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Volume: 16.07 • The South Carolina Writers Workshop Newsletter • August 2005

NEWS

The SCWW Board meeting scheduled for September 17 has been rescheduled to Saturday, Sept. 24, 11:00 a.m., at the Cayce-West Columbia Library.

South Carolina Writers Workshop is a vibrant, growing organization of and for writers. As stated in our By-Laws (Article II): The purpose of the South Carolina Writers Workshop shall be to:

(a) Develop, administer, and operate programs designed to foster and improve the writing talents of its members and the literary arts communities of South Carolina.
(b) Provide a creative environment in which the members can present manuscripts on a regular basis for critique by the organization.

In order to accomplish these goals, our organization needs to tap the talents of our membership for service on the Board of Directors. The By-Laws detail the qualifications and duties of Board members: "...members of the Board of Directors shall be a minimum age of twenty-one (21), an active member of the organization, and willing to contribute their time and interest to the purposes of the organization as stated in the by-laws.... It is the duty of each Board member to provide the guidance and support necessary for the successful achievement of the organization’s purpose as stated in the by-laws; assist with planning the organization’s program of service; provide appropriate authority for professional organization administration; develop an annual budget; assure adequate funding for the organization’s activities; and maintain fiscal and programmatic accountability." (Article III Section 3-4)

While the election will not be held until November, nominations are to be submitted to the Board by October 1.One area of particular need in service to SCWW is that of Conference Chairman. In order to facilitate this essential part of our mission, the Board has resolved that this position should be a two year commitment: first year as Conference Co-Chair, learning the ropes by assisting the Conference Chair, the second as Conference Chair, with a new Co-chair assisting.

SCWW President and Conference Co-Chair Sandra Johnson suggests this skill set for Conference chair:

• Good organization skills, i.e. the ability to prioritize and follow through.
• Good attention to details--this applies to everything from contracting speakers to setting up menus at conference site.
• Ability to shoot for the stars--by this I mean to feel comfortable with contacting mega-stars like Lee Child and Sandra Brown.
• Ability to keep an eye on the numbers, i.e. keep in mind that we have to work from a budget to ensure we don't wind up in the red after all the bills are paid.

If you, or another SCWW member you know, would be a good candidate for this position, please contact Sandra at sjohnson9886@sc.rr.com

Alex Raley attended the SCWW Workshop at the Cayce-West Columbia Library July 16 and here are his impressions:

At the workshop on Journalism and Photography, Jason A. Zwiker gave us insight into his move from the idea of "making it" as a freelance writer to someone who, in five years, is well on his way. However, he is not ready to give up his day job yet, though his books of clips are impressive. His presentation was well organized and moved at a relaxed pace.

Jason's ideas are helpful to all writers. Perhaps his strongest message is that writers have to know the business. "Nothing sells unless we sell it." "No one knocks on your door to ask whether you have an idea for writing." The name of the game is query, query, and then, query some more.

Jason is a member of the Charleston Chapter of SCWW and did this workshop pro bono. That says bunches of good things about our membership. Considering other workshops I have paid to attend, his is well worth a fee. I am glad I got in, before he thinks of marketing his experience.

Bonnie Stanard attended the SCWW Workshop at the Cayce-West Columbia Library June 23, and here are her impressions:

Karin Gillespie, author of the "Dollar Store" women series, began by asking us to name books on the best seller list. The fact that we could come up with only four or five made the point that we're not following the industry as we should. Knowing who is publishing what for how much is key to getting ahead. The chance of a writer getting published is one in 50,000.

Several notes on how to improve query letters: 1) Write one page max; 2) Explain why you're writing to this particular agent; 3) Give manuscript's word count (keep within range of 70,000-90,000 words); 4) Define by genre (sci-fi, romance, historical, mystery, western, etc.) if commercial manuscript; 5) Provide author credentials if literary; 6) Convince the agent that ms is marketable.

Other info: 1) Children's writers and poets don't need agents; 2) Never send agent money to read ms; 3) Film has changed writing, i.e. quick transitions, jump scenes, action passages with little detail; 4) Third person is most salable; 5) Usually the third novel is the first one sold.

Karin was enthusiastic, organized, and accessible, the workshop well worth the time.

Karin's latest book, A Dollar Short: the Bottom Dollar Girls go Hollywood, is now available. See her website for details: www.karingillespie.com/page0007.html

Meets 2nd Tuesday at Eden Gardens on Silver Bluff Road, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Contact: Charles Reeve cpreeve@bellsouth.net

Meets 2nd & 4th Sundays at the Merritt Building Parlor of Anderson College from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Contact: Jo Buckner (864) 261-7739.

