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A Newsletter for the Woodstream Writing Community . . .

. . . Where we share our news with you--and your good news with one another!
www.woodstreamwriters.com

to unsubscribe: remove@woodstreamwriters.com

JOIN US!:Great New Writing Marathon House|
PUBLISHED, LAUDED AND APPLAUDED:Woodstreamers Winning and Awarded!|
HOW NOW, BROWN COW?: Advice--and Websites--from the Pros|


JOIN US!                                                                                                                                                                                                        
Upcoming Woodstream Events and Available Services

Writing Marathon . . . in Winter Garden, Summer, 2008

On Saturday, July 19th, we invite writers at all levels, working in any genre, to join us at a wonderful new writing retreat  house
in Winter Garden for a day-long Writing Marathon where, from 9:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m., all writers will be invited to catch a spark from
our writing prompts or to feed the flames of their longer projects-in-progress.

Woodstream Marathon attendee Marge Clauser, former "Write On!" columnist for The DeLand-Deltona Beacon, says, 
"The writing marathon was one of the best experiences I've had. At the marathon, I experienced a shift in my mind, spirit,
and writing. When the marathon was over, I wanted to stay in touch with the new possibilities the day had brought
both to my writing and my life."

The cost for the day, $140, includes breakfast, lunch, dinners, snacks, and beverages.
Register with Jamie@WoodstreamWriters.com or 407-644-5163 for more information.

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Workshops for Fall: Starting September, 2008
. . . in Maitland: Weekly and Bi-Weekly Workshops

This spring, Woodstream is offering four weekly workshops:
. . . One 12-week workshop for writers at all levels of experience working in any genre
. . . Three BookWriter's Workshops for writers with book-length projects-in-progress;

Twelve-Week Workshop, AWA-style, meets 12 consecutive Mondays, September 8th-November 24th, from 6:30-9:00 p.m.

About her AWA workshop, Pan Macmillan novelist Julie Compton says, "A good writing workshop is a wonderful thing . . . it can 
motivate you to do more than just put pen to paper. It can help a writer to see potential in things that might have otherwise been 
delegated to the bottom of the desk drawer . . . Thanks, Jamie!"

The twelve-week workshop, above, is limited to 10 participants. Writers welcome working at any level of experience,
in any genre. Each writer will be invited to submit a manuscript to the entire workshop for review. Cost: $450.

BookWriter's Workshops: Tuesday evenings or  Wednesday mornings, beginning in September.

Together, we create supportive community, writing together, sharing new work for group critique, and closely examining
extended portions of one another's manuscripts. Members will be writing in all genres and need only have a book-length
project in  mind to apply.  Join us! Get your book off the ground and onto the page this fall!

Each BookWriter's Workshop is limited to 7 participants. The $495 cost includes a private consultation with workshop leader.

Currently, fall BookWriter's Workshops are full. We are accepting wait-listed writers at this time. 
Apply for wait list with Jamie@WoodstreamWriters.com or 407-644-5163 for more information.


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New from Woodstream:                                                                                                                                                                                  
Writing Coaching, Literary Critique, and Editing Services


Jamie Morris and Tom Wallace have joined forces to offer Woodstream Writers a full range of writing services.  From first
brainstorming sessions through final edit, Jamie and Tom give writers the support they need to take their work to the next level.

What writers are saying: 

"Tom’s expertise has been invaluable in shaping my novellas and short stories. I have been extremely impressed by the
interest he has shown in my work. His enthusiasm and attention to detail are fantastic."
--E. G. Hallowell, fiction writer, former journalist, and co-founder of the North American Center for African Writers.

"Jamie's ability to edit for structure and rhythm are supreme. She tightens and polishes at the sentence level while 
giving relevant suggestions about the development and organization of narrative and scenes.

"Jamie also has a special talent for keeping writers enthused about their writing lives and their projects. Her insight and intuition 
have advanced my work tremendously. As coach and editor, Jamie has kept me on course through my first year as a novelist"
--Alan Zemel, fiction writer

Contact Jamie@WoodstreamWriters.com or 407-644-5163 or
Tom Wallace at 407-332-0122, or visit http://home.earthlink.net/~tommyflorida for more information.

