there's a Seven Wheelchairs review in Kirkus Reviews. You need a subscription to read the full review, but here's the teaser blurb:

Now in his 60s, Presley got a booster shot of the Salk attenuated polio virus vaccine in 1959 at age 17. Designed to enhance immunity, the virus instead produced major paralysis, which required the boy's removal to an iron lung and then to a series . . . Aug 15, 2008 - Kirkus Reviews - Presley, Gary

Gary is also scheduled to sign books at the Prairie Lights, an independent book store in Iowa City, on October 3rd.

I've preordered my copy and look forward to its delivery the way my kids waited for Harry Potter. Seven Wheelchairs can be preordered from Amazon.com or the University of Iowa Press.

How Are You Reading This?

Via a computer, of course? Or, well, maybe if you're really trendy, you're using a Blackberry or an iPhone, but the point is that we in the Internet Writing Workshop are computer-savvy (or at least, computer-capable) writers.

Here are two reports of interest today in the computer world, the first a comprehensive review of the latest edition of Internet Explorer, and the second discusses a major retailer's attitude toward bloatware:

IE8 Shows Microsoft is Serious about Playing Catch-up
IE8 has me surprised. Internet Explorer has fallen a long way behind Safari, Opera, and Firefox. IE7 brought the much-needed tabs, but was still a long way behind the competing browsers. And honestly, even IE8 hasn't caught up with the competition. But it's a great deal closer than I thought it would be.

Industry Rethinks Moneymaking Software Practice
SAN FRANCISCO — Before they ship PCs to retailers like Best Buy, computer makers load them up with lots of free software. For $30, Best Buy will get rid of it for you. Robert Stephens, head of Geek Squad, said of removing preinstalled software, “We’ll give consumers what they want.” That simple cleanup service is threatening the precarious economics of the personal computer industry.

Funds for Writers Blogging

Long-time IWW member Dawn Goldsmith reminds new, and experienced, writers that Hope Clark, the editor of the newsletters Funds for Writers, also maintains a blog on IWW where she "lists, and discusses a little, a variety of markets."

• FUNDS FOR WRITERS Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers 2001-2008
• C. Hope Clark's Blog

Notes on Author's Press Kits

IWW Practice administrator Bob Sanchez notes that he "participated in a tele-conference on creating authors' press kits" after which he put together a set of notes.

The notes are posted on Sanchez's blog for reference.

Bob is the author of When Pigs Fly: An iUniverse Reader's Choice, which also is available from Amazon.

Members in print or published

Summer may be coming to a close, but our members will never stop! Here's this week's list of triumphs.

Carter


Ruth Douillette

I've had some luck with essays recently. Kind of nice!

An essay of mine entitled "Unfolding as it Should" will be published this October by Chicken Soup For the Empty Nester's Soul. The book, originally slated to come out in July, was delayed when Chicken Soup transitioned to Simon & Schuster as their new publisher.

Another essay, called "Hope Springs Eternal," will be published in Chicken Soup For the Soul--Resolutions, which will be published on December 23, just in time for making New Year's resolutions, although the book encompasses resolutions of *any* kind. The deadline to submit a resolution essay is September 15. Still time!

Cup of Comfort For Military Families accepted two essays: "Alone in a Crowd" and "One Veteran's Story."


Karna Converse

My article "Cornfields and Concertos" appears in the August/September issue of Our Iowa. In addition, our two local newspapers have reprinted it. NFiction members may remember offering suggestions about it this past May.

I mentioned my involvement with this magazine in the past but I still think this fact is incredible: The magazine's coming up on its one-year anniversary and already has 37,000 paid subscribers. Their idea to recruit one "field editor" from each of Iowa's 99 counties to serve as their eyes and ears (and submit story and photo ideas) is working. And the best part for me is that a few people have called with ideas they think I should write about!


Dawn Goldsmith

My article "What Would Summer Be Without the County Fair" is up at Christian Science Monitor and my article "Galaxies Yet to Discover," about Ohio Star quilting design variations is in the Oct. 2008 issue of Quilter's World magazine. Not online, but it is 'tickled' on their website


Kathy Highcove

I've been writing restaurant reviews for a local paper, Valley Scene, for the past few months. This time (Aug. 22 - Sept. 4) I have two articles in the same issue.


Kristen Howe

HI everyone. Two weeks ago, I sent out my $4 check to receive my copy of the spring/summer 08 issue of Love's Chance. Today I received it in the mail. Yahoo! Hooray! As I said earlier, no website.


Jassy Mackenzie

Just a quick note with the exciting news that my novel Random Violence is now out - I spent yesterday going round to nine different bookshops in Johannesburg together with Umuzi's sales director, and signing every copy I could get my hands on. It was a great day and it has really made me view the bookstores and the booksellers in a different light. Also, I had no idea there were so many book clubs in this city. Apparently the manager of Exclusive Books Sandton Square has a huge lever-arch file filled with details on the various book clubs who buy from her store.

For anyone who doesn't know, I subbed the first part of this book on the Novels list during 2007 and the feedback I received was invaluable.

