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Volume: 16.11 • The South Carolina Writers Workshop Newsletter • December 2005

NEWS

Dear Editor:

Even though I am no longer a member of the SCWW, the organization has been kind enough to keep me on its mailing list. For that I am thankful, as I enjoy keeping up with the organization I founded a decade and a half ago.

The recent edition's article on the Carrie McCray Awards caught my attention, as Carrie has been a dear friend of mine and one of my early writing students, back when I taught at various community colleges. It is this article that causes me to write to you in hopes of clarifying a statement of fact made in the newsletter. It was stated that Carrie was one of the founders of the SCWW. That is inaccurate. Carrie was on the inaugural board, but she was not one of the founders. There was but a single founder, and that person was me. I incorporated the SCWW myself, with my own money, before we even had a single member (other than myself). I organized the very first board, on which Carrie served, logged more than 10,000 miles that first year criss-crossing the state and establishing chapters in 16 cities, and spent numerous hours with staff of the South Carolina Academy of Authors and in law offices.

While Carrie's contributions to the SCWW have been significant, they do not include being a founder of the organization.

Namaste!

Scott Regan
Executive Vice President
Memorial Health
4700 Waters Avenue
Savannah, GA 31404
regansc1@memorialhealth.com

For the record, the Certificate of Incorporation of The South Carolina Writers Workshop, dated September 17, 1990, includes the signature of Carrie McCray along with Scott Regan. - Ed.

Interest has been expressed to form new chapters in the Florence and Lake City areas. If you are in the area and are willing to help these new chapters get started, even if you are already a member of an active chapter, please let me know. Together, we do the write thing better.

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

Meets 1st Tuesday at Books-a-Million on West Ashley, 7:00 p.m.; 3rd Tuesday at Starbucks on Coleman Blvd., Mount Pleasant, 7:00 p.m. Contact: Janet Nye janlnye@netzero.net

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

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

Writers of Columbia II have hit a dry spell with respect to acceptances. At times like this we get encouragement from our group. Intellectually we know that being published is as easy as landing a role in a Spielberg film, but that doesn't keep us from getting down emotionally.

David Westeren uses personalized rejections as encouragement to respond to the publisher with another manuscript. A recent rejection contained specific suggestions for making changes, evidence that the manuscript had been read past the first paragraph. He's awaiting their response to his second manuscript.

Sonia Hayes reminds us that before reaching an agent, our work likely has to pass muster with hired readers. Her rejection letter noted that the manuscript had survived the round with the readers, but the agent declined, after making several suggestions. Sonia's working on some of those suggestions.

Our group applauds getting a manuscript in the mail. Taking that step has been an accomplishment for some of us. The next step is to mail out multiple copies of the manuscript, say 30 at a time. It gets easier to take rejections when they become commonplace.

A way to beat the doldrums about rejections is to jump into another writing project. Trying to correct, rewrite, or polish a rejected story just multiplies the frustration. Anyway, most of us know that time-off from a manuscript gives us a better view.

The average story is rejected 25 or more times before being accepted, according to a rejection I received from Orchid, a literary review in Minnesota. So we just say to ourselves, this is rejection number 15 (or whatever) and we have at least 10 more to go.

If we're still down in the dumps, think about this, Ray Bradbury and C.S. Lewis each sent out as many as 800 manuscripts before either had a sale. So, how many times have we sent out our manuscript?

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

Though elections aren't until the December First Thursday meeting, it looks like John Migacz will continue as Chapter President since he is the only candidate. When asked about running unopposed, the candidate stated: "I still stand a chance to win."

The election for the statewide SCWW Board of Directors also occurs in December, and three of Greenville's stalwarts are tossing their hats into the ring. Bob Strother, Susan Boyer, and Sara Cureton have offered their time and effort to help out down in Columbia. Let's give them our support - please mail in your e-mail ballot when it arrives.

Phil Yanov has landed his first paid writing gig. Phil is a columnist for GSABusiness, a bi-monthly paper with a circulation of 400,000. His column "TECH ADVANTAGE" will focus on computer info and is, of course, written in Phil's unique style.

