In October, we asked you to write a humorous obituary, personal ad or Letter to the Editor and it had to be for, about or from a fictional horror character or super hero.

Sharon Cousins sent this winning entry.

Dear Editor,

I must protest the deplorable proliferation of false morality that is causing more and more young women to adopt the unhealthy and constricting habit of wearing turtleneck pullovers and high collared blouses. Surely you will agree with me that such fashions constrict the circulation so necessary to proper growth and development as well as to the high energy levels that should be a part of their natural state. Young women must have their necks free and unfettered to reach optimal levels of health and fitness.

I am also exceedingly concerned about the advice given to young women in this very publication regarding the dangers of walking outdoors in the late evening. Are you not aware that the nighttime air is fresher and less polluted than that in the daytime? And what could possibly be more felicitous to the health and well being of these lovely young creatures than healthy exercise in abundant fresh air?

To any young women reading this missive, shake free the chains of a repressive and unfeeling society! Choose clothing that leaves your necks free and unfettered if you wish to achieve your fullest potential for a very long and productive life. Furthermore, your body's need for abundant fresh, clean air will be best fulfilled if you go for long walks in the evening, after the sun has gone down.

Sincerely,

Count D.

Matriculated on the road and mellowed by decades in the mountains of northern Idaho, Sharon Cousins lives in a small house on a big hill with a fabulous view.

The traditional marketplace for book sales is shrinking. The six largest publishers are shipping more books and selling less than ever before, even though the distribution chain is saturated with copies that will eventually be returned. The basic laws of supply and demand are being ignored and no one is trying to do anything about it. What's wrong with this picture?

Reports show that book sales are falling and have been for almost 15 years. In response, the six largest publishers in the country are romancing retail bookstores to take as much inventory as possible, often more than they can handle.

Experts say more than 800 new titles are published independently and traditionally every single day in the US. That's over 290,000 new titles per year and the growth rate for the next ten years is predicted to be near 10-15 percent. With a growing number of new titles being published and forced into a shrinking marketplace, the difficulty of marketing and selling books is obvious.

This growth of new authors and books is the direct result of new digital technology, and the ability to print books inexpensively and on demand. This has spawned a new book making industry and a different kind of "publisher," one whose business model is based on charging writers for printing and marketing, as opposed to selling books to readers.

This turn about in the industry has accelerated the growth of new authors, new books, and the print-on-demand publishing model. These companies make their money by printing books and selling services to writers. The problem with this new kind of publisher is that authors absorb all the cost and pay dearly for an opportunity to market and sell their book in the traditional marketplace.

If you are an Independently published author and your marketing efforts focus primarily on finding shelf space in bookstores, you should refocus your attention, save your money and your time. There is a better way! There are two major factors that create the perfect ingredients for success of the Independently published book. (1) The only area of growth in publishing today is from the Independent author, and (2) The future for global book sales is the Internet. The key is how to utilize both facts with the creation of a single, online marketplace.

It's time for the Independent Author to unite behind one goal, to market and sell more Independently published titles - an online platform where you can profile yourself and your book, a place where readers can discover voices never heard and stories never told. The goal is to help the author create that personal connection with their audience, easily and inexpensively. Where readers can find titles they will not find in a typical bookstore right in one location.

This is ideal for writers who are tired of playing a marketing game controlled by the largest publishers in the world. It's time for Independent authors to unite behind one goal and that is to market and sell more Independently published titles.

The first step toward total independence in the marketplace for bookselling is joining together as Independent writers and authors.

Jerry D. Simmons founded Nothing Binding for readers worldwide to discover voices never heard and stories never told. To subscribe to Jerry's free newsletter, email jerry@writersreaders.com subject: subscribe. You can visit Jerry at: www.writersreaders.com

Source: www.isnare.com

A new client made an off-handed comment today. She wondered why almost every writer gets strong urges not to write. "Suddenly, the plants need watering, the dog needs petting, the laundry needs folding at that very moment." She laughed sheepishly. "I find in the moments that fall into my lap and announce they could be used for writing, I am suddenly possessed by an irresistible urge desire to clean closets, skim the internet for some obscure fact, or finally finish reading that book I started last month. It's worse than craving chocolate, and just as narcotic!"

