T-zero Xpandizine
 The Writer's E-Zine

 

 Produced and published by the members of Writers' Village University since 1998    ISSN 1521-2639       
05 February 2012
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"E" is for...

Margaret I. Carr

Crafting with Change

Change is scary, exciting, threatening and revitalizing. Whether we welcome it or dread it makes no difference. Change is inevitable. Change is life. At the basic level of respiration lungs have a finite capacity: you can inhale just so long before they reach that capacity and then you must change over to exhaling.

Change is an essential element in writing. Sometimes the change is slow and lyrical and other times it is fast paced and sweeps the reader along with the action. Both can be the basis for excellent stories or articles.

Very often beginning writers spend most of their words establishing the status quo that precedes the change the story is really about. I remember that the first story I ever submitted anywhere was like that. The consequences were as you might expect. The editor obviously got bored quickly, skipped to the end, muttered, sighed and took a quick look at the middle. I was lucky in that the magazine used a check-off form rejection and once I stopped weeping, wailing and banging my head against the wall, I realized it. But, oh my! Beginning too slow? That was the best writing in the story, everybody told me that, except the editor. Ending rushed and unresolved? Ouch! Sagging middle. Sigh. She was right.

I cut and cut and rewrote and resubmitted. It took longer to be rejected the second time. I wrote other stories and used the whole checklist to try to self-evaluate before submitting. Eventually I came to the conclusion that change was what people meant by stimulus when they give the stimulus/response advice. Change comes first. In 'real life' or in fiction you won't have a response without reason or cause and that reason or cause is almost always some sort of change. It can be a change outside or a change inside the person. Either way, it comes first and should be first in the story.

But what about background? Will the change mean anything without explaining the background first?

If it won't most people, including me, won't read far enough to find out about the change. Even with a very different setting from what we are used to it is still possible to pick up clues as you read. There are, for example, some really fine science fiction stories in which half the pleasure of reading is figuring out the setting as you go. Other stories, in which the background is more familiar, don't need any explanation.

Say you want to write a story about someone losing a job and how that person copes with the loss. Most people who will read it have either lost a job or known someone who has been through the experience.

"Payday! Gerry ripped open the envelope and stared numbly at the pink slip. After ten years?"

Does the reader need more than this to realize that Gerry has been employed and is looking forward to his paycheck? The exclamation point alone takes care of the anticipation. We don't know if he has special plans or is just scrambling to keep up with bills but that can come out later. His thought of 'after ten years' and the 'stared numbly' tells us he didn't expect the termination and the pink slip and envelope gives at least a general idea of the level of job, he's probably not an executive.

What happens next? You want the reader to wonder this and keep reading to find out. If you proceed to explain the background you may well lose the reader. After all, once all the questions are answered why keep reading? Well, the main question won't be answered but once you start wandering around answering all the secondary questions it is easy to lose track of the main question.

Change can also be internal.

"Marna hit delete. Three hours work for nothing."

Why? Is she programming, writing, designing or doing a school assignment? What is wrong with it? Is it flawed or has she just gotten bored with what she is doing?

We do know that she is working on a computer and dissatisfied with the results. As she follows this initial action with other actions we will learn more.

Try it. Try tight focus on change and see if it doesn't pep up your beginnings and tighten up sagging middles.


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Drabble Corner The Writers' Ezine - T-Zero Xpandizine

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Drabble Corner

Michelle Swisz

Our Drabble for this month is written on the theme of Smoking.

I sat waiting, watching as she solemnly and purposefully pulled the cigarette from the pack. Painfully I looked deep into her light blue eyes and again I was lost in her mystery. Many times I had stood in this moment, the smoke of her cigarette stinging my eyes or perhaps the sting of her causing me to remember and to reflect our relationship. Reading my eyes as I did hers, she took a deep drag off her device that had kept me at bay so many times before brandishing me with her silence and its smoke trails. Try as I may I could not help but see a resemblance of this thing between us as she absently flicked her ashes into the ashtray beside us.

