The Tech Side of Writing

I went to a panel tonight on how to "create content" that people will value enough to bother reading. I heard about the Millennial Generation (more like the Greatest Generation than the X-Gen), the state of the book (sleeping but not dead), how kids don't read (they view), and writing for the Web (keep it short and easy to navigate).

The woman who talked about the rising generation said not to even think about launching a book without a Web component--either a website or a MySpace page. Sigh. One more thing for the to-do list. I've got a simple website, but I need to go back and fix some broken links. On WriterL, there's been some discussion about branding oneself--that is, making yourself into a brand, the way Crest or Kellogg is a brand.

Essay Contest

I don't edit listings like this much, just cut and paste them, but I did bold the deadline and the fact that there's no entry fee (saints be praised).

2008 Northwest Perspectives Essay Contest
http://www.oregonquarterly.com/html/essay.htm
OPEN AND STUDENT (college or grad) CATEGORIES

Oregon Quarterly invites entries to the 2008 Northwest Perspectives Essay Contest in both student and open categories. Entries should address ideas that affect the Northwest. The Oregon Quarterly staff will select finalists, and the contest judge will choose the top three winners in each category. Past judges have been Kim Stafford, Barry Lopez, John Daniel, Karen Karbo, Brian Doyle, Lauren Kessler, and Craig Lesley.

PRIZES:
Open Category
First place: $750
Second place: $300
Third place: $100

Student Category
First place: $500
Second place: $200
Third place: $75

In addition
First-place essays will appear in Oregon Quarterly.
A selection of top essays will be featured in a springtime public reading on the UO campus. Fifteen finalists (ten in the open category and five students) will be announced in the summer 2008 issue of Oregon Quarterly.

All finalists will be invited to participate in a writing workshop with the contest judge. The contest is open to all nonfiction writers, except: (1) first-place winners from previous years’ contests, (2) authors who have written a feature for Oregon Quarterly in the past calendar year, and (3) staff of Oregon Quarterly, University Advancement, or their family members. The student contest is open to any student currently enrolled and pursuing a graduate or undergraduate degree at a college or university. Previously published essays will not be considered.

Manuscript Submission Guidelines
-Submit two copies of your manuscript.
-Paperclip a cover sheet to the two copies that includes only the essay’s title; a word count; and the entrant's name, address, and phone number must be provided. Indicate whether the essay is for the student or open category.
-Entrant's name must not appear on any pages of the manuscript other than the cover sheet.
-One entry per person.
-Manuscripts should be printed double-spaced on 8 1/2-by-11-inch white paper with minimum 1-inch margins.
-Word length is 2,500 words maximum for the open category, 2,000 words for the student contest.
-Faxed or e-mail entries are not accepted.
-Postmark deadline is January 31, 2008.

Entries will not be returned. Those that do not meet these submission
guidelines are automatically disqualified. There is no entry fee.
Send entries to:
Oregon Quarterly Essay Contest
5228 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-5228
Sponsored by Oregon Quarterly magazine and the University of Oregon Bookstore

Time

Since I haven't had enough time--which is the way my life always feels--here are some recent thoughts regarding time and writing:

1. Some stories/essays percolate in your brain before the thing, nearly intact, comes gushing onto the pages.

2. Some pieces need time to sit in a drawer so you can come back to the pages with a clearer view of what is actually on the page and some energy for editing/rewriting/rethinking.

3. Some pieces have to go back into the drawer several times.

4. When you do an immersion piece, you do have to spend time on location, as fond as you might have become of writing quick features relying on phone interviews.

5. Often, at some point, you'll have spent enough time immersed.

6. There's nothing wrong with sitting and thinking before you write--as long as you're thinking about the story.

7. It's time for me to go to sleep, which precludes writing any more right now.

Laughing on the Way to the Bank

If you're interested in humor, you should definitely be getting the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop Newsletter. I've plopped the current issue below. I think the links work doing it this way. If not, you can read the newsletter here.

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ERMA BOMBECK WRITERS' WORKSHOP NEWSLETTER
University of Dayton
October 2007
erma@udayton.edu
**************************************************************
Dear writer:

The Bombeck Workshop is no Hannah Montana concert. Several recent Hannah Montana concerts sold out in less than 30 seconds. The 2008 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop took 77 hours to sell out -- but that was a new record for us. If you'd like to put your name on the wait list, read this.

Since the last newsletter, I've received a lot of feedback and questions about self-publishing. One subscriber told me she would never recommend our workshop again because self-publishing encourages writers to create poorly written books. (I disagreed and told her most writers can create poorly written books with no encouragement at all. I know I can.)

