From the Editor's Desk
Hi and
welcome once again to Fiction Factor! And, as always,
welcome to our new subscribers.
This issue I'd like to congratulate our own Managing
Editor, Tina Morgan. The Complete Guide to Writing
Science Fiction, published through Dragon Moon Press
won the Eppie Award in the Non-Fiction: Self-Help
category! Tina was a contributing author for the book,
along with many other excellent writers. If you haven't
read it already, I can recommend it highly.
Congratulations again!
On Friday night, I had the pleasure of being invited to a
really fun play at the Arts Theatre in Adelaide. The play
was 'Gasping' by Ben Elton and I enjoyed the
show - somewhat for the unexpected gags and truly amusing
moments in the dialogue between the characters, but
mostly because the cast looked as though they were
enjoying themselves up on the stage throughout the entire
performance. If you're in Adelaide and looking for a fun
show, get along to the Arts Theatre on Angas Street in
the city before April 5th.
As one of the actors is a friend of mine, I ended up at
the backstage party after the show. After the initial
meet-and-greet session with most of the cast and crew, I
found myself among a group of writers. Novelists,
playwrights, TV and film screenwriters and journalists
all huddled in a tight group, eager to exchange ideas and
talk about writing in general. What a fabulous way to
spend a Friday evening! I could happily have stayed in
the corner of the hall with that group of people for
days.
Unfortunately, after way too short a time, I was dragged
away from the wonderful writing group to meet other
people and continue 'mingling'. It was then I was
introduced to the "artsy-crowd" - and that's
their own phraseology, not mine! Within this little
circle of people were more writers, actors, artists,
theatre aficionados and even a couple of sculptors.
Upon being asked about my own artistic leanings, this
'artsy-crowd' was horrified that I actually earn an
income from writing. In the words of one man: "How
very unromantic! You've lost your sense of being
creative. You stopped being artistic when you reached for
that check."
I've never seen a double-take done by anyone outside of a
movie before, but I actually did one right after this
comment. How on earth does becoming borderline bankrupt
equate to being artistic?
I simply shrugged and explained that I have bills to pay
and food needs to be put on the table like everyone else,
so why not earn money doing what I love to do best.
Surely no one in the room would work in a store or a
factory and not expect any payment for their time or
effort. Why would a working writer expect anything
different? Unless it's just a hobby...
Apparently I'm missing the point of being creative by
thinking this way.
Or am I?
The way I see it, I write and play music. It's a hobby of
mine that I've only taken up again in the last year after
a long hiatus (actually, it was because I sold my piano a
few years back and only bought another last year). I
don't expect to be paid for the music I'm creating as
it's just a hobby. It's a bit of fun for me to create
something where there was nothing before and to
experiment with different moods and tones and structures
for hours on end.
In that instance, creating musical art is simply a
much-loved hobby. It's not my profession and it's not the
only thing I do within my day. It's just what I do when I
feel inspired. Does earning nothing from creating music
make me more or less creative?
What I prefer to do is create with words - whether I'm
inspired or not. I'm a self-employed freelance writer. I
write things - whatever comes into my head, whatever
assignment lands in my inbox, whatever I have an urge to
purge. It's not always easy or fun and it's definitely
not always romantic. It's frustrating, exhausting,
tiring, demanding, exhilarating, amusing, exciting and
scary.
I love to invent places and people and worlds and
situations. I love creating an informative piece that
might help someone - whether it's fiction or finance - or
creating a new character who walks off the page and takes
over my story. I stay up into the small hours of the
morning because I can't bear to sleep until every word I
wanted said is out there. I wake up early to continue
pouring out those words. Sometimes it's fiction,
sometimes it's non-fiction - always it's writing.
Of course I want something back from the hours and the
effort I've put into creating those words. This isn't my
hobby. It's my job. My profession.
Why, then, do so many artists seem to feel they need to
cut back on living costs, live below the poverty line and
struggle to pay the bills just so they can create art?
There's no other industry on earth where this would be
considered normal (or even sane). So why do people
romanticize the ideology of starving for their art?
Let's just say I've come to the conclusion that I'm happy
when I'm writing, but I'm even happier when I'm paid for
my efforts. If that means I don't fall under the
romanticized category of 'starving artist' then I guess
I'll make my peace with that ideal while I'm earning a
living.
Besides, I'm not inclined to starve just because I want
to write. I like food too much.
Enough about that. Let's get into the writing stuff!