Fear -- how do we handle it? Some of us conclude "Each person for him or herself," careening through traffic, cutting in line at the grocery store. Surprisingly few of us are doing that sort of thing, though. Most are a bit more sensitive, or testy, or distracted. Some are facing it head on, consciously finding ways to acknowledge it without indulging it.

Fear is our theme for January. December is already set for Connection.

Here are the guidelines to check before writing.

As always, comments and questions are welcome!

Michelle


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Fiction Short Story The Writers' Ezine - T-Zero Xpandizine

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Fiction Short Story

By Linda Barnett-Johnson

Forever Fontane ­ part 4

May arrived with a bolt of lightning radiating across the big sky of Montana. Dark brooding clouds lay menacing against the lush, green hills. Mary’s concern grew over the look of the ominous sky, and she wondered if she should bring the horses to shelter. "Bob, where are you?" With the cracking of thunder, she knew getting the horses to cooperate would be difficult. "Why did we have to argue, and on our anniversary?"

Out by the highway, gray hair lay matted in wet strands against Bob’s head. His dark blue eyes blazed with pain. He was strong from years of hard work, but was losing strength fast.

The storm grew to a crescendo, until rain finally broke free from the confines of the solid mass. Fingers of cold streams penetrated Bob, as he opened his furrowed mouth for a drink of the rainwater. The smallest movement sent shivers of pain so excruciating he dared not move again.

Mary put on her weathered coat, and tied a red bandana around her short salt and pepper hair. The wind attacked her clothes like an angry lion. She bowed her head into the wind, and ran to the old green pickup, then drove out to the east fork of the property, where the two dozen head of horses were grazing. Mary knew the horses would be terrified. She pushed against the door of the truck, the wind making it almost impossible to open. Sheer determination forced it open.

Running to the gate, she flung it open and drove toward the horses. Mary could see the horses’ rumps facing the wind, and their terrified liquid brown eyes. Their nostrils flared with each breath, forming a cloud of fog. Mary started around them with the truck, herding them until she had them heading toward the barn gate. Mary perused the lane, hoping to see Bob.

"Lord, help me," Bob whispered into the wind. His breathing was shallow. "Lord, please take care of my Mary…" A sob forced him to stop.

While Mary herded the horses through the gate, one ornery mare bolted away. "It figures. If it had to be any of them, it was sure to be Fontane." She had been a curious, independent filly from the day she was born. Always had her nose into something.

Mary closed the barn gate, and headed out to find Fontane. "Where could she have gone?" Mary grumbled. Then she saw a dark shadow running down the lane. So Mary got back into the truck and took out after her, hoping she wouldn’t run out into the main road and get hit by a semi-truck. Fontane could run forever just like the wicked wind that was blowing.

Mary lost sight of Fontane again, and then, there she was standing in the middle of the road. As soon as Mary got close, she would take off again. "Why, you rascal," Mary said under her breath. This went on and on until she veered off the lane and down into a gully.

A distant sound penetrated into Bob’s unconscious, and gradually grew louder, until it finally woke him. It was the sound of a vehicle.

"Help, help!" Bob yelled, but only a whisper escaped his lips.

Mary saw something lying against a willow tree, and standing next to it was Fontane.

Bob couldn’t believe his eyes. Was he seeing things? Was he conscious?

There peering at him was a black horse, with a blazed forehead. It was Fontane, his wonderful, beautiful, and curious mare!

"Fontane, help me! Go get help." Fontane snorted and pawed the ground by Bob’s head. She stood over him, sheltering him from the weather.

Mary ran to the overturned car and reached out to touch Bob, making sure it was really him. She could see that his legs were pinned.

"Are you all right?" She was on her cell phone calling 911 before he could even answer.

