PROJECT FOR 2008

The Denton Writers League is accepting submissions from local writers for a new anthology.

Submission Guidelines:

Any story, poem or other written work submitted must be your own original work. You must own the copyright and all publishing rights. The author retains ALL RIGHTS to his/her work.

Submissions are open to all genres except erotica, please keep it PG13. Also, works promoting racial hatred or violence, sexism or homophobia will not be accepted.

There is no minimum word count required. Short stories and non-fiction pieces are limited to 7000 words. Poems are limited to 50 lines.

Submissions must be double-spaced using Times Roman font and saved in either RTF or WORD format.

Send submissions as a RTF or WORD attachment to dwlsubmissions@verizon.net with [SUB] title in the subject line. Snail mail submissions will be accepted for those who do not have access to a computer but communications will be delayed to due the staff not being able to contact the author by e-mail. Send snail mail submissions to DWL Anthology, 810 Egan St, Denton, TX 76201. Multiple submissions are acceptable but not simultaneous submissions.

Submissions will be accepted beginning January 15, 2008 and ending June 30, 2008.

There is no reading fee, but if your work is selected for publication, you are required to become a member of the Denton Writers League since the Anthology is a league project with the contents written by our members. The fee to join to League is $15 a year. We meet the second Saturday of the month at the Emily Fowler Library from 10:30am to noon.

Magazines, websites, books: There's a huge market out there for non-fiction writers. Whether you're an experienced fiction writer interested in making a jump from the world of make-believe to the real world or you're looking to break into writing for the first time, there are plenty of things you can do to successfully write non-fiction. Here are a few tips I've been given and am happy to pass along.

1) Choose your specialty. The old adage "write what you know" is really worth heeding in non-fiction writing. Sure, there are plenty of people who research on the fly and come up with articles about things they've just discovered themselves. But one real key to working in non-fiction is to find a niche, or if you like, several niches, and produce work within that niche. Choosing your specialty requires you to take a few personal inventories. First, in which subjects do you have professional expertise? Many trade markets are always looking for pros to contribute articles. Second, consider your personal experiences: What expertise and information have they given you? For instance, are you a veteran parent who could contribute to a parenting newsletter? Third, ask what topics interest you so much that you could research them for days? This is important to consider. If you've worked in business all your life, but have no real passion for it, you probably don't want to write about it. A fourth thing to consider is what your writing level is. If you're a professional writer, you may be well-equipped to handle long assignments right off the bat. If you're just getting started as a writer, you may want to brush up on your skills with a class or writing group before you put yourself out there, no matter what your expertise may be. Only you can really gauge what you want to write about and how prepared you are to write it.

2) Find your idea. Some people get into writing non-fiction because they already have a specific topic about which they want to write. If that's you, great. If not, you will want to spend some time brainstorming for story ideas that fit within your specialty/niche. You may realize you're qualified to write about horses, parenting and landscaping. Spend some time coming up with ideas related to these topics. Try to take those ideas and formulate whole articles. For instance "Article about use of potted plants" could become "Use of potted plants in pool areas." Now, some gardening magazine or other may want just that article. Don't write it yet--but keep it in mind. See if you can come up with a list of potential articles for your various niches.

3) Find your market. Now that you know what you want to write and have some specific article ideas, it's time to go out and find a market that wants to do business. To an extent, you've made this easy on yourself by picking a niche. This narrows your search. That potted plant idea is not going to be of use to TV Guide or Newsweek, for instance. Instead, you will go to a database of writers' markets, whether it's one online (see link below) or a book like Writers Market (how's that for easy to remember...). So, you go to the database, look up markets that cater to your niche, and see what kind of work they're looking for. Maybe they want long, feature articles, maybe it's sidebar pieces, maybe it's personal essays. See what they want. Do you have an article that fits the bill? If so, you next need to check their query and submission policy. In other words, how do you send them ideas and how do you know they want your article? Do you send them a letter or email with your idea? Do you just send the article? How long does it take for them to respond? You will also want to check things like payment and who keeps the rights to the work, and other fine print details. After all, if your goal is to get paid, you don't want to spend three weeks writing an article for a market that turns out to be non-paying.

4) Research, Write and Rewrite. We'll apply the best case scenario here and say your query has been accepted and you have been assigned an article. You and the editor are very excited about "Use Of Potted Plants Near Pools" and she has given you all the details: word count, due date, formatting requirements. Now what you must do is, obviously, collect any data you need for the article. If this is a personal piece just explaining your ideas for planters near the pool, you may only need to research where you can tell readers to buy pots, or you may not need to research at all. On other hand, if your article is a feature on how different landscape designers in your area use potted plants around their pools, you'll have to do research such as interviewing the landscaper designers or perhaps looking into different design theories. You'll have to decide for yourself what work to do. But the key to non-fiction is to have your facts straight (and documented as needed). So make sure to do your homework and incorporate the facts into the story. With the research completed (as applicable), your next move is to do the actual writing. Follow all the guidelines given by the editor and make sure to self-edit above and beyond spell-check. If you're looking to get paid and published for writing non-fiction, you want to put forward professional work. That means polishing your article until it shines. Once it's all sparkly, send that puppy in - and if you want, have that next article idea ready for the editor before she even asks for it.

5) In case of books... When writing non-fiction books, as opposed to articles, the steps are very much the same, except often, you will write the book first and then query markets, agents and publishers to see if they will take the book and run with it. As this is an article about non-fiction writing and not on how to get a book published, I'll leave it at that. But the keys remain: Know your niche, know your market, brainstorm for ideas, research, write and rewrite.

The world is filled with fascinating stories. True life is often stranger and better than fiction. If you want to write non-fiction, why not go for it? It won't be easy - but writing never is. Enjoy the new worlds you explore and share with your readers.

Reprinted from How To Do Things.Com

MEMBER'S SHOWCASE

Title:  My Eagle
Author:  Teresa Hill

I never understood why The bald eagle Was the national bird. I even read a poem About a powerful bird In a harsh world. But I just didn’t get it. I’d never seen a real eagle Other than in a zoo. A place where his majesty Wore a crown Of dingy white feathers. All the while, huddled On a dead bare branch In a stinky damp palace Surrounded by wire and bars. How spectacular is that? This past winter, I had a change of heart. I stood upon a river bank And watched a wild eagle soar. I did not see Tennyson’s bitter cold description Of crooked hands clasping a crag, A wrinkled sea, Or the eagle’s fall from a lonely land. Yes, I stood in a biting Cold at 30 something degrees. But there was a crispness About the air. There were no bars. There was no wire. My lord perched proud upon a branch Stretching out over the red salty water. He wore a head dress so white It glistened in the sun, A perfectly yellow beak, Not a feather out of place.

The eagle watched me for a time. Seemingly fearless, Possibly as curious as I. Then he decided to fly. Effortless. He dropped from the branch. He glided Just above the water surface. What was he searching for? A prime catch? Something more? How spectacular is that? I watched the eagle climb High, oh so high. He sliced the sky Into circles Above the trees. I didn’t have a plaque Explaining the genus and species. I didn’t have a guide Telling me the science behind the flight. It was just the eagle and I. No explanation needed. My heart warmed. My eyes welled. This time, I got it. Now I understood. © Teresa Gail Hill July 20, 2007 All Rights Reserved.

To submit a member poem (under 125 lines), short story (under words 1500 words), or essay(under words 1500 words), send to joni1957@verizon.net .