This issue Jill McDougall looks at adding a sprinkle of
sparkle to your children's story. Elizabeth Cunningham
explores the perils and the joys of writing religious
fiction. Scott Nicholson delves into naming your
characters and asks What's in a Name? David Bowman looks
at ending sentences with prepositions and Ruth Winter
reviews Julian Block's book on tax tips for freelance
writers.
It's time now to grab a beverage of choice, sit back, and
enjoy this issue of Fiction Factor!
Lee Masterson
Editor-in-Chief
http://www.fictionfactor.com
"A professional writer is an amateur who didn't
quit."
-- Richard Bach
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- Learn to write a GREAT novel from start to
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- Find out what editors and agents want
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PLUS - you'll also get "Write
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Lee Masterson
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What's In A Name?
by Scott Nicholson
Shakespeare said, “What’s in a name?
That which we call a rose by any other name would smell
as sweet.” Gertrude Stein said, “A rose is a
rose is a rose. “ John Davidson said, “O which
is the last rose? A blossom of no name.” An
adolescent Scott Nicholson once wrote a snarky line in a
wretched poem that went “A rose is a rose is a
risen.”
So we could assume we could name every character “Rose”
and it would make no difference. Tokyo Rose would be the
same as Emily Rose, and Rose Red and Rose Madder could be
interchangeable titles in works by Stephen King. The
character of “Rose” in the world’s most
popular movie, “Titanic,” could have been
“Sue,” and Johnny Cash’s song “A Boy
Named Sue” could have been called “A Boy Named
Rose” and theoretically the universe would have
continued expanding intact. But naming a character “Rose”
doesn’t connote blandness or homogeneity. The word
comes loaded with a number of associations: a flower
notoriously challenging for the home gardener; a
pinkish-red color in the box of Crayolas; a food source
rich in Vitamin C; Shakespeare’s quote; an oft-used
symbol for the fleeting and ephemeral nature of love; and
all the Roses you have personally known, as well as all
the fictional Roses we encounter, whether the name is
first or last.
Names do matter, and one of the quickest ways that
fiction spoils itself is by having an unbelievable
character. You don’t want the name to throw up a
speed bump for the reader. The name should fit, go
unnoticed and therefore easily accepted, or else be an
intentional ploy to draw attention. These last can be
tiresome: the big biker named “Tiny,” the
pathetic loser called “Romeo,” etc. The name
doesn’t have to do all of the work of character
building, but it’s an important part of the package
deal.
Uncommon names are fairly common, as evidenced by a quick
thumbing through your local phone book. A thirty-second
scan of mine reveals Rollin Weary, Edward Wax, Oletta
Waycaster, Webb Weatherman, and Forest Weaver. These real
names would probably cause your reader to pause upon
initial encounter. This isn’t necessarily bad, but
even real names can be loaded. If your fictional Edward
Wax is a candle maker or your Webb Weatherman is a
meteorologist, you’d better be writing comedy or
satire.
One of the most common mistakes is making your character
name sound too “namey.” In other words, the
name sounds like that of a fictional character instead of
a real person. For all my admiration of Dean Koontz, I
feel his character names sometimes sound artificial, as
if churned out by some “random character generator”
(Jimmy Tock, Junior Cain, Aelfric Manheim, Martin
Stillwater, Harry Lyon, Joanna Rand). However, he is the
only writer skilled enough to name a serious character
“Odd Thomas” and get away with it.
A fanciful name, even if memorable, can turn your readers
away. My first encounter with Kurt Vonnegut was through
his short story “Harrison Bergeron,” in which
the “bad guy” is a woman named Diana Moon
Glampers. I was a little too young to grasp the
subtleties of Vonnegut’s satire, and the name
annoyed me so much that I put off reading his work again
for years. Now I understand what he was doing, and I
still remember that name though I haven’t read the
story since.
The sound of the name adds tone to the character. While a
stone-faced character might well be called Stony, he’s
probably more interesting if he’s a Chuck or Dirk,
which are both punchy, “hard” names (Mystery
Science Theater fans may remember “Biff McLargehuge”).
A Richard is different from a Dick is different from a
Richie is different from a Ricardo. Sue is not Suzannah,
Suzie, or Susan. We expect an appliance repairman to be
named Danny, not Danforth, or Fred instead of Frederick.