The book is only available in South Africa at present but if anyone would like to order it, it's very easy - you can go to www.kalahari.net - our version of Amazon.com - or to www.exclusivebooks.com - as far as I know they both post books outside SA.

My author website is also up and running and I'd love comments on it... it is at www.jassymackenzie.com


Julie McGuire

On August 2nd I attended the release party for Breaking Dawn, the last in a young adult vampire series by Stephenie Meyer. Young adult novels and vampires are not usually my thing, but I've fallen in love with the series.

I invite you to check out The Internet Review of Books blog where I describe my experience at the release party.

While you are there, check out the August issue of The Internet Review of Books (if you haven't already), and please be sure to tell your friends and family about the site.


Jayne Pupek

I'm behind on email, but want to thank everyone who sent congratulations and good wishes on my last reviews.

My first interview is up at Blogcritics:

And Ann Hite reviewed Tomato Girl at The Feminist Review:

Thank you, Ann!


Wayne Scheer

A story I began in Practice-w, "Blind Date, Circa 1969," has been accepted by Sniplits. They hire a professional actor to read the story and sell them as auditory recordings. It's a kick hearing my stories read aloud. They also pay.

Another story that began in Practice, "It's about Time," will appear in the new issue of Wild Violet.

And then there's Pen Pricks back from vacation. They accepted a 55 worder, "War."

Thanks to everyone at IWW.


Harriette Spanabel

Once again I have been notified that another of my short pieces will be published in the November issue of PenPricks.


Joanna M. Weston

My poem "The Cadence of Earth" is up at Cynic Online magazine, in 'Cafe del Soul' (scroll down past 'features').

Two poems from my book A Summer Father up at 7 Beats. Definitely a happy day!
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This Week's Practice Exercise~

Non-verbal cues~

Prepared by: Rheal Nadeau
Reposted, revised on: Sunday, 24 August 2008

In 300 words or less, write a scene making it clear to the reader what your
character is thinking or feeling using non-verbal cues only.
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Experts say the majority of communication is non-verbal--body language, eye
movements, facial expressions, etc. How often have you known something was
wrong with a friend or loved one, without a verbal clue?

The purpose of this exercise is to make us think about how we ascertain a
person's attitude from non-verbal cues. Rely only on body language and other
visual clues to realistically portray what a character is thinking and
feeling without dialogue. If you use dialogue, don't give away the
character's emotion in what is spoken.
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These exercises were written by IWW members and administrators to provide structured practice opportunities for its members. You are welcome to use them for practice as well. Please mention that you found them at the Internet Writers Workshop.

IWW Member Wins National Honors

Paul Fein, a long-time member of the nonfiction critique group of The Internet Writing Workshop, recently was notified he has been recognized for writing excellence by The United States Tennis' Writers Association.

Paul said, "Our group improved these articles. I'm very grateful ... " after being recognized in three different categories ...
Service Story

• 1st: Paul Fein, "Playing Drop Shots," Sportstar

Hard News/Enterprise

• 2nd: Paul Fein, "How Successful Is the U.S. Open Series?" Sportstar

Feature Story (Pro Tennis)

• 2nd: Paul Fein, "Tennis for the Bloody Fun of It," The Black Rock Masters

Paul will receive his awards September 3rd at the Media Center during the US Open Tennis Tournament.

"Not in My Back Yard!" "Or Is It Not in My Backyard?"

Things That Matter Enough
by Carter Jefferson

Having lived a fairly long time, I am pretty used to the language shifting under my feet, and I don't get usually get as mad as Lynn Truss does when I see something weird in print. But not too many years ago some idiot start spelling "back yard" as one word -- "backyard." It has caught on, and now I see it everywhere. It even made first place in the AHD4.

"Front yard" hasn't suffered that indignity -- the space is still there in AHD4 and nearly everywhere else. Gross discrimination, I say.

Everybody should know, but some don't, that what's in the dictionary is not what words ought to be, but what enough people say or write -- including illiterates, thoughtless types, and people even you wouldn't like.

Think of the way this sounds: "The swings are in the back yard." Note that when you speak there's the tiny pause between "back" and "yard." Of course, you might say "It's a backyard swing," without that pause and it would sound just right. But a "back seat driver" still takes the pause, so all compound adjectives don't follow the same pronunciation rules.

Of course, all those people in Weston, Massachusetts, who stopped the bike trail from coming through can't say "Nimby" anymore; they have to say "Nimb," right?

Last night, however, I learned to my immense joy that the New Yorker, which is pretty careful about words, still spells "back yard" the way it ought to be spelled. It's at the end of the third paragraph of an article in the financial section of the Aug. 11 & 18 issue called "The Permission Problem."

Of course, it may be a typo, and some proofreader is in big trouble. But maybe not. Just for now, I'm going to believe they meant to spell it that way. You could, too, and then we'd take back that lost ground, swing and all.

You think these things don't matter enough to comment on? Fine. You're not me.

