Writers Unbound

With an eye on the upcoming Olympic Games, the organization Reporters without Borders hopes to increase awareness of China’s repression of freedom of speech.

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A new letter campaign for jailed Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer, 23, invites people to send letters to him at the prison. Kareem was convicted and sentenced to four years in prison for criticizing Islam and Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.

Letters may be sent in English or Arabic.

Kareem was arrested shortly after writing a scathing article about an attack on a Coptic liquor store. “The naked truth about Islam as I saw it� was posted October 22, 2005. He told how thugs broke into the store, vandalizing and stealing. He explained their actions were not because of Islam’s prohibition on alcohol—a liquor store owned by a Muslim merchant was untouched.

The Free Kareem Web site was hacked in June, but content is now restored.

It’s hard to imagine being imprisoned for something you write on a blog. In America, we have a proud tradition of criticizing the government. Here blogging drives the news and citizen journalism is a trend turned institution.

Although Mubarak promised to reform laws governing the press in his country, a 2007 report from Reporters without Borders called the president’s efforts “just a show,� pointing out at least seven journalists were arrested during the year and dozens threatened or physically attacked.

Kareem’s family has disowned him, according to advocacy site Free Kareem.

Recommended links:
http://www.freekareem.org/
Advocacy site for Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer.

http://www.freekareem.org/2007/06/05/updating-kareems-prison-address/
Kareem’s prison address in English and Arabic at Free Kareem.

http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=20
Reporters without Borders

http://creativewriterus.blogspot.com/2007/02/media-alert-egyptian-blogger-kareem.html
The first story I wrote about Kareem, at Creative Writer US.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Kareem Amer, Freedom of the Press, Freedom of Speech, Reporters without Borders, jailed Egyptian blogger, Egypt, Olympics

After finishing the book ‘Reading Lolita in Tehran,’ I remarked to a friend who’s an English professor that writers working in English as a second language are often more eloquent than those of us who speak it as a primary language. Azar Nafisi managed to write long sentences uncharacteristic of American writers, with layers and layers of meaning. It’s a beautiful book.

I felt the same way after reading Ishmael Beah’s ‘A Long Way Gone.’ Beah brings the oral history of his native Sierra Leone to the forefront. Starbucks Coffee Company helped bring this book to the marketplace. I have to say Starbucks really supports authors and literacy here in my hometown as well. I’ve done quite a few author events at different locations here. And even if you’re not a best-selling author, staffers treat you exceedingly well. The company donated $2 from sales of each copy of Beah’s book to support UNICEF programs for children affected by armed conflict.

Beah’s story for me is a page turner. It’s hard to imagine a young boy being converted into a child soldier, being fed drugs to keep him awake and aggressive, and losing his whole immediate family in a bloody war.

There’s a passage towards the end of the book—I’ve read and re-read it. I think it’s a well-nigh perfect piece of nonfiction writing. I learned a lot simply by reading and studying it. Beah is addressing the UN Economic and Social Council chamber about his experiences in a war-torn country:

“I am from Sierra Leone, and the problem that is affecting us children is the war that forces us to run away from our homes, lose our families, and aimlessly roam the forests. As a result, we get involved in the conflict as soldiers, carriers of loads, and in many other difficult tasks. All this is because of starvation, the loss of our families, and the need to feel safe and be part of something when all else has broken down. I joined the army really because of the loss of my family and starvation. I wanted to avenge the deaths of my family. I also had to get some food to survive, and the only way to do that was to be part of the army. It was not easy being a soldier, but we just had to do it. I have been rehabilitated now, so don’t be afraid of me. I am not a soldier anymore; I am a child. We are all brothers and sisters. What I have learned from my experiences is that revenge is not good. I joined the army to avenge the deaths of my family and to survive, but I’ve come to learn that if I am going to take revenge, in that process I will kill another person whose family will want revenge; then revenge and revenge and revenge will never come to an end…�

Beah wrote his memoir as an adult, but the syntax and tone in this passage are those of a child. There is so much in this single passage, especially in the genuine feeling back-lighting his words, “…don’t be afraid of me.�

English might not be Beah’s primary language, but he’s certainly mastered it well enough to move a reader, to shape his words as a revelation of universal truths.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Child Soldier, Beah, book, memoir, armed conflict, Sierra Leone, Starbucks, UNICEF, Civil War

For some writers, reading is just as natural as writing. And studying a publication prior to pitching the editor is a must.

