| The StoneThread Newsletter, Issue #6 May 2008 (Sign up for our Newsletter here.) |
|
Hey Everybody. Goodness! Seems it's been over a year since the previous newsletter. Anyway, a lot has been going on and a lot more is coming, so I wanted to catch you up. In November of last year, I finally made the move back to Arizona, the home of my heart. It's lovely out here. We even have a herd of 10 to 18 javelinas who come visit every other evening or so. I feed them carrots and potatoes. That's part of what's been going on. I've also been on the road quite a bit. Most recently, I taught a half-day poetry workshop in Crestwood, Missouri. It was sponsored by St. Louis Writers' Guild (see http://www.stlwritersguild.org) and was very well attended. I was so impressed that I joined the organization and am now posting regularly to their literary blog, Eliot (see http://eliot.stlwritersguild.org/wordpress/index.php). Schedule of Upcoming Events On May 5 I'll speak on "Self-Editing" from 1 to 2 p.m. in Green Valley, Arizona at the Conrad Joyner Library, 601 North La Canada Drive. On June 28, I'll teach two half-day seminars, one on "Writing Effective Dialogue" and another on "Writing Electric Narrative," at the Senior Citizens' Center in Huachuca City, Arizona. I've also made arrangements with them to use their facility every month, so I'll be teaching other seminars there on Fiction, Poetry, and/or Observation for Writers on the fourth Saturday of each month. If you'd like information on these seminars, write me at h_stanbrough@yahoo.com with "Seminars" in the subject line. I'll be happy to add you to the mailing list so you know in advance when each seminar is coming up. I?m going on the road again soon, too! On July 12, I'll combine the workshops on Dialogue and Narrative to teach an all-day seminar at Chesterfield Arts in Chesterfield, Missouri (basically west St. Louis). And of course, on September 27 - 28 I'll serve as the book doctor and teach a few sessions on writing fiction at the greatest writers' conference in America, The Society of Southwestern Authors (SSA) Wrangling with Writing Conference, at the Holiday Inn Palo Verde, 4550 S. Palo Verde Blvd, Tucson. I was honored to deliver the Saturday Luncheon keynote address there last year, and it was an absolute blast. Nobody parties like SSA! Offers for speaking engagements continue rolling in, so to get all the information on these and other appearances, I suggest you periodically check my website at Events. Also, of course you can always contact me at h_stanbrough@yahoo.com. As always, if any of you would like to have me in your area for a workshop, seminar, retreat or conference, let me know. Announcements Don't skip this! Because getting the word out is more important than anything else, I've decided to make Punctuation for Writers (2nd Edition) and The Craft of Poetry: Structure & Sound available at no charge to the general public. Both are in printable PDF files. To get your free copy of either or both of these books, you need only send an email to h_stanbrough@yahoo.com. I'll take this opportunity to remind you that I make my living (well, most of it) as a freelance editor, and I offer a no-strings, free sample edit of prose. See details at Editing Services. The Writer's Perspective A correspondent recently mentioned that she's set aside more than one novel because she became bogged down in the narrative. I can relate. ANY narrative that is unnecessary will bog down the reader, and more often than not it will cause her not to purchase more of your books. Always use strong action verbs whenever possible. Using strong action verbs will cause unnecessary adjectives and adverbs to fall away of their own accord. Also, don't be confused by state-of-being verbs. Just because a sentence contains am, is, are, was, were, be, being, or been does not make it a passive sentence. Most often, a passive construction will contain a state-of-being verb AND a "by phrase." For example, "Indiana was my previous home" is not a passive sentence. "Was" merely describes a state of being, which is precisely what it's supposed to do. But "The pizza was delivered by Harvey" is a passive construction. In this sentence, "was" is a state of being verb as well, but it enables Harvey to avoid responsibility for delivering a pizza until the end of the sentence, in the "by phrase." To make the sentence active rather than passive, just delete the "by phrase" and replace the state-of-being verb: "Harvey delivered the pizza." There, isn't that better? End Note That's it for this time. Thanks for signing up for the newsletter, and I promise it won't be so long before the next installment. I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope I'll be meeting some of you down the road at one or more of my presentations or seminars. Best, Harvey |
| The StoneThread Newsletter, Issue #5 April 2007 |
|