Meets 1st & 3rd Tuesdays at Books-a-Million on West Ashley, 7:00 p.m.; 2nd & 4th Tuesdays at Starbucks on Coleman Blvd., Mount Pleasant, 7:00 p.m. Contact: Dan Barber danb@mojolin.com

Meets 1st & 3rd Wednesdays at Lexington County Public Library, Cayce-West Columbia Branch, 1500 Augusta Road, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. Contact: Steve Vassey vasseyws@hotmail.com

Louis N. Gruber won first prize for short fiction and the overall fiction award for "The Third Wish Is Always The Killer" at the June meeting of Southeastern Writers, St. Simons Island, Georgia.

USC Press has released the paperback edition of Sandra Johnson's nonfiction book Standing on Holy Ground: A Triumph Over Hate Crime in the Deep South. She will have a book signing on Thursday, Sept. 15 at 5:00 p.m. at the Happy Bookseller, 4525 Forest Drive, Columbia.

Meets 1st & 3rd Mondays at Richland County Public Library, 1431 Assembly Street, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. Contact: Larry Hamilton docham@earthlink.net

Sonia Hayes, who is working on a novel targeted for adolescent African Americans, has several agents interested in seeing the complete manuscript.

Bonnie Stanard had a short story "Amy's Lunch" accepted by Reflections Literary Journal in Roxboro, NC.

Meets 2nd Tuesday at St. Eugene Hospital dining room 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Contact: Kati Paul (843) 774–4561.

Meets 1st Thursday & 3rd Tuesday at The Open Book, 110 South Pleasantburg Drive, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. Contact: John Migacz migaczmarjon@prtcnet.com

Prolific poet, storyteller and SCWW Advisor Gene Fehler's new book is now available for preorder at Amazon.com. His children's book Goblin Giggles: A Ghastly Lift-the-Flap Book has gobs of stickies, slitheries and scabs. "Gordon Goblin's day seemed drab until he tore a giant scab right off his face. Do you suppose what disappeared was Gordon's nose?" On each page a gatefolds lifts to reveal rhymes and repellent surprises.

Kevin Coyle's short story, "Ish Kabibble" has been published in the premier issue of moonShine review, a literary journal out of Charlotte, NC. Copies may be ordered by sending $5.00 (plus $1.50 shipping) to THRIFT Press, PO Box 5424, Charlotte, NC 28299. moonShine review will also be sold at certain bookstores in Charlotte and Asheville, NC, and will soon be available at www.thriftpoeticarts.com

Phil Arnold, contributing editor to Elvis International magazine and founder of ElvisBlog <elvisblog.myblogsite.com>, mentioned that an interested party sent him an e-mail request to write a book about Elvis. More details to follow, but man, that's a good start!

At our last meeting, the group critiqued a query letter written by Phil Yanov. Using suggestions from that meeting and his own good sense paid off for him this week. The publishers have asked to see a proposal for the book Outwitting The Media: Do It Yourself Publicity for your Business, Service, Product, or Organization.

New member Phil Yanov mentioned that he will be doing occasional seven-minute spots about Technology on the NPR radio show "Your Day," hosted by Charlotte Holt. The show airs statewide on Mondays through Thursdays from noon to 1:00 p.m.

Meets 2nd & 4th Wednesdays at Lexington County Library, Irmo Branch, 6251 St. Andrews Road, 6:30 p.m. Contact: Charlotte Blackstone CHEETAH5@aol.com

Meets every other Tuesday at Dooley, Dooley, Spence and Hipp Law Offices, 218 East Main Street, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. Contact: Lynn Stidom lstidom@aol.com

Meeting places and times vary. Contact: Ruth King flking@sccoast.net

Meets 2nd & 4th Tuesday at Books-A-Million, 7 p.m. Contact Edward Howe edhowe139@aol.com

Betty Beamguard's how-to feature, "Actions Speak Louder," will appear in the September issue of The Writer. She has also received assignments from Draft Horse Journal and South Carolina magazine.

Meets 4th Tuesday at Spartanburg Westside Library, 525 Oak Grove Road, 7:00 p.m. Contact: Roger Meadows RDM730@aol.com

OPPORTUNITIES

Keynote Speakers:

Lee Child: International best-selling author of the "Jack Reacher" series of thriller novels that have been published in twenty languages and sell over one million copies each year. Books within the series include One Shot, The Persuader, The Enemy, and The Killing Floor. Six of the novels have been optioned by New Line Cinema for major motion pictures.
Saturday Session Topics: Morning Keynote Address, Being a "Pro" Writer.