While self-publishing certainly makes it easier to get a book in print, it doesn't make it any easier to sell. But I'm seeing more and more traditionally published authors go the self-pub route.

Leigh Anne Jasheway Bryant, who's on the Bombeck Workshop faculty, has had experiences with large publishers, small publishers and self-publishing. She says, "With the exception of my books Bedtime Stories for Dogs and Bedtime Stories for Cats, I have actually earned more as a self-publisher. This is because I have many conferences at which I sell books, as well as the fact that I'm fairly media-active--I've always got a comedy show or an event that I can push books at."

Lawrence Fox is another interesting example. Fox is a lawyer and just finished his fourth humorous book, The Confused Lawyer's Field Guide to the Courthouse. The book was self-published, just like his previous three humorous law-related books, Fox has sold 6,000 books and got a 500-copy advance order for his latest book. His books appear in a printed gift catalog sent twice a year to every major law firm in the country. So far, sales of his books have been solid, with total revenue of more than $100,000. Fox says the bottom line is, "If the material is any good, it will ultimately sell."

If you have a story about self-pubishing you'd like to share, shoot me a note at bete@udayton.edu.
Keep writing!

Tim Bete
author of Guide to Pirate Parenting
director, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop, University of Dayton

Latest news...

DAVE BARRY ON DIGBY REPORT
Dave Barry appeared on The Horace J. Digby Report to discuss humor, writing, Art Buchwald, International Talk Like a Pirate Day, Harry Potter, Peter Pan, sex change operations, Dave Barry's History of the New Millennium (So Far), why it is perfectly legal for you to mail cash directly to Dave Barry, Dave's snappy answers to listeners' questions and much much more. Listen now.
BLURBOLOGY 101
John Hershey shares how to promote your writing through shameless name dropping. Read more.
THE SECRET LIFE OF WRITERS
Ernie Witham, who teaches at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference, had his students write a column as a group. Here it is.
JOE KEENAN WINS THURBER PRIZE
Joe Keenan, the Emmy winner and former executive producer for Frasier, has won the 2007 Thurber Prize for American Humor for his novel, My Lucky Star. Read more.
NEW NATIONAL LAMPOON SPOOF
Kevin Dillon (Entourage) is starring in National Lampoon's 301: The Legend of Awesomest Maximus Wallace Leonidas, a spoof of swords and sandals movies 300, Troy, Gladiator, and Braveheart. Read more.
WEB CHANGES HOW COMEDY IS WRITTEN
The Web has changed the way comedy is written, says John O'Farrell, by empowering unknown writers to collaborate wiki-style with established names. Read more.
THE LOVE BOAT
Thirty years ago this fall, "The Love Boat'' set sail. In this oral history, the Pacific Princess crew fondly recall their decade on a TV classic. Read more.
TINA FEY IS ON TOP
How did Tina Fey go from a recent college graduate who moved to Chicago in 1992 to do improv to the reigning queen of TV comedy? Read more.
Humor writer of the month
ANITA RENFROE
Anita Renfroe is a stand-up comic and author of If It's Not One Thing, It's Your Mother; The Purse-driven Life: It Really Is All About Me; and If You Can't Lose It, Decorate It: And Other Hip Alternatives to Dealing With Reality. Visit her Web site.

Book giveaway
Each month we give away a book on writing to a few subscribers to our newsletter. If you're subscribed, you're entered to win! This issue's winners are:
* Felice Prager
* Jane Kretschmann
* Jackee McNittengles
Each has won a copy of Book Proposals That Sell by Terry Whalin.

Who's publishing what?
WORKSHOP FACULTY
KIRKLAND ON TV: Gordon Kirkland appeared on BookTelevision's "3-Day Novel Contest."
GHOSTHUNTER: John Kachuba's new book, Ghosthunters: On the Trail of Mediums, Dowsers, Spirit Seekers and Other Investigators of America’s Paranormal World combines his case reports of actual hauntings, discussions with leading figures in the paranormal world, and stories about related subjects—buying ghosts on eBay, buying and selling haunted houses, ghost tourism—to present an intriguing and witty look at this interesting phenomena in American pop culture.
BOLTON AND DICKSON: Seasoned comedy writers Martha Bolton and Brad Dickson take an unconventional, refreshing look at the over-forty Race You To The Fountain of Youth. Instead of heaping on the pressure to exercise more, eat less, manage your time, and save all your money for retirement, Bolton and Dickson offer a take-it-easy approach to aging with chapters like: "If Menopausal Women Ruled the World," "How to Calculate Your Real Age," and "He Died of What?"
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
SHOVEL IT: Gwen Petersen has published How To Shovel Manure and Other Life
Lessons for the Country Woman.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
HOW TO WRITE FUNNY: Gene Perret has published the NEW Comedy Writing Step by Step.
FEELING ILL? Dennis DiClaudio has written the perfect guide for people who think they may have a horn growing out of their head. The Hypochondriac's Pocket Guide to Diseases You Probably Already Have is a look at all the crazy stuff people do to try and stay young.