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

Lexington 1st Chapter Writers meets in the Lexington Library at 5440 Augusta Road every other Tuesday from 6-8. Contact: Lynn Stidom lstidom@aol.com

Meeting places and times vary. Contact: Cynthia Hodell Dyer chodelldyer@aol.com

Meets in Winthrop University’s Dacus Library on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday from 7-9 p.m. Contact Betty Beamguard at bbeamguard@earthlink.net or 803-222-4208.

Meets 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. every 2nd and 4th Monday at the Richland County Library, Sandhills Branch, 1 Summit Parkway, Columbia, SC. Contact Sonia Hayes Pleasant sonia_hayes@msn.com

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

We had a lively and full meeting tonight, with five of us in attendance. It was the most dedicated five people you've ever seen, so an intense two hours passed before we'd realized how few of us there were. No, not really. We just divided the time into much larger chunks than we would've with a larger group. Having only four people read made it even easier. In short, we started with a discussion on the merits of various methods of critiquing a work. The only conclusion we reached was, in essence, "Different strokes for different folks."

We also discussed setting up a group on Yahoo for the purposes of our Chapter, so we could trade manuscripts back & forth in the period between meetings & have more fully prepared critiques available at the monthly meeting. Of course nobody's required to participate in this, but for those who are interested, the url is now: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scwwspartanburg/

You can subscribe by sending an email to the following address:

scwwspartanburg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Once subscribed, you can send messages to the list at the following address:

scwwspartanburg@yahoogroups.com

There are other tools also available in Yahoo groups, which we have as a default. For instance, there is a group calendar, which we can use for things like the group meetings, local conferences, etc; a "Files" section where we can each upload manuscripts for others' perusal, etc.

I only ask that you not sign up the group for any email lists at all-there's no sense subjecting everyone on it to an endless flood of spam.

We do plan to meet in December, on the 27th (the 4th Tuesday of the month, as per usual), at the Westside Library in Spartanburg. I don't personally expect to see a very large crowd two days after Christmas, but then, what do I know? Maybe all of you will be experiencing cabin fever or family-overdose by then?

OPPORTUNITIES

First Place Winner in each category will receive $100.
Second Place Winners will receive $25.

Eligibility and Rules for Entry

Students in grades 11 and 12 currently enrolled in South Carolina schools are eligible. Each student may enter one manuscript in each category: fiction and poetry. All entries must be original and must be postmarked by March 1, 2006.

Each work must be typed on 8 1/2" x 11" white paper with an entry form as a cover sheet. Fiction should be double spaced. The student's name cannot appear on the entry itself. Please staple or clip pages together and number them. If you have questions, contact Betty Beamguard at bbeamguard@earthlink.net

Mail entries to:

Betty Beamguard
SCWW Contest Chair
13671 W Hwy 55
York SC 29745-8756

Note to teachers: We encourage you to have a classroom or school competition and send us only the winning entries. This would give your students local recognition for their writing, and our judges, who are volunteers, wouldn't be overwhelmed with submissions.

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@bellsouth.net 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

My husband and I will be away the week of February 8-15, 2006. We live in SC just 20 minutes south of Charlotte, NC. I am interested in finding a writer who would like to use our lovely home as a writer's retreat for the week in exchange for caring for our pets. We have two quiet cats and will have a 3 month old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy at that time. We cannot leave the puppy alone so I am wondering if someone who loves pets and is familiar with puppies might like to come and have a place to write.

Lori Norman
lorinorman@comporium.net
803-802-3231

Reading Tutor for Grades 1,2, and 3
Author of Snowflakes and a Music Box: Healing from Childhood Sexual Abuse
www.awarenessforprevention.com

Travel writers interested in developing articles about regional theaters and entertainment are invited to contact Mary Eaddy at 843-626-4455, ext. 3. The Carolina Opry in Myrtle Beach and Tribute in North Myrtle Beach will provide complimentary tickets for two for travel writers visiting on assignment. For information about show schedules and times, please see www.gilmoreentertainment.com.

Judge: The judge will be novelist and short story writer, Silas House. For more information visit www.silashouse.com

Eligibility: The 2006 The Janice Holt Giles Fiction Prize is open to all fiction writers. Only an original, unpublished short story in English may be submitted. Any subject matter or writing style is welcome. The winning story must be suitable for a general audience.

