Creepy, mystery, and action defined the night at the bookstore on Tuesday. We were joined by newcomer Erin Syth.

Unfortunately, Jen and Rebecca were unable to present their notes from the workshop they attended, as Rebecca had a work commitment. Oh well, there’s always next time!

Ray Woodruff brought in the short story “Locked Inside.” Andy thought it was a little difficult to get into at first, but he liked it. Jen had some trouble with the point of view changing – Dustin seemed to be the main character, but not always. Holly noted an abuse of the word “just,” being used just 27 times over six pages. Katelin liked the age-specific details. We all thought it was delightfully creepy and Carol found the ending to work well. She was a little confused about the time period, feeling as though she’d fallen into a Stephen King story with his kids in the 1950s, but other details suggested a more modern time.

Ruth Imhoff read Chapter 2 of Motto of the Hound. Andy wondered why the morgue was in the police station, and Carol agreed that it was unusual, but that Ruth needed to create a reason WHY the morgue is in the police station. Holly pointed out the danger of cliche involving cops and donuts. Ray liked the line about looking “at him as if he’d grown two heads.” He also sensed we had been close to an important reveal, but dodged it, and thought the autopsy should be longer and more detailed. Jen suggested showing more body language and Carol wanted more character specific details – what did their desks look like? Who drank what kind of coffee? Erin said that the names in the dialog tags appeared an awful lot. Giving them details/things to do would lessen that a bit. Holly wanted more interrupting and realism in the conversations, because she felt it was too polite. Jen reminded Ruth that the road to Hell is paved with adverbs. Carol said Ruth overused the word “well.” Overall, people liked this more than Ruth’s Chapter 1.

Andy Pfeiffer presented the opening of his script for “Tomato Republic.” Jen picked up that the characters were in a virtual reality game, which was indeed the case. But why did Tristan use the gun as a sword when he could have easily shot his opponent instead? Holly got lost in the action, felt that it went on too long without developing the main conflict of the story. Ruth was thrown by the Tomato Corporation references in the dialog – they didn’t seem to fit. Carol liked the energy, but also agreed it went on too long and by nine minutes into a movie, even an action movie, the audience needs to be let in on what the rest of the story will be about.

Carol closed the show with scene 6, part one of The Ghost of Heffron College. Jen thought it was too wordy in spots. Katelin picked up on the foreshadowing in Kyle’s past but is getting frustrated, wanting more specifics now. Erin thought more detail could be added along with the hint of his troubled past, perhaps by Autumn asking about it. Ray liked several details and descriptions, especially of the chapel. Ruth and Holly liked seeing thoughts inside of Kyle’s head. Overall, once again, good job Carol!

Who’s up next . . .
June 18: Lisa McDougal (special poem), Ruth Imhoff (chapter 3, Motto of the Hound), Rebecca Rettenmund (chapter, The Cheese Logue), Millie Mader (chapter 45, Life on Hold), Andy Pfeiffer (TBD), Aaron Boehm (film script/part 7, Whole Again), and Jerry Peterson (chapter 16-19, The Last Good Man).

June 25: Ruth Imhoff (chapter 4, Motto of the Hound), Carol Hornung (The Ghost of Heffron College, Scene 6, part 2), Erin Syth (short story), Jen Wilcher and Rebecca Rettenmund (report from Writers Institute).

July 2: Lisa McDougal (chapter, Tebow Secret Family), Michelle Nightoak (chapter, memoir), Bob Kralapp (???), Amber Boudreau (chapter 14, Noble), Alicia Connolly Lohr (novella, chapters 9-10, Lincoln’s Other War), and Jerry Peterson (chapters 20-22 and 23-24, The Last Good Man).

Newsletter for 6/4/2013

Firstly, Millie read her poem, “Apocalypse to Armageddon” to the group. Lisa noted that four, not six, people died in the Benghazi attack. Alicia said that “apocalypse” and “Armageddon” were very similar words. Pat asked Millie if she really believed her stance – Millie said she did, and Andy agreed. Alicia mentioned the Biblical undertones. Betsy mentioned the ending mentions that people should work on this problem, which was meaningful. Pat praised Millie’s imagery. Ruth said the line “Masses are maimed…” was clunky comparatively to the others; Andy questioned the rhythm of “Voices plead for…” as well. The rhyme of the poem was discussed, and it was agreed that the split rhyme was a good idea, and that rhyme is not passé.

Lisa presented Chapter 2 from The Tebow Family Secret. Betsy felt the story was compelling. Lisa thanked Alicia for mentioning that it felt like Adam was inside the building, and how London versus New York was confusing. Betsy mentioned a few rhythmic issues. Pat enjoyed Lisa’s dialogue and characters, but criticized the use of “concrete jungle” in a dream state. The obviousness of Izzy and Ana being the same person was discussed, and Alicia pointed out that the only reason why another story about 9/11 would come up was because they were related. Jerry mentioned that ten years was a long time for someone to still worry about their missing loved one; Andy mentioned the missing girls found in Ohio was a similar case. Everyone echoed that it was a strong piece, and a question arose: Who was first, Ana or Izzy?

Next was Betsy‘s conceptualization of “Alice’s Book,” which she said was a fictionalization of her mother’s life. She mentioned that she is using her mother’s diary as notes. She asked about the title; “The Locust’s Song” and “Cicada’s Song” were liked, and Andy suggested “The Autobiography of Alice Burke.” The preface was considered strong. The discussion shifted to fact versus fiction – what in this book will be based upon Betsy’s mother, and what will she make up? Pat commented about locust versus cicada, and that cicadas are the most overused insect in poetry and that the two bugs were extremely different but names varied by region. This led into a discussion of setting, with Virginia being the primary location. Alicia asked what the highlight of Alice’s life was, and it was the nervous breakdown caused by her twin brother’s death. It was concluded that Betsy was trying to avoid writing by thinking too much about a title.

Bob read the first half of his short story “What Is Missing.” Lisa and Alicia got a different vibe from when they had read it themselves. Andy, however, got the same tone with the asylum-like vibe. Alicia pointed out that Emily was NOT going to only be there a day, and that the attendant was talking to someone else, which was seen as an extremely confusing detail that many could not relate to. That aside, everyone loved the story, thought it was well-written, and had strong imagery, getting into Emily’s mind, and the first paragraph had so many possibilities. Alicia pressed why it wasn’t in first person, and Bob was aiming for the wider picture. Andy and Lisa liked it in third-person, and Betsy thought that using “I” excessively would be irritating. Bob said that Emily was unable to speak in first-person, and her sense of identity would crumble in telling her own story, since at times she sees herself as the person she used to be.

Presenting Chapter 14 of Noble was Amber. Lisa wondered if she was supposed to like Bertram, and Amber said that was okay. Pat mentioned that he seemed to be a catalyst character and something bad was likely to happen, and it was unclear if he was to be trusted. Amber said that Zephyr does not trust Bertram. The era of the story was discussed, and Amber said present-day, reminding the group that Moira only has magic because Zephyr bit her ankle. Jerry commented that the chapter was well-written, a sentiment echoed by the group.

Alicia presented chapters 7 and 8 of Lincoln‘s Other War. Betsy asked Alicia for her source on the way Lincoln speaks, and Alicia said she had several. Pat complimented Alicia’s previous works for how they gave the reader attachment to characters, but said that this book lacked that, and thus was less powerful. She wished for an empathy point that readers can grab onto, but Alicia said that this was a novella, and was thus shorter and harder to manage. Pat insisted upon her stance, even Nicolay having a personal story. Betsy echoed this.

Jerry closed the show with a charismatic reading from The Last Good Man. Pat loved it and was crying while reading it and wanted the scene to go on longer because it was so good, but understood why it didn’t. Everyone liked it, and wanted to read even more. There were no major criticisms brought forth.

Editor’s note…

PLEASE REMEMBER: Not everyone has Microsoft Word 2007 or later. For the sake of everyone, please upload your files as Rich Text Format (.rtf) when uploading to the Yahoo Group site. Thank you!

Who’s up next . . .

June 11: Andy Pfeiffer (short story, complement to People), Ruth Imhoff (scene, The Motto of the Hound), Ray Woodruff (scene, novel), Carol Hornung (scene, Ghost of Heffron College), and Jen Wilcher and Rebecca Rettenmund (report from Writers Institute).

June 18: Lisa McDougal (special poem), Ruth Imhoff (chapter), Rebecca Rettenmund (chapter, The Cheese Logue), Millie Mader (chapter 45, Life on Hold), Andy Pfeiffer (???), Aaron Boehm (film script/part 7, Whole Again), and Jerry Peterson (chapter 16-19, The Last Good Man).

July 2: Lisa McDougal (chapter, Tebow Secret Family), Michelle Nightoak (chapter, memoir), Bob Kralapp (???), Amber Boudreau (chapter 14, Noble), Alicia Connolly Lohr (novella, chapters 9-10, Lincoln’s Other War), and Jerry Peterson (chapters 20-22 and 23-24, The Last Good Man).

Great word . . .

Courtesy of Word Spy Paul McFedries:
smartphone face
n. A drooping jawline and saggy jowls caused by neck muscles that have been shortened from constantly looking down at a smartphone or similar device.

Example Citations:
“A new ailment, characterized by sagging jowls and a drooping jawline, has been dubbed ‘smartphone face.’ It comes from repeatedly bending forward to peer at a hand-held device, doctors say.
– Amber Sutherland, ‘Phone face’ woe, The New York Post, May 17, 2012

“Nefertiti did not have to contend with ‘smartphone face’, the term coined by cosmetic doctors to describe the shortening of the neck muscles and pull on the jowls caused by spending hours looking down at laptops, mobiles and iPads.
– Tanith Carey, Would YOU try the no-knife neck lift to look as good as Helen Mirren?,” The Daily Mail, May 5, 2013

Earliest Citation:
“A ‘smartphone face’, as explained by Dr Mervyn Patterson of the Woodford Medical group, is a new condition caused by spending too much time looking down into your phone. ‘If you sit for hours with your head bent slightly forward, staring at your smartphone or laptop screen, you may shorten the neck muscles and increase the gravitational pull on the jowl area, leading to a drooping jawline.’”– Lutphea Tory, Your smartphone can make your face sag, Priyo News, April 7, 2012

Booked for Murder gets new life . . .

Sara Barnes had scheduled to close Booked for Murder, her independent mystery bookstore out on University Avenue, in April if she could not sell it. But sell it she did, to Joanne Berg. Berg, a retiring UW executive, has renamed the business Mystery to Me and is moving it to 1863 Monroe Street. She’s set the grand opening for June 15.

