The unraveling of a novel is a magical mystery tour!

Lately, I have spent weeks.... and weeks ... rewriting chapters of my new book.
Years ago, this felt like agony, madness even. Now it is such fun. Like peeling away an onion -- one that doesn't make you cry! -- and finding new layers, new connections, new depth of character. Writing for the sake of writing, forgetting who is going to read it and when? Will the novel ever get published. Writing because it is my passion. The unraveling of a novel is indeed a magical mystery tour!

Writing Prompt

“I was twenty when the draft got me… After basic they flew us in here… I never seen a place so bad and scary, like somebody beat on it and it reared back and turned into a huge poisonous snake…. That jungle, it ate people up. Like Raymond. I remember the first day I saw Raymond, a gung ho kid, patriotic, tough, bloodthirsty for God and country. That was before…"

More prompts at: http://www.thefictionwritersjourney.com/Working_with_writing_prompts.htm

The Real Cause of Writer's Block

The Real Cause of Writer's Block
Enter the Inner Critic


An excerpt from The Art of Fiction Writing
The Art of Fiction Writing by Emily Hanlon is now on Sale.
Save 20% until November 15, 2004
http://www.thefictionwritersjourney.com/A_book_on_writing.htm
.
Let’s look at ways the Inner Critic blocks and confounds your writing. He or she may insist you produce an outline before you begin to write. Or he may insist you write only from your own life because, "How can you write about what you don’t know?" Or he might have you spending hours trying to find the right word, or shifting around sentences until you find yourself in a quagmire of grammar, thesaurus page-turning and general frustration.

You know the Inner Critic is at work when you look at the clock and discover you’ve spent an hour on a single paragraph, worse a single sentence, and the computer screen is mostly blank or the page is so scribbled on and crossed out and torn from erasing, you can’t read it anyway. That’s the moment when you throw up your hands or crumble your page into a ball or press the delete button thinking, "Who am I to think I can write? I can’t even find the right word. I’d do better going to Adult Ed and taking a grammar course. God, I’m stupid!"

The good news is that’s not all of you talking; but it is a loud part of you. After being with you most of your life, you’d better believe your Inner Critic knows how to push all your buttons. I have a very fierce Inner Critic, and although I can put him—her actually, my Inner Critic is a very destructive feminine voice—in her place more frequently than I used to, I still succumb to her vile ways. My family, friends and students know that I periodically fall into a song of lament. "Oh, God, I’m never going to write again. This time I know it for sure. I’ve gone dry. Who am I to think anyone wants to read my books anyway? What makes me think I’m talented? I’m stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid! I want to crawl into a pit and die."

This is not make-believe. These are my true ravings after a fierce Inner Critic attack, and I have been laid low by such an onslaught for weeks, months, even years. But no more. After concerted effort, I have learned to not only challenge but silence my Inner Critic.

You can, too.

The first step is acknowledging his/her existence...

Where Did the Inner Critic Come From? How do we defang them?

To find out more about identifying and defanging your Inner Critic, order The Art of Fiction Writing now...


"Emily's workbook and tapes are helping me get past the part of my mind that writes rational, predictable, orderly and boring work. The more I use The Art of Fiction Writing, the more I'm discovering scary, exciting, surprising and unpredictable sources of creativity. I feel as if I'm getting a lot of guidance in recognizing and getting past the monsters that guide the gate to truly creative writing."
Amy Meltzer

The Art of Fiction Writing has enough writing prompts to
drown out the voice of the Inner Critic!
Don Phillips

"Using Emily’s books and tapes I wrote over 90 pages in 10 days. It was one of the most intense—and fun—writing experiences I’ve ever had!"
Valerie Storey, author "The Essential Guide for New Writers"

Order your copy now and save 20% until November 15, 2004 http://www.thefictionwritersjourney.com/A_book_on_writing.htm

