HOT OFF THE PRESS!  We love to share our information with writers, and we’re happy to pass some of our INSIDER’S SECRETS along to you. This FREE e-mail newsletter may help improve your writing and your acceptance rate! Feel free to print this e-mail to use as a reference. Pass the link to this issue along to your writer friends. It’s packed with great information this month. DEADLINE-DATED lists of anthologies, theme issues, and contests are included at no charge!

In This Issue:

* * ODDS ’N’ ENDS PART III. Think you know all there is to know? Think again.

* * Everyone should WRITE A MEMOIR!

* * WANT US TO CREATE YOUR COVER/QUERY LETTERS? We know writers hate to create cover/query letters, so we have created a new A La Carte PLUS service just for you. Find out more: http://WritersReliefBlog.com/post/Want-Us-To-Create-Your-CoverQuery-Letters.aspx. 

* * DO YOU HAVE AN ARTICLE FOR OUR NEWSFLASH? For guidelines, visit http://WritersReliefBlog.com/post/Do-You-Have-An-Article-For-Our-Newsflash.aspx.

* * Want to giggle over grammar? Check out HOW TO WRITE GOOD.

* * We’ll cover the basic subgenres of this interesting world in A THRILLING GENRE.

* * Read about our NEWEST E-book, entitled UNTANGLING WEB SUBMISSIONS: ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PUBLISHING YOUR WRITING ONLINE. http://www.WritersReliefBlog.com/post/Untangling-Web-Submissions-Essential-Guide-To-Publishing-Your-Writing-Online.aspx 

* * LOTS OF HELP for CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHORS—100 CONTACTS and Everything You Need To Know To Submit Your Children’s Book. Click this link to get our insider's tips and tricks: http://www.WritersReliefBlog.com/post/For-Childrens-Book-Authors.aspx.    

* * Are you a writer who does or a writer who doesn’t? WHY HAVE YOUR OWN WEB SITE?

* * We’re giving away a FREE REPORT that outlines industry-standard Manuscript FORMAT Guidelines when you order our E-book entitled REJOICE IN REJECTION. Go to: http://www.WritersReliefBlog.com/post/Rejoice-in-Rejection-e-book.aspx. 

* * You may be suffering from too much “butt-in-chair” time, but you can get your words moving by PUTTING VERVE IN YOUR VERBS.

* * Create a new holiday with THIS ISSUE'S WRITING PROMPT.

* * You won’t find a better list anywhere (AND IT’S FREE!) of upcoming ANTHOLOGIES, SPECIAL-THEMED JOURNALS, and CONTESTS. Visit: http://WritersReliefBlog.com/post/Anthologies-Contests.aspx.

↓Scroll Down to Read These Exciting and Useful Articles!!↓

Since and because. These are two little conjunctions that cause problems for some folks and represent yet another gray area in terms of accepted usage. Merriam-Webster lists because as a synonym for since and vice versa, but there are subtle differences.

Since is used in a temporal sense.

Since the weather changed, my allergies have improved. 

An easy way to test if since is appropriate is to substitute “from the time when.”

Since she was a toddler, music has been an important part of Cheryl’s life.

We have visited nearly every hobby shop in San Francisco since we moved to California.

When talking about cause and effect, use because. This leaves very little room for confusion, as the word itself spells out its purpose.               

Because of the new medication, my allergies have improved.

Also correct: Since I discovered this new medication, my allergies have improved.

Because we were missing so many ingredients, we had to find a new recipe.

Unfortunately, this does not clear things up completely.

According to more than one dictionary, since can also be used to mean because:

Since he emphasized how important it was, I ran right out and mailed it.

(I mailed something because it was important.)

Some folks insist that this is incorrect; and while it does lend itself to confusion (because would have made it more clear that this is a cause-and-effect situation), it is not necessarily incorrect. Some style guides insist on sticking to since for time-related usage, which helpfully removes any doubt. In most areas of creative writing, though, people have been happily using this construction for years and are unlikely to stop just because they’re told it’s wrong.

