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Scribe & Quill ~~ Feb/Mar 2006

Vol. 4 Issue 2

ISSN: 1098-6375

Section 1 of 2 Sections

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MASTHEAD

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* Editor & Publisher

Bev Walton-Porter <mailto:editor@scribequill.comOR mailto:scribequill@adelphia.net>

* Assistant Editor

Mindy Phillips Lawrence <mailto:mindy@scribequill.com>

* Humor Editor

Jaden Trinsic <mailto:humor@scribequill.com>

* Poetry Editor

Donna "Kai" Wilson <mailto:poetry@scribequill.com>

* Book Review Editor

Sonali T. Sikchi <mailto:bookrevieweditor@scribequill.com>

* Nonfiction Columnists:

~Joyce Faulkner <mailto:katieseyes@aol.com>

~Jill Vaile <mailto:jillvaile@scribequill.com>

~Pamela S. Thibodeaux <mailto:pthib-7@centurytel.net>

* Fiction Columnist

Rick Chiantaretto <mailto:horrorguy@scribequill.com>

ON VACATION - will return next issue

* Romance Columnist

Cynthia VanRooy <mailto:romanceauthor@scribequill.com>

* Writer's Astrological Almanac Columnist

Kathy Watts <mailto:direwolf@stratlabs.com>

* Staff Book Reviewers:

~Pat McGrath Avery <mailto:patmcgrathavery@excite.com>

~Ilona Hegedûs <mailto:fairylona@yahoo.co.uk>

~Carolyn Howard-Johnson <mailto:hojonews@aol.com>

~Bobbi Linkemer <mailto:bobolink@accessus.net>

~Mary Meeks <mailto:demetria24@aol.com>

~Stephanie Moyers <mailto:sacredcircle@adelphia.net>

~Rita Porter <mailto:beepmybeep2@mchsi.com>

~Sonali T. Sikchi <mailto:sonali_sikchi@hotmail.com>

* Guest Writers:

~Katrina Kittle <mailto:kk@katrinakittle.com>

~ Thomas O'Callaghan <http://www.thomasocallaghan.com/>

~Derek Rydall <mailto:derek@scriptwritercentral.com>

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

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~ Privacy Notice

~Editor's Note

~Reader Praise!

~Announcements

~Scribe & Quill Patrons

~ FEATURED ARTICLE:

How to be in the Right Place at the Right Time: How I Got Published

By Katrina Kittle <mailto:kk@katrinakittle.com>,

author of "The Kindness of Strangers"

~SCRIPTWRITING CENTRAL:

Ten Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters

By Derek Rydall <mailto:derek@scriptwritercentral.com>

~Scribes of Note ~ Virtual Quills

~FEATURED COLUMN: WRITING ROMANCE WITH A PASSION

Backstory: Too Much, Too Soon?

By Cynthia VanRooy <mailto:cvanrooy@juno.com>

~FEATURED FICTION COLUMN:

(On hiatus until next month)

By Rick Chiantaretto <mailto:horrorguy@scribequill.com>

~FEATURED COLUMN:

No More Excuses!

By Pamela S. Thibodeaux <http://www.pamelathibodeaux.com>

~FEATURED WRITER'S ALMANAC:

Heads Up!

The Writer's Astrological Almanac

By Kathy Watts <mailto:direwolf@stratlabs.com>

~FEATURED ARTICLE:

Recipe for Getting Your Book Published: Baste it Now and Again... Then Let it Bake for 12 Years!

By Thomas O'Callaghan, author of "Bone Thief"

~Book Reviews will return next issue

~FEATURED POETRY:

A House on a Hill

By Mindy Phillips Lawrence <mailto:mplcreative1@aol.com>

~Call for Submissions

~Featured Workshops

~Professional Writing Courses

~The Last Word: Recommended Links for Writers

~Contact and Submission Information

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PRIVACY NOTICE!

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Our e-zine is NEVER sent unsolicited. If you are receiving

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We respect the privacy of all our subscribers and we NEVER share your information with other companies or organizations.

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NOTE FROM THE EDITOR:

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Dear Readers,

You'll notice this issue of Scribe & Quill is quite a bit shorter than usual. We still have loads of content coming the next issue, but due to deadlines and other matters, this is an abbreviated issue so I can get this out and about to you for your reading enjoyment. Some of you enjoy the longer versions and some of you have mentioned you like a shorter version since you don't always have time to read 40 pages of content. For those who prefer a shorter 'zine, here's your issue. Hopefully you'll still find plenty of content to keep you occupied!

Scribe & Quill is seeking a few more new voices for our book review section! If you love reading a variety of books and are able to write concise, fair-minded reviews of both print and e-books on a regular basis, we'd love to hear from you (and possibly add you to our staff)! Slots are limited, so please contact our book review editor, Sonali T. Sikchi, at your earliest convenience at mailto:bookrevieweditor@scribequill.com with BOOK REVIEWER in the subject line of your e-mail. We will reply with information on our review guidelines and answer any questions you might have.