Kimberla Lawson Roby: After self-publishing her first novel, Behind Closed Doors, which went on to become the #1 Blackboard best-selling book for paperback fiction in 1997, Kimberla has written six other bestsellers including The Best-Kept Secret and Too Much of a Good Thing, both of which made The New York Times bestsellers list.
Saturday Session Topics: Evening Keynote Address and The Writing Process, Inspiration, and the Publishing Industry.

William Price Fox: Acclaimed novelist, nonfiction author, screenplay writer, professor emeritus, and beloved humorist, William Price Fox is the quintessential southern writer. Ruby Red, Satchel Paige's America, Dixiana Moon, and Wild Yonder are among his celebrated books. He has written hundreds of articles and short stories for Esquire, Sports Illustrated, Golf Digest, USA Today and many other publications.
Saturday Session Topic: The Sound of the Story
Sunday Session Topic: Closing Keynote Address - Voice in Fiction

Other Speakers:

Paul Allen: His collections of poetry include American Crawl which was awarded a Vassar Miller Poetry Prize. His poems have appeared in The Southern Review, Northwest Review and other prestigious journals. He is also an accomplished performer and songwriter and has released an album entitled The Man with the Hardest Belly: Poems & Songs. He teaches poetry and song lyric writing at the College of Charleston.
Friday Intensive Workshop Topic: Hearing Your Poem into Being - Sound Before Sense
Saturday Session Topic: Poems vs. Songs - Differences and Similarities

Helene Atwan: After working in various editorial positions at Alfred A. Knopf, Viking Press, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and Simon and Schuster, Helene Atwan has been director at Beacon Press since 1995. Her acquisitions at Beacon Press include Gayl Jones' The Healing which was a National Book Award finalist, Mitchell Zuckoff's Choosing Naia, and five volumes of poetry by Pulitzer Prize winner Mary Oliver.
Saturday Session Topic: Breaking Into Print
Sunday Session Topic: Agents & Editors Panel

Quinn Dalton: Author of the novel High Strung and short story collection Bulletproof Girl, Quinn Dalton is the winner of the Pearl 2002 Prize for short fiction, and she is a recipient of a North Carolina Arts Council fellowship. She teaches fiction writing workshops at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and the North Carolina Writers' Network. Her work has appeared in such venerated publications as Glimmer Train, The Kenyon Review and StoryQuarterly.
Friday Intensive Workshop Topic: Scene Development
Saturday Session Topic: The Single Effect: Writing Short Fiction

Jeff Herman: Since founding his own literary agency in 1987, Jeff Herman has sold over 500 titles. His agency specializes in general adult nonfiction (including business, self-help, and recovery/healing). In addition to being a successful literary agent, Jeff is also a best-selling author. His books The Writer's Guide to Book Editors, Publishers and Literary Agents; Write the Perfect Book Proposal: 10 Proposals That Sold and Why; and You Can Make It Big Writing Books are must-have's for aspiring writers.
Friday Intensive Workshop Topic: Inside Tricks to Getting Published
Saturday Session Topic: The Do's and Don'ts of Getting an Agent (panel)
Sunday Session Topic: Agents & Editors Panel

Joshilyn Jackson: Multi-talented Joshilyn Jackson is an accomplished novelist, essayist, writing consultant, actress, and playwright. Her recently released novel, gods in Alabama, has received critical acclaim and is a 2005 Booksense pick. In its review, Booklist describes gods of Alabama as "Cleverly disguised as a leisurely paced southern novel, this debut rockets to the end, even as the plot turns back on itself, surprising characters and readers alike." Look for her second novel, Between, Georgia, next spring.
Friday Intensive Workshop Topic: Long Strange Trip - Moving Characters Intact from the Brain to the Page
Saturday Workshop Session Topic: Pick Up Lines - How to Grab Editors' and Agents' Attention from the Opening Sentence

Kelly Love Johnson: Kelly is the associate editor of Skirt! magazine and was previously the editor of the Charleston Regional Business Journal.
Friday Intensive Workshop Topic: Getting Personal - Telling Your Own Stories Through Personal Essay Writing
Saturday Workshop Session Topic: From Private to Public - Publishing Your Personal Essays

Bob Mayer: The nearly forty books that Bob Mayer has published under his own name and four pen names span from action thrillers such as his best-selling Area 51 novel series to the nonfiction book The Novel Writer's Toolkit. Two million of his books are in print and have been published in a dozen foreign countries. He is currently co-authoring a novel with popular romance author Jennifer Crusie.
Saturday Session Topics: Making Your Characters Real to the Reader, Marketing Yourself and Your Book

Sally McMillan: After years in the publishing industry, Sally McMillan started her own literary agency that represents both literary and commercial fiction as well as general adult nonfiction (including health, lifestyle, and history). Her clients include novelists Lynne Hinton, Joe Martin, Nancy Peacock and Mike Stewart in addition to nonfiction authors Lois Trigg Chaplin, Ray Jones, and Dr. Leah Klungness.
Saturday Session Topic: The Do's and Don'ts of Getting an Agent (panel)
Sunday Workshop Session Topic: Agents & Editors Panel

