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. Feel free to print these posts to use as a reference. Pass the links 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:

* * TO CAP OR NOT TO CAP? That is the question.

* * Have a laugh at these POETRY JOKES.

* * 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.

* * 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.

* * HAVE YOU SEEN THE MOVIE HELVETICA?

* * Don’t let your inner critic derail your writing career. Read DEALING WITH YOUR INTERNAL CRITIC.

* * Do you want to get your submissions in the mail by next week? Our A LA CARTE SERVICE is quick, easy, and affordable. Read more here: http://www.WritersReliefBlog.com/post/Our-A-La-Carte-Service.aspx

* * Use our teaser to get you writing 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!! ↓

The following guidelines can help you determine when to use capital letters (and when not to).

Capitalize the first word of a sentence, including the first word of a quoted sentence.

It wasn't easy to ignore him when he yelled, "Get a life, you weasel!"

Capitalize proper nouns.

Lake Michigan, State Street, Williams Welding Company, Jupiter, Pacific Ocean

Capitalize titles that precede the name. Do not capitalize if the title is a description that follows the person's name.

The best course was taught by Professor Leo Smith.

Leo Smith, one of the college's professors, edited the literary magazine.

Capitalize titles when used in address.

The stand is yours, Officer Higgins.

Is it possible, Doctor, that you made a mistake?

Capitalize family relationships only when used as proper names.

I went to visit Uncle Frank, but my other uncles couldn't go with me. I was able to convince Father to come with me, but my mother didn't feel well.

Do not capitalize directions unless they are part of a proper name or refer to a specific region.

Each week I travel a few miles south to West Yorkshire.

They're packing up and heading for the Southwest.

Capitalize the names of God, religious figures, and holy books. Do not capitalize the nonspecific use of the word "god."

She covered all her bases and sent up prayers to God, Buddha, and the Virgin Mary.

In some cultures, the worship of many gods is more common than monotheism.

Capitalize the days of the week, months, and holidays. Do not capitalize the seasons unless the season has been personified—and even then it's optional and sometimes considered old-fashioned.

We celebrate Thanksgiving in November, just as fall begins its transition into winter.

Suddenly, the icy breath of Winter chilled our skin.

Capitalize periods and events. Do not capitalize century numbers.

Great Depression

twentieth century

Capitalize political, social, military, and athletic groups.

Seattle Mariners

Republicans

Native Americans

Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy

And one final tip. In creative writing, it's tempting to capitalize words that are important to your sentence, such as "love" or "justice." This is generally frowned upon.

POETRY JOKES BY ALLAN WOLF (printed with permission http://www.allanwolf.com)

What is the highest honor among Cowboy poets? (Poet Lariat.)

What did the poet say to Luke Skywalker? (Metaphors be with you.)

How does a poet sneeze? (Haiku!!)

What do you get when you combine Robert Frost with James Bond? (The Road Not Shaken But Stirred.)

How do poets say hello? (Hey, haven't we metaphor?)

Why was John Keats always hounded by creditors? (Because he Ode so much.)

As written by Joshua Rothkopf, from Time Out New York Issue 624: September 13–19, 2007, he reviews the documentary Helvetica:

Finally: a documentary about a font. Tens of people exhale sighs of relief. But unexpectedly, Gary Hustwit's film builds an impressive sense of drama around the rise of the Swiss-designed typeface, a bracingly modern style that felt like "a cold glass of ice water" (according to one interviewee) after so much schlocky script in the 1940s and '50s. These days Helvetica is everywhere, from the Target logo to the lettering on our tax forms and space shuttles. Hustwit's talking heads, an endearingly geeky bunch, weigh in on the pros and cons of such ubiquity. Cage match! Not that kind of film.

Writers know that constructive criticism is an essential part of becoming a better writer. We've come to terms with the role rejection plays in the submission process. And we bravely pass around our latest efforts at our monthly writers group, knowing that we're opening ourselves up to a possible unfavorable comment or two...at best. We're proud of ourselves for accepting this external literary critique as an unavoidable part of the industry.

But how do you deal with the negative comments and thoughts that come from within? How to silence that internal scallywag with the grating voice who likes to whisper in our ear and sabotage our confidence? "Who in the world are you trying to fool with this 'I'm a writer' act? You've got to be kidding!"

Don't let your inner critic derail your writing career. First, determine whether this internal voice is stemming from truth or from fear.

A general "Your writing is terrible" may stem from fear—the fear of failure, rejection, embarrassment. Perhaps, deep down, you fear you've made a bad career choice. Or you're worried that you've been fooling yourself about your talent. It's only natural to hear this negative voice in your head from time to time, telling you that you're risking your family's financial security or that no one will ever respect your work. This voice creates self-doubt, which doesn't help much when you're trying to be productive.

There are other insidious voices that do a writer no good. One is Ms. Procrastination, who likes to suggest, in silky tones, that you'll have plenty of time tomorrow to work on a new story. Her cousin, Ms. Compassion, softly whispers, "You must be so tired. Why don't you take a little nap and try this writing thing again tomorrow?" And then there's Mr. Guilt. "Don't you think your house/kids/dogs/garden could use a little of your attention right now? And you selfishly want to write?" You can ignore these voices or argue with them, replacing their negative messages with words of encouragement, but you mustn't let them distract you from your goals.

On the other hand, if the voice is saying, "Your character is not believable," maybe it's time to take a good look at the character in question. After all, your inner critic actually represents your own instincts as a writer, and we all need to pay attention to what we instinctively recognize as good writing versus bad. It's best if you can squash the voice of reason until you've been allowed to muddle through a first draft—never let the inner critic stop the creative flow—and when it's time for revision, you can then pay attention to your instincts and see what words of wisdom emerge.

You'll always have an internal dialogue in your head—we all do—but it's important to learn what messages to take seriously and what messages are self-defeating. Listen carefully and determine what's true, what's destructive, and what's just plain silly. Befriend that critic, learn from it, and keep writing.

Imagine you wake up tomorrow in the body of your favorite superhero, literary character, or celebrity and that you have one week to live as this other entity. How would you lead your life differently? How would you live this other persona's life differently? After this week ended, what do you think would change about your real life?

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