The first thing I do every morning after I find a cup of coffee and pry my eyes open is read the metro section of our daily newspaper The Florida Times Union. I do visit the paper’s Web site during the day for breaking news, but I value the feel of the day’s news in my hands. I’d read the paper even if I didn’t write for it.

I read a lot of different magazines and newspapers, in part because I write for some of them. The Christian Science Monitor is a favorite. This Pulitzer-winning newspaper, is in my opinion, one of the most level-headed publications about world affairs. I’ve published there several times.

I also read The Writer. I’ve read that magazine since I was 17 years old. As an aspiring writer, I determined one day I’d be published there. It took some years and hard work, but I met that goal. And if I had to pick one publication that influenced my career beyond all others, it would be this magazine.

Other magazines that get my subscription bucks include Time, National Geographic, The Atlantic, Reader’s Digest and Inc. Still others come in the mail by way of my daughter and husband’s subscriptions.

I spot surf Web sites like The Drudge Report and Google® News throughout the day.

The latest books I’ve read are George Tenet’s “At the Center of the Storm� and I’m working my way through a bio of Hillary Clinton at the moment. For poetry, I just ordered Shoshauna Shy’s new poetry book “What the Postcard Didn’t Say,� and I’ll write about her poetry in an upcoming column.

Sometimes I have writers tell me they don’t like to read. That’s hard for me to understand. Courtesy of print and Web, I not only learn about what’s happening in the news but also how other people write. I wish sometimes I could read without paying attention to the way writers structure their work. I guess that would be like a car enthusiast looking at a ’57 Chevrolet, without thinking about the engine.

So many of the articles, essays and poems I write are inspired by words written by others.

And naturally, if I want to write for a publication or Web site, I read it diligently. That’s the best method for market study I’ve found yet.

So what’s on your reading agenda?

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Books, Magazines, Newspapers, Writing style, Creative Writing, Read, Literacy, Biography

Are you the next sensation in children’s writing? Cheerios wants your submission for a children’s book. Previously unpublished adult authors are invited to submit a story.

Your story should be suitable for children 4-8 years old. Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing will review the winning story for a potential book deal. Three top finalists will receive cash prizes.

First-time author Jacqui Robbins’ book “The New Girl…and Me” is one of five books to be tucked inside Cheerios cereal boxes. A press release says, “The children’s book contest is part of the Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories program to get high quality books into kids’ hands. Over the past five years, Cheerios has donated more than $2 million to First Book (www.firstbook.org), and has given more than 25 million books to children inside boxes of Cheerios cereal.

The deadline for submissions is September 7, 2007. Entries can conveniently be submitted online.

Be sure you carefully read the guidelines at www.SpoonfulsofStoriesContest.com.

Ed. Note: For administrative purposes, this code establishes a Technorati Profile.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Children’s Book Contest, Children’s Writers, Cheerios Contest, First Book Contest

It happens to the best of us. We have an idea for a book, a burning idea. So there in our cozy writing nook, we eye our laptop, frown at the phone, and stretch back in our ergonomically correct chair. We make a plan and start writing. We might even be lucky enough to meet with an agent, and even luckier still if the agent gives you his business card and says, “E-me with the first three chapters.�

We might then be unlucky enough to simply become stuck. And that is exactly where I am today with a nonfiction book that has been on my desk for 15 months. Half of it is done. The other half begs to be finished. And all of me hesitates every single day when I get a free moment, knowing I should be pounding away at that book. But for some reason, at the moment, I am unable to proceed.

I’ve asked myself if I really believe in the book. My first two books were hard to write, but I stuck to the course and got them down on paper. A publisher gave me contracts, two in a row, with an advance for each. They weren’t bestsellers, but they’re still on his list. One was published in 2004; the other in 2005.

I keep telling myself in order to finish the book, I have to cut back on freelancing. But the freelance work is a sure thing. Book royalties are iffy at best, impossible to calculate, because the bookstore can return the 20 copies that didn’t sell after you left your successful 50-book signing in a blaze of glory.

Somehow, I finished a new poetry collection. I’m editing the poems now. I have several options for publishing. So if I could finish a book that certainly won’t hit the bestseller list, why haven’t I finished one that might have an inkling of a chance?

So I find myself questioning this nonfiction manuscript. Because every thing I ever wanted to write, I simply wrote. I asked myself this morning as I rushed out to do an interview for a story for one of my newspaper clients if maybe I have writer’s block where this book is concerned.

I’ve never had it before. So maybe I’m learning to recognize it.