Mary ran back to the truck and grabbed a rope, horse blanket, and a saddle. After putting the saddle on Fontane, she tied one end of the rope around the saddle horn, and threw the other end around a low-hanging branch, and then tied it to the truck’s window joint. Mary walked Fontane slowly forward, until the car started to rise. Fontane, cooperating with Mary, stood her ground, keeping the rope taut.

When the car was high enough off the ground, Mary eased Bob from under it; hoping she wouldn’t cause more harm, and far enough to free his legs, then Mary gently had Fontane lower it back down. Untying the rope and removing the saddle from Fontane, she bent back down to her husband, and then covered him with the horse blanket.

"Honey, help is on the way."

Bob tried to talk, but started gasping for breath.

"Sh-h-h. It’s okay, we’ll have plenty of time to talk later," Mary sobbed.

Bob took a breath and tried to relax. "Mary, I love you."

"I love you too. Oh, where is that ambulance?" Their tears mingled with the rain. "You hang on, old man. I am not ready to be a widow. Do you hear me?"

It seemed forever before the ambulance arrived. Bob drifted in and out of consciousness. His skin looked gray, and dark circles enveloped his eyes.

After hooking him up with an IV, the paramedics finally placed Bob on a stretcher. Mary got into the ambulance next to Bob, holding his cold, callused hands. Hands that had brought many colts and fillies into the world: hands that softly stroked her head, when she brought their firstborn into the world, and hands that had built their first home, that had been their home for the past forty years.

Fortunately the hospital was only a couple of miles away. When the ambulance door was opened, there was Fontane; sweat lathered her chest, eyes wild with worry. "That horse was standing in the middle of the road when we drove up, and when we stopped, she brought us right to you," said the paramedic as they eased the stretcher out.

"I’ve never seen anything like it before." Mary had to push Fontane back so the paramedics could take Bob through the emergency room doors.

Bob’s injuries were a broken leg, three cracked ribs, and a concussion.

Later, after he fell asleep, Mary walked outside to see Fontane. "Hey girl, would you like an apple? One of the nurses gave it to me." Fontane chomped it down, while Mary scratched her behind the ears.

"Do you know what you did today? Sure you do." Mary swallowed hard. "If it wasn’t for you, Bob would have died." Mary trembled suddenly. "How did you know?" Sobs shook Mary as Fontane nuzzled her.

"I guess it really doesn’t matter how you knew. I just thank God for you. You’re our four-legged Angel, girl."

Mary wrapped her arms around Fontane’s neck, and gave her a big hug. "You deserve a reward. You know that nice green pasture you’re always trying to get into? Well, that’s going to be your new stomping grounds. You and your children. There you’ll be able to run free forever, Fontane.


T-Zero: The Writer's Ezine
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Poetics Presents The Writers' Ezine - T-Zero Xpandizine

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Poetics Presents

Denise Curry-Duvall

Denise is a native of Marietta, GA, now living in the Florida Panhandle.

She owns and publishes a small conservative newspaper. She is recently married and has one teenage daughter. She loves to read and writing has always been a driving force in her adult life. She is a newcomer to WVU.

Writers' Village members look forward to reading more of Denise’s work.

Prince of the Masquerade

They say your eyes mirror your Soul,
Your psyche, your spirit, your mind,
The Whole.

A reflection of feelings thoughts and events.
A reproduction of life, made into prints.
A glimpse into depths, hidden from sight...
A crack in the door, to let out the night.

Sassy, impudent, bold and smart...
Rogue and Rascal, Where is your heart?
Attentive, thoughtful, alive and awake,
Gentle and loving - But for whose sake?

I looked for answers, submerged in your pain,
In pools of your memories, in the front of your brain.
The windows were open, but the glass was unclear.
I saw flashes of you, (along with your fear.)

You kept the shades pulled, to protect you within.
You changed your 'masks' daily, to make sure you'd win.
Child, adult, Master of Disguise...
The Mysterious Shroud of those intense eyes!