Writers have it tough. The very thing we most want to do, we don't do. My ex-husband, who was a journalist at the time, dragged home a snippet of a quote. "No one likes writing, but everyone likes having written." I am not sure to whom attribution belongs, but I'd wager it's a professional writer. I am disinclined to write unless there's a deadline looming. Perhaps this is why so few authors actually get published. Finishing a proposal or the first draft of a fiction work is usually a self-imposed deadline.

I used to think it was the fear of criticism or rejection that kept most writers from writing. But now having been a writer all my life, and working with thousands of them as an agent, I think that is just the tip of the, well, the tip of the pool cue, to avoid a cliché. My dad, an old pool shark legendary only in his own mind, remembers people who were nervous about taking the shot who endlessly chalked their cue stick. It's the same with us, isn't it? We fuss and distract and whine that we don't have time or the right circumstances to write. As for me, if I'm not alone in a cabin in Big Bear with a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies (or in a pinch, oatmeal raisin), in front of the fieldstone fireplace with snow falling outside, in my favorite faux leopard skin slippers, how could I possibly be expected to turn out prose of any value? Quite simply, I cannot write unless conditions are perfect. That's what I tell myself. That's what my writers tell me.

The question in my mind is always "Why don't writers just force themselves to do it?" I gave a seminar some years ago, when I was naïve. I taught a class to eight professional speakers. I charged exorbitant rates to force them through a proposal creation process in just three days. They were limp when we finished. I sent them home edited and complete, with only one sample chapter to finish. Six of them had had sample chapters coming into the event - we'd edited them on site. All they had to do was incorporate those edits! Five years later, I have yet to get a completed proposal from any of them. What's worse is that I happen to know that no other agent or publisher has seen their work either in all this time!

Upon deep introspection and a cup of peppermint tea, I have determined once and for all that the reason writers don't write is because we simply know that language cannot begin to convey accurately the words in our hearts, minds and spirits. Like the Inuit who allegedly have hundreds of words to describe snow, or the ancient Greeks who had six words for love, we are immediately restrained by our limited language skills. The first words we type will instantly disappoint us, because they cannot perfectly convey straight into the heart and mind of another the precise message we wish to send.

And this is utter failure. And complete success. It is failure in all the obvious ways, but the way it is success is valuable to consider. For in our failure to direct our message perfectly, we leave it flayed open, exposed to any reader's interpretation. Each reader sees in the work precisely what he or she needs to take from it. They get what they wanted to get, nothing more or less. The critic who dices a book gets another paycheck next month for being pithy and curt. The reader who skims only the first few chapters and carries away a wholly different message from that intended needs that skewed message to verify his or her own opinion, pro or con. If fifty people read our work, there will be fifty interpretations of the same work.

We should have learned this in college English classes, for therein is the beauty of the craft and the release from the "Writer's Procrastination" malaise. Each person sees something different in the book, even the author upon rereading it later. We are perfectly met by words, because the words mean something different to each of us. Themselves, they are merely symbols for meanings, and meanings are wholly subjective. In California, the yellow stoplight means "hurry up!" In Chicago, it means, "slow down!" The words we see come to us in their own stark beauty, they adhere to our own vision of what we want and need from the text we are consuming.

When you next set fingertips to keyboard, or quill to parchment, remember that your efforts to convey a distinct message are only and sublimely your efforts. A whole world of possible interpretations exists behind each phrase you turn, each word picture you sketch. Resolve to allow all who choose to indulge in your writing take what they prefer, like a bountiful banquet table. Then you are liberated to write what is true and has meaning for you, what is real, in the best language you are capable of using. With clarity, logic and precision, you are freed to let the words flow onto the page. Those who take them up will see your work only from their own myopia. Your job is complete when the words have been spent and they lie there, self-satisfied and heaving on the page.

(c) 2007, Keller Media, Inc.

About the Author

Wendy Keller is Senior Agent at Keller Media, Inc. She's been selling books for other writers since 1989 and meanwhile has had 29 of her own books published under 8 pseudonyms. To get her and her staff on your side, go to www.KellerMedia.com

Source: Free Articles

Rayna Vause is excited to announce the release of her new book, Only In Her Dreams. Published by The Wild Rose Press under the Crimson Rose line, Only In Her Dreams will be available on November 21, 2007.