And maybe this isn’t the book I should be writing.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Book, Writer’s block, Manuscript, Home office, Freelance, Author

Having trouble deciding on a fee for a project? Want to find information about federal government spending? Need advice on blending your photography skills with your writing prowess? Bookmark WriterBiz.

Erik Sherman doesn’t really need to find more places to publish his work. His credits include Newsweek, New York Times Magazine, Fortune, Inc., Advertising Age and many other national and international outlets. Sherman has two recent books out. He has authored six books total and co-authored one. He’s working on a new book and he also teaches classes online. He’s a veteran full-time freelancer and photographer. So why would this guy take time to blog about the writing business?

Sherman had been editor of Contracts Watch at the American Society of Journalists and Authors for more than five years. He had done much of the contract reviewing for the ASJA Contracts Committee. “I knew I was stepping down from the committee at the end of June, 2007,� he says. “But I still consider it important to try and be of active help to others.�

Sherman also perceived a broader word canvas. “I saw the blog as a way of addressing some issues at greater length than I could post at a writer’s forum.â€? In addition he’d taught business planning and marketing online. His latest book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Canon EOS Digital Cameras, is a concise, easy-to-understand guide. With such a diverse perspective, Sherman thought blogging would offer a means to address a wider range of issues.

WriterBiz covers tools, practices and resources for the writing business. One useful post, “Great tools to track politics and money,� features a collection of timesaving links to sites like those with information about where federal money goes, the status of bills and committee action, and campaign donations. Another post gives tips on analyzing a client before you commit to provide writing.

Sherman says there are benefits from blogging he didn’t anticipate. “When you spend time trying to explain ideas to others, they become clearer to you,� he notes. He says he also enjoys addressing topics, issues and stories that he might not cover for a magazine or book in the manner he’d like to cover them. With a blog, the buck stops with the writer. “I become my own editor and publisher,� he says.

Sherman has also found that blogs can lead to assignments. For example, he recommended a blog entry to an editor he’d met, telling her he thought she’d find the topic interesting. “She did,� he says, “and immediately asked me to write a 900-word assignment.�

Sherman sees the future for freelance writers as “micropublishing.� He says this will allow writers to “create your own publishing outlets on specific topics that will draw audiences that might be too small to catch the attention of an editor, but that might offer the basis of a business model.�

And for advice along the freelancer’s way, WriterBiz is a great place to visit.

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Ed. Notes:
Erik Sherman does several other blogs besides WriterBiz. Visit his Web site for links to his blogs, publication clips and other information.

Sherman’s books Canon EOS Digital Cameras and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Pizza and Panini are available at amazon.com.

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Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Freelance writing, writing business, content provider, Web site, blog, expert

My publisher Frank Gromling did solid edits on both my books. Small presses sometimes take more pains with a book than a larger house. Gromling’s company Ocean Publishing is a traditional independent press founded four years ago. Several of his titles have won state, regional and national recognition.

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Inspiring words from renowned editor Maxwell Perkins
Regardless of what you like to write, your work ideally ends up in the hands of an editor. But how many editors do we remember? Although this professional plays an integral role in getting a writer’s work refined, the editor’s name is not the one that sticks in the reader’s mind.

An exception is Maxwell Perkins. Perkins is credited with publishing or discovering American writers whose works are now considered classics. Perkins worked with Charles Scribner’s Sons, joining the editorial staff in 1914, then rising through the ranks to become editorial director. Perkins influenced the work of Ernest Hemingway, Ring Lardner, Thomas Wolfe, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and others. Perkins even persuaded Scribner’s editorial board to publish F. Scott Fitzgerald’s first novel “This Side of Paradise.”

A popular saying attributed to Perkins is one of my personal favorites, and I readily recall it when I am feeling lazy or unmotivated. “Just get it down on paper,� Perkins said, “and then we’ll see what to do with it.�

New Web site for copyright info
Professional journalist Bill Hadley, author of the book Online Copyright Manual for Everyone, has launched the site ResearchCopyright.com. A news release says the site will “help writers and authors understand the complexities and myths of copyright law in plain, simple language.� There are links to copyright news, legal forms, free reference books and a patent attorney search. The release also says there’s a job board for “authors and freelance writers with links to writing-related projects.�

The site looks really useful; I spent some time looking it over. But the news release says the founder’s name is Bill Hadley, while amazon.com says the book author is Bob Hadley. Despite sleuthing, I can’t find anything on the site to tell me which is right or if maybe this fellow is Bob Bill.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Copyright law, editing, publishing, books, authors, Perkins, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, freelance jobs

Sometimes, self-publication actually works

I wish there were more stories like this one. Editor & Publisher did a story about columnists who also write books. Dave Lieber, who writes for the Fort Worth (Texas)Star-Telegram, published his book The Dog of My Nightmares. Lieber, speaking to the National Society of Newspaper Columnists conference in Philadelphia, said his big mistake was including only one chapter on the dog. Lieber has sold 10,000 copies of his book. Editor & Publisher says the book costs only $1.50 to print and sells for $10 a copy.