Flash Fiction Contest

The Missouri Writers Guild

The Hottest Flash Fiction Contest

$100 1st Prize

Deadline - September 15, 2008

Entry fee: $10

Word Limit 1,000 words.

• First Place: $100.
• Second Place Winner: $50.
• Third Place $25.
• Enter Online
  

Literary Cottage Call Update

I have been receiving a number of Dog Hero stories and must offer a caution: Please avoid writing stories that focus on your or your dog's illness, or your beloved pet's demise. Just as with traditional Hero stories, the publisher will only allow four stories per volume that include illness or death (of the dog hero or his/her master). While we like stories that pack an emotional punch and bring a tear to our eyes, think endearing, poignant, or humorous (I rarely receive enough humorous stories) rather than melodramatic. Please write, instead, about your dogs while they are alive and well and what made him/her so special.

Also, I really, as in really, need Woodstock stories. If you can find someone who attended, or have any ideas how I could reach a wide swath of baby boomers, please let me know. If you plan to send a story, please let me know so I won't panic every day. Please send it to anyone who might have attended Woodstock in 1969, or anyone who might know someone who did. If they aren't a writer, I will help them craft their story, or you can interview them (questions are on link below) and write an "as told to" story.

CALL FOR WOODSTOCK STORIES

Literary Cottage is currently seeking entries for an anthology to be published by Adams Media next summer, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the original Woodstock Festival. Adams Media pays $100 and one copy of the book. Literary Cottage offers prizes of $100, $75, and $50 to top three stories respectively. For WOODSTOCK REVISITED, we are seeking fifty stories (850-1100 words) written by people who attended the 1969 Woodstock Festival. This anthology will document the event itself, but will also provide a portrait of America as that tumultuous decade came to a close. Stories should be historical within the context of 1969 and yet unique to your experience. Stories must be TRUE, 850-1100 words, vivid, and substantive. Please carefully review the details and sample story provided on the "Woodstock '69 Guidelines" page available on the Literary Cottage website:

Please pass on the word regarding WOODSTOCK REVISITED, as we need fifty solid stories from people who attended the festival in 1969. You can write an "as told to" story if you have friends or family who attended. Go ahead, hunt someone down. Interview questions are posted on the link above.

Members in print or published

A good week! Here's the good news our people have been receiving recently.

Carter


Pam Casto

I recently got the news that my 7,500-word article on flash fiction that's to be part of a four-volume work on contemporary American fiction will be released in October, 2008. The title of the project is BOOKS AND BEYOND: THE GREENWOOD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NEW AMERICAN READING (Hardcover).

The Amazon site (where they're taking preorders) says: "each entry is written by an expert contributor and provides a definition of the genre, an overview of its history, a look at trends and themes, a discussion of authors and works, and suggestions for further reading." It also says, "More than 80 alphabetically arranged entries summarize the state of popular
literature in America today."

You can see the other details at Amazon.

So I'm one happy writer right now. My article in Rose Metal Press' Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction will be available in Spring 2008, so I have two things to look forward to seeing in print in the near future.


Ann Hite

My story "Circle of Light," a Black Mountain story, was nominated to the Sundress Best of 2008 by The Dead Mule. I'm still pinching myself from the other day when I found out but didn't ask the name of the story chosen :). That's what happens when a writer gets exciting news. They forget to ask for details.

I was surprised to hear it was "Circle of Light." This is one of my favorite stories, but I never saw it as nomination material. That's why writers are not allowed to judge their own work.

"Circle of Light" is on the list with Ron Carlson, who won last year. To have my story on the same list as a story written by Ron Carlson is enough to make me die a happy woman. It is an honor. Ron Carlson is the king of short story writing. If you haven't read his work, please do. He also has a book out called Ron Carlson Writes A Story that helps any
writer look at short story writing in a new light.

Thanks for your support.

And my book review of The Plague Of Doves has been published at Internet Review of Books. Check out this review magazine. It is one of the best.


Kristen Howe

This just came out of the blue today in the mail. Bear Creek Haiku has accepted and published my haiku, "Fire," for their recent issue. I got the issue in the mail to find out. There's no website, but I got it in the mail. "Fire" was previously published in Hummingbird's last issue, last year. Yahoo!


Katherine Kay

Hello, Everyone, Greetings from Texas!

I have 53 "Guides" posted at www.Work.com: with Bios. And I have 30 or so articles on the Lance Armstrong website with bios. And I've writing for eHow.com as well -- well over a hundred, no bios. That's why no one has heard much from me lately!

It's a lot of work all these articles. (; Yes, I'm looking for better paying work. If you're an editor, keep me in mind. Note how technical all those work.com Guides are. I'm tapping into my science and engineering background. But I have to write them fast to make it worth my time.

Cheers!


Julie McGuire

Hello Writing Friends:

I'm pleased to announce that the August issue of The Internet Review of Books is now live.

You can see my review of Martin Clark's The Legal Limit. Also, please check out our new "Worth Mentioning" section.

Yahoo!


Roger Poppen

I am pleased to join my IWW colleagues, and other illustrious writers, in the current Internet Review of Books. My review of Distracted is here.

