Issue 45

Would you like to get your work onto WNW? Would you like a basket of free books? Are you trying to kill time at work, but the boss has blocked YouTube?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, here’s the deal:

Art inspires art. Choose one of the two pieces posted below as inspiration for a short story (1000 words or less). It’s sort of like a caption contest, but with an emphasis on artistic inspiration, not witty description.

Send your finished story to editor@writersnewsweekly.com, and we will pick a winner by the end of the month.

THE WINNER will receive a basket of our finest, dry-aged books. In addition, the winning story will be posted on WNW.

THE RUNNER UP will also have his or her story posted on WNW.

Without further ado, your muses:

P.118
Apollo with Cancer, 2008
Jeffrey Katrencik

P.168
Wake Up Moron, 2006
Elizabeth Scott

The inspiration for the first WritersNewsWeekly short story contest comes from the Fe Gallery in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh. The nonprofit art space opened in 2003 and hosts several shows a year.

These pieces are from the gallery’s 2008 show, In the Making: 250 Years/250 Artists, which celebrated Western Pennsylvania’s rich artistic heritage with the city's 250th anniversary.

According to Jill Larson, Fe’s founder and director, there are more artists per capita living and working in Southwestern Pennsylvania than any other region in the country. Bravo, SW Pa.!

The gallery is gearing up for its new show Boys will be Boys—a celebration of youth and masculinity sponsored by the fraternities of the University of Pittsburgh. The show opens March 20th. Check out their website at www.Fegallery.org.

By Carlotta G. Holton

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Dial Press Trade Paperback, 2009)By Mary Ann Shafer and Annie Barrows

The hardships of war and its aftermath seem an unlikely topic for a feel good book, yet Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows’ novel is just that. Readers will enjoy the colorful and sometimes tragic stories and loveable and quirky characters who not only survive, but who cleverly manage to culturally thrive amidst the German occupation of the Channel Islands in 1946. This delightful and poignant book is as much for bibliophiles as it is an homage to the ingenuity and fortitude of survivors of war. For it is the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society which, as good books should, uplifts their spirits in a time of turmoil.

The story begins when Guernsey pig farmer Dawsey Adams finds London writer Juliet Ashton’s name in a used book and a correspondence between the two ensues. What follows is a series of letters from Dawsey’s neighbors that cover a nine month post World War II period. Juliet is assigned to write a piece for the London Times’ literary magazine which after her visit to the island, will culminate in a book. While such an epistle-like - delivery might be bogged down or boring, the authors do a remarkable job of inserting humor and insight into the easily flowing text.

The cold realities of war and rationing are treated with sensitivity and while somber are never to the point of being maudlin. Desperate times calling for desperate measures, a small group of islanders resort to deceit and intrigue which inadvertently forges valuable friendships and an equally valued book club. During the Nazi occupation these pig farmers have had their pigs commandeered. After six months of eating a monotonous diet of potatoes and turnips, their collective minds focused on the pigs. To everyone’s delight, Marguerite Amelia hid a pig and held a feast in her house, inviting the various people who would then be united in a lie to cover their deed. When caught in the act of leaving the dinner, Elizabeth, one of the diners, told the Germans they had been discussing a book of Elizabeth and German Gardens. The society was born out of necessity, but grew into something each savored as much as the recipe for Potato Peel Pie served at their meetings.

We are reminded of the sacrifices of all touched by war. There is loss of life and loss of the good things in life. Amelia recalls, “My greatest pleasure has been walking. The Channel is no longer framed in rolls of barb wire, the view is unbroken by huge Verboten signs, the mines are gone from the beaches and I can walk where and as long as I like.”

The odd assemblage of persons that is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society unite in their resistance to the Germans and their dedication to the book club meetings. Even the criticism of local gossip Adeline Addison, cannot dissuade them. The group comes to mean something special for each of its members. For example, Clara Saussey, who describes her writing as Poetry in a Pan, belonged to the group. “I never would have touched a book if not for the occupation.”

As a writer, Juliet is invested in books and that love is translated into one of this books themes. In one of her letters she says, “Books sellers are a special breed. The profit they make is so small that it must be for the love of readers and reads along with the first dibs on new books that make them do it.”

The novel is equally spiced with humor and surprises like a chance encounter with the notorious Oscar Wilde. There are equally touching moments such as when the men of the group use a pig carcass combined with cinnamon and paprika to create round soaps, a treat for the ladies of the group.

Anyone who is or has been a member of a book club knows the eclectic personas that make up its membership. The common ingredient that adds flavor to the pot is their shared love of books. I strongly encourage book clubs to try a slice of this literary pie, for it affirms the power of friendship, survival and through reading, the power to nourish body and soul.

Author Debra Ginsberg writes memoirs and novels. Her novel, The Grift (Shaye Areheart Books, 2008) is a New York Times Notable Book for 2008.

Q: You waited tables for twenty years to support your “writing habit.” How did it all change? Which came first: a publisher or a literary agent?