Deadline: Manuscripts must be postmarked by January 1, 2006. The winner will be notified by March 2006. The winning story will run in the summer issue of Arts Across Kentucky.

Manuscript format: Send two copies, typed double-spaced on white, 8 1/2" x 11" paper. Photocopied are acceptable. Do not send originals as manuscripts will not be returned. One entry should not exceed 3,000 words. One entry per writer. Entry should include a cover page with writer's name, address and other contact information and story title. Each page of manuscript should have a header with the story title and page number. The writer's name and other identifying information should appear only on cover page, not on manuscript. The winning author will be asked to submit an electronic copy for publication in AAK.

Prize: The winner of The Janice Holt Giles Fiction Prize will receive $300 and publication in the summer issue of Arts Across Kentucky.

Submission guidelines: Entry deadline is January 1, 2006. Send two copies of manuscript and cover page along with a $10 entry fee to:

Arts Across Kentucky
Attn: Fiction Prize
2009 Family Circle
Lexington, KY 40505

Make checks payable to Arts Across Kentucky.

Affiliates of employees of The Giles Society and Arts Across Kentucky are not eligible. The contest sponsors and judge reserve the right not to choose a winner should no suitable manuscript be found.

Purpose: To honor individuals who foster progress in visual arts education through the successful utilization of community arts resources. To create a greater awareness of the arts resources such as museums and arts centers that exist within South Carolina. To encourage collaboration among community organizations that implement visual arts programming.

Criteria for Nomination

All nominees must...

• Be a South Carolina resident currently active in the program for which they have been nominated.
• Demonstrate a sustained commitment to arts education through service and direct involvement with arts programming.
• Demonstrate effectiveness by facilitating programs, collaborations and initiatives that are regarded as successful and innovative by their peers as well as their constituents.
• Demonstrate a vision for visual arts education that involves partnership and collaboration between two or more groups.

Procedures

Deadline for Nominations: January 6, 2006

The following materials must be submitted on the nominee's behalf:

• Nominator's Statement: A one to two page, typewritten narrative that summarizes the accomplishments of the nominee as they relate to a current program or project.
• Letters of Recommendation: Three letters of recommendation must be submitted. Include one letter written by a constituent, such as a parent, guardian or program participant.
• A summary vitae / resume for the nominee (limit: 3 pages)

Self-nominations will not be accepted.

The winner will be notified no later than January 13, 2006. A formal presentation of the award will occur during the CMA annual meeting on January 26, 2006.

All nominations and inquiries should be addressed to:

Tudy Clark
Columbia Museum of Art
PO Box 2068
Columbia SC 29202

803-343-2199 tudy@columbiamuseum.org

Poetry Contest Debut - First Prize: $300, Second Prize: $100, Third Prize: $50.

• Open to natives and current residents of North & South Carolina
• Entries must be postmarked by January 10, 2006
• Contest judged by: Susan Ludvigson
• Initial screening by editors Lisa Zerkle, Richard Allen Taylor & Beth Cagle Burt

Official Rules:

1. Submit 1 to 5 poems, any style, any subject (maximum 5 pages), printed on white 8-1/2 X 11 paper, no more than one poem per page. Poems may not exceed 70 lines including stanza breaks. No email submissions, please.
2. Poems must be original, unpublished in any medium (print or electronic), not under consideration elsewhere and must not have been selected for a monetary prize in any other contest.
3. Poet's name, address, phone number and/or e-mail address must be provided on a cover sheet accompanying the manuscript and must NOT appear anywhere on the manuscript.
4. Include SASE for contest results or indicate on cover sheet if e-mail notification is preferred. No entries will be returned. All entrants will be notified by March 1, 2006.
5. Entry fee: $10.00 nonrefundable check or money order made out to Kakalak Poetry.
6. Poets selected for publication will be required to execute a publishing agreement. All rights revert to authors upon publication.

Please send contest entries to:

Kakalak Poetry Contest
4057 North Course Dr
Charlotte,NC 28277

Questions? E-mail Kakalakpoetry@aol.com

Deadline: Postmarked by January 15, 2006

Guidelines and application forms for the South Carolina Fiction Project are currently available through the South Carolina Arts Commission. This annual writing competition, co-sponsored by The (Charleston) Post & Courier, calls for previously unpublished short stories of 2,500 words or less. Up to 12 short stories will be selected for publication; each writer whose work is selected will receive $500 for first publication rights.

