|
|
E-Writer Issue #6 1 July 2004 http://www.nickdaws.co.uk E-mail: ewriter-at-nickdaws.co.uk "Hints, tips and tricks for wired-up writers" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >>> In This Issue <<< 1. Editorial 2. Resources: Online Dictionaries And Definitions 3. Market Info: Miscellany 4. Style File: Don't Prevaricate! 1. Editorial Hello again. And thank you for being a valued subscriber to E- Writer! The number of subscribers has grown considerably since my last e-mail, so welcome one and all! For the benefit of newcomers especially, I thought it might be useful to start by recapping what this newsletter is about. Don't skip this section if you've been on board for a while though, as there are one or two new developments you may not know about. Anyway, the E in E-Writer stands for two things: Entrepreneur and Electronic. Entrepreneur, because that's my angle. I work full time as a freelance writer and my number one aim is to make a (good) living from it. I'm not saying I wouldn't one day like to write the great novel, but my motives are primarily commercial, not so say financial! So in each issue of E-Writer I'll be aiming to pass on a range of ideas - some quite unusual - for turning your writing skills to profit. The E also (of course) stands for Electronic. I use the net a lot in my work, and hope to share through this newsletter a few hints and tips I have picked up along the way, and some useful resources I have discovered for "wired-up" writers. I'll also be discussing the the net as a market of growing importance for writers, and revealing ways you can get a slice of the online writing action yourself. In each issue I share any interesting market information I have come across. E-Writer is NOT going to be a long list of magazines which might consider your work, however. There are other websites and ezines which do this far better than I ever could (see, for example, http://www.worldwidefreelance.com). As for frequency, so far the newsletter has been more or less fortnightly. I can't promise that this will always be the case, however, as I have to fit it in among my many other writing commitments. Still, hopefully it will always be a pleasant surprise when it does turn up! You can view all the past issues of E-Writer from the archive page of my website at http://www.nickdaws.co.uk/EWarchive.htm. The archived versions of the newsletters have been tidied up a bit and some extra features added, e.g. the section headings are hyperlinked from the contents list at the top of each issue. I can't actually do this in the e-mail version of E-Writer, which is sent in plain text format (so that everyone can read it). Finally, as the archive gets bigger you may find it harder to locate an item you saw in an earlier issue, so on the front page of my site (http://www.nickdaws.co.uk) I have added a search engine (provided by Google) to help you. Enter the term you are looking for - e.g. File-Saver - and the search engine will list all the pages on my site where this term can be found. Incidentally, you can set this to search either my site or the whole Web if you prefer. 2. Resources - Online Dictionaries and Definitions A dictionary is probably the most important tool for a writer (well, apart from your computer/word processor, perhaps!). Yet often in the white heat of creativity you may not have a dictionary to hand, or not wish to break off from your writing to find one. Microsoft Word has its own inbuilt dictionary, of course, but it's basic at best (and won't help you with word definitions). There's no need to despair, however. Just point your browser at http://www.dictionary.com. If you need to check on the spelling or definition of a word, this site should be able to tell you everything you need to know. It is US-based, but UK spellings and those of other English-speaking nations are also included. The definitions on the Dictionary.com site are drawn from various sources. You will also find a pronunciation guide, examples of usage and information about the word's derivation. As a random example, here is just one of three sets of definitions offered for the word 'lyrical'. 1. (a) Expressing deep personal emotion or observations: a dancer's lyrical performance; a lyrical passage in his autobiography. (b) Highly enthusiastic; rhapsodic: gave a lyrical description of her experiences in the South Seas. Dictionary.com also offers some more advanced features, e.g. audio recordings, but to access these you have to pay a subscription. If there's a word on the tip of your tongue but you can't think of it, Dictionary.com's sister site, http://www.thesaurus.com is well worth trying. As you probably know, a thesaurus is a word- finder, and the one at this website is far more comprehensive than the simple version provided with Microsoft Word. Enter any search term and you are likely to be presented with hundreds of near (and not-so-near) equivalents. The entry for 'lyrical' included all the following synonyms: agreeable, blending, chiming, choral, consonant, dulcet, euphonious, harmonious, lilting, lyrical, mellow, melodic, melodious, orchestral, pleasing, rhythmic, silvery, songful, sweet, sweet-sounding, symphonic, symphonious, tuned, tuneful, vocal. Again, the results from Thesaurus.com are drawn from various online sources. You can also access these directly via the