A: By the time I sold my first book, I'd already written two novels and a proposal for a memoir (about my son) that I'd been unable to sell, so I was really starting to lose hope. All the while (and along with some other jobs) I was waiting tables to keep myself and my son solvent. A friend of mine (with whom I'd worked at a literary agency) had recently become an editor at HarperCollins and asked me what I was working on (since she knew all about the two novels, the proposal, etc.). I told her I'd been thinking about making my waitressing tales into a memoir and she loved that idea. I did have an agent at that time (another ex-colleague, in fact) and she liked the idea as well. I put together a proposal and sample chapters for what would become Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress and four weeks later, it was sold. So there it was -- after twenty years, overnight success!

Q: Your first novel, Blind Submission, is an insider’s behind-the-scene look at a literary agency. What was your motivation in writing this book that exposes some of the industry’s flaws and excesses?

A: Blind Submission is actually a kind of love letter (albeit a sardonic one) to the publishing business. I'm a book geek and always have been. Up to - and including - the time my first book was published, I thought the publishing business was elegant and glamorous. You can't imagine how badly I wanted to be published, how I wanted an editor, and to visit one of those hallowed halls of literature and say, "That is my publisher!" As I said, geek. Literary agencies too held a similar appeal. That was where deals were forged and dreams came true! I'm not exaggerating here, honestly. The book business literally made me giddy. By the same token, the more I learned about it, the more I realized that there are some truly ridiculous things going on behind the scenes. Flaws and excesses don't even begin to cover some of the nonsense. Yet, ultimately, people in the business are in it because they love it. That love - of writing; of reading; of the sheer joy of cracking a new spine and discovering the world within - is at the root of Blind Submission. Plus, I do have to say, everyone (read: publishing folk) told me that nobody wanted to read a novel set in the publishing world and that the conventional wisdom was that those kinds of books don't sell. They were wrong.

Q: What suggestions do you have for new writers in developing point of view and character development?

A: The best suggestion I have is for writers to research their characters. What I mean by this is not to pick real people and write about them (although characters are de facto based on real people in some sense), but to really know your own characters. Who are these people? What were they doing before this novel began? What do they look like? How do they feel about themselves, their lives, their families? A character will evolve over the course of a novel, but there must be a firm starting point - a set of characteristics if you will - that will dictate how the character changes. A writer must know who the characters are before the action begins in order to understand how they will react to what happens. Point of view, by extension, is part of that character development. One must understand the character in order to write effectively from that character's point of view.

Q: How important are the skills of observation and intuition for a writer?

A: I think these skills are critical. For me, writing is all about observing and then translating those observations for the reader. But without intuition, there is no way of telling which observations are important or interesting or even relevant. Without intuition there can be no translation.

Q: How do you define the art of storytelling? Do you enjoy doing readings of your books and if so, why?

A: I know some great storytellers who don't write. And I don't know any good writers who aren't good storytellers. And yet... not all good writers are good readers of their own writing. Perhaps what this all comes down to is that one must know one's audience. What is there in your story that is appealing or interesting to your audience? How can they relate to your story? I was raised in a large, smart, and competitive family. When any one of us demanded the floor, we had to have a good reason - and the story had better be a good one or else it was derided in short order. My biggest fear - to this day - is that I will bore my audience. Therefore, while I am comfortable reading from my books, I prefer telling stories and answering questions when I am physically in front of an audience. This way (much as it still is with my family), I can better judge their mood and tailor my stories accordingly.

When creating the characters for a novel or short story, it’s pretty typical to start with the obvious–physical appearance. Tall, short, dark-haired, blonde, African-American, Asian, blue-eyed, olive skinned, etc.–the list can go on and on. Professions usually play an equally important role. Your protagonist may be an adventurer, archeologist, teacher, doctor, forensic scientist, detective, lawyer, priest, student, stay at-home mother, or any number of possibilities. All of this helps to create an emerging picture of who that character is, but it falls short of making them three-dimensional. In order to feel the character’s presence–to have them step off the page and emotionally connect with the reader, we need to mimic reality. By this I mean that each one of us has a complex past that has molded us and brought us to this day. It defines how we exist in the present and influences who we want to be tomorrow. Dissecting the human experience and then attaching it to our characters is the key to creating a believable, three-dimensional world that pulls readers in and sweeps them away!

We all have psychological ghosts that linger from our past. These are not paranormal entities, but rather the life scripts that we have adopted by living a particular life surrounded by a particular family during a specific period in time. Thinking of your characters in the same way will fill them up and lift them off the page. An excellent exercise for developing your chosen cast is to write a page or two about someone you know very well. What? Why? you ask. It seems like this would be a waste of valuable time, a futile exercise when you have no intention of including friends or family in your story. But hold on! There is a valid answer. We have a greater depth of knowledge about a real person than any of our characters who are just now materializing. Writing about a close friend, a family member, a lover, or even a well worn foe will illustrate the amount of background your characters require to come to life. In turn, this will help you translate that kind of detail into the empty shell of your fictional creations.