Applications may be obtained by:

1. Internet: http://www.SouthCarolinaArts.com/fictionproject/
2. Mail: Send request to

South Carolina Arts Commission
ATTN: SC Fiction Project
1800 Gervais St
Columbia SC 29201

3. Phone/email: Call 803/734-8766 or email boykingw@arts.state.sc.us

Finishing Line Press is currently accepting entries for our New Women's Voices Chapbook Competition. Open to women who have never before published a full-length book of poems. Last year's winner was Kay Sloan for The Birds Are On Fire. Please submit 16-26 pages of poetry (one poem per page), title page, bio, acknowledgments, SASE, and $15 entry fee to our new location: Finishing Line Press, PO Box 1626, Georgetown KY 40324. The winner receives a $100 cash award, publication, ISBN, and 25 copies of her chapbook. Sample Chapbook $6.00

Deadline: January 15, 2006 (Postmark)

In addition to the winning manuscript, up to 10 manuscripts will be selected for publication in the NWV series.

Email: kevin@finishinglinepress.com

Call for Manuscripts for Spring 2006: “The Healing Arts”

Born of the cataclysmic events of recent history, this issue of Nimrod International Journal will contain works dealing with natural and man-made devastation — war, flood, terrorism, disease. We also welcome submissions on any subject by doctors and other practitioners of the healing arts.

In this way, we demonstrate once again how art and literature are part of the healing process, inviting us to express grief, pain, anger, and love, while the demands of craft — including an absence of sentimentality and cliché — dictate that those emotions be shaped and transmuted into lasting story and poem.

Deadline for submissions: January 15, 2006

Publication date: April, 2006

Send to: Nimrod, The University of Tulsa , 600 S. College Ave. , Tulsa , OK 74104

Call for Manuscripts for Fall 2006 – Oklahoma Centennial Celebratory issue: Nimrod "Doing the Hundreds at Fifty"

100 writers help celebrate Oklahoma's 100 years of statehood and the 50th year of the publication of Nimrod International Journal. The theme is deliberately open and invites interpretation.

"Doing the Hundreds at Fifty" encourages us to think about how we divide experience into segments of memory; how we capture—in decades, eras, centuries—public and private history.

"Doing the Hundreds at Fifty" may also suggest a playful exchange between numbers and words. For example, poems of 100 words or 100 stanzas; short and short-short fiction of multiples of 100.

"Doing the Hundreds at Fifty" reminds us of the importance of counting, of meter, of digits, of choreographed units.

Celebrating our 50 th year of publication, and the 100 th year of Oklahoma statehood, this issue will be part of a double issue, including Awards 28. The double issue will include “Doing the Hundreds at Fifty,” as described above, and the winners, honorable mentions, and finalists of the 28th Nimrod/Hardman Awards competition.

Send us your take on "Doing the Hundreds at Fifty" and also submit to our 28th Awards competition.

Deadline for submissions for “Doing the Hundreds at Fifty:” March 1 st, 2006

Deadline for the Awards competition: April 30th, 2006 (for rules visit www.utulsa.edu/nimrod/awards.html

Send to: Nimrod, The University of Tulsa, 600 S. College Ave., Tulsa, OK 74104.

In collaboration with Southern Methodist University Press’s new “Sport in American Life” series, Creative Nonfiction will publish a special issue of the journal called Anatomy of Baseball. Submissions for this issue (scheduled for publication in Spring 2007) should focus on a specific aspect of the sport. Potential topics might include:

• Positions--for example, playing shortstop or catcher
• Equipment--the mitt, the bat, the ball, etc.
• Rules--for example, the changing strike zone or the designated hitter
• Special skills--such as throwing a curve ball, or stealing bases

Memoir or stories of personal experience are welcome, as are profiles of players, managers, coaches, umpires or others. Possible subjects for this issue are limitless, but a strong focus on one aspect of the sport is essential. Ideally, essays will combine a strong and compelling narrative with a significant element of research or information. Submissions must be received by February 1, 2006 and should be sent to:

Creative Nonfiction: Anatomy of Baseball
5501 Walnut St Ste 202
Pittsburgh PA 15232

The 17th Annual Writers Workshop, sponsored by the Foothills Writers Guild will be held February 17 -18, 2006 at Anderson College in Anderson, South Carolina. Guest speakers include Terry Kay, novelist: To Dance with the White Dog; Marjorie Lloyd, IDEALS Magazine Editor; Kelly Nickell, Writer's Digest Editor; Shirley Serviss, poet; Ellis Vidler, author; Juanita Garrison, newspaper columnist and others.