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PUBLISHED, LAUDED, and APPLAUDED
Woodstream Writers' Latest Triumphs

Making Book

1) Lara Zielinsky's wonderful first novel, Turning Point, was recently voted one of the "Top 5 Lesbian Romances for 2007" in the Lesbian Fiction Reader's Choice Awards! Way to go, Lara! Glad those girls know quality when they read it.

To learn more about Lara's literary adventures, visit her at http://www.lzfiction.net/
You can also take a sneak peek at Turning Point's first chapter--and then order it!--at:
http://www.lzfiction.net/mine/tpexcerpt.php

2) The World Record Academy awarded Bob Brown's book, Bermuda Suicide Challenge in a Flats Boat, the Adventure Book of the Year. Good work, Bob! Next time, please wear a seatbelt!

3) Julie Compton's been interviewed quite a bit since the U.S. release of her debut novel,Tell No Lies. Follow the link below to
find the June 8th, Fort Myers News-Press interview/review, and learn more about Julie, "Lies," and the St. Louis charm that
infuses  them both:
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080608/LIFESTYLES/806080331/1013/LIFESTYLES

Visit www.julie-compton.com to see photos of Julie's St. Louis book launch!

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Hey, Who You Calling "Short Stuff"?

1) A little birdie from the Palace tells us that Alice (R. Friedman) won First Prize for Non-Fiction at the 2008 Mount Dora
 Festival for the Literary Arts for the second year in a row! This year, her winning entry was her short memoir "Click, Click, 
Click," which we heard born in Tuesday morning workshop.

2)  And while Alice was mopping up in non-fiction, her good pal and fellow band member--er, Poetry Ensemble of Orlando
member--Woodstream sweetie pie Estelle Lipp shifted genres long enough to win Mount Dora's Third Prize for her
short story  "Fly on the Wall"! 

3) And speaking of poets writing fiction, our own "Send It Out" Bard, Don "the Bard" Royster lets us know that his short story
"Woman in a Cave" will be appearing at bewilderingstories.com. (Catch Don performing live at the new Cup O' Soul location
this Monday, June 30th. Details in the "Poems, Poets, and Performances" section, below.)

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Newsprint

1) Adele Azar-Rucquoi has this good news: She's writing a column in the Sanford Herald Newspaper called Meandering$.
And, yup, that's a dollar sign in the title. Adele's topics--as always--are spirit, money, and community.

2) Wonderful Woodstream alum Carol Ann Temmel impressed the political heck out of us with her great letter to the
Orlando Sentinel early in May. Unfortunately, the letter is no longer available on-line, but trust us--it ROCKED.
Hey, Carol. Girls rule!

3) And Tuesday evening's Pati Anderson wrote a funny-smart piece, "How I cope with the Gas Crisis," that ended up on the front page of Echoes, her company's newsletter.

Poems, Poets, and Performances

1) Don "the Bard" Royster will be performing live at the new Cup O' Soul location this Monday, June 30th, when they offer their open mic for public, poetic consumption. Cup O' Soul has moved to 711A Orange Avenue in Winter Park, at the corner of Holt and Orange Avenue. For more information, visit their website, http://www.cuposoul.com/.

2) Lovely Lake County poet girl Laura Ross has had poems accepted at both the prestigious Columbia Review and Tar River Poetry. Big Wild West congrats to Cowboy Laura, just home from the range.

3) Poet-Guy Russ Golata has news:

• "Nothing But the Truth," is a new open mic where poets can make some noise every Friday at the Ocoee Starbucks. NBT flicks on the mic for the first time on Friday, July 11, at 7p.m. with Russ himself as the first feature. Join the fun. Drive yourself over to the Starbucks at 10300 W. Colonial Drive, Ocoee FL, 34761. The Starbucks number is 407-877-3471, if you need directions.