An attorney or stockbroker will more likely be Charles
than Charlie, or Lawrence instead of Larry. We’d
probably be more comforted to have a doctor named Eleanor
instead of Muffy, or an airline pilot named Virginia
rather than Brittany. A character’s name is often
the first and most vital clue to a character’s
ethnicity, which may or may not be important to the
story. Vinnie, Su, Ian, Darshan, Mohammed, Yoruba,
Yasmine, and Felicia are probably going to create reader
expectations. Names also carry generational weight: we
envision Blanche and Vivian as older, more serious people
than we do Dakota, Madison, or Mackenzie.
On the other hand, just as stereotypes are often full of
holes in real life, you can use expectations in a
delightful turn of the tables. Instead of a truck driver
named Mac, he can be Milton, a sociologist who enjoys
traveling. Your New York cabbie doesn’t have to be
Armaan, who may or may not be a terrorist; he can be
Orlando, studying acting in night school. Just make sure
the people, and the motivations that propel them through
the plot, are valid.
Villains are in their own special nominal class...
You can read the
online version of this article here: http://www.fictionfactor.com/guests/whatsinaname.html
 Create-A-Character
Clinic
Can you create a great character that editors
can't turn down?
Holly Lisle can and she can show you how too!
Learn to bring all your characters to life with
sparkle - from an author of more than 30
published novels!
Click here for more
details: http://tinyurl.com/yqqawa
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Free writing tips and techniques:
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Ending Sentences With Prepositions
By David Bowman
English teachers can be wrong. For example, they may have
told you to never split an infinitive or start a sentence
with "because." Because most English teachers
are not professional writers, many adhere to writing
rules without understanding the underlying concepts of
those rules. Another rule they may have told you is never
to end a sentence with a preposition. This is a rule we
agree with--to a point.
Here's why we basically agree: Prepositions typically
BEGIN prepositional phrases, and, therefore, require an
object of the preposition. [An example of a prepositional
phrase is "off the street." The object of the
preposition "off" is "street." To
find the object, ask, "Off what?" The answer,
"street," is the object.] A prepositional
phrase cannot be completed if the preposition is the last
word in the sentence.
However, sometimes those words that look like
prepositions are used as part of a verb, in which case we
have no problem putting them at the end of the sentence.
Here's a couple of examples to illustrate what we mean.
1. "She's the girl I want to get away from."
"From" is being used as a preposition, but what
is the object of the preposition? It's "the
girl." This sentence could easily be revised to
read, "She's the girl from whom I want to get
away." A better revision might be "I want to
get away from her." Notice that the second revision
is more direct and, happily, has an object to the
preposition "from." The second revision,
though, emphasizes me and not the girl, so the first may
still be the best revision to maintain the intent of the
original sentence.
2. "She's the girl from whom I want to get away."
"Away" seems like a preposition, but it is
being used as part of the verb "get away,"
which is different than the action of getting. [Actually,
in this case, "away" is being used as an
adverb, but, for all practical purposes, it's acting like
part of the verb.] "Get away" refers to a
particular type of action, so we're fine with leaving
"away" at the end of the sentence. This is like
"I looked his phone number up." "Looked
up" refers to a particular action and, though
divided, is acting like a single verb.
You can see
the rest of this article here: http://www.fictionfactor.com/guests/prepositions.html
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A Sprinkle of Sparkle
by Jill McDougall
It’s
your worst nightmare. The editor at Blockbuster
Publishing has sent you an email. She’s read your
manuscript and she likes it but there’s one small
problem (and this is where you stop breathing), your
story needs more … sparkle.
Your heart sinks to your toes.
If only the editor had asked for something else. Anything
else. More words. Less words. Words without the letter
‘e’. But asking for sparkle is like asking for
a bag of fairy dust.
In my role as a writing tutor, I’ve read thousands
of manuscripts and I’d say that sparkle is the
element that writers find most elusive. A story can be
competent, readable, even clever but in a competitive
market, sparkle is the magic ingredient that will attract
an editor.
There’s no recipe for sparkle but if you want to put
an extra coat of gloss on your story, try this:
First save a new copy of your story - a copy that you
will work on for this exercise. That way you’ll feel
relaxed about making a ton of changes. You can always go
back to your old sparkle-free version later. (Yeah,
right.)
Ready?
First read your story out loud. Don’t just mumble it
to yourself. Stand up and make your delivery as
entertaining as possible. Pretend you’re reading an
excerpt at your book launch. There are some sentences,
paragraphs and whole scenes that you know the audience
will love, right? Gems that will have them giggling, or
sighing or leaning forward in their seats. When you get
to these engaging passages, colour them bright orange
(use a highlighter).
