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:

* * We'll explain the reasoning behind ONE SPACE OR TWO.

* * We and Us, Toward or Towards, and other baddies are handled in ODDS AND ENDS.

* *Use our teaser to get you writing in THIS ISSUE’S WRITING PROMPT.

* * 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.

* * 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!! ↓

As with so many aspects of the writing world, formatting issues are a gray area, and writers struggle with the burning question: One space or two after closing punctuation?

When in doubt, creative writers often turn to the Chicago Manual of Style, whose official view is that there is no good reason to use two spaces after a period for work that is to be published. (Obviously, this rule does not apply to personal correspondence, notes, etc.)

In the days of typewriters, extra space was necessary to create a more defined space between sentences for the reader's eye. Typewriter fonts are monospaced, which means that all the letters take up the same amount of space, and most of us were taught in typing class to add that extra keystroke at the end of a sentence. But computerized fonts are proportionally spaced, and a single space is sufficient to provide a visible break. The exceptions are the fonts Courier and Monaco, which are monospaced, but it's probably best to switch to a font such as Times New Roman or Arial rather than using the double space.

So save yourself a keystroke; there's something to be said for efficiency.

Toward or Towards?

Simply put, Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary states that "toward" and "towards" are both correct and interchangeable, although it lists "towards" as a variant spelling. Mostly likely, this is because "towards" is more often seen in British English spelling. In the United States we gravitate toward spelling shortcuts and usually lop off the "s" on words like towards, backwards, and forwards.

Note: In British English, when backward is used as an adjective, it is normally spelled without the s-ending, as in "Please excuse our cousin's backward manners. He doesn't get out much."

Regarding Anyways...

Most people agree that this is a word better spelled without the "s." It's a word that has its place in character dialogue—picture a gum-chewing teenage girl or perhaps a garage mechanic—but it's probably best to leave anyways out of all other prose. It makes a good number of readers cringe.

Personal Pronouns: We and Us

We is a personal pronoun in the subjective (subject) case.

The kids and I made a cake.
We made a cake.

Us is a personal pronoun in the objective (object) case.

The kids baked a cake for Sam and me.
The kids baked a cake for us.

Tricky Words du Jour:

Auger vs Augur
Auger (n) is a tool used for boring holes.
Augur (n) is someone who foretells the future or (v) to foretell, especially from omens.

Grizzly vs Grisly
Grizzly (n) is a bear, while grisly (adj) means gruesome.

Past vs Passed
Past means (adj) ago, (n) time gone by, or (adv) beyond.
Passed is the past tense of the verb "to pass."

Freewrite your way to a television show that you would like to watch. Do you like character-or plot-driven episodes, or maybe a little of both? What genre would your show be? Would your show be a miniseries or one of those made-for-TV movies? Regardless of whether you’re a fan of television, this exercise is designed to encourage the writing of your next short story to submit.

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