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Volume: 16.10 • The South Carolina Writers Workshop Newsletter • November 2005

NEWS

For those that didn't make the SCWW Conference - it was fantastic. – H.D.

We had some glitches, as always, but can work on those for next year, but it was a success overall. Great faculty, lots of fun. – B.B.

The conference is over for another year. As always, we want to know what we got right and what needs improvement.

This year when we asked you to complete the evaluation forms, many of you did, though admittedly bribery (door prize eligibility) was required. The majority of the 87 who responded said they plan to attend again next year and almost all of the others said "maybe" (depending on personal financial conditions, the location of the conference, faculty line-up, etc.).

We asked for comments and here are my two favorites, one praise, the other constructive criticism:

"Have you been to Breadloaf? It's almost as good."

"We had a chicken bone in our closet - we weren't sure what that meant."

If you attended the conference but didn't return your evaluation form, please take time to complete it now and mail it to us at: SCWW, PO Box 7104, Columbia,SC 29202.

If you didn't attend, we'd like to know why. Was it the cost? The location? (If so, in which city, or what part of the state, would you like for future conferences to be held?) The faculty? (If your genre was not represented, what genre(s) would you like to see added?) The time of year? Or the particular weekend?

Please e-mail us at SCWWconf2005@msn.com and share your opinions so that we can consider how better to serve you in the future.

One of the founders of the SCWW, Carrie McCray, who at 92 is still writing and teaching writing, presented the awards at our conference. If you haven't read her book, Freedom's Child, you're missing out.

This year we received only 2 play entries, so we had to drop that category, but will have it next year if we get 5 plays. A big thank you to all the wonderful people who served as judges. We had 3 in each category, the entries were mailed without names, and the scores were averaged. We also had at least one male and one female judge in each category to make the contest as fair as possible, and the judges came from outside the organization.

Congratulations to all the winners of the Carrie McCray Literary Awards for 2005.

FICTION: First Place

• "House of Ruth" by Craig Faris
• "I Ain't Studying You" by George Youngblood

Honorable Mention:

• "Pathetic" by Emily Avent

NONFICTION: First Place

• "One Day on Oprah" by Lorraine Ray

Honorable Mention:

• "Chattahoochee Child" by Barbie Perkins-Cooper
• "The Haints of Hardemore Creek" by George Youngblood

POETRY: First Place

• "The Day My Wife Kissed Pat Conroy" by Clinton Campbell

Honorable Mention:

• "Guitar, Hips, and History" by Bonnie Stanard
• "I Found Your Clothes" by Betty Beamguard

Fiction

Sandra Novack's fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in Gulf Coast, Mississippi Review, Descant, Northwest Review, Paterson Literary Review, North Dakota Quarterly, and South Carolina Review, among many others. Her collection, Love and Other Disasters, was a finalist in the 2004 Spokane Prize and the 2005 Tartt Contest and is currently under review with various presses. She holds an MA in Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Cincinnati and an MFA in Fiction Writing from Vermont College. She has taught at NC State University, Duke University, and on-line at writers.com, where she offers classes in literary fiction and private tutoring.

Laura Puccia Valtorta, a native of Watertown, New York, has practiced law in South Carolina since 1993. Carolina Wren Press published her novel, Family Meal, in 1993. She has a how-to book entitled Start Your Own Law Practice forthcoming from Entrepreneur press. Her short stories have appeared in The Distillery and Aethlon. An avid tennis player, Valtorta has published a local tennis newsletter which is available at Tennisphile.com. She and her husband, Marco, have a daughter, Clara, and a son, Dante.