You can read more about Berg and the new store by clicking on this link to The Isthmus’s June 3 story: http://www.thedailypage.com/isthmus/article.php?article=39894

To keep up with what’s going on at Mystery to Me, pop over to the store’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/mysterytomebooks , and click LIKE.

Fiction Contests . . .

From Terry through Carol –

Austin Briggs is hosting a 55-word Flash Fiction contest, with his personal favorite each month earning $55. Other prizes go to his favorite commenter and the most shared story on his site. If you’re looking to give Flash Fiction a try, go here:

http://austinbriggs.com/flash-stories/about-this-contest/

From Alicia through Carol –

The Saturday Evening Post is holding its annual Great American Fiction contest. They are looking for 1,500 to 5,000 words on a subject of any genre in some way relevant to the magazine’s mission: Celebrating America. There is a $10 entry fee and the deadline is July 1st. Check below for further details:
http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/fiction-contest

Selling e-books . . .

Ever a hot subject among writers, YA author and blogger Nathan Bransford puts forward a new idea:

Despite having extensive distribution operations, publishers have long been extremely reluctant to sell books directly to customers. Whether for lack of retail expertise, out of fear of competing with bookstores they need to thrive, or lack of concrete vision, publishers have completely ceded the e-book and e-retailing landscape to Amazon and others. Even Bookish, a site built by three publishers, is oriented around discovery, not e-bookselling.

Why are publishers so scared of selling e-books? Amazon has shown no such compunctions about creating a book-to-customer vertical, adding publisher operations to go along with their extensive retail and e-bookselling behemoth.

Moreover, publishers have one big advantage over Amazon when it comes to e-bookselling: their authors.

Just about every author out there has a website and/or a blog and/or a Twitter presence. Why not incentivize them with higher royalties if they sell direct via a device-agnostic module they can place on their sites?

This would look a lot like the way J.K. Rowling is selling her e-books, via a central site compatible with multiple e-book formats, including Kindle.

Rowling built Pottermore herself, and 99.9% of authors don’t have the resources to do that. But publishers should give these tools to authors, so they can sell e-books directly to their readers.

The e-book landscape right now is built around central vendors, and there will still be appeal in that idea. But there’s no reason publishers can’t turn their authors into a dispersed e-bookselling juggernaut.

Read the entire post here http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2013/05/imagining-post-amazon-world.html

Looking for an editor?

Wendy Ely popped up on Facebook, offering her services to edit your manuscript and mine at a most attractive cost, a dollar a page, double-spaced copy.

Here’s what you get:
A detailed review of your story structure . . . The flow of the story; plot strengths, weaknesses, and inconsistencies; point of view, tone, and voice flow; character development; and dialogue.
Line editing . . . Line by line editing for typos and grammatical errors; page by page revision recommendations when applicable; and phone, email, or online chat time for brainstorming your manuscript.

Says Ely on her Creative Manuscripts website, http://creativemanuscripts.blogspot.com/ , “I started my writing and editing career in January of 2008. Since the start of my career, my passion for the craft has only grown stronger in that time. Not only do I have the drive to perfect my own books but to help other busy authors as well. I have several years of freelance editing experience, have recently attended advanced grammar classes in college, and extensively study the craft of writing. I’m also an award winning, multi-published author. Editing should be a creative and as enjoyable as possible, so my goal is to provide fast, friendly, and efficient service while working with my clients. No author is the same, so I can tailor your editing plan for you.”

Check out her website. If it looks good to you, here’s Ely’s email address so you can contact her, creativemanuscripts@gmail.com . Ask her for a client list so you can check further.

“The Muse visits during the act of creation, not before. Don’t wait for her. Start alone.” ― Roger Ebert

Tuesday at B&N . . .

Ruth Imhoff started the night with Chapter 1, The Motto of the Hound. Ray suggested using the coroner’s name once we learn it. Nice set-up, good intrigue. Daniel as a detective, though, should be cataloging the crime scene. Throw in some clues, more details. Jen thought the voice was a little passive. Need more action, too much being told what’s going on. Rebecca lost track of the relationship of the characters at points. Wasn’t sure who the nemesis was… could be point of view issues. Carol thought it was a good set-up, especially the line about Daniel being back from personal leave – what happened?

Mike R. shared a couple of poems with us. Holly thought the line about “love for all” could be clarified a bit, and Carol spotted the use of the word “lost” in quick succession. Rebecca thought the line about spontaneity was a bit convoluted, but enjoyed the details in the resot of the poem. Katelin liked the first poem better, as the imagery stood out for her more. Ray liked the line about ambivalence relating to the strength to do right.

Ray Woodruff read Chapter 1 from his novel. Carol found it very creepy, felt the kid was behaving so well because he was absolutely terrified. Andy thought the narrative put downs of the kid were excessive. Holly said the kid didn’t really relate to the mom as a mom, and appears more scared than trusting. Katelin followed up on that, saying the narrator’s perspective is overriding that of the child and is creating the difference between scared and trusting. Andy thought it was well written, but perhaps a little too dark, which distracted from what was going on in the scene. Carol liked the line “He’s pretty sure bad things happen in the dark.”

Katelin Cummins offered scenes from her new idea, Viera. Holly wondered if you would describe a paint color as mysterious. There was some concern about the boyfriend’s comment (“Sculpting again?”) as being too obvious, but Carol heard it as more of a weary, “Oh, you’re lost in your sculpting again, aren’t you.” Ray pointed out some tense change issues. He liked the dialog a lot – it felt very true. But build up the moment where the statue speaks. Holly suggested writing the ending – once you do that, you’ll know where the story has to go.

Bill Eisinger brought in a rewrite of “Conflict.” Andy felt the main character was heartless and unlikeable, but the cop’s comment about arresting him was a bit unrealistic. He also wondered if the person in the school would call security right away. The rest of the group said “yes,” she probably would, especially these days. Katelin sympathized with Maria – she didn’t really do anything all that awful and the main character is overreacting. Rebecca felt this version had a better dramatic build-up, and Holly commended Bill on how much growth his writing is showing from draft to draft.

Carol Hornung read a scene from Ghost of Heffron College. Some people are still having trouble with the male ghost having the name Brandi, and Rebecca said the people at the party weren’t nearly high/drunk enough. Andy agreed, feeling the partygoers were there more for the pizza rather than the booze and pot. Holly thought there should be some music playing in the background. Maybe turn off the music to tell the ghost stories. Ray had a hard time picturing a strange shaped shadow. What’s so strange about the shadows?

Who’s up next . . .

June 4: Lisa McDougal (chapter, Tebow Family Secret), Betsy Draine (chapter), Bob Kralapp (???), Michelle Nightoak (chapter, memoir), Alicia Connolly Lohr (novella, chapters 7-8, Lincoln’s Other War), and Jerry Peterson (chapters 11-12, The Last Good Man).

June 11: Andy Pfeiffer, scene from novel; Ruth Imhoff, scene from The Motto of the Hound; Ray Woodruff, scene from novel; Carol Hornung, scene from Ghost of Heffron College; Jen Wilcher & Rebecca Rettenmund with a report on the Writer’s Institute they recently attended, Carol Hornung with an update on the publication of Asperger Sunset and what it’s like to work with Create Space.

Next Fifth Tuesday . . .

Put it on your calendar now. Our next Fifth Tuesday is July 30. First-and-third group hosts. The place is not yet set, but the writing challenge is . . . Fortune cookie fortunes. You select a fortune from a list we will provide you on or about July 1, then write a story, poem, or essay in which you use the fortune in some way. Length? Our ever popular 250 words or less.

Booked for Murder changes name, location

The former Booked for Murder bookstore in Madison has a new name, Mystery to Me. Its new owner, Joanne Berg, is moving the store to 1863 Monroe St. Grand Opening on June 15^th.

Using Polls: From Info Gathering to Collaborative Storytelling

From The Daily Post At WordPress.com

by Cheri Lucas Rowlands on May 22, 2013

Recently, LouAnn talked about creating a form on your blog to engage with your readers — to ask for feedback or guide your discussions. Today, let’s chat about adding a poll, which is another interactive way to gather information from your site visitors.

WordPress.com is integrated with a popular poll service called Polldaddy, so you can create a poll right in your dashboard. When you create a poll, you ask one multiple-choice question and create predefined answers from which your readers can choose. The feature is quite handy if you’re looking for specific feedback and want your readers to weigh in on a discussion. You can add a poll to a post, page, or even your sidebar — and configure its settings to suit your needs.

Examples of polls on WordPress.com

Bloggers use polls in different ways. Writer Alaina Mabaso wrote a candid, thorough list of 10 non-fatalistic, real-life tips for freelance writers that approaches freelance writing with common sense. At the end of the post, she uses a poll to gauge whether her tips were helpful or not:

So, a poll can be a straightforward way to collect feedback from your readers — in this instance, to see what works and what doesn’t.

Editor and linguist Stan Carey uses polls to inform his own research and work. Over at his blog, Sentence first, he explores the history, usage, and quirks of the English language, and his discussions on its evolution — especially in this digital age — are provoking and entertaining.

In a recent post on GIFs, he asked his readers: How do you pronounce GIF?

Adding this multiple-choice question to his post is a simple way to compile responses — and allows readers to interact in this discussion du jour. And if you’re curious, as of this writing, 65.93 percent of this poll’s voters agree that GIF is pronounced with a hard g, as you can see in the results (which Stan has opted to display after a reader casts a vote):

Photographer Ming Thein has a comprehensive site for photography, full of commentary, photo essays, tutorials, reviews, and more. Ming leads workshops, and recently added polls to a post to ask readers their location preferences for upcoming sessions in Europe.

He includes two polls: one to gauge interest for workshops in various cities, from Prague to Munich, and a second one underneath for voters to specify a time during the fall. Here, you can see how a poll can be extremely helpful in project planning and logistics.

(Read the rest of the article here: http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/05/22/polls/ )

The Book Baby Blog: 6 Essential Tips For Your Own Stay-at-Home Writing Retreat

by BookBaby on May 21, 2013 in Writing Tips

[This post was written by guest contributor Beth Barany, author The Writer's Adventure Guide: 12 Stages to Writing Your Book.]

We all want to get our writing done. A writer writes, after all. But what to do when you have a busy life, a full-time job, family, and necessary obligations like health, and oh, sleep? One way to handle getting your writing done is to set up your very own Stay-at-Home Writing Retreat. In fact, because I’m publishing my second novel soon, I go on a writing retreat just about every Friday and Saturday. You can do something similar.