You'll be happy to know Scribe & Quill's Web site is undergoing a makeover thanks to the combined talents of Rick Chiantaretto (who has proposed the new design) and Liz Oldach, who will be tweaking/maintaining the new design. The launch won't happen for a few more months, but the site will be more visitor-friendly and you'll notice a marked change in the placement of advertisements. The site will be cleaner in design and more professional in appearance. We've needed to do this for a long time, and I'm excited that the site will finally get a revamping thanks to these gracious and talented individuals. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Finally, we have a treat to offer readers! Author Rebecca Forster, whose newest legal thriller, "Privileged Witness," just hit the shelves the past month, is offering a free ten-page critique of a manuscript to ONE lucky Scribe & Quill reader! To enter the drawing, send your name and e-mail address to mailto:scribequill@adelphia.net with FREE CRITIQUE DRAWING in the subject line of your e-mail message. One random winner will be drawn from all entries received by midnight, March 31, 2006. All entries after midnight will be deleted. Not responsible for late, lost or misdirected e-mail. Choice of winner is final. The winner will be notified by e-mail by April 5, 2006. For more information on Rebecca and her books, visit http://www.rebeccaforster.com or check out her book on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0451217772/scriquilezine

Until next issue, let your creativity flow every single day!

Bev Walton~Porter, Editor/Publisher

scribequill@adelphia.net

http://www.bevwaltonporter.com

***

Mindy Lawrence, Asst. Editor/Advertising Manager

mplcreative1@aol.com

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READER SUPPORT FOR SCRIBE & QUILL

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We have the BEST readers on the planet! It's because of your encouragement that we continue to publish our 'zine for writers. We believe in your writing goals and we are there to support you every step of the way. Thanks, in turn, for lending us support as well!

Here's what readers are saying about Scribe & Quill:

"Here's a news update for you for the next issue. (I loved the last one -- very good work!!)"

--Kelli A. Wilkins

"Thanks, as always, for the encouragement and good advice."

--Stephanie Cage (http://www.stephaniecage.co.uk)

"Thank YOU so much, Sonali! Thank you, too, to Bev and the whole staff of Scribe & Quill for the terrific e-zine."

--Jenna Glatzer, Author and Editor/Publisher of Absolute Write (http://www.absolutewrite.com)

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ANNOUNCEMENTS:

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SCRIBE & QUILL -- LEFT AND RIGHT!:

Have a question to pose to other writers about the technical aspects of writing? Want to post your latest success or sale? Need to promote a new market? This community is exclusively for the left-brained, linear side of Scribe & Quillers!

Post your messages here! http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ScribeQuill/

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Scribe & Quill also has a journaling community on Live Journal: http://www.livejournal.com/~scribequill Come express your innermost thoughts/feelings about being a writer in this community diary -- stream of consciousness and personal journal entries relating to the ups/downs/sideways of the writing life are welcomed! This community is exclusively for the right-brained, abstract side of Scribe & Quillers!

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BE A SCRIBE & QUILL PATRON:

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FEATURED ARTICLE:

How to be in the Right Place at the Right Time:

How I Got Published

By Katrina Kittle <mailto:kk@katrinakittle.com>

Author of "The Kindness of Strangers"

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"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." --Thomas Edison

Once my first novel was published, I was astounded at the number of people who asked me for advice. I want to be helpful. Many people helped me along my way, so I give my advice with all sincerity.

People think I"m being flippant when I say, "Write the book. That's my advice."

But I mean it. That is how I got published.

***

When I attended the wonderful Antioch Writers' Workshop in Yellow Springs, Ohio, for the first time in 1995, Sue Grafton was my fiction teacher. She advised us to make five-year plans for our writing lives, and to list the steps we'd take to achieve our goals. I listened to classmates read aloud such steps as "Find an agent" and "Attend the Maui conference to network with editors" and was puzzled. Some of them didn't have completed manuscripts yet. I was too sheepish to read aloud the one and only step I'd written: "Finish my book."

My writing improved the most after I had finished a full draft of the whole novel. There's a great Isaac Asimov quote that says, "It's the writing that teaches you." Once you have a story actually on paper, you can then begin to edit and revise and learn from it. As long as you're talking about a story as an abstract idea, you've got nothing.

I read every book I could find about the craft of writing fiction. I did the exercises in those books and applied what I learned to further revisions in my novel. I kept attending writing conferences and workshops.

Years later, I began the process of carefully researching agents, and over the course of a year, queried seventeen of them. Three of the 17 asked to see the first 50 pages. One of those three asked to see the entire manuscript.

That agent gave me a professional read and several suggested revisions. She ultimately passed on the book because she had recently agreed to represent another novel that dealt with AIDS and she didn't feel she could return to the editors with such similar material.

Although each rejection of course came with a natural sting, I was not unduly discouraged yet. I knew I was just beginning this process and many more rejections would likely follow. Buoyed by this "good rejection," I attended the Antioch Writers' Workshop again, for the fourth time and as a workfellow. I received tuition in exchange for doing several hours of work for the conference. One of my jobs was driving guests back and forth to the airport. One of the guests that year was an editor from Warner Books.

I attended her talk. She was vivacious and bubbly, a lovely person clearly passionate about what she did. But, she explained that she mainly acquired nonfiction and stressed that Warner did not look at unagented material. Although I learned a great deal from her talk, I didn't think she was a person I should approach about my novel.

That same day, I was selected from my class to read my first chapter to the entire conference. The editor attended the reading. I saw her in the back row.

I was assigned to drive the editor to the airport the next morning. I needed to pick her up at 5:30 AM. That night we experienced one of the violent summer thunderstorms for which this part of Ohio is infamous. Power was knocked out in my dorm. I awoke to my alarm clock flashing "12:00. 12:00. 12:00." I grabbed my watch. It was 5:20 AM. Fortunately, I had time to brush my teeth, but that was about it. I put on a ballcap and left in the t-shirt and awful tie-dyed shorts I had slept in.

