March 8, 2005
A WriterOnLine Publication

My dear readers,

It is not my aim to share great gobs of personal information with you in this newsletter, but I feel compelled to tell you about the passing of my dear and ever faithful little pug Otis. I feel compelled to share this with you, because this little guy was always at my feet while I prepared this newsletter for you, and thus, in his humble way of ever being in the background, he was very much a part of WriterOnline. After all, he kept my feet warm through those bitter winter days.

Many of us writers have furry friends to tickle our toes or dance on our keyboards, and thus these critters do become a part of our work. I am lucky, I have two others who are still with me: another pug named Olive, and a bouncing Boston Terrier named Creosote. (Don't ask about the name: a long story from a former life…). But as much as I love these two doggies, neither is capable of taking Otis's place, or of filling the awful, gut-wrenching hole he left behind. So if you would, please give your little guys an extra scritch today in memory of Otis.

We have another chewy issue for you this week, starting with, at long last, the announcement of the winner of our Unpublished Novel Contest!

In this issue we go back to our normal contest format as we also introduce to you our new Contest Editor, Shelly Steele. Shelly is also our new Submissions Editor, and she's also teaching Creating Dynamic Characters in our Learning Center. We are absolutely thrilled to have Shelly on board. Check out her Finish the Story Contest.

You novel buffs can't miss this week's puzzle, First Lines.

For you aspiring playwrights out there, Grace Tierney has done considerable legwork in bringing you a medley of contests that will be right up your alley! Be sure to catch her article "Play Time – Contests for the Theater and Screen."

Need some encouragement? Some nourishment for your soul? Judy Shenouda doles out huge doses of both in "Alphabet Soup: Concocting a Delicious Submission."

It's tax season, and the deadline is approaching. For us writers, the tax scene is not always pretty and the three letters: IRS can strike downright terror in our hearts. This needn't be the case! So says Eve Munsky who says lots of calmness and a little common sense go a long way in dealing with IRS. Read all about it in "Left Brain Matters: It's Tax Season: How to Deal with IRS."

Life … death …. Viet Nam … Iraq. What more is there to say? An unnamed  soldier says it all in "Life Honors Sacrifice, Not More Death."

Do you know what speculative poetry is? Even if you do, Terrie Relf offers a fascinating discussion on it in "Defining Speculative Poetry: Let' s Not."

Shelley Bueche comes on board this issue as our News Editor, and she has done a terrific job of presenting some juicy tidbits: do read the News and see what's happening in this writing world of ours.

Well then, until next issue, keep that ink flowing and those keyboards a'clacking!

My warm regards,

Mary Anne Donovan

 

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WriterOnline Learning Center

The WriterOnline Learning Center offers you a quality curriculum taught by expert practitioners and professional educators. Please come take a tour with us, and see some of our unique offerings including:

• Get Up and Get Started
• Grammar 101
• How to Write for the Theater
• The Novel Elements: What Every Writer Should Know
• Writing Poetry Inspired by Landscape and Place
• Writing the Personal Column

These are just a few of our offerings. Come join us. Do something good for yourself. Enrich your soul and sharpen your writing skills.

 

Contests

Finishing the Story Contest

For a writer, finding work isn’t as easy as it use to be. Competition is fierce and sometimes the work involves completing someone else’s work. More

Puzzle

First Lines PUZZLE

It's novel time. We've compiled first lines from some of our very favorite novels, and here they are, listed below, waiting for you to come back and tell us from where they hail! More

Columns and Articles

Play Time – Contests for the Theater and Screen

ByGrace Tierney

Ever sat in the back row of the movie theater and thought, I could write that! Well if your writing skills do extend in that direction you will soon find that pitching to Hollywood, or even your local playhouse isn’t as easy as it looked in ‘The Player’... More

Alphabet Soup: Concocting a Delicious Submission

ByJudith Ellison Shenouda

Submissions are a form of promotion. Like a job interview or a meeting with a prospective client, you are selling yourself, and modesty is not an advantage... More

"Left Brain Matters: It's Tax Season: How to Deal with IRS

ByEve Munsky

During tax season, my appointments are usually set up every hour on the hour.  My staff isn’t as familiar with each client as I am and they don’t always know when to set aside extra time for someone with a complicated situation or a brief meeting for a basic return... More

Life Honors Sacrifice, Not More Death

ByVeteran of the Vietnam War

In 1995, I hosted a Buffalo NY visit of the Moving Wall, the traveling half-scale replica of the Vietnam Memorial. A young female reporter showed up to cover the event and asked to be filled in on some of the specifics of the Wall and those enshrined on it... More

Defining Speculative Poetry: Let' s Not

ByTerrie Leigh Relf

What does the word “speculative” mean? Perhaps a better question, because poetry is both a process and a product is: what does “to speculate” mean?

.... More

By Shelley Bueche

 

Contact Shelley with any news tips at: SHBueche@aol.com

 

Gonzo With the Wind

Known for his biting essays and acerbic wit, one would expect no less a send-off from author Hunter Thompson than having his ashes fired from a cannon... More

Mr. or is that Dr. Magazine?

S-E-X used to be a mandatory title for magazines, now, it doesn’t even make the top 10 categories for magazines according to Samir Husni, aka Mr. Magazine... More

Don’t Blink, You Might Miss Something … Momentary Autism

Malcolm Gladwell, reporter and author of Tipping Point and now Blink:  The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, is becoming an accidental guru, according to Danielle Sacks... More

Germs at Your Desk? Quick, Grab the Purell!

Charles Gerba, scientist at the University of Arizona, collected samples from common work areas, in major cities throughout the country... More

Just How Popular Are Ebooks?

Reporter William Lambert II took an informal poll on e-books among 100 friends and acquaintances... More

Books to Film/Adaptations

In Hollywood News, at the BookStandard (bookstandard.com), an article by Chuck Shelton looks at Oscar statistics from 1961-2004... More

Beam Them Up Scotty!

And speaking of blasting into space, CEO of Craigslist.com, Jim Buckmaster, won the rights for an opportunity to blast messages into outer space... More