Eliot - A Writers' Blog

I’m Looking for a Lawyer

Noodles — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:04:13 +0000

I’m helping someone write their autobiography. I want to find out how to avoid getting into legal problems if something in the book creates a problem with someone mentioned. Is there a website or legal advice that provides this?

November Featured Books of the Month

Administrator — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:11:22 +0000

Our Selection

The Mao Case (Inspector Chen Cao Series #6)

by Qiu Xiaolong

Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Department is the head of the Special Case group and is often put in charge of those cases that are considered politically “sensitive” since, as a rising party cadre, he’s regarded by many as reliable. But Inspector Chen, though a poet by inclination and avocation, takes his job as a policeman very seriously, despite the pressures put upon him from within and without, and is unwilling to compromise his principles as a policeman in favor of political expedience.

Pub. Date: March 2009
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Format: Hardcover, 304pp
Series: Inspector Chen Cao Series, #6
ISBN-13: 9780312538743
ISBN: 031253874X

Our Member of Distinction*

St. Charles, Missouri: Les Petites Cotes

by Dianna Graveman

In 1769, French Canadian fur trader Louis Blanchette built a cabin on the Missouri River in what is today St. Charles. He called the settlement Les Petites Côtes, or the little hills. Other now famous explorers soon passed this way, including Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, who began their expedition here in 1804 to explore the Louisiana Purchase territory.

Pub. Date: March 2009
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing SC
Format: Paperback, 127pp
Series: Images of America Series
ISBN-13: 9780738561059
ISBN: 0738561053

*Members of Distinction have contributed in time and effort to the organization

November Photo of the Month

Noodles — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:42:26 +0000

Stairway to Heaven. Sunset at Cape San Blas, FL

Photo Courtesy of Gerry Mandel
Copyright ©2009 Gerry Mandel. All Rights Reserved.

What Martial Arts and Writing Share in Common

David Lucas II — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:20:31 +0000

The study of Martial Arts, no matter the style, is a journey of the mind and the spirit into self-discovery. Students come to martial arts for various reasons with various misconceptions. The student begins to unlearn what they think they have learned before they came to the art. They learn the technical aspects first and then they learn the framework and how to develop plans for defense and for attack. First they learn these by mimicry of their instructors and then they begin to add their own self expression into their katas (forms), techniques and sparring. They continue to relearn and rediscover what they thought they knew and understood only to see it from a new light. They embrace the martial art no longer out of the reason and misconception that they had when they first started their journey, but out of a self-discovery they have had on that journey that has transformed their mind, their soul and their understanding of who they are.

If this sounds vaguely familiar to a writer, do not be surprised. Writers go through the same process of self-discovery about who they are and why they commit themselves to a hard road of constant learning. Our reasons for putting ink on paper should change over time. Many beginning writers come to the art of writing out of misconceptions they thought they knew and soon learn the truth about writing. Some writers, as some marital arts students, leave when they discover that it is not what they thought and it is not for them. Sometimes they do not want to develop the discipline that is required or that they don’t want to face the failure that comes with learning and discovery. The new writer learns by looking to classes and books on writing, by emulating their favorite journalist, author or poet. Then after a long journey they discover themselves and their true voice.

A Black Belt is meant to be a sign of mastery of yourself and an understanding of the art that always changes. One should never buy a Black Belt ranking, though sadly this does happen in some schools. A master writer is like a Black Belt in the art of writing. They have gone through the trials and tribulations and discovered that they have the discipline, self-discovery, and an understanding that their art always changes. It can be argued that some “buy” their way into publication because of fame or power. Yet, just as with those who have bought their Black Belt, they have missed the journey and will never understand what they never realized they missed.

Please visit www.davidalanlucas.com for more information on the articles, blogs, non-fiction books, stories, novels, and poetry I write.

When You are Not Ready for the Siege of the Novel

David Lucas II — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:22:51 +0000

In past blogs, I have quoted the Science Fiction author and editor Ben Bova who described the writing of a novel is like laying a medieval siege to a walled town. I constantly learn that this metaphor is accurate. I am currently laying siege to one town and preparing for others. In the past I have been able to complete a single novel (from plot to rough draft only) in three months. The writing of one novel (Dark Medicine), however has taken far longer. This period of nearly thirteen months from plot to rough draft has been a constant reminder of the long siege and what can happen should you not be prepared.

When an army goes to lay siege to an enemy town, they have to prepare their supplies of food, ammunition, clothing, tents, and morale. In writing, the writer must prepare his mind for the long months ahead and his energy for the writing. If the siege takes longer than the military or the writer plans, resupply becomes the greatest problem. I will leave the military siege and methods of resupply to authorities better than I to describe. In the case of the novel, the resupply comes to me by diversion—allowing my mind to take leave and work on a second shorter term project (like a short story or poetry or even something that has nothing at all to do with writing).