The editor was waiting outside her bed-and-breakfast when I pulled up. Even at that ungodly hour, she was cheerful and friendly. Her first words upon getting into my car were, "I really liked what you read last night. Is that book finished?" The book was finished.

The storms had left a thick, clinging fog hovering over the corn and soybean fields. As I slowly drove, squinting through the murk, the editor asked me several probing questions about the book. I thought she was just being polite, making conversation. The fog delayed her flight. We spent three hours together at the airport. We ate breakfast -- me still in my awful shorts and ballcap -- and by the time she flew away, she'd invited me to send her the entire manuscript.

I did, of course. The very next day.

Four months later, she called to say she loved it and Warner wanted to buy it.

Magical words. I did a little dance in my kitchen and frightened my cat.

I could then call an agent and say, "Warner wants to buy it. Will you represent me?"

My editor and I often joked about that inauspicious foggy morning -- and my bizarre attire.

Many people tell me I'm lucky. I am, I know. Publishing is a tough, capricious business and I know many wonderful writers who have trouble finding their work a home. But sometimes people say I'm lucky in a dismissive, almost offended way, as if my publication plopped down into my lap from the heavens. My editor herself corrected someone once. A person, upon hearing this story, said to me, "Boy, were you at the right place at the right time." My editor smiled and said, "She was at the right place at the right time with a finished manuscript."

That made all the difference. What good would it have done me to drive that editor to the airport otherwise? Write your book. Revise your book. Polish your book. And then put yourself in the right place.

I've never forgotten that my editor's first question was, "Is that book finished?"

If the answer is yes, it might just be the right time.

===

BIO:

===

Katrina Kittle is the author of "The Kindness of Strangers" (William Morrow; February 2006; $24.95US/$32.95CAN; 0-06-056474-1), "Traveling Light" and "Two Truths and a Lie." She helped found the All Children's Theatre in Washington Township, OH, and teaches theater and English to middle schoolers at the Miami Valley School in Dayton, OH, where she lives.

For more information, please visit http://www.katrinakittle.com

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SCRIPTWRITING CENTRAL

Ten Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters

By Derek Rydall, Founder, ScriptwriterCentral.com

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Attention: Don't Miss the Free Writing Course At the End of this Article!

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"Bad habits are like a comfortable bed, easy to get into, but hard to get out of,"

--Unknown

"Your net worth to the world is usually determined by what remains after your bad habits are subtracted from your good ones."

--Benjamin Franklin

Think of this as a quick-reference for instant inspiration --

1. DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE EVERY DAY

Write something every day -– whether it's your project or an assignment. If you find yourself stuck just staring at a blank screen, try staring at a great script instead -- and try to figure out how it's put together. It might inspire you to get your own writing done. The point here is to keep exercising and refining your craft, building your knowledge and keeping the momentum -– all of which will give you a competitive edge. This isn't about becoming a workaholic. It's about breaking through the inertia of complacency. It's so easy to get comfortable, to settle for the status quo, to rationalize why you're not doing what you know you need to in order to succeed. "I don't feel like it," is not a viable excuse anymore.

2. TAKE FREQUENT BREAKS

This may sound like a contradiction to the above habit. It's not. In fact, without this one, you won't be able to sustain the level of quality and productivity referred to above. Unless you're able to take a break (whether it's ten minutes, an hour, a day or a week) and recharge, you'll soon be booking a room in burnout city.

3. GET ORGANIZED

A messy, disorganized office is an energy sapper if there ever was one. Not just because it takes longer to find that important document under that stack of unopened bills, but also because it literally pulls power from your psychic field. Every little toleration you put up with burns fuel that could be put to much better use in growing your business.

4. WORK WHEN YOU WORK BEST

Some of us are morning people. Others are struck with the muse at the stroke of midnight. If you don't already know, find out what time of day you work best, and gear your most labor-intensive activities for that time period. (Of course, if you're on a deadline, you might have to work around the clock, but that's a different issue.) If you schedule your activities based on your energy cycles, you will find your productivity take a quantum leap. For example, I have two periods when I work the best –- late morning and late afternoon. So I try to schedule the heavy-lifting (writing, analyzing) during those hours. When I first get up, I need to ease into the day's work, so I do more preparatory work, like going over the day's schedule, straightening up the office, e-mails. Once I'm warmed up, I crack open the script or writing file and get to work for a few hours. I break for lunch, meditation, make calls, work out, do some errands –- and start my second writing period. Then it's home for family time, dinner and bedtime stories. But not my bedtime. Because at night, my energy cycle is perfect for opening mail, paying bills, filing, during simple research -– tasks that don't take a lot of energy.

The point of this example is that if I opened my mail and paid my bills in the late morning, I would waste my most productive energy cycle (not to mention become depressed) which I couldn't make-up very easily at night during my bill paying, mail-opening time. Make sense? It may take some time to find your perfect energy-schedule, but it's worth the experimentation. I'm still making adjustments.

5. GIVE EVERY PROJECT 100 PERCENT

Treat every project like it's the job of your dreams -- and you'll soon attract more and more of your dream jobs. Why? Because you don't get what you want in life, you get what you are. Ghandi said we must become the change we want to see in the world. Likewise, we must become the kind of person who would get the kind of jobs we want in the world. This is another one of those universal principles I keep slipping in here. If it gives you a headache to try and make sense of it, don't. Just give it a shot and see what happens.