Earl Wilcox earned a Ph.D in American literature from Vanderbilt University and served as a university professor for more than 40 years, 30 of them at Winthrop University. He has published essays and books on Jack London, Frost, Faulkner, McCullers, Dickinson, Warren, and many others. Dr. Wilcox founded the Robert Frost Review, which he edited for 10 years (1990-2000). He is the recipient of NEH grants; Fulbright awards to Greece and Thailand; Distinguished Professor at Winthrop University (1994); and is the recipient of the South Carolina Governor's Award in the Humanities (2000). With his wife, Elizabeth, he edited the 100th anniversary issue of London's The Call of the Wild. He is currently writing poetry and fiction, and won honorable mention

Nonfiction

John Blake lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and works as a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, for which he has written several award-winning stories on civil rights. He has also received awards for his features from the Associated Press, the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists, the Georgia Press Association, and the Society of Professional Journalists. In his book, Children of the Movement, he profiles 23 children of leaders of the Civil Rights Movement to show how it affected their lives.

Jayne Jaudon Ferrer is the author of A New Mother's Prayers and I Am a Mother of Sons, first published by Pocket Books and recently revised and released in new editions by Loyola Press. Her newest book from Loyola, Dancing with my Daughter, was named as a Top Ten Catholic Hardcover Book last year. A former copywriter for Young & Rubicam, Ferrer has won numerous awards and, as a newspaper columnist and freelance journalist, has published hundreds of articles in publications ranging from The Palm Beach Post to Christian Parenting Today. She lives in Greenville, South Carolina.

Mary Kratt is a North Carolina writer, a native of West Virginia, and a graduate of Agnes Scott College with an M.A. from UNC Charlotte. Her poems have appeared in many well-known literary magazines such as Southern Poetry Review, Shenandoah and Nimrod. She is the author of 16 books of biography, poetry, and regional history. Her most recent books are Valley, Small Potatoes, The Only Thing I Fear is a Cow and a Drunken Man, and Charlotte: Spirit of the New South. Mary has won prizes for short fiction, poetry, and history and was awarded a residency in poetry in 1996 at the MacDowell Colony by the N.C. Arts Council. She taught American Studies at UNC Charlotte.

Poetry

Eloise Bradley Fink taught poetry workshops for over 25 years at New Trier Extension, taught at Loyola University and for the Illinois Arts Council. She is listed in Who's Who in American Literature and started Thorntree Press. Her book of poems, Lincoln and the Prairie After, was published in 1999, and her poems have appeared in various periodicals. www.litline.org/IWD/html/fink.html

Dan Masterson has published in many journals, including The New Yorker, Paris Review, Poetry, Hotel Amerika, and The Ontario Review. Elected to membership in Pen International in 1986, he is a recipient of two Pushcart Prizes, the Poetry Northwest Bullis Prize, the Borestone Award, and the CCLM Fels Award. He is currently completing That Which Is Seen, poems based on artwork. Many of these poems have appeared in such journals as the Sewanee, Georgia, and Ontario Reviews. His published books include On Earth As It Is, Those Who Trespass, World Without End, and All Things, Seen and Unseen. On his Poetry Master website, Professor Masterson offers free commentary on a single poem, with further, optional involvement on a contractual basis. www.poetrymaster.com

Gail Peck received her MFA from the Program for Writers at Warren Wilson. She is the author of 4 books of poetry, most recently Thirst from Main Street Rag. Her poems and essays have appeared in The Southern Review, Greensboro Review, Louisville Review, Kestrel, Brevity and numerous other journals. Her work has also appeared in various anthologies, including Word and Witness: One Hundred Years of Poetry in North Carolina. Peck has also presented many essays on the craft of writing.

Active members are invited to submit nominations to fill five vacancies on the SCWW Board as Craig Faris, Barbie Perkins-Cooper, Frances Pierce, Shari Stauch and Leland Beaudrot will be rotating off at the end of 2005. Nominees must be current members. Submit nominations, along with a brief biography of the nominee, to Sandra Johnson via e-mail or at SCWW, PO Box 7104, Columbia SC 29202 by November 30, 2005. Ballots will be distributed in December.

Interest has been expressed to form new chapters in the Florence and Lake City areas. If you are in the area and are willing to help these new chapters get started, even if you are already a member of an active chapter, please let me know. Together, we do the write thing better.

Meets 2nd Tuesday at Eden Gardens on Silver Bluff Road, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Contact: Charles Reeve cpreeve@bellsouth.net

Meets 2nd & 4th Sundays at the Merritt Building Parlor of Anderson College from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Contact: Jo Buckner (864) 261-7739.