Markets, contests and more
STAY-AT-HOME MOM SOUL: A mom is a cook, housekeeper, teacher, laundress, facilities manager, chauffeur, psychologist and nurse. And she is on call twenty four hours a day. Read more.
CATHOLIC SOUL: Chicken Soup for the Catholic Soul is collecting true stories sharing the power and promise, hope and happiness of being Catholic. Read more.
RADIO HUMOR WRITING CONTEST: Write and perform something original that is intended to he heard on radio. Cash prizes. Read more.
HOSPITAL STORIES WANTED: Brenda Elsagher, author of If the Battle is Over, Why Am I Still in Uniform? and I’d Like to Buy a Bowel Please, is asking for submissions for her third book: Bedpan Banter, funny and inspiring stories from the hospital. Please limit submissions to 1500 words or less. Stories must be unpublished and fit into the descriptive title. Deadline for stories is April 1, 2008. Read more.
GREAT COURSE: Gene Perret is offering an online Master Course in Joke Writing. Read more.
SEX IN THE CEMETERY AND OTHER BIBLE STORIES: Susan Reinhardt and DC Stanfa are seeking submissions for an anthology contest:
Contest Deadline: November 21, 2007
Prize: Two $200 Grand Prizes will be awarded and all entries chosen for the book will receive $100.
Story Length: 750-2,500 words
Point of View: First-person or third-person (no second person).
Style: Narrative nonfiction, creative nonfiction. But, it must be a story. The theme of this anthology is relationships. Think men, women, and messy meanderings. Essays will be considered, but the Author must have a story to tell, not just an opinion.
Tone: Stories must be humorous. They can be poignant and touching, but above all, they need to be humorous. Irreverence is a plus, as is the uniqueness of the tale.
• Stories must be original, true (license to exaggerate greatly, but essentially true).
• Previously published material is acceptable, as long as the Author retains the copyright.
• A publishing agreement will be mailed to the Author of each story selected as a finalist.
• Due to the volume of submissions anticipated, we cannot report on the status of individual submissions (with the exception of finalists, who are notified in writing). The grand-prize winning story and the list of contributors will be posted on the Editors’ websites (www.susanreinhardt.com and www.dcstanfa.com) upon publication.
• Authors may submit multiple stories.
How to Submit Your Story
Email submissions, in an attached Word file, to dcstanfa@fuse.net with anthology submission in the subject line
Each submission must include the following:
Your full name
Your mailing address
Your phone number
Story word count
Story title
Title of original publication—if in a larger body of work
Brief bio of author—100 words, or so.

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NETWORK WITH OTHER HUMOR WRITERS: Network with other humor writers. Join the e-mail discussion group for past attendees of the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop and those who would like to attend in the future. Join now.
-----------------------------------------------
SUGGEST A RESOURCE: If you have a favorite book or Web site, let us know at bete@udayton.edu.
mailto:bete@udayton.edu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Copyright 2007, University of Dayton

Calls for Narrative Nonfiction

DAMSELFLY
damselfly press, an innovative online literary journal for women, is
seeking electronic submissions of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry by
female writers for our second issue, slated for online publication in
January 2008.
Visit the damselfly press website at http://www.damselflypress.net to
learn more about the journal and read submission guidelines.
We welcome a myriad of women's voices from new and experienced writers.
The deadline to submit for the second issue is December 15, 2007.
==============

CRAB ORCHARD REVIEW
Special Issue: The In-Between Age~Writers on Adolescence
deadline: October 31, 2007. [I swear I just got this notice]

CRAB ORCHARD REVIEW is seeking work for our Summer/Fall 2008 issue focusing on writing inspired or informed by the experiences, observations, and/or cultural and historical possibilities of the following topic: The In-Between Age~Writers on Adolescence. We are open to work that covers any of the multitude of ways that the transition from childhood to adulthood in the teenage years defines us and, in turn, defines the world we live in.
All submissions should be original, unpublished poetry, fiction, or literary nonfiction in English or unpublished translations in English (we do run bilingual, facing-page translations whenever possible). Please query before submitting any interview. Include SASE for manuscript return or for our reply.
For guidelines, check our Web site at
.
Mail submissions to:
Jon Tribble, Managing Editor
CRAB ORCHARD REVIEW
Adolescence issue
Faner 2380, Mail Code 4503
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
1000 Faner Drive
Carbondale, IL 62901
Please include SASE with your submission for manuscript return or for reply. No submissions via e-mail or fax, thanks.
The submission period for this issue is August 1, 2007 through October 31, 2007. We will be reading submissions throughout this period and hope to complete the editorial work on the issue by mid-February. Writers whose work is selected will receive $20 (US) per magazine page ($50 minimum for poetry; $100 minimum for prose), two copies of the issue, and a year's subscription. If you would like to submit work to Crab Orchard Review that is not for this upcoming thematic issue, please wait for our next open reading period to send it (February 1 to April 30, 2008). Thank you.

