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ERMA BOMBECK WRITERS' WORKSHOP NEWSLETTER
University of Dayton
May 2006
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Dear writer:
Writer's Digest magazine. It's the second year in a row that we've received this honor
and the thanks go to you! More than 100,000 writers will visit this site in 2006. Please let
us know if your writing career is helped by the information you find here.
Keep writing!
Tim Bete
Latest news
10 years after her death, Erma's popularity is still going strong...
ERMA BOMBECK'S HUMOR STILL LOVED A DECADE AFTER HER DEATH by Jim Hannah, Associated Press
She kept homemakers in stitches with her writing on marriage, kids, dirty dishes and how to hang the toilet paper. Ten years after Erma Bombeck's death, her humor still has an audience. Read more.
ERMA BOMBECK: FROM COPYGIRL TO SUPER HUMOR COLUMNIST
Born in Dayton in 1927, Erma Bombeck began her writing career in junior high school writing columns in "The Owl," the newspaper for Emerson Junior High. Read more.
REMEMBERING ERMA BOMBECK by Terry Marotta
It's 10 years now that Erma's been gone. The great humor columnist whose work once appeared in some 900 newspapers died the 22nd of April, 1996, and I for one have never stopped missing her. Read more.
More articles about the 2006 writers' workshop...
MY DAVE BARRY ENCOUNTERS: I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP by Samantha Bennett, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
There I was, in Dayton, Ohio, eating my dessert, and my eyes were glued on the space across the room where the evening's guest of honor sat. There he is, I thought. I am in the same room with Dave Barry. I was so excited I could hardly chew. Read more.
OVERALL, A BARRY GOOD DAY by Diana Estill
Because my credit card remained below its limit, I was lucky enough to grab a spot at the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Conference, in Dayton, Ohio. (The family will only need to cancel Christmas for one year.) Excitedly, I told the other women in my writers’ group that I was going to meet Dave Barry—THE Dave Barry, the famous syndicated humor columnist and author of more than 25 books. My fellow writers stared at me blankly before two members asked, “Dave who?” Read more.
STALKING CRAIG WILSON by Andrea Langworthy
Three weeks since my return from the Erma Bombeck Writers' workshop, my feet have finally touched the ground. While in Dayton, Ohio, Erma's hometown, I hobnobbed with writers, from beginners to notables. The real reason I traveled over 700 miles from home, though, was the opportunity to attend a workshop led by my favorite columnist, Craig Wilson. Read more.
I'M SUCH A WETNORK! by Kathryn Mahoney
No, that's not a typo in the title. Wetnork is a name used to refer to someone, namely me, who is put in a networking situation and fails miserably. Read more.
Other news...
START WHERE YOU ARE
Writing coach Lynn Colwell shares how to remove the roadblocks from your path to writing success. Read more.
GO TO COLLEGE TO LEARN COMEDY
Humber College (Toronto, Canada) offers a two-year program in "Comedy Writing and Performance." The program's faculty are all active members of the comedy industry, and an industry presentation for producers, directors, scouts and agents will be arranged for all of Humber's Comedy students. In fact, the first chair of the advisory board committee was the legendary Steve Allen. Present members include Mark Breslin (CEO, Yuk Yuk's), Rick Moranis, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas (all of SCTV), and George Shapiro (Executive Producer of Seinfeld). Mike Myers, Chevy Chase, Colin Mochrie, and Dave Foley have also participated in their programs. Read more.
THE SEVEN LAWS OF COMEDY WRITING
Dave Evans, who has been a panel judge for the Emmy Awards several years running and has numerous comedy writing credits including "The Bill Cosby Show," shares his best tips. Read more.
HUMOR COLUMN MARKETS
C. Hope Clark provides adivce and markets for humor writers. Read more.
PARTING WAYS WITH YOUR AGENT
Craig Mazin give tips for "when it's time to fire your agent." Read more.
JUDY GRUEN vs. J.K. ROWLING
J.K. Rowling spoke to 16,000 people at the Toronto Skydome. Judy Gruen spoke to 40 elderly Jewish women who kept interrupting to sing songs in Yiddish and to talk about their gallstones. Read more.
WRITING FOR VIDEO GAMES
When crafting a story for a videogame, remember the following: Originality sucks, exclamation points rule, and never outsource writing duties to a specialist writer. Those and other tips from videogame script writer Maurice Suckling. Read more.
Humor writer of the month
GREGG PODOLSKI
Gregg Podolski writes from his cute little two-story colonial in South Jersey with a lawn that’s actually a demonically possessed Chia Pet. He published his first short story in Highlights Magazine when he was in third grade. Recently, Gregg has been focusing on humor columns dealing with the absurdities of daily life. His goal is to work for one of the big dailies, but until then, his Web site will have to suffice. Visit his Web site.
Book giveaway
Each month we give away a book on writing to a few subscribers to our newsletter. If you're subscribed, you're entered to win! This issue's winners are:
* Debra Scala
* Gina Ellis
* Dave Walbridge
Who's publishing what?
WORKSHOP FACULTY
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
DERRICKSON WINS: Sharie Derrickson won the First Place Humor Column award from the New York Press Association. Her column, North Country Quirk, can be read in the Thousand Islands Sun Newspaper.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
STAY AT HOME MOMS: Alana Morales’ first book, Domestically Challenged, is a humorous guidebook for all moms who need help doing such outlandish things as finding time for themselves.
A MAN’S MAN’S BOOK: Jim Belushi’s first book, Real Men Don’t Apologize, takes on what it means to be a man. This candid book explores Belushi’s struggles in his career and his brother’s death while still making readers laugh.
EXPECTANT MOTHERS: Pregnancy’s Little Mysteries, by Harriet Zeifert, will help you deal with all the difficulties of pregnancy right down to complete strangers touching your stomach.
TRILLIN VERSES BUSH: Calvin Trillin’s sequel to Obliviously On He Sails manages to sum up entirely in rhymed verse President Bush’s second term in office. Heckuva Job is set for release on May 30th.
Markets, contests and more
NEW PARA PUBLISHING WEB SITE: Para Publishing, previously featured in this newsletter, has developed a new Web site to ease navigation as it provides you with advice on writing your book through getting it published. Read more.
THE ART OF STANDUP: Judy Carter, author of The Comedy Bible, has created a Web site for stand-up comedians. Read more.
THE MOTHER OF ALL MOTHER SITES: The Mom Writer’s Literary Magazine has been named one of the Best Web Sites for Writers by Writer’s Digest. Read more.
CHICKEN SOUP FOR EVERY SOUL: Guidelines and suggestions for writing a story to contribute to one of the many upcoming Chicken Soup anthologies. Read more.
PUBLISH IN A JOURNAL: Send your creative nonfiction manuscripts for a chance to get published in Creative Nonfiction journal. Read more.
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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. Join now.
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SUGGEST A RESOURCE: If you have a favorite book or Web site, let us know at bete@udayton.edu.
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Copyright 2006, University of Dayton