6. KEEP LEARNING

To have what others don't, you must do what others won't. The average person -- and for that matter, the average screenwriter -- has a tendency to take the path of least resistance. So you must take the road less traveled. Stay open at the top. Maintain a Beginner's Mind. Besides continued study in related and complimentary fields -- read and investigate areas outside of your field -- and outside of show business. Some of the most innovative ideas have come from people adapting concepts they discovered in completely unrelated fields.

7. ACT AND DRESS LIKE A PRO

This is another relative rule. A stockbroker acts and dresses quite differently than a tennis pro. In the entertainment industry, an executive acts and dresses differently than an actor. Even more specific, different clients will have different expectations. In general, business casual seems to work best.

You also want to have an updated resume and work samples (scripts, pitches, synopses, etc.) readily available. Do your homework, show up to appointments with all the right gear to get the job done, and treat each prospective client (producer, director, executive) with the utmost respect and value.

8. HONOR YOUR WORK HOURS

During work hours, especially in a home office, you'll have plenty of opportunities for distraction from well-meaning friends and family members. In the most diplomatic tone you can muster, kindly inform them that you're at work not at home. Your writing is a real business, not a hobby. (Isn't it?) You'll talk to them after hours, or on your break.

9. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

Feed your mind and body with high quality nourishment -- and exercise. I know this is obvious to most people -- yet most people still don't do it. Writing is hard work that requires real endurance. If you want to be a high-performance person, you need to run on high-octane fuel.

10. KNOW THYSELF

The most successful people, in this or any field, know who they are so they can be true to that. They also know their strengths -- so they can play to them -- and their weaknesses -- so they can compensate for them.

These habits might not seem like great revelations. The fact is, most fundamental principles are quite simple. The key is in practicing them.

Over and over.

Day after day.

Until they become as natural as breathing.

While I can't guarantee where you'll go with your career, if you do just this much…you will go further than most in whatever you endeavor to achieve!

Good luck -– and Keep Writing!

Get your free audio course, "7 Power Principles to Explode Your Screenwriting Career!" at http://www.TheWriteSystem.com (a $49 value).

And sign up for the free cutting-edge newsletter, The Museletter, at http://www.ScriptwriterCentral.com

===

BIO:

===

As a screenwriter, Derek Rydall has sold, optioned, or been hired on assignment for over 20 film and TV projects. He has developed projects for the producer of Ghost, RKO, U/A, Miramax, Saturn (Nick Cage) and many indie producers, as well as worked as a staff writer for Fox, Disney and Deepak Chopra. As a story consultant/script doctor, Derek has helped writers, producers, actors and directors turn books into screenplays, secure millions in financing, make six-figure script deals, get hired to exec produce, direct, star in their movies, obtain major distribution and win awards. And as an author, Derek's book, "I Could've Written a Better Movie than That!: How to Make Six Figures as a Script Consultant -- Even if You're Not a Screenwriter," is available at Michael Wiese Publishing (http://www.mwp.com) or Amazon.com. For more info, check out his site, http://www.scriptwritercentral.com, e-mail derek@scriptwritercentral.com or call (661) 296-4991.

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SCRIBES OF NOTE

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At Scribe & Quill a virtual quill is our way of congratulating scribes of note who have made an article sale, published a book, snagged an agent/publisher or have reported to us a number of other notable successes in writing/publishing.

Our quills are virtual because they exist only in cyberspace. We honor the recipients here with an old-fashioned pat on the back and publication of your news so our readers can celebrate with you!

Have a success you'd like to trumpet to the rest of world? Send your triumph to mailto:editor@scribequill.com with VIRTUAL QUILL in the subject line.

This issue's virtual quills are awarded to:

Novelist Paul A. Toth (http://www.netpt.tv/bio.html) recently conducted a podcast interview with Joyce Faulkner (mailto:JoyceFaulkner@redenginepress.com), author of "In the Shadow of Suribachi," on February 11, 2006. In TothWorld Podcast #24 (http://tothnews.libsyn.com/), Faulkner discusses her fictional, yet realistic, account of the Battle of Iwo Jima.

Feather Schwartz Foster (http://www.featherfoster.com) will be appearing at the following venues: Wednesday, 3/15 - 7 PM - Long Branch Library - Long Branch, NJ; Saturday, 3/25 - NOON - Plainfield AAUW - Plainfield, NJ; Tuesday, Tues. 3/28 - 11 a.m. - 5-+ Club of Chester - Chester, NJ

The Heart of America Chapter of Ex-POWs in Kansas City, MO recently released a new book titled "Ex-Prisoners of War: Stories of Faith, Integrity and Courage." Its 97 stories cover soldiers in all branches of the service in both the European and Pacific Theaters of World War II. It also covers a civilian detainee in the Philippines and two men who were Korean War prisoners. Visit http://www.expowsthebook.com to purchase your copy online.

Joy V. Smith's (Pagadan@aol.com) short story, "Taking Tawny Home," is online at Story Station (http://www.viatouch.com/Learn/Storystation/Storystation_main.jsp).

Amber Quill Press author Kelli A. Wilkins (inkyisis@yahoo.com) was interviewed by Love Romances. The interview is online

at: http://www.loveromances.com/interview_kelliawilkins.htm

Kelli's award-winning horror short story, "The Uninvited," will appear in issue #340 of Weird Tales.