Thank you, Carter, for all your work in putting this together, and thanks for the opportunity.


Jayne Pupek

The Feminist Review and Ghoti Magazine posted reviews of my poetry book, "Forms of Intercession" (Mayapple Press, 2008).

My novel Tomato Girl (Algonquin Books) is reviewed on Blogcritics.

Tomato Girl also was reviewed in The Courier-Journal.


Lesli Richardson

My novel Love & Brimstone was officially released on Friday (08-08-08)!

I'm so excited!!!!!

Okay, so now I'm hyperventilating. *LOL* My first review EVER is out on
www.paranormalromance.org

The upshot:

"Lesli Richardson has taken the vampire myths that we all know to a very different level. No more fangs, coffins, or hiding from the sun. This is definitely a skillfully spun story about some new age vamps. You might even find yourself unable to stop reading due to the powers this story will have over you! Love and Brimstone is a powerfully sexy book - a
must read!"

Yippee!!!!


Wayne Scheer

Thank goodness for magazines that accept reprints to help a writer through dry spells.

An old story of mine, "Prairie Flower," has been accepted by Iguana Review, a print publication. Thanks to the gang at Fiction who critiqued this one a while back.


Rebeca Schiller

Okay, this is dual credit. One for Carter for penning the response and one for me for forwarding and getting some publicity for IRB. Here's the link: http://tinyurl.com/5gmrxx.


Trish (Harriette) Spanabel

I have had another short 55-word story accepted for the September issue of PenPricks.

Small yahoo, I realize, but better than nothing.

This Week's Practice Exercise~

Who are these people?

Prepared by Carter Jefferson
Sunday, 17 August 2008

Picture from files of Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Exercise: In less than 400 words, write the opening to a story or novel based on the picture at the link below. If you're female, write from the man's POV; if you're male, the woman's.
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Writers find inspiration everywhere. For this exercise, find your inspiration in the painting you'll see when you click the link below. The picture dates from 1940, but you may set your story in any time or place you'd like.

But wait! There's more. Most writers tend naturally to create a protagonist of the same sex the writer is. There are exceptions, of course: men write romances with female protagonists, and women mysteries whose heroes are hard-boiled policemen. This week we're asking you to stretch your muscles: Write from the point of view of the opposite sex.

Here's the link: Edward Hopper,"Office at Night" Use the magnifier on the site for a full-screen picture. To return here, close the big picture, and then click on your "back" button.

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These exercises were written by IWW members and administrators to provide structured practice opportunities for its members. You are welcome to use them for practice as well. Please mention that you found them at the Internet Writers Workshop.

"It Was a Dark and Stormy Night"

The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest 2008 Results were announced recently. My favorite, although it's difficult to pick only one, is the work of one Paul Curtis of Randburg, South Africa ...

"Let's see what this baby can do, Virgil," said Wyatt, as he floored the Charger, brushing a Dart out of the way, sideswiping an oncoming Lancer, rear-ending a Diplomat, and demolishing a row of Rams before catapulting head-on into the sheriff's Viper -- realizing that we'd indeed missed the turn-off to Abilene and ended up instead, in Dodge City.

---

• Read them all here.
  
• The Washington Post report on Bulwer-Lytton.

Copyright Class Action Lawsuit

Long-time IWW member and multi-published author Mona Vanek recently noted, "For those of you involved, or just interested -- the latest update on the Copyright Class Action Lawsuit (writers seeking damages for unauthorized reproduction of their works) can be found through this link."

The [objectors to the settlement decisions] "parties now intend to file a petition for certiorari to the United States Supreme Court ... The deadline for the parties to file the petition is August 13, 2008.
..."

Explanation of "certiorari" can be found here.

FAQ about the case: http://www.copyrightclassaction.com/faq.php3.

Mona concluded her note with "I hope other writers didn't count on receiving a settlement anytime soon. Wonder how many of us will live to see it finish dragging through the courts -- to whatever final decision."

Finding the IWW

• I found your writing group through www.underdown.org.
• I found out about you through Google.com
• I learned about IWW viat the "Poets and Writers Speakeasy."
• I found you : http://www.writing-world.com/links/critique.shtml
• You were found in a nondescript yahoo search.
• I have a creative/writing blog listed below and I believe I originally found you through Blogger while looking for fellow writers on the Blogger network.
• I have been looking for an online writing group for some time now, but unsuccessfully until this last week's Willamette Writer's conference in Portland. I found you by checking out one of their forums on online writing groups; it was very outdated BUT someone had posted your link there. I'm cautiously optimistic!
• I found your site at http://www.writing-world.com/links/critique.shtml, which I found using StumbleUpon.
• After finally getting one to a point where I thought it was publishable, I searched Google for children's writers critique groups and found your site.
• He originally heard about IWW on an old Pony Express flyer he found many years ago, but has a link to IWW on his blog, so it was easier this time to find the site and sign up.
• I don't quite remember how I found IWW. It must have been from my many google searches, hunting for exactly this. So I really am happy to have found you.
• I found this group looking for a place that i could submit my work and get feed back so as to imporve a skill that I think I can be quite well at with some effort and help.
• I found the list via Google.
• This list was highly recommended to me by a writer-friend.
• I found you on the suggestion by Mary C. Nelson of Sharon, MA, who is a member of one my local writing groups. Mary is also a member of IWW.
• As to how I found you, I really don't recall as I've had you in my 'favourites' list for some time, although it was probably from a Google search.
• On the WD list of 101 websites for writers.
• I found you by Googling writing workshop.
• I found the IWW the old-fashioned way, through google.
• I found your site from the Writer's Digest 101 Best sites.
• maxbarry's website.
• I found your site while searching the internet for a YA writing group.