Meets 1st Tuesdays at Books-a-Million on West Ashley, 7:00 p.m.; 3rd Tuesdays at Starbucks on Coleman Blvd., Mount Pleasant, 7:00 p.m. Contact: Janet Nye janlnye@netzero.net

Meets 1st & 3rd Wednesdays at Lexington County Public Library, Cayce-West Columbia Branch, 1500 Augusta Road, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. Contact: Steve Vassey vasseyws@hotmail.com

Meets 1st & 3rd Mondays at Richland County Public Library, 1431 Assembly Street, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. Contact: Larry Hamilton docham@earthlink.net

In the 2005 Carrie McCray poetry competition, Bonnie Stanard won Honorable Mention for her poem about Elvis Presley titled "Guitar, Hips, and History." At the SCWW conference's open mic session, Alex Raley ably represented the Columbia writers by reading his poem about the sole survivor of eight parachutists in WW II.

Several presenters at the Myrtle Beach conference expressed reservations about the benefit of writer workshops, and in response, members of the Columbia II group are drafting guidelines for readers and critics. Following are samples of changes being considered.

With respect to writers who read their manuscripts, too much time is taken up by introductions and explanations. This is especially difficult to control, for critics ask questions about passages which often leads to long answers. In an effort to improve the experience for every person present, the new rule is that writers may not comment during criticism of their work.

In the past, critical comments were less likely to dishearten writers than to encourage mediocre or unprofessional efforts. That is to say, the group as a whole tends to compliment writers who should be getting helpful pointers on how to improve. Frank criticisms delivered in a respectful manner will be encouraged.

No criticizing the critic. This means that no critic may demean other criticisms. If one disagrees with another, he/she simply offers a different view without questioning previous comments.

Another pitfall is the temptation of critics to rewrite passages that are considered weak. Going down that path is time consuming as members of the group disagree, not about what needs to be changed in a manuscript, but about how to change it. Critics may identify weak passages but may not offer their own corrections.

Members of the group may make suggestions or get a copy of the tentative guidelines from Bonnie Stanard at brstanard@sc.rr.com or phone 803.779-1790.

At the next meeting, final changes will be entered and a vote taken.

Meets 2nd Tuesday at St. Eugene Hospital dining room 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Contact: Kati Paul (843) 774–4561.

Meets 1st Thursday & 3rd Tuesday at The Open Book, 110 South Pleasantburg Drive, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. Contact: John Migacz migaczmarjon@prtcnet.com

New member Elizabeth Eldering won Second Runner-up in the Armchair Interviews Mystery Fan Writing Contest for her short story, "Train of Clues." The contest required her to write a story that used at least four of the following eight clues: Obsession perfume; soiled ballet slipper; train whistle; temporary tattoo; headless Barbie; a wig; footprints in the snow; and a page from a dictionary.

Launched in 2005, Armchair Interviews™ www.armchairinterviews.com "welcomes you to a fun, convenient way to access your favorite author or learn more about those who write in a specific genre."

In August, Robin Prince Monroe had an article titled "Around the Home" published on the Crown Financial Ministries website www.crown.org Also, check out Robin's website at www.robinprincemonroe.com

Meets 2nd & 4th Wednesdays at Lexington County Library, Irmo Branch, 6251 St. Andrews Road, 6:30 p.m. Contact: Charlotte Blackstone CHEETAH5@aol.com

Lexington 1st Chapter Writers meets in the Lexington Library at 5440 Augusta Road every other Tuesday from 6-8. Contact: Lynn Stidom lstidom@aol.com

Meeting places and times vary. Contact: Ruth King flking@sccoast.net

Meets 2nd & 4th Tuesday at Books-A-Million, 7 p.m. Contact Edward Howe edhowe139@aol.com

Meets 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. every 2nd and 4th Monday at the Richland County Library, Sandhills Branch, 1 Summit Parkway, Columbia, SC. Contact Sonia Hayes Pleasant sonia_hayes@msn.com

Meets 4th Tuesday at Spartanburg Westside Library, 525 Oak Grove Road, 7:00 p.m. Contact: Roger Meadows RDM730@aol.com

OPPORTUNITIES

First Place Winner in each category will receive $100.
Second Place Winners will receive $25.