The author of this article is Keith Connes. He is at the 60-year point (give or take) in his burgeoning career as a professional writer. He started in radio, then became a TV-commercial writer for several major New York agencies. This enabled him to buy an airplane and morph into aviation writing. He’s now crafting more general articles, humor pieces, and short fiction and thinks he’ll stay put with those until he reaches the age of 100, which should be any day now.

Write a memoir. It doesn’t matter whether you are a beginning writer or a seasoned pro—or even if you don’t consider yourself to be a writer at all. Write a memoir to present the gift of your inner self to your family, friends, and perhaps a wider audience. You might publish only a few dozen copies for a very limited distribution, but then again, a really compelling story could become the propellant that launches your writing career.

A basic writer’s axiom advises you to “write what you know,” and what could be more familiar to you than an episode in your own life? And here’s what makes it so special: A memoir can give your loved ones a greater insight into who you are and how you got to be who you are—your thoughts, your feelings, your adventures through life, and the things you learned along the way. And you don’t have to wait until your sunset years; you can write a memoir at any age. You can do it now.

Let me be clear as to what I mean by “memoir.” Some people may think of the word “memoir” as meaning an autobiography. Well, yes, an autobiography is a very extensive memoir, taking in the entire life of the subject, but a memoir can also be just a small nugget of that person’s existence—a series of reminiscences or even a single recollection. So it’s not that daunting a task.

Even so, would your memoir really be that valuable to others? Well, think of somebody who is important to you—your mother, father, grandparent, friend—and even though you’ve known that person for years or decades, you sense that there are aspects of that person’s life that you don’t know about and wish you did. Not necessarily skeletons in the closet, but—well, wouldn’t it be fun to know that Grandma always wanted to be a trapeze artist but somehow never got around to it?

My best friend since high school was, for most of his adult life, a sales executive whose high-powered drive enabled him to found and manage several insurance companies. I thought I knew him pretty well, but I was astonished when he sent me a book of sensitive and lovely poetry that he had written! I saw an aspect of Frank I had never suspected, and my respect and admiration for him became even greater.

Well, you may not be a secret poet or even a wannabe trapeze artist, but aren’t there some unrevealed parts of you that you wouldn’t mind sharing but you haven’t gotten around to it, or maybe you’re just a little shy about it?

Write it down. Write your memoir. If it seems too daunting, you have a tape recorder—everybody has at least one. Go to a quiet place, turn the recorder on, and speak your thoughts. Don’t worry about grammar or punctuation—just talk. You can fix it later. If it would help get the thoughts flowing, sit down with someone you feel comfortable with and start chatting about a topic for your memoir. Can’t find enough quiet time? Do it in the car. Let others talk into their cell phones. What you’re doing is for posterity!

Regardless of where your memoir begins, it can take on a life of its own—because it is, after all, your own life.

Write your memoir. Do it for the ones you love, for yourself, and maybe for some great-great-grandchildren you will never know. But, through your memoir, they will get to know you.

Want to giggle over grammar? Check out the link below to a Web page posted by the University of North Texas. It’s a tongue-in-cheek guide to grammar/composition rules that will crack you up! Below is a short excerpt.

Don’t use a big word where a diminutive one will suffice.

Don’t use no double negatives. Don't never use no triple negatives.

No sentence fragments.

Corollary: Complete sentences: important.

Stamp out and eliminate redundancy.

Avoid clichés like the plague.

All generalizations are bad.

Click here to see more: http://www.paulhensel.org/teachgram.html.

What is a thriller, aside from the obvious? This genre is known for the intensity of emotion it creates. Apprehension. Exhilaration. Anxiety. The main character (MC) has a goal, a nearly impossible one at times, and a heroic effort and/or sacrifice is required to overcome obstacles and reach that goal. Time is almost always a huge concern, as the MC must accomplish some feat (rescue his girlfriend, find the antidote, stop the terrorists) before disaster strikes. The level of intensity can either build slowly throughout the book or hit the reader from the very beginning, but it must generate a level of tension that keeps the reader turning pages. Most importantly, good thrillers keep up an intense pace, and the reader is swept along for an incredible ride.