Deadline for manuscript evaluation is January 3, 2006.

Early registration by February 1, 2006 is $125. After February 1, registration is $145.
Friday registration only is $40. Saturday registration only is $110. Student registration is $35.
Fees include workshop, materials, T-shirt for Saturday attendees, snacks, Friday evening meal, continental breakfast, and Saturday luncheon. If you would like a registration form or more information, please e-mail your home address to wrightwriter@aol.com.

Advance your travel writing and photojournalism career at the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) weekend Institute for Travel Writing and Photography, now in its 11th year, Jan. 27-29, in Orlando, Florida.

The Institute, open to both SATW members and non-members alike, covers the basics of travel writing and photography in 15 hours of workshops, informal luncheons, dinner, and social events. The pace is intense, the atmosphere collegial, and for many, life-changing.

Find out more about the Institute on the Internet, at www.satw.org, or the Institute's website, www.satwinstitute.com, or by contacting Herb Hiller, the Institute's Director, at tel. 386/467-8223, or email hiller@funport.net.

Writing Contest Rules

• One Prize: $1,000
• Postmark Deadline: March 31, 2006
• Winner will be announced by May 31, 2006
• Entry Fee: $20

Rules:

• Short story, any topic (no adult, hate, or racist), no more than 5,000 words. No previously published works. Include title, author's name, full address, phone, and email address.
• Manuscripts must be in English, and typed. No handwritten submissions or email submissions will be accepted.
• Manuscripts without the proper entry fee will not be accepted. Please do not mail original manuscripts!
• Manuscripts will not be returned. Contest is open to US residents only.
• You may enter as many times as you like, but each entry must each be accompanied by a $20 fee, and mailed separately.

Send manuscript entries and entry fee to:

Cindy Thomas
C/O AuthorMania.com Writing Contest
1210 County Rd 707
Buna TX 77612

Please make checks and money orders payable to Cindy Thomas.

As stated on AuthorMania.com: The contest must draw at least 50 paid entries in order to award the $1000 prize. In the event that the contest does not draw enough entries to award the $1000 prize, the amount it does draw will be awarded to the winner. Once enough entries are received to award the $1000 prize, this notice will be removed from AuthorMania.com.

Poetry Contest Rules

• One Prize: $400
• Postmark Deadline: March 31, 2006
• Winner will be announced by May 31, 2006
• Entry Fee: $20

Rules:

• Poems and poetry, any length, any topic (no adult, hate, or racist), no word limit.
• No previously published works. Include title, author's name, full address, phone, and email address.
• Manuscripts must be in English, and typed. No handwritten submissions or email submissions will be accepted.
• Manuscripts without the proper entry fee will not be accepted. Please do not mail original manuscripts!
• Manuscripts will not be returned. Contest is open to US residents only.
• You may enter as many times as you like, but each entry must each be accompanied by a $20 fee, and mailed separately.

Send manuscript entries and entry fee to:

Cindy Thomas
C/O AuthorMania.com Poetry Contest
1210 County Rd 707
Buna, Tx 77612

Please make checks and money orders payable to Cindy Thomas.

As stated on AuthorMania.com: The contest must draw at least 20 paid entries in order to award the $400 prize. In the event that the contest does not draw enough entries to award the $400 prize, the amount it does draw will be awarded to the winner. Once enough entries are received to award the $400 prize, this notice will be removed from AuthorMania.com. If we get enough entries over the $400 prize amount, we will award a second place prize. A second place prize will only be awarded if enough paid entries are received to cover another prize amount, and we have no idea what, if any, amount that will be until we receive or do not receive said entries.

The Piccolo Fiction Open is looking for your best short story, your craftiest paragraphs, your most concise day dreams. This year the theme is:

sight, seeing, hallucinations, and premonitions

The theme can be interpreted anyway you like, and can figure as minimally or as dominantly as you prefer. The word limit is 1100.

