| SUNOASIS 2003 PUBLISHING and WRITING BLOG
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"Writing is the only profession where no one considers
you ridiculous if you earn no money."
-- Jules Renard
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
- [Editor Notes]
- [Resources]
- [Sunoasis Opinion]
- [Career Advice]
- [At C/Oasis]
- [My Virtual Space]
- [Markets]
- [Community]
- [Acknowledgments]
E D I T O R N O T E S
We dangle resources out there each month amazed
by the amount of guides, tips, dictionaries, and lists
still embedded in the belly of the beast.
It reminds me
of the Watts Towers, taking shape with a lot of mad
slap-dashery thrown into the mix.
The best resource is the imagination of the writer
peeking through the architecture of the publishing world.
It's a maze that sticks the writer into the universe that
matters.
Imagine one piece of writing moving through the publishing
and literary system. Who does it move through? What decisions
are made in relation to it? How many transactions can be made
with that piece of writing? What use do you want made of
it? What actions can you perceive as a result of it?
* * * * * * * *
What allows the mind to persevere in the face of abject
ignorance or uncaring? What keeps the heart of writing
going when the market is as bad as it is?
It keeps going when the writer is not ignorant or
uncaring. He may be driven to the brink but it's a good
brink. After all, if a writer didn't write, what would
he do?
One thing that helps is a good system of moral support.
Stay around people for whom writing, reading, books, and
magazines are significant parts of their lives.
* * * * * * * *
Whit Burnett mentions the five motives Robert Graves
ascribed to this powerful desire to write: Money; Fame;
Fun; Escape; Dire Need; and Miscellaneous. He believed
that well over half of writers write for money.
In a material world, the only bliss is making money doing
exactly what you want to do. The writer is divided between
her desire to write what pleases her and what the market
is demanding.
Nothing is easy. Exercise the best in yourself at all
moments and let the chips fall where they may. There's
some bliss in that too.
* * * * * * * *
They mention the keeping of journals and diaries.
I'm interested in this because I've kept one for many
years. It probably has five thousand pages to it and I
liken it to a mind I've grown outside my brain. A good
notebook is necessary for any writer.
It doesn't matter whether you write fiction or non-fiction.
You need to have a good, honest, secure place where
you can write at will, write without censor, write to
experiment with descriptions or use of language. And
it is amazing how the diaries accumulate over the years,
like compound interest.
Looking over my journals, I'd say that 10% of the material
is very useful. Those 500 pages can be extremely valuable
if handled right.
* * * * * * * *
Spirit is the key word. Much of the function of grammar
and spelling can be programmed and done by a machine.
* * * * * * * *
The feedback we've gotten is superb. We're proud of the
quality of people who have subscribed to Sunoasis 2003.
So, please continue!
R E S O U R C E S
I come to a piece of writing, as a reader, in a variety
of ways. It presents useful information that helps me in my
job or personal life. It is describing an activity that draws
my attention, like a war. It offers up an opinion based on
the sensibility of the writer and I joust with it. It is a
complex creation that seduces me to a new point of view.
The reader, then, is a resource.
C r a f t :
-----------
Fiction Writer's Resource Page
The Book of Cliches
Cliche Finder
Criticalreading.com
Phrase Thesaurus
Glossarist.com
Seven Lessons Writers Don't Want to Learn.
FAQS about freelancing
---------------------------
O r g a n i z a t i o n s :
---------------------------
American Society of Journalists and Authors
Federal Copyright Office
National Writers Union
National Association of Women Writers
Short-story Group
Horror Writers Association
International Reading Association
American Society of Indexers
American Screenwriters Association
Society for Technical Communication
-----------------------
e p u b l i s h i n g :
-----------------------
The results of a survey conducted by Survey.com among more
than 2,800 senior executives about their web activity shows
that the web is a pervasive presence in their lives.
The Web is enhancing community publishing.
The Web can be a valuable tool for journalists and publicists
alike. Reporters can use it to research companies, and PR
people can use it to find editorial contacts.
Younger consumers are open to seeing content on non-traditional
channels like the Internet and mobile phones, and like to be
in control of their media, something the Internet affords them.
A look at a recent study that found that 66% of the
4.12 million blogs created on eight leading blog-hosting
services have been "abandoned'' by their creators - not
updated for at least two months.