Eligibility and Rules for Entry

Students in grades 11 and 12 currently enrolled in South Carolina schools are eligible. Each student may enter one manuscript in each category: fiction and poetry. All entries must be original and must be postmarked by March 1, 2006.

Each work must be typed on 8 1/2" x 11" white paper with an entry form as a cover sheet. Fiction should be double spaced. The student's name cannot appear on the entry itself. Please staple or clip pages together and number them. If you have questions, contact Betty Beamguard at bbeamguard@earthlink.net

Mail entries to:

Betty Beamguard
SCWW Contest Chair
13671 W Hwy 55
York SC 29745-8756

Note to teachers: We encourage you to have a classroom or school competition and send us only the winning entries. This would give your students local recognition for their writing, and our judges, who are volunteers, wouldn't be overwhelmed with submissions.

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 (NOTE: New E-Mail Address!) quilleditor@bellsouth.net 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 Scruffy Dog Review is an international bi-monthly electronic literary magazine offering the BEST of both traditional and eclectic flash fiction, poetry, short stories, screenplays and book reviews. We are now accepting submissions for the January 2006 issue. We have some great author interviews scheduled, including Ian Rankin, Martha O'Connor and Silvio Sirias.

What are we looking for?

• Flash Fiction
• Short Stories
• Poetry
• Nonfiction Essays
• Art and Book Related Articles
• Book Reviews
• Screenplays and Plays

We'll consider almost everything as long as you own the work. We do not accept previously published work, but we will accept simultaneous submissions as long as the author notifies the editors of The Scruffy Dog Review if the piece is accepted elsewhere.

Rarely will a piece be published without any editing whatsoever and The Scruffy Dog Review reserves the right to reject a previously accepted piece if the author is unwilling to make necessary revisions to make the piece publishable for the magazine.

Due to the volume of submissions we receive, we ask that you limit your submissions to the following:

• 1 Short Story (no more than 4000 words)
• No more than three poems
• No more than two flash fiction pieces (maximum 250 words per story)
• 1 Non-fiction essay (no more than 4000 words)
• 1 Article (no more than 4000 words)
• No more than two book reviews.

We are unable to pay our contributing writers right now, but you will have the prestige of publication in The Scruffy Dog Review and a link to your website on our contributors page.

Upon acceptance and publication, The Scruffy Dog Review retains the right to post all accepted stories, articles and poems for the issue said piece is accepted and for The Scruffy Dog Review back issues for up to one year after the piece is initially published. The rights to the piece will revert back to the author after the piece is initially published and the link to the author's work will be removed after one year or earlier upon request.

Please send your submission to submissions@thescruffydogreview.com. No Attachments please.

Judge: The judge will be novelist and short story writer, Silas House. For more information visit www.silashouse.com

Eligibility: The 2006 The Janice Holt Giles Fiction Prize is open to all fiction writers. Only an original, unpublished short story in English may be submitted. Any subject matter or writing style is welcome. The winning story must be suitable for a general audience.

Deadline: Manuscripts must be postmarked by January 1, 2006. The winner will be notified by March 2006. The winning story will run in the summer issue of Arts Across Kentucky.

Manuscript format: Send two copies, typed double-spaced on white, 8 1/2" x 11" paper. Photocopied are acceptable. Do not send originals as manuscripts will not be returned. One entry should not exceed 3,000 words. One entry per writer. Entry should include a cover page with writer's name, address and other contact information and story title. Each page of manuscript should have a header with the story title and page number. The writer's name and other identifying information should appear only on cover page, not on manuscript. The winning author will be asked to submit an electronic copy for publication in AAK.

Prize: The winner of The Janice Holt Giles Fiction Prize will receive $300 and publication in the summer issue of Arts Across Kentucky.

