Issue 26

Attention all horror writers: Have a short story that is truly terrifying? Enter your short story in the WNW 2008 Horror Writing Contest! A panel of judges will determine the most shockingly horrific tale, and the winner will get their story published on the main page of WNW along with a gift basket of books, courtesy of SterlingHouse Publisher. Entries must be received by October 31, 2008. Email editor@writersnewsweekly.com.

By Amanda Linsmeier

Something Borrowed (St. Martin’s Press, 2004) by Emily Giffin is a surprising and compelling novel. Rachel White is a young attorney in Manhattan; she’s somewhat reserved, extremely supportive and always does the right thing. In fact, she’s the complete opposite of her best friend Darcy who always manages to outshine her. Darcy is spoiled, demanding and self-involved. She’s the life of the party and always gets what she wants including Dex, her very handsome fiancé whom Rachel went to law school with. The night of Rachel’s 30th birthday party she gets a little too drunk and ends up in bed with Dex. Instead of feeling guilty for that act of betrayal, Rachel only feels guilty for the lack of guilt. Maybe she’s loved Dex all along? Maybe she introduced him to Darcy because she didn’t think she was good enough? Maybe Darcy has gotten her way one too many times. Rachel and Dex continue to see each other and what begins as a drunken encounter turns into true love. But there’s still the matter of Darcy and Dexter’s engagement. As the wedding day approaches and with no cancellation in sight, Rachel becomes more consumed with Dex and more conflicted by her friendship to Darcy. Has Darcy been a good friend to her? Has Rachel ever once gotten her way? Maybe there’s no such thing as right or wrong and she should follow her heart, no matter the cost.

Something Borrowed is a great read, although I imagine it could be uncomfortable for someone who has been cheated on. Readers who enjoy this story will be happy to know that there is a sequel Something Blue which tells Darcy’s side of the story. I liked this novel, although I didn’t particularly like Rachel. Darcy comes off as being the bad guy, but I ended up liking her, even through her spoiled and childish ways, more than Rachel. Rachel struck me as being very whiny and passive aggressive. The strange thing is that even through not loving the main character and also disapproving of the infidelity, Giffin somehow made me still root for Dex and Rachel. I wanted them to be together; I wanted them to win. Something Borrowed is surprising, intriguing and it’s like watching something dangerous; you want to look away, but you just can’t because it’s so deliciously exciting.

Jane Johnson is an English author and Fiction Publishing Director for HarperCollins Publisher, UK, where she is responsible for the Voyager science fiction and fantasy list as well as publishing thrillers and historical fiction. She was also with Tolkien Publisher for several years, and worked on Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. Her novel, Crossed Bones (UK) The Tenth Gift (USA title) is her first foray into writing adult mainstream fiction. Ms. Johnson also writes for children.

Q: From the perspective of a publishing director, what catches the eye in novice manuscripts?

A: I look for a distinctive and authentic voice, one that hooks me within a couple of pages; clear, sharp writing, a sense of rhythm in the sentence structures, a good use of language without being flowery or overwritten; a strong sense of plotting and characterization; realistic dialogue -- and, of course, that indefinable 'something special.' The most important thing of all is to have the ability to make the reader want to turn the pages. That requires strong characterization, a real sense of a person that you are interested in, or can empathise with; and a great story.

Q: How does a novice writer come by these skills?

A: By reading, reading, reading; and writing, writing, writing -- and doing both with awareness rather than passively absorbing or channelling the words. And looking and listening to the world around them, getting out into it with eyes and ears open, trying to describe what they see and hear; jotting down dialogue and impressions, dreams and ideas. It is worth realizing that certain sectors of the fiction market sell better than others, and if you want to be published by a commercial publisher you need to be writing commercial material.

Q: In today’s marketplace, genre vs. mainstream – which is the tougher to write/sell and why?

A: I've always disliked such categorizations: historically, they were terms used by marketing personnel, rather than by readers and editors. As a reader, I read far and wide without making distinctions between books except as to whether I liked them or not. But gradually the market has ruled the publishing houses, and the corporate publishers have allowed these divisions to be imposed, so we're now faced with a fait accompli. I've always railed against the way that science fiction and fantasy are a) jammed together under the same dismissive heading and b) shoved in some dark corner of the bookshop (and never in supermarkets). This has created a self-fulfilling prophecy: and so the 'genre' has been supported less and less well and sold fewer and fewer copies. At present, it's probably the hardest area of the market in which a newcomer can break through.