There are also some bits of your story where the writing
is flatter or the scene less interesting. Bits that might
have your audience gazing at the freckle on your nose or
wondering about Aunt Clara’s recipe for tomato
bisque. Be honest – you know there are. These are
the ho-hum bits you’d prefer to rush over or skip
altogether. Colour these parts blue.
Now your aim is to get rid of as much blue as possible.
First, ask yourself: What blue bits can I do without
altogether? Be ruthless. If something isn’t pivotal
to the story – ditch it. If it’s repetitive or
long-winded, cut it down or cut it out. I’m not just
talking about isolated words but sentences, paragraphs or
whole pages. You’d be amazed at how much tighter and
pacier your story will become once you delete these bits.
You can see more of this article here: http://children.fictionfactor.com/articles/sparkle.html
(this
link will take you to Children's Fiction Factor)
Review of:
Tax Tips for Small Businesses:
Savvy Ways for Writers, Artists and Other Freelancers to
Trim Taxes to the Legal Minimum
by Ruth Winter
Julian Block,
a nationally recognized attorney, has written extensively
on personal finance. His book Tax Tips for Small
Businesses may just be what the freelance writer needs
for answers to problem questions about taxes and finance.
Block is not only a lawyer, an accountant, and a former
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) special agent, he is also
a freelance writer, and he provides invaluable hints that
your accountant may not know.
Block's unique blend of tax savvy and background in
freelancing, the IRS, and the law, make his book very
valuable to writers and photographers.
You can
read the full review here: http://www.fictionfactor.com/reviews/taxtips.html
Fact, Fiction and Truth: The Perils and Joys of Religious
Writing
by Elizabeth Cunningham
The best stories teach
us to be courageous in the face of danger, resourceful in
times of hardship, kind to strangers and animals,
discerning in making choices that are often not what they
seem.
You can read the full article here: http://christian.fictionfactor.com/articles/fiction.html
(this
link will take you to Christian Factor)
 Writers Wanted!
Great Pay Quick Jobs
Best Selling Author Nick Daws exposes
little-known writing markets willing to pay great
rates for writers willing to work now!
Click here for more details: http://tinyurl.com/tr2ga
|
 Create A Plot
Clinic
Have you ever lost interest in your story only 20
pages from the start and not know how to get it
going again?
Best Selling Author of more than 30 novels, Holly
Lisle, can show you how to structure your story
for maximum effect. Learn to fix problem plotting
while you write!
Jump Start your novel today: http://tinyurl.com/2z3ant
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Writer's Announcements
If you have any writing news or
announcements about your successes with writing, we'd
love to hear about it! Post your publishing announcements
on our forum and we'll get them in the newsletter for
everyone to see!
You can add your Woo-Hoo to our Announcement Forum Board
here:
Writer's
Announcements - http://fictionfactor.1.forumer.com/index.php?showforum=6
This week's news:
Tina Morgan, along
with Jeanne Allen, Piers Anthony, Milena Benini, Orson
Scott Card, Ian Irvine, Wil McCarthy, Simon Rose, Carol
Heightshoe, Bud Sparhawk, Michele Acker, Bob Nailor,
Michael McRae, Darin Park and Kim Richards are very
pleased to announce their collaborative book, The Complete Guide
To Writing Science Fiction, was awarded the 2008 Eppie Award for the
Non-Fiction: Self-Help Category.
Carol Burge of www.romancewriterwoes.com is pleased to announce that her
Historical Western Romance Novel, Dangerous Desires,
has been accepted for publication by Lyrical Press, Inc. Dangerous Desires is due
to be released in ebook format on September 1, 2008 and
then in print December 1, 2008, just in time for the
Christmas holidays. This is Carol's first sale, and she's
very excited, to say the least.
For further details, visit Carol's blog www.romancewriterwoes.com
Congratulations everyone! Keep the great news coming!
~ "Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used
by mankind." -- Rudyard Kipling ~
Writing Courses
You can see the full list
of available courses here: http://www.fictionfactor.com/courses.html
How to Beat Writer's Block - and Have Fun Writing
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Here for your course and your bonuses!: http://tinyurl.com/26uy95
Writing
Great Horror Novels!
Join a multi-award winning, best-selling horror author
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horror novels! Limited spaces available - be quick!
http://horror.fictionfactor.com/course.html (This link will take
you to Horror Factor)
Thriller Writing Course
Learn how some of the masters of the modern thriller get
readers' spines tingling. Masters like John Grisham, Dan
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Michael Crichton, James Paterson, Patricia Cornwell and
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Romance Writing Course
Increase your chances of writing a great romance
manuscript and having it accepted for publication. Join
our romance course today and launch your romance writing
career!
http://romance.fictionfactor.com/course.html - (this link will take you to Romance Factor)
 Write Any Book
in Under 28 Days
Best Selling Author Nick Daws has written 30
books in 3 years. He can show you how too!
