Nov. 2003 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop newsletter

**************************************************************

ERMA BOMBECK WRITERS' WORKSHOP NEWSLETTER

University of Dayton

November 2003

mailto:erma@udayton.edu

**************************************************************

Registrations for the 2004 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop are pouring in. More than 200 writers from 31 states and Canada have already signed up. There are only 100 more spots available -- register soon, so you don't get shut out. (The workshop will be held in Dayton, Ohio, from March 25-27, 2004.)

There are interviews with two members of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists in this issue. Dave Lieber discusses how he's self-publishing his latest book. Dave Glardon describes his experience moving into stand-up comedy.

Keep writing -- and hope to see you next March!

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FROM PAPER TO STAGE: AN INTERVIEW WITH DAVE GLARDON

Humor columnist, Dave Glardon, recently made the move from writing to performing. He's been experimenting with stand-up comedy and has had some early success. During lunch a few weeks ago, Dave filled me in on his recent exploits.

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SELF-PUBLISHING THE LIEBER WAY

Newspaper columnist, Dave Lieber, self-published his latest book the old-fashioned way -- with hard work, grit and determination. I caught up with him recently to discuss the details.

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LETTERS FROM ERMA

Norma Sundberg wrote to Erma Bombeck. Erma wrote back.

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE CLASSIFIED GUYS

Duane and Todd Holze (aka Cash and Carry) bring humor to the classifieds. The brothers now offer their column and joke of the week free on their Web site. They share their tips on getting the best deal and some of the most amusing real-life stories you'll ever hear.

See http://www.classifiedguys.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE EVENT OF A LIFETIME

The 2004 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop will offer sessions on humor and human interest writing, finding an agent, syndication, TV writing and more. Network with writers from 31 states and Canada at the event of a lifetime. It's all happening at the University of Dayton (Ohio) from March 25-27, 2004.

MEET THE FACULTY: http://www.humorwriters.org/Speakerbios.html

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SHEEP DRAGGING AND OTHER SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

Who says science and research aren't funny? The 2003 Ig Noble Prize winners honored studies such as "An Analysis of the Forces Required to Drag Sheep over Various Surfaces," evidence that the brains of London taxi drivers are more highly developed than those of their fellow citizens and a chemical investigation of a bronze statue that fails to attract pigeons. The winners have all done things that first make people laugh -- then make them think.

See http://www.improb.com/ig/ig-pastwinners.html#ig2003

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE SEVEN LAWS OF COMEDY WRITING

David Evans, whose writing credits include The Bill Cosby Show, provides some great tips to improve your humor writing.

See http://www.pilotproject.tv/7_laws_comedy_writing.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AMAZON MATTERS

Amazon.com's ranking system has become an important barometer for book sales and early book potential.

See http://www.publishingcentral.com/news.php?story=41

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TALES OF THE PUN-EXPECTED

Submit a pun or search the BadPuns database. Here's one for you: "An author did all his writing from a study beneath his house. It was a very cryptic book, but it was at a bargain-basement price, so he ended up with a best cellar."

See http://www.badpuns.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HUMOR WRITER OF THE MONTH: TIM LATSHAW

Tim Latshaw was raised in western New York and is currently attending Niagara University for degrees in English and communications. His interest in humor writing began more than five years ago when he first laid his hands on a book by Dave Barry. He has been writing his own humor since 2002 and has had several of his columns published in his university's paper (most likely because he's the editor) and The Buffalo News.

See http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/907845/

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BOOK GIVEAWAY

Each month we give away a book to one of the subscribers to this newsletter. If you're subscribed, you're entered to win! This issue's winner is Nancy Eshelman from Harrisburg, Pa. Nancy has won a copy of "Write the Perfect Book Proposal: 10 That Sold and Why" by Jeff Herman and Deborah Levine Herman, as well as an Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop mouse pad.

Stay tuned! You could be next issue's winner!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WHO'S PUBLISHING WHAT?

TWEDT INSPIRED BY CAT: Humor columnist, Kristen Twedt, has published her first children's book, "My Crazy Christmas Catastrophe Cat." The cat's curiosity gets the best of him as he wreaks havoc around the tree, and leaves a very special gift for his exasperated owner. Twedt is working on a sequel, "My Crazy Coastal Catastrophe Cat," which features a shocker on the beach. See http://www.kristentwedt.com

-----------------------------------------------

HANNA ENDORSED BY DONAHUE: Peggy Hanna met Phil Donahue at the 2002 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop. That led to Mr. Donahue's endorsement of her self-published book, "Patriotism, Peace and Vietnam: A Memoir." See http://www.peghanna.com

-----------------------------------------------

KIRKLAND PUBLISHES "LOADED HORSE" If you are going to be in Dayton, Ohio, on March 24, 2004 (the night before the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop starts), plan to attend the US book launch of workshop faculty member Gordon Kirkland's "Never Stand Behind A Loaded Horse" Kirkland will be at Books and Co. ( 350 E Stroop Rd, Dayton, OH, 937-298-6540.) See http://www.gkirkland.netfirms.com/appearances.html

-----------------------------------------------

SANDEFER HAS "RAMBLING THOUGHTS" Jim Sandefer has published "Rambling Thoughts," in which "humor and philosophy blend effortlessly." See http://www.realfunnyquotes.com/default.shtml

-----------------------------------------------

DECOSTER PUBLISHES WACKY WORLD OF WOMANHOOD: Vicky DeCoster has published a book of essays on girlhood, dating, motherhood and the loss of matching underwear. See http://www.wackywomanhood.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MARKETS, CONTESTS AND MORE

-----------------------------------------------

LIVING STUPID: Have you done something that was dumb but really funny? Stephanie Marston, co-author of Chicken Soup for the Empowered Woman's Soul, is seeking stories for Living Stupid: Dumb Things Smart People Do. For complete guidelines or to submit a story, e-mail Stephanie at samarston@earthlink.net ( mailto:samarston@earthlink.net )

-----------------------------------------------

AGENT LOOKING FOR HUMOR PROPOSALS: Literary agent, Sheree Bykofsky, is interested in receiving book queries from humor writers. See http://users.rcn.com/sheree.interport/

-----------------------------------------------

FREELANCE WRITING ORGANIZATION-INT'L has updated their site. It has more than 1,300 links to writing resources. See http://www.fwointl.com

-----------------------------------------------

WRITERS TOOLBAG: The ultimate information source for published and aspiring writers. See http://www.writerstoolbag.com

-----------------------------------------------

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

-----------------------------------------------

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OTHER ERMA BOMBECK WRITING WORKSHOP LINKS

-------------------------------------------------------

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

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

ERMA MUSEUM http://www.ErmaMuseum.org

FLIGHT HUMOR CONTEST http://www.flighthumor.org

185 LINKS FOR WRITERS http://www.humorwriters.org/links.html

ERMA T-SHIRT http://alumni.udayton.edu/rd.asp?cd=ermashirt&rf=EBWW0203

FREE SCREEN SAVER http://www.humorwriters.org/Screensaver.html

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

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~