Archive for December, 2008
Wordclay Blog Suspended Until January 6, 2009
Greetings all,
Please be advised that the Wordclay Blog will suspend posting until after the coming holiday weeks, but rest assured, we will resume normal operations effective January 6, 2009.
Should you have questions about Wordclay or suggestions for future blogs, don’t hesitate to pitch your idea within a comment, and our blogging team will definitely address your submissions upon their return.
Thank you for your time and patience.
-The Wordclay Blog Team
Netbooks in the Cloud: Technology and the Stuff That You Do
‘Will you then write me a sonnet in praise of my beauty?’
Wm. Shakespeare-Much Ado About Nothing
These days a clever text message takes the place of a praising sonnet. In the near future, however, as the technology continues to develop, perhaps our self-expression will be allowed a little more breathing room.
Recently we’ve seen touch screen phones and music players coalescing together in a race toward the one little device that you will need. These little laptops called ‘netbooks’ seem likely to be thrown into the boiling heap of science.
The smallness of the technology may allow for the resurgence of the complete sentence. As writers, you are likely to be communicative, but there has been a palpable frustration in the literary air. All of those developmental years spent with notebooks and study now seem lost. It’s hard to get people to spell out complete words, let alone complete thoughts. I like to think that the limitation is not in our ability to share fluently but in the inability of our paper-replacing devices to grant us the bandwidth needed to really get in a groove.
The platforms and the internet are pushing the devices toward the center as well. Software is living online more and more. There are companies moving all of their operations into the cloud and soon enough individuals will be able to do the same thing. Why would we even need a home computer if our monitor, mouse and keyboards were all online all the time wirelessly?
Every six months it’s something new or different. Perhaps they are easing us into the whole flying cars future we all expected with subtle improvements to our phones. At the moment, there is still some boiling down to do — the phones are like tiny computers and the laptops are functioning like large phones. They will meet in the middle. I’m sure that the technological conspiracy to get us to buy a new piece of hardware with every incremental advance could only hold us back for so long.
Computers are still young in a relative sense and our personal use of them is barely a hint of what could be in the near future. I predict that real conversation will come back. Whether it is shared through electronic scrolls with moving flexible displays or written on air with magical whispers of light, I am confident that our nature will shape the technology and not the other way around.
‘For here’s a paper written in his hand,
A halting sonnet of his own pure brain,…’
Wm Shakespeare-Much Ado About Nothing
Angry Villagers Burn Books: E-book Zealots Versus Sentimental Booklovers
Earlier this week, Computerworld Blog posted an article entitled “Clueless book publishers miss huge opportunity,” which adamantly predicts that the growing convenience of e-books and development of e-reader technology like Kindle and the Sony Reader will soon render physical books obsolete.
Undoubtedly, e-books and e-readers have opened new areas of publishing and marketing for all genres of books, but does it necessarily follow that the printing of books is doomed to dust as a result of this digital boom?
For me, the question is not one of the merits and benefits of digital content. Of course online content has given us more convenience learning information and accessing entertainment. In fact, I found the Computerworld article online, but I could have easily read the content on an iPhone as well.
Instead, I believe the question concerns the value of the physical book, whether our hardcover or paperbacks will truly become obsolete, relics of an out-of-print past. In order to look deeper at this issue, however, we’ll need to address a few fundamental questions about the concept of the book itself and the publishing industry at large.
What’s the value of a book?
Of course there’s huge value in the content of books. Otherwise why would you search out and order particular books, by specific authors, talking about the topics or stories that interest you? And obviously, that content translates (and should translate) to a digital format. But is that the end of a book, its content? Why wouldn’t we dispose of them after reading then? Why would they decorate our house? Why would communities like BookCrossing exist if not for the demand and interest in the physical book?
The simple answer is: a book is more than its content.
For starters, a book’s design, especially when it comes to art books, children’s books and novels with nontraditional formatting like House of Leaves, can have unique, experimental layouts that are just as compelling as their content at times. (more…)
Meet Words of Belief Holiday Writing Contest Winners: Interviews with Grand Prize Winner and Editor’s Selection
Now, you can meet the winners of the Words of Belief Holiday Story Writing Contest. Attracting such a diversity of voices and range of topics submitted to their first annual writing contest, their publishing team wanted to share the thoughts and emotions of the writers behind the two selected winners. Read about their experience submitting, their unbiased opinions of Words of Belief, their different writing methods and even their jumps for joy at discovering their selection by the judges.
Grand Prize Winner: Tyler Powell for “Churchmas Eve”
WOB Question: How did you feel entering the contest?
Powell’s Answer: I felt great entering the contest, not out of any thought of winning, but because it was a step for me in pursuing what I’d like to do as a career. The experience of having a prompt, developing a story, executing it and then submitting it for review was the first (and truest) reward. If I hadn’t won or been a finalist, I would still have spent time working on my craft, and I would still be a story richer for it.
Q: How did you react when you found out that you won?