Hi Everyone, This is just a reminder more than anything else. The Missouri Writers' Guild conference in St. Charles is looming, and it looks to be bigger and better than ever. If you have a chance, drop in! I'll be there from April 20 - 22, presenting sessions on Fiction and Poetry. For information, visit the Events page on my website or contact Margo Dill at Margodll@aol.com. An Update: On May 17 I'll conduct a day-long mini-seminar in Mission, Kansas. The morning session will be devoted to Dialogue and the afternoon will be devoted to Poetry. And the cost for this all-day mini-seminar is only $30! (These will be different than the classes I'm teaching in St. Charles!) Then hang around until that evening for my poetry reading and book signing at the Johnson County Central Resource Library, located at 9875 W. 87th Street, Overland Park, KS 66212 (Phone 913 495-2400). It's free, and I can guarantee you a great time. For information on both events, email Mary-Lane Kamberg at kamberg202@comcast.net. On June 9 I'll round out my midwest sweep in Springfield, Missouri at The Poison Tea Party Conference at the Lamplighter Inn North, 2820 N. Glenstone Ave. It's open to the public. For information, call Delane Parrott at 832-9959 or email her at delaneparrott@sbcglobal.net. And don't forget the big SSA Conference in Tucson! On September 15 - 16 I'll speak at the Society of Southwestern Authors' (SSA) Wrangling with Writing Conference in Tucson. I'll deliver the Saturday luncheon keynote address and will present a couple of classes during the conference as well. For information, see the SSA Website at http://www.ssa-az.org or contact Penny Porter at wporter202@aol.com. This is one of the truly great writers' conferences in the US. Most of these seminars are set up by interested writers or writers' groups. If you would like to have me in your area for a workshop, seminar, retreat or conference, contact me at h_stanbrough@yahoo.com. For more details on these and other engagements, be sure to check the Events page of my website. The Writer's Perspective As I will detail at the MWG conference this coming weekend, there are seven sure-fire ways to lose your reader, and they're committed on a regular basis by experienced writers as well as by novices. Take a look at your own writing and try to determine whether you commit any of these on a regular basis: 1.Do you use unnecessary or excessive text (tag lines, convoluted construction, other poor narrative, and look-at-me paragraphs)? It's easy for the writer to drift from the story line and insert a narrative editorial, for example. Be careful of this one. 2.Do you beat the reader over the head with information most of us already know? Would you ever over-explain, for example describing that the word "perp" is short for "perpetrator" and is what the police call the guy who they believe committed a crime? Or would you trust the reader to know what a "perp" is? 3.Do you regularly misplace the modifiers in a sentence? These are usually humorous ("I feed chocolates to my friends with soft centers.") but they'll sure mess up a serious story line. 4.Do you sometimes drift into inanities? What you write needs to make sense in context. There's no reason for writing what appears inane to the reader unless you're writing a script like RAINMAN. 5.Do you ever make something up, thereby creating erroneous but easily checked "facts"? For example, don't talk about harvesting sugar cane to make mescal... mescal is made from the agave plant. 6.Do you misuse the infamous verb "gave"? Don't have your character "give her hand a shake" unless he's handing her a milkshake. If he's shaking her hand, have him shake her hand. Try to use "give" or "gave" only when a physical object changes hands. 7.Do you overuse the state-of-being verbs (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, or been)? Don't write "The explosion was seen by all present." Instead, write actively: "Everyone present saw the explosion." Hope these help, or that they at least "gave" you a chuckle. That's it for this time. I hope I'll be meeting some of you down the road at one or more of my presentations or seminars. Best, Harvey |
| The StoneThread Newsletter, Issue #4 February 2007 |
|
Hey, Everybody. Well, I think I mentioned that this newsletter wouldn't be intrusive and that it would arrive in your mailbox only occasionally. Guess the fact that
it's been six months since the last one bears that out. Editing Service For anyone who wasn't aware of it previously, in addition to being a writer and poet, I'm also a freelance editor. I provide a free line-edit and content critique of up to 10 pages of your short story or novel, and there's absolutely no obligation. The sample enables me to see how you write and you to see how I edit. Should you choose me to edit your manuscript in full, I also offer a very quick turnaround time and continued support afterward. Upcoming Conferences and Seminars Next Tuesday, February 27, I will read from my National Book Award nominate collection, Beyond the Masks, and teach a poetry class at the Richland College Literary Festival in the northeast Dallas suburb of Richardson, Texas. On Thursday, March 1 at 7 p.m., I'll teach a class on Writing Realistic Dialogue and then participate in a book signing event at Borders Books & Music, 2403 S. Stemmons #100, Lewisville TX 75067. The phone number is 972-459-2321, and Stephanie Studer is the contact. The class is free and open to the public. Hope to see you there! From April 20 - 22 I'll be presenting sessions on Fiction and Poetry at the Missouri Writers' Guild Writers' Conference in St. Charles. For information, contact Margo Dill at Margodll@aol.com. On May 17 I'll conduct a reading and book signing at the Johnson County Central Resource Library, 9875 W. 87th Street, Overland Park, KS 66212 (Phone 913 495-2400). For information, contact Mary-Lane Kamberg at kamberg202@comcast.net. On June 9 I'll be in Springfield, Missouri to teach at The Poison Tea Party Conference at the Lamplighter Inn North, 2820 N. Glenstone Ave. It's open to the public. For information, call Delane Parrott at 832-9959 or email her at