A Report from Portland

Robert Zumwalt, one of the administrators of the novels critique of the Internet Writing Workshop, recently attended a writing conference in Portland, Oregon, and offers a few comments about what he learned there.


Noteworthy for our group: A panel of editors, a couple from some major houses, offered opinions about freelance editors, including using their services prior to submission. They were unanimous that such efforts are neither needed or appreciated. Using critique groups or other peer review is quite adequate. The editor from Tor was especially worked up about the potential for abuse by the freelancers. The agent panels were a little more friendly to the idea of professional pre-editing, but it seemed they were triangulating from a marketing, rather than creative, standpoint. This is my 15th or 16th conference and I'm beginning to see a pattern in the number of self-interested camps in publishing, all in some flavor of symbiotic collusion -- editors depend on agents to pre-screen, and some agents use free-lance editors in much the same way. In any event, while I know online critique groups such as ours are held in low esteem by many freelance editors (probably don't like the competition) publishing houses may view us differently.

Apparently, acquisition editors (AEs) didn't object to the spelling and grammar checking, but tweaking the story was another matter. They want to do it themselves. I suspect it's a turf thing. If the story has been reformulated to suit the taste of the freelance editor, then the AE is getting second-hand goods and might well wonder what the author's original intent may have been.

In spite of the AEs' veiled distaste for them, I think free-lance editors who've made it to the inner circle have become a second line of defense for the AEs -- not unlike agents. The AE from Tor decried the quality of unvetted submissions (quick to say we lambs attending the conference would be miles ahead . . .) If someone has paid a free-lance editor however-many thousands to have their story edited, then it shows serious intent. Story premise and compelling interest are another matter.

The point I took from the panel was that the quality of what we offer in our critique lists passes muster. On the issues that matter to the AEs, our participants stand favorably with those who've hired editors. Of course once the contract is signed with the publisher, their staff are going to clean up any MS way beyond what comes out of the Novels-l submission/critting process. But that would happen with a professionally edited MS, as well.

While I've never heard of any formal arrangements between freelancers and agents or publishers, they are in a relatively small circle where many know one another, and mutual back scratching is a way of life. For instance, all the conference workshop staff (many are freelance editors) along with agents, etc., have private conference meetings, just like we admins. They see one another at conferences again and again. The devil you know is at least market savvy. How many times have you seen in a conference brochure how Mr. So-and-so, freelance editor and long-time workshop leader, has shepherded somebody's MS to publication? They don't do it for free.

Conferences are a source of customers. The industry has a refined system of nepotism, and the latest step in the evolution of gatekeepers seems to extend beyond the agent to freelance editors who know agents and promise an introduction if you use their services. One free-lancer I know confided she was on tap for a major, unidentified publisher, but she didn't name names. The allure of the undisclosed.

Members in print or published

Thunder and lightning where I live as I wrote this, but the sun shines on the writers of the IWW most of the time, and here are their triumphs of the past week.

Carter


Peggy Duffy

Received a very nice response to one of my submissions:

“Thank you for this piece! One of the things I'm trying to do with Backhand Stories is offer a place for new writers to improve their craft, and articles about writers and the writing process such as your essay can be very valuable.”

I've posted it here.


Kristen Howe

Yesterday I sent out my second submission to Speedpoets, an Australian market, and heard back from them today. One of my poems, "For Your Love" have been accepted for the October 08 issue. (Last year, my prose poem, "Storm Chaser" was published in the summer
issue.) I do have to pay $5 for a copy of my issue. As I recall from last year, I don't believe it went online. Hooray.


Frank Chan Loh

My ten-minute play The Laptop was given a staged reading on 7th July 2008 at the 2008 Singapore Short and Sweet Festival of Short Plays and was also translated into Mandarin Chinese and performed on 19 - 22 July 2008 at the same festival.

An ad for the festival is here.


Ally E. Peltier

Hey everyone! I received a pleasant surprise a few months ago when I was contacted by an editor at F&W Publications. Turns out that my article, "Platforms: Your Background Matters," which previously appeared in the April 2007 issue of Writer's Digest magazine, is being included in the 2009 Writer's Digest Guide to Literary Agents. The book is available in bookstores now.


Wayne Scheer

Writing is still going slow, so I'll brag about what I can.

Two flash stories of mine are available in the August issue of Shine Journal, "The First Wife" and "The Classroom." No pay, but the editor's enthusiasm makes me feel valued, and that has to be worth something.

