Absolute Write Newsletter
Revision, revision, revision
January 30, 2008

In this issue:

· An interview with Jennifer Lynn Barnes

· Gaie Sebold's "Errata"

· A review of The Writer's Mind CD

    ... and more.

StoryPros Awards Contest

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Writing And Publishing The Short Stuff (Especially For Moms!)

With Christina Katz,

author of Writer Mama

Finally, a writing workshop that fits into the busy lives of moms! The focus of Christina Katz's class is on getting you into print sooner, rather than later, and without pulling all-nighters or paying a fortune in babysitter fees. Starts February 13! Click here.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Welcome Absolute Writers!

I was thinking about the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, with regard to writing, reading, and life. (So I'm a bit of a nerd. This wouldn't surprise any of you by now.)

Just in case you aren't sure, and don't feel like googling it, there is a pretty good description here: http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/physics/UncertaintyPrinciple.html

In short, it means the act of observation changes the behavior of the observed.

"Ah, well. That's all well and good," you might say, "but how do you apply that to reading and then in a broader sense to life, Mac?"

"Well," I might reply, "When we approach a text with the intent to comprehend the meaning represented by the words, we bring our own experiences as a filter."

We can't -- and probably shouldn't, except in extreme circumstances -- escape the influences that shaped us as human beings. And of course we can't approach the text of a book or story the same way we approach a movie. Printed words on a page are representational of something else, in a way that actors moving on a screen really aren't. The printed words "William Wallace" demand a much higher level of mental participation from a reader than pictures of Mel Gibson in a kilt with his face painted blue demand from a viewer.

And at this point, there are probably more people who associate that image of Mel Gibson in Braveheart with the idea of "William Wallace" than the word picture drawn in Scottish Chiefs.

Now I'm not dissing movies. I love movies. And this isn't some weird diatribe because I read and fell in love with Scottish Chiefs before anyone had ever contemplated making Braveheart. But I gotta say, I never really pictured Mel as William Wallace, when I read the book. I was a day-dreamy eleven-year-old.

And having read the book, then seen the movie, the nature of the text is actually changed, for me.  I can never read the book quite the same way again. The more people who see and accept the movie, the more the text is affected. Harry Potter, anyone?

As to how the Heisenberg Principle applies to life -- well, I'm still working that out.

Have a great week, everyone. Write hard. Write true -- even knowing the readers will do what they will with your words, anyway.

And write on.

Best,

Mac

--

MacAllister Stone

Editor in Chief

PROMPT OF THE WEEK

Look out!

READER REQUESTS

This week, writers want to know about:

* Morning sickness

* Moms getting time for themselves

* Friends becoming lovers

* Emergency room forms

* Sleep deprivation and torture

* Electricians

* Leopards

and more.

To answer a question or ask one of your own, visit: http://absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=66

Never posted at the forums before? Start here:

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34886

INTERVIEW

Interview with Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Interview by Sara Polsky

Jennifer Lynn Barnes wrote GOLDEN, her first published novel, at age nineteen. It was released in 2006, her second young adult novel, TATTOO, came out in early 2007, and her newest series, THE SQUAD, will be published beginning in February. Jennifer grew up in Oklahoma and graduated from Yale, where she studied cognitive science, in 2006. She spent a year doing autism research on a Fulbright fellowship at the University of Cambridge and is now back at Yale, where she's working on her Ph.D. This interview was conducted via e-mail.

Q: How did you get into writing? What made you decide to start submitting your work for publication?

A: I started writing when I was about six or so and never really stopped. For most of middle and high school, I'd start a book, get three or four chapters in, and then start a new one. There were just so many stories I wanted to write that I found it really hard to concentrate on one. Then, my senior year in high school, I decided that I really wanted to finish something, and that's when I wrote my first book-length manuscript. Three more (all in the same series) quickly followed, and I decided to start looking into publishers. Thankfully, nobody was interested in that first series (and I'm certainly not going to let anyone read it now), but over the next year, I just kept working at it, and I finally wrote GOLDEN (which was the seventh book I wrote, but the first I sold) the summer after my freshman year in college. Once I started really writing, I just couldn't stop, even when the rejections piled up. I figured that as long as I was writing (and I couldn't foresee stopping), I might as well just keep trying with publishers. Eventually, it paid off.

Read more:

http://www.absolutewrite.com/novels/jennifer_lynn_barnes.htm

Visit the Absolute Write E-Bookstore!

• Sell The Fun Stuff: Writers' And Artists' Market Guidelines For Greeting Cards, Posters... by Jenna Glatzer

• The Instruction Writer's Guide by Marilyn Haight

• The Complete Guide to Writing & Selling Magazine Articles by Peggy Fielding and Dan Case

ARTICLES

"Tossing a Good Game in Athlete Interviews"

By Kevin Glew

Scanning The London Free Press and devouring my Cheerios, I had settled into my lazy Saturday morning routine when the phone rang.

"Hello," I uttered through a mouthful of cereal.

"Hi, Kevin. It's Tony Fernandez."

I feverishly swallowed my Cheerios and fumbled for my list of questions. Attempting to connect with this ex-Toronto Blue Jay for close to a month, I was prepared to sacrifice my breakfast to complete this interview.