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Double Dragon's Newest Offering -- POD Radio courses! Listen to award-winning authors as they share secrets and know-how that helped them get published, sell books and build a reader base.

"Entertaining and fun! That's how I have to describe the classes," explains moderator and QueenPower.com founder, Allyn Evans. "Not only are our classes packed full of helpful information, but I end each call thinking I've just spent an hour with old friends."

Recently, five published authors got together to create a series of audio classes for writers. After they recorded their first class, Double Dragon Publishing offered them contracts and established a brand new imprint to produce a series of 30 audio classes! The series will be moderated by Allyn Evans, founder of http://www.QueenPower.com and will be taught by: Carolyn Howard-Johnson http://carolynhowardjohnson.com, Kathe Gogolewski http://www.TRI-Studio.com, Joyce Faulkner http://www.joycefaulkner.com and Marilyn Peake http://www.marilynpeake.com.

Instructor Marilyn Peake responds, "I love doing these classes! I feel like I'm chatting with good friends who really know how to discuss writing in-depth. I always feel so invigorated after each and every class, with my writing batteries completely recharged!"

Evans adds, "Besides having a blast, I have learned so much. I must confess it's hard to scribble down notes while trying to moderate a show, but all four of our experienced writers have so much to share."

The series will include three categories: Writing, Technology related to writing, and Book Promotion. All classes will be available in both MP3 and CD formats.

The first audio class is FREE in MP3 format (and can also be purchased as a CD). The first audio class is Radio: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Promoting Easy and Cheap! The second audio class is available for purchase in both MP3 and CD formats and is the perfect holiday gift for the writer in your family! The course - Promote or Perish! The Greatest Myth of Publishing: Your Book Is Written, Now Let the Publisher Promote It - is now available at Double Dragon Publishing. Remaining classes will be recorded in 2006.

To listen to a five-minute excerpt from the audio class Promote or Perish! The Greatest Myth of Publishing: Your Book Is Written, Now Let the Publisher Promote It, click here:

http://tri-studio.com/kathegogolewskiPODCASTEXCERPT.html

To learn more about the courses being offered, visit:

http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/imprintlist.asp?imprint=PODRADIO

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QUOTABLES

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"Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart."

--William Wordsworth

***

"Words -- so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them."

--Nathaniel Hawthorne

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IS YOUR SCRIPT READY FOR ITS CLOSE-UP?

As any film industry professional will tell you, the first ten pages of a script are the most critical in determining whether the rest of the project will get read. While ten pages may not seem like very much, they're enough to establish whether (1) you actually have a commercial/unique story to tell, (2) you understand how to professionally format (and proofread!) the text and (3) you're passionate about the craft of writing. During my years as a professional script coverage consultant and screenwriting instructor, I've found that whatever mistakes a writer is likely to make in structure, dialogue and character development will be evident within the opening scenes. For writers who are unsure about whether they're getting their story off to its best and most promising start, my services are a low-cost way of catching errors early rather than having to fix an entire manuscript once it has already been written. My fee of $50 provides an in-depth analysis of a one-page synopsis plus the first ten pages of material. In addition to discussion of a project's strengths and weaknesses regarding plot, characters, dialogue, pacing, structure and marketability, I will also be happy to answer any screenwriting how-to question that may have the writer currently stymied. Critique services for full screenplays, theatrical scripts and novels are also available. For additional information on how to submit material for review, please contact me, Christina Hamlett, at mailto:authorhamlett@cs.com.

(Former actress/director Christina Hamlett is an award-winning author and professional script consultant whose credits to date include 22 books, 118 plays and musicals, 4 optioned feature films and columns/interviews that appear in publications throughout the world.

See http://www.absolutewrite.com/site/christina.htm for further background.)

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FEATURED COLUMN:

WRITING ROMANCE WITH A PASSION

Backstory: Too Much, Too Soon?

By Cynthia VanRooy <mailto:cvanrooy@juno.com>

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Ever have the experience of meeting someone at a party and within minutes you've heard about their three miscarriages, the ex-husband they left because of his drinking, the brother who's in prison, but it's not his fault, his friends got him into trouble and the uncle who's suspected of using drugs? What's your reaction? Do you want to know this person better, pursue this new relationship further? Hardly! You can't wait get away from this stranger you already know too much about.

This is the most common mistake new romance writers make -- subjecting their reader to the same kind of too-much-too-soon information dump. It's understandable. We want the reader to love our heroes and heroines as much as we do, to understand why they do what they do. Our mistake is in wanting the reader to understand before we've given them a reason to care.

If the stranger were your best friend instead, that would change your reaction considerably to the details they relayed. This holds true for your fictional characters, too. The reader needs to become emotionally involved with them, become caught up in the present moment of the characters' lives before they can be interested in anything that happened before the story started.

That's what backstory is -- the events that happened prior to page one that led up to the story. The most dangerous thing about backstory is that it's boring. Nothing is happening to engage the reader. The characters aren't acting. You're just relaying information about them in the most uninteresting way possible -- telling.

Rather than start your novel with backstory, start with the culminating action that is the result of that backstory. Give the reader only as much information as they need to follow that action without becoming confused. Trust the reader. They're bright, they'll get it. Honest. Need an example? Story opens:

A woman is driving at night. The only things keeping her weary, hurting body awake are tension and adrenaline. She has to put as much distance between herself and Richard as she can, but she knows she needs to stop and rest soon before she becomes a menace to anyone else on the road. She takes the next exit off the freeway and finds herself in a small, seedy-looking town, the stores all closed and the streets mostly deserted. She spots a motel up ahead. She pulls her car into the parking spot in front of the orange neon lights proclaiming "office."