Create your own stay-at-home writing retreat.

What: Typically, writing retreats involve going away, far from everyday obligations, and focusing solely on your writing. Retreats can vary in length, anything from a few days to a few months, like a summer. In this article I focus on creating your own writing retreat at home (or in your hometown).

Why: Writing retreats are great for getting away from it all. You get a chance to step aside from everyday obligations and give yourself the gift of total focus to get your writing done. If you want to can also surround yourself with other supportive folks, like teachers and/or fellow writers. In the case of your Stay-at-Home Writing Retreat, you won’t have to bother with expensive travel, the time of that expensive travel, and bed bugs.

How: here are my 6 essential tips for your very own Stay-at-Home Writing Retreat…

1. Set reasonable goals for yourself to manage your own expectations.

If you’ve never written all day, then don’t expect you’ll be able to do that on your writing retreat. If on the other hand, you’ve been able to write for 1-hour stints, then during your retreat, with no other responsibilities, you could perhaps do two to three 1-hour stints.

2. Make it fun.

Go to a location that you love, be it the local cafe, diner, restaurant, or your home office, living room, or dining table. One time my husband and I cafe-hopped down College Ave. in Oakland, and even stopped off at the Rockridge Library, and several yummy cafes.

3. Use time limits.

Set the timer to complete in chunks that feel reasonable to you. I love 20-minute timed writing sessions for journal writing or character sketches. And since I like writing in 1-hour chunks, I set the timer to write prose for an hour. I also set the timer so that I will be sure to get up and walk around, take a water fluid adjustment break, or in the case of our College Ave hop, to move to a new location.

4. Congratulate/reward yourself.

All work and no play makes Jane an unhappy girl, to riff off of a saying (“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”) In our College Ave. Writing retreat, we rewarded ourselves with a break at the chocolate cafe, Bittersweet, on College Ave.

5. Plan your Stay-at-Home Writer’s Retreat in advance so that you can rearrange your other commitments and plan for your success.

Some of the things I do to plan ahead is I set reasonable, realistic goals for myself. (See #1) So for example last weekend, I decided I’d spend at least 1 hour inputting edits. On other days, I’ve also given myself word-count goals. This helps me know when I’ve hit my goals, which is so very important, so that I can congratulate and reward myself: chocolate! (See #4)

6. Tell your accountability-partners, supporters, and fans.

When you plan to do something new, it can help to tell the important supportive people in your life what you’re planning on doing. Use your social media network to share your intention, progress, and success. Telling your supportive community helps you follow through—social pressure, and all that—but it also allows people to support you, and congratulate you, and celebrate with you. (Yep, See #4 again)

“A character is never the author who created him. It is quite likely, however, that an author may be all his characters simultaneously. “– Albert Camus

Tuesday at B&N . . .

Amber shared chapter thirteen of Noble with the group. Lisa took notes. Judith liked the chapter and was interested to see where it would lead concerning the main character’s training. Lisa thought the chapter ended on a good note. Pat had a couple of questions about entering the woods and things going quiet. She also has a question about bow anatomy. Andy didn’t think the chapter had a enough zing and suggested putting it on a shelf and coming back to it later.

Mike shared a poem with the group. He doesn’t have copies so we all listened. Betsy and Andy liked the last line. Pat liked the rhythm but one of the lines didn’t resonate with her. She says she needs to read a poem a couple of times before she gets it. Pat and Lisa found a lot of power in the words and expect that Mike would channel a Maori warrior when he reads it. Mike says he felt that way when he read it. The second poem Mike shares with the group is a letter to a person who had a lot of influence on him as he was growing up. Betsy and Pat think it could be turned into a prose poem format and suggest editing it down. Lisa knows the music Mike is referring to and is in favor of polishing it up and sending it to them.

Lisa shared part of chapter one of Tebow Family Secret. Andy thought it was an effective opening but that there was a lot of info dropped on the reader. Pat thought a lot of what she read could be cut and instead sprinkled in with her visit to the therapist. Pat thinks a therapist wouldn’t ask a lot of yes or no questions, but more leading, open-ended questions. Andy liked the ending but Pat thought she could have left it in a cliffhanger. The group looks up and briefly discusses what a chiasma is in literature.

Judith shared part of chapter one of My Mother, Savior of Men. Lisa says she knows she knows mothers like the one in the story. Pat liked the word choice. Andy didn’t believe a woman of ninety-five wouldn’t sleep that much. Also he thought there was an info dump at the end though Pat liked the narrative at the end because it made a good story. Lisa wanted more of one character and agreed with Andy about the end.

Side note, Betsy doesn’t want her worked discussed outside of the group because only people in the group have access to the sight.

Millie read from chapter forty-four of Life on Hold. Pat struggles with the story surrounding the biopsy and mastectomy and suggests moving a conversation ahead of surgery. Andy was confused by a line about chemo. Pat suggests replacing it with the word treatment.

Andy read from his short piece, The Mindbender. Andy explains the work to the group. Amber didn’t like it; it felt like reading a checklist. Pat liked it but thought it needed work. Andy says it should make less and less sense as the piece goes on. Pat thought the title should be changed to something more realistic. Judith said it felt like the beginning of a movie, something that might play over the opening credits. Betsy, just listening to it, thought there were going to aliens, but it was just a person in a costume. The piece reminds Pat of the Hitchcock film, “The Rope.”

Who’s up next . . .

May 28: Carol Hornung (scene, Ghost of Heffron College), Ray Woodruff (short story), and Ruth Imhoff, The Motto of the Houund. Room for three more – contact Carol.

June 4: Lisa McDougal (chapter, Tebow Family Secret), Betsy Draine (chapter), Bob Kralapp (???), Michelle Nightoak (chapter, memoir), Alicia Connolly Lohr (novella, chapters 7-8, Lincoln’s Other War), and Jerry Peterson (chapters 11-12, The Last Good Man).

Next Fifth Tuesday . . .

Put it on your calendar now. Our next Fifth Tuesday is July 30. First-and-third group hosts. The place is not yet set, but the writing challenge is . . . Fortune cookie fortunes. You select a fortune from a list we will provide you on or about July 1, then write a story, poem, or essay in which you use the fortune in some way. Length? Our ever popular 250 words or less.

How Jimmy Wales’ Wikipedia Harnessed the Web as a Force for Good                                             

By Ted Greenwald    03.19.13

Encyclopaedia Britannica finally threw in the towel. In March 2012, after 244 years, the staple reference source of libraries and households ceased publishing its 32 dusty volumes. (It survives in digital form.) Who humbled the mighty Britannica? Jimmy Wales and his crowdsourced compendium of all the world’s knowledge.

Wikipedia began as a side project of Wales’ dotcom-bubble-era entrepreneurship (he launched a search engine, among other things), but it soon took on a life of its own. Far surpassing its paper predecessors in sheer size and scope, it became the go-to source for answers to a vast variety of questions and the best evidence for the proposition that information really does want to be free. And though everyone who has ever added an obscure data nugget or deleted a spurious fact can claim a little of the credit, the global, free-of-charge, not-for-profit, real-time encyclopedia is very much Wales’ baby.

Founding Wikipedia in 2001 (along with Larry Sanger, by most accounts other than Wales’), Wales understood the web’s egalitarian underpinning and the open source method’s ability to spur productivity on a grand scale. What separated him from many first-wave net entrepreneurs, though, was his idealism: He harnessed those forces in the store of knowledge to anyone, anywhere, at no cost, and he made it his job to get it done.

Wales’ work has been criticized by observers either misinformed about the mechanics by which Wikipedia improves itself or nostalgic for a time before the illusion of a singular, authoritative perspective was irrevocably shattered. And the man himself has come under fire as having overstepped the line between do-gooder and dictator. Yet Wikipedia rolls on, delivering more than 24 million articles in 285 languages by 85,000 regular contributors to nearly 500 million readers monthly. It is one of the foundations of contemporary life. Tomorrow it will be even better.

Wired: Your mother ran a two-room schoolhouse in Huntsville, Alabama, where you began your education. How did that influence your career?

Jimmy Wales: The school was very open-ended. We had a lot of time available for reading and independent study. That impacted my later work and the way I think about things today. Also, my uncle owned a computer store, so I learned to program reasonably early on. We had a TRS-80 from RadioShack at home. We got a Commodore later on.

Wired: When did you first encounter the Internet?

Read the rest of the article here: http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2013/03/jimmy-wales-wikipedia/

The Economics of Printing (who knew?)

While many of us do all of our editing and critiques online, you still need to print some items. To be economical, many of us print on the back side of previous submissions.  Did you know there have been studies done to determine the most economical font?

Using the default Arial font as a baseline, Printer.com changed to different fonts as it put the printers through their paces. The winner: Century Gothic, which delivered a 31 percent savings in printing costs over Arial.

On a dollar basis, the company projected that the average person printing around 25 pages a week would save $20 a year by using Century Gothic for all documents. A business or heavy-duty user printing 250 pages per week would save around $80 for the year. And large companies with multiple printers could potentially save hundreds of dollars a year.

You can read the entire post here http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20001913-93.html

Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Contest

The 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest finalists have been announced! Read the finalists’ work & vote for your favorite at <http://amzn.to/jtgZsT now through 5/29>.

“The Florida in my novels is not as seedy as the real Florida. It’s hard to stay ahead of the curve. Every time I write a scene that I think is the sickest thing I have ever dreamed up, it is surpassed by something that happens in real life.”   — Carl Hiaasen

Tuesday at B&N . . .

Ruth, who had popped in at First and Third meetings, visited today. The first 20 minutes were spent introducing her to particulars of the group.

After orientation was over, Bill presented his short story “Conflict.” During the feedback session, Bill stated that Mike was supposed to be a violent jerk, and everyone disagreed, and saw Maria as the villain. In addition to calling Maria a criminal and saying that Mike was always doing the right thing, Andy also stated that the story was too short for everything that happened in it; Jen echoed this, criticizing the overuse of passive telling as opposed to active showing. Terry and Holly offered similar criticisms. Holly said that although he needs to be painted as a jerk with severe anger management issues, he still needs to be likable. Everyone wanted to see more verbal threats and angry actions, like pounding on tables, accidentally knocking his coffee over his newspaper, and arguing with the mechanic and insurance agent about repainting his car. The group talked about various incidents of car damage. Before moving on, Terry mentioned the overuse of “was” and wanted to increase the strength of verbs, and Andy offered one last piece of feedback: That if Maria was taking care of her sick mother, she would not be so reckless and insensitive to someone else’s car. Bill disclosed that she’s from a rough neighborhood and had many things she was stressed out about, and it was suggested that Bill show that through actions.

