Feb. 2004 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop newsletter

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ERMA BOMBECK WRITERS' WORKSHOP NEWSLETTER

University of Dayton

February 2004

mailto:erma@udayton.edu

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While the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop is sold out, you can still enter this year's writing competition. More than

400 writers have already entered the contest, which has no entry fee and cash prizes. Enter today at

http://www.wcpl.lib.oh.us/adults/erma.html

If you haven't read the Feb. issue of Writer's Digest magazine, take a look. The magazine has been transformed

under the editorial direction of Kristin Godsey. Whether you're a beginning or professional writer, the new magazine

is loaded with tips you can use. The table of content for the Feb. issue is online at

http://www.writersdigest.com/store/magdisplay.asp?id=WD0204

Keep writing!

Tim Bete

Humor columnist (http://www.TimBete.com) and director, Erma

Bombeck Writers' Workshop (http://www.HumorWriters.org)

P.S. Feel free to forward this newsletter to all your

writer friends.

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FINDING YOUR HUMOR NICHE

Eleanor Tylbor describes how she expanded her humor writing into other media.

See http://www.humorwriters.org/Tylbor1.html

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SHARI LOVES ANDY

Shari Boulanger and Andy Bombeck were married on Dec. 27. They exchanged more than rings.

See http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E07E3D71F31F932A25752C0A9629C8B63

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CAN YOUR LIFE STORY BECOME A NOVEL?

Judith Laura discusses how she wrote "Three Part Invention," her first novel.

See http://www.writersweekly.com/this_weeks_article/001114_01142004.html

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THE WRONG WAY TO PROMOTE YOUR BOOK

Bookstore owner, Gary Robson, tells tales of authors who tried to beat the system.

See http://www.writersweekly.com/this_weeks_article/001037_12232003.html

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THE ART OF STORYTELLING

Listen to some of the speakers at the 2003 Nieman Conference on Narrative Journalism.

See http://poynter.blogs.com/narrative

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WHAT'S YOUR AREA OF EXPERTISE?

Doug Schmidt says "every person has a 'market value' in his or her area of proficiency -- and his or her

'marketability' hinges upon how that value is perceived by those who want, or need, to benefit from this person’s

knowledge and experience."

See http://www.writersweekly.com/articles/100103-01.html

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WHO'S PUBLISHING WHAT?

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BECOMING A PUBLISHED WRITER Tim Bete, director of the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop, is a contributor to "Become a published writer." See http://www.fabjob.com/publishedwriter.asp?affiliate=512

DC STANFA HAS NEW WEB SITE DC Stanfa, author of "Goosed by Gravity: The Hazards of Growing Up," has a new Web site. See http://www.dcstanfa.com

ERNIE'S WORLD Ernie Witham's book, "Ernie's World," is based on his syndicated column. See

http://www.erniesworld.com/erniesbook.html

FLYING FOR PEANUTS Author Marty Thompson has published "Flying for Peanuts: The ABCs of Flying Southwest

Airlines." See http://www.fivestarpublications.com/book_detail.php?recordid=60

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HUMOR WRITER OF THE MONTH: CARYL ZIMMERMAN

Caryl Zimmerman is a contributing writer for the Fort Bend/Soutwest Sun (Houston). Forget about reality TV.

Caryl's got a story of survival and temptation that didn't involve eating worms or proposing to a stranger. And fear

was definitely a factor. Read her column, "Survival and temptation at the local mini mall."

See http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10752744&BRD=1914&PAG=461&dept_id=183410&rfi=6

If you'd like to be considered as our featured writer, send an e-mail with a link to one of your columns to:

mailto:bete@udayton.edu

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WRITER'S DIGEST BOOK GIVEAWAY

Each month we give away a book on writing to a few of the subscribers to this newsletter. If you're subscribed,

you're entered to win! This issue's winners are:

* Pam Goldstein from Windsor, Ontario

* Marsha McGregor from Hudson, Ohio

Each has won a copy of "How to write a book proposal" by Michael Larsen. They've also won an Erma Bombeck Writers'

Workshop mouse pad.

Thanks to Writer's Digest for providing the books for our giveaway. To learn more about the book we gave away this

month, see http://www.writersdigest.com/store/booksdisplay.asp?id=10902

Stay tuned! You could be one of next issue's winners!

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MARKETS, CONTESTS AND MORE

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MISADVENTURES AND DISASTERS: The second edition of Misadventures of Moms and Disasters of Dads is looking for

stories about the funny side of parenting. See http://www.misadventuresofmoms.com for guidelines. The

anthology will be published by Moms In Print, http://www.momsinprint.com

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MOVIE WRITING JOBS: A listing of jobs in the entertainment industry. See http://www.writemovies.com/jobs

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GET PUBLISHED ONLINE: Listing of Web sites that publish for free. See http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art3219.asp

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SCREENPLAY COMPETITION: The Bluecat Screenplay Competition is the "annual search for the best screenplay in the

world." See http://www.bluecatscreenplay.com

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FUNNY TEACHING STORIES WANTED: Donna Block is looking for humorous stories about teachers and students. See

http://www.donnablock.com/index.html

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"DOING GOOD" ANTHOLOGY: Seeking submissions for a new collection of stories titled "Doing Good for Goodness'

Sake." The book consists of heartwarming true stories about ordinary people making a real difference in the everyday

lives of others. See http://www.goscape.com/doing-good_submit-stories.html

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MINT CANDY FOR THE SPIRIT: Each volume of Mint Candy for the Spirit series is filled with fresh, uplifting and

inspiring true stories from people from all walks of life. See http://www.writinggigs.com

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NETWORK WITH OTHER HUMOR WRITERS: Network with other humor writers. Join the e-mail discussion group for past

attendees of the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop and those who would like to attend in the future. To join, visit the

Yahoo! Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/humor_writers

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SUGGEST A RESOURCE: If you have a favorite book or Web site, let me know at bete@udayton.edu.

mailto:bete@udayton.edu

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OTHER ERMA BOMBECK WRITING WORKSHOP LINKS

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WORKSHOP SPONSORS

http://www.humorwriters.org/Sponsors.html

WORKSHOP FACULTY

http://www.humorwriters.org/Speakerbios.html

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE http://www.humorwriters.org/Sessions.html

ERMA MUSEUM http://www.ErmaMuseum.org

FREE SCREEN SAVER

http://www.humorwriters.org/Screensaver.html

FREE NEWSLETTER http://www.humorwriters.org/Newsletter.html

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