Mary Alice Monroe: Author of New York Times bestsellers Skyward and The Beach House and other well-received novels, Mary Alice Monroe's popularity transcends the bounds of the contemporary women's genre. Pat Conroy says of her work, "Every book she has written feels like a homecoming to me." Mary Alice is the winner of the 2003 Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award for Best Contemporary Novel, and she is a three-time finalist for the Romance Writers of America's RITA Award.
Saturday Session Topics: The Building Blocks of Your Novel (Parts I and II)

Marcy Posner: Marcy Posner began her career in the publishing industry in editorial positions. She reached the level of associate publisher with Pantheon/Random House before joining the William Morris Agency where she became the vice-president and director of foreign rights. After 12 years with the William Morris Agency, she founded her own agency. She represents both fiction (including general, women's fiction, thrillers, and mystery) and non-fiction (including self-help, biography, health, and lifestyle).
Saturday Session Topic: "The Do's and Don'ts of Getting an Agent" (panel)
Sunday Session Topic: Agents & Editors panel

Terry Roueche: In addition to having written numerous one-act and full-length plays that have been performed throughout the Southeast, Terry's plays Parade Day, Take My Wife, Please and Norman Alexander have enjoyed successful runs off Broadway.
Friday Intensive Workshop Topic: Playwriting Crash Course - Everything You Need to Know to Write a Play
Saturday Session Topic: Three Keys to Writing a Good Play

Charles Todd: Author of the best-selling mystery series featuring Inspector Ian Rutledge, a Scotland Yard detective. Novels within the series include A Test of Wills, Wings of Fire, A Cold Treachery, and Legacy of the Dead which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. In a review, the Library Journal describes Charles Todd as "A gifted writer," and goes on to say, "Todd has once again created an intriguing mystery peopled with memorably unique characters. The depth of emotion that he expresses is truly remarkable."
Saturday Session Topic: Creating a Sense of Place and Time
Sunday Session Topic: Moderator - Agents & Editors Panel

Brett Valley: Brett is an assistant editor at the Touchstone/Fireside, an imprint of Simon and Schuster. His interests include literary fiction, politics, sports, pop culture, and narrative non-fiction. He was the editor for The New York Times bestseller All the President's Spin: George W. Bush, the Media and the Truth by Ben Fritz, Bryan Keefer, and Brendan Nyham. He is currently working on Faces in the Henhouse: How the Republicans Stole America and What the Democrats Must Do to Take It Back by Steve Jarding and Dave "Mudcat" Saunders.
Saturday Session Topic: (TBA)
Sunday Session Topic: Agents & Editors Panel

The conference will begin on Friday October the 14th and run through Sunday the 16th. Once again we will offer Friday workshops.

Basic conference fees will be:

• Early bird member $125
• Regular member $150
• Early bird non-member $205
• Regular non-member $230

In order to qualify for the early bird discount, registration must be completed on-line with payment via PayPal by August 31st, or your registration accompanied by a check to cover the entire registration fee must be postmarked by August 31st. In order to qualify for member rates, you must be a member in good standing at the time you register. Current members may renew at the discounted rate of $45 when paying for the renewal at the same time as paying conference registration fees. Non-member registrations include a complimentary one year SCWW membership.

Workshop fees will be $35 to attend one workshop or $60 to attend two. As in prior years, conference registration is required for all workshop attendees.

If you are registered for the conference, you may submit a manuscript for critique by a conference faculty member (this includes having a scheduled fifteen-minute meeting with that faculty member). There is a $40 fee per manuscript. The following faculty members are available for manuscript critiques:

Please note that manuscripts will be assigned on a first-come/first-served basis according to faculty availability.

Guest registration will be $50 per guest and includes the Friday night cocktail party and other social events. Guests may not attend the conference or workshop sessions.

Saturday dinner will be available for a separate per person charge, which will be determined at a later date.

Landmark Resort Hotel is located at 1501 South Ocean Blvd. within minutes of the Myrtle Beach International Airport and the many restaurants, shops, golf courses, tennis courts, water parks, and entertainment venues that have made Myrtle Beach into one of America's top tourist destinations.

The resort offers a wide array of amenities that include the Southeast's largest resort indoor pool complex, a full-service restaurant, snack bars, exercise facilities, and complimentary airport shuttle service. SCWW conference attendees will enjoy the following exceptionally discounted room rates:

To receive these special conference rates, reservations must be made directly through Landmark Resort no later than Sept. 14. Call 1-800-845-0658 and be sure to mention that you are attending the SCWW conference to get our low group rate.