Web, but Thesaurus.com and Dictionary.com provide a convenient (and easily memorable) resource for viewing all the results together. Finally, if you want to know the definition of any word or term, did you know that you can find definitions from across the Web using the 'define' command in Google (http://www.google.com)? To use this, enter define: in the Google search box followed by the term you are looking up. There should be no space between the colon and the first word of the search term. If you want to find definitions of 'weapons of mass destruction', for example, you would enter the following in the search box: define:weapons of mass destruction Click on Google Search and you will be presented with a list of definitions of the term in question, along with the website URLs they are taken from. With the above query, the results included seven different definitions, mostly from military sites. I use all three of these tools quite regularly, and find them invaluable time-savers. I hope you will find them useful in your writing as well. -------------------------------------------------------------- Advertisement Looking for another sideline to supplement your writing? Then how about becoming a mystery shopper! You can enjoy cash and freebies, from free restaurant meals to weekend breaks. All you have to do is 'go shopping' and report back, so that the retailers can assess and improve the service they offer. WCCL has just published two guides explaining everything you need to know to get into this lucrative and enjoyable field (including essential contacts), and the even better news is that both are currently on special offer. The UK Mystery Shopping Guide ( http://tinyurl.com/37ak7) is currently just £9.95, while the US Mystery Shopping Guide (http://tinyurl.com/3avw3) is $14.95. At these 'bargain basement' prices, just one assignment should cover the modest cost several times over - so why not get your copy now, and go shopping! -------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Market Info - Miscellany Here are a few more potential markets for you. Espresso Fiction is a US website looking for short stories from 1,000 to 3,500 words to be e-mailed to their subscribers. They say stories should 'challenge, intrigue, provoke, stimulate and resonate'. They will consider any genre (except science fiction or fantasy), as long as it is well-written and engaging. You can submit up to three stories at any one time. Payment is currently US$30 per story, but as the company grows they hope to change to a commission-based system giving writers the opportunity to earn bigger fees. For further information, and to register as a potential author, visit http://www.espressofiction.com/information_writers.php. Incidentally, if you register as a potential author (which is free), they will send you two sample stories that have already been published so you can see the sort of thing they are looking for. If you're a science fiction writer (and the above is therefore not of interest!), you might like to know that the UK's leading SF magazine, Interzone, is changing hands. The magazine has been taken over by TTA Press, who also publish small press magazines The Third Alternative, Crimewave and The Fix. Interzone welcomes the submission of science fiction and fantasy stories of up to 20,000 words, though they recommend that contributors study the magazine first to get a feeling for its style and content. Their new address is: Interzone, TTA Press, 5 Martins Lane, Witcham, Ely, Cambs, CB6 2LB. Their website is at http://www.ttapress.com/IZ.html. Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine publishes every kind of mystery short story: the psychological suspense tale, the deductive puzzle, the private eye case, and so on. EQMM uses stories of almost every length. 2,500-8,000 words is the preferred range, but they occasionally use stories of up to 12,000 words. Shorter stories are also considered, including minute mysteries of as little as 250 words. Rates for original stories are from 5c to 8c a word, sometimes higher for established authors. Manuscripts should be sent to: Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, 475 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016, USA. Contributions are welcome from writers living outside the US, but must still be in hard copy form - use International Postal Reply coupons for return postage. For detailed guidelines, see http://www.themysteryplace.com/eqmm/guidelines/. If you're UK-based and want to get into writing for the soaps, there is just time to apply for a position as storyline writer for the popular ITV series 'Emmerdale'. The role will involve producing detailed storylines and generating story ideas. ITV Yorkshire, who are offering the post on a limited-term contract, say applicants need to demonstrate a genuine enthusiasm for the programme and possess a flair for dramatic structure and character, along with excellent storytelling skills and a sense of humour. Previous experience of storytelling, either in theatre, television or print, is desirable. The first part of the selection process will involve successful applicants being invited to participate in a storyline workshop Saturday 24 July - Monday 26 July 2004; this will take the form of a story conference. To apply, you can send a detailed CV and covering letter