A writer starts a regional publishing press.
Is online journal creating a revolution in science
publishing?
UK web publishers are optimistic again.
"...the shift to internet-based technologies may have
an impact on the cash returns, growth outlook and risk
profile of the publishing industry."
-----------------------
M e d i a:
-----------------------
"The Achilles heel for the newspaper industry is that
young people aren't reading the newspaper," says Fred
Searby of J.P. Morgan. "They get their (information)
somewhere else."
Henry Jenkins, director of the Program in Comparative Media
Studies at MIT, looks at how politicians are using the
Internet in new and innovative ways and starting to deliver
on the hype a few years back that the Internet might become
a decisive factor in elections.
Perry de Havilland says blogs won't replace journalism but
that they are changing it in important ways. "...blogs are
primarily about opinion, not reporting per se...
A new analysis delves into "we media" -- journalism created
by citizens empowered by digital technologies -- and advises
media companies on how to respond.
Newspapers are "losing touch with real people," said former
New York Times managing editor Gerald Boyd to editors at
the Associated Press Managing Editors conference.
"I assume there will be a time when newspapers will die in
favor of wirelessly connected tablets," says John Markoff,
who has covered technology and the Internet for the New York
Times since 1988.
The experiences readers ascribe to magazines greatly influence
their readership of magazines, says a new study scheduled to
be released next week at the American Magazine Conference.
According to his new book, "Autumn of the Moguls," Michael
Wolff "thinks modern media companies control reality," yet
the CEOs who run them are "fantastic ninnies," writes
Stephen Metcalf.
S U N O A S I S O P I N I O N
The digital writer is an entreprenuer with boundless
optimism about the success of his project. No matter how
many failures and discouragement come his way, the path he
has taken sees him through.
There is the vortex of the crowd, there is the cool
working out of details in the work-a-day political world.
C A R E E R A D V I C E
Most of the questions we get at Sunoasis have to do with
marketing. "How do I find out who wants my material?" This
question initiates a writer's career. The cyncial and rude
answer would be, "the little blue bird of paradise isn't
going to take it in its beak and fly off to a nice editor
somewhere." I do recommend this: Spend a full-year studying
the market books and other sources of information. Take notes,
make files. Don't stop everything else but make time a few
hours a week and work those market books over. Know what and
who you are dealing with.
The gatekeepers are always human beings who are dealing
with assorted motives. If they feel your material can
please their audience, you're in.
Despite the inhuman nature of things today, the relation
between a writer and an editor should be professional and
personable.
The professional writing community is dependent on the
health of the economy. Writing jobs are driven by a strong
advertising environment. When budgets swell, writers are
added because publications want to increase the variety of
features they can entertain and inform their readers with.
That's why, at the Sunoasis Joblog, we keep monitoring the
jobs situation and overall health of the economy. And
everything points to a recovery, with jobs being added in
2004 around election time. Hmm.
S u n o a s i s Q & A
I'm a freelance journalist who would like to write social
and political stories about Zimbabwe for any online publication.
How can I get in touch with those interested in receiving such
stories?
* * * * * * * *
Okay, here I go! This is my very first shot at obtaining
information about a career change. I've established what my
dream job would be, writing about golf; golf courses, golf
equipment, etc.
* * * * * * * *
I'm a senior with aspirations of writing for profit. I'm
looking for a mentor. Can you help direct me to one?
* * * * * * * *
I am presently working for an airline. I am also a freelance
sports reporter for two sports websites. How can I get into
a paying job for sportswriting whether it be for a newspaper
or magazine?
* * * * * * * *
I keep reminding people that Sunoasis Jobs is filled with
a great deal more resource than it first appears. On
every regional page there is a link to an association
or group that hosts free writing, journalism ads. Take
advantage of the fact!
Ask a question about your career!
A T C/ O A S I S
I had the good fortune to see Salman Rushdie give a talk
this month. Rushdie is from Mumbai and had decent
insight into the problems of the Middle-East. He also
talked a good deal about writing, writing fiction, and
the identity of a writer. He told jokes and was witty.
He spoke of two types of writers. One is rooted to a
single place, and "creates a world from that place."