These respites become even more necessary when I discover that I start hating and resenting the novel as there may be other projects I need to be working on or feel the need to get the story out the door and to someone for publication while the window is open for it. A novel, like the headstrong enemy, is not so ready to surrender its town to the conqueror. The supply of willingness to grant yourself disciplined leave to let your muse and your mind rest from the long war is even more critical than the supply of determination or emotional strength, for if you run out of this the novel will die on the table.

Please visit www.davidalanlucas.com for more information on the articles, blogs, non-fiction books, stories, novels, and poetry I write.

The Dirty Dozen

Becky Povich — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:42:36 +0000

Every month the Vestal Review hosts a “teeny” Flash Fiction contest called The Dirty Dozen. The reason for the name is the story can only have recisely 12 words, plus a 1 word title….and it must be somewhat risque’, but not X-rated! They choose 3 winners each month, which will be posted on their website, plus be included in an upcoming print edition.

I’m thrilled to say that I was one of the 3 winners for the month of October!
Please check out their link to read my story, plus enter a story, yourself!

Write in the Midwest: Tales of a Reluctant Blogger

Dianna Graveman — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:52:48 +0000

I resisted the blogging craze for as long as I could, but now that I’m here, I’d love for everyone to stop by Write in the Midwest and let me know what you think! As my husband/coauthor and I head into the homestretch in the development of our second, third, and fourth regional histories for Arcadia Publishing, I hope to chronicle the successes and struggles along that path to publication and maybe discuss some of the others we’ve already encountered. I also hope to help promote some writer friends and their work and talk about art/musical/literary happenings here in the Midwest and specifically in Missouri.

Please stop by when you can! Comments welcome!

Writing The World Blog Contest

Harvey Stanbrough — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:52:00 +0000

Hi Folks,

As many of you know, I publish a new post to my Writing the World blog once a week on Wednesday at http://stanbrough.wordpress.com/. My intention is for every post to be something of importance to writers, poets, essayists, memoirists or any of the other literary genre. Fact is, I’m starting to run out of topics.

So I’m running a contest. Do you have a particular pet peeve or question you’d like answered? Has some writing instructor somewhere given you a “one size fits all” rule that he recommends you apply to your writing? Is there anything you’re confused about, or anything about which you’d like to get the straight scoop?

Email your ideas to me at h_stanbrough@yahoo.com. If I’m able to use your suggestion to write a blog post, you will have your choice of the prizes listed below:

Punctuation for Writers (electronic edition)
Writing Realistic Dialogue & Flash Fiction (signed)
Beyond the Masks (signed poetry collection)
Free edit of up to 20 pages of your novel or other prose (must be able to send it to me via email as an attachment in Microsoft Word 2003 or earlier)
Free critique of up to 10 pages of poetry (must be able to send it to me via email as an attachment in Microsoft Word 2003 or earlier)

That’s about it for this time!

Happy writing!

Harvey

Visit the Writing the World Blog: http://stanbrough.wordpress.com/

What Does Poetry have to do with Fiction?

David Lucas II — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 03:39:41 +0000

Poetry and story writing may not appear on the surface to share that much in common. The truth is that they share a lot in common. Our earliest stories, be that of the bible, the Iliad and the Odyssey, the Tale of Genji, or the legends of Hiawatha, Beowulf, tales of Charlemagne and other great heroes in every culture had been formed and told in poetry. Poetry makes the story easier to remember, to share it with those future generations. In some stories, the poetry may not be so easy to see and in others the words may not be so easy to understand at first as their meaning may have changed over the centuries—and yet they endure the test of time. The “Word Dance” of poetry helps create the stories and hold it together. It also helps to form the framework that makes it memorable.

In the word dancing of poetry, the rhythm of the words give the story a symmetry that keeps the pulse of the story beating and helps create the tension and release of suspense. If you question how this is possible, try listening to your favorite movie or TV episode. Don’t look at the screen. Just listen to the dialogue and even the special effects (thinking any booms or car noises or whatever as words). Give it a try.

The use of poetry to tell stories in modern day continues in our music, our books, and even in our television and movies. It helps give the dialogue and the action of the tale a semblance of memory and allows us to dissect it when thinking back to it or even retelling the story. Try not to let your mind and your creativity dance to the beat of the words that you hear or read and you will find it quite impossible.

Thank you for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com for updates to my blogs, articles, stories, and poems I write.

October Photo of the Month

David Motherwell — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 02:29:49 +0000