Note: all room rates are subject to state and local taxes (currently at 10.0%) and $2 per night taxable resort fee.

Got news from your local chapter? Got a helpful writers web site to share? Got a caution about a bogus publishing opportunity or contest? Let's network our knowledge to build a better newsletter.

Deadline for submissions is the 21st of each month. Please send submissions to quilleditor@spymac.com either in the body of an e-mail or as an attached file in MS Word (DOC), Rich Text (RTF) or plain text (TXT) format. Articles accepted for publication will appear in The Quill and archived on the web. Writers retain all rights to their works.

Submissions may also be made on floppy disk and mailed to:

Leland Beaudrot
1 Cleveland St Ste 110
Greenville SC 29601-3646

Write on!

Leland Beaudrot, Editor
The Quill

Sylvan Dell Publishing, a new children's book publiser in Mt. Pleasant, is soliciting manuscripts and art work for picture books. They accept work from unagented authors. See their website www.sylvandellpublishing.com/about.htm for complete details.Their contact person is Senior Editor Donna German DonnaGerman@SylvanDellPublishing.com

Donna R. German, Senior Editor
Sylvan Dell Publishing
976 Houston Northcutt Blvd Ste 3
Mt Pleasant SC 28464

Location: Columbia Museum of Art, Corner of Main and Hampton Street

Dates: Friday, August 12th, 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Saturday, August 13th, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday, August 14th, 1:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Fee: $125.00 per participant

If you love the art of poetry, then the creative journey this school will offer you is one you won't want to miss. Whether you dabble or dive into the craft of writing poetry, this three-part school will send a wave of ideas rolling toward your lazy summer-day muse.

Gnosis is a term that means 'knowing' - subjective inner-knowing or insight, yet how do we reach a point of "gnosis" as it relates to the crafting of a powerful poem? How do we come to a point of knowing how and when to play with syntax, when to use rhyme, when the poem calls for the use of metaphor or simile, and when can we say we have reached our own poetic voice. This exciting three-day school will be the first in a three part series of poetry schools offered by the South Carolina Poetry Initiative. The Initiative, soon to start its third year as a center for presenting outreach programs focused on the writing, reading, and performing of poetry, is partnering with the Columbia Museum of Art for the purpose of presenting a series of stellar classes that will take each participant into the sophisticated, sensual, and sublime world of writing poetry.

Classes will focus on various aspects of the craft and will entice participants with exercises that will tempt the imagination in ways that words and images will dazzle the page. Workshops are great for writers," said Ed Madden, one of the guest instructors and poet in residence at the Riverbanks Botanical Gardens. "In a writing workshop we get to try new things, take risks. A workshop takes me out of comfort zones and predictable writing, and it challenges me to be a better writer." Poet and Initiative's Executive Director Kwame Dawes states: "What could the offering of a school like this mean? Although I wear many hats (poet, teacher, essayist, father, husband), I feel that what strength I possess in these areas stems from my ability to exercise through the writing and reading of poetry the human imagination. A school like this means a chance for each participant, regardless of his or her level of poetic abilities, avenues to exercise the human imagination." Poet in Residence for the Columbia Museum of Art and the Initiative's Assistant Director, Charlene Spearen states: " For many years I have envisioned such a school having a place in South Carolina. After all, the creative mind is a wondrous thing, and because of this poetry has the power to be, as James Dickey believed, 'a living running flame, passing from spirit to spirit.' I can't wait to see how these classes will ignite the spirit!" Sample courses: The Anatomy of a Poem: The Poem and the Issue of Risk; Claiming the Poet's Heartland; Tell All the Truth, but Tell It Slant.

Reservations should be mailed to:

The South Carolina Poetry Initiative
University of South Carolina
Department of English
Columbia SC 29208

Make checks payable to: USC's Education Foundation

Contact: Charlene Spearen
Email: CMSPEARE@gwm.sc.edu

7 Adinkras Media Productions is looking for stories (poetry and prose) of love and admiration, regret and redemption, healing and searching from women in the Southeastern U.S. for anthology and companion documentary. Tell us how your relationship with your father, not necessarily biological, has impacted your life -- particularly your past and current romantic relationships or your relationship with men in general. True, original work considered from beginning and experienced women writers from the Southeastern U.S. Diversity welcomed and encouraged.

Deadline: September 15, 2005. Length: 2,500 words or less.