Please submit 4 copies of your original, unpublished work by April 15, 2006.

Include one separate cover page with your contact information and title of the work, a $5 submission fee (made out to the city, as follows) and a self-addressed stamped envelope. The $5 entry fee is waved for military personnel and veterans. At the top of your work, include the title of the story and your telephone number. Send to PFO2006/City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs, 133 Church St., Charleston, SC 29401.

The Piccolo Fiction Open is a literary component of the Piccolo Spoleto Arts Festival. The PFO is sponsored by the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs. In past six years, the winning stories have been read by the authors during the festival, broadcast by SC Public Radio's Your Day, and published in the Charleston City Paper.

The New Review, a new on-line monthly journal of short fiction and critical essays on art and culture, is dedicated to promoting and supporting under-represented and emerging writers of exceptional talent. We also aim to promote awareness of contemporary visual culture through well-developed articles on the web.

We consist of a small group of literary and art professionals based in Washington D.C., U.S. and Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Writers or academicians interested in submitting work for review may do so by filling out the submission form on the web site with well-polished, unpublished and unposted, philosophically motivated, short fiction and/or critical essays on art and culture 4,000 words max.

1. Please include a word-count on the upper right hand top.

2. You can submit relative images with your work if you want to. Copies only please. Use the e-mail address instead. admin@thenewreview.com

3. All accepted work will receive a payment of 2 cents per word (USD), If you do not live in the U.S. you must be able to exchange the check into your own currency.

4. The New Review ensures that all submissions are reviewed and considered for publication.

5. If your work is accepted for publication in The New Review, we ask for First Time Serial Rights. We hold all rights for the piece during the month that it appears in the The New Review. Upon publication of a new issue, rights to works contained in the previous issue revert to the authors. We reserve the right to publish and reproduce submitted material in electronic and print formats, during the month in which the work appears. By submitting your work to The New Review, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to all submission guidelines.

6. We pay on acceptance.

7. Each issue includes one short fiction piece and one critical essay. It is always published on the first of each month.

Diarists, novelists, philosophers, and psychologists agree that the fabric of our social support system is one of the most crucial and defining aspects of our existence. The social support system gives meaning to life, inspires us, gives us values, gets us through rough times, serves as role models, provides answers to problems large and small, and gives us joy, comfort, companionship and goals. While not often discussed, many people in our social support system are no longer an active part of our lives - sometimes we have simply lost touch with them but more often they have died. It is our memory of them that allows them to remain in the support system. What is most striking is how much impact the memories of loved ones have in our social support system. For some folks, the strongest part of their support system is in the memories of loved ones, not in the friends and family that surround them on a daily basis.

We are looking for narratives from writers who believe that a vital part of their social support comes from the memory of a loved one.

• How is that person currently guiding your life choices, your values and your goals?
• Has your memory of them helped you solve a problem or persevere through difficult times?
• How can you describe the comfort you find in this person and his/her memory?
• In what ways is this person an active part of your social support system?
• Do you rely on this person?

We would like to gather about 100 narratives so that we can study the psychological aspects of this type of remembrance. We also would like to publish a book of collected remembrances from both well known literary works (e.g. Beloved) and talented writers. Make it as short or long as it needs to be. Everyone who donates a narrative will receive the collection of stories.

Theoretical pieces will also be welcome. Please send your submissions or questions to:

Dr. Linda Berg-Cross Lindabergcross@gmail.com
Professor of Psychology'
Howard University

FEATURES

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

A cover letter (query): The first line of your query letter must grab the reader because it is the first (and maybe the last) line the person opening your package will read. It is the same as the inside flap of the book in the bookstore that our book buyer is looking at.

What is the hook for your manuscript? Why will they want to buy it? No matter how good your manuscript is, if you don't write a good cover letter, it will never get read. Use your story's original idea as your opening line: "What if . . ." Doing that serves two purposes: It gets the reader's attention, and it plants that original idea in the reader's head as she looks through the rest of the submission.

I suggest not starting out with the following lines:

-"Enclosed you will find . . ." Everyone is sending essentially the same thing. The editor/agent expects to find what is enclosed-- a submission. This opening doesn't grab anything when it is seen fifty times a day.

