The Fabulist Flash

Issue 56

Orange Mum Journal

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 56 of The Fabulist Flash.

The release date for my book is growing near. It's at the printers right now and that box of books will hopefully be arriving on my doorstep any day now. I've been working with my publicist at Newman Communications on press releases and mailing lists. It's still feeling surreal. There's so much time between each step and phase that I just can't see the end result.

The next phase of this book's life has begun: promotion and publicity. The publicists will be dealing with review copies and a large press mailing, not to mention all the follow-up phone calls. That's a huge burden on someone else's shoulders. As they work those angles, I'll be pushing ahead on other fronts.

My two big projects at the moment involve college students; they're a prime audience for my book. I'm working on lining up campus speaking engagements and getting articles into college newspapers. My dining room table is no longer for meals; instead, it's mail central. There are piles of envelopes, lists, labels, and materials waiting to be signed, stuffed, and stamped. Each day I work on the stacks a little. I worry that all the expense (paper, toner, envelopes, stamps, etc.) might not pay off. But, it feels like this is my moment and I'd hate to miss out on it because I didn't buy a roll of stamps.

They don't know it, but Vista Print has become one of my favorite companies. In addition to the mailings that the publicist will send out, I'm doing many things on my own. Mailings involve not only lists, envelopes, and labels, but the materials that will be sent, too. I designed a tri-fold brochure that offers me as a speaker to groups related to my book. I wanted a full-color, glossy brochure, but the prices seemed outrageous at my local copy places. Most wanted close to $1 a piece. So, I turned to the web and discovered Vista Print. 250, double-sided, tri-fold, full-color printed brochures cost just over $100. I placed the order, fearful of the quality. But, the brochures arrived this week and they're beautiful. Vista Print has a special offer of 25% off your first order. Check it out.

There's another new addition to the Writer's Bookshelf this week, Successful Television Writing by Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin. Also in this issue, Teresa Ambord attacks writer's block in her article, Put it in the Crock-pot.

A note about this issue's Writer Tidbit on an upcoming teleclass: I've attended two of this group's teleclasses over the past few months and unlike so many others, these aren't offered in an attempt to sell you more products or services. Instead, it's all about sharing information. The only cost is the phone call at your usual long-distance rates.

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

Successful Television Writing by Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin

A Review by Gregory A. Kompes

Have you ever wondered how to write for television? Successful Television Writing by Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin answers that question and many more. This insider's guide to the television industry, written by two successful writers, producers, and showrunners, provides an overview of how the world of TV works as well as excellent advice on how to break into the business.

In just 18 chapters, Mr. Goldberg and Mr. Rabkin explain step-by-step what writing roles exist on television and how to work at getting your teleplays read and hopefully produced. In addition, nine appendices offer examples of many industry tools.

What you won't find inside the covers of Successful Television Writing is advice on how to actually write scripts. If that's the help you need, there are other books and writing courses you'll need to explore.

Whether you've imagined yourself writing for today's popular shows or are just interested in better understanding the business of television, Successful Television Writing is the perfect resource to both answer your questions and teach you how to do it.

3. Feature Article

Put it in the Crock-pot
by Teresa Ambord

Even to seasoned professionals, writer's block happens. But it doesn't have to bring your writing to a screeching halt. Some days my fingers fly over the keyboard. Other days the keys feel like warm chewing gum, grabbing and holding my fingers. Occasionally, my hands are all but paralyzed.

I'm a full-time business writer, working from my home, surrounded by my posse of two dogs and three cats. My morning commute is a mere few feet from bed to computer. It's a dream job, but it does have a downside. Once in a while I'm assigned a subject so dull just thinking about it sends me in search of intravenous coffee. If you think it's hard to write when you love your subject, try putting together 600 compelling words about the new medical privacy laws and how they affect U.S. business. Most of my subjects are interesting enough; after all, I was an accountant for many years so I'm easily entertained. But when I hit on a subject that is deadly dull -- like medical privacy laws -- I'm forced to shift gears.

First, I eliminate the demon of the blank page. Writers sometimes fear the blank page because they think the words must be perfect before committing them to paper. If you think that way, you won't write much.

Here's my recipe for cutting the blank-page devil off at the knees:

• I get my research together and read through it, highlighting anything I want to include.
  
  
• After each coma-inducing paragraph of data, I rewrite the pertinent points in my own words, without regard to whether or not the words are artful and clever. In fact, they may sound downright clumsy. But at this stage, I'm only trying to deposit the ideas in my brain, not win a Pulitzer.
  
  
• Once all the information has gone through my head via my fingertips, it starts to cook. It's doubtful that I'll remember every point, but the general ideas are in place, and a pattern of organization begins to come through, such as pros and cons. When that happens, the material is mine. It has blended with what I already knew and my own prejudices and attitudes are added to the mix.

Sometimes while I'm slogging through the material, a spark of creativity hits and the perfect lead presents itself. Then, of course, I stop slogging and get it down on paper quick. Other times, I have to slog all the way through the data before the lump of unformed dough starts to take shape. In fact, if time permits, I like to plant all the information in the crock-pot of my head and then let it slow cook until morning, since my morning brain is far superior. A subject that seems impossibly hard at 4 pm one day may fly off my fingertips at 7:00 the next morning, provided I've filled the crock-pot with the necessary ingredients.

Every time I get an assignment that threatens to put me to sleep, I ask myself if this article will be my Waterloo. Will this story be the one that reveals to my editor that I'm an imposter? Then I pull out this tried-and-true method of breaking through block, and without exception, I get through it. Then I wonder what the big deal was.

Writer's block is a fact of life. It happens, but it's manageable. If a story doesn't present itself right away, stop struggling and plug in the crock-pot.

About the Author
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Teresa Ambord is a full-time business writer, working from her home in rural far northern California. Writing and editing business articles for a Washington D.C. publication pays the bills, but Teresa's first love is writing creative nonfiction and humor. She's been included in two Cup of Comfort anthologies, and has published over 160 consumer articles.

4. A Writer Tidbit

Teleclass: Multiply your book marketing efforts! Networking is authors helping authors! It will help you get those coveted reviews, free publicity and more! This teleclass is powered by http://queenpower.com/ in collaboration with Authors' Coalition http://authorscoaltionandredenginepress.com/.

Topic: Radio: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Promoting Easy and Cheap! Be apprised! Radio show hosts NEED you! You may wish to hire a publicist to place you on the air but consider Marilyn Peake's and Carolyn Howard-Johnson's approaches before spending your promotion allowance on what you can do yourself! This teleclass is powered by http://QueenPower.com in collaboration with Authors' Coalition. These two authors have promoted their books ranging from poetry to young adult to self-help, on more than 400 radio and TV programs, nationwide.

DATE: Thursday, October 20

TIME:4 pm ET, 3 pm Central, 2 pm Mtn, 1 pm Pacific.

It's easy! Just call: 319-256-0200. Then punch in the access code: 795382#.

Advance registration taken. E-mail maggie@queenpower.com.

5. About The Fabulist Flash

ISSN: 1554-0804

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Gregory A. Kompes, editor
The Fabulist Flash
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Las Vegas, NV 89157

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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.