Who are you to day? Who will you be?
The answers were there, if only I'd see...
An abyss of knowledge, concealed and disguised,
Was screened and obscured by Professional Eyes.

You've learned your parts well. You've learned how to play.
Like an actor on stage, day after day.
When do you exit and get to go home?
(Now, Drop down the curtain and try not to roam!)

Goodbye, The Prince of 1000 Faces,
You'll live on forever in your World of Dream Places.

Copyright © 2001 Denise Curry-Duvall


T-Zero: The Writer's Ezine
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Poetics Presents The Writers' Ezine - T-Zero Xpandizine

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Poetics Presents

Julie Ferguson

Originally from England, Julie has lived in New Zealand since she was nine. She currently lives on Auckland's North Shore with her husband, two young sons and dog. Julie joined WVU with great intentions of writing her first novel, or at least a short story or two, but poetry seems to have taken over for the moment.

This poem is about the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior, a Greenpeace vessel, whilst it was docked at the Auckland wharves a number of years ago - a crew member lost his life. The ship was scuttled off the coast of New Zealand and is now a popular diving spot.

Writers' Village members look forward to reading more of Julie's work.

Peaceful Protest

a pod of dolphins caper there
the resting place
of the warrior

no need for anchor
on the ocean bed
where flora flow
and fauna drift
and divers wonder at the speed
at which nature returns
a gleaming iron hulk
to itself
and returns to us the memory
of life lost

a rainbow’s reach
touches heart and soul

warrior rest
in green peace.

Copyright © 2001 Julie Ferguson


T-Zero: The Writer's Ezine
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Copyright 1998 - 2007, Writopia Inc. All Rights Reserved
Recognitions The Writers' Ezine - T-Zero Xpandizine

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Recognitions

N'omi Rose

T-Zero Xpandizine is proud to announce these WVU members who have gained recognition in their writing achievements.

Kudos to Faye Whyte whose article entitled Habits of Successful Writers' was published in the September 2001 issue of Fiction Fix. The article originated as a contest entry December 2000 for one of Coffeehouse's monthly contests. They did not have enough entrants to run the contest, but they e-mailed and asked me to expand my entry into a feature article. Faye took F2K in March 2000 and joined WVU in May 2000. She is a member of the Freestylers study group. She also created and facilitated two of the workshops for WriteFest 2001.

Kudos to Arlene Lawson for her poem Heaven was Unprepared which was published in the September edition of Clever Magazine's special section,The Tragedy File which is a collection of essays relating to the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States of America. Arlene is a member of the staff at Writer's Village University, and a member of Senior's poetry group. She is currently peer-tutoring The Pleasures of Reading Poetry and hangs out in Word Weavers study group.

Congratulations to Dee Walmsley! Her essays Manitoba Journal; Crater Lake, Oregon; Coon Hunt, All appearing in her Wildlife Whispers -- a monthly nature column in Clever Magazine Her essay Proud to be a Canadian was also published in the Tragedy File. She currently peer-tutors Nature Writing Workshop at WVU, and hangs out in Consistents Study group.

Kudos to our WVU writers, Arlene, Dee and Faye for their impressive accomplishments, and best wishes for many more successes!


Thank you!
N'omi Rose
The current Recognitions column custodian

"I think it's a question which particularly arises over women writers: whether it's better to have a happy life or a good supply of tragic plots." (By Wendy Cope)


Please checkout the Recognitions' guidelines!

 

Special for Writers' Village University members:

If you, or someone you know at WVU, has gained recognition in their writing achievements, please send the information to: Recognitions column custodian.


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Writer's Read The Writers' Ezine - T-Zero Xpandizine

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Writer's Read

Wynelda Shelton

Writer’s Market 2002 Edition
Edited by Kristen Holm
ISBN 1-58297-044-0
Writer’s Digest Books, Trade Paperback
US $29.99, CAN $41.99
(online version available from Writersmarket.com)

The market listings contained in Writer’s Market are sometimes thought of as the Holy Grail by writers. This edition is no different. It boasts 1,100 book publishers, 700 contests and awards, 1,900 magazines, and 75 agents. I started to drool as I looked through it in the local bookstore. Images of article assignments, checks, book deals and royalty arrangements danced like sugar plums in my head.