Andy presented an outline and character notes for his novel People. He read from Brenna’s biography, and everyone did not think the brothel fit with her story and was too over-the-top. The thought process of the group was that she was abused by her uncle and she became a vigilante, killing him and destroying the house in the process. The consensus was to take the brothel out and replace it with her abusive uncle (Ruth said to keep the fire as an accident), then proceed with the story as planned. Jen said to get the bare bones down first, then flesh it out from then. Holly said that if she did it as a minor, she could get psychiatric evaluations and become stable by the time she was offered the SPIES job. The suggestion of her aversion to men was already in her story; it was suggested that she just punch Spalding when he molests her shoulder. Andy became really overwhelmed and shut up… but things are getting interesting.

Rebecca presented the final chapter of The Cheese Logue. Although everyone once again found it boring – except for comparing a cow to a roasted marshmallow – we enjoyed the way it ended. Terry suggested using Post-Its or spreadsheets to show character progression throughout the story, and building things up for the ending to be more complete. Andy once again suggested that there be more instances of personality. Holly wanted Rebecca to show more relationships building, and being friends with all the people around her. Andy said “You have to get other people to treasure what you treasure” – about working at the Cheese Shop, and again mentioned the comparison against Big Box Mart. This led into a discussion about the lighting of Big Box Mart vs the Cheese Shop. When Rebecca mentioned that it was a “home away from home,” everyone wanted her to paint that picture as strong as possible. Rebecca agreed.

NEXT TIME (May 28th) on 2nd and 4th (tentative): Bill, Carol, Jack, Jen, Ruth, Terry

Who’s up next . . .

May 21: Pat Edwards (???), Amber Boudreau (chapter 13, Noble), Millie Mader (chapter 44, Life on Hold), Andy Pfeiffer (???), Aaron Boehm (film script/part 6, “Whole Again”), and Judith McNeil (???)

May 28: Carol Hornung (scene, Ghost of Heffron College), Katelin Cummins (chapter, Battle of Sista), Terry Hoffman (???), Ray Woodruff (short story), and Jen Wilcher (???).

June 4: Lisa McDougal (chapter, Tebow Family Secret), Betsy Draine (chapter), Bob Kralapp (???), Michelle Nightoak (chapter, memoir), Alicia Connolly Lohr (novella, chapters 7-8, Lincoln’s Other War), and Jerry Peterson (chapters 11-12, The Last Good Man).

Next Fifth Tuesday . . .

Put it on your calendar now. Our next Fifth Tuesday is July 30. First-and-third group hosts. The place is not yet set, but the writing challenge is . . . Fortune cookie fortunes. You select a fortune from a list we will provide you on or about July 1, then write a story, poem, or essay in which you use the fortune in some way. Length? Our ever popular 250 words or less.

Don’t miss the May 20 deadline to save $50!

Make your writing more than just a dream

Write-by-the-Lake Writer’s Workshop & Retreat is a 5-day event in Madison, WI where you’ll meet with fellow writers who have the same goals and sense of dedication. The week is yours to get away, create, explore, and polish. Immerse yourself in hands-on mini-workshops and critiques. Choose from 12 different sessions, including fiction, nonfiction, freelancing, and poetry, as well as master classes in fiction with full novel critique.

More than 100 fellow writers are already enrolled, and some sections are going to fill soon. We limit each section to 15—fewer for Master Classes. The fastest way to save your spot is by calling us at 608-262-2451.

Status of Sessions (as of May 7):

1. Tim Storm, momentum in novels, open
2. Christopher Mohar, full/closed
3. Kathy Steffen, bestseller techniques, open
4. Angela Rydell, flash fiction, open
5. Bridget Birdsall, Y/A middle grade, open
6. JoAnn Early Macken, children’s picture books, open
7. Laurie Scheer, creative nonfiction, open
8. Amy Lou Jenkins, short memoir material, open
9. Laurel Yourke, deep revision, full/closed
10. Lori Devoti, novel master class, 2 spaces remain
11. Christine DeSmet, novel master class, full/closed
12. Marilyn Taylor, poetry, full/closed

The retreat lets you roll up your sleeves and focus on your writing 9:30am-12:30pm each day. In addition, we also offer bonus presentations, free throughout the week:

• Literary agent Elizabeth Evans of the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency will be with us for the Monday welcome luncheon. She’s looking for books!
• “The Science of Inspiration/Seven Keys to Living the Active Writer’s Life,” with Julie Tallard Johnson
• “Commas and Dashes and Colons, Oh My: How to Avoid the Flying Monkeys of Bad Punctuation and Grammar,” with Sharon Van Sluijs
• “Step-by-Step to Self-Publishing Success and How Much It’ll Cost You Each Step of the Way,” with Diana Burnett
• “The Six Senses of Reader Engagement,” something you need on every page, with Tim Storm

Announcing Flavorwire’s First Short Fiction Contest

By Judy Berman on May 8, 2013 9:30am

Flavorwire is thrilled to announce its first-ever short fiction contest. In honor of May’s National Short Story Month, we’re offering a prize of $500 for one outstanding short story. To enter, simply send a story of 5,000 words or less — in the body of a message, not as an attachment — along with a brief author bio and all relevant contact information to flavorwirefiction@gmail.com by Friday, May 17. Flavorwire Literary Editor Emily Temple will judge all entries and announce the results on the 24th. We’ll publish the winning story, along with a handful of honorable mentions, on Flavorwire throughout the final week of May.
While all styles of short fiction are fair game, we can’t consider nonfiction or poetry submissions. Due to time constraints, Flavorwire can only accept entries via email and will be unable to provide feedback on individual stories. Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but only previously unpublished work will be eligible; entrants must notify us immediately if a story is selected for publication elsewhere.

You get ideas from daydreaming. You get ideas from being bored. You get ideas all the time. The only difference between writers and other people is we notice when we’re doing it. –Neil Gaiman

Last Tuesday at B&N . . .

We have a couple visitors. Ruth and Betsy join us for the evening.
Lisa reads from the beginning of her novel (tentatively titled) Tebow’s Family Secret. Andy has a question about the date of the main character’s accident and whether it is significant to September 11, 2001. Pat remembers Lisa’s first version and thinks this is tighter but there’s still some editing that needs to be done. Andy wonders if Lisa can write a vision for us. Alicia thought the date of the accident seemed contrived. Jerry too thought the reader will want to know why the day of the accident is so important. What follows is a discussion of 9/11 and weather the day can be changed. Lisa tells us it cannot. Alicia, Amber, and Aaron (all the A’s) think she can keep 9/11 she just needs to not treat it so casually. Jerry wonders if someone with memory problems would be entrusted with a family recipe.
Alicia shares chapters five and six of Lincoln’s Other War. Pat likes her Lincoln parts a lot, but struggles with the other parts. She wonders if there are other ways to display those parts. Lisa agreed that it sounded disjointed to her also. Could those portions be made more conversational? Millie got the impression that the people out East didn’t know what was going on. Betsy easily picked out the other voice as well.
Pat reads her poem, 58! for the group. Half the group doesn’t get the very first joke of the poem. The title is a reference to her age, which the other half of the group didn’t believe. Millie liked it but she thought it should have been seventy-eight; Betsy, sixty-eight. Andy didn’t like the prose in the middle of it. Alicia didn’t agree with the first line. Bob wonders why we can’t just accept the paradox.
Amber shares Chapter Twelve of Noble. Lisa takes notes. Jerry corrected a part of the scene read aloud to the group. Pat liked that the main character had learned how to use her magic as well as the ending and the mention of fire. (Shout out to former TWS member Greg Spry). Lisa thought the main character learned magic too fast. Andy wanted to see a bigger reaction from the protagonist. Jerry thought her reaction fit with what we know of the character. Millie thought another character was jealous. Pat wanted to know who would play a certain character in the movie.
Jerry reads from the beginning of Chapter Ten of The Last Good Man. Alicia thinks Jerry should definitely do the audio book. Betsy liked the humor. Pat wondered if they got the dent out of the roof or not. Lisa asks if the main character leaves the truck with the others or what. She’ll have to read chapter eleven to find out.

Who’s up next . . .
May 14: Mike R. (poems), Rebecca Rettemund (chapter, The Cheese Logue), Jack Freiburger (poems), Andy Pfeiffer (chapter, People), and Bill Eisinger (short story).

May 21: Pat Edwards (???), Amber Boudreau (chapter 13, Noble), Millie Mader (chapter 44, Life on Hold), Andy Pfeiffer (???), Aaron Boehm (film script/part 6, “Whole Again”), and Judith McNeil (???)

May 28: Carol Hornung (scene, Ghost of Heffron College), Katelin Cummins (chapter, Battle of Sista), Terry Hoffman (???), Ray Woodruff (short story), and Jen Wilcher (???).

June 4: Lisa McDougal (chapter, Tebow Family Secret), Betsy Draine (chapter), Bob Kralapp (???), Michelle Nightoak (chapter, memoir), Alicia Connolly Lohr (novella, chapters 7-8, Lincoln’s Other War), and Jerry Peterson (chapters 11-12, The Last Good Man).

Next Fifth Tuesday . . .
Put it on your calendar now. Our next Fifth Tuesday is July 30. First-and-third group hosts. The place is not yet set, but the writing challenge is . . . Fortune cookie fortunes. You select a fortune from a list we will provide you on or about July 1, then write a story, poem, or essay in which you use the fortune in some way. Length? Our ever popular 250 words or less.

Great word . . .
Courtesy of Word Spy Paul McFedries:
catfishing
n. The elaborate fabrication of an online identity to trick a person into a romantic relationship.
– catfish v., n.

