  Noticing Newbies
This week: Edited by: Cubby  
More Newsletters By This Editor 
1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions
 Welcome to the Noticing Newbies Newsletter! Our goal is to showcase some of our newest Writing.Com Authors and their items. From poetry and stories to creative polls and interactives, we'll bring you a wide variety of items to enjoy. We will also feature "how to" advice and items that will help to jump start the creation process on Writing.com.
We hope all members of the site will take the time to read, rate, review and welcome our new authors. By introducing ourselves, reviewing items and reaching out, we will not only make them feel at home within our community, we just might make new friends!
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| ASIN: 0996254145 |
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Amazon's Price: $ 12.95
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** Image ID #1344822 Unavailable **
Writing Quotes to Ponder
When I face the desolate impossibility of writing
500 pages, a sick sense of failure falls on me,
and I know I can never do it. Then gradually, I
write one page and then another. One day's works
is all I can permit myself to contemplate.
- John Steinbeck
Wouldn't it be great if we could write at least one page a day? Perhaps many of you do, but unfortunately, I don't... but I could!
Omit needless words. Vigorous writing is concise.
A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a
paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same
reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary
lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.
- William Strunk, Jr.
This is a challenge, for sure! But once you begin proofreading your item and start finding all those unnecessary words, it'll almost become be like an obsession trying to find all those words. 
I read and walked for miles at night along the
beach, writing bad blank verse and searching
endlessly for someone wonderful who would step out
of the darkness and change my life. It never
crossed my mind that that person could be me.
- Anna Quindlen
Wow, how many of us have felt like this? I'll have to raise my hand. 
Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. ~Anton Chekhov
It's that Show-Don't-Tell advice again! But what a beautiful way to relay it. 
The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. ~Mark Twain
So many times after writing stories or poetry in my notebook, I circle words that just don't fit quite right. That's when the thesaurus comes in handy.  What a difference it can make!
A prose writer gets tired of writing prose, and wants to be a poet. So he begins every line with a capital letter, and keeps on writing prose. ~Samuel McChord
When I review a beautiful piece of poetry that begins with a capital letter in every single line, I find it blocks the flow. I usually give the author an example of how it would look without all those caps. Most of the time, the member I reviewed agrees and changes it. This doesn't alway apply to every form of poem, but I would say especially free verse.
Do not put statements in the negative form.
And don't start sentences with a conjunction.
If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a
great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all.
De-accession euphemisms.
If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.
~William Safire, "Great Rules of Writing"
Lots of great examples, don't you think?
When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing. ~Enrique Jardiel Poncela
I love this quote. By the time a piece is worked over grammatically, unnecessary words omitted, repetitious words deleted, and correct punctuation in place, what reader would ever know the time one spent on something read so easily?
You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what's burning inside you. And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke. ~Arthur Polotnik
Ah, I really like how Mr. Polotnik relays to us how editing can help our writing clear away the smoke.
No author dislikes to be edited as much as he dislikes not to be published. ~Russell Lynes
I've learned in my five years here at WDC that not all members seek publication. But for those who do, isn't this quote so true?
Having imagination, it takes you an hour to write a paragraph that, if you were unimaginative, would take you only a minute. Or you might not write the paragraph at all. ~Franklin P. Adams, Half a Loaf, 1927
I guess that's why we are writers, correct? We love to think about words and get them down just right. How often do we stare at a blank piece of paper or screen and ponder on what we might create? Truly, we use our imaginations!
A notepad by the bedside accounts for half the earnings of my livelihood. If it weren't for bedtime, half my novels would still be stuck at dock. -Ever Garrison
If I would have written down every dream I ever had, I'd certainly have volumes of ideas to prompt me. Unfortunately, I've never kept a notepad next to my bed, not only for dreams, but ideas while drifting off to sleep. Once in a while I'll jump out of bed to retrieve my notebook and jot something down, but normally when I go to bed, I'm rehashing the day and tossing around trying not to get upset about something or other. I think the above quote is an excellent idea though. Many writers are night people and feel inspired 'after hours'. I'm more of a morning type, and sometimes late afternoon. Too bad my day job gets in the way!
The two most engaging powers of an author are to make new things familiar and familiar things new. ~Samuel Johnson
What great advice! Discover something to write about that is not familiar, and shed new light on everyday occurances. Sounds easy, right? 
I hope you enjoyed at least a few of the quotes above. I felt they were not only inspirational, but filled with advice many of us could use.
Have a happy and safe upcoming holiday and
Keep on Writing!
Yours truly,
Cubby ") |
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And Now For Our Featured Newbies!
Excerpt: Abbi was jerked awake by the thunder rattling the window. She looked around. A flash of lightning lit up her room. She could tell something wasn't right.
Excerpt:
He will jump around and run to the car
He keeps looking back
to see where you are
Excerpt: Psh…I was such an ignorant child. It’s an experience like this one that really shapes a child into an adult. There’s now another dimension to my soul. Ignorance doesn’t always soothe the spirit.
Excerpt: I started to think about when we were kids, and all of the games we used to play. Then I remembered it. His song. There was a song he used to sing to me and Caylee when we were upset or hurt. At the end of the song, all of our pain would be gone.
Excerpt: He jumped into Normandy during D-Day, June 6, 1944, as a 101st Airborne paratrooper. The Germans immediately captured him. Eleven months later, when the Allies freed him from Stalag prisoner camp in Prussia, he weighed only 82 pounds.