Click here for more details:
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|
 Create-A-Culture
Clinic
Have you ever wanted to create your own
realistic world? Best-selling author of more than
30 novels shows you how to create religions,
philosophies, governments and lifestyles that
will make your fiction story feel real!
Click here for more details: http://tinyurl.com/26uy95
|
Paying Market Listings
You can find the complete
Market Index here: http://www.fictionfactor.com/markets.html
Happy Market Hunting!
(Disclaimer: Mention of a market/ contest in Fiction
Factor is not necessarily an endorsement. Check all
guidelines in full before submitting)
Unpeakable Horror: From the Shadows of the Closet
http://www.darkscribepress.com/submissions.shtml
Dark Scribe Press is seeking short story
submissions for an anthology of queer horror tales.
We are looking for edgy, provocative dark genre fiction
– horror and dark psychological suspense only.
We are not interested in science fiction/fantasy,
mystery, or splatter punk for this anthology. We’re
looking for stories about those terrors that populate the
closets of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. Terrors
can be of any shape, size, and theme – supernatural,
psychopaths and slashers, vampires, werewolves, zombies,
urban legends, ghosts, witchcraft, demons, and original
horrors of any kind.
Deadline: 15th May 2008
Payment 5 cents per word.
Submission Guidelines: http://www.darkscribepress.com/submissions.shtml
CONE ZERO: Scriptus Innominatus (Nemonymous 8)
http://weirdmonger.blog-city.com/cone_zero_guidelines.htm
Seeking themed short fiction between 2,500 and 12,000
words. Your story should reflect 'Cone Zero'. Keep in
mind that 'Cone Zero' means what it means to you. Payment
is £65 (UK pounds). Deadline is 31 March 2008.
Heliotrope
http://www.heliotropemag.com
Heliotrope Magazine is looking for exceptional fiction
that does not exceed 5,000 words. We are most interested
in Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery and Horror. If your
story is somewhere in between or is something you
can’t label – we are interested in that as
well. We pay 10 cents a word for fiction. Payment will be
made upon publication and in U.S. currency.
Submission Guidelines: http://www.heliotropemag.com/node/2
Brio
Magazine
http://www.briomag.com/
Seeking
short fiction up to 2,000 words to suit teenaged girls.
Romance stories, sibling rivalry and situations faced
daily by teen girls are especially welcomed. Brio’s
target audience is teenaged girls from 12-15 and Brio
& Beyond’s target audience is older teenaged
girls from 16-19.
Both Brio and Brio & Beyond pay between 15 and 35
cents per word on acceptance.
Submission Guidelines: (downloadable) http://www.family.org/sharedassets/correspondence/pdfs/GeneralInformation/Brio_Writers_Guidelines.pdf
Harvest
Hill
http://www.gravesidetales.com
Graveside Tales is now open to submissions for an
upcoming Halloween-themed anthology entitled Harvest
Hill. We are seeking stories from 4,000 to 6,000 words.
The pay rate is $.01 per word and a contributor’s
copy. All rights of work revert to the author after two
years from the publication date.
The set up:
Harvest Hill, a little town in East Tennessee, seems like
an idyllic place most of the year. But it is not always
so, and especially not on Halloween--every Halloween.
From just after midnight of Oct. 30 until midnight Oct.
31, horrors break loose both big and small. And this has
been happening as far back as the 1500s.
The treats we want:
Place your story in Harvest Hill, TN. You can set it on
any Halloween of any year from 1550 CE until the end of
the 20th century.
Horror is the essential genre here but the stories can
include elements of crime, black humor, dark fantasy or
even mild sci-fi. Sexual and gory situations are fine as
long the plot justifies them. You may use standard
Halloween images, but strive to execute them in new and
amazing ways.
We will be looking especially for strong
three-dimensional characters, as well as unusual
disturbing situations. Think about your setting and the
characters in it--what are the hidden things that have
been near the surface, just waiting for an unseen push to
tear free? Tell us those stories.
Do your research, but do not get bogged down in it. We
will check your setting against general history as it is
knowable, and so should you. Pay careful attention to the
time line of Halloween itself, including its varying
names and rituals.
Submission Guidelines: http://www.gravesidetales.com
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