Thrilllers, when they sell well, sell very well indeed: but because the rewards are visibly greater in this area, there's heavy competition. Writing well in any area is hard and requires great dedication and a thorough understanding of the sort of novel you're writing. You need the capacity to hold an entire storyline in your head; you need to hear and understand the characters; you need to be able to cut and edit your own work ruthlessly; and you need to be open to criticism and flexible enough to rework material if it's not working. That's the same across the writing of all areas of fiction.

Q: Crossed Bones/The Tenth Gift is inspired by the abduction of a family member in 1625 from a Cornish church by Barbary pirates. What are the challenges of writing about a historical event from a fiction point of view?

A: It was necessary to do incredible amounts of research into the 17th century and Morocco. It was necessary to read, absorb and hold in my head dozens of books and hundreds of articles, as well as landscapes and cultures before I could even begin to write. You can't just make things up as you go along if you want the story and characters to be authentic.

I read a lot of historical fiction, and there's nothing I hate more than anachronisms: they jolt you out of the reading experience and make you lose trust in the author. You need to be relaxed when you're reading, not constantly on the alert for errors. On the other hand, you don't want the writing to be fact-packed and stilted. And all this is then complicated by two passionate love stories that need to catch the reader up and fire their imaginations: characters and motivations must be convincing to pull that off. So making it all look effortless, while putting in the hard work is what you're aiming for -- the classic analogy of the swan gliding across a lake comes to mind: All grace and serenity above the surface of the water, and frantic effort beneath!

Carlotta Holton is the author of Salem Pact and Touching The Dead, and is a member of the National Federation of Press Women and an affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association.

Carlotta Holton has just received her second award for Touching the Dead from the National Federation of Press Women Communications Contest. Click here to purchase the book.

By now you’ve read by by-line and I hope you’ll read—as Paul Harvey would say, “the rest of the story.” I am a senior citizen; probably older than most who will be reading my article, but I promise it will not be ‘old fogy’ stuff. I am not as old as I am, which for your information, is 79. But don’t forget, many places consider 50 years old as being a senior citizen. I never minded that, even when I was 50, because I like reduced rates on meals, golf and a lot of other goodies.

I think I have a background that will keep you interested in what I write, some of which will be fact and some fiction. I was born 25 days before the Great Depression hit. There were six children at home and our dad was gone. Things were tough, to say the least, but other than mom it was a way of life for us youngsters. We didn’t k now any better. Most of all we had each other, great friends in the same boat and real tough love from Mom.

I dropped out of school in the tenth grade, went to wok in the steel mills, then as a gandy dancer for the B&O Railroad. I joined the Marines, where I played football for the station teams at Cherry Point, NC and later at El Toro, CA. I finished high school after discharge and earned an athletic scholarship to Westminster College in PA where I majored in Journalism. I went into newspaper and radio work, then public relations. I earned an M.A. in communications, Rhetoric and Public Address from Wayne State University. I’ve always loved writing and decided to try (like everybody wants to do) writing novels. So far, so good. My first attempt is The Pen Pal Murders

I met my wife, Miriam (aka Becky) in college. She was on a scholarship as a college nurse and majored in Psychology. We had six sons, and we are very proud of all of them. We are also blessed with ten grandchildren.

My second novel, The Sitting Duck, is scheduled for release later this year. If you like gangster-type novels, you’ll like The Sitting Duck. Hey, I have to get in plugs! I am going to enjoy writing for this site; I hope you enjoy what pops up.

James Falk, as a teen-ager, used to dream of being a big-time racketeer. Fortunately, his dream didn't come true. A 10th grade dropout, he finished highschool after four years in the Marines and went on to earn a B.A. in Journalism and an M.A. in Communications.

If someone were to ask me about how to live a successful writing life, I suppose that I would have to say that there is a lot to endure.

There is the apprehension of wondering about whether or not something that you’ve written is good enough.

There are the sleepless nights as you consider plot changes, and the painful evenings when you sort through the angry red pen of the editor.

There is that lonesome moment when you realize that not everyone is interested in what you’re writing about, and the sad reality that John Grisham and James Patterson will probably outsell you for the 700th month in a row.

Yet if you are strong enough to endure – there will be moments – when you feel like the king of the world.