Example Citations:
“And while what happened to Manti Te’o is bringing the term to light, we shouldn’t talk about catfishing like it’s a new thing. Ever since there’s been an Internet, there’s been a fat guy in an undershirt pretending to be a hot model. Social media only makes the lie more believable and more noticeable.
– Scott Kleinburg, Don’t be the next Te’o, Chicago Tribune, January 24, 2013

“Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson was unsympathetic to their claims, finding that their conduct was objectionable enough to warrant censure by the university. She specifically calls them out for ‘catfishing’ their victim. – Kashmir Hill, ‘Catfishing’ Gets Its First Legal Mention, Forbes, April 26, 2013

Earliest Citation:
“Did you hear how Dave got totally catfished last month?! The fox he thought he was talking to turned out to be a pervy guy from San Diego!
– sbacker, ‘catfish,’ Urban Dictionary, July 22, 2010

Notes: This term comes from a 2010 documentary called Catfish, about a man who falls for a woman whose online persona turns out to be a fake. The origin of the term is given an oddly positive spin in the film:
“They used to tank cod from Alaska all the way to China. They’d keep them in vats in the ship. By the time the codfish reached China, the flesh was mush and tasteless. So this guy came up with the idea that if you put these cods in these big vats, put some catfish in with them and the catfish will keep the cod agile. And there are those people who are catfish in life. And they keep you on your toes. They keep you guessing, they keep you thinking, they keep you fresh. And I thank god for the catfish because we would be droll, boring and dull if we didn’t have somebody nipping at our fin.”
– Vince Pierce, ‘Catfish,’ Relativity Media, January 22, 2010

Self Publishing
Self-publishing authors are in good company with David Mamet choosing to self-publish his next book.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/17/business/media/david-mamet-and-other-big-authors-choose-to-self-publish.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

How to Price Your Book
Pricing Variables

There are five major variables that affect the price of your book. Here is a discussion of each to help you decide on a strategy.
Costs. There are two kinds of costs: preparation and production. Preparation costs include such processes as design, editing, and layout. You might pay them only once, but nonetheless, you need to recoup them.

Production costs refer to how much it costs to make copies. If you’re publishing only an eBook, the cost per unit is almost zero. If you’re printing your book, you’ll incur hard costs such as paper, printing, binding, and shipping.
Economic conditions. How is the job market for your target customers? While your book’s price is probably one or two Starbucks cappuccinos, economic conditions matter to people and influence their buying decisions.
Brand. How strong is your brand? How many people know about you? Simplifying the issue, here are the most common conditions:

* First-time author without an established base of readers. Implication: charge less.
* First-time author with an established base of fans and high visibility. Implication: charge more.
* Repeat author with a proven record and established base of readers. Implication: charge even more.
Competition. How much does the competition charge for books in your genre? You cannot charge the same price as well-established authors such as J. K. Rowling. You should look at authors who are at the same stage as you.
Goals. What are your goals for your book? Here are the most common:

* Maximize short-term (six months to a year) revenue. Implication: charge more.
* Maximize long-term (a year or more) revenue. Implication: charge less.
* Establish yourself as a sector expert. Implication: charge less.
* Build a base of readers for future works. Implication: charge less.
* Spread your ideas. Implication: charge less.
Pricing philosophy. What’s your pricing philosophy? First, let’s dismiss “I worked hard on this book, so it’s worth lots of money.” It doesn’t matter how hard you work. What matters is what people are willing to pay. These are the common pricing philosophies:

* High price connotes high quality. Low price connotes low quality. Implication: charge more.
* High price connotes cluelessness. Low price connotes awareness. Implication: charge less.
* High price connotes greed. Low price connotes empathy. Implication: charge less.
* The relationship between price and quality is random. Implication: take your best shot and change the price if it’s not working.

Guy Kawasaki has written 12 books, 10 of which were traditionally published. His newest book is APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur – How to Publish a Book, which helps people understand how and why to self-publish.

“The depressing thing about tennis is that no matter how good I get, I’ll never be as good as the wall.”–Mitch Hedberg

Last Tuesday at the B&N . . .

Last meeting before Fifth Tuesday! Write your challenge (translate a cliche and explain what happened) and bring a copy along to read to the group! Tuesday, April 30, Panera on University.

Tuesday night we had a big crowd – though a bigger crowd was using most of the chairs for a kids event… had some scrounging to do, but then we got to business.

Ray Woodruff presented his short story “Leave Them Be.” Terry summed up many of our thoughts when she said, “Creepy creepy creepy!” She did point out, though, that naming the main character 17-76 was a little distracting. Carol had some trouble picturing what the bunk room looked like. Bill was concerned about the use of UV lights – with the reveal at the end, UV might be harmful. Full spectrum, perhaps? Julie enjoyed the build-up and pay off, but wondered what They were doing with the blood. Do we need to know who They are? Katelin felt it worked well even without that information.

Carol Hornung read a scene from Ghost of Heffron College. A party scene. Discussion broke out about whether “joint” was the proper terminology, or if it was too dated. Other options were suggested (and with further research, I’ve discovered that “joint” is the correct terminology, but these days you’re more likely to use a water pipe anyway … rewrites now in progress). Andy liked the pacing. Holly wanted something earlier in the scene to hint at what would come later, like an appearance of the ghost. Jack pointed out continuity issues – large room, but crowded, and Bill liked the isolation of the small dorm on a bad weather weekend.

Bill Eisinger returned with a rewrite of “Jack ad Susan.” Holly loved the inner dialog. Andy noted that italics make it clear it is inner dialog, so quotations aren’t needed. Carol liked the way the characters are starting to emerge. Loves that Susan is a run-at-the-mouth chatterbox until she’s asked about herself. Could make her stop and stammer even more at that point. Julie wanted some clarification of Jack’s motivations. Why is the character here? What does he want?

Rebecca Rettenmund brought in Chapter 26 from The Cheese Logue. Terry loved the “page erased” by the snow metaphor, and the line about laughter “squashed like a cricket.” Julie and Andy like the story but think it needs more oomph and personality. There are very funny and quirky bits which need to be coaxed out more. Jen said that even though it is memoir, applying fiction techniques would be good. Carol suggested that’s the next step in the editing process – to really clean up the writing, use fewer words, edit out some bits and focus on others. Jack was wary about editing the spirit out of the book, however. The voice is what charmed him, and he doesn’t want to see it lost.

Mike R read a poem he brought along. We pointed out some lines we liked, and discussed the value of having poets and prose writers look at each other’s works. We invited him to pass out copies of his poem next time so we could take a closer look.

Andy Pfeiffer introduced us to a new character in his story, “People.” Jen wondered if there would be a CVS Drug Store in such a small town, or if it would be a Mom and Pop Pharmacy? Also, might want to steer away from the name brand – they might not like it. Carol was curious about the level of education of the character. She spoke a distinct, uneducated dialect, but also had internal monolog in French. Instead of telling us, Holly wants to be shown that this character knows all there is to know about everyone in this small town. Rebecca felt more description of the store, too, would add to the character. Terry encouraged him to just get out there and write the whole book – things will probably change by the end, so don’t focus so much on changing things now.

Who’s Up Next . . .
May 7: Lisa McDougal (chapter 13, Follow the Yellow), Rebecca Rettenmund (chapter, The Cheese Logue), Pat Edwards (???), Alicia Connolly Lohr (chapter, Lincoln’s Other War), Judith McNeil (???), and Jerry Peterson (chapter 7-9, The Last Good Man).

May 14th: Mike R, poetry; Rebecca Rettemund, The Cheese Logue; Jack Freiburger, poetry; Andy Pfeiffer, People; Bill Eisigner, short story.

May 21: Pat Edwards (???), Amber Boudreau (chapter, Noble), Millie Mader (chapter 44, Life on Hold), Andy Pfeiffer (???), Aaron Boehm (film script/part 6, “Whole Again”), and
Jerry Peterson (chapter 10, The Last Good Man).

May 28th: Carol Hornung, Ghost of Heffron College; Katelin Cummins, Battle of Sista; Terry Hoffman (??); Ray Woodruff (short story); Jen Wilcher (??).

Fifth Tuesday is April 30th
At Panera Bread on University Avenue
The challenge is: Poorly Translated Cliché
Pick a cliché. Make a poorly translated version of it. Build a story around this translation. Perhaps a foreigner or alien writes home about the cliché and you translate the letter back to English? 250 words or less.

Bring your own copy to read at the party!

Writing Contest by Prada
The link says it’s an essay contest but go to the rules and it refers to a short story. The article says the contest is to promote eye wear but the actual rules don’t state that. Topic: “What are the realities that our eyes give back to us? And how are these realities filtered through lenses?” Due Date: June 18; Prize: 5,000 Euros, about $6,528 U.S. The winner will also be published by Prada on its website and possibly distributed in Prada boutiques and by Feltrinelli.

Read more at http://www.writerswrite.com/prada-launches-writing-contest-42320131

Great word . . .
Courtesy of Word Spy Paul McFedries:
pi-ku
n. A haiku on the theme of the mathematical constant pi. Also: piku. [pi + haiku.]

Example Citations:
“Students will spend the morning in 35-minute sessions that include math competitions, integrated math and art workshops featuring origami, pi-ku writing, and a pi(e) eating contest.”
– Kari Tutwiler, Pi and pie to fuel math competition at WSU Tri-Cities, Washington State University News Center, March 11, 2013

“Festivities will include pie eating/pi solving contest, pie for sale at the Pie Café, Piku (think Haiku with a twist).
– Third Annual Jersey City Pi-e Day March 9th, Jersey Bites, March 9, 2013

Earliest Citation:
“Fifth-graders in Tiffany Ebright and Stefanie Cook’s classes at Fulton Avenue School #8 in Oceanside celebrated Pi Day in honor of Albert Einstein’s birthday. Pi is the ratio between the circumference and the diameter of a circle. The children wrote a pi-ku, designed pi posters and competed in a pie-eating contest.”
– Mary Ellen Pereira, Jericho’s team bowls them over, Newsday, April 9, 2006

Notes: Why, look, it’s yet another term posted in honor of Pi Day, which was March 14. In case you’ve forgotten, March 14 can be written as 3/14, and the decimal expansion of pi begins with 3.14, ergo pi lovers celebrate their favorite transcendental number every March 14.

A researcher looks at the publishing biz . . .
From the books section of the Guardian newspaper’s blog:

Ten ways self-publishing has changed the books world
As the DIY approach gains more and more writers and readers,
traditional publishers must reinvent themselves
by Alison Baverstock
April 8, 2013

After a boom year in self-publishing, the headlines are getting a little predictable. Most feature a doughty author who quickly builds demand for her work and is rewarded with a large contract from the traditional industry. But in our rush to admire, there’s a risk we overlook the wider cultural significance of what is going on. As publishers from all over the world prepare for next week’s London book fair, here are 10 changes that they ignore at their peril:

1. There is now a wider understanding of what publishing is – and that it is more difficult than it looks. The industry has long suffered the irony that effective publishing is most evident when invisible; it is only when standards are less than felicitous that we realise how well what we read is managed most of the time. Now that school cookbooks, or fundraising brochures for sports teams, can be effectively self-published, people are learning the process and what is involved. In the past, the industry has tended to recruit heavily from those in the know (the offspring of former publishers and authors being particularly well-represented); wider awareness of publishing is now promoting wider diversity.