to Estelle Hind, ITV Yorkshire, Burley Road, Leeds, LS3 1JT, UK. As the closing date is Friday 2 July, however, a better method may be to apply by e-mail to estelle.hind-at-granadamedia.com. Are you an advertising copywriter looking for a new challenge? If so, how do you fancy working for the Nikewomen.com website in Denmark? The job will be permanent, full time, and on-site. You will be working in English, and should be a native English speaker. The chosen person will start in July (ideally) and need to relocate to Copenhagen - the agency will help with flights, accommodation and any red tape. They are looking for someone with copywriting experience (web and/or traditional) and an interest in sport, fitness and competition, especially from a woman's perspective. For more information, see http://www.onlinecontentuk.org/jobs.html. Finally, I couldn't have an E-Writer without at least mentioning Kwickee Bitesize, could I? Regular readers will know that I am a freelance editor for this company, which plans to offer articles and fiction for download via mobile (cell) phones, PDAs and the Internet. The public launch of the service has been delayed due to the many technical challenges involved in setting up a ground-breaking service of this nature. However, it definitely IS going ahead, and writers are invited to submit contributions of anything from film reviews and recipes to short stories and er~otica. Once the service is up and running, you will receive a portion of the fee received every time someone pays to download one of your 'Bitesizes'. For more info, see the company websites at http://www/kwickee.com and http://www.kwickee.info. Note that although the service will operate in the UK initially, writers from across the world are welcome to submit material. 4. Style File: Don't Prevaricate! In this feature I examine an aspect of English usage - words, punctuation, grammar, and so on - which can cause problems for writers. In this issue I'm spotlighting a single word, prevaricate. Prevaricate is one of those words which regularly catches out writers because it does not mean what they think it does. Many confuse ‘prevaricate’ with ‘procrastinate’, which of course means to postpone or delay. In fact, prevaricate is defined by Collins Dictionary as, ‘To speak or act falsely with intent to deceive’. The word is derived from a Latin phrase meaning ‘to walk crookedly’. The website Dictionary.com (mentioned earlier) supplies the following examples of its correct use: Journalism has a similar obligation, particularly with men and women suddenly transferred to places of great power, who are often led to exaggerate and prevaricate, all in the name of a supposedly greater good. --Stephen R. Graubard, "Presidents: The Power and the Mediocrity," New York Times, January 15, 1989 A woman surrounded by hostile men, she amuses herself by thinking of Wonder Woman's golden lasso, "which made even the most cunning of evildoers unable to prevaricate." --Susan Lowell, "Gorgeous Predators," New York Times, July 14, 1991 He had a free mind, had been to jail for it, and thereafter saw no reason to prevaricate. --John Russell, "Fantasy Stamps and Other Art," New York Times, May 31, 1981. Confusing ‘prevaricate’ with ‘procrastinate’ can lead to some embarrassing misunderstandings. In September last year the Guardian newspaper in the UK had to print the following apology in its ‘For The Record’ column: In Business (15 September), we accused Norman Lamont ('the then Chancellor') of 'prevaricating over the decision to suspend ERM membership'. We are sure that Mr Lamont did not prevaricate ('speak or act falsely... with intent to deceive'), though he may have procrastinated ('put off or defer'). No doubt in future, common usage will lead to prevaricate also being accepted to mean procrastinate (and the English language will be that little bit poorer as a result...). For now, however, the distinction is there and should be observed. Who knows, one day your publisher’s legal department may thank you for it! That's it for this issue. I hope you've enjoyed reading it and found something that may be of use to you. E-Writer will be with you again in the next week or two (probably). Good writing! Nick ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Advertisement Nick Daws' CD-based course 'Write Any Book In Under 28 Days' takes you through every stage of writing a book, from getting the original idea through to editing the completed manuscript, all in the shortest possible time. Read a lengthy extract from the course at http://www.nickdaws.co.uk/writeany.htm, then click through to the publisher's website to read some of the many testimonials! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright Info Except where specifically stated, material in E-Writer is protected by copyright of Nick Daws, 2004. Material from the newsletter may, however, be reproduced in other online or off- line publications so long as (a) the text (including any URLs and e-mail addresses) is not altered in any way, and (b) the souce is acknowledged and a link or text reference is provided to my website at http://www.nickdaws.co.uk. Notifying me is not essential but would be appreciated - please use the e- mail address above or the link on my site. Many thanks! ---------------------------------------------------------------- |