Also, I received an email from the Gulf Shores Writers Association who published an anthology of stories about Mississippi, Tea Cakes and Afternoon Tales. My story "Spring Comes to Mississippi," critiqued by the good folks at Fiction, is included. The book is apparently doing well. Barnes and Noble has agreed to stock it, at least regionally. So if you happen to be browsing the bookstore . . . .

As always, thanks for keeping me encouraged.


Rebeca Schiller

Yahoo! One of my photos of jellyfish appeared in the Shelter Island Reporter for the story "The Jellyfish at the End of the World." To read the story and see the photo, please visit my blog.


Clive Warner

I like to try to maintain contact with people and places, and recently came across a link that put me in touch with someone I worked with in West Africa--to be precise, The Gambia. I'm working on my memoirs of my life in the radio business and wrote this piece for the Gambia Echo; as a result of that, another ex-staff-member wrote to me.


Wes Wood

A photograph I took on the outskirts of Port Au Prince has been published in the Birmingham Arts Journal. If you want to see it, go to the URL above and click on "latest issue." The photo is on page 4.

This Week's Practice Exercise~

Borrowed words~

Prepared by: Alice Folkart
Reposted, revised on: Sunday, 10 August 2008

Exercise: Create a story in 400 words or fewer that begins with an opening line "borrowed" from something you have read--novel, short story, poetry, travel guide, cookbook.


Imagine how many different stories might spring from the following opening lines:

"Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself." (Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf)

"When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow." (To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee)

"I am ninety. Or ninety-three. One or the other." (Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen)

"We lived at 2029 Lafontaine, the last house on the west side of the street from 178th to 179th, a row of five-story tenements that ended in a hat factory." (Bronx Primitive - Kate Simon )

Of course you needn't use any of these. You are free to choose from the whole world of literature. Just let us know at the top of your Sub where your opening line comes from and who wrote it. That information will not be considered part of your word count.

See where the vehicle of someone else's voice and vision might take you.
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These exercises were written by IWW members and administrators to provide structured practice opportunities for its members. You are welcome to use them for practice as well. Please mention that you found them at the Internet Writers Workshop.

Using Gmail with the IWW Lists

A Short How-to from List Owner Greg Gunther

GMAIL'S SLEIGHT OF HAND

Many thanks to Rob Short for doing the research to figure this out.

Usually, when you send a post to one of our IWW lists, you will receive a copy back as our listserv distributes the post to each list member. The benefit to the sender is to see that it's arrived safely.

However, that doesn't work for members who send on their Gmail accounts. Each list member *except* the original Gmail sender will receive a copy. When Gmail receives the originator's email, it puts a copy in Gmail's "Sent Mail" folder, and then sends a copy to listserv.

As near as I can tell, when listserv distributes the copies, Gmail ignores listserv's copy and does not pass it along to the originator. All the rest of the copies get distributed normally. Gmail does not provide tools for fixing the problem. (I have no idea why.)

POSSIBLE WORKAROUNDS

1) Use Two Email Addresses

Get yourself a second Gmail address in addition to the one we're talking about, and have me (pvgreg@cox.net) add it to your subscribed list(s). Then, when you send your post from the original address, the second address will receive a good copy of the post that the original couldn't.

The problem then becomes, with two Gmail address, you'll get duplicate messages. To solve that, either you or I can set your original Gmail address to NOMAIL. In that condition, you can still send mail from the original Gmail address; you just won't receive list mail from it. So your original Gmail address becomes your sending address, and the second one becomes your receiving address.

Your new receiving address doesn't even have to be with Gmail. It would work the same even if your new address were from any other ISP, such as Yahoo. Or, if you wish, you can use the new address as the sending address and the original as the receiving address. Works either way.

2) BCC: and ACK

Send yourself a blind copy (BCC:) of every post. That will give you a proof copy of what you sent out, but will not tell you whether listserv received it.

Listserv's ACK (ACKnowledgement) feature will tell you when listserv has received mail from you.

ACK INSTRUCTIONS

• First: Prepare a message to listserv@lists.psu.edu
• To turn ACK on, in the body of the message put only:
• Set whateverthelistnameis ack
• Where whateverthelistnameis is symbolic, not literal. You put your actual subscribed list name in its place.

To turn ACK off, the message is:

• Set whateverthelistnameis noack

The Workshop's listnames you can choose from are:

• creative-d
• fiction
• lovestory-L
• marketchat
• nfiction
• novels-L
• poetry-w
• practice-w
• prose-p
• script-w
• sfchat-L
• writing
• yawrite

Send it, and listserv will comply.

A New Way to Promote a Book

• from Galleycat

Want to Find New Readers? Try Changing Your Tune ...

... a novelist contracts for an animated trailer.

Thoughts on Self-Publishing

by Jack Shakely

To actively avoid all independently-published books is like saying you'll never listen to a garage band. There is some good stuff out there if you know where, and how, to look.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you I am the author of a self-published historical novel, The Confederate War Bonnet. During my research for this book, which deals with the Creek nation in Indian Territory during the Civil War, I found that many of the books, both fiction and nonfiction, that dealt with this Civil War backwater were self-published. In a few cases the books, even some of the less polished ones, were so chock-full of information and anecdotes that they were very much worth the read.