-"I've just written my first novel and I'd like you to take a look at it . . ."

-"I just know you will love this . . . "

Go to the bookstore and look at book jackets. Note how they put NY Time Best-selling Author etc. on the cover. Well, since you aren't a NY Times Bestseller, look for the ones that have some sort of catchy phrase on the top back. For example, on my novel The Omega Missile: A nuclear holocaust is just a button away . . . and someone's about to push it. This would be a good opening line for your cover letter; except for the fact this storyline has been beaten to death.

After a paragraph or two on the novel, grabbing the editor's attention and making her drool with anticipation to look at your synopsis, then move on. Include not only a sales pitch for the manuscript to the publisher but also a sales pitch for yourself. The manuscript is an extension of you. What special background do you have that would make her want to see what you have done? This means not only any writing background you have, but also your background as far as the story goes. My years in the Special Forces certainly made some editors take a longer look at my query letter concerning a book about Special Forces. These paragraphs are your writing resume. If they accept your book they are hiring you. This is the equivalent of the author blurb on the inside back cover of a book. Often people buy books because the author has an interesting background; don't you think editors do the same?

The outline/synopsis: Again, one page. You will hear other opinions, some ranging up to ten or twenty pages. I say one page simply because I take the editors' and agents' perspective. I don't think you are going to hook them with five pages of synopsis if they don't read past page one. And you may turn them off on page three if they do. Contrary to what you instinctively think, I have found that the more someone puts down, the more chance he's going to turn the reader off rather than hook the reader. Remember they were hooked by your cover letter. A long synopsis might make them wiggle off the hook because there's a good chance you'll put something they won't like the more you write. I really, really, recommend no more than two pages in a synopsis, and I truly think it should be one page.

The major purpose of the synopsis is to get the reader to want to look at your sample chapters. Appendix Three is an example of a synopsis I used for a book that sold.

Sample chapters: Which ones to send? The first two? The last two? The best two? Remember the purpose of the sample chapters. The synopsis gave the reader the story. The chapters are to show the reader how well you write. Some publishers make it easy and tell you to send the first couple. I advise sending consecutive opening chapters even if the publisher doesn't specify. It makes it easier on the reader to stay with the flow of the story. Sending chapters from the middle or end is too confusing.

What Do You Call a Writer Who Can't Finish a Project?

Q: What does it mean if a writer has about seven drafts and they all stop in the same identical place?

I have everything done, first-draft level, meaning I know the story, have written book proposals on the nonfiction books, written synopses on the novels, undertaken research and clarified the characters. I work around the clock to get the immediate idea on paper, but then stop and go on to another book idea and do the very same thing. I really like that initial stage when I'm working on a new book: I seem to hate the stage where I work on chapter by chapter.

At first I worked on one draft, then worked on another. I said it was to keep from getting bored. (Writing is my life.) I thought I was discovering my genre and writing style, but it seems crazy now. It's overwhelming, yet I'm a columnist; have been a columnist for years. I complete the columns okay. I'm sixty, have an M.A. and am planning to get a doctorate. I'm thinking I'm developing my scholarship, but all these books! (Not books. Ideas. Drafts!) I feel like I will never finish any of them at my age. I'm thinking I need to open an office and hire staff to finish the manuscripts. Is there a name for me? How crazy is this? Is this normal? Help! Please.

A: The book doctor is here to help! Here's my diagnosis, and the prognosis is good.

First, is there a name for you? Yes. You are what we call in the industry "a writer." Oh, you expected a disparaging term? Writers must create. Call it their muse, their right-brain thinking, their creativity, their whatever, but something drives them to develop characters and stories and books.

Being a writer does not necessarily mean you have the editor within you, though. The revising and editing of a manuscript comes from a different part of the ether; call it the academic, the left brain, the analytical side, or whatever.

You have highly developed one side of your thinking, but not the other. You thrive on the beginning, rather than the completion-the creation of ideas, not the thought of seeing the book in stores. Sure, you would like to see your book finished, but your focus is not set in that direction, right now.

