The Dog Days of Summer are upon us.  The heat seems to eat away at our energy and creativity.  Find a way to beat the heat and write.
    I'm going to start listing what projects (books, poems, confessions, articles...) our members have finished.  Completing a project needs to be shared as much as selling one.  When you finish, let me know and Ill share that with our group under MEMBER NEWS.
    Mechanics are what I call the nuts and bolts of writing:  punctuation, formatting,...  Because they are not grammar concerns, they have their own special column and wont be found in GRAMMAR HOTLINE.  Because they are “mechanical,” the column dealing with them is called UNDER THE HOOD.  Our first topic is punctuating different sentence patterns.
    Pat's found another great article by Robin Nobles.  This month, she shares tips on appealing to the 5 senses.  Ann Huguenin has a witty commentary on “Writer's Funk,” and ByLine’s contest this month includes “First Chapter of Novel.”
    Get ready for our fantastic September workshop by passing out flyers in your city.  We want everyone to share in the great speakers we've got lined up. Deadline for July articles is July 4th.  Send them to: kellimcb@chickasaw.com.

    Adjustments are something we all have to make in our lives, in fact it's a constant matter of making adjustments. I had to make several adjustments in the past few weeks, one is that I went from working thirty-five or less hours a week to working fifty. Then I found that my blood pressure was sky high and I started taking medication for that, so between the two it has taken some adjusting on my part. All this is leading to an explanation (and apology) for missing last months meeting.  Monday I started work at 6 a.m. and left the plant at 5:30 p.m. and after running a couple of errands arrived home shortly after 6 p.m.. I'd collected my mail from the post office and decided to sit in my recliner and take a few moments to read it before showering and dressing for the meeting, well... I work up close to 8:30 p.m.. I don't plan on reading my mail before coming to the meeting this month.
    I was proud to hear the several of our members entered our contest - GOOD LUCK - to all of us that managed to get their entries in.  It's not too early to start looking for donations for the workshop... I spoke to one of the owners of Taco Mayo and they'll donate all the ice we need.
    Be sure to speak to store owners/managers that you know, and you'd be surprised how easy it is to get donations for the luncheon, our folders, and our door prizes, so don't be bashful. Tell everyone you know about the workshop and take some brochure's to hand out or put on bulletin boards.
    A sad note: Dawn Prater and family lost their home and all their possessions to a fire last week, so if you have anything that you know would help them get started in a new home bring it with you to the meeting. Dawn, our hearts go out to you and your family.  Thank God none of you were hurt.

By Line's August Deadlines:
    1st CHAPTER OF A NOVEL - Deadline August 5, 1998. Opening chapter of an unpublished novel. Mainstream or genre; adult or YA audience. Maximum 25 pages. Entry fee $5. Prizes: $60, $35, $15.
    NEW-TALENT POETRY - Deadline August 15, 1998. Any style or length. Open to any writer who's never won a cash prize in a Byline poetry contest. Entry fee $3. Prizes: $40, $30, $20, $10.
    CHILDREN'S ARTICLE - Deadline August 20, 1998. Nonfiction for a children's magazine, 1,000 words maximum. List the market or age range on ms. Entry fee $4. Prizes: $40, $25, $15.
    HAIKU/ CINQUAIN/ TANKA - Deadline August 31, 1998. Single poem in any of these forms (no series). Entry fee $3. Prizes: $40, $20, $10

    If you'd like a more detailed discussion of these patterns, link to:  http://owl.english.purdue.edu/files/2.html.  You will see the info below but with hyperlinks that will take you to more info.

    You can punctuate simple, compound, and complex sentences with the patterns shown here:

3 Independent clause (;) Conjunctive adverb (however, moreover, nevertheless, therefore, etc.) (,) Independent clause (.)

4 Independent clause (,) Coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet) Independent clause (.)

6 Independent clause Subordinating conjunction (because, since,  when, while, although, etc.) or Relative pronoun (that, which, who, whom, or whose) Dependent clause (.)

7 Independent clause (:) a series, a direct quotation, an example, or a clarification.

9 He said, “_____________________."

10 "___________________," he said, "___________________."

Copyright (C)1998 by Purdue University. All rights reserved.

    Sensuous writing is essential in the romance world. Descriptions of characters, places, clothes, food, flora and fauna, and weather must appeal to the FIVE SENSES. Think of it this way: you're painting a picture with words for your reader. You MUST paint vivid words that will allow your reader to see the scene through your characters' eyes.