Rachel Walker is haunted by visions of her own death...made even more frightening by the fact that she's a psychic and her visions have never failed to come true. After the death of her mother, she finds herself alone and strapped for cash. She puts her unusual talents to work and takes a job as a tarot card reader in the restaurant of the Warrick Towers Hotel. Jack Morgan, CEO of Warrick Hotels International, focuses on the bottom line...money. He's convinced that a tarot card reader will never turn a profit. After all, no sensible person truly believes their fortune can be predicted by a deck of cards. From the moment Rachel first sees Jack, horrifying visions of her own drowning death begin to haunt her. Knowing that Jack is connected to these terrifying visions, she is determined to keep her distance from him, but fate has other plans. They are brought together by a freak accident, and forced even closer by an undeniable attraction and the very real threats of a stalker. Together, Jack and Rachel must figure out who is terrorizing her before Rachel's dreams become a reality.

You can visit Rayna at: www.raynavause.com

To read an excerpt, please visit: www.raynavause.com/OIHDExcerpt.html

Congratulations Rayna!

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E.D. Easley is excited to announce his e-book, Top Ten Tips To Market Your Self-Published Book went up for sale at www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/EDEasleyeBooks.htm

Fictionwise has a ton of traditional print and e-books, you might consider having yours listed.

You can visit him at: www.myspace.com/116534476

Congratulations E.D.!

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NothingBinding.com is the premier global stage for Independent Authors to promote their books, attract new readers and connect with fellow writers. The gateway for writers to tap into a worldwide audience through audio and video, biography, inspirations and excerpts from their books and from their hearts. What's more, readers can discover hidden gems-truly without boundaries-that just are not available at traditional booksellers and other venues. Now finally, unheard voices and untold stories can be shared and heard, savored and enjoyed. NothingBinding unites Authors and Readers everywhere, across the globe. The strength of the independently published book is the great numbers of authors and readers around the world, that log on from near and far to congregate at NothingBinding.com

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77th Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition. Grand Prize: $3,000 cash and a trip to New York City to meet with editors and agents.

Entry deadline: May 15, 2008.

For rules and entry form, visit: 77th Annual WD Writing Competition

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Prism International's Short Fiction Contest

Annual fiction contest open to original, unpublished short stories. To 25 pages. Deadline: Jan. 31, 2008. Entry fee: $27.00; $7.00 for each additional story.

For more info: Prism International

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Writing PIs in Novels by Colleen Collins and Shaun Kaufman

Registration now open for December 2007 class! New course material added: Homicide Investigations, Intellectual Property Investigations, DNA Evidence Primer

Registration deadline for the above class is Nov. 20th, but I believe they offer classes every month.

Check out the site for more information: Writing PIs in Novels

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Rosebud

Publishes fiction, poetry and essays, and runs contests for fiction, poetry, nonfiction and two-minute plays.

For more info: www.rsbd.net

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The Grammar Vandal

This is an interesting blog site. Kate McCulley corrects bad grammar on public signs. She takes photographs of the signs and posts them on her blog.

You can check it out at: www.thegrammarvandal.com

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Forward Motion Writers

This is a writers-helping-writers website, founded by novelist Holly Lisle as a way to "pay forward" into the writing community.

Check it out at: www.fmwriters.com

You can visit Holly Lisle at: Holly Lisle

Holly's site offers a wealth of information for writers, so check it out!

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I saw an ad for The Everything Literary Crosswords Book in the Nov/Dec issue of Writer's Digest.

I thought this would make a great holiday gift. It will be available in bookstores, Barnes&Noble.com and on Amazon.com in December.

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Bobbie Christmas is the "Book Doctor" and Author of Write In Style, a triple-award-winning textbook for writers of fiction and nonfiction, available wherever books are sold.

Bobbie loves to receive questions from writers and offer her expert advice. If you have any questions you need answered, please e-mail her at: Bobbie@zebraeditor.com

For the latest Q&A with Bobbie, go to AskTheBookDoctor on the CS4W site.

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If you have an announcement you would like to share with us, please send it to: sandy@coolstuff4writers.com with "Announcement" in the subject line.

I love to hear from you!

Peace,

Sandy

email: sandy@coolstuff4writers.com

phone: 732-364-3993

web: http://www.coolstuff4writers.com