For full details and online entry, visit www.7adinkras.com/daddysgirl.htm

Do you dream of writing a children's picture book and having it published? Your dream could come true if you enter the Woman's Day/Scholastic Book Clubs' "I Want to Be a Children's Book Writer" Contest 2005 <http://www.womansday.com/article.asp?print_page=y&section_id=3&article_id=9635&page_number=1>. The grand-prize winner's manuscript will be illustrated, published and distributed by Scholastic Book Clubs, the nation's largest school book club. The grand-prize winner will also receive a set of five autographed hardcover picture books from Scholastic. Ten runners-up will receive a set of five autographed hardcover picture books from Scholastic and their entries may be featured on womansday.com and scholastic.com.

To enter: Submit a manuscript for a picture book (text only, 500 word limit), following these steps:

1. Fold eight (8) pages of 8 1/2" x 11" pieces of paper in half to create a total of 32 pages (standard picture book length).
2. Write your name, address, daytime telephone number, and e-mail address on the front.
3. Write your story, approximately two (2) sentences per page.

Mail your entry to:

WD Children's Book Writer Contest
Dept. C075N Box 711
Holmes PA 19043

Deadline: Entries must be postmarked on or before September 30, 2005.

The Poetry Society of South Carolina <archives.charleston.net/org/poetry/> meets at Second Presbyterian Church on Meeting Street in Charleston at seven p.m. on the dates noted below. All meetings, other than the holiday party in December, are free and open to the public. A reception with light refreshments follows each meeting.

WORKSHOP LEADER: Jerri Chaplin, Certified Poetry Therapist

DATE: Saturday, October 8, 2 - 4 p.m.

LOCATION: Trott's Cottage, 83 Cumberland Street, Charleston

REGISTRATION: $20 for Poetry Society of South Carolina members, $25 for others.
Preregistration is required by October 1; space is limited to 30 participants.
Payment of registration fee will confirm a spot in the workshop.

DESCRIPTION: Participants will learn how the reading and writing of poetry helps heal and will do some expressive writing exercises.
Light refreshments will be served after the workshop.
COORDINATOR: Mary Harris, (843) 821-2086 or wordnotes185@hotmail.com

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is holding a contest for students across the country to produce the best ACLU Public Service Announcement (PSA) or write the best essay on one of three civil liberties themes: The Patriot Act, Racial Justice or Censorship. One PSA and one essay will be selected as the contest’s prize-winning entries.

Eligibility: US citizens or resident aliens aged 17-29

Content: Creative 30 second PSA’s and essays of up to 500 words that promote appreciation of the ACLU’s work and its relation to issues of the day and/or citizen’s daily lives. PSA entries can include anything from live action to animation to claymation (all entries must meet broadcast standards). For essay entries, any type of original work will be considered including fiction, nonfiction, humor, and poetry.

Approved topics, all based on defending the Bill of Rights, include:

• USA Patriot Act
• Racial Justice
• Censorship

Clearances: You must be the original author of everything in your PSA/essay or have written permission to use copyright protected material. In addition, you will need consent from all actors appearing in your PSA to use their likenesses and voices. You will need to send us a signed original copy of our Terms for Submission with your entry (or separately, by the submission deadline, for entries submitted online).

Entry Format: PSAs should be no longer than 30 seconds in length and submitted in either VHS, DVD or MiniDV format. In addition, we will accept online submissions (WindowsMedia or MPEG formats with final, encoded version of ads not to exceed 4MB). The PSA winner must have a broadcast quality version of the spot available. Essay entries must be in English and can be sent to us via paper copy (typed and double-spaced on one side only of 8 1/2” by 11” paper) or via email to info@zilo.com.

Timing: Entries must be submitted between July 4 and October 4, 2005.

Submission Address:

The ACLU 2005 Stand Up for Freedom Contest
c/o Zilo Networks, Inc.
36 West 44 th Street, Suite 1205
New York, NY 10036

Prizes: The winning PSA entrant will receive $5000 and will be shown on Zilo TV’s national college network and submitted for airing to major broadcast and cable networks. The winning essay entrant will receive $1000 and the winning essay will be featured on the ACLU’s website and in various communications to its members. Both winners will be announced at in late October 2005 at the First Annual Eureka International Film Festival.

More Information: See the website www.aclu.org/freedomwire/contest.htm or email info@zilo.com

The National League of American Pen Women promotes development of the creative talents of professional women in the arts, and consists of more than 200 local branches and State Associations throughout the United States.

The League offers its members association with other creative professional women: workshops, discussion groups and lectures related to the creative process. Writing and poetry contests, art exhibitions (both juried and judged), and music composition competitions conducted at local branch, state and national levels of the organization.

For more information covering the requirements for membership, please visit our membership page.

Meetings of local branches are held regularly with programs on topics of interest to artists, writers and composers. For information on branches in your area, please contact National Headquarters at (202) 785-1997 or email us at info@americanpenwomen.org.

