Dec. 2003 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop newsletter

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ERMA BOMBECK WRITERS' WORKSHOP NEWSLETTER

University of Dayton

December 2003

mailto:erma@udayton.edu

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Lots of big news in this issue. The National Society of Newspaper Columnists recently agreed to be a media sponsor of the 2004 writers' workshop. If you write a column, you should be a member of NSNC -- even if you're not in a newspaper yet. See http://www.columnists.com

Thanks to Writer's Digest, our monthly book giveaway has expanded to three winners. Writer's Digest books are some of the best available for honing your craft and getting published. See http://www.writersdigest.com

1stBooks is now a co-sponsor of the 2004 writer's workshop. 1stBooks will provide $2,000 in publishing services to two attendees of the workshop. See http://www.humorwriters.org/1stBooksContest.html

There are only about 65 spots left for the 2004 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop. Register today if you plan to attend. See http://www.humorwriters.org/Registernow.html

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. There's information below about our annual writing competition. Feel free to forward this newsletter to all your writer friends.

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SELF-PUBLISHING: STARTING YOUR OWN PUBLISHING COMPANY

Robyn Jackson has 20 year's experience as a reporter and editor for daily and weekly newspapers. She is the author of Lakota Moon, the story of a girl who is captured by warriors while traveling on the Oregon Trail with her family. Rather than use a print-on-demand service to publish her book, Robyn decided to start her own publishing company.

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

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THE KING OF PRANK LETTERS

After being rejected for California's poet laureate position, one might assume Don Novello would be down. But the writer, actor and comedian -- best known for playing Father Guido Sarducci on "Saturday Night Live" -- has made rejection an art through his letters from Lazlo Toth. He's also speaking at the 2004 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop.

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

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NEW BOOK FROM ERMA

In 1979, someone asked Erma Bombeck, "If you had your life to live over, would you change anything?" Her immediate answer was no, but once she thought about it, she changed her mind. The result was a classic column full of Erma’s signature wit and warmth. Now the beloved column that has hung on hundreds of refrigerator doors has been cheerily illustrated and designed as a handsome gift book, "Eat Less Cottage and More Ice Cream."

See http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0740721275

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FREELANCE SELLING

Freelance writers sell their creative skills to the highest bidder. Until you sell your work, you're not a freelance writer. You're just a writer. Here are some tips for negotiating freelance work and more than 20 markets, too.

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

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GOT THE CONTRACT! NOW WHAT?

Jenna Glatzer shares what you need to do before you sign on the dotted line.

See http://www.writing-world.com/rights/glatzer.shtml

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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

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AN OPEN LETTER TO DAVE BARRY

Robert Haught, editor of the National Society of Newspaper Columnist newsletter, challenged Dave Barry to enter the NSNC's column writing contest. You'll love Haught's letter. Barry's response is pretty good, too.

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

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ANNUAL ERMA BOMBECK WRITING COMPETITION

More than 1,100 writers entered last year's writing competition. You could be one of this year's winners. The contest has no entry fee and offers cash prizes. Submit your 450-word personal essay between Jan. 6 and Feb. 20, 2004.

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

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BOOK TOURS ARE OVER

Interesting insights from an author who has been there -- or hasn't.

See http://www.observer.com/pages/publish.asp

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HUMOR WRITER OF THE MONTH: NICK BURN

Nick Burn is a freelance humor writer whose column appears regularly on CatholicExchange.com. Nick's column is based on his personal life, kids, pets, news items, and anything else that strikes him as needing a good dose of "lighten up." He is compiling a book of his columns.

See http://www.catholicexchange.com/vm/index.asp?art_id=20154

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 three of the subscribers to this newsletter. If you're subscribed, you're entered to win! This issue's winners are:

* Diane Flynn Keith from Redwood City, CA

* Judy LaSalle from Merced, CA

* Karin Vingle from Poca, WV

Each has won a copy of the "2004 Writer's Market Online -- 10,000+ book and magazine editors who buy what you write." 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=10852

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

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MARKETS, CONTESTS AND MORE

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WRITING COACH: Need some advice to help your writing or tips on how to get published? Robyn Jackson could be the personal coach you've been looking for. See http://www.robynjackson.com/pages/898662/index.htm

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UNFUNDED MAGAZINE: Unfunded is a non-profit publication seeking humorous essays, short fiction, social commentary and the like from talented amateurs and enthusiasts. There's no pay but it's worth a look. See http://www.unfundedhumor.org

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QUIT YOUR DAY JOB! New book describes "how to sleep late, do what you enjoy and make a ton of money as a writer." See http://www.quilldriverbooks.com/quit_your_day_job/about_the_book.htm

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FREELANCE WRITING FORUM: The new WritersWeekly.com general freelance writing forum is very active and ready for you to join. See http://www.writersweekly.com/phpBB2/index.php

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TRAVEL HUMOR: Travelers' Tales is putting together another women's humor anthology, titled, "Whose Panties Are These?" They're also creating another general travel humor book with the working title, "Dude, Where's My Passport?" See http://www.travelerstales.com/guidelines

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WRITE SUCCESS: New, free biweekly ezine of ideas, information and inspiration for writers. See http://writesuccess.com

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FUNDSFORWRITERS: Get info on writing markets, grants, jobs and contests See http://www.fundsforwriters.com

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GCWA's 16TH ANNUAL LITERARY CONTEST: Poetry, fiction and nonfiction categories open to all writers -- published or unpublished. See http://www.gcwriters.org/contest.html

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NEVERENDING MARKET BOOK: 300 paying markets plus another 100 markets each month. See http://sellwritingonline.com/neverending.html

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SELLING TO WOMEN'S MAGAZINES: Jennifer Nelson teaches an online course to help you crack the national women's magazine market. See http://www.absolutewrite.com/classes/Nelson/womenmag.htm

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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 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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