If the author has done a good job with accurate research and an intricate plot, the reader will also come away emotionally satisfied with having learned something. Thrillers, by their very definition, create a thrill, but they also provide good information about the legal system, a medical procedure, the inner world of Soviet espionage, military weaponry… Patricia Cornwell writes a series of medical thrillers based on her knowledge of the medical examiner’s world—a world that fascinates her fans, who are sophisticated and want accurate facts, not vague explanations or made-up procedures.

Thrillers are often lumped together with mysteries, but there are key differences between these genres. In mysteries the MC is presented with a puzzle (a murder, for instance) and must look for clues to solve that puzzle. In thrillers the MC faces a nightmare of a situation (impending disaster, serial killers, airborne viruses) and must learn new skills to cope with the circumstances. Most, if not all, of the “clues” are provided in a thriller, and the reader expects twists and turns and surprises rather than answers. Thrillers appeal more to the senses than an intellectual exercise in detective work, considered too “tame” for true thriller aficionados. It’s the emotional connection that counts.

Here are some of the basic subgenres of the thriller world. Keep in mind that there are often overlaps between two or more subgenres.

Medical. Modern medical technology is used to harm rather than heal. Robin Cook is the master of this genre. Forensic thrillers are another popular offshoot.

Legal. Usually, a lawyer or someone associated with the law takes on the legal system, often putting their own lives at risk. John Grisham and David Baldacci are well-known in this category.

Disaster. The town’s dam is going to burst in 24 hours or less. A ship innocently heads to port, carrying a bomb that could wipe out half of California. A meteor hurtles toward Earth. Any natural or manmade disaster that affects a large group of people can become a disaster thriller.

Action-Adventure. Difficult to successfully pull off, thanks to the huge amount of action and plot required, this is nevertheless a hugely popular genre, especially when translated to film. It’s characterized by physical action, bravery, and violence, and you’re likely to encounter high-tech weapons and remote, dangerous locations. Think The Bourne Identity.

Horror. Silence of the Lambs is a good example of this subgenre, emphasizing mental, emotional, and physical trauma for the MC as he/she battles a monster, human or otherwise. This also ties in to Serial Killer thrillers, in which the MC must track down a killer who threatens a group of people. Lots of blood and gore; lots of suspense.

Techno. This usually focuses on military technology of some sort, and this technology is essential to the plot. Tom Clancy’s work comes to mind immediately.
In the rich literary banquet of thrillers, the reader can also choose from police, spy, romantic, historical, supernatural, political, erotic, and conspiracy thrillers—and, more often than not, a combination of one or more of these subcategories. It’s a wildly popular genre overall, thanks to the adrenaline rush, complex plots, and big storylines. Thrillers are exciting. They are dangerous. And they should leave us feeling satisfied that not only did the MC save the world from (insert global threat here), but we learned a little something in the process. And even if we’ll never need to know how to detect a false heart attack during an autopsy, it makes us feel smarter if we do.

Web sites are becoming more and more popular, dividing the writing community into two groups: Writers who have sites and writers who don’t.

For most people, having a Web site will not necessarily make or break a writing career. Web sites alone do not clinch book deals, snag agents, or ensure best seller status. However, the decision of whether to create a Web site bears serious consideration.

Here are a few ways having a Web site can help your writing get noticed.

1. Web sites are beginning to function the same way that business cards work. In essence, your URL (posted on blogs, at the bottom of your e-mails, on your friends’ homepages, and on your social-networking sites) is an invitation to writers, editors, and agents to learn more about you.  
2. When you’re sending query letters to agents, publishers, or even literary magazines, showing off your Web skills indicates that you are forward-thinking, cutting-edge, and willing to do the “leg work” of promoting your own writing. If you sell books, they sell books. Your hard work will cause others to work hard for you. 
3. Having a Web site, especially if it’s popular or has a core body of loyal readers, can demonstrate that your writing has the power to touch readers’ lives by inspiring an emotional reaction. Agents and editors can go on your site and read the flurry of activity as people leave their comments, sign your guest book, and show their support. That enthusiasm can be contagious.
4. A Web site can give potential readers access to projects that you have yet to sell. Although most publishers are starting to consider writing published in any digital format as being “previously published,” you can show off synopses and excerpts from your writing, and, with any luck, your snippets will get a few nibbles or even bites. Just be sure not to post too many offerings at one time; otherwise, your readers might get the feeling that the reason you have so many postings is that you are unable to “place” your work.
5. Your Web site is a great place to keep your bio fresh and up to date. In query and cover letters, you’re often given only a brief paragraph to describe your history, your aspirations, and your intentions. If you write a great mini bio in your cover letter, you could inspire your reader to go to your Web site and learn more about you. Time and again, advertising gurus and business coaches stress the importance of “branding”; a good Web site bio can help you do just that.
6. Your site is an excellent promotional tool for published work. Once your short story is published or your novel is on the shelves, use your site to keep readers interested by hosting contests, offering supplemental materials and free stuff, and developing an online “personality” that makes people want to know more.