12th Annual Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Awards

12th Annual Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Awards Co-sponsored by Book Marketing Works, LLC
CALL FOR ENTRIES MORE THAN $10,000 IN PRIZES!
DEADLINE: Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Win $3,000 in cash! Gain international exposure for your book! Catch the attention of prospective editors and publishers!
Writer's Digest is searching for the best self-published books of the past few years. Whether you're a professional writer, part-time freelancer, or a self-starting student, here's your chance to enter the only competition exclusively for self-published books!
THE PRIZES:
ONE GRAND PRIZE WINNER will be awarded $3,000 cash and promotion in Writer's Digest and Publishers Weekly, and marketing advice from self-publishing guru Dan Poynter with six hours of product and marketing consultation from Poynter Book Shepherd Ellen Reid. Plus, the editors of Writer's Digest will endorse and submit 10 copies of the Grand Prize-Winning book to major review houses such as The New York Times and The Washington Post. In addition, Book Marketing Works, LLC will provide a one-year membership in Publishers Marketing Association, a customized Book Market Map Directory, guaranteed distribution to bookstores and libraries through Baker & Taylor, and a guaranteed review in Midwest Book Review.
9 FIRST-PLACE WINNERS will receive $500 cash and promotion in Writer's Digest. In addition, Book Marketing Works, LLC will provide guaranteed distribution to bookstores and libraries through Baker & Taylor, and a guaranteed review in Midwest Book Review.
Plus, all Grand Prize and First Place winners will receive book-jacket seals to promote the award-winning status of their book, promotion on the Writer's Digest Web site at writersdigest.com, a copy of The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing, 4th Edition by Tom and Marilyn Ross, and a Notable Award Certificate.
HONORABLE MENTION WINNERS will receive promotion in Writer's Digest, $50 worth of Writer's Digest Books and a Notable Award Certificate.
All other entrants will receive Certificates of Participation. And, all entrants will receive a judge's commentary and a listing with a link on the Writer's Digest Web site, provided an accurate URL is written on the Entry Form.
THE CATEGORIES:
Mainstream/Literary Fiction
Genre Fiction
Nonfiction
Inspirational (spiritual, New Age)
Life Stories (biographies, autobiographies, family histories, memoirs)
Children's and Young Adult books
Reference Books (directories, encyclopedias, guide books)
Poetry
Cookbooks
THE RULES:
1. The competition is open to all English-language self-published books for which the authors have paid the full cost of publication.
2. Entrants must send a printed and bound book. Entries will be judged primarily by content and writing quality. No photocopied or handwritten books are accepted. Production quality will determine the winner in the event of a tie.
3. All books published or revised and reprinted in 2002, 2003 or 2004 are eligible. ( Writer's Digest may demand proof of eligibility of semifinalists.)
4. All books must be accompanied by an Official Entry Form. Photocopies of the Official Entry Form are acceptable. You may enter more than one book and/or more than one category; however, you must include a separate book, entry form and the additional fee for each entry.
5. Check, money order or credit card payment for the required judging fee of $100 for the first entry, $50 for each additional entry must accompany submissions.
6. All entries must be postmarked no later than Wednesday, December 15, 2004. All winners will be notified by March 31, 2005. If you wish to receive confirmation that your entry was received before the deadline, we recommend using certified mail or some other tracking method to send your entry.
7. Entries will be judged by experts in the subject or genre.
8. Judges reserve the right to withhold prizes in any category. Judges reserve the right to recategorize entries.
9. Books which have previously won awards from Writers Digest are not eligible.
10. Employees of F+W Publications, Inc. and Book Marketing Works, LLC and their immediate families are not eligible.
11. Writer's Digest is not responsible for the loss, damage or return of any books submitted to the competition.
ENTRY FEES:
First entry: $100Additional entries: $50 each
DEADLINE: Wednesday, December 15, 2004
OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM

New Women Writers' Magazine

Atlanta, GA - Oct. 13 - Attention women writers!!Do you have short stories or poetry looking for a place to be published? Doyou have something to say or to share in a personal essay but can't find aplace to share it?April 2005 is the launch date for "Penwomanship," a magazine for the creativewoman writer."In searching for places to publish my own writing, I realized the selectionwas very limited," says Penny White, publisher of the new monthly periodical. "While there are many magazines which publish fiction and poetry, there arevery few which publish strictly women's writing. I decided it was time to dosomething about it. "The magazine will contain 48 pages of women's writing and artwork. Although seeking original submissions for the magazine, White likes to thinkof it as a type of "Reader's Digest for women's writing." I hope women will be motivated and inspired to write about their personalexperiences," says White. "All submissions we receive will be considered forpublication. "But what's with the name of the magazine?White smiles. "There is an interesting story behind that. And that story canbe found on the website." The website, http://www.penwomanship.com/, currently contains some of White's ownwriting until she receives submissions from other women writers to put on thesite. Submissions can be made via submissions@penwomanship.com in the body of the e-mail only. Attachments will be deleted unopened. Submissions may also besnail-mailed to Penwomanship, P.O. Box 235, Pine Lake, GA 30072-0235. Formore details, please read the submissions guidelines on the website. Pay iscurrently five contributors' copies until the magazine is able to paycontributing writers. White hopes to accomplish this within the next two years. Subscriptions are also available via the website at introductory rates. A printable subscription form is also available on the website.For more information contact Ms. White at penny@penwomanship.com.

