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Volume: 16.03       The South Carolina Writers Workshop Newsletter       April 2005

NEWS

OPPORTUNITIES

Where: Landmark Resort in Myrtle Beach
When: October 14-16, 2005

This is the South Carolina Writers Workshop's 15th anniversary and President Sandra E. Johnson and I have the privilege of co-chairing your conference this year.

Many of us have fond memories of prior conferences at Ocean Creek. The sad news is that we've outgrown Ocean Creek. The great news is that this year the conference will be held at the Landmark Resort in Myrtle Beach. The hotel is located on the beach and is closer to the airport, which should make it much easier for those of you who will be flying in.

The Landmark Resort has set aside a block of interior, ocean front and ocean view rooms and suites for conference attendees. Base room rates begin at a wonderfully low $42 per night for an interior view single. Ocean front suites are available for a very reasonable base rate of $65 per night.

The conference will begin on Friday October the 14th and run through Sunday the 16th. Once again we will offer Friday workshops.

Basic conference fees will be:

• Early bird member $125
• Regular member $150
• Early bird non-member $205
• Regular non-member $230

In order to qualify for the early bird discount, registration must be completed on-line with payment via PayPal by August 31st, or your registration accompanied by a check to cover the entire registration fee must be postmarked by August 31st. In order to qualify for member rates, you must be a member in good standing at the time you register. Current members may renew at the discounted rate of $45 when paying for the renewal at the same time as paying conference registration fees. Non-member registrations include a complimentary one year SCWW membership.

Workshop fees will be $35 to attend one workshop or $60 to attend two. As in prior years, conference registration is required for all workshop attendees.

Faculty member critiques will be $40 per critique.

Guest registration will be $50 per guest and includes the Friday night cocktail party and other social events. Guests may not attend the conference or workshop sessions.

Saturday dinner will be available for a separate per person charge, which will be determined at a later date.

Now that you know the date and location of the conference, you're probably wondering who our 2005 faculty members are. Next month we will begin to tell you which authors, agents and editors are coming to Myrtle Beach.

In the meantime, please contact either Sandra Johnson or me if you are interested in serving as a Conference Co-Chair next year. Now is the perfect time to begin planning the 2006 conference!

The South Carolina Writers Workshop will publish an anthology of the best works of its members for 2005. The anthology will feature writings in four categories: short fiction, plays, essays, and poetry. Winners in the anthology competition may have a maximum of three works published, regardless of category. The guidelines are listed below.

The anthology competition is open only to paid members of SCWW for 2005.

Members may submit one piece of writing at no cost. Additional manuscripts may be submitted for $3.00 each, regardless of category. Please make checks payable to SCWW.

Only unpublished work is eligible (except work previously published in The Quill).

All fiction and essay submissions must be typed and double-spaced. Poems must be typed, either double or single-spaced. Plays are limited to one act (less than twenty minutes), and must be typed and single-spaced in a standard publishing format. All entries should be suitable for a general audience.

Submit four copies of each manuscript. To facilitate production, manuscript(s) must also be submitted in Rich Text (preferred), Microsoft Word or WordPerfect format either via e-mail to vasseyws@hotmail.com, or on a 3.5-inch IBM-formatted diskette. We cannot accept Mac-formatted diskettes. Most word processors will allow you to save in Rich Text format with the "SAVE AS" command under the FILE menu. Also, most Kinko's and similar stores will help with this for a small charge.

Please label your diskette with your name, the title(s) and corresponding filename(s) of your entries.

Do not enclose SASE. Manuscripts and diskettes will not be returned.

The author's name must not appear on the manuscript(s). With each manuscript, please include a cover sheet (not a letter, please) containing the following information. Include one cover sheet for each set of four copies.

Author's name
Address
Telephone number(s)
E-mail address
Title of manuscript
Genre of manuscript
Word count for prose, line count for poetry, or play length in minutes.
File name of manuscript (as named on diskette or e-mail attachment)

Please pay close attention to length requirements. Any manuscripts exceeding the maximum length will not be accepted. Maximum lengths:

• Short fiction - 1,750 words
• Plays - One act. Less than 20 minutes
• Essay - 1,000 words
• Poetry - 40 lines

Manuscripts not meeting the above guidelines will be disqualified from competition. SCWW retains first-time publication rights until the anthology is published. At that time, publication rights revert to the author.

Submissions must be postmarked by April 30, 2005. Mail to

SCWW Anthology
c/o W. S. Vassey
322 Tamwood Cir
Cayce SC 29033

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Got news from your local chapter? Got a helpful writers web site to share? Got a caution about a bogus publishing opportunity or contest? Let's network our knowledge to build a better newsletter.

