National Writers Union Home Page


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writers, union, web site, NWU, National Writers Union.

The union for freelance writers working in U.S. markets.

Additional addresses & contact information: Union Addresses.

Copyright © 2001 by National Writers Union.

Unless otherwise stated, copyrights to all materials on this web site are held by the National Writers Union.

2) Full attribution is given to both the author(s) and the National Writers Union.

No permission is given to copy, repost, link-to, or re-distribute in any way any documents or other material stored in password-protected areas of this site.

Z-Write, word processor, feature, window, bookmark.

Mark Zeedar's new Z-Write word processor is different.

So it he is with Z-Write's main distinguishing feature -- its Sections navigation window.

You can duplicate an existing Section with the Duplicate command (ZWrite will append "copy" and/or a number on the end to distinguish it from the original) or button.

I've found that I still need to transfer my work to a full-fledged word processor for proofing and formatting or to Tex-Edit for HTML markup once the composing and editing stages are complete.

However, that is pretty much how Marc intended Z-Write to be used.

You can place a bookmark anywhere in your text using the Insert Bookmark command.

Construction, user focus, customers, wording, scannability.

STORYBOARDS Take a page from the production of film and television commercials.

Full paragraphs can capture as much attention as truncated thought clips.

TONE Setting the right tone is an issue my clients often struggle with, sometimes more than generating the content itself.

E-business, despite all its fancy titles, is just that: business.

As we've seen, creating commercial online content calls for a peculiar set of writing skills.

Strong writing lies at the heart of this enterprise--- web text that your guests recognize, from the first click, to be squarely focused on them.

Connecting with you via engaging e-copy is how visitors become customers, customers become partners, and relationships become cemented.

manuscript, editor, postage, Courier, format.

Be willing to work with the editor on requested changes.

Do not put the creation date on the manuscript, a rights-offered statement, or the copyright notice (see the question on manuscript format).

If you think it's good enough for a business to pay you money for it, then it's good enough for you to invest in it to the extent of printing it out and paying for postage.

You definitely need a cover letter to tell the editor if you are making a simultaneous submission, or if the manuscript is disposable (in which case, the SASE only needs to be a standard letter-sized envelope).

writing, verbs, oranges, apples, tight.

Clear, concise and credible writing is an essential element of any successful business communication, from ad copy to Web page content.

You can begin with adverbs, adjectives or nouns to keep the reader from getting bored.

For example, use "XYZ Corporation developed the product" instead of the passive "The product was developed by XYZ Corporation."

Select verbs that describe physical or mental activities instead of a state of being.

Choose nouns and verbs that are as specific as possible, and employ adverbs and adjectives sparingly.

Keep your writing tight by eliminating unnecessary words and phrases.

If you're comparing apples and oranges, describe the apples first, then the oranges.

avoid, abbreviate, references, spell, media.

Abbreviate certain months of the year when used with a specific date: Sept. 19, 1994.

Always spell out: March, April, May, June and July.

Use the full, official name of an organization or unit on the first reference, then shorten it in subsequent references: Example: the Department of History, then the department (lower case preferred).

Avoid unfamiliar acronyms by finding an alternative.

Capitalize an official title if it precedes a name; use lower case when the title follows the name: President Al Yates; but Al Yates, president of Colorado State University..

Place question marks and exclamation marks inside or outside of the quotation mark, depending upon whether the mark refers to the quoted material (inside) or the larger sentence in which the quoted material appears (outside).

writers, members, contest, writing, Writers Association.

In 2001, we celebrated our 80th Anniversary at the Old "Y" with readings by our members and shared in walks down memory lane with our dearest member, Marg Gilkes.

The arts community of Calgary has grown in the last several years and now has several writing organizations, some of which are specialized groups for romance writers or fantasy and science fiction writers.

I approached the Writers Guild of Alberta, when it became obvious we would not have enough volunteers to run a board, and asked them if they would be interested in starting a speaker series and offered that the Calgary Writers Association might be able to transfer any remaining funds if approved by the membership.

Board members of the 2001/2002 Executive Board are as follows: President: Claudia Tiefisher Vice President: Kathy Hanson Treasurer: Secretary: Publicity and Website: J. Brian Clarke Contest Co-ordinator: Position not filled at present.

creativity, law, Creative Commons, licenses, creators.