FEATURES

From The Novel Writer's Toolkit: A Guide To Writing Great Fiction And Getting Published

Conflict keeps a story going and reveals much about your characters. Conflict is the gap between expectation and the actual result. There are three levels of conflict for your characters:

-inner (inside the character) In many cases inner conflict occurs when a person has a disagreement between values he or she holds to be important. By adjusting a character's circumstances, you can develop internal conflict.
-personal (between characters)
-universal/societal- (characters versus fate/God/the system)

You have to consider what your main character faces on each of these levels.
There are five major sources of conflict for people (although you can probably come up with more): Money, Sex, Family, Religion, Politics.
Keep these sources of conflict in mind when developing your characters.
Remember all characters have to have agenda/goals they want to achieve. That gives them a driving force, even if it is a passive or negative one. Characters can pursue their goals aggressively or subtly. Or they can not pursue their goals, which also says something about them.

Motivation is the most important factor to consider when having your character make choices or do actions. Once you have a feel for your characters' motivation and they come alive for you, then to a certain extent you lose control over your story. For your characters to be realistic, they have to react like the people you have developed them to be, not like you want them to react in order to move your story ahead. Every time a character acts or reacts, ask yourself if that is consistent with whom you projected the character to be.
Often your protagonist is initially reluctant to get involved and circumstances force him to do so. Your protagonist also usually begins by reacting, but eventually must make choices and take actions or else he will lose reader empathy.
Once you know your characters' motivations, in essence, you lose control of a large portion of the book as the characters are going to act and react according to their personalities. For example, in Lonesome Dove, when Blue Duck kidnaps Lori, author Larry McMurtry had little choice on what was going to happen next, given who his characters were. There was no doubt that Gus was going after Lori; that Captain Call was keeping the cattle drive moving north; that Jake Spoon would go to San Antonio and gamble. Each character acted true to their nature.
Remember also to consider extremes when writing about characters in order to involve your reader more intensely. You can have a good character and a bad character. But would the reader prefer to see an evil character and a noble character? Think of personalities as a pendulum, and understand that the further you swing that pendulum, the more involved the reader usually will be. Therefore, take any very positive trait you can think of and try to find its opposite. Do the reverse. Then use those traits to develop your characters.

You need to study people and also remember that you were not the original mold for mankind. Some people are very different than you and have different value systems. Authors who have very good characters understand this very well, much better than the average person.

Everyone has a religion. What that means is that everyone has something they believe in, even if it's not to believe in God. To write good characters, you need to know what their value and belief system is, then keep them acting according to that system. Even a crazy serial killer character has a belief system, skewed as it may be. In fact, dissecting that belief system is often the task of the novel's main good character in order to catch the serial killer.

You need to adopt a psychological structure for character types. You can invent your own from scratch, but it is easier to use one that already exists and has been thoroughly developed by experts on behavior and motivation.

About trademarks, commas, ISBN numbers and more

Q: I wrote a science fiction short story that uses fictitious drugs. I know of two science fiction stories that have done same. One is "Vurt," by Jeff Noon. The other is "The Pickup Artist," by Terry Bisson. Bisson puts a TM by his drug names; Noon does not. I'm wondering if the TM is solely a style thing, or if it offers some type of protection against derivative work.

A: I am not an attorney, but I think the author used the trademark symbol to give the name an air of authenticity. I doubt any author would go to the trouble to legally trademark a name of a fictitious product. As you may know, you do not have to legally file a trademark application to use the TM symbol.

As an editor, here's my opinion: The use of TM in a work of fiction gets in the way of the story. I would not add it, anymore than I would use asterisks or footnotes or anything else that jumps out at readers and detracts them from the mood and illusion of the story.

Q: Which of the two following sentences are properly punctuated?

Jim walked over and said, "Hi."
or
Jim walked over, and said, "Hi."

A: The first sentence is the correct one: Jim walked over and said, "Hi." It's not a compound sentence, so it does not need the other comma. If it went like this, it would have another comma: Jim walked over, put his hands on his hips, and said, "Hi."

Q: It's time for me to order my ISBN number and bar code for my self-published book. Do I simply go to https://commerce.bowker.com/isbnsan/standards/cgi-bin/isbn.asp to order them? Any suggestions before I do it?

A: Have you set yourself up as a publisher? Do you have a name of your business, even if it is just a DBA? Do you keep separate books for it, so you can deduct these costs? If not, shop around at various banks. Most charge monthly fees for a business account, but I know of at least one that doesn't.

It will be essential to have a separate business account, if you plan to deduct expenses on your taxes. For IRS purposes you don't have to make money; you just have to show that you intended to make money.   After you have your business in place, then you can order your ISBN and bar code from the Bowker Website with confidence.