SELLING YOUR BOOK ON AMAZON: FROM THE AUTHOR'S GUILD

GOOGLE MAKES THOUSANDS OF BOOKS AVAILABLE IN FULL TEXT

Like Amazon's program, but there's some money in it; publishers still lack authority to participate.Yesterday, the search engine company Google announced the launch of the "beta" (test) phase of a new program it calls Google Print, which makes the texts of participating publishers' titles available for browsing. Links to book excerpts in the form of low-resolution images of printed pages show up as results in standard Google searches. The program is quite similar to one launched by Amazon 12 months ago, but Google, unlike Amazon, will share search statistics with publishers and provide links to multiple book retailers from each excerpt. Google also is offering to place ads below book page images and share the revenue from those ads with publishers. (We expect those revenues to be quite modest.) The Guild believes, as it does with Amazon's "Search Inside the Book" program, that most publishers don't have the necessary rights to license this use of their titles to Google without their authors' permission.

SIMILARITIES TO AMAZON'S SEARCH INSIDE THE BOOK

As with Amazon's program, users can view a limited number of pages (20% of the text will soon be the default setting, but publishers may opt for higher limits), but no more than five consecutive pages. Google Print has also mimicked Amazon in disabling the browser's print, copy, save, and paste functions, in an attempt to limit piracy. (Savvy computer users can work around some of these limitations, but the efforts are probably too cumbersome to be worthwhile for most users.)Our review of publishers' contracts shows, as it did last year, that most publishers do not have the right to participate in Google Print without their authors' permission. Although many publishers argued with our interpretation of their contracts last year, they removed works from Amazon's program at their authors' request. We believe that publishers will generally remove a work from Google's program on request.We think Google Print will likely prove to be useful in promoting certain titles. Midlist and backlist books that are receiving little attention, for example, may benefit from additional exposure in searches. For other titles, the program could erode sales. Reference, travel books and cookbooks might be at greater risk, and we urge authors of these titles in particular to press for access to Google Print usage statistics. Fiction titles are not likely to be threatened.

IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES

Unlike Amazon, Google promises to provide publishers "detailed book-level reporting on the page impressions [that is, viewings], ad clicks, Buy this Book clicks, and ad revenue generated." It will update this information throughout the day, allowing publishers to track the performance of all titles in the program. This transparency in reporting should illuminate the effect on sales of Google's program, and, if shared with authors, help them decide whether their books should be part of the program. It would be a relatively simple matter to allow authors to view this information through a secure web page. We'll be urging Google and publishers to do so.Google is giving publishers the option of allowing "relevant" advertising links to appear on the page with text from a work and will share the revenue from those ads with the publisher. Book publishing contracts provide that the author is entitled to a share--typically 50% or more--of all income earned from licensing the title to third parties. Clearly, this kind of advertising revenue falls into that category. (Some book contracts prohibit advertising in authors' books.)

Google Print will reach a far broader audience than Amazon's program, but that audience won't necessarily be book buyers. Google is the most popular Internet search engine in the U.S. and, according to one survey, has about seven times the average daily page views as Amazon.SAMPLE PAGESOur research suggests that there is a quite limited number of titles available in Google Print at the moment--at least compared to Amazon's program--but Google appears to be aggressively moving to add titles. Here are some sample book pages from Google Print; the first is from Penguin Classics. Each of these includes the optional (to the publisher) ads at the bottom of the page. Note how the ads attempt to coordinate with the text:

Thomas Paine Reader
Charlie Parker
New Deal
Mickey Mantle

We'll be sending you more information about the program shortly, and we're going to be in touch with the major publishers about their participation in Google Print and their obligation to share ad revenue with authors. If you'd like a book removed from the program and your publisher isn't cooperating, please let us know.

----------------------------

Copyright 2004, The Authors Guild, Inc. The Authors Guild is the nation's largest and oldest society of published authors and the leading writers' advocate for fair compensation, effective copyright protection, and free expression. For further information, visit www.authorsguild.org.This may be forwarded and posted at other sites in its entirety, including this notice.

I Love To Write Day

Please take a moment and read the new press release for this year's I Love To Write Day campaign! Thank you. John Riddle, Founder, I Love To Write Day www.ilovetowriteday.org