Submission guidelines: Entry deadline is January 1, 2006. Send two copies of manuscript and cover page along with a $10 entry fee to:

Arts Across Kentucky
Attn: Fiction Prize
2009 Family Circle
Lexington, KY 40505

Make checks payable to Arts Across Kentucky.

Affiliates of employees of The Giles Society and Arts Across Kentucky are not eligible. The contest sponsors and judge reserve the right not to choose a winner should no suitable manuscript be found.

Finishing Line Press is currently accepting entries for our New Women's Voices Chapbook Competition. Open to women who have never before published a full-length book of poems. Last year's winner was Kay Sloan for The Birds Are On Fire. Please submit 16-26 pages of poetry (one poem per page), title page, bio, acknowledgments, SASE, and $15 entry fee to our new location: Finishing Line Press, PO Box 1626, Georgetown KY 40324. The winner receives a $100 cash award, publication, ISBN, and 25 copies of her chapbook. Sample Chapbook $6.00

Deadline: January 15, 2006 (Postmark)

In addition to the winning manuscript, up to 10 manuscripts will be selected for publication in the NWV series.

Email: kevin@finishinglinepress.com

In collaboration with Southern Methodist University Press’s new “Sport in American Life” series, Creative Nonfiction will publish a special issue of the journal called Anatomy of Baseball. Submissions for this issue (scheduled for publication in Spring 2007) should focus on a specific aspect of the sport. Potential topics might include:

• Positions--for example, playing shortstop or catcher
• Equipment--the mitt, the bat, the ball, etc.
• Rules--for example, the changing strike zone or the designated hitter
• Special skills--such as throwing a curve ball, or stealing bases

Memoir or stories of personal experience are welcome, as are profiles of players, managers, coaches, umpires or others. Possible subjects for this issue are limitless, but a strong focus on one aspect of the sport is essential. Ideally, essays will combine a strong and compelling narrative with a significant element of research or information. Submissions must be received by February 1, 2006 and should be sent to:

Creative Nonfiction: Anatomy of Baseball
5501 Walnut St Ste 202
Pittsburgh PA 15232

The New Review, a new on-line monthly journal of short fiction and critical essays on art and culture, is dedicated to promoting and supporting under-represented and emerging writers of exceptional talent. We also aim to promote awareness of contemporary visual culture through well-developed articles on the web.

We consist of a small group of literary and art professionals based in Washington D.C., U.S. and Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Writers or academicians interested in submitting work for review may do so by filling out the submission form on the web site with well-polished, unpublished and unposted, philosophically motivated, short fiction and/or critical essays on art and culture 4,000 words max.

1. Please include a word-count on the upper right hand top.

2. You can submit relative images with your work if you want to. Copies only please. Use the e-mail address instead. admin@thenewreview.com

3. All accepted work will receive a payment of 2 cents per word (USD), If you do not live in the U.S. you must be able to exchange the check into your own currency.

4. The New Review ensures that all submissions are reviewed and considered for publication.

5. If your work is accepted for publication in The New Review, we ask for First Time Serial Rights. We hold all rights for the piece during the month that it appears in the The New Review. Upon publication of a new issue, rights to works contained in the previous issue revert to the authors. We reserve the right to publish and reproduce submitted material in electronic and print formats, during the month in which the work appears. By submitting your work to The New Review, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to all submission guidelines.

6. We pay on acceptance.

7. Each issue includes one short fiction piece and one critical essay. It is always published on the first of each month.

Travel writers interested in developing articles about a new Blue Ridge Mountain resort and residential community are invited to contact Mary Eaddy at 843-626-4455, ext. 3. Linville River Farm features vintage farmhouses, fishing cottages, animals, a country store and renovated Victorian inn along more than 5,000 feet of private river access.

Linville River Inn will provide two nights' complimentary accommodations with breakfast for travel writers visiting on assignment. Tom E. Baugh, Jr., community developer, built condominiums in Myrtle Beach and in the Caribbean during the 1970s. Linville River Farm represents a big change in his approach, focus and style. For information about the community, please see www.linvilleriverfarm.com and www.linvilleriverinn.com.