A: When I learned that I had won the contest, my first reaction was pure disbelief. I had no expectation that I was going to win, though I did hold some hope that I would be selected as a finalist. I read the congratulatory e-mail two or 18 times and then double-checked what it said against the website. Then, I danced a little dance.
Q: What did you know about Words of Belief before you entered the contest?
A: I wasn’t familiar with Words of Belief prior to hearing about the contest. So far, I’m impressed with what it has to offer. I am a big fan of the possibilities of new media — as a writer, it’s wonderful to be able to have such convenient access to potential readers.
Q: How did you learn about the contest?
A: I learned about the Words of Belief contest by spending a night doing endless searches for any information regarding writing contests, or short story markets, and following link to link, looking for more. Whenever I found something that looked promising or interesting, I would keep that window open. The idea of writing a holiday-themed story really appealed to me, and the simple entry process for the Words of Belief contest kept that window open, and ultimately led to my writing my submission.
Q: Is this your first time entering a writing contest? What can you tell us about your experience?
A: Yes — this was my first time entering a writing contest. It was wonderful. I’ve held several jobs over the course of my youngish life, but so far none have engaged me so much as writing. And really, the contest for me was not much more than a good excuse to write something specific. I wanted an idea, or a theme, or a prompt to write against — I find it difficult to start with a completely blank page. (more…)
A Matter of Perspective – Lessons in Fiction Writing
While getting ready for work I like to watch the news. And since Bloomington, IN is too small to have its own local newscast, I watch Today (don’t judge me, OK?) So, this morning, Matt and Meredith were broadcasting in front of the newly lit Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Center. The massive evergreen is decked in holiday cheer — lights and a perfect star on top — the works. As I looked upon the gorgeous tree in all its glory, my husband sarcastically mumbled, “Wow, they really dressed up that dead corpse of a tree.”
How dare he say that? And, how could we both be looking at the exact same thing, and have such different feelings about it?
While this is just a silly anecdote, it brings up an important point that every writer should know and understand: perspective is everything.
Perspective directs what you say, and how you say it. It dictates what a character could possibly know. People and characters cannot tell what someone else is actually thinking (although we all think we know what others are thinking…). Decide your narrative perspective carefully and deliberately.
When you make the decision to write in first person, remember that you can only know the thoughts and happenings of one person in the story. Their perspective of an event is probably entirely different than that of another person. Also, be aware of who the character is talking to and in what setting.
Whether you choose to tell your story in first person, third person omniscient or third
person limited, stick with it. Remember whose thoughts you are “allowed” to know and reveal as the teller of your story.
Be mindful of perspective in writing. It’s something that can easily be overlooked if you’re not paying attention.
— Angie
P.S. My husband is a wonderful man, and he doesn’t really hate Christmas trees.
Words of Belief Announces Winners of Holiday Story Writing Contest
Back from the holiday week with a bang, Words of Belief has selected its winners and finalists for the Holiday Story Writing Contest they hosted in the previous months. Out of hundreds of submissions their judges received, only 15 were pulled for publication in their coming anthology, Tis the Season: Selected Stories of Contemporary Fiction and Nonfiction.
So please join us in congratulating the grand prize winner, the editor’s selection, as well as the 13 other finalists who will appear in Tis the Season:
Grand Prize Winner: Tyler Powell, for his story “Churchmas Eve”
Judges comment on Powell’s “Churchmas Eve”:
When reading the stories submitted to the Wordclay holiday short story contest, a theme among the submissions surfaced. What do the holidays mean? This question was a common theme that the stories explored and even attempted to explain. There was one story that embodies the search to find meaning in the holidays versus the shallow commercialization of the season.
Tyler Powell’s short story, “Churchmas Eve,” successfully distills the struggle of keeping spirituality in Christmas. However, Powell’s story is a complex menagerie of characters, all of who are at odds on how the holiday should be celebrated.
Jeanette, the overbearing mother, wants to observe the strictest definition of Christmas. She wants no gifts, Christmas lights, or carols. Her son, Bobby, like any kid, wants a version of the holiday that is more festive and embraces contemporary traditions. And Larry, Jeantte’s husband and Bobby’s father, is stuck in the middle. Larry concedes to his wife’s demands for a stern interpretation but he longs for Bobby to enjoy Christmas as well.
Regardless of the internal struggle between the main characters, Bobby finds his own meaning for Christmas. Bobby’s interaction with a homeless man helps him realize what the holiday means to him, personally.
In the end, Powell has a created a classic story that explores the internal and external conflicts surrounding the holidays. This is why “Churchmas Eve,” is a successful, endearing story.
Click here to preview Powell’s story>>
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Editor’s Selection: Judy Nickles, for her story “I Was Hungry”
Judges comment on Nickles’ “I Was Hungry”:
Judy Nickles’ “I Was Hungry: A Very Kate Christmas” was a very pleasant surprise. I’m a big fan of historical fiction, and when it’s done well, it transports you, body and soul, to the author’s chosen place and time. Such was the case with this story. (more…)