Excerpt: I began the day full of high hopes, not that I had any real notion of what to expect, but it was opening day of deer gun season, and visions of big bucks danced in my head. Impatient for sunrise and the chance to shoot a deer, I hoisted myself up into the big old oak that was to be my stand about 5:30 in the morning. Let me tell you, until you’ve been twenty feet up in the bare branches of a leafless tree in ten degree weather, you’ve got no idea how miserable it can be.
Excerpt:
Another night in this big old town
listenin' to the trucks wind down
Wonderin' how it ever got
this way
Excerpt: Nagymama wasn’t at the corner store. She wasn’t at the liquor store. She wasn’t even at her usual spot at the local McDonald’s, eating hamburgers and petting little kids on the head with greasy fingers while their parents smiled uncomfortably. Nagymama was missing.
Items Submitted by Newbies
Submitted by Going Away For Two Months 
"To my daughter"
Comment included: Could you please check this out? I'm hoping to submit it to my school literary magazine and I really want to know what other people think of it!
Submitted by Butterfly Eternity
"Night Never Fades"
Comment included: This is one of my favorite pieces that I have written.
Submitted by tenae
"Invalid Item"
Comment included: Thank you!!! I am a conservative Christian myself, but have never, (aside from being terrified as a little kid), had anything against Halloween. I knew about All Saints' Day/All Souls' Day, but I didn't know about the Samhain thing. It's very nice to hear a positive view of the holiday without any Christian-bashing!
Submitted by Butterfly Eternity
"The World is Fake"
Comment include: Another for your consideration.
~ Great Places for Newbies to Check Out! ~
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#844409 by Not Available. |
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
Don't forget to support our sponsor!
| ASIN: B00KN0JEYA |
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FEEDBACK!!!
pooja_sr
Wow, I loved the pumpkin story!:)
Thank you!. It was fun to write; and a bit different for a change.
Squeekachu
Anyway, nice little thing you have for us noobulettes here :D
Thank you very much. The editors here do try to be helpful. Glad to know you like it.
collins96
Cubby this was excellent. I love your gentle but firm reviewing guide in story form. You did great. And thanks for featuring my "What Love Is."
I always enjoy the newbie newsletter. This was among my favorites.
Collin - tryin' never to be a punkin' head!
Thanks, Collin! I miss you! [Collin has left the site and she will be sorely missed by all her friends here. ]
patricia
Hi Chubby,
This pumkin head story is a very, very good example of how every one needs sunshine in their life, not just rain.Right to the point!Enjoyed your whole letter.
Patricia
I'm so glad you like it. Yes, we all need sunshine in our lives, that's for sure. And I could use a little extra right now.  Thank you for such a kind response.
sweetmaggie
critizing should be spelled criticizing...in the pumpkin patch story. thanks.
Thank you for making me a featured newbie. I appreciate the plug and I hope this will be a great launch for me.
Oopsie!  Thank you for pointing that out! And you are very welcome about being featured.
Maria Mize 
Great newsletter. I appreciate the information on giving reviews. Thanks.
You are welcome... And thanks! 
Maliha
Hey there Ed!
I've got a couple of questions: first, my written stuff is not getting reviews and feedback, exactly what should I do about it?
Second, the writings posted in the newsletters-how are they selected? Is is a random selection or is there a criteria?
Hope you'll be able to answer this!
Thanks,
Maliha A.
Have you been plugging your items into review forums? If not, there are several in the community. A few to begin with are: "The Shameless "Plug" Page" and "Please Review" If you already have been posting at theses sites, don't give up. Members might be very busy with the holidays coming up. Fall is full of activities/festivities including the first month of school for many families, school sports, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the upcoming Christmas to prepare for. Don't give up! You could also sponsor an item, too. It will cost you a few gift points, but perhaps it's worth it to you. And of course, if you do a lot of reviewing, many members will return the favor. But I can attest to the fact that not all members have time for this courtesy, so I would bank on the review forums.
The answer to your second question varies with each editor. First impression is a big thing for me. If an item doesn't pull me in rather soon, I don't have the patience to trudge through it. If I have to read a poem more than twice to really understand its meaning, I move on. And while an item I pick might have a few typos, I will not feature an item that is loaded with them.
Recommended Books
Please send me your favorites!
I've been too tired to read much lately, so I decided to listen to an audio book titled Lottery by Patricia Wood and read by Paul Michael. I haven't finished it yet, but I'm close, and I must admit that I'm enjoying it very much! One thing is for certain: I am going to listen to more audio books read by this man. He is one of the best readers I've heard. So what is the story about? you ask. The main character, Perry, has an IQ of only 76, but like his gram told him, he is not stupid-- just slow. And she also taught him how to play the lottery every week and who to trust. After Gram passes away, Perry wins $12 million dollars, and suddenly the family who never paid much attention to him before, is very interested in him. This story will make you laugh, make you mad, and make you a little sad, but it sure is a heart-warming tale. I will warn you though, there is a little swearing in it, so you might not want to play it while little ears are listening.
Quote
There was never a good biography of a good novelist. There couldn't be. He is too many people if he's any good.
~ F. Scott Fitzgerald
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| ASIN: B083RZ2C5F |
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Noticing Newbies: November 14, 2007 Issue [#2060]
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