For Immediate Release
September 30, 2004
For additional informationContact John Riddle at ilovetowriteday@ilovetowriteday.org 302-834-4910
I Love To Write Day was celebrated last year on November 15th when 12,007 schools all across the country held special writing activities and events. Bookstores, libraries and community centers also joined in the fun. Plans are underway to celebrate the third I Love To Write Day on November 15, 2004.
“I was very pleased with the number of people who came out to celebrate I Love To Write Day,” said John Riddle, a Delaware author who created a special day that encourages people of all ages to write. “The response from schools was overwhelming, and I was amazed at the creative ways they celebrated I Love To Write Day,” he said.
Jane McFann, an English teacher at Glasgow High School in Delaware, and an author of 15 books, is supporting I Love To Write Day. "Writing is wonderful, because it is a great skill to take into any career, and it has a way of clarifying one's thoughts. It is amazing how one skill can touch so many aspects of a person's life," she said. "As a writer and a teacher, I believe that anything that brings the joy of writing to students and makes them realize it has both a personal and a practical value has my whole hearted support!"
On I Love To Write Day, people of all ages are encouraged to write something: a poem, a short story, an essay, a letter to the editor, start a novel, finish a novel…the possibilities are endless. "I Love To Write Day is an opportunity for people of all ages to become better writers," said Riddle. "On that day many people will discover for the first time how important it can be to put your thoughts and feelings on paper. Learning how to write well is something that everyone needs, and on November 15, people will join as a community of writers. For many people, that will be the beginning of their writing career. I Love To Write Day has the potential to launch the career of the next John Grisham, Mary Higgins Clark, Stephen King or Toni Morrison."
The Governor of Delaware, Ruth Ann Minner, officially declared November 15th I Love To Write Day in the State of Delaware, and “urges all Delawareans to set time aside today to write something and share the joys of the written word.” Two other Governors quickly joined with Delaware: Pennsylvania and Florida. Riddle is challenging the other 47 Governors to proclaim November 15th I Love To Write Day in their states. “When people become better writers, they become better communicators, and everyone wins,” Riddle said.
This year’s Honorary Chairperson for I Love To Write Day is Jenna Glatzer, a full-time writer and editor from New York. She sees I Love To Write Day as a positive event. “Not everyone gets the kind of encouragement that I was lucky enough to get growing up. In fact, many people see writing as a chore, and write only when they have to—when they have an assignment, have to complete an essay for college admissions, have to write a business letter...
“I can remember many fellow students who were discouraged from writing because they weren’t great at spelling or grammar. They thought this meant they weren’t good writers. Spelling is valuable to learn, but the most important part of writing comes from your heart. If you have a good story to tell, tell it, even if it’s not “perfect.” Some of the world’s best writers were terrible spellers!
“I think I Love to Write Day is a wonderful way to show people the joy of writing. This is a day when there are no grades and no judgments allowed; it’s all about writing for the sheer love of writing. I’m thrilled with what students have done in past years to celebrate this event, like visiting retirement homes and writing down the life stories of the residents there. What a beautiful gift to share! I’ll bet that many of them will share those stories with their grandchildren, who may one day share them with their own grandchildren.
Whether or not we choose to pursue writing professionally, every one of us can touch other people’s lives with our writing. I hope many people will use this day to write poems, letters, and stories to share with those whose lives could use an extra bit of joy... and in the process, learn that writing can be fulfilling, cathartic, and fun!”
I Love To Write Day is FREE, and to be included in the official count, people should stop by the Website www.ilovetowriteday.org to register. Several publishers are donating books to schools that come up with the most creative way of celebrating I Love To Write Day. Help spread the word about I Love To Write Day in your community!
For additional information about I Love To Write Day, please contact John Riddle at ilovetowriteday@ilovetowriteday.org

For Script Writers

Scriptapalooza Inc.


WGA, west registry info

The Writers Guild of America, west supports Scriptapalooza's Screenplay and TV Competitions

GOT SCRIPT?

Before you start sending out your spec, treatment, or pitch to agents, managers, and development execs, secure your material with the world's leading intellectual property service - the Writers Guild of America, west Registry - now just a click away at www.wga.org.

It's safe, fast, and easy! Now you can register your work 24 hours a day online - your registration request is processed quickly and safely, and you'll receive your registration number immediately once your transaction is completed. Material for registration may also be submitted in person or via mail.

With over 75 years of experience, the WGAw Registry provides writers and artists in all mediums with a process to establish the completion date of their work. What can you register? Eligible materials include songs and lyrics, scripts, treatments, synopses, outlines, and written ideas intended for film, television, radio, video/DVD, video games, and interactive media. The WGAw registry also accepts stage plays, novels, books, short stories, poems, commercials, drawings, and more - the only limit is your imagination.

TIME'S UP? RENEW YOUR SCREENPLAY TODAY!

You can renew your work in person, by mail, or by fax (with Visa/MasterCard) by providing registration number and renewal fee at current WGAw rate - all without sending us a duplicate copy of your material.

Please send renewal requests to: WGAw Registry, 7000 W. Third Street, L.A. CA, 90048, or via fax: 323.782.4803.

Should you need specific information regarding your confidential registration records, it should be requested in writing and accompanied by photo ID.

For further details, please visit: www.wga.org or call (323) 782-4500.