This past week brought one such moment. I was invited to speak at The Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, NY to discuss my book, House of Miracles.

The event wasn’t important to me because I was going to sign and sell books. It didn’t mean anything that people would clap for me and admire the story I put together.

No – the reward was all about three people who are chronicled in the pages of House of Miracles. Anthony, Nicholas and Trina Stinson are a family that had their lives changed by an illness with no cure. (To read more about the Stinson family – buy the book!)

Yet I saw love in the eyes of each family member. I made them proud to be recognized for their life of love. Quite simply, I was beautifully rewarded for being a writer.

Cliff Fazzolari is a professional writer and prolific author. He is on the Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo PICU Parent Advisory Council. He currently resides in Blasdell, New York.

Click here to read a Q&A interview with Cliff Fazzolari about his upcoming event at The Women & Children's Hospital of Buffalo, NY.

Ever been asked a question that stopped you dead in your tracks? That hit a nerve and changed your outlook? That challenged assumptions and set you on a new course?

When it comes to communication and transformation, questions are among the most powerful tools we have—but not all are created equal. Take the ones I just asked, for example. Did you pause to answer yes or no? Do you even remember what they were?

Punctuation alone can’t elevate an impotent question to ‘powerful’ status. Simple, direct and open-ended, powerful questions come from a place of integrity and genuine curiosity. They stimulate discussion, encourage reflection, touch on deeper meaning and loose to the surface underlying information that often lies dormant within the recipient.
“So what?” you might ask. “What does that have to do with writing?”

Good question. See the difference? Powerful questions stimulate creative thinking, generate interest and open up vectors to explore. They typically start with ‘how,’ ‘what,’ ‘when,’ ‘who,’ or the writers favorite, ‘what if.’ Writers can use them to drill down into creative problems, flesh out characters, explore new angles and find solutions that might otherwise have eluded us. At its best, powerful questions can raise our awareness, jog us out of limiting habits and patterns, motivate fresh thinking and lead us to the future.

Notice how the following examples are structured to elicit meaningful responses, and that the answers are rarely known until the question is asked. Pay attention to how each question lands; you’ll know which ones are right for you. Create your own. Adapt and apply them to yourself, your writing, your characters, your business, your relationships and anything else in your life you want to grow.

Ruby Rest by Tyler Oaks

I was sitting at my booth at the Sonoma County Book Festival when a woman approached to ask about my book, Ruby Rest. I said it was a mystery and she asked if it really had any murder. She apparently liked the cover, but after reading the subscript, she began to back away while looking me in the eye. She appeared startled and informed me that murder was evil and that she was, in fact, against murder. I told her I was as well, but she was seemingly frightened enough to continue backing away until she had safely escaped my presence. Her last words expressed her fear and I was left sitting there made to feel like a threat to peaceful mankind; a woman with murderous intentions wrapped up in novel form.

The anti-murder woman had the same reaction to Left Coast Crime at my neighboring booth. After reading the words “Aloha Murder,” she was obviously shaken up and I can still remember her wide eyes. Although her actions and admonitions to me that day in Santa Rosa were extreme, there have been a number of times over the past year that I have been treated with contempt for writing a mystery which contains murder in the plotline. In more than one bookstore I have been chastised, as if I had written a book on how to murder innocent human beings and was then sitting there with a smile trying to sell it to unsuspecting future victims. At least the people who really know me are not concerned for their safety. Whenever a stranger eyes me warily and rebukes me for defiling the sanctity of human life I always smile inwardly, if not outwardly, and take care not to make any sudden movements.

Do we really believe writers advocate every action of every character of their creation? This would be preposterous, yet writers are often treated as guilty of the words they have written. Scientists study disease not to become infected by it but to discover cures against it. Writers do not debase themselves by studying human nature but teach mankind about himself through their observations. Though murder itself is corrupting, its use in a plotline may be empowering once we understand the author’s purpose. We must always remember to read with our brains on and not label things good and bad without even grasping what they mean or how they are used. To censor something without understanding its content or intention is to lose our power of thought and give ourselves over to superstition and fear. Not talking about things, the “M” word included, doesn’t make them go away. It only makes us less able to deal with them because our eyes are closed.

Tyler Oaks earned her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from California State University, Stanislaus and her Master of Arts in Spanish from California State University, Sacramento. Tyler lives in California's Napa Valley with her husband and twin daughters. Tyler is presently at work on her next novel.