=========
ALLEGHENY RIVER ANTHOLOGY
http://www.foothillspublishing.com/awa

FOOTHILLS PUBLISHING is planning an anthology of poems and short prose pieces about the Allegheny River scheduled for publication in the fall of2008.
Visit our web page at http://www.foothillspublishing.com/awa/for further guidelines.
Please send your poems and short prose pieces (1000 words or less) to us at:
awa@foothillspublishing.com
DEADLINE: JANUARY 31, 2008.
Material received after this date cannot be considered.
EDITORS:
Linda Underhill grew up within sight of the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, PA. She has degrees in writing from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Arizona. Her collection of essays, "The Unequal Hours: Moments of Being in the Natural World," was published by University of Georgia Press.
Helen Ruggieri lives two blocks from the Allegheny in Olean, NY (where the river first becomes navigable). She has an MFA from Penn State. Her book of poetry, "Glimmer Girls," was published by Mayapple Press.
FOOTHILLS PUBLISHING has produced more than 120 books in the last ten years. Poet-publisher is Michael Czarnecki.

=============
The Normal School.
A Literary Magazine
http://www.thenormalschool.com/

Now Accepting:
Creative Nonfiction. Story. Poem. Critique. Experiential Recipes.

Quirky. Boundary-challenging. Energetic. Innovative in both form and focus.

We're the equivalent of the kid who always has bottle caps, cat's eye marbles, dead animal skulls and other treasures in his pockets.

Trust us. We're Normal.

Contributing Editors include Steve Almond, Tom Bissell, Beth Ann Fennelly, Duncan Murrell, Laura Pritchett, Steve Yarbrough, and MORE.
Are you Normal School material?
Send us your work:
The Normal School
5245 N. Backer Ave.
M/S PB 98
California State University, Fresno
Fresno, CA 93740-8001
OR as an attachment in .doc or .rtf format only to submisssions@thenormalschool.com.
Please include an email address in your contact information and indicate genre to the best of your ability.
==================

Writing Narrative for Yourself

Juggle these two thoughts when you're writing creative nonfiction:
1) You're writing only for yourself.
2) You're writing for an audience that has to understand what you're writing.

For Yourself . . .
You must concentrate on telling the story truly, as you see it, as you understand it. What is at the heart of your story? What evidence do you have that supports that? (This evidence should be laid out in scenes.) When you write "for yourself," you're writing in a bubble, facing off against the story you want to tell and wrestling it down to the page.

You can't worry about how so-and-so is going to take it, whether something will hurt someone's feelings.

Push aside any feelings you have of unworthiness to be a writer. Kick out those ghosts of taunting relatives, scornful ex-spouses, doubting friends, and rejections already received. If you can't get all that negativity out of the room, at least shove them under the rug and sit on them while you're writing.

. . . and an Audience
When the story is drafted, sit back and consider who will read it.
If you're writing on assignment for a niche magazine, it can be a matter of, What might be left out? If you're writing for a hiking magazine, odds are you don't need to spell out what gorp is (literally "good old raisins and peanuts"; generally, a combination of nuts and dried fruit easily eaten on the trail). Is it clear why the story is of interest to these readers?

For a story headed for the slush piles of literary magazines, think about what needs to be added so readers will understand it. Especially when you've been immersed in a story, it's easy to forget what terms--or processes or relationships--a general readership won't understand.

Ponder details that might offend innocent characters. If there's a fat girl that's in a scene, do you have to call her fat? For starters, Is it important that her weight be described? What are the connotations connected to the words that could be used to describe her? Heavyset, stout, plus-sized, plump, chunky, Rubenesque, zaftig, big-boned, sturdy . . . each has a slightly different meaning. The thesaurus is your friend (but remember, no big words used simply because they're big words).

For the memoirists among us, if you're afraid your story will deeply hurt someone you want to stay close to, wait to publish until that person is dead. Writing is a marathon, not a sprint. Not everything has to be published this minute.