October, one of my favourite months, always provides a wake up call for me. The year is almost gone. It is my personal time to take stock. The mystery of time has always intrigued me. We attempt to quantify it by giving it names - month, hour, minute, second. And yet we are most likely to describe the time span of an event by how it feels. Think about how you describe time when you write.
Sandra

Writing Tip: - Write with nouns and verbs, not adverbs and adjectives. There isn't an adjective that can save a weak or inaccurate noun. Nouns and verbs are the backbone of any good writing. Don't get me wrong I love a well placed adjective or adverb but they are often there just show how clever we are.

Markets
Cappers seeks traditional poetry, short fiction, novel excerpts and non-fiction. Submission guidelines: http://www.cappers.com/contributors-guidelines

EOTU Magazine seeks fiction and poetry. Submission guidelines: http://www.clamcity.com/submissionspage.html

The Pedestal Magazine accepts fiction, poetry and non-fiction submissions. Submission guidelines: http://www.thepedestalmagazine.com/Submit1.asp

The Boston Review accepts submissions for poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Submission guidelines: http://bostonreview.net/writerguidelines.html

Son and Foe is accepting work in a wide range of genres. Submission guidelines: http://sonandfoe.com/current/guidelines.php

Albedo One is looking for submissions for sci-fi and fantasy work. Submission guidelines: http://homepage.eircom.net/~albedo1/html/writers_guidelines.html

Challenging Destiny is a Canadian science fiction and fantasy short story magazine. Submission guidelines: http://www.challengingdestiny.com/guidelines/index.htm

Vintage Romance Publishing seeks romance novels. Submission guidelines: http://www.vrpublishing.com/submissions.php

Elbow Creek Magazine publishes fiction, poetry and articles about the American West during the golden age of the cowboy. Submission guidelines: http://www.elbowcreek.com/
Paradox seeks historical and speculative fiction as well as articles. Submission guidelines:
http://home.nyc.rr.com/paradoxmag/index.html

Cue Time - Every month we include a couple of writing ideas to help you kick start your writing sessions.

1. Go somewhere active [coffee shop, ice arena] with notepad in hand and write non-stop for 15 minutes. Choose somewhere that you don't usually go in order to be the true observer. Use your observations in future writing.

2. Set aside one hour to list and describe 10 items in your immediate environment. Describe the items; explore your feelings about your history with the object and perhaps your future with it. Start with a coffee pot. When did you have your first cup of coffee? What was that experience like?

Industry News: If you ever wondered what effect Oprah Winfrey has on one of her book choices then read on. Vintage US reported sales of 85,000 copies of her new book club pick, James Frey's A Million Little Pieces, over the four days since she announced she would broaden her book club selections from classics to all genres.

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. My novel is too short. Should I pad it and how should I do this? -Virginia P.

A. You should never pad a piece of writing, you should expand it. You might bring in one or two more characters or you might introduce a sub-plot. To expand your novel you need to do a complete re-write otherwise it will feel like something that has been patched. A good editor will notice this immediately.

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:

Life at Windshift Press is busy as usual with many new books scheduled for publication later this autumn along with a variety of events celebrating current books in print.

Look for Mel McIlveen, author of Falconer's Last Voyage on October 5th. He will be discussing the Nanaimo connection to his book on CHLY 101.7 FM from 11:00 - 12:00.

Author of The Red Flared Skirt, Margaret Takaki is off on a whirlwind tour of the Toronto area. fiction for two weeks in a row.

Author Shirley Skidmore - Coffin Ship Legacy - has embarked on her cross Canada tour with a number of speaking engagements booked in Ottawa culminating with a book signing at Books on Beechwood.

Peg Pyner, author of Lurking Back - East Sooke No News together with her daughter Barbara Warman will be appearing on CHLY 101.7 FM from 11:00 - 12:00 on Wednesday, October 26th.

Solveig McLaren, Secretary, Vancouver Island Chapter, RWA has sent the following workshop information. It sounds like a great treat for all writers.

The Vancouver Island Chapter of Romance Writers of America, are holding an all-day workshop, November 19th, in Nanaimo with author and teacher, Lynn Kerstan. Lynn is a former nun, an expert bridge player and award winning fiction writer. Her topics are Jumpstart Your Muse and WWW.SELL. Cost is $55 and includes lunch. Details and registration form at www.vicrwa.ca

Note: While every effort is made to check the markets suggested in this newsletter, writers must use their own judgment when submitting their work.

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