Read more:

http://www.absolutewrite.com/freelance_writing/tossing.htm

"Make Your Froggy Vision 20/20"

By Gloria Griepenstroh

Why do we kiss frogs when we could kiss the handsome prince, or, as the case may be, a beautiful princess? Some of us may love those green slimy creatures, but many of us have froggy vision. In other words, we tend to attract or settle for frogs and don't envision the princes we really desire.

This same concept could be adapted to striving for writing success. Froggy vision can also be blamed for not realizing our writing goals. You need to clear up the fog with some window cleaning techniques especially designed for writers.

Often writers dream of goals they wish to accomplish. But dreams are not concrete. You, the writer, must take charge and make those dreams become reality. The technique of re-visioning is the key to correcting froggy vision by creating a detailed picture of your writing career. Just as we rethink an unsolved problem, the writer must re-vision his writing career.

Read more:

http://www.absolutewrite.com/novels/froggy_vision.htm

WRITING NEWS AROUND THE WEB

"Fight Cancer! Read Patry Francis! Dig a Cool Mystery Book!"

By Ben Kaplan, January 29, 2008, National Post

"The Dangers of Writing Fiction"

By Jennie Nash, January 29, 2008, HuffingtonPost.com

"New Survey Reveals Impact of Writers' Strike on Prime-Time Viewing"

By Irene Lew, January 29, 2008, WorldScreen.com

By Frederick N. Rasmussen, January 26, 2008, BaltimoreSun.com

By Sean Axmaker, January 23, 2008, SeattlePI.com

Absolute Markets Premium.

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COLUMN

Revision, revision, revision…., "Errata"

By Gaie Sebold (monthly, humor)

Regard, with deep distaste, novel requiring rewriting.

Desk, nearby clothesbasket, and floor entirely covered in notes from critique group, and own random scribblings. Peer at piece of paper suspect was written in moment of apparent inspiration just before falling asleep, and try to work out what meant by: Wall e.g. poisoned! What H cane for? Links w' M!!!

Read more:

http://www.absolutewrite.com/fun/Sebold/revision.htm

WRITING EXERCISES AND PROMPTS

January Flash Fiction Contest

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/announcement.php?f=66&a=89

The Valentine's Day Love Sonnet Contest

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/announcement.php?f=2&a=90

The Great Absolute Write Flash Fiction Challenge

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/calendar.php?do=getinfo&day=2008-1-13&e=324&c=1

REVIEW

Writer's Mind (CD)

Review by Noelle Sterne

I'd listened to self-help audios before-- to lose weight, get more assertive, corral my clutter-- but soon I was back to my indulgent, retiring, slovenly ways. But now I was desperate to get my writing fired up again. So, even with some skepticism, I sought out the Writer's Mind, a two-track CD.

Read more:

http://www.absolutewrite.com/novels/writers_mind.htm

Shop Amazon, support AW!

Our new Absolute Write Amazon store means you can shop Amazon's books, DVDs, electronics, software, toys, and games with us and then check out through Amazon.com to securely complete your transaction! Click here to get started!

Invest in Your Writing!!

Absolute Write has affiliated with the Writers SuperCentres of America to create the Absolute Software Store.  Please check us out to find the best prices on any type of writing software.

- Write better stories, books or articles
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Visit the software store.

Make Your Website Work Harder for You!

Laura Wright's Developing a Web Presence for "Local" Writers and Optimize Your Web Presence are designed to help you get the most out of your website and blog! No experience? No problem! Classes start every Monday!

Click here for details and registration:

Developing a Web Presence for "Local" Writers

Optimize Your Web Presence

WRITERS' GUIDELINES - updated!

We're always looking for new interviews, articles, essays, and humor for this newsletter. We pay $0.02 per published word ($10 minimum) or a 1-year subscription to the Absolute Markets Premium Edition ($15 value, see  www.absolutemarkets.com for a free sample). We're happy to consider reprints, and we ask only for nonexclusive electronic rights. Got some advice for your fellow writers? Check out our guidelines here:  Writers' guidelines

WATER COOLER

Discussion of the Week

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Larry Corse Prize for Playwriting

(due April 1, 2008; no entry fee; win $1,000 and production of play)

http://www.larrycorse.com/playwriting.html

(due March 21, 2008; $15 entry fee; win $500 and publication)

http://writersleague.org/contests/memoir.html

The Jim Baen Memorial Writing Contest

(due April 1, 2008; no entry fee; win publication at professional rates plus prizes)

http://www.williamledbetter.com/contest.htm

CLASSIFIEDS

Travel Writers Wanted!

There's great demand for an elite corps of highly skilled, professional travel writers...a pool of travel writing specialists that can be relied on to write vivid, lively and interesting articles.

If you ever dreamed about the romantic life of a travel writer, here's a very unusual opportunity to actually live it!
http://www.absolutewrite.com/dt/t/travelawn.php

Inexpensive Exposure for Your Writing

Writers and Services for Writers: If you have a website, we'll set up your company or book information in the Absolute Write Writers Directory. The listing is just $10 and you'll be showcased in the category of your choice.
http://www.absolutewrite.com/site/writers_directory.htm

E-books For Writers!

Check out the Absolute Write E-book store at:
http://www.absolutewrite.com/ebookstore/index.htm

All titles are recommended by Absolute Write!

AFFILIATES

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Email to subscribe@writingfordollars.com -*- http://www.WritingForDollars.com

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