FEATURES

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

You've finished your manuscript and now it's burning a hole through your desktop. You desperately want to start making submissions.

STOP.

You need to do two things before you start marketing a manuscript.

1. Start writing your next one. You learned so much writing the first, that your second is bound to be better. Most authors do not get published on their first try out the gate. Don't pin all your hopes on the first one, and the best way to do that is to start writing the second. This also prevents you from spending an entire year trying to market the first and ending up with just a pile of rejection slips. At least at the end of the year, at the very least, you can have a pile of rejection slips and another manuscript ready to market. I was on manuscript number three with hundreds of rejections on file before I got my first book deal. And I know for a fact that I wouldn't have gotten that book deal if I had not had three manuscripts in hand. Having those extra manuscripts made my first publisher more confident in my longevity and commitment, and with rewriting, they did eventually publish those first two.

2. Let the manuscript sit for at least two weeks before making submissions. As you read the following pages, the one adjective I use over and over again with regards to the publishing world is SLOW. No one else is in any rush so you have to fight spinning your wheels. You're only going to get one shot at each agent and publishing house you send your submission to; it is best to make sure it is your best one. Let the manuscript sit for a couple of weeks, then pick it up and read it very critically. Rewrite. Edit. Clean it up.

If you've done those two things, then you are ready to start thinking about marketing your book. Take the book process and work it backward to get to your starting point in trying to sell it. Think of the ultimate buyer, the person standing in the store. How do they choose a book? Don't you think editors and agents think about that quite a bit?

The critical components that editors and agents are looking for in a novel are good characters revolving around a great idea.

Why? Because that is what readers are looking for. Not only does the idea by itself have to be top-notch, but it also has to fit the publisher's needs at the time.

The key to selling your novel is to communicate to the agent/editor the excitement you feel about your book. You started writing an entire novel based on your original idea because it excited you-try to get that excitement across to the editor and agent as best you can. Don't let format stymie you in that attempt. Everyone can follow a formula. The key is to get someone emotionally involved in the story you wrote.

You shouldn't "write for the market," but you most definitely need to understand the market when attempting to break into it. Your original idea is the first thing that gets looked at, long before your writing does. Your background-- and I mean more than just your writing background-- also plays a determining role in how a publisher looks at a submission.

A common lament among writers is: "If I could only get my manuscript read. I know a publisher would buy it." There is a flaw in the logic of that statement that most people never consider. As I mentioned earlier, how many of you go to a bookstore, completely read a book, and then buy it? To expect agents and editors to do what you don't do is not fair. Also, it makes no sense. Most people buy a book from an unknown author based on reading the cover copy (your cover letter and partial synopsis) and maybe looking at the first couple of pages. In other words they buy it the same way an agent is going to take you on, or a publisher will offer you a contract.

To expect someone to invest the time into reading something of questionable value to them is naive in this business. A person in the store is going to put down her hard-earned money to buy a book. To an agent or editor, time is money. For them to invest the time to read your manuscript, they have to expect a reasonable return on that investment. And remember, every writer thinks his manuscript gives a great return.

Note: You should not start marketing a manuscript until it is done. I have seen new writers-- with only a partial manuscript and an outline-- try to approach agents and publishers at conferences. Their feeling seems to be that they will do the work to finish the rest of the manuscript if they find someone interested in it. I'm sorry to say, but that really doesn't fly in the face of the realities of the business. As I noted earlier, in the majority of cases, writers have several completed manuscripts before they get published.

There is no secret handshake. I say this because I see very strong emotions at writers' conferences. A constant asking of the same questions (most of which are answered in this book), with the feeling seeming to be that suddenly some author or, most especially, some editor or agent will suddenly leap to their feet and give the "secret" to getting published.