delaneparrott@sbcglobal.net. September 15 - 16 I'll speak at the Society of Southwestern Authors' (SSA) Wrangling with Writing Conference in Tucson. I'll deliver the Saturday luncheon keynote address and hope to present a couple of classes during the conference as well. For information, see the SSA Website at http://www.ssa-az.org or contact Penny Porter at wporter202@aol.com. This is one of the truly great writers' conferences in the US. I'm currently "off" from June 10 through early September. As always, if you would like to have me in your area for a workshop, seminar, retreat or conference, let me know. For more details on these and other engagements, be sure to check the Events page of my website. The Writer's Perspective I used to open my classes by telling those in attendance that if I could say anything at all that might dissuade them from a life as a writer or poet, they should leave the room. A few left almost every time, and it always surprised me. If I could dissuade them with one sentence, how passionate could they have been about the craft of writing? Those who remained were the ones for whom writing was a passion, not merely something "cool" they wanted to be. Because I suspect most of you also are passionate about your writing, I thought I'd offer up the following tidbits: Someone mentioned to me recently that perhaps the true measure of a writer's work is in the eyes of the reader. Of course, that's absolutely true. As I often tell other poets, for example, we can only begin a poem. The reader finishes it. We write through the filter of our own baggage, good or bad, and the reader reads through his. Because no two people have exactly the same experiences and understanding, the reader will always get something different than what we thought we delivered. Of course, this is a good thing. If I write a poem and give it to a hundred readers, I will have effectively written a hundred poems. At a conference somewhere, I met a young editor who was far too full of herself. I'd just overheard her berating a struggling new writer. She ended her near-tirade with "I don't need you; you need me." Tactfully, I took her aside and said, "So you're an editor, right? What would you do if there were no writers?" She looked a bit shocked, then said she probably would have been a doctor. I smiled. "Do you know what a writer would do if there were no editors? They'd write. Remember that the next time you start thinking they need you more than you need them." Folks, it's true that the measure of any given written work is in the eyes of the beholder, as is the case with any form of art. But always try to remember that the true worth of the writing itself lies in the passion of the writer. In this discipline, what truly matters is the journey, not the destination. Consider, the reader gets to see only the destination, but the writer gets to enjoy the euphoria of finding exactly the right group of words after recasting a sentence twelve times. The reader gets to escape his humdrum life for awhile. The writer gets to shoulder the heady responsibility of enabling that escape. The poor reader gets to read, but the Writer gets to wake up each morning, pour a cup of strong coffee, don his tights and cape (or jeans and sweatshirt) and WRITE! What could be better than that? That's it for this time. I hope I'll be meeting some of you down the road at one or more of my presentations or seminars. Best, Harvey |
| The StoneThread Newsletter, Issue #3 August, 2006 |
|
Hey, Everybody. Seems it's that time again. So much has been happening that I want to let everyone know about. First of all, look for my article "Stop Interrupting: Six Ways to Bring Your Story to a Halt and How to Avoid Them" on page 31-33 of the November issue of The Writer magazine. If you read the article, let me know what you think. You can always contact me at h_stanbrough@yahoo.com. And in January, The Writer will also feature an article by yours truly on Writing Flash Fiction. Many thanks to Michael Burch, editor and publisher of The HyperTexts, for nominating some of my work to be included in the Snow*Vigate Anthology, which will be published by Indiana State University. Belated thanks also to my publisher, John Oelfke of Central Ave Press for having nominated Beyond the Masks for the 2005 National Book Award. I recently found out he also nominated several works from that collection for the Pushcart Prize. Because apparenly I'm not quite busy enough, I'm building websites again too. For a set fee, I will work with you to design and create a five-page website. For examples, browse my own site while you're here or visit the Central Ave Press website or Alexandra's Loom. Offers for speaking engagements are rolling in. I hope some of you can join us for the Writing the WorldTM : The Art of Observation retreat in Wickenburg, Arizona, on October 13 - 15. The retreat is hosted by the Congress-Wickenburg chapter of the Society of Southwestern Authors and will be conducted at the lovely Rancho de los Caballeros Resort in Wickenburg. If you'd like to get in on this seminar/retreat, email Helen Baker or Patricia Gould to register. The next speaking engagement is a possible fiction class and a definite advanced poetry class and reading/signing in early November in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. And I'll present several sessions at the San Diego State University Writers' Conference in January. For more details on these and other engagements, be sure to check the Events page of my website occasionally.