Deadline for submissions is the 21st of each month. Please send submissions to quilleditor@spymac.com either in the body of an e-mail or as an attached file in MS Word (DOC), Rich Text (RTF) or plain text (TXT) format. Articles accepted for publication will appear in The Quill and archived on the web. Writers retain all rights to their works.

Submissions may also be made on floppy disk and mailed to:

Leland Beaudrot
1 Cleveland St Ste 110
Greenville SC 29601-3646

Write on!

Leland Beaudrot, Editor
The Quill

The Come-See-Me Glencairn Garden Spoken Word Poetry Contest will be held April 6 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., as part of the 10th Annual National Poetry Month. Poets may enter up to 3 works or perform for up to 5 minutes. Works must be performed and must be original works to be considered for Prizes.

For information, contact Amanda (803) 323-2399

Prizes and eligibility: The contest is open to non-professional writers (those who have not met eligibility requirements for SFWA or equivalent). Previous multiple winners and current contest coordinators are also ineligible. The best story which relates to and features the contest theme will be published in the Confluence 2004 program book, and the author will be awarded the first prize of $200. At the discretion of the judges a second and third prize in the amounts of $100 and $50 may be awarded, with possible publication in a PARSEC zine. Submission to the contest implies consent for publication, but all rights revert immediately to the authors upon publication. The entries will be screened by the coordinators, and the best submissions will go on to our panel of three Judges. Decisions of the judges and coordinators in all these matters are final. There is NO entry fee.

Judges: To Be Announced

Format: Stories must be Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror in genre. Stories must be original, unpublished, unsold and no more than 3500 words in length. Submit in standard contest format (title and page number on each page, but author name only appears on separate cover page; otherwise as in any professional submission). No email submissions. Include SASE for notification only, as manuscripts will not be returned. Incorrect format will make an entry ineligible.

Theme: "High Crimes and Misdemeanors"

We think this theme is broad enough to give everyone scope for new and interesting stories. The sf/f/h connection can be with the crime, the misdemeanor, or the Highness of both. Please remember, though, that Confluence attracts many families, and the story will be printed in the program book. A certain restraint and subtlety is called for. Too much explicit gore will definitely count against you.

Deadline: April 15, 2005.

Address: Send entries to:

Ann Cecil
PARSEC Short Story Contest
2966 Voelkel Avenue
Pittsburgh PA 15216-2036

For questions or clarifications only you may email to cecil@city-net.com

Kelly Love Johnson, writer and editor.

Saturday, April 23, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Registration required: $35 CFW Members; $40 Non Members.

What aren't you writing about? How much are you "allowed" to tell? Whether writing in a journal or for publication, we all have stories to tell. Learn how to spin your observations into tales, how to find a narrative voice to bring your story to life, how to write a personal account without ranting, how to stop procrastinating, and how to translate your thoughts into personal essays without censoring yourself.

Prizes of $1,500, $500, $250 and 10 honorable mentions of $75 each. Submit 1-3 original, unpublished poems on the theme of war, up to 500 lines in all. $12 entry fee, payable to Winning Writers. Postmark deadline: May 31. Judge: Jendi Reiter. Submit online or mail to

Winning Writers
Attn: War Poetry Contest
351 Pleasant St PMB 222
Northampton MA 01060

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Novello Festival Press is pleased to announce the call for submissions for the 2006 Novello Literary Award. Submissions must be postmarked no later than June 1, 2005.

The contest gives Carolina writers an opportunity to have their work published and distributed nationally. The winning author receives a book contract with Novello Festival Press, which includes publication of the work and a $1,000 advance against royalties. The winner will be announced in Fall 2005, and the work chosen will be published in Fall 2006.

Submission Requirements

1. The contest is open to anyone over the age of 18 who is a legal resident of N.C. or S.C.
2. Submissions should consist of an original, unpublished work of literary fiction or literary non-fiction, 200 to 400 pages. Only one manuscript per author, please. No agent submissions will be accepted.
3. The work must be for a general adult audience.
4. Manuscripts should be typed, double-spaced, on 8-1/2 x 11" white paper. Good quality photocopies are acceptable. Pages should be numbered consecutively.
5. A one-page cover letter should accompany the manuscript, containing the author's name, address, telephone number, brief bio, and a short summary of the work.
6. No manuscripts will be returned. If you would like confirmation of receipt, please enclose a stamped, self-address postcard.
7. Previously submitted manuscripts will be accepted as long as the above requirements are met.

Deadline is June 1, 2005. No manuscripts postmarked after that date will be considered. Submissions are judged by the staff of NFP and members of the literary arts community whom NFP may designate. Judges will not critique submissions, nor will they enter into correspondence with authors other than those whose work is chosen for publication. Send manuscripts to:

Novello Literary Award
PLCMC
310 N Tryon St
Charlotte NC 28202

Kurt Vonnegut and Peter Matthiessen are the final judges of two unique fiction and non-fiction contests, respectively.