Eventually I met other historical novelists on-line, and we discovered that most of us were self published. Last year we formed a loose affiliation called the Independent Authors Guild. It's still very much a work in progress, but it's a start on a segment of the book publishing world that is bound to grow as the number of agents, book stores and traditional publishing houses diminish.

Here are some things I have observed: the best independent books are likely to be found in historical nonfiction, historical fiction and memoirs. The reason is obvious -- these are often first-person accounts or thinly-veiled family histories that traditional publishers felt didn't have enough potential audience to justify the expense. Some of these books are darn good.

Many self-published books, of course, are just plain lousy. I have found this especially true in the romance fiction, science fiction and erotic fiction genres. And you might want to avoid books with titles like Twenty Things Mr. Whiskers Taught Me About God, especially if there is a photo of the author and a cat on the cover.

Increasingly, however, through sophisticated key word searches, Amazon's "Search Inside" feature, growing on-line book review opportunities, and author web sites that allow the reader to "sample" a book the same way we can sample a musical album, you can get a pretty good idea of the quality of a book before you buy.

The future success of publish on demand books may be when large independent publishing houses, like Amazon's Book Surge and Barnes and Noble's Author's House/iUniverse, provide publishing plateaus that are earned, not purchased. iUniverse has something like this with its "editors' choice" and "publisher's choice" designations, but it is not industry-wide and not fully understood.

Don't give up on self-publishing just yet. It has a long way to go, but it is light-years ahead of the old vanity press days, and developing technology is going to make it even better.

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• Find Jack Shakely's The Confederate War Bonnet here on Amazon.
• Check out The Independent Author's Guild here.

"One Story"

"One Story is a nonprofit organization supported by readers like you and the New York State Council on the Arts. For more info see the donate page."

What kind of stories is One Story looking for?
One Story is seeking literary fiction. Because of our format, we can only accept stories between 3,000 and 8,000 words. They can be any style and on any subject as long as they are good. We are looking for stories that leave readers feeling satisfied and are strong enough to stand alone.

Does One Story pay money?
Yes. One Story is offering $100 and 15 contributors copies for first North American serial rights. All rights will revert to the author upon publication.

Does One Story accept previously published material?
No. One Story is looking for previously unpublished material. However, if a story has been published outside of North America, it will be considered.

When can I submit to One Story?
We accept submissions from September 1 through May 31.

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Complete guidelines ...

Members in print or published

Great way to start August! Here are the big wins of writers who belong to the Internet Writing Worksh0p.

Carter


Sue Ellis

My story "Suspended Belief" has been published in Flash Me Magazine. I was given a year's
gift subscription in exchange for the story. They emailed it to me in PDF format so I could choose to print it out (65 pages) or read it online. It's only available to subscribers.

Thanks to those who critted it two years ago.


Alice Folkart

My poem "Isabella," about a five-year old Hawaiian girl teaching me to dance Hula in a bar, is up at 7Beatsl.

To find "Isabella," scroll down to the photo of the palm trees and street lamps silhouetted
against a yellow sunset.

Hope you like it. It's one of my favorites and should really be a story, I think.


Alan Girling

Dear all,

My poem "February 3rd, 1959" was accepted and is now up at Shaking Like a Mountain, a webzine dedicated to writing inspired by music. Check out the interview with Richard Thompson and tribute to Bo Diddley.

Thanks to the poetry group members who critiqued my poem a while back.


Nan Hawthorne

The first published review of my novel An Involuntary King: A Tale of Anglo Saxon England, due out late summer 08!

Woo hoo! she GETS it!

His father dead at a usurper's hands, the new young king must prove
himself despite his own self-doubt. He struggles against monumental
setbacks and treachery, while his beautiful queen, the love of his
life, is relentlessly pursued by a darkly sensual mercenary.


Carol Hicks

My review of Cool Cache by Patricia Smiley up in the August issue of Gumshoe Review. It's a good mystery involving chocolate... How could I resist?

I've been so swamped lately I forgot it was already August!


Ann Hite

The Link, a newsletter published by Smyrna, has an article on the writing workshop I held in June. It is a glowing review. The newsletter is an eight page, four color affair. I was surprised at the money they put into the publication.

Also, what began as a blog post on IRB's blog, "Warts And All," was reworked and accepted by Wild Violet for their upcoming issue. Blog on guys! It is a great way to get the creative juices flowing.


Louisa Homerow

My creative non-fiction piece, "You Tell Me Your Name I'll Tell You Mine," was nominated by the Rose & Thorn e-zine for Best Creative Nonfiction. The nomination is listed on the magazine's blog for July 21.

The chance of this piece going past the nomination gate is on the far side of slim; however, it's always great to be nominated : )

Plus, it gives me an opportunity to once again thank the members of NFICTION, the non-fiction critique list, for their encouragement and helpful input.