The Writer’s Market 2002 Edition is well laid-out. The magazine listings are broken down not only by subject (Women’s, Travel), but also by type (Consumer, Trade). While the book publishers are listed alphabetically, an index of publishers by subject matter is also provided. In addition to the listings, there are useful articles such as "Query Letter Clinic" and "Where to Get Great Article Ideas", as well as many others.

But the question still remains: Do you need it?

The first question you need to ask yourself before buying this book is whether you are serious about submitting your work. The first edition that I bought back in 1998 went mostly unused. Some people aren’t ready to submit yet, and that’s fine. It’s also fine if you write only for your own personal pleasure or to share with a select group of friends. If either of the above sounds like you, then this is not the book for you.

The second question has to do with what you write. Do you only write for children? Only fiction? Romance? If you have a specific genre, you may be better off with a book specific to those areas. Writer’s Digest Books offer several focused versions of market listings, including Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market and Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market which are also updated yearly.

On the other hand, Writer’s Market 2002 offers an expansive overview of listings, ideal for someone who writes in different genres. If you want to submit to magazines, this may also be the book for you.

Before you buy, answer the above questions honestly, and then make your purchasing decision. As for me? It’s sitting on my desk. I’ve had the book two weeks, and I’ve already sent out three queries.


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Writer to Writer The Writers' Ezine - T-Zero Xpandizine

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Writer to Writer

By B.J. Apostol

The Chicken or the Egg: Which is YOUR Writing Method?

Which comes first: story, synopsis or outline? Get a group of writers together and you might as well be asking the age-old question of "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?"

Recently, several members of my writer's group shared a completed scene outline and/or synopsis of their works in progress. These amazing individuals had a firm handle on their stories from beginning to end even though they had not yet begun to write. I was stunned. How could that be? I was into the sixteenth chapter of my novel and lacked even the vaguest outline. As for the ending -- it was, as my mother used to say, "just a twinkle in my mind's eye."

Being a relatively insecure person like many writers, I was immediately convinced that I was going about the writing process all wrong. Yet when I thought about going back and doing an outline my eyes crossed and my bones turned to ice water. Outlines were a tool of torture teachers pushed on me in school; like imagination girdles, they reined in creativity and stifled possibilities. My progress came to a standstill -- how could I push on when my work was doomed to failure?

With the guidance of my fellow writers at WVU, I came to view outlines differently over the next few weeks. Outlines were a road map on which I could plot the course of the story from point A to point B. A map can help keep wayward writers from wandering off track and ending up on page two hundred with no real plot to speak of. Even I could see the advantage of that. I dubbed this the Chicken Method, since the story is a mature creation before the actual labor of writing begins.

Having seen the light and accepted the merit of the Chicken method, I looked again at my own work. Here I had sixteen chapters and counting without an outline because I preferred letting a story grow from an embryonic idea right under my fingers. The technique felt natural to me and had worked before for short stories; so rather than label it "wrong," I decided to dub this the Egg Method and explore its merits.

Like twigs are formed into a nest, the Egg Method lays words onto paper and keeps them warm with hurried strokes of the keyboard. Excitement and mystery are its motivations, and I just love solving a good mystery. How about you? Ask yourself: could you watch a movie with the same intense, edge-of-your-seat suspense if you knew in advance how it all came out? Would you spend hours reading a book if you already knew the end? If your answer is no, then you may have a natural tendency to write using the Egg Method.