With an effort she releases the steering wheel, only to discover her hands are shaking. She takes a couple of deep breaths trying to get herself under control, then grabs her purse and opens the car door.

In the office the clerk hands her a pen and shoves the register toward her. She hesitates and has a moment of panic as she tries to decide whether to use her own name. No, better not. She signs her first grade teacher's name, the only one she can think of. The clerk stares at her left eye and she can feel it's swollen. She wonders if it has begun to turn black. The clerk hands her the room key and she hurries to escape his scrutiny.

Once in her room she bolts the door and puts on the chain before turning on the light and dropping her bag. She's so tired she wants to collapse, but knows she'll sleep better after a warm shower to ease the aches. As she peels off her clothes she notes in the mirror the bruises blooming on her ribs and hip. And yes, her eye has turned black.

After a shower that does little to relieve the pain, she is making her way from the bathroom when the phone rings. She freezes, clutching the towel tightly around her, her hands fisted in the terrycloth. Oh, God, he's found her already. The phone continues to peal insistently and she reaches out a trembling hand and lifts the receiver.

Nothing confusing here, you understand what's happening. The passage raised some questions, but that's a good thing. That's how you draw the reader in. Who is Richard? Why is she running away from him? What will happen if he finds her? Is he the one who hurt her?

To get hooked into this character and this story you didn't need to know the woman ran away at 16 to escape her abusive home life, that she lived on the streets for two years, that she got her act together and worked her way through college, that Richard is a musician she met in a coffee house where she worked, that she fell in love with him because of his protectiveness, that the protectiveness revealed itself shortly as control, and that it turned into the same kind of abusive behavior she used to get from her father that she had promised herself never to take again. Whew.

Ideally, that backstory would be fed to the reader a little at a time, as they needed it. One of the best ways to impart backstory is in dialog, where realistically the hero/heroine might reveal it to the other. Dialog, with its action and white space on the page, is reader-friendly and interesting, as opposed to long passages of introspection where the character is doing nothing but thinking.

Aren't convinced yet you should avoid starting your book with backstory? An editor once told me if she wasn't engaged in the story by page five, she wouldn't read any further before rejecting a manuscript. Think that's harsh? She's being charitable. Most editors make that decision by page three. Some new writers try the trick of reversing a page in their manuscript when they send it in. Then when they get it back rejected and the page is still reversed, they regard this as proof the editor never actually read their story. Well...yes, they did. They read as much as they needed to in order to know they weren't interested in reading any more.

You have three pages to interest the editor/reader in your novel. Don't waste them on backstory. Throw the reader right into the action. A hundred years ago writers had the luxury of beginning a story with "Once upon a time..." Today's readers are too impatient. Toss them right into the garden with a sobbing Cinderella and her fairy godmother and explain later. Your readers will thank you for it.

===

BIO:

===

Now that you've written the book, does the hardest part seem to be getting an editor to read it? Let award-winning romance author Cynthia VanRooy, published in both print and electronic formats, teach you in her information-packed e-booklet "The Secrets to Query Letters That Work" how seasoned professionals, even unagented ones, circumvent the slush pile and get their fiction in front of the decision makers. For more information click on

http://www.cynthiavanrooy.com.

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FEATURED FICTION COLUMN

By Rick Chiantaretto <mailto:rick@facadeofshadows.com>

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Rick is currently on leave.

His column will return in the Mar/Apr issue!

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FEATURED COLUMN:

No More Excuses!

By Pamela S. Thibodeaux <mailto:pthib-7@centurytel.net>

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Excuses, excuses, excuses. We've heard them all, used a few. Well, it's time to stop and get a revelation: You can't find time to write you have to make time to write!

There are numerous opportunities afforded to us in any given day, we just have to know what they are. One of the best things a busy wife, mother, employee, writer, etc., can invest in, is a lesson on time management. You don't need to read a book or take a course, just sit down and examine your day. Evaluate how you spend your time, where you can shave off a few minutes (or couple of hours) and use that time to write. Budget your time just like you budget your money.

Another thing to keep in mind is this: Writing doesn't always mean sitting in front of the computer and pounding away on the keys, writing is a state of mind. Even in the midst of mundane, every-day challenges, writers are writing; storing up information for future use.

For years (11 to be exact) I wrote in five-subject notebooks. I always had a notebook handy or used a cassette recorder to keep track of my ideas. Here are a few other tricks of the trade I've learned during my twenty-plus years as a housewife, mother, bookkeeper and writer.

* Washing dishes while you cook instead of letting them pile up until afterward will create more free time when your meal is over.

* Take care of laundry while cooking supper. (The experts call this multi-tasking). Doing the laundry daily or every other day instead of letting it accumulate until you have to spend hours or a whole day catching up, will save you loads of time. Wash items that don't need hanging or ironing, that way you can write while waiting for the washer or dryer to go off and you can always fold them later...like tomorrow while you're cooking supper, watching that favorite TV show or helping the children with their homework.

* Write, edit or do research while sitting with the children when they do homework. You're there if they need help and they are more likely to sit still and get it done without goofing off as much, again saving you time by not having to fuss at them.