Carter Jefferson

I read heavy tomes about heavy subjects and review them. When heavy gets to be too much, I read good mysteries. A review of one of them is up in the August issue of Gumshoe Review.


Eric Petersen

Two of my short stories, "Daddy's Girl" and "Embalming Emily," have been published by MicroHorror, an online literary magazine dedicated to horror flash fiction works of 666 words or less. *666,* get it?


Dennis Rizzo

My second book with History Press will be published in January. It is on Black communities in Southern NJ and their role in the Underground Railroad.

Tentative Title is Crossing the River: South Jersey's Fringe Communities and the Underground Railroad. Expected release is January, 2009.


Jack Shakely

This has got to be one of the most unusual yahoos ever posted here. A couple of months ago, Oklahoma Today magazine and the Hasty Bake Corporation held a contest asking readers to tell in 500 words or less why they deserved a huge chrome-plated, four-wheeled barbeque that looks just a bit smaller than a Prius.

So channeling my newest favorite novelist, Bob Sanchez (with just a dollop of Carl Hiaasen), I submitted a whacked-out entry promising to make the barbeque the lead vehicle in my "Smoke Out Ignorance" literacy campaign, passing out books, bonhomie and barbequed bologna (an Oklahoma favorite) all over the state.

Well...um...the thing is...I won. You can read my winning entry in the September issue of Oklahoma Today when it's published next month. I have agreed to donate the huge barbeque to the Ryal Creek Indian School in Henryetta, Oklahoma (home of the Warriors). So yahoo...or wahoo.

Carter, I'll pay you five bucks not to blog this.

(N.B.: Nowhere near enough, Jack--we don't get many Yahoos like this one !)


Joanna M. Weston

Three poems up at Raven Poetry: Online Poetry Journal And one poem, "From where litany," in a UK print journal, Weyfarers which has a different editor each time. It can be reached via e-mail here. Three years ago Pearl Pirie of the Poetry list challenged us to write a poem about where we're from; this poem came from that challenge, was critted by the Poetry List, and here it is in print at last. Many thanks to you all.

And I just discovered two of my poems up at Blue Skies. (Click on "Next Page" for the second one.)

This Week's Practice Exercise~

Sound off~

Prepared by:Lani Kraus
Reposted, revised on: Sunday, 3 August 2008

Exercise: Write a scene of no more than 300 words in which you employ sound to help show us your characters or to help set your scene.

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Writers tell their stories largely by using the sense of sight--we learn what characters and scenes look like. Sounds, smells, tastes often get short shrift.

But read this line by Joyce Carol Oates (from We Were the Mulvaneys):

"Marianne's pretty face lit up in its customary dazzling smile. 'Hi, Della Rae!'--the very voice, a lilting soprano, of Caucasian privilege."

Doesn't that description of a sound tell us something? Can you hear it? In your submission, use whatever words you need to let us hear the sounds that help show your characters or help us to see your setting. Of course, you'll use other senses as well, but make sure that sound plays a significant part.

Birds sing in the back yard or the forest, dogs sometimes howl in the dark, exploding bombs create a din, cars honk on the street outside my building. We're constantly surrounded by sound, and often it serves to help orient us, to show us where we are and what's going on. Your characters are in the same boat--let them hear as well as see.
~~~~~
These exercises were written by IWW members and administrators to provide structured practice opportunities for its members. You are welcome to use them for practice as well. Please mention that you found them at the Internet Writers Workshop.

Literary Cottage Call for Submissions

Literary Cottage is currently seeking entries for two, exciting new anthologies to be published by Adams Media: Woodstock Revisited and My Dog Is My Hero. Please click on our website for full details.

For Woodstock Revisited, we are seeking fifty true stories written by people who attended the 1969 Woodstock Festival. This anthology will document the event itself, but will also provide a portrait of America as that tumultuous decade came to a close. Stories should be historical within the context of 1969, and yet unique to your experience. Stories must be TRUE, 850-1100 words, vivid, and substantive. Adams Media pays $100 and one copy of the book. Literary Cottage offers prizes of $100, $75, and $50 to top three stories respectively. Please carefully review the guidelines and sample story provided on the "Woodstock '69 Guidelines" page available on . HURRY - DEADLINE: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2008.

For My Dog Is My Hero, the fourth book in Adams Media's Hero Series, we are seeking fifty 850-1100-word stories featuring a remarkable dog in your life. Yes, about dogs and only dogs, not cats, or other pets. Adams Media pays $100 per story (one per volume), plus a copy of the book, and Literary Cottage will also award three prizes $100, $75, and $50 for the top three stories respectively. Please review the spelled out guidelines and sample stories on the "Hero Series Guidelines" page. DEADLINE: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2008.

Please, please pass on the word to any and all writers, friends, neighbors, bosses, etc, particularly regarding Woodstock Revisited, as we need fifty solid stories from people who attended the festival in 1969 an, due to the tight deadline, need to reach the largest audience possible in a short amount of time. You can write an "as told to" story if you have friends or family who attended.