He mentioned Faulkner and Welty as examples. And then
there's the rootless writer. This is a creature who
lives in different regions of the world and is always
trying to find his place. Finally he surrenders to the
rootless condition as his peculiar fate. Rushdie envied
the Faulkner rootedness but accepted his fate as the
rootless type.
The sense of place is key in the writer's imagination.
And what about that vast maze known as the Net? Is it a
new planet in the solar system? Is it some kind of de
Chardin noosphere?
I now have seven years of memory on it. That was the precise
time my great, great...grandfather Maturin served to pay
off his farm in the Providence Plantation of Roger Williams.
I have entered and exited many worlds. Yet, it all happens
through the screen; the interface. All that matters are the
qualities on either side of the interface.
* * * * * * * *
The Ukrainian writer, Troy Morash, has a place centered in the universals of
human expereince; with folklore and myth. He gives us a delightful tale
in The Juggler and the Bet.
And Marty Castleberg has decided to abandon the work-a-day world and
"emptying his regret box by traveling the world
with guitar and pen in hand." He writes a piece any writer
can relate to, mulling over some rejection notices. Why Write is his contribution
to C/Oasis this month.
* * * * * * * *
Wordbirth.
Halloween; Witch; Uptopia; Aura
There's always an assortment of surprises so look around
and enjoy yourself.
M A R K E T S A N D L E A D S
Job Links for new leads!
If you have any suggestions about markets you want
guidelines for, just drop a line
C O M M U N I T Y
Online News Association Conference and Awards Banquet
Chicago Nov. 14-15
Digital Story Master Class, Dec. 7-11
Shaw Guide for Writing Conferences in November.
A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S
Want to keep Sunoasis going? Donate through the
Amazon Honor System and wonderful things will happen!
Thanks to Lynda Lester from the Digital Information Group
of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder,
Colorado for her generous contribution to
Sunoasis! Thanks Lynda!
F Y I
Put an ad in Sunoasis 2003 and reach its 4,400 subscribers.
Just $25 a month!
Contact mailto:eide491@earthlink.net
* * * * * * * *
Freelance writer and editor. Author of two business books.
Former managing editor at Datapro Information Services.
Current managing editor of "Security Management Practices,"
an online security journal. Expensive experience in business
continuity (disaster recovery) planning and documentation.
Presently seeking engagements writing business features,
white papers, and business continuity plans.
Contact:
James Barr
Email: jgbarr@msn.com
Phone: 856-435-2068
* * * * * * * *
What's the difference between good writing and great writing?
Professional editing. Let me help you get your book-length
manuscript into shape for submission to an agent or for
self-publication. Structural, stylistic and copy editing are
my specialties; inspiration is the energy my clients say I
bring to the process. Reasonable rates, timely service!
Email me at gaylv@yahoo.com
* * * * * * * *
Freelance pro available for any and all writing challenges.
Writer with over 15 years experience and over a dozen books
and 250 articles published ready and willing to write for you.
Experienced in press releases, ad copy, marketing material -
you name it, he's probably written it! Fast, accurate, and easy to work with.
Extremely reasonable rates. You could do worse looking
for a writer but you can't do better! Contact Russ Roberts at
609-298-9652 or russrob@erols.com
* * * * * * * *
SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT SERVICES offered by Professional in NYC.
To Playwrights, Screenwriters, Composer/Librettists
I have 14 years of experience assisting professional and
aspiring writers. Let me assist you in preparing your script
for submission to: agents, theatres, university programs,
contests, and publications. You are more likely to succeed
if you consult with an experienced professional. I offer
personalized assistance at your level.
Contact: hamiltonlit@hotmail.com
* * * * * * * *
Team of experienced professionals, which includes a
Pulitzer Prize nominee and several published authors,
will edit your fiction or non-fiction
manuscript for today's tough market. Reputable firm.
References. First-time writers our specialty.
See us at http://www.a1editing.com
* * * * * * * *
Sunoasis--You're amazing! A mere five hours after I sent in
the text for my classified ad I got a call for a writing
project, and within two days, the project was mine. Thanks
so much for your invaluable services!
Debbie Lerman, freelance writer
http://www.sunoasis.com/classif.html
E T C/ E T C/ E T C
Editor/Publisher: David Eide
C/Oasis
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Please do if you have any advice; anything you'd want to
see put into Sunoasis 2003. Use the convenient form below.
Let's all meet again in November 2003!
David
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