Other Upcoming Conferences and Seminars
Announcements I've recently found out that the Second Edition of Punctuation for Writers is going to be delayed considerably. The good news for you is that you can still get the original first edition of Punctuation for Writers and/or Writing Realistic Dialogue & Flash Fiction not only in a bookstore near you (or an amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com) but also direct from me. For details on how to get a signed copy of either or both books at a discount, contact me via email at h_stanbrough@yahoo.com. signed copies of the National Book Award nominated poetry collection, Beyond the Masks, are also available. I also still have copies left of my brief quasi-prosody, The Craft of Poetry: Structure & Sound, a 53-page chapbook. You can purchase either a hard copy or an electronic copy, which I will send to you via email in PDF format. You can read a description of this instructional chapbook at StoneThread. Remember, I'll always announce any new releases here on my website. The Writer's Perspective Here are a few general tips that will fit every writing scenario:
Oddly enough, most writers who use dialect try to do far too much with it. As a result, they often serve only to confuse the reader. In the next issue of this newsletter, we'll take a look at some specific, in-depth techniques for using dialect in a way that enhances the story line rather than detracting from it. That's it for this time. Thanks for signing up. I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope I'll be meeting some of you down the road at one or more of my presentations or seminars. Best, Harvey |
| The StoneThread Newsletter, Issue #2 August, 2006 |
|
In our busy lives, sometimes we lose touch with the world and our place within it. We lose the curiosity and awe and compassion of childhood. We lose sight of
what's really important in life. We need to come home occasionally to touch base with the source and take the time to rediscover Self. Those are the opening words on the flyer I'm using to promote my Writing the WorldTM : The Art of Observation seminar in Wickenburg, Arizona from October 13 - 15. The seminar is hosted by the Congress-Wickenburg chapter of the Society of Southwestern Authors and will be conducted at the lovely Rancho de los Caballeros Resort in Wickenburg. The course will enable you to get in touch with yourself and the world around you from a place of personal authenticity and tranquil strength. Slots are filling up quickly, so if you'd like to get in on this seminar, email Helen Baker or Patricia Gould to register. Here's the rest of the scoop:
Patricia B. Gould, President SSA, Congress-Wickenburg Chapter PO Box 231 Congress AZ 85332 To receive the flyer, an hour by hour schedule, or an electronic press kit, Email Harvey. I hope to see you there! Other Upcoming Conferences and Seminars First, my sincere thanks to all the folks in Columbus, Ohio; Oklahoma City and Ardmore, Oklahoma; Ft. Wayne, Indiana; and Amarillo, Texas for making my summer speaking schedule a huge success. Their warmth and hospitality were unsurpassed. I hope to be seeing them again next year. My speaking and appearance schedule has slowed considerably for the remainder of 2006: September 22, Evansville, Indiana: Bodyworks Massage Institute, 2112 Maxwell Ave, Evansville, IN 47711. Poetry reading and book signing for Bob Yehling's Shades of Green and Coyotes in Broad Daylight and for Harvey's National Book Award nominated collection Beyond the Masks. No charge. Everyone is welcome. September 23 - 24, Evansville, Indiana: Bodyworks Massage Institute. Two-day seminar co-hosted by Bob Yehling, Cecile Martin, and Harvey. Each day will begin with a warm-up writing period facilitated by Cecile. Other topics will include Bob Yehling's "Writes of LifeTM : Your Experiences, Your Stories" and "How Your Stories Heal Others"; and Harvey's "Writing Realistic Dialogue: Creating Mental Movies," "Seven Ways to Lose a Reader," and "Writing Flash Fiction." There will also be an informal Question & Answer period as well as a mini-panel discussion on The Publishing World. (All topics are equally applicable to writing fiction and creative nonfiction. Cost is $139 if paid by September 1 and $159 afterward. To register Contact Cecile Martin at or heartinc@evansville.net or call her at 812-490-9009. She accepts