I'll use one of my short stories as an illustration of how the Egg Method comes together for me. One afternoon as I waited to pick up my daughter from high school, my glance fell on a tall, willow-thin teen standing with her back to me as she talked with a balding old man. Flowing brown hair hung past her hips, rippling and glistening like the reflections from a waterfall as she moved her hands in graceful accompaniment to a conversation. A mental shutter clicked, capturing the image just as my daughter got in the truck. Off we drove to run the afternoon's errands, the girl forgotten. Later that night I sat at my computer with a melancholy notes of an aria flowing around me. Salce, the vocalist, sang in Italian, "willow." I sat up straight as the image of the girl clicked firmly into place. Salce. Yes, of course that was her name.

Heart pounding with excitement at the first whiff of a story idea, I began to asked myself questions. What if she's talking to the teacher because she doesn't fit in? What if she's as different from the others as she appeared to me? The other students shun her, maybe are even afraid of her. Why would this be so? I was hooked! My need to discover what could be so different about beautiful Salce became my impetus to write. The opening scene of my story was born. With no clue where it might take me, I wrote right through to the end some eight thousand words later.

Lest I paint too rosy a picture, I should mention that while the Egg Method works for me most of the time, I have several unfinished and meandering stories which prove that the method is risky. Not all eggs hatch into chickens, some are just rotten eggs no matter how long they've incubated.

So which method is best, the chicken or the egg?

The Chicken Method is tried and true, has an organization that allows it to bypass the awkward stages that can emerge during the Egg Method's growth process, and you almost never end up with scrambled eggs. This method is preferred by mystery writer Evan Marshall, designer of a structured novel writing system called The Marshall Plan. The Marshall Plan is well-known and has worked for many budding writers by giving them a clear map to follow. Just remember that following a charted course too tenaciously can make it all too easy to overlook the treasures a side trip might yield.

If outlines still feel like a ball and chain around your neck, as they did for me, don't despair. Take the risk and go for the Egg Method. If you'd like more proof that it can produce outstanding results, read a few books by horror novelist Stephen King. Then check out his book On Writing and take note of the writing method he chooses to use. You might be surprised.

B.J. Apostol is a single mother working as a webmaster/graphics designer in San Diego, California. When not writing, her time is spent breeding and showing Bull Terriers and Miniature Bull Terriers in both conformation and obedience. A WVU member since November 1999, B.J. has had an article published in San Diego's Computer Edge magazine and is currently at work on a horror novel.


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Submissions Guidelines The Writers' Ezine - T-Zero Xpandizine

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Submissions Guidelines (Updated)

Until further notice, only plain text submissions in the body of the email will be considered.
NO ATTACHMENTS.

What We Pay For

Fiction: Stories should be of interest to writers in general, not just a narrow group.

Fiction should be submitted to fiction@thewritersezine.com. Payment starts at $15.00.

If considered for publication, you will be asked to return an email agreement including your name and address.

Craft Features: Queries about Craft features should be sent to nonfiction@thewritersezine.com.

Payment starts at $15.00, and, if considered, you will be sent an email agreement to fill out and return.

Poetry: Due to the large number of recent poetry submissions, a temporary hold on further poetry submissions is in place until early 2008.

Please do not email us to ask what we pay for in other categories. When we can add to our list, we will include it in these guidelines.

What We Publish

Original short fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, particularly non-fiction related to the craft of writing and interviews.

For fiction we prefer something with a plot and resolution. If we like the main character, we are more likely to accept the story. If the main character has a problem to resolve or has to make a choice, that's conflict, and we love conflict! Too many writers confuse conflict with fight scenes. Don't be one of them. Give us a protagonist who acts, makes choices no matter how hard they are to solve his or her dilemma, not a wimp who drifts along and has to be rescued.

Non-fiction should be related to the craft of writing or be good resource material for writers. Accuracy and originality are vital. No reprints. If it has already been published somewhere else, our readers will spot it and let us know.

What We Won't Publish

Anything that inspires "hate," is defamatory or is pornographic.

Simultaneous submissions.

Material that has appeared elsewhere (reprints).