But rather than let Mickey go free and enter the public domain, Disney campaigned with other Hollywood studios and major record labels to press Congress to pass the 1998 Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act (CTEA), a law that extended copyright protection for another 20 years.

"Our tools will make it easier for artists and authors to make some or all of their rights available to the public for free," Stanford law professor and Creative Commons chairman Lawrence Lessig said in a statement.

Inspired in part by the Free Software Foundation's General Public License (GPL), Creative Commons is developing a Web application that will be launched this fall to help reduce legal barriers to creativity.

advertising, classifieds, graphics, hose, writing.

When selling through advertising, you're faced with two options, both of which you will probably use frequently.

It's fine to pussyfoot in a display ad if you can afford the space, but short, sharp, to-the-point is what sells from classifieds.

If you're selling runless pantyhose for example, you know the anti-run characteristic motivates the buyer, and the reason why women want to buy anti-run hose is to look better longer.

Get a word count, and fix it within fairly narrow limits or you'll bore the reader or leave no room for graphics or blank space, which you must have to some degree for proper esthetic effect.

American, poems, writing, writers, poetry.

Ever since the publication of Howl and Other Poems back in 1956, Allen Ginsberg's stature as a poet has evolved and expanded so that by this time he is almost universally recognized as one of the great poets, the distinctive voices of our age.

TS: Allen, over the years your poetry has evolved and gone through many transformations, your poetry and your poetics.

And I wonder if that's more or less what you're saying about your own poetry.

Allen, particularly in American culture and American literary circles you hear that poetry and politics don't mesh, they're inimical to each other.

marketing, Target, Direct Response, writing, winning.

My co-author on this book, Donna Baier Stein, is widely recognized as one of the nation's top copy writers, and she taught me a lot of what I know about writing marketing copy.

Whether you write direct marketing copy or hire and manage those who do, Write On Target will be the most important volume on your professional bookshelf.

Write On Target discusses all the parts of direct marketing packages, including the brochure, the letter, "lift letters," and the carrier (envelope).

There are chapters on broadcast and the web as well.

Joan Throckmorton (Winning Direct Response Advertising) said "Stein and Kemske are a winning team with sound advice for everyone who writes words that move and motivate.

dictionaries, index, online, lists, History.

I haven't tried to make this list exhaustive.

The Web is packed with resources, but I've foregone the comprehensive approach in favor of a targeted --- and hence much more effective --- list of practical and easy-to-use references.

The Internet Dictionary Project Searchable translating dictionaries for Assyrian, French, German, Italian, Latin, Persian, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Guide to Grammar & Writing Well-targeted sections include commas, capitalization, antecedents, and plurals vs. possessives

Internet Movie Database If it was ever on film, it's here.

Langenberg --- Search and Get There Faster Funny name, great tool.

entry, entry form, APEX, publication, entries.

Entry forms and Brochures | Judging | Who's eligible?

APEX Brochure Download the complete APEX 2003 Call for Entries Brochure.

Download and fill out this Easy Entry Form (207k PDF) on your computer screen (you can tab through the questions), saving the bother of typewriters or filling out the form by hand.

Writing That Works is published by Communications Top Words, Inc., providing problem-solving information to professional communicators since 1984.

The APEX Awards How and when will I find out if I won an award?

APEX Award winners will be listed in a special Awards Issue of Writing That Works.

Grand Award winners will receive attractive plaques commemorating their winning entries.

writers, writing, resources, publishers, freelance.

This site has great links and tips for freelance writers.

Information about the book industry written by Pat Holt, former Book Review Editor and Critic for The San Francisco Chronicle.

A media news and resource site, providing access to media information across the Web -- news, publications, statistics, trade groups, job boards.

Writing resources and article archives to inspire the freelance writer.

The Write Touch provides affordable editing and typing services; they guarantee to offer their customers the lowest prices.

Writer's Universe is a free resource site created by The Write Touch to provide links to extensive articles, resources, and tips helpful to writers.

editors, editing, Copyediting-L, profession, journalism.

The Slot: A Spot for Copy Editors - http://www.theslot.com/ Curmudgeon's guide to copy editing, a newspaper editor tells all.

American Copy Editors Society - http://www.copydesk.org/ Focus on journalism.