Q: Do you have a marketing/publicity link or advice?

A: I don't have a direct marketing link, although I do know that Amazon.com will list almost any book, even self-published ones.

As far as publicity and marketing tactics, for my book, Write In Style, I used many of the ideas in a book called Jump Start Your Book Sales. It had hundreds of ideas, and I followed many but not all of them. The best idea had to do with broadening the appeal of the book by adding a chapter geared toward a separate audience. I added a chapter specifically for nonfiction and business writers, and that chapter has gained my book more national publicity than the rest of the entire book. I strongly advise writers to read marketing books before they finish their own books, to glean information to make their book even better before looking for a publisher or agent.

On a personal note: I'd like to toot my own horn and announce that Write In Style won Best in Division at the Georgia Author of the Year Awards in June. I'm pleased that the book is helping so many writers.

Do you have questions for the book doctor? Send them to me at Bobbie@zebraeditor.com.

Sheryn Billue, offers a pair of links with tons of writing stuff: http://fmwriters.com and http://www.internet-resources.com/writers. Sites with links and resources for those of us who have to do research; Critique circles (surely they can't be better than ours); Discussion groups; Classes and workshops; Exercises and writing challenges; An E-zine called "Vision" with articles about writing; A novel exchange, where you can pair up with another writer and exchange novels to critique or proof; Access to writers who don't mind helping you edit; Blogs. And this caveat: It's free...but use caution in sharing your stuff. Remember, it's still the internet.

MUSINGS

As I entered the sanctuary door, a greeter offered me a handshake and a bulletin. I accepted the Sunday morning program and darted upstairs to my customary balcony bench. With just four minutes left in the prelude, I found the elevated enclave empty, sat on the uppermost pew and scanned the bulletin. The New Testament selection from Hebrews 11, resounding with the echoing chant "By faith....," filled me with delight. Recorded from an ancient sermon itself, it reminded me that in two weeks time I would be filling a pulpit vacated by a recent relocation. I pulled out my pen and made a few notes on the bulletin's margin.

"It's about time you got back to writing!"

With a jerk, my pen skipped across the bulletin and marked the cover of the hymnal I was using as a lap desk. "Thaleia! What are you doing here?"

"Wherever you write, I have to be there." She settled beside me on the cushioned bench as if it were the only seat in the house. "You know what they say, 'Even God can't steer a parked car.'"

"So you, the immortal Muse of Comedy, are going to help me write a sermon? Won't Presbyterianism cramp your Pagan style?"

She elbowed my ribs. "You get an 'E' in evangelism. Where else should a Pagan be. Besides, which one of us has met the Apostle Paul in person."

"Are you taking credit for his half of the New Testament?"

"Hardly! That man had NO sense of humor." She surveyed the congregation seated below. The interim pastor stepped out and took his place on the dais. The prelude played on. "You'd rather be sitting there, wouldn't you?"

I sighed. "Might be nice."

"Why is preaching so important to you?"

No one had asked me that since my pre-ordination exams before my fellow Elders in presbytery. My answer was the same. "I want to make a difference."

With a thunder of tromping feet, a squad of teenagers quickly ascended the stairs. Segregating themselves by gender, the girls filed into the pew in front of me while the boys clambered into mine. To avoid becoming a cushion, Thaleia slipped onto my lap. "Don't worry, they can't see me."

And so there ensued a liturgical lap-dance, punctuated by my occasional muffled utterances: "Sit still.... Watch the hands.... Chill!"

Fortunately, for all of the songs and a few of the prayers, we stood, rendering me temporarily lapless. I might have endured, but for the minister's lengthy (if not otherwise excellent) exhortation on the Scripture.

"Enough!" I said, none to quietly. "If you can't be still you'll have to leave."

Thaleia was still sitting on my lap, trying to soften me with her best pout, when the youth beside me slipped away down the stairs. She grinned and took his place. "Such a young gentleman, to give up his seat for me."

She sat quietly by me, nudging me occasionally when the minister made a particularly noteworthy point. She silently signed that I should be making notes.

Following the Benediction, she stood by as the boys evacuated at fire drill speed. Two girls, probably sisters from the look of them, turned to me. "Thanks!"

"Uh... for what?"

"For dealing with Anthony. He can be SUCH a pest!"

Thaleia rolled her eyes and glanced upward, as if to see if she had acquired a halo. "As it is written in the Proverbs, 'A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.' See, even without a pulpit, you can still make a difference."

The Quill is the newsletter of the South Carolina Writers Workshop <www.scwriters.com>.

Copyright 2005 by Leland Beaudrot, Editor. Contributing writers retain all rights to their work.