Another thing I see at conferences are writers getting confused by the different perspectives that are offered. I watch writers listen to authors all week long, then when the editors and agents show up on the weekend, all the same questions get asked and the answers from those on the buying end are attended to more carefully than those on the selling end, yet writers are going to be on the selling end. I can tell you how to sell a manuscript-- an editor can tell you how he or she buys a manuscript. The two are not necessarily equivalent unless you want that specific editor to buy your manuscript. That editor represents his own views and the buying policies of that particular publisher. My perspective is being an author in the world of publishing, which has a variety of places to sell your work to.

Some editors and agents spend a lot of time during their conference talks telling the attendees how to make their (the editors and agents) job easier. While I don't believe in abusing editors and agents, and am a firm believer in being professional, a writer's goal is not to make their jobs easier. It's to work together.

It's important to note the 'we-they' attitude between writers and the publishing business. I'm constantly asked how much control over cover I have (very little if any), or how much an editor will change the manuscript (always recommendations and almost always for the better of the book), and how publishers will screw over the writer (only if your interests and their's are in opposite directions). The bottom line is that writers, agents, editors, and everyone else at the publishing house are supposed to be on the same team with the same goals. It should be a me-we relationship. Approach people in the business with a positive attitude, while looking out for your own interests.

Style Issue or Punctuation Rule?

Before I get to our subject of the column, I want to take a moment to brag. In September, my book on creative writing, Write In Style (Union Square Publishing), was named a finalist in the Best Books 2005 Awards from USABookNews.com, the third honor given the book. It also won First Place in Education in the Royal Palm Literary Awards and was named Best in Division in the Georgia Author of the Year Awards. I wish these accolades proved I am the authority on everything about writing, but in truth I often turn to other sources for my responses to your questions. Sometimes being an expert means you know where to go to get information.

Now for some questions readers like you have asked recently:

Q: Is the Chicago Manual of Style the standard for editing nonfiction book manuscripts? What do you say about the comments made by two other editors?

Original line of text from the manuscript and the ensuing discussion over it: In the late 80's, I was living in Dallas, Texas running a company that I had founded.

Editor 2: 80s (no apostrophe because there is no possession--and you might want to use 1980s to make it even more clear)

Editor 1: Well, this is a question of style. Each publisher will have its own style. This is one style.

A: Chicago Style is preferred by most book publishers, so it is safest to use it for any book-length manuscript, fiction or nonfiction. On the question of the use 80s or 80's, as used in the sample, it is plural, not possessive, and it is an issue of grammar, not style. The sentence has another problem, as well, but let me address one point at a time.

1. "In the late 80s" as it appears in the sample, is correct, because it means all of the years (plural), not belonging to the years (possessive).

2. I agree wholeheartedly that "In the late 1980s" would be clearer; that one point is a matter of style.

3. If the author was saying that something belonged to that era, it would be written with an apostrophe: "One 1980's spokesperson said..."

4. The state should be set off by two commas, one before and one after, another issue of grammar. I'm surprised neither editor addressed that point. Correct: "In the late 1980s, I was living in Dallas, Texas, running a company...

You touched on a point that disturbs me whenever I see it. I spot the term "writer's conference" all the time, and that form means that writers own the conference. The correct form should be "writers conference," which means it is a conference for writers; it is not owned by writers. You'll notice that our e-zine is called The Writers Network News, for exactly that reason. It is for writers. It is not owned by writers, although you could say it is owned by one writer-me.

Q: I have a question about the following sentence: Since many of my clients were headquartered in the Washington, DC area, I moved there to make it easier to make sales / service visits.

I have never seen spaces used with a slash, but I'm now told "it's a matter of style." I'm also wondering if DC should be D.C.

A: As for virgules, slashes, or whatever you want to call them, I did not see the spacing issue addressed directly in The Chicago Manual of Style, but I did see that whenever a slash appears in the reference book itself, it does not have spacing before and after it, and I am certain the book follows the style guidelines it touts.

As a matter of style, though, virgules are not recommended when a word would work better. Grammar sticklers say that headquarters is a noun and should not turned into a verb (headquartered). In addition, the word "since" should be used only to show time, not to replace the word "because." I will show how I would rewrite the sentence, later.