The fact that you have no problem meeting column deadlines says to me that you work best with short-term goals. The long-term work necessary to revise, rewrite, and edit a book-length manuscript overwhelms you, so you get stymied. What happens when a doe sees a car barreling down the road at her? Is her first reaction to leap away? It should be, but instead, she freezes; hence the "deer in the headlights" syndrome. I think you see the completion of a full-length manuscript as too large a project to confront.

Here are my recommendations to break through your barriers:

1. Decide what you really want and when you want it. Do you want to complete one of the novels by the end of the year? Do you want to sell the book to a traditional publisher by the end of next year? Whatever you want, decide on it and decide a date by which you will achieve it, and most important, write it down. In this way, you set a goal for yourself, overwhelming though it may appear, at first. When you write down a goal, you set it in stone while at the same time setting the wheels in motion. It is a proven fact.

2. Break your goal into small pieces. You have shown yourself that you can meet deadlines. Your goal for your novel, then, may be "Rewrite, revise, and polish one chapter a month." It might be one chapter every two months. Set realistic mini goals based on your schedule and your final goal. Write down your mini goals. Add them to your calendar or planner.

3. Break the mini goals into micro goals. If you want to finish polishing one chapter a month, write down that you will polish five pages a week (or whatever will break down to a typical chapter length, once added together). Write down those micro goals in your planner.

4. Celebrate each time you meet your micro or mini goal. Take yourself out to dinner, see a movie, buy a book, whatever. Reward yourself for meeting your goals, no matter how large or small, and you will be encouraged to continue.

My motto has long been, "A goal is nothing but a dream with a deadline." I wish I had written that quote, and I've never been able to attribute it to one person in particular, but I live by it.

Goal-setting may be great, but if you sincerely give it every effort and see, after four to six months, that you still are stymied and cannot continue, find a mentor, join a critique circle, hire an editor, but do whatever you must to find someone or something that keeps you motivated.

If you do all those things and still do not see yourself moving forward, consider enjoying the creativity you have. Eventually you can compile your columns into a book (or pay someone to do it), and you will still have a book to sell.

Free reports for writers! Go to www.zebraeditor.com and click on Tools for Writers. Do you have questions for the book doctor? Write to Bobbie today. Bobbie@zebraeditor.com

MUSINGS

Aching from shifting furniture in three rooms the day before, I shuffled to the front door to fetch the morning paper. Surprised to see the light on in my study, I chalked it up to excess exhaustion the night before. At least the rearranging brought my favorite rocker back to the study. I anticipated enjoying a hot cup of coffee and reading the news in the comfort of its bentwood embrace. But when I walked in, I found my throne already occupied. "Thaleia!" My Muse had returned.

Wearing a red flannel nightshirt with a fuzzy brown teddy bear sleeping beneath a sequined Christmas tree and the words "Wake me for Christmas," she sat in my rocker, a turkey & cranberry sandwich in one hand, a steaming mug of spiced apple cider in the other and a copy of Fairy Play in her lap. "Just in time. Would you turn the page, please? My hands are full."

I obliged her simple request. "What brings you back, the food or the feng shui?"

"You finally finished your play! I just had to see it." She chased a bite of sandwich with a swig from the steaming mug. "Question is, did you miss me?"

"Of course!" I pulled out the desk chair to continue the interview. "I couldn't do this stuff without you."

"Looks like you did." She put her mug on the table and waved the completed manuscript. "Not bad, by the way, for an amateur at prose."

"Thanks!" I said with pride, unadulterated by modesty. "It ends differently than I imagined."

"Thanks to your research. You accurately portray the Nymph, Chrysanthemum, as a femme fatale, alluring but deadly." She flipped to the last couple of pages. "As in a deep mountain valley, the darkness comes on suddenly, as alarming as a thunderclap over a picnic."

"See!" I said. "That's why I need you around. Your clever turn of phrase."

"You've done pretty well in my absence, venturing into the realm of non-fiction and haiku." She warmed her tongue with another sip of cider and grinned. "By the way, regarding the poetry, don't quit your day job."

"That I need, too." I said. "Meaningful critique makes a good writer better."

"Good!" She affirmed, and scratched a note on my manuscript with a red pen. "You've still got work to do on this: flesh out these characters, pick up the dialog and keep them true to their own unique voice.... What?"

Looking from side to side, I peered around her. "Just trying to see if that's my old rocker or the Director's chair."

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.