Start out by choosing a person close to you – for examples sake, I will say it is your father. Critically think about his family and life experiences. Was he the oldest, youngest, middle, or only child? Was he a twin? Was he adopted? Did he feel loved or disposable? Did he serve a particular purpose in his family? Did he grow up poor, middle-class, or wealthy? Did he live on a farm, in the suburbs, or in a city? Did he work when he was young? Did he finish high school, go to college, or go beyond? Was he a blue-collar worker and white? Did he have any major losses of a parent, sibling, or friend? What were the expectations laid upon him about work, family, religion, life? How did he handle conflict? Was there any history of mental illness, addictions, or violence in the family? Did he marry, get divorced, become widowed? Did he discover that he was gay? What was his chosen profession? Was he successful at it, passionate about it, or did he dread going to work every day? What were his hobbies? Did he like animals? What were his fears? What was he proud of and what did he regret? Was he stubborn, a push-over, or a skilled negotiator? What did he think about money? Was he practical and analytical or a creative, free-spirit? Was he emotional or distant? Etc. Knowing your father best (or whomever you chose), you can probably think of other areas to examine.

Once you have a well-rounded picture of the person’s past, write about the present. How does that person navigate the world today? What ghosts have lingered, directing how the person lives in the present? How are they influencing what steps will be taken in the future? Finish up the exercise by describing the future based on the picture you have created. With this complete, you are ready to tackle the creation of multi-layered, complex characters that feel like real people.

Think about the plot to your story and who will be living on those pages. Using the same exercise, create the details to each character’s life. It’s best to do this prior to beginning the work, but it’s not too late to go back and add depth and breadth once underway. What are their past circumstances–the ghosts that haunt them? How have you readied them to carry your story with authenticity? Once the reader starts to recognize the common human thread, he or she will be drawn farther into the tale to learn more and more about the “people” you have created.

Karen M Bence graduated with a bachelor of arts in Psychology from Dickinson College and a master's degree in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania. A former social worker, psychotherapist and educator, Ms. Bence is also an avid equestrian and dog breeder.

The September issue of The Writer includes an article titles “104 Worst Creative-Writing Clichés” by Professor Randy Nelson at Davidson College, Charlotte, North Carolina. The article can be used as an excellent writing exercise. Consider the cliché "worried sick."

He was worried sick as he approached the judge.

This is not a good sentence. Remove the cliché for a stronger sentence.

He was worried as he approached the judge.

It is so easy to fall into the cliché trap and so difficult to avoid. Following are a few of the 104 clichés mentioned in the article: fiery eyes, sheds light, staring in the face, when all else fails, doggedly, falls silent, reveals her/or his true feelings, couldn't be further from the truth, bored to tears, defined by Webster, stop and think, fist or headache pounds, safe haven, the finishing touches, emerges slowly, uses foul language, a blend of strength and sensitivity

Try the following for a good exercise. If you stumble across a cliché while reading a book, retain the meaning of the sentence and replace the cliché with a word or words that will improve the sentence.

Questions/Comments? Contact Jim at james@jamesfalk.net, or visit www.jamesfalk.net.

James Falk, as a teen-ager, used to dream of being a big-time racketeer. Fortunately, his dream didn't come true. A 10th grade dropout, he finished highschool after four years in the Marines and went on to earn a B.A. in Journalism and an M.A. in Communications.

Knol is teaming up with Dummies.com to give writers the chance to write something they are particularly good at, and maybe become famous in the process! Want to show the world how to do something? Submissions are open through March 23. Five finalists will be selected on May 8 by Dummies.com editors. The grand prize winner will receive a cash prize of $1000. Click here to enter the contest.

Best-selling author James Patterson is teaming up with thirty other authors to write a 30 chapter novel, each written by a different author except for the first and last which will be written by Patterson himself. The project, called Airborne, is sponsored by Borders Australia and Random House. A contest was held to find twenty-eight authors who would be able to write the bulk of the book. Starting March 20, Airborne will be released one chapter at a time electronically. A print edition will eventually be printed, but only for participants in the competition. Participants may follow the progress of Airborne on Facebook, Twitter and RSS.

Trade magazine The Bookseller has announced the finalists for its annual Oddest Book Title contest. Among the entries are The Large Sieve and its Applications, Strip and Knit with Style and Techniques for Corrosion Monitoring. Previous winners include The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America: A Guide to Field Identification and People Who Don't Know They're Dead: How They Attach Themselves to Unsuspecting Bystanders and What to Do About It. The public may vote online by clicking here (http://www.thebookseller.com/) The winning title will be announced March 27.

Simon & Schuster unveiled a new app for the iPhone last week that will allow users to play crossword puzzles without a subscription or daily download. “365 Crosswords” is available through the Apple App Store and includes content from other Simon & Schuster puzzle books. Users may choose the level of difficulty of the puzzle, can play in pen or pencil mode and check or reveal answers. Simon & Schuster will regularly update “365 Puzzles” with seasonal and bonus puzzles.