    We pull the covers over our head and drift into indulgent sleep.  We find a trillion tasks to divert us from writing.  We begin to write but become distracted by loneliness, depression, Cheese Nips, and Sally Jessie Raphael.  Words do not flow smoothly.  Words do not flow at all.  Worst of all, we deny these occurrences, blame something (anything), someone (anyone) for the turn of events.  We have a severe case of Writer's Funk.
    Recently, after a flare up of some of these symptoms, I was completely rejuvenated when I reread Brenda Ueland’s book, If You Want To Write.  Soon I will have an extra copy to place in the PAWS library in hopes that someone else might enjoy its medicine.
    There are a number of eye-opening elements in Ueland’s advice to writers.  The first element is, naturally, the most important; it has a great deal to do with writers funk.  Ueland’s first postulate is this:  EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO SAY.  That means you and me.  This affirmation is a strong tonic.  If we didn't know we have something important to say, or forgot that we have something important to say, or equally bad, forgot that others have something important to say, the result can be one and the same.  We can get stalled in our writing, depressed or discouraged.
    Let us revitalize ourselves constantly with this truth:  EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO SAY.  Thus armed against Writer's Funk, we can get on with learning to say our important something more clearly, more brilliantly.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:  This article is semi-fiction and does not necessarily indicate that anyone mentioned, living or dead, might possibly at any time ever have watched, or knew anyone who watched, Sally Jessie Raphael.

    A few weeks ago, Linda Goodnight and I were talking on the phone.  We were each complaining of what Ann terms “Writer's Funk.”  In May, I was so funked, that the closest I got to writing was taping an idea for an opener on my microcassette recorder.  And I did that in the dark lying in bed one night.  The thought of turning on my computer and writing was so exhausting.
    Linda told me that she felt bogged down in precision; sometimes trying to be so correct in how she wrote that her imagination and flow was dammed up.  So Linda decided to just write a novel that had no holds barred.  She was going to be as cliched, wild, and imaginative as she wanted.
    Guess what?  Linda finished that novel in about two weeks!  I've read the first two scenes, and they're fantastic.  Her idea spurred me on, and I finished my romance short story.  In fact, I had to cut ruthlessly to confine it to 15,000 words because the writing was flowing so well.  NO, let me rephrase that.  The writing was coming so fast and furious that I couldn't stop at the contest's word limit.  My original plans for the story had to be changed, but I have enough to expand this to a novel.
    I think Linda hit on a common problem.  We sometimes talk so much about the craft of writing, about what editors want, about formatting and grammar, that we forget about imagination and the enjoyment of writing.  We get so hampered by the baggage that comes along with trying to get published that we take no pleasure in the trip.  Soon, we just stay at home or only go on short journeys because we feel overwhelmed by the longer ones.  We lose our inclination to write and blame it on lack of time, bad supplies, insensitive family...
    But the blame lies with us, and the longer our case of Writer's Funk goes unchecked, the more difficult the recovery.  Linda and I began a twelve step program this month to help us regain that joy and drive.  The first step was just writing for the fun of it.  The second step was joining a group geared specifically for Romance writing.  The results, so far, are encouraging.

    A recent posting to the alt.books.purefiction and misc.writing newsgroups has initiated a spate of private emails to me about getting published, and one person wanted my street address so he could drive over and literally put his manuscript into my hands.
    I am neither a publisher nor an agent, nor do I want to become one. However, I understand the frustration that goes with working on something for a large part of one's life, only to have it dismissed with "We cannot use this submission at this time." Since the success of Consequences, a number of aspiring novelists have asked me to read their manuscripts. Initially, I was flattered. This feeling has begun to change, and now I feel like the only private who didn't step back when the captain asked for volunteers.
    There are many good books on novel writing. From some of the manuscripts I have seen, one might conclude that no one is reading these how-to books. Perhaps one reason is the sheer volume of material available. For the people who refuse to wade through the mass of good advice that's out there, I have distilled it down to one page of the guidelines that I followed when I wrote my first novel. My advice is to rewrite your work until it can pass these seven basic tests before submitting it anywhere.

    This months contest revolves around Jeff Coaxes workshop on newspaper writing last month.  Write a 250-500 word article that follows newspaper guidelines.  The best one wins $10.00.  You must be a member and stay within the word limit to qualify.  If fewer than two articles are submitted, no prize will be awarded.

    Linda Goodnight and Kelli McBride have joined the Romance Writers of America and the Oklahoma Romance Writers of America groups.  The OKRA meets at 1:00 the third Saturday of the month at the meeting room in Penn Square Mall.
    Linda Goodnight has revised her inspirational romance novel and is looking for a publisher.  She has also finished the first draft of a new romance novel.
    Kelli McBride finished a 15,000 word short story in 2 weeks to enter in the Harlequin contest:  The 50 Best Romance Short Stories.
    As you know, Dawn lost all material possessions in the fire.  If you would like to donate items or money, let one of the officers or Dawn know.

    Maybe you can't find time to write the great American novel, but anyone can find time to write a fifty word filler. The key is knowing how to write one and where to send it after it's finished. At this month's meeting, we will cover these topics.
    Karen Anderson called me a few days before the PAWS contest deadline with a problem. She couldn't open the disk with one of her stories on it. We tried on my computer, but it still wouldn't open.  "You can't imagine how many hours of work I had in that story," she moaned.  Lesson learned: Always keep a hard copy.
    A few days after the contest deadline, Dawn Prater's house burned. Her contest entries are all she has left of her years of writing.  Lesson learned: Store a hard copy with a friend or relative.
    This has been a busy month for many of us, with the contest deadline coming right on the heels of the Fourth of July holiday, and a tough month for several of us. Let's hope things improve in the near future.  See you at the meeting, July 20, at 7 PM.