The Fabulist Flash

Issue 54

September 22, 2005
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In This Issue:

  1. This Week
  2. The Writer's Book Shelf
  3. Feature Article
  4. A Writer Tidbit
  5. About The Fabulist Flash

1. This Week

Welcome to Issue 54 of The Fabulist Flash.

It's been a week of distractions. We suffered a minor flood caused by the demise of a hot water heater. While our event was minor compared to what so many of the poor folks in the Gulf Coast region are contending with, we've had cleaners and repair folks in and out this week and it's been difficult to stay focused.

My life as a writer is charmed. I got word from Career Press, my publisher for 50 Fabulous Gay-Friendly Places to Live, that they're turning over my book publicity to Newman Communications (www.newmancom.com). This is huge news. This PR firm handles press for some heavy hitters including Mitch Albom (Tuesdays With Morrie), Queen Noor, Rudi Giuliani, Janet Evanovich and Carson Kressley of Fab Five fame.

While I'm not sure yet what Newman Communications has in store for me and my book, I know that my life is going to become even more exciting very soon. I'm incredibly thrilled by these current events. And, it goes to show, that while the current adage is that publishers aren't willing to spend money on new books or first-time authors, there are exceptions to every adage.

In other news, I have an article coming up in the Writers on the Rise newsletter. If you're not already a subscriber, visit their website ( www.writersontherise.com) and check it out.

If you're going to be in the Las Vegas area on Tuesday, September 27th, I've got a few (no cost) extra tickets for the Get Motivated seminar featuring Zig Ziglar, Steve Forbes, Peter Lowe, Tom Hopkins, Michael Powell, Joe Montana and Rudi Giuliani. Drop me an email (Gregory@Kompes.com) and I'll send you a ticket.

This week's issue features lists. The Writer's Bookshelf has a list of books that will help you find unique words. Angie Ledbetter offers The 6 P's of Networking and Jean Hanson offers 10 Tips for Effective Proofreading.

Until next week,

Gregory
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Gregory A. Kompes is a writer, photographer and professional speaker. Learn more about Gregory and his work at www.kompes.com

2. The Writer's Book Shelf

Where to Find Interesting, Different, and Rarely Used Words and Phrases

  1. The Endangered English Dictionary by David Grambs (ISBN: 0-393-31606-8): Bodacious Words Your Dictionary Forgot.

  2. The Highly Selective Dictionary for the Extraordinarily Literate by Eugene Ehrlich (ISBN 0-06-270190-8): 3500 of the most affecting, engaging, and engrossing words with concise definitions and pronunciation guides. The companion volume: The Highly Selective Thesaurus for the Extraordinarily Literate by Eugene Ehrlich (ISBN: 0-06-270016-2): surprising alternatives to common words.

  3. The Scots Dialect Dictionary, combined by Alexander Warrack (ISBN: 1-902407-09-1): Old English pronunciations and spellings alongside modern English.

  4. The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, edited by C. T. Onions (ISBN: 0-19-861112-9): 38,000 words and 24,000 articles of the history of English words.

  5. Rare Words and Ways to Master Their Meanings by Jan Leighton and Hallie Leighton (ISBN: 1-929154-12-7): A rare collection of unusual, usable words. [The book is rare and difficult to find, but worth it if you come across it.]

  6. Depraved and Insulting English by Peter Novobatzky & Ammon Shea (ISBN: 0-15-601149-2): Our language's most offensive and obscene words that have fallen out of use.

  7. The Word Museum by Jeffrey Kacirk (ISBN: 0-684-85761-8): A collection of fascinating archaic words and phrases, marvelous oddities and peculiar enchantments of old and unusual words.

  8. In Other Words by Christopher J. Moore (ISBN: 0-8027-1444-7): A language lover's guide to the most intriguing words around the world.

  9. 501 English Verbs by Thomas R. Beyer, Jr., Ph.D. (ISBN: 0-7641-0304-0): Principal parts for all verbs, active and passive voice, infinitives and participles, indicative, imperative, and subjunctive moods with special features of grammatical overview, examples in full sentences, 500 additional verbs with index, including irregular forms and acceptable alternatives.

  10. Words That Make a Difference by Robert Greenman (ISBN: 1-929154-05-4): The New York Times usage of words inspires a more thoughtful command of America's language judiciously used and deliciously seasoned.

  11. Dictionary of Word Origins by John Ayto (ISBN: 80022-1557-2): The History of more than 8,000 words and their origins.

  12. Quotationary by Leonard Roy Frank (ISBN: 0-375-71968-7): A comprehensive collection of over 20,000 quotations.

  13. The Great American Bathroom Book by Compact Classics in three Volumes: Summaries of great books and famous Quotes by subject.
    Volume I: ISBN: 1-880184-04-4
    Volume II: ISBN: 1-880184-10-9
    Volume III: ISBN: 1-880184-26-5

3. Feature Article

The 6 P's of Networking
Angie Ledbetter

I'm a working mother, freelancer, author, columnist, facilitator of two writing groups, and community volunteer. My time and brain cells are stretched to the max, but I've found a way to maximize writing productivity -- networking. It's an easy, fun way to increase sells and to click with like-minded people who hear the same crazy voices all writers hear.