Magazine Copy Editing - http://www.well.com/user/mmcadams/copy.editing.html A course syllabus in magazine copy editing and other information about the profession of copy editing.

Archives of COPYEDITING-L - http://listserv.indiana.edu/archives/copyediting-l.html Copy editing listserv archives.

Yahoo Groups: Copy Editors - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/copyeditors/ This group is dedicated to copy editors, those people on the front line of journalism and publishing whose job it is to get other people's work into good enough shape that it causes as little embarrassment as possible.

How To Edit Your Own Writing - http://home.earthlink.net/~jdc24/selfEdit.htm A detailed 11-point checklist to aid you in editing your own writing.

infringement, protection, writer, Internet, reproduce.

The reason for this advice is purely practical; such a notice warns people who view the work that the author takes copyright issues seriously and may have a deterrent effect upon possible infringers, especially those who are unfamiliar with the intricacies of copyright law.

Furthermore, if the work carries a proper notice, in the event of a subsequent infringement lawsuit the defendant will be unable to claim "innocent infringement"--that is, that he or she did not realize that the work was protected.

The law in several countries is changing to hold ISP's liable for violations of various laws by users of the ISP and many ISP's will respond to complaints about illegal activities on members' websites.

Members, WGC, producer, screenwriters, writers.

Welcome to the home of the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) and the Canadian Screenwriters Collection Society (CSCS).

We hope you'll find something of interest to you, whether you are a WGC member, an aspiring writer, a member of the production community--or simply interested in learning more about screenwriters and the industry they work in.

If you are looking for the signatory status of a Quebec-based producer, please note that as of January 1, 2003, there are changes to the situation in Quebec with regard to the IPA.

Members in the Spotlight: Nominees for International Emmy & Gemini Awards New!

writers, Federation, writing, Susan Musgrave, Submissions.

The Federation of British Columbia Writers is a non-profit organization of professional and emerging writers, writing in all genres from every region of the province.

If you're not a member, join and get this and other member benefits.

The Fed Anthology 2002 CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS Announcing The Fed Anthology 2002: Writing by Fed members, as selected by Susan Musgrave[More ...]

Master Classes from the Federation of BC Writers COURSES Register now for the Fed's new Master Classes for Published Writers with Kit Pearson, Susan Musgrave, Audrey Thomas, and Daniel Wood.

Susan Musgrave Teaches at Sunshine Coast Writing Retreat EVENT Work with well-published author, Susan Musgrave, during a weekend Fiction Writing Retreat at stunning Ruby Lake Resort, October 25-27, 2002.[More ...]

First Ever Regional Write-off EVENT ...is now Posted!

polls, Forensics, Spider-Hack, security, truth.

Forensics - the science of finding the truth - 2002-11-16 Forensics is the science of finding the truth.

Our goal is to provide a central repository for this information for the security community.

Our November challenge is based on the Spider-Man movie, and deals with network intrusions and Distributed Denial of Service attacks.

Do whatever a spider can, answer our questions, and win a prize.

We'll randomly draw a winner from all correct entries.

Also, on a completely unrelated note, I've put together a little parody/spoof of everyone's favorite vendor called "If Microsoft Had Written Nmap".

What is your confidence rating of WinXP's SP1 security fixes?

Internet Writing, persuasion, prospect, attention, website.

The proper arrangement of emotional words, logical rationale, a bit of psychiatry, and tested 'rules of thumb' can transform your webpage into an authentic cash generating tool.

These extremely creative specialists command the highest salaries and commissions in the advertising industry.

And more specifically, how to transform your current Internet writing into a Persuasive Internet Writing.

How to write a headline that interrupts your prospect's thoughts and calls his attention.

How to turn that interest into an intense desire to satisfy the need you prospect has--many times without him being consciously aware of it.

If you have the time right now please browse the main sections of this website.

books, editing, editor, punctuation, magazine.

In 1991 I was asked to develop a course in magazine copy editing for New York University's Management Institute.

NYU had long offered courses in copy editing and proofreading, but they were focused on practices in the book publishing business.

When I started teaching the course, I had been a copy editor at Time magazine for three years.

In 1993 I left Time to become a copy editor at The Washington Post.

I had also worked as a copy editor in the book business (two years as an in-house copy editor at Dell Publishing and free-lance work for Doubleday and Warner Books).