2. Gone is our confidence that publishers and agents know exactly what everyone wants to (or should) read, and can spot all the material worth our attention. Soft porn and fantasy have emerged as particularly under-represented in the industry’s official output.

3. The copy editor, a traditionally marginalised figure, is now in strong demand. If you are well-connected through social media, can isolate what your writing has to offer and get the message noticed by a reading public, you can probably manage the marketing of your work. The one thing it’s really hard to do is self-edit. Long ago publishers outsourced copy editing, relying on the freelance labour market – and freelancers are now being actively sought by self-publishing authors too. The price for services for which there is both high demand and scarce supply tends to rise.

4. The re-emergence of the book as precious object. Some publishers are marketing luxury books; limited editions available only from them. Similarly, it’s becoming relatively common for people to self-publish their holiday photographs in book form; to produce a unique photograph/memory book for special birthdays or to mark a retirement. If these are being presented to those who are not big readers, or regular frequenters of bookshops, the social significance of self-publishing may be particularly strong.

5. The role of the author is changing. With the fragmentation of the media in recent years, publishers were already relying on authors to help with the marketing – and learning how to do so is empowering. Now, as authors meet their readers at literary festivals, run blogs or tweet, they know their readers well and are no longer solely reliant on their publishers to mediate relationships. Looking ahead, authors who understand how publishing works are likely to be vastly less compliant than their forbears.

6. The role of the agent is also changing. Literary agents used to introduce ingenue authors to those who might invest, and then work with them to build longer-term careers. Now that so many self-publishing authors are finding the market themselves, agents need to find new ways to make their work pay. If agencies are multi-faceted (film, television, after-dinner speaking) they may be protected, but smaller agencies will struggle. Selling manuscript development services to those in whom they might not otherwise invest their time is an unsatisfactory way to make a living.

7. New business models and opportunities are springing up, mostly offering “publishing services”: advice on how to get published or self-publish; guidance on developing a plot or a whole manuscript; lifestyle support and writing holidays; editorial services and marketing assistance. New writing patterns are developing too: team writing; ghost writing; software to assist the crafting. Publishing is emerging as a process – accessible as a variety of different services to whoever needs them – rather than just being an industry.

8. It’s not all about making money. If, as I believe, self-publishing means taking personal responsibility for the management and production of your content, this can be achieved as effectively via a single copy to be kept at home as the sale of thousands online. Self-publishing means recognising, and preserving, content that has value for someone – but the process does not have to yield an income to be worthwhile.

9. An end to the “vanity publishing” put-down. No longer the last resort of the talentless, these days self-publishing is seen as a homing ground of the instinctively proactive: identify your market; meet their needs; deliver direct. It’s also a flexible solution; a process not a single product, for which the rationale can be very varied – from book as business card to ebook novel; from hard copy of a work-in-progress, to a team compilation for a local history group.

10. Self-publishing brings happiness. Publishers have long assumed that only if nearing professional standards could a self-published product bring any satisfaction. My research has revealed the opposite. It seems self-publishers approach the process confidently, are well-informed, and aware of how much the process will cost and how long it is likely to take. They emerge both keen to do it again and likely to recommend it to others. Finalising a project you have long planned feels good, and the process builds in the possibility of future discoverability – whether that is in an attic (whenever the family decides they are mature enough to want to know), or by ISBN from within the British Library. Self-publishing as a legacy – should we really be so surprised at its growing popularity?

• A former publisher, Alison Baverstock is Course Leader for the Publishing MA at Kingston University. The Naked Author, her guide to self-publishing, is published by Bloomsbury. The full results of her more recent research will be published in the journal Learned Publishing in July.

Thanks for reading – See you on a Tuesday.
— Amber Boudreau

Last Tuesday at the B&N . . .

Two guests joined us – Julie and Mike.

Lisa started us off by sharing part of chapter twelve of Follow the Yellow; the last chapter of this work she plans to share with the group for a while. Andy likes it. He only found some small typos. Pat liked the whole thing except at the very beginning. She thinks there should be some blood stains on one character’s shirt instead of having the character still bleed several hours after an altercation took place. Andy lost track of who was who on the phone later in the chapter. Mike thought the part Lisa read flowed well.

Amber shared chapter eleven of her YA novel Noble. Andy liked it, but the looking for Zephyr went a little fast. The scene could be drawn out to create tension. Pat asked if the rules for magic in this work were following rules of any previous work. Amber admits she’s making it all up as she goes along.

Millie shared Chapter forty-three of Life on Hold. Lisa didn’t get the last line until Millie read it. Pat and Lisa think it would be a good time to kill off the mother, but Millie says she’s not going to do that. Lisa wonders if we will skip ahead in time soon. Andy thought the writing out of one character with a single line was a little abrupt and he thought she could expand that into a mini-scene instead of just a passing detail. Lisa didn’t enjoy the rehashing of a female relationship later in the chapter. Jen pointed out some problems with POV. Jerry wonders if the professor needs a name change.

Andy shared the first chapter from one of three different character’s point of view. Millie didn’t see what one character had done to set another off. Answer: nothing. Pat kind of liked her character, but there were a few too many adverbs. She hopes that Andy lets the character have a voice. Julie thinks the main character here would be more manipulative and cool given her background. Bob suggests a character inventory and knowing what’s going on in the character’s mind and heart. Julie suggests Andy also think about voice and making all three very different. Jerry mentions that if the character has killed someone they would not make it into the FBI. Pat suggests a shadow agency.

Aaron read from part five of Whole Again. Lisa was under the impression two characters were dating longer, because she’s just not buying it. Andy thought things were moving a little quickly there also. Pat wonders why they don’t treat this great article of importance with a little more respect. Several agree the main guy is the everyman. Andy wonders if the main characters use prosthetics. Aaron says they do not.

Bob shared two poems (posted that morning, grrr) with the group. We start with Message. Lisa liked it. She thought it was very mysterious. Pat thought the animals in the poem made her think of the sea instead of the lake. She thought it had a great rhythm too. Next is London 1973. Bob is looking for context and how to get the reader in the place where the narrator is writing from. Pat went right there and came home fast. Millie enjoyed it. Pat thinks the reader can feel the fear of it. The second one spoke to Jerry. Pat liked the first one better.

Jerry read from chapter eight of the Last Good Man. Pat wonders why they don’t put the horses at the end of the parade and asks if the truck started up before. Julie asks if this is present day. The story takes place in the late eighties. Pat thinks Jerry should still kill someone off. Julie wonders if the novel will maintain its PG rating or get raunchier.

Who’s Up Next . . .

April 23: Carol Hornung, scene, Ghost of Heffron College; Andy Pfeiffer, scene, People; Rebecca Rettenmund, chapter, The Cheese Logue; Bill Eisinger, short story; Ray Woodruff, short story. Room for 1 more.

May 7: Lisa McDougal (chapter 13, Follow the Yellow), Rebecca Rettenmund (chapter, The Cheese Logue), Pat Edwards (???), Alicia Connolly Lohr (chapter, Lincoln’s Other War), Judith McNeil (???), and Jerry Peterson (chapter 7-9, The Last Good Man).

Fifth Tuesday is April 30th

At Panera Bread on University Avenue
The challenge is: Poorly Translated Cliché
Pick a cliché. Make a poorly translated version of it. Build a story around this translation. Perhaps a foreigner or alien writes home about the cliché and you translate the letter back to English? 250 words or less.

Bring your own copy to read at the party!

How to Write a Better Blog Tagline…Can we come up with one for TWS?

1. Make it short.
10-12 words is good. 6 or fewer is even better. Many times if the process is a struggle, it means you haven’t clearly defined your blog yet.
One of the best short taglines I have ever seen comes from the Zen Habits blog: Breathe. It isn’t always possible to sum it up in one word, but when it’s done well, it really works.

2. Make it sticky.
If visitors remember your tagline, they can more easily tell other people about your blog. Play around with visually appealing, image-rich words that instantly give readers a picture in their minds.
I like the tagline of Nomadic Chick, a travel blog: Cubicle Dweller to Traveling Gypsy, because I can visualize that. I know where she used to be and where she is now—and what she blogs about.

3. Be clear.
This is not the time to dance around the theme and topic of your blog. Readers need to know within seconds what your blog is about, what they can expect to find there. What is the premise of your blog? Who is it for? What is it about?
Your measure should be: Will a complete stranger to my blog understand what its purpose is by reading my tagline?
Also, if the name of your blog doesn’t really tell visitors what it’s about, it’s especially key that your tagline does. For instance, the TwiTips blog has this tagline: Twitter Tips in 140 Characters or More (a nice twist on Twitter’s 140 characters or less).

4. Project your voice and personality.
People come to your blog because you are an interesting person. If you write funny, throw some humor into your tagline. If you have an attitude, make it a little edgy. You get the idea.
For instance, the blogger at Five Kids Is a Lot of Kids warns you that she is not going to sugar coat things—and she proclaims it in her tagline: raising kids to be self-sufficient enough to pay for their own counseling. That’s funny, a little edgy and not your typical “pink ballerinas” mommy blog. We have been forewarned. So we can choose to stick around or leave.