Oh, by the way, don't think that when the kids are all grown and gone you'll have more time -- it just doesn't work that way, something will always come up if you let it. Believe me, I know!

Once again: Evaluate your day and see when you can squeeze in time to write. Do you watch TV? Listen to the radio? Exercise? We all need recreation, but can you set aside some of that time to write or combine those activities with writing? Here are some examples of what I'm talking about.

* Exercise for 20 or 30 minutes. Six days instead of one to two hours. Three days or carry a tape recorder while walking. People put a lot of store in exercising and we should, but it's been proven that frequent ten-minute walks are as beneficial physically as longer walks two or three times a week. In the same sense, frequent ten-minute writing sprees can be just as beneficial as longer blocks of time two or three days a week.

* Write or edit during commercials. Some people can't focus on two things at a time, but you would be amazed at how easy it becomes once you get used to it. I watch only three hours of TV a week. On those days, I allow myself the privilege of taking a break. The other evenings and during re-runs I'm either writing, revising, editing or reading.

Have small children?

* Squeeze in a sentence or two or a scene or chapter during their nap and/or play time.

* Hire a babysitter or swap babysitting with another stay-home mom one or two days a week.

* Have older children do the dishes or laundry and help clean the house so that you will have time to write.

* Ask your spouse or other family members to take the children out for pizza or a movie one or two evenings a week so you can write.

Some of these suggestions may require spending a little money, but if you can afford to, it will allow you hours of writing time. Many of us spend our hard-earned cash on various forms of entertainment, why not invest it in your writing career instead?

Have children, husband and a job?

* Carry around a notepad and pencil, a pack of index cards, a tape recorder or one of those new-fangled word processors that are designed to save up to 100 pages of text and work with your computer; that way you can jot down thoughts, ideas or a scene that's giving you trouble. You never know when time will present you with a few moments; waiting in line at the bank or the grocery store, waiting at a doctor or dentist office, waiting at the car wash or mechanic for your car to be ready or at a ball game waiting for your child to come up to bat or dance or perform with the band.

Consider your lunch hour: do you really need an hour to eat?

* Combine activities that will allow time to write like grocery shopping or getting your oil changed or hair cut. Again, think multi-tasking.

* Eat at your desk while writing or how about noon-time exercise followed by yogurt and fruit instead of that huge sit-down lunch? Think about it, a slimmer waistline (or hips) and a finished chapter or two!

Have two jobs? Do shift-work or graveyards?

* Write during slow times or during your 15 minute and/or lunch breaks. Again, this is where the notebook, tape recorder, index cards or portable word processor comes in handy.

Go to church two or three times a week?

* Will your relationship with God really suffer if you spend some of that time writing? After all, writing is a talent, a gift from Him don't you think He wants you to develop that talent and use that gift? Now don't go getting judgmental, it's just a suggestion.

A writer friend of mine made the comment, "...even if you write one or two sentences, or a paragraph each day, it all adds up." Not only did that make sense, but her words inspired me to give it a try. By adhering to this advice I wrote an entire 70K novel in four months. Not a big deal you say? Try this one on for size...I did it while working two part time jobs (averaging 48 hrs per week) and right-smack-dab in the middle of tax season! (I'm a bookkeeper) Of course, during that last month other things went by the wayside -- like exercising and sleep -- but the book got finished.

Another idea would be to figure out how many pages a day you need to write and then figure out how/where/when you can do it. For example, let's say you want to write a 100K word novel. How much time do you need or how many pages a day do you need to accomplish your goal?

Let's find out! Be reasonable and be realistic. Give yourself ample time (say, six months) Okay...100,000 words divided by six months = 16,670 words per month. Divide that by 24 days (6 days x 4 wks) = 694 words per day. Divide that by 250 (avg. words per page) and you have 2.75 pages per day.

Now that you have a word count or page goal in mind, think: How long does it take you to write two to three pages? Are there times when you can write more to compensate for those days when you can't write at all?

Again, be reasonable and be realistic. So what if it ends up taking nine months instead of six, at least you're writing! And remember, just one page per day equals a 365-page (or 91,250-word) novel at the end of a year!

One more thing I've found that helped immensely was to stop spending so much time on the Internet. Online lists and groups, Instant Messengers, etc. are WONDERFUL, but just plain take up too much time.

My point is, you have to make the time to write. Write whenever, wherever and however you can. It takes discipline, dedication and hard work. I'm sure you exhibit these attributes in other areas of your life, why not in your writing?

My husband's favorite saying is, "Depends on how bad you want it."

How bad do you want it?

Me too, so c'mon, quit making excuses (or using the same old, tired, worn-out ones) and start writing!

===

BIO:

===

Pamela S. Thibodeaux has been a bookkeeper for over 20 years. She is the co-founder and a member of the Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Her writing has been tagged as "Inspirational with an Edge!" and reviewed as "...steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message." Visit Ms. Thibodeaux's Web site at http://www.pamelathibodeaux.com or e-mail her at: mailto:pthib-7@centurytel.net.

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End of Section I

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Scribe & Quill ~~ Feb/Mar 2006

Section II

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ISSN: 1098-6375

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Are you IN yet?

Inkwell Newswatch (IN), a no charge literary e-zine and writers' resource publication. IN provides 'how-to' on writing fiction, non-fiction, journalism, screenplays, stage plays, comedy, internet, TV, radio, poetry and more. All forms of writing information available, plus profiles, interviews, features and professional resources for editors, journalists and writers. Published by the Freelance Writing Organization - Int'l.