I know the principles of networking work because I've helped write three co-authored books, I have a joint humor/advice column with my twin sister, and have worked on many projects with others.

By joining live and/or cyber groups and subscribing to e-zines, we increase our exposure to the job market and to fellow writers. Exchanging submission callouts and opportunities is another benefit of group membership.

Following are the 6P's which help me stay on track with writing:

Patience - The bad news first. Our personal writing Rome won't be built in a day or even a year. Be prepared for lots of hard work and a heavy dose of patience while paying writing dues. There's a reason patience is a virtue. It's hard as hell to have it, hold onto it, and to trust in it. But it will yield results.

Persistence - We've heard the inspirational quotes, now it's time to believe them. "Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.'" ~ Calvin Coolidge. "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." ~ Thomas Edison.

Partnerships - Here's a personal quote: "Nothing worth doing is done alone." Never underestimate the power of your partnerships.

Prayer (or if you prefer, Positive Thinking) - Prayer power has been my most reliable weapon in the battle to get published. Grabbing opportunities offered me; I've cleaned houses (flexible and good cash), gotten regular column gigs, and private investigation jobs. All these I juggled with freelancing for a decent paycheck.

Playing the Field - Diversify your goals. Write your novel, but keep your writing fresh by trying your hand at articles, working for startup publications, short stories, poetry, or flash fiction. Who knows where these avenues will lead? By playing the writing field, you increase your chances of catching an editor's eye. You build your clip file. You gain experience. And again, you build your network.

Are there contests you might enter? So what if you don't win? You have a finished product to edit and submit elsewhere. I'm a deadline-pressure-in-order-to-get-moving kind of writer, so contest deadlines help me produce.

Perception - See things differently, look outside conventions and boxes. To increase your writing and publishing scores, try to be different. Look for opportunities others overlook. If you see an ad for an article writer for a new publication and it's full of typos or bad grammar, offer your editing services. Think of creative ways to advertise your services. Partner up with others to decrease advertising expenses.

Don't forget to plant your seeds wisely and to tend to them afterward. Always thank those who've helped you along the writing road, and be sure to lend a hand to others when you can. Little kindnesses are appreciated, they come back to you in multiple, and they leave your name with a good connotation in others' minds.

About the Author
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Angie Ledbetter is a freelance writer, author, and columnist. Information on her co-authored book Seeds of Faith ~ An Inspirational Almanac can be found at http://seedsoffaithalmanac.com Ledbetter is an assistant editor for Rose & Thorn Literary e-zine http://www.theroseandthornezine.com and a National Association of Women Writers Regional Representative. When not writing, she teaches young special education students and herds three teens of her own.

4. A Writer Tidbit

10 Tips for Effective Proofreading
by Jean Hanson

Proofreading may not be terribly fun, but it's one of the most important parts of writing.

Have you ever read a web page or a document that had typos, grammatical errors, and punctuation mistakes? This reflects badly on you and your business, and you could easily lose a customer over a simple spelling mistake!

Here are some tips for quick and effective proofreading:

  1. Wait several hours before proofreading. Otherwise you might be thinking about what you just wrote, rather than watching for typos and punctuation errors.

  2. Eliminate distractions. This is very detailed work so you need to be focused.

  3. Print out a copy of your work, rather than reading it on a computer screen. To make it even easier, print a double-spaced draft copy.

  4. Read the document aloud. This helps to highlight punctuation errors and missing words.

  5. Use a piece of colored paper as a guide. This will help to keep your eyes on the line you're working on. If you don't have any colored paper, use a ruler.

  6. Read backwards for spelling mistakes. Yes, that's right! You'll find spelling errors much easier if you're going from right to left. Otherwise you might unconsciously start reading, and not "proof" reading.

  7. Use a different colored pen such as green or red to make your correction marks. These colors are much easier to see than black or blue.

  8. Carefully check numbers and totals. Refigure all calculations and look for misplaced commas and decimal points.
  9. If you have a lengthy document to proofread, rest your eyes every 10 to 15 minutes.

  10. When you're absolutely sure there are no mistakes, have a partner check your work. Sometimes all it takes is a second pair of eyes.

About the Author
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Jean Hanson is the author of the eBook, Virtualize Your Business . For tips on learning how to virtualize your business and a FREE REPORT, go to http://www.virtualizeyourbiz.com.

5. About The Fabulist Flash

ISSN: 1554-0804

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Make plans now to attend the 2006 Las Vegas Writer's Conference March 30-April 2, 2006, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Thanks for reading The Fabulist Flash.