The First Place winners of both contests will receive a free stay in the Hamptons in mid-August, and will personally meet Vonnegut and Matthiessen over drinks at Mr. Vonnegut's 350 year-old "salt-box" home. The winners will be given autographed books by the authors. The winners may also choose to receive $500 instead of the Hamptons trip.

Both Second Place Winners receive their choice of autographed books and a 3-day stay at the Mountain Mews Bed and Breakfast in Asheville, NC or $250 cash.

Third Place Winners receive $150 and an autographed book.

The contests are sponsored by The Writers' Workshop, a literary center based in Asheville, NC. since 1985. Vonnegut and Matthiessen serve on the Advisory Board, along with John Le Carre, E.L. Doctorow, Helen Henslee and Reynolds Price. Eudora Welty and Alex Haley were past members.

Contest Guidelines:

• The deadline to enter either contest is: Postmarked by midnight, June 25, 2005.
• For the Fiction Contest: submit an original, unpublished short story.
• For the Non-Fiction Contest: submit an original, unpublished factual story or memoir.
• Any person may enter these contests, regardless of writing experience or place of residence.
• All winners will be notified by July 10.
• There is a 5,000 word limit for either contest (typed and double-spaced).
• Attach a cover sheet with your name, address, story title and phone number.
• Use 12 point font size and paper-clip your work. Enclose long, self-addressed stamped envelope with self-adhesive flap for judge's comments and winner's list.
• Do not use Fedex or certified mail.
• The entry fee is $25 per story. Multiple entries are accepted. Make check or money order payable to The Writers' Workshop, and send to:

KV Fiction Contest or PM Non-Fiction Contest
The Writers' Workshop
387 Beaucatcher Rd
Asheville NC 28805

FEATURES

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

This is the foundation of your novel. When I say idea, I don't necessarily mean the theme, although it could be. Or the most important incident, although it could be. It can be a setting. It could be a scene. It could be a character.
It is simply the first idea you had that was the seed of your novel. All else can change, but the idea can't. It might be a place; a person; an event; a moral; whatever. But you did have it before you began writing and you must remember it as you write. If you don't, your story and style will suffer terribly. You should be able to tell your idea in one sentence. And repeat it to yourself every morning when you wake up and prior to writing. Knowing it will keep you on track.
A TEST: Write down the original idea for your book in one sentence.
If you can't do it, then you need to backtrack through your thought processes and find it, because you had to have had it. Everything starts from something. Idea is not story, something I'll talk about in detail later. The original idea is the one thing in your manuscript that cannot change.
So, the above isn't very clear? OK. In one of my early novels, the original idea was an action: What if Special Forces soldiers had to destroy an enemy pipeline? That's it for Dragon Sim-13. Not very elaborate, you say. True. Not exactly a great moral theme. Right. But with that original idea there was a lot I could do and eventually had to do. I had to change the target country after the first draft. But that was OK because I still had the original idea. I had to change characters, but that was fine too, because it didn't change my original idea. I had to change the reason why they were attacking a pipeline, but again, OK-dokey because-- you got it-- the original idea was the same.

You will have plenty of latitude after you come up with your original idea; in fact, you may find the finished manuscript turns out to be different from what you had originally envisioned, but one thing is always true: That original idea is still there at the end.

After you have that original idea, you should spend a lot of time wrestling with it and develop some feelings and thoughts about it. Try to look at your main characters and determine what will happen to them emotionally, physically and spiritually as they go through the story. Who are they at the beginning of the story? Who are they at the end?
This is an example of being aware of what you are doing. I said above that not all authors have a conscious theme when they write a novel, but experience has taught me that it is better to have your theme in your conscious mind before you start writing. It might not be your original idea, but it will definitely affect your characters and story.
The reason it is important to have a theme in mind is because people want to care about what they read and the characters. If there is some moral or emotional relevance to the story readers will become more involved in the story and enjoy it more. Even if readers don't consciously see it either.

Marketability, Telling, and Research

Q: You've edited my novel. If you doubt my manuscript can be properly prepared for marketability, then I should proceed toward self-publication. I very much want to move into the traditional publishing field; however, I need to be realistic. What do you think?

A: I have good news and bad news. First the bad: Only one percent of fiction written today gets published by traditional publishers. Odds are low, no matter how great your writing may be. Next the good news: I truly believe [title deleted for privacy] has an interesting story line, good twists, and a good title. I've watched it grow from wordy and static to tight and active, the style that contemporary publishers want.With just a little more work, I honestly believe it has a chance. I would not lie about that fact.