Seasonal material submitted during the same month (i.e., a Christmas story in December). Our lead time is short compared to print publications, but we do need time to edit, html and proof submission. A good guideline is to submit the manuscript by the first of the preceding month (i.e., submit a Christmas story before November 1st).

Length Recommendations

  • For Fiction, under 1500 words is preferred. We will consider excerpts from longer works.

  • Poetry should fit on one printed page if possible. A maximum of five poems may be submitted at one time (when the hold is lifted).

  • Non-fiction or Craft features have the most leeway in word count. In general these manuscripts should be 750 to 2,000 words. We like to take advantage of the hypertext capabilities we have available and link to charts, graphs, lists and so forth. Thumbnail versions may be included in the body of the article.

Rights

All rights other than first electronic, non-exclusive 'anthology' (for collections of T-Zero: The Writer's Ezine works only), and non-exclusive archival rights (we keep back issues online) are and remain the sole and exclusive property of the author.

Formats We Will Accept

Plain text in the body of an email.

T-Zero: The Writer's Ezine is an HTML publication. This gives us access to a variety of options but it is also a limiting factor.

  • Underlining is used exclusively for links in HTML. Please do not underline in your manuscript. It you are including a link to a webpage for reference, please mark the link the following way: (WEB LINK) http://thewritersezine.com (END WEB LINK).
  • The less than (<) and greater than (>) signs are used to enclose HTML encoding. If you need to use brackets, please use the square [ ] ones instead.
  • Paragraph indentation requires time consuming insertion of multiple HTML symbols. Please separate paragraphs by inserting a hard, blank line between them.
  • Fonts need to be simple. No multiple fonts. We prefer standard fonts such as Times New Roman, Courier or Arial set at 12 point. If your subject matter requires something else, ask us first.
  • The curly (smart) quotes, apostrophes, the em dash (two hyphens together) and ellipsis … (three periods) become strange and exotic characters when copied from your word processor into email. Check your preferences or options to see if you can use straight quotes. 
  • Text formatting such as bold, italic, centering, bullet list, etc., should be noted in the text by using all caps in parentheses. For example, if you wanted to italicize the word submission, you would type: (ITALICS) submission (END ITALICS).

Editing

We expect you to run spell-check and to check your grammar and punctuation before submitting. We will not reject a submission for a few typos or errors, but will if there are an excessive number of errors.

Note: Since our reading audience is international, we do not require a specific version of English. Use the spelling appropriate to your region.

We will automatically correct obvious typos such as “ton” for “not” and may correct simple agreement problems. For anything beyond that, time permitting, we will return the submission to you with a request for corrections.

Getting to Know You

Fiction and Craft features published in T-Zero: The Writer's Ezine include brief third person biographical notes on the writers. For all submissions, please compose your own bio and include it to save our editors and yourself time later if/when your piece is accepted for publication. We suggest sharing a little about your background, occupation, geographical location and what inspired your story.

How and Where to Submit

We do not accept submissions via US mail. Email submissions only, to the appropriate department, in the body of the email. No attachments accepted.

Fiction should be sent to fiction@thewritersezine.com.

Craft Non-fiction should be queried first. Send query to nonfiction@thewritersezine.com.

Poetry: Due to the large number of recent poetry submissions, a temporary hold on further poetry submissions is in place until early 2008.

Include the type of submission (fiction, non-fiction) in the subject line.

Be sure to include your name and email address in the body of the email.

If you do not receive an acknowledgement that your submission or query was received within a week, please send a follow-up query with “Did you Receive?” in the subject line. In the body of the email, please include your name and email address, the title of the work submitted, and if different, the email address sent from. Do not resend the submission unless we request it.

Good luck!


T-Zero: The Writer's Ezine
http://TheWritersEzine.com
Copyright 1998 - 2007, Writopia Inc. All Rights Reserved

 

© Copyright 1998 - 2007, Writopia Inc. All rights reserved