About this issue #77

Important information!

 

Vision # 78 will not be published

Until February, 2015

 The change in publishing schedule is to help everyone get past the holidays without more stress and work. Check out the February Issue for more changes!

 

Vision

 

Issue 77

 

October/November/December

2014

 

 

Welcome to issue #77 of Vision: A Resource for Writers. We've made it through another year!  I hope that next year goes a little better for the ezine, especially in getting new articles.  Please take note of the deadlines listed below.

I hope that your writing year has gone well.  Be sure to check out all the back issue materials we have on the site to help you refine your work and move forward with your dreams.  Vision: A Resource for Writers is written by writers for writers. With over 700 articles in our archives, this ezine is an excellent resource (as the name indicates) for helping you with your writing problems. Would you like to see other articles written on specific subjects? Write me a note at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and let me know!

I am always looking for new articles as well. Read the submission guidelines and consider sending me an article or two about writing. I look forward to hearing from you. Here is the publishing schedule and deadlines:

  1. January/February/March (Deadline December 15)
  2. April/May/June (Deadline March 15)
  3. July/August/September (Deadline June 15)
  4. October/November/December (Deadline September 15)

In this issue:

From the Editor: Yes, that time again

So a few of us are already running around like crazy people, counting the days down to November and the start of NaNoWriMo again. How is it that the year can pass so quickly? I am sure I just barely finished NaNo and here it is again!

Inkygirl Comic (Back to School)

By Debbie Ridpath Ohi

Back to School

Workshop: Enjoying NaNo

This workshop has been partially adapted from the NaNo for the New and Insane book which I wrote many years ago. The book, which is free, has many suggestions and tricks for making it through the month of November and having something written at the end.

Indie Corner: October 2014 Indie State of Things

By J.A. Marlow

The publishing world continues to grow and evolve at a fast pace since the rise ebooks. Sometimes it feels like if you blink, you will miss something important! It can make business and business decisions difficult. To help with this, here are a few developments in the Indie Publishing world that have occurred over the last three months:

Funny Way to Put It, Part 4: From Idea to Story

By S.E. Batt

The past few episodes of Funny Way to Put It have been dealing with nuances of humour. The first one made out conflict to be funny, while the second and third showed the humorous nature of specific sentences and paragraphs. For the fourth and final entry, we’re going to have a look as to how you can turn a silly idea into a fully-fledged story.

Fast Drafting: Crazy but doable!

By Lisa Lawler

Obviously feeling the need for some insanity in my life, I decided to try fast drafting for NaNo 2013. There were several reasons why (sensible ones, I think) but the main one was that I wanted to finally get my first draft finished and keep the disruption to my family to a minimum. Taking two weeks to work on my first draft instead of the four weeks of NaNo seemed like a win-win.

Let Your Unconscious Do the Writing for You

By Neil James Hudson

If you’ve ever found yourself staring at a blank piece of paper, wondering why the words won’t come, you may be interested in the method given here. I learnt it from a workshop run by the singer-songwriter Tom Robinson, who had adapted it from Dorothea Brande’s 1934 book Becoming A Writer. All writers are different: no method of working will be right for everyone, and the writer’s task is to find out which methods work for themselves. 

How to START Well

By Dr. Bob Rich

As part of my job in judging in a writing contest, I am reading a book that became really excellent -- on page 157. Had I been reading for pleasure, I wouldn't have got that far.

I also get this problem when editing books by new writers. For one reason or another, the start is less than inspiring, but the book improves as I get into it.

What should happen next?

By Dr. Bob Rich

Sometimes the words pour out and the story is alive in your mind and your fingers stumble over each other to get it all out.

Pluperfect Tense

By Connie Cockrell

I had never heard of the pluperfect tense until I sent my most recent manuscript, First Encounters, in to an editing service for a sample edit.

4 Tips For Writing Saleable Dating and Relationship Articles

By April Aragam

Dating and relationship articles are known as evergreens. They are popular all year long and never go out of style. This doesn't mean that whipping off articles about relationship will mean instant sales. 

Book Review: The Mode in Costume

Reviewed by Lazette Gifford

Dressing your characters properly isn't just for historical novelists. Creating a clothing style even for your science fiction characters can be considerably more fun if you have an overall view of clothing in general. Fantasy worlds need not be 'generic' in how they look. What is the difference between Italian, French and English Medieval clothing?

Website Review: Google Earth

Reviewed by Lazette Gifford

This can be a really helpful site and program for writers, especially anyone who needs to explore a location and don't have the time or funds to go there. For those of you who have stuck to Google Maps, checking out this site is going to be a pleasant surprise.

New on the Shelves - Books

Check out the new publications by Forward Motion Members

New on the Shelves - Short Works

Check out the new publications by Forward Motion Members