Most of the stories I hear from self-pubbed authors are not this encouraging. One asset for Lieber is his column. You establish a reader platform when you write two columns a week for a major daily newspaper. And the fact he’s speaking to groups like NSNC means he’s getting great speaking gigs where he can sell books to an audience assembling for a variety of purposes—as opposed to standing in bookstores, trying to lure customers one by one. Lieber also believes in authors having a Web site as a tool in marketing.

Ginosko Literary Journal call for submissions

In my email, a call for submissions from Ginosko Literary Journal arrived. The journal is accepting short fiction and poetry for the fifth issue. Editorial lead time is 1-3 months. Simultaneous and reprint submissions are acceptable. My message says the journal is “moving towards a printed version,� and the editors are selecting material for an anthology. Also welcome: artwork, photography, CDs for posting on Web site; links to exchange. Authors like Grace Cavalieri and Michael Hettich are listed as contributors, so you’d be in fine company if your work is accepted. For full guidelines, visit the Ginosko Web site.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Self-Publish, Authors, Speakers, Books, Newspaper Columnists, Submissions Wanted, Journal, Publish

Years ago I was at a family reunion, trying to decide between a drumstick or a chicken salad sandwich, when my elderly great aunt walked up, leaned confidentially towards me and asked, “Is something wrong with you?�

I was the talk of the family. My husband and I had been married for 8 years. We had no children. My aunt and everyone else assumed that meant something was wrong with me.

I turned that moment into an article that was published in the Sunday supplement in a newspaper.

Five months later, our first child was born.

I don’t know about your family, but I’m always inspired after a visit with our Southern tribe. We’re blessed with a truly diverse family on both sides of our marriage.

So as you fire up the grill, watch fireworks, or have a drink with family and friends, be aware there may be a source of inspiration leaning towards you, urging you to write that particular story.

Have a great Fourth of July and tune in tomorrow—we’ve got a call for submissions if you’re looking to publish and some interesting facts about a self-published author.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Fourth of July, Independence Day, Opportunity for Writers, Family Celebrations, Fireworks, Cookouts

The St. John’s River has inspired my pen many times–resulting in poems, articles and essays.

Thomas Wolfe, William Faulkner and Edith Wharton are three of my favorite classic authors who have become well-known standard bearers when it comes to writing place. Wharton with her renderings of society and the class system of her day, recreates a place that grows far beyond geography.

Today authors like Khaled Hosseini, Rick Bragg and Tim Dorsey grow characters and plot from the places where they have lived and the cultures that arise in those places.

Novelist Carol Goodman does this with her intriguing mysteries. She may not have lived everywhere she’s written about, but she weaves the mythology of places into her plots.

Florida is a great opportunity for writerly exploitation—the state where I live is politically conflicted, green year-round and quirky. Where else do cops dress up like Uncle Sam and pull speeding motorists?

The poetry collection I’m finishing now—“Notes from a Florida Village�—delves my own experience with Florida. Poems about the St. John’s River, a favorite restaurant nestled beneath great oaks and the small green lizards that line up like soldiers on my front walk all grew from observing and experiencing place.

If there isn’t a place you want to tackle directly in writing, you can always do what J. K. Rowling does—make one up while you’re sitting in a café.

The world has never been so accessible—even if you can’t go somewhere in person, the Internet offers so many options for learning about a culture or locale.

But in my opinion, starting at home is one of the best options for a writer to explore his or her craft. My backyard has probably inspired more poems than any exotic place I’ve traveled. All around us are common objects and familiar faces. I think reshaping the familiar into something uncommon is a great challenge, but it’s also a comfort.

I don’t necessarily think you always have to write what you know. After all, a different journey begins when you set pen to paper, one you perhaps didn’t envision when the crystallization for a piece of writing formed in your brain.

But in writing about the familiar, you may discover things you never knew about—true epiphanies—sitting right under your nose.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, novel, place, history, mythology, writing, style, technique, Wolfe, Faulkner, Wharton, contemporary novelists