• Starting Tuesday, August 5th, Russ will be hosting his own open mic at The Daily Grind on Orange Ave. Catch the wave each first Tuesday. You'll make your ears happy with new poetry and new music.

• Of course, don't miss Russ's regular event, Wednesday July 16, at 8:30 p.m., at Austin's Coffee and Film, 929 W Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park. This open mic, which Russ co-hosts every 3rd Wednesday, is an Orlando Poetry Group presentation, and always worth a visit.

For more information on any of these events, e-mail Russ at blacksox@att.net or call him at 407-403-5814. And, thanks, Russ, for making the wheels on the Poetry Bus go 'round and 'round!

4) WW's friend Shirley Drake Jordan recently won the Edward Gorey Award at the National League of American Pen Women's National Conference. This award is given for humorous or satirical poetry, and Shirley won it for a poem titled "Theodor S. Geisel is Dead." Congratulations, Shirley--and thanks for your service to the NLAPW.

5) In a footlight footnote, we'd like to stand up and applaud Monday night's own John Pelkey, who starred in Jester Theater's May production of Moonlight and Magnolias. We enjoyed the show enormously--sharing Winter Garden's newly refurbished Garden Theatre with a Saturday night crowd of 200. If you missed it, take a minute to read Rebecca Swain's glowing review in the Orlando Sentinel: http://tinyurl.com/5oxvyb .

Cross-Media Communication

Although her Wednesday morning BookWriter's Workshop knows DJ Norman as a writer capable of painting fascinating characters on the page, in July we'll get the opportunity to take a gander at a couple of characters she's captured on canvas!

On July 12th, Bay Two will be hosting a wonderful art-and-music show, where DJ will have two of her portraits hung, one of a young Paul McCartney, the other, of the Buddha. Please come take a look, have a bite, chat with your pals. We'll be there from 7 p.m. -12 midnight, and the cover for a great evening is just $7. Here's the website: www.eventsatmillspark.com

More questions? Call Kat Quast at 407-739-6362.

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HOW NOW, BROWN COW?
Publishing Information, Tips, and Opportunities

Jim Shipley, the hardest working man in Young Adult literature, went fishing at the recent SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) summer conference and brought back his catch to share with us. Here's some of what he learned:

From Ellen Hopkins, author of Crank:

1. While you need a lead character and minor characters, above all you need power in the story. There is always a market for an important story.
2. You need three things to succeed in the writing business: talent, perseverance (it will take longer than you think), and luck.
   
3. Stay in contact with your readers: My Space, Face Book – those running for president use them, shouldn’t you?

From Krista Marino, editor:

1. Historical fiction is not really selling well from YA right through adult.
   
2. Some books are bought in three days, some in six months. Hang in there.
3. Be careful in your writing to "show don't tell." Don't "infodump" to move the plot along.
4. Voice and POV are all, but think first of the story--POV will follow.

Thanks, Jim, for bringing back the goods!

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Julie Compton took the time to share some "lit biz" websites she's found helpful:

• Access Writer's Digest list of best websites at http://www.writersdigest.com/101sites/2006_index.asp?goto=closead .
  
• Sign up for the free "Publisher's Lunch e-mail at www.publishersmarketplace.com .
  
• Find all sorts of good info and links to publishers, agents, markets at www.writersmarket.com .
• The online version of Literary Marketplace--the bible of markets--is at www.literarymarketplace.com .
  
• To find out about scams and other topics, visit www.absolutewrite.com .
• Julie says http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/ is the best place to start when trying to find out if the publisher or agent you're considering is on the up and up.
  
• www.writerbeware.com is another great site for checking out publishers and agents.
  

Thanks for the great tips, Ms. J!

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And for those that like coffee well enough to write about it, Julie found a site that publishes "coffee-based fiction": http://www.coffeebeanshop.com/fiction/fiction.html . Go ahead. Write a paean to a cup of Joe. We double-dog dare you!

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Well, that's all for this issue!
Remember to let us know what's news . . . and keep up the good work!

Jamie Morris
Woodstream Writers