Regarding the DC or D.C. issue, this quote comes from The Chicago Manual of Style: "It is often an open question whether or not periods should be used with particular abbreviations. The trend now is strongly away from the use of periods with all kinds of abbreviations that have carried them in the past."

The information goes on to say that if the periods are used, do not space between them for abbreviations, but do space between initials in a name. As long as the style is consistent throughout the book, either of the following is acceptable in Chicago Style: Washington, DC, is my hometown. Washington, D.C., is my hometown. Do remember that the state should be set off by commas.

Considering all the subjects I covered, here is how I would suggest the sentence be written: Because many of my clients were based in the Washington, DC, area, I moved there to make it easier to make sales and service visits.

Free reports for writers! Go to www.zebraeditor.com and click on Tools for Writers. Order any or all the reports you need. Do you have questions for the book doctor? Write to me today. Bobbie@zebraeditor.com

Athens, GA-Staying in touch with readers and making purchases easy are vital for authors dedicated to increasing book sales. "An author's web site must be secure, simple and flexible," says Marshall Turner, president of Turner Technology, Inc. and creator of WebforAuthors.com. "And a good web site allows an author to easily update their site and to maintain mailing lists for sending regular communications such as newsletters and publication notices."

Turner, a computer consultant who specializes in helping authors enhance their web visibility, says many authors fail to make the most of web potential. "Sometimes overcoming an electronic obstacle can be tougher than overcoming writer's block," Turner said, although he insists even the most entrenched technophobe can succeed with the right software and a positive attitude.

A friend who was working on her first book inspired Turner to create a user-friendly web design service for authors. So, he assembled a team of computer technicians and web designers to create a system that gives authors choices and content control. "WebforAuthors.com allows writers to create their own website and lets each author change web site content as needed," Turner said.

"Everyone my friend met in publishing kept telling her to 'get a website,'" he said. "I stopped her and asked, 'how did your instructors advise you to get a website?' Surprisingly there was no simple solution or direction. Immediately I thought, there ought to be a better way-a system focused on the needs of authors and writers, a system where they could create and update their own website with no technical skills required."

Prior to starting his company, Turner worked with Burroughs Corporation, now UNISYS. He earned his undergraduate degree from Georgia Southern University and his Master's Degree from Emory University. He worked also in computer consulting and in the retail, manufacturing and distribution businesses. "Building systems to solve needs is what I do for businesses," Turner said, "So I decided to apply my skills to deliver web system features for many that would be expensive for one individual writer to afford."

Authors may learn more about Turner's services by visiting WebforAuthors.com or the corporate blog, WebforAuthors.blogspot.com. Those needing help with web sites or advice may contact Turner either through WebforAuthors.com, or a call to him at 678-753-0043.

MUSINGS

Poetry is not
my thing, you know. I am a
writer of fiction.

While this little snippet isn't going to win any prizes, it does help me illustrate the constraint of seventeen syllables using Haiku form. Indeed, I'm not a poet, but do occasionally practice crafting these little morsels just to hone my skill as a wordsmith. Poetry, by it's nature, strives for an economy of words. The novelist can, without exceeding extravagance, lavish fifty thousand words on a well told tale, a poet may verse it in less than fifty. Is there something to be learned in this? I believe there is.

A good work of fiction must have, as they say, "a beginning, a muddle, and an end." The question is, how close together can these be?

I love you.

How's that? A bit too short? Well, it has a beginning and end encompassing two characters, and one of the most popular story lines: "love." Let's bump it up to Haiku size:

"I love you!" she cried
as the ship pulled away on
their honeymoon cruise.

Better? At least it offers a suggestion of story, though there's a lot left unsaid. So say it! Take this seed (or one of your own invention), plant it in your brain and see what you can make of it in 250 words or less. If you'd like to share the outcome, pop it into the short fiction section of the SC Writers Workshop forum

The Quill is the newsletter of the South Carolina Writers Workshop www.scwriters.com.

Copyright 2005 by Leland Beaudrot, Editor. Contributing writers retain all rights to their work.