If you're serious about writing, you have to get IN:

http://fwointl.com/LMPmail/link.php?id=3c24af1sandq_IN

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FEATURED WRITER'S ALMANAC:

Heads Up!

The Writer's Astrological Almanac

March 2006

By Kathy Watts <mailto:direwolf@stratlabs.com>

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This month is intense for writers (and everyone else) and it starts off with a bang. Saturn is still retrograde and at times like this, you have to be grateful. Buckle up and put on that thinking helmet, here we go.

March 1, Wednesday (the Mercury day of the week), the Moon enters Aries, the fiery sign that knows how to start things. It's also the day of the year when the Sun conjuncts Uranus. If you start something rebellious and unexpected, just make sure it's on purpose. A good day to start a counter-cultural project.

Thu Mar 2, Mercury goes stationary retrograde at 27 Pisces. Shift those mental gears into reverse, as in edit, proofread, rewrite and making follow-up calls to contacts slipping away. Be prepared for delays, phone tag, and other ships passing in the night (this is Pisces) but don't dread them. Also a good time to think about past feelings. Now there's writing material.

Sat Mar 4, Jupiter goes stationary retrograde at 18 Scorpio. Your luck is not going away; it's going underground and on hold for a while. Success, of course, is always possible.

Sun and Mon Mar 5-6, the Moon is in Gemini. Even with Mercury retrograde you can make progress writing and communicating. Tuesday Mar 7 the Moon enters Cancer and is at its most out of bounds. When a planet is out of bounds, its influences are exaggerated. For example, a person born with the Moon out of bounds may be exceptionally close to their mother. Less personally, an out-of-bounds Moon can bring high emotions and emotional decisions. Mars is approaching out of bounds, so people aren't acting with full rashness, yet (but Heads Up for two weeks from now.)

Tue Mar 14, is the Full Moon, and a total lunar eclipse at 24 Virgo. The care and attention you pay to projects now will benefit you for the next three months.

Twelve hours later, Wed Mar 15, the Moon enters Libra. Even the stay-at-home writer can expect social pleasantness and cooperation in these days of Mercury (and Jupiter, and Saturn) retrograde.

Mon Mar 20 the Sun enters Aries. Vernal equinox, the first day of spring. An ingress chart cast for this time and your place will give a heads up for the three months to come. Also, with the Sun out of Pisces and in Aries, people will be more self-motivated and dynamic, even if the Mercury retrograde inhibits their communicating it.

Wed Mar 22 the Moon enters Capricorn and is the farthest out of bounds as it can get (this happens once every 18 1/2 years, as part of the lunar major standstill cycle). Mars is also radically out of bounds. Imagine high emotions and impulsive actions. Heads up.

Sat Mar 25 Mercury goes stationary direct. That wasn't so bad, was it? On the other hand, Mercury will traverse the second half of Pisces again. This can be good for the writers of romance, chick lit and anything touchy-feely. With the Sun in Aries, maybe a touchy-feely self-help project is in order. Who knows? Or an

emotional memoir. If all this sounds crazy, today Mercury is also conjunct Uranus (unexpected thoughts or communications), and Venus is conjunct Neptune (perhaps some refined spiritual inspiration or delusion, or music!). Regardless, I can almost hear those mental corsets being loosened.

Wed Mar 29 is the New Moon and a solar eclipse at 8 Aries. What you start now (new moons are good for starts) might just change the world in the coming year. Pluto goes stationary retrograde today. Popular culture may favor the shallow, but Pluto retrograde gives permission to think and work deep. (Jupiter in the bowels of Scorpio endorses this.)

The month ends on Friday Mar 31 with the Moon in Taurus. Celebrate, if only with coffee in your favorite and most beautiful cup.

A few general comments: This Moon out of bounds phenomenon lasts for over a year. Whenever the Moon enters Cancer or Capricorn, heads up for exaggerated lunar influences. Second, if things seem especially difficult or even tortured, there is this nasty Saturn - Chiron opposition in the sky right now. Saturn puts things on hold. The asteroid Chiron teaches lessons the hard way. This aspect won't fully end until June, so we're all in this together till then. Think patience, toughness and good faith. There will be rewards, for us (Saturn in Leo) and for others (Chiron in Aquarius), but in the future. Lastly, from Mar 26 through Apr 13, strong Saturn becomes even stronger. Heads up and be extra cautious, responsible, economical and respectful. Be good to Saturn and Saturn will be good to you.

Now, if I haven't totally scared you away, enjoy the end of winter! The start of spring! Look forward to the end of Saturn retrograde (early April)! Be strong, persistent, resilient, clever and smart!

May your work vibrate with life and beauty. Heads up!

===

BIO:

===

Kathy Watts is a lifelong stargazer, long-time astrologer and member of the San Francisco Astrology Society (where she's done presentations). Besides astrology columns and solar/lunar return reports, Kathy writes short novels, mostly young adult novels and ghost stories. Currently, her young adult novel, "Cemetery Boy," is in her agent's capable hands and making the rounds. Books on tap are "Heart of the Redwoods" (a YA with trees, plus Bigfoot) and "City of Falcons" (stories of the pre-Dynastic kings of Egypt). Online, her short fiction has been on http://www.muse-apprentice-guild.com and Astropoetica.com has archived one of her poems. Also a serious fiber artist, Kathy has a spinning wheel and is not afraid to use it. E-mail her anytime.

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