Self-publishing is always there as a fall-back, but self-published fiction rarely achieves much success. I've heard that the average self-published fiction book sells about 100 copies. Dismal statistics, when authors are investing their own money. For that reason, I advise fiction writers to do their best to find traditional publishers and to self publish only as a last resort. Traditional publishers have the distribution system that will get your fiction into bookstores, whereas bookstores rarely handle self-published books.

Q: I'm climbing the wall with your "tells" comments. Telling, at length, is in every book I've ever read. I'm forty pages into Saturday by Ian McEwan, and there hasn't been one word of dialogue yet. Over half of The De Vinci Code is telling.

Is there a difference between "telling and "showing" that I don't understand? To me the only way to "show" is through dialogue. Is there another way? Maybe there's a fine line between telling and showing that I don't comprehend? From what I know, dialogue is showing and narrative is telling, and a book should be a good balance of the two. What am I missing?

Your next book should be on the telling-showing subject. My 12 year-old son is taking writing courses from Stanford U. via the Internet, and he read your book last week.I laid it in his room and told him to read the first chapter, and he finished the book on his own.

A: I'm thrilled that your son is a writer and read my Write In Style book. I wish I had known all the stuff in my book when I was twelve, but at least my father encouraged me to write, as you are doing for your son. Way to go!

As to the issue of showing versus telling, you're right that a happy medium is the order of the day. I took issue only with the long passages with too much telling and no action. Action is the key difference. Action takes place when people are doing things "in the moment." Not all narration is telling, rather than showing; some is action filled. "Telling" occurs when the narrative is relating something that took place earlier. Action shows what is happening at that moment, even if it does not include dialogue. De Vinci Code is full of action, people going places, looking at things, doing things. Those narrative passages are action, showing, not telling.

I mark long passages of back story, exposition, narration--whatever you want to call it--when it lacks action and kills the pace, when nothing is taking place before our "eyes." Chop down those long passages into short versions or short pieces interspersed with action and dialogue, and the pace improves.

Q: I am physically disabled. I am not in a position to travel to [country name deleted for confidentiality] and personally discover the day-to-day living environment of a seven-year-old in that country, one I want my first story to focus on; yet, as you mentioned in a previous snippet, I need to have the facts and references straight.

Could you recommend a way I could research the information I need to proceed with this book? How do I discover typical daily activities, without traveling and witnessing them firsthand? How do I know if my references are correct? Should I use another book or a video presentation for background information?

A: Excellent question; it shows you want authenticity in your story. One great way to get good background information is to find a source who has been there, or even better, one who was born there and moved to your area. To find such a person, look for local religious organizations that sponsor immigrants. You could try a local university that teaches cultural diversity, intercultural communication, or international studies. Someone in those departments may be able to refer you to a native of that country. Because you said you attended an event that made you want to write about that country, locate the people who hosted the event and find out if they will put you in touch with someone from that country. Firsthand information is best, but lacking that, you can go to the Internet, books, and videos for reference material.

Bobbie Christmas is a book editor, freelance writer and author of Write In Style: Using Your Word Processor and Other Techniques to Improve Your Writing, published by Union Square Publishing and distributed by Simon & Schuster. Send your questions to the book doctor at Bobbie@zebraeditor.com. New! If you liked these questions and answers, you'll love Bobbie's latest e-book. Ask the Book Doctor: How to Beat the Competition and Sell Your Writing, addresses hundreds of questions from writers like you. It's only $8.95 at http://www.booklocker.com/books/1906.html. Buy it today!

On the first Thursday and third Tuesday of the month the Greenville Chapter meets at The Open Book from 6:00-9:00 p.m. John Migacz, our president, directs the opening of the meeting, going over new business and announcements, welcoming new guests and making introductions round the table.

Marcia Migacz Editor of our monthly newsletter, Printed Matters, notes our local news and, in our Thursday meetings, assigns reviewers for the readings. Former Printed Matters Editor, Leland Beaudrot, now the Editor of The Quill, is responsible for initiating distribution of our newsletter via e-mail.

We have a wide range of writings each month from poetry, to inspirational, personal essays, magazine articles, fantasy, comedy, mainstream fiction, and mystery/suspense. Once in a while we will even have a children's story or a play presented.

Each reader is given the opportunity to present their work and receive critiques from the group. Both negative and positive points are commented upon in a constructive and kind manner, as well as suggestions for appropriate markets. Encouragement and advancement in our writing skills are our primary goals.

With such a wide variety of writings and personalities, our meetings are always productive and never boring. After each meeting, a small group continues the discussions and interaction at a local restaurant.

The SCWW internet board affords a fine opportunity for SCWW members to present and receive feedback for their writing efforts. We offer many forums to post your work. Poetry is our most active forum, but forums are available for prose and drama as well. So pull up a chair and have some fun.

MUSINGS