Windshift Press
Newsletter Archives
Spring is a time of noticeable growth. It is an occasion for new opportunities and changes to old practices both in my writing and in my garden. With this in mind, I would like to announce that from time to time articles by other writers will appear in the newsletter. Please comment on their usefulness and consider contributing your own piece.
My continued aim with this newsletter is to keep it f~ree from advertising and advertorials. I offer it as my contribution to the international writing community. As there is no funding or advertising revenue to support it, article writers contribute on a non-exclusive basis but without expectation of payment. This goes against my belief that all writers should be paid for their labours but I have been persuaded that writers sharing information is a good thing.
Let your writing blossom
…Sandra
Writing Tip: - If you get the dialogue right then the reader/listener shouldn't need to see the character's name on the page. By the style of each piece of dialogue, your characters should be firmly internalized in the minds of your readers/listeners. How do your characters sound? If you are not sure, then read the piece aloud to an 'audience' without giving too much explanation and see if they can give you a word picture of each of the characters in your dialogue.
Markets
The Motion of Metaphor Poetry Contest - Deadline: June 15th, 2004. Contact:
The Ontario Poetry Society, 31 Marisa Court, Thornhill, Ontario L4J 6H9; http://www.mirror.org/tops/ado.html
Kisses and Popsicles spring
poetry contest - Pandora's Collective, Delamont Postal Outlet
P.O. Box 29118, 1950 West Broadway, Vancouver BC V6J 5C2;
http://www.pandorascollective.com/contest.html
The Blood & Guts Horror Story Competition, Entry fee: $10; Prize: $100 & Publication; Deadline: July 31st 2004; Bad Moon Books, 43 Saxton Private, Ottawa, ON K2H 9P3; Details: http://www.badmoonbooks.ca
Toowrite.com's tenth competition for real life experience stories has a deadline of June 30, 2004. Details: http://www.toowrite.com
Scheherazade seeks stories of fantasy, science fiction and Gothic romance up to 5000 words. Payment by negotiation. Contact: Elizabeth Counihan, 14 Queens Park Rise, Brighton, BN2 9ZF; Details: http://www.schez.co.uk
Kensington Publishing is looking for previously unpublished authors of historical and contemporary romance novels. They are also looking for paranormal romance novels. Word length: 85,000 - 100,000. Proposals to Hilary Sares, Kensington Publishing Corp., 850 Third Avenue, 16th Flr., New York, NY 10022, USA; Details: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com
Frome Festival Short Story Competition seeks entries of short stories under 2,500 words before May 31, 2004. Entry fee: £3.50; Prize: £300.00; Contact: Frome Library, Justice Lane, Frome, Somerset, BA11 1BE; Details: http://wordswork.net/frome
Dorchester Publishing is adding a new trade paperback fantasy imprint. Editor Chris Keeslar is accepting unagented work. Contact: Dorchester Publishing Co. Inc., 200 Madison Avenue, Suite 2000, New York, NY 10016, U.S.A.
Guest Article
How A First Time Author Got His Worthwhile Book on Managing Fear Published
Wondering how to get your writing ideas published? I am a first time author
who recently got his self-help book on managing fear published. The title
of the book is "A Layman's Guide to Managing Fear Using Psychology, Christianity
and Non Resistant Methods" and is located at http://www.trebleheartbooks.com/mvStanPopovich.html
I was able to get my book published even though I didn't have any experience
in the publishing field. Let me explain.
Over the years, I collected much information on how to manage fear and anxiety.
Although I didn't have a background in the religious or psychology fields,
I did a lot of research including discussions with various professionals in
both fields on how to manage fear and anxiety. One day I was wondering if
I could develop a small book from these notes. I went to the bookstores to
read various books on how to submit a book idea to some of the publishing
companies. I learned that a writer must first develop a query letter to send
to the various publishers and then submit a manuscript. For the next few months,
I organized my notes into a small manuscript and did much editing to get my
manuscript ready to send to the various publishers. I then wrote up a query
letter and explained the benefits of how my book was unique to what was on
the market. I mentioned that my book would be complete and cover all the ways
to manage fear unlike a lot of other books in the market today. My book would
also be easy to read and results oriented, and it would be non-technical.
I tried to explain that my book provided an important need to people who manage
fear and anxiety. I then went to some of the writing sites on the Internet
that contained a listing of various publishers who would be interested in
my self-help book. I then submitted my query letter to these publishers and
eventually was asked to submit my manuscript. I followed this process for
a little less than a year.
During this time, I still talked to various writers on the Internet and asked
them how I could increase my chances of getting published. A writer told me
that if I focused on the small niche publishing companies, that I would increase
my chances of getting my book published. He was right. It took a lot of work
and persistence; however, I found it much easier to market my book idea to
the small Print On Demand Publishing companies. I eventually found a small
publishing company who really liked my book idea. I then briefly worked with
my publisher to turn my manuscript into a small easy to read book.
I eventually was able to get my book published by explaining the need and
the importance of my book in my query letter, developing a well-written manuscript,
and focusing on small publishing companies. It is not easy to get your work
published, however with a lot of research, persistence and a willingness to
continuously improve it is possible.
© Stan Popovich
"A Layman's Guide to Managing Fear Using Psychology, Christianity and
Non Resistant Methods"
http://www.trebleheartbooks.com/mvStanPopovich.html
BIOGRAPHY:
Stanley Popovich endured his share of fear and anxiety over the years. Unable
to find the help he needed, the author decided to undertake his own research.
Mr. Popovich doesn't have a background in the religious or psychology fields,
however, the author has done much research including discussions with various
professionals in both fields on how to manage fear and anxiety. The author
developed this book based on his personal experiences. The result is this
easy to read book on how to manage fear and anxiety that is located at http://www.managingfear.com
Cue Time - Every month we include a couple of writing ideas to help you kick start your writing sessions.
1. Take four characters
either real or imaginary and a plot/setting of your choice and cast the characters
under the following labels - Lead, Follow, Oppose, Bystand - and see where
it takes you.
2. Try the above exercise using the labels - Optimist, Pessimist, Realist,
Visionary - and see where this leads you. Your format could range from poetry
to flash fiction.
Industry News: Canadian university professor Paul Cavanagh of Ontario won the London International Book Fair's LitIdol competition. The prize for his novel submission Northwest Passage is a year's representation by the prestigious literary agency, Curtis Brown. The judges reduced 1,500 entries to five. More info at http://www.thebookplace.com
The answers offered in this column are the personal opinions of the staff at Windshift for Writers. They are in no way meant to take the place of the professional advice you may need to seek for your specific query.
Questions and Answers
Q. Can I write my autobiography and then sell it as a work of fiction? - Louise B.
A. Regrettably not. Although
fiction is often based on real life events, the structure of a novel is such
that it moves in an accepted form to its climax. Real life often has no such
precise structure.
Win a FREE place at one of our Workshops - Writers who wish to host a workshop
can do so by inviting interested friends and acquaintances to a venue (It
could be your dining-room table.) and providing the coffee. If you host a
workshop, your participation is free. Check the Workshops page for further
details.
Home News: This month there are many opportunities to check out writing opportunities at the Literary Info Fair in Victoria. Come to the First Metropolitan United Church on Quadra Street on Saturday, May 8, 2004 at 11:00 and browse the booths. I hope to see some of you there.
Note: While every effort
is made to check the markets suggested in this newsletter, writers must use
their own judgment when submitting their work.