5. Consider building your tagline on your brand’s promise.
It’s a challenge but it can be done. If you haven’t tried it, maybe you should. Because it helps you define what your blog is all about and that’s a good thing. What are you promising readers if they stick around?
My friend Joanna Penn over at the Creative Penn blog states her promise nicely in her tagline: Helping you write, market and publish your book.
Read more at:

http://catseyewriter.com/2012/07/08/the-hollywood-guide-to-a-better-blog-tagline/

Review of Joyce Carol Oates’, We Were the Mulvaneys.
Submitted by Millie Mader

This is a timely tale of tragedy, endurance and spirit. The Mulvaneys suffer a traumatic event that tears the family asunder. The father, Michael Sr., is the sturdy trunk of the family tree, and is the first to split, as if torn by a tornado. The branches are blown apart and tossed to the wind. How each family member deals with the assault is probed deeply, baring their souls in conflicting reactions. The story is recalled by the youngest son, Judd, who is now a newspaper editor. However, each member of the family is exposed and their reactions defined.
****************
The Mulvaneys live in an enchanted world. Their home is an enviable, restored Victorian, surrounded by lush lawns and manicured shrubbery. There are animals, although most of the High Point Farm’s fields are rented out. Michael Sr. is a respected, successful business man. A highlight of his life is when he is asked to join the Country Club. His loving wife, Corinne, is an antique collector, a sort of ex-hippie, who is not at all awed by the social life. She is eccentric, but a loving wife and mother.
Beginning in the seventies, Judd, now the writer, is the youngest Mulvaney. The oldest is handsome Michael, Jr., popular quarterback for their upstate New York high school foot ball team. In between is “P.J.” a vociferous reader and a student of science. Then there is Marianne, a gorgeous, bubbly teenager. Marianne is a cheerleader, so popular that she is the only junior chosen to be on the senior prom king’s court.
That is when the family’s downhill slide begins. Marianne is brutally raped after one of the post prom parties. She is left in a void—religion and self-loathing following her for many years to come. We see her unable to find a place where she can resume her shredded life. She quits college, then one job after another. Her only solace is her beloved cat, Muffin, who accompanies her everywhere. Though Marianne’s life is the center of the novel, all of the family members deal with “it”, as they call the rape, in diverse ways. Each heart and mind are probed and opened.
The rapist, a spoiled, wealthy young man who gave Marianne a spiked drink, fills the school with viscous rumors. He is believed because Marianne is too overwhelmed by grief and guilt to speak up. The Mulvaneys become social outcasts. Michael Sr. resorts to drink and despotism, causing the homestead to be foreclosed and his business thrown into bankruptcy. The grieving mother loses her grip on the children as they scatter. Almost twenty years pass before there is a reunion.
We are drawn into their lives, and left to wonder if any of the family can ever resolve their feelings about “it.” Does the father live to forgive Marianne? Did they react too radically? And will any of them—especially Marianne—ever find peace? You will be tempted to look at the ending, and you will not be able to put the book down until the finish.

Pat Edwards attends an event on self-publishing…

Several TWS members attended a writers’ panel on Self-publishing Wednesday night at A Room of One’s Own downtown Madison. The panel was made up of four local authors who all had a lot of information about self-publishing and the publishing industry in general. They discussed e-books and print-on-demand (POD) services. I learned a lot!
Spike Pedersen, author of his self-published novel, At First Light, and a veteran of getting it published.
Marty Drapkin, author of, Ten Nobodies, and Now and at the Hour. He has a master’s degrees in English education from the University of Wisconsin, and is ready to share his experience with self-publishing.
Sarah White, Author of 3 books the traditional way and her self-published, Write Your Travel Memoirs. She coaches self-publishing and writing.
Christine Keleny, author of The Rose Series; The Red Velvet Box, Rosebloom, A Burnished Rose, and, Rose from the Ashes. She works with authors and the self-publishing process.
Spike led off recounting his process and learnings, “Number one,” he said, “have a finished book.” He described his manuscript review process and the various professional services he used to get his book in its best shape. He recounted the services and costs honestly, including the ‘do-overs.’ He admitted his editor was one of the higher costs, but it was well worth it. “Took the marbles out of my mouth,” he said.
Christine described her publishing process – she is a certified editor and has created her own publishing imprint. Interestingly, she used a local service to create an audio book version of one of her books. She recommended creating a series if your work lends itself to that, as each book ‘lifts’ the others’ sales.
Marty went over the various types of editing and formatting that you can (should?) do prior to publishing. Most POD companies offer editing services a la carte or as part of a package. You can also hire a contractor editor yourself. There are many levels of pre-publishing editing from manuscript critique to copy editing to full re-writing or ghosting. If you write non-fiction, you can hire a fact-checker or reference editor. Spike added in here that he googled several editors and sent them each a sample chapter to see how they would edit his work (did they get his voice and vision, etc.). When you get the results back, you can pick from there. You should do this gleaning and a credible editor will expect to be vetted.
Marty discussed formatting – not just the e-file document type, but layout and font. For non-fiction it is very important, but also for fiction should look at printed books and find fonts and layout you like and feel fits your book. POD companies can usually replicate fonts and styles if you can direct them. We all know a cover is important, but don’t forget the back-cover style, back copy, and flap copy texts.
An over-arching theme was said loud and clear: as a self-published author, you have complete control of your product (which you do NOT have if you are published by a mainstream publisher). However, you are also the person who has to do all the work or hire all the workers. This is why packages at POD services are so popular.
Sarah covered marketing your book, starting with a tale of her first foray into the publishing business where she learned a valuable lesson. “Don’t mistake that this process is about you – it’s about selling books.” At her first meeting with her publisher with her agent, they spoke only to each other, ‘hefted’ and flipped through her previous book, and ignored her completely.
She reminded us that this is a business of small numbers. A book first run is usually ~2000 books. If you sell those you’re considered well-met. After that, all books (except the platinum-level exceptions) are printed on demand by the same companies we can use.
Here are some of the panels marketing techniques:
• Find a bigger author than you to dovetail. She used a book by a travel writer that works with Rick Steves and worked to get her book viewed at the same time by purchasing at the same time herself and getting others to do, too. Thereafter, the books showed by Amazon at the same time.
• Have just a few books printed and send them out for back-cover “blurbs” and reviews.
• Ask for reviews!
• Keep checking reviews. If you get a really bad one, you can contest it, but it was agreed that non-perfect reviews gave you more credibility.
• You can purchase advertising on social media and other venues.
• Search Google for tips on timing your book publishing. People buy certain genres at specific times of the year.
• Identify your marketing plan! Who is your audience? What media do they use?
• What is your brand? Identify and create it for yourself. Social media helps greatly in this area with presence and brand establishment.
• Contact independent bookstores. They support independent authors.
• Be prepared to conduct talks and appearances (e.g., at independent bookstores)
• Network. Everyone has friends.
• Goodreads.com. Spike used their give-away contests to get exposure. He said a few minutes each day at lunch time can garner great results.
• Target your marketing. Who do you want to reach?
• A local publicist can be hired for ~$300 a month, but just directs the work to the author. For double that, they will do the work for you.
• Use social media to create a brand and presence as a person with multiple interests.

Overall, a really informative use of a couple hours to learn from those who’ve gone before me into self-publishing. I recommend you go to each author’s link (above) and see some interesting options for author web presence.
Thanks, Spike!

Thanks for reading – See you on a Tuesday.
— Amber Boudreau

Who said, “Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative”?
Answer: Oscar Wilde , Author of The Picture of Dorian Gray

Tuesday at the B&N . . .
Fourteen of us gathered round three tables to share a number of critiques.

Amber started us off by reading from chapter ten of her YA novel, Noble. Jen had a question about POV. Pat questioned writing about a head being removed from its shoulders, as in where else would it be removed from? Rebecca was confused by how one character was on their hands and knees but also holding their head at the same time. Andy and Millie didn’t know where the sword came from and Andy didn’t think it unnerved the main character enough. Lisa questioned Zephyr’s vocabulary and whether he would know a lot of English. Alicia wondered if one character would actually have a heart attack and thinks the protagonist is too much of a girl scout; she wants more of a reaction. Clayton was okay with the protagonist’s reaction. (P.S. Lisa can take over this whole note taking business anytime.)

Pat shares the poem Just Words with the group. She starts off by telling us she knows it needs work. Lisa thinks she should add more sadness. Andy saw it as in-your-face. Lisa thought it was in-your-face depressing and she liked it that way. Alicia looks for some redemptive quality at the end. Clayton sees the name-calling as recognition; the author sees these things and wants to fix them. Michelle wonders if the author can open the front door and leave. Amber agrees with Clayton, maybe the recognition is the happy ending. Alicia thinks of the old movie Sybil and wonders if Pat could bring the poem full circle in a similar way. Lisa and Aaron like the title. Aaron suggests adding something about sticks and stones at the end.

Andy shares a couple of poems. Jen liked the first poem, Perfect, saying it had a nice rhythm in some parts but was lacking in others. To Amber it felt like a laundry list of items. Rebecca wondered what we learn from the poem. Lisa found an inappropriate line or two. Rhyming is hard, Pat tells us. Michelle had difficulty with the voice changing from the beginning to the end. Andy’s second poem, Forecast, is about the weather we had in Wisconsin last year. Some of us read it as a metaphor for a relationship thought the last two stanzas don’t fit with that idea; Andy was surprised by this and may consider revenging. Clayton expected the poem to take off but then it didn’t, leaving him disappointed.

Michelle shares a chapter from her book with the group recounting her own rape at the age of fifteen. Pat thought the rape scene was really well written but the beginning and end were not as well done. Clayton wants to know how this topic or chapter will relate to the rest of the book. Jerry has questions about the time line and when night falls and curfew. Rebecca asked if she might include her hopes for what might have happened. Jen looks for a better word choice in one instance.

Clayton reads from chapter eighteen of Fishing Derby. Jerry and Andy both wonder how the cop knows where one character’s car is parked. Pat thought Clayton did a good job tightening up the pizza parlor scene, but she wonders why the protagonist has to lead us back to the car. Rebecca has an edit about ending sentences with the same word. Jerry points out that a character asks a question, another one looks it up, but then never reveals the answer.

Alicia reads from the beginning of chapter three of Lincoln’s Other War. Clayton wonders about Lincoln’s commute to the oval office and wonders what he might be thinking about on his way. Michelle wonders why the jostling would help with Lincoln’s editing. Pat suggests just putting the date at the beginning of each chapter, but Alicia doesn’t want to lock herself into anything because the work is fiction. Michelle wonders if she could break the events into months. Pat was surprised there was no argument about the replacement of a general; it just seems too simplified for her. Jerry wonders of we’re following a character out to Minnesota and questions the title of the piece.

Jerry skips reading from Chapter six of Last Good Man but gives us the setup. Pat thought it was a great example of regionalisms for the names of car parts. She wondered why no character was unknowledgeable enough to ask about where the jack was though. Clayton wanted to see more of a particular relationship between two characters. Michelle likes cars and car repair but even she found those parts a bit long and suggested editing. Clayton wonders if what happens to the truck will be a model of what happens in the story. Alicia thought the college humor was very good.

Who’s Up Next . . .
April 9th: Terry Hoffman (The Great Tome); Bill Eisigner, (short story); Jack Frieburger, (Jesus at the IHOP); David Mayer, (Time Traveler’s Definitive Guide, Vol 2); Rebecca Rettenmund, (The Cheese Logue – Black Friday); Jen Wilcher (The Hogoshiro Chronicles).