For an example of an up-and-coming novelist’s site that we like (full disclosure, she works for Writer’s Relief!), have a look at www.LisaDaleBooks.com, where you can find things like audio downloads, interviews, videos, and free stuff. 

For more information about how to make your own Web site, please read our post: http://writersreliefblog.com/post/20-Groovy-Website-Resources-for-Writers.aspx

Those of us who spend much of our time hunching over keyboards or reading books in armchairs aren’t exactly known for being the washboard-abs crowd. But even if we suffer from too much “butt-in-chair” time, we writers can tone and shape our writing for maximum impact by kick-starting our verbs.

The verbs we use in our normal, everyday conversations aren’t always the best verbs to use when we’re writing. When we’re talking we can use our hands, our tone of voice, and our facial expressions to get our point across, and so we can settle for verb choices that are wimpy and flat. For example:

He ran through the crowd.
I didn’t like my moccaccino.

These phrases might come off as emphatic when they’re uttered in conversation. But when text is our medium, the primary way we can emphasize the tone of the words is by making stronger word choices.

He sprinted through the crowd.
I hated my moccaccino.

Sometimes amping up a verb requires restructuring a sentence.

He darted among the pedestrians.
My moccaccino nauseated me.

And other times the verb choice will need to reflect a character’s dialect or personality.

He bullied his way through the crowd.
I'm not feeling my moccaccino.

But, whatever the case, the verb is often the driving force behind the momentum of a sentence, so it’s important to choose wisely.

One other “problem area” to work on when you’re ramping up your verb choices is the dreaded adverb. Overusing adverbs is the equivalent of trying to do crunches by pushing yourself up with your hands—it’s a way of “helping” the main action, but it makes the results less dramatic. Sometimes adverbs are absolutely necessary, but when you can get rid of them, you should. 

Compare:

I went quickly through the crowd.
I zipped through the crowd. 

I didn’t completely appreciate my moccaccino.
I dumped out my moccaccino.

As you can see, the main idea behind each of the above examples—the subtext—changes subtly from one sentence to the next. It’s these subtle shadings and nuances that make the difference between writing that’s muscular and writing that’s flabby.

Unfortunately, there is a danger of getting a little too carried away with colorful verb choices. It’s tempting to overinflate the action for dramatic effect or because the verb in question “sounds cool.” But that can make the action feel forced or artificial. And when the style of language is not consistent, when one verb screams “exceptional” within a whole paragraph of “normal” verbs, the effect is like looking at a body builder who has never exercised anything but his biceps—kind of distracting.

We recommend that writers exercise their verb use in order to increase strength and flexibility but all in moderation. After all, even if we armchair athletes can’t be powerful and vigorous, at least our verbs can be!

If you had the ability to add one holiday to the calendar, what holiday would you create? Why would this day be considered important? In what way would people celebrate this holiday? Would you be offended if the holiday became an opportunity for retail stores to hold sales? How would you keep the value of your own holiday? Would there be special foods associated with your special day? Would you take the day off from work to celebrate? Would you want the whole world to celebrate with you, or is this holiday just for you? Share your newly invented holiday with us by posting it here.

REMEMBER TO CHECK OUT OUR LIST OF WRITING CONTESTS and ANTHOLOGIES! You won’t find a better list anywhere (AND IT’S FREE!) of upcoming anthologies, special-themed journals, and contests. Find it by visiting:
http://www.writersreliefblog.com/post/Anthologies-Contests.aspx