April 16: Lisa McDougal (chapter 12, Follow the Yellow), Amber Boudreau (chapter 11, Noble), Millie Mader (chapter 43, Life on Hold), Pat Edwards (???), Andy Pfeiffer (???), and Aaron Boehm (film script/part 5, “Whole Again”)

April 23rd: Carol Hornung (Ghost of Heffron College); Andy Pfeiffer (People) (room for 4
more).

Fifth Tuesday: April 30th
We have a challenge for Fifth Tuesday, coming up on April 30! We are still looking for a location. Anyone have any ideas?
The challenge is:
Poorly Translated Cliché
Pick a cliché. Make a poorly translated version of it. Build a story around this translation. Perhaps a foreigner or alien writes home about the cliché and you translate the letter back to English? 250 words or less.

The Alchemy of Writing — More Tips from a Pro
This interview on the creative process is part II in an interview with award-winning author Fred Waitzkin. Part I can be found here: http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2013/03/24/the-alchemy-of-writing-tips-from-a-non-fiction-and-fiction-pro/.
TF: But what about “inspiration”? Does it exist for you?
For me, inspiration is primarily energy. If I feel energy for a paragraph or a description I can almost always get to the essence of it. If I feel dead to myself, I don’t have a chance. I am always looking for energy. Where can I find it? What or who can give it to me? How can I amp up what I have?
A story can help us here. An older friend of mine was once depressed about his advancing years. He lacked zest or motivation for his regular gym workouts. He couldn’t concentrate on his career. One evening this man found himself in an elevator with a woman, a housekeeper who had worked for him in the past. But she was wearing outside clothes, a tight fitting sweater. She was young and beautiful. They talked a little. There was chemistry. She got off the elevator at his floor. They chatted in the hall. She said that she found him attractive. But he could feel this even before she said the words. She embraced him. And that was it. Nothing more happened between them. He was married and not looking for an affair. But he felt a big surge of life. He felt renewed, deeply so. There was a bounce to his step. He returned to the gym feeling ten years younger… There are many ways to experience the girl in the elevator.
If I’m beginning an important new project I try to get away for a few days to feel a different spirit–islands work for me. My mother was a great painter. She spent much of her life on Martha’s Vineyard because the tree line outside her house felt ominous and that spurred her work along with the sound and smell of the ocean.
I look for energy all over the place. Often just riding my bike along the river for three miles from my house to the office heightens my mood. Then I make a cup of green tea and look at my work from the previous evening. I always read back several pages before I try to write anything new. Moving back through interesting material seems to give me momentum to push ahead…
But what if there is no energy? I read the paper. I switch on sports talk radio. I look at my watch. I pace. I am eyeing the lunch hour. It’s getting closer to lunch. One hour before I meet my friend Jeff for turkey burgers. Forty-five minutes. Now I’m getting nervous. Thirty-five minutes before I have to leave my office! Suddenly I feel an urgency. I CAN’T leave for lunch without writing one good paragraph. I’m sweating, feeling the time pressure… and the words pour out. Sometimes a writer can do more in a fervent half hour than in a dreary eight-hour day. I’ve often played this game with myself. There are many energy tricks. Sometimes in the afternoon when I’m groggy I wander over to Starbuck’s for a coffee. But it’s not just caffeine. I know all the women who work there. They know me. We chat. I love these talks–okay, innocent flirtations. Sometimes I even get a free latte. When I get back to my office I usually feel fired up.
Here is a story about deep mining for inspiration. Early on in the composition of The Dream Merchant I had an impression of the woman whom I wanted to be the great love of my central character’s life. She would be something like the girlfriend of Eddie the pool hustler, played by Paul Newman, in the great movie, The Hustler. She would be beautiful but a little worn from love and tough living. But her accessibility made her all the more desirable. The actress who played that part, by the way, was Piper Laurie although when I thought about what my character looked like, she was more voluptuous like Marilyn Monroe. This character would be hugely important in my book. She would have to be Jim’s match—she would love Jim and ruin him. Only problem was, I had never known someone like this.
I talked about the problem with Josh [his son, the subject of Searching for Bobby Fischer] and one day he proposed an idea. “There is someone I want you to meet,” he said. He arranged lunch for me with a young actress, Maya, a girlfriend of a friend of his. We met in a restaurant. Maya was sensual, the right body type, and gorgeous. I spent more than an hour describing the character I wanted to write—her name was Ava. Maya listened but said virtually nothing. She was a sweet girl—NOT Ava. This great idea was beginning to feel like a failure. But then when we were leaving the restaurant she turned to me and her entire being had darkened, she had become sultry and damaged. It was thrilling. She was becoming Ava. She was Ava. It gave me chills.
Read the entire post here:
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2013/03/25/the-dream-merchant-waitzkin/

Expand Your Books Reach…
With Amazon Partner ACX

The Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX) makes it easy to turn your book into an audiobook and create a new revenue stream. ACX connects authors with professional audio producers to create audiobooks. Read about ACX’s distribution options and generous royalties.

Authors–Get your title up and out there:
Confirm your rights
Create your title profile
Find a Producer
Make a deal to get your audiobook produced!

Authors as Narrators–Do it yourself – with a little help from us:
Find your title on ACX
Record your audiobook
Send your recording to ACX
Start promoting your work

Visit http://www.acx.com/help/how-it-works/200484210 for more info

Thanks for reading – See you on a Tuesday.
— Amber Boudreau

Four of us gathered Tuesday night for a lively round of critiques.

We started with Rebecca Rettenmund’s The Cheese Logue, Chapter 22. Andy liked the piece but felt it ran a little long and could have been a little more playful, especially with the kid. He thought the interactions were a bit repetitive, but Jen thought they worked together well. Carol really liked the character development involving Isaiah and the Halloween party. There were also a few technical things, verb tenses that didn’t match, and some homonyms to be corrected. Rebecca asked if the idea of a one-year story structure worked, and we all said “yes.”

Andy Pfeiffer read a scene from People. The way he read the scene out loud was funny, but the wording of the scene itself didn’t come off as funny. Might need the main character to find the situation funny so the reader follows along. Jen was concerned about the character of Brenna. Hard to know what’s really going on with Liam, and the director needs some one-on-one time with her to develop the relationship. Watch out for the harassment, too – unless someone is particularly valuable a company won’t try to correct behavior, they’ll just cut him lose to protect themselves. Carol wanted to see Spaulding with some incredible talent that makes him valuable. Rebecca thought Brenna should be above all the foolishness.

Carol Hornung read a scene from Ghost of Heffron College. Andy suggested more physical descriptions of the characters. Rebecca really liked the idea that the ghost had some power over others – but don’t let Olivia slip back into bitchiness after the ghost influenced her behavior. Also, put the two comments of the different kinds of flooring together for contrast. Makes more sense. And the description of the name tags on the door read a bit awkward. Otherwise, the scene worked well.

Who’s Up Next:
April 2: Amber Boudreau (chapter, Noble), Rebecca Rettenmund (chapter, The Cheese Logue), Michelle Nightoak (chapter, memoir), Andy Pfeiffer (???), Clayton Gill (chapter, Fishing Derby), and Alicia Connolly Lohr (chapters 3-4, Lincoln’s Other War).

April 9th: Terry Hoffman (The Great Tome); Bill Eisigner, (short story); Jack Frieburger, (Jesus at the IHOP); David Mayer, (Time Traveler’s Definitive Guide, Vol 2); Rebecca Rettenmund, (The Cheese Logue – Black Friday); Jen Wilcher (The Hogoshiro Chronicles).

April 16: Lisa McDougal (chapter 12, Follow the Yellow), Amber Boudreau (chapter, Noble), Millie Mader (chapter 43, Life on Hold), Pat Edwards (???), Andy Pfeiffer (???), and Aaron Boehm (film script/part 5, “Whole Again”)

April 23rd: Carol Hornung (Ghost of Heffron College); Andy Pfeiffer (People) (room for 4 more).

Fifth Tuesday: April 30th
We have a challenge for Fifth Tuesday, coming up on April 30! We are still looking for a location. Anyone have any ideas?

The challenge is:
Poorly Translated Cliché
Pick a cliché. Make a poorly translated version of it. Build a story around this translation. Perhaps a foreigner or alien writes home about the cliché and you translate the letter back to English? 250 words or less.

Great words . . .
Courtesy of Word Spy Paul McFedries:
crime-as-a-service
n. Web-based software that enables or enhances online criminal activity. Also: cybercrime-as-a-service, crimeware-as-a-service, CaaS.

Example Citations:
“A worrying new phrase has entered the lexicon of cybercrime – Crime-as-a-Service (CaaS)… CaaS has become a well-oiled machine, built on a wide network of players that fulfill specific functions.”
– Vishak Raman, Cybercrime-as-a-Service – A Very Modern Business, PCQuest, March 7, 2013

“New versions of the ZeuS botnet code costs $3,000; Butterfly botnet code costs $900. Simplified botnets used in the rental and crime-as-a-service model are cheaper, such as Bredolab, starting at $50.”
– Ellen Messmer, World of botnet cybercrime paying pretty well these days, Network World, December 19, 2012

Earliest Citation:
“Finjan says Crimeware-as-a-Service (CaaS) is becoming an increasing problem and the ability of law enforcement to track malicious hackers will become increasingly hampered.”
– Larry Dignan, The next big thing? Crimeware-as-a-service,” ZDNet, April 7, 2008

Notes: The something-as-a-service idea comes from cloud computing, where online applications (such as DropBox and Google Docs) are called software-as-a-service (SaaS) and online computing power (such as Amazon EC2) is called infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS).

Thinking about words . . .
YA author and blogger Nathan Bransford is, like you and me, a writer. In the past week, he had occasion to think about the words people use, particularly some of the words that are endowed with tremendous power:

It’s interesting to think about what words really are. They’re air passing through vocal chords. They’re pixels on a page. They’re a collection of sounds and shapes that we have collectively decided have meaning. And we bestow certain words with tremendous power.

In the comments of my post about the reaction to The Onion and the Twitterverse finding enemies, we got to talking about the power of words, who can say them, and how much intent matters when they’re said.

Why, exactly, do certain words carry so much power? I don’t mean that in terms of history, which I understand, or why people take offense to the most hateful words, which I also understand. People are right to be offended by them.

I’m talking about, at a basic level, how did we all collectively arrive at deciding that these words or any words have totemic power?
Read the entire post at http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2013/03/words-have-power-we-give-them.html