VISA and MasterCard, or mail your check or money order to Bodyworks Massage Institute 2112 Maxwell Ave Evansville IN 47711 To see the flyer for this seminar, as well as information on the other instructors and an hour by hour schedule, visit StoneThread.com/workshop.html. In the next issue of this newsletter, I'll begin posting my 2007 schedule. Between newsletters, you can stay up to date with my appearances by visiting StoneThread.com/events.html. Finally, I'm very pleased to announce a kind of partnership with Bob Yehling of WordJourneys.com. At various times during the coming year, he and I hope to combine his Writes of LifeTM seminar with my own Writing the WorldTM seminar to provide attendees with up to a solid week of in-depth instruction and camraderie in a comfortable setting. More on these combined seminars in the next issue of this newsletter. Announcements Yep, I'm still editing The Raintown Review. It's published twice each year now, albeit in a larger issue. The next issue is due out in February, 2007, and the one after that will be out in August, 2007. For updated guidelines, subscription fees, etc., visit TRR. Keep an eye out for the November issue of The Writer magazine. It will carry an article by yours truly on "The Seven Writerly Sins." I wrote it, so I can tell you in advance it's not only humorous and personable, but informative and chock full of examples. Let me know what you think of it after you've read it. You can always contact me at h_stanbrough@yahoo.com. The Second Edition of Punctuation for Writers, complete with a new chapter regarding the use of punctuation in poetry as well as many new examples and other information, will be with the printer soon. The Writer's Perspective will return with the next issue of this newsletter. For more tips on writing dialogue and narrative, take a look at my book, Writing Realistic Dialogue & Flash Fiction (Central Ave Press, 2004). It and its companion, Punctuation for Writers, are available from amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com or your local bookstore by request. Publications Update I still have copies left of my brief quasi-prosody, The Craft of Poetry: Structure & Sound, a 53-page chapbook. You can purchase either a hard copy or an electronic copy, which I will send to you via email in PDF format. You can read a description of this instructional chapbook at StoneThread. I also still have copies of my latest chapbook poetry collection, Always in Your Face: Slanders and Thoughts. And yes, the title is illustrative of the content. The cost for this one is only $7 postpaid. I'm still planning another instructional chapbook about how to create realistic characters. It will include discussions of dialect, character identification through dialogue, the difference between well-rounded characters (protagonist and antagonist) and secondary characters, and much more information. I expect to make it available some time this winter or next spring. And yes, I'm still planning other instructional chapbooks on self-editing, writing flash fiction, and the art and philosophy of observation (probably several under this umbrella topic). I'll always announce new releases here on my website. That's it for this time. Thanks for signing up. I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope I'll be meeting some of you down the road at one or more of my presentations or seminars. To see previous newsletters in this series, scroll down. Best, Harvey Note: If you have an idea for a new venue for my presentations to writers' groups or conferences or college writing programs, or for my seminars please write me at h_stanbrough@yahoo.com to request my electronic press kit. |
| The StoneThread Newsletter, Issue #1 April, 2006 |
|
On one wall of my office, directly above my desk, hangs the National Geographic "Map of the Known Universe." Earth is so small that it isn't even represented
on that map. Our entire solar system is represented only by a speck that indicates our sun. In fact, the scale of the map is such that our nearest neighbor, Alpha Centauri,
is only 1/4 inch away. Pretty neat. It strikes me as ironic that, collectively, humans are so prideful, immodest, and audacious that we've actually mapped the "Known
Universe." And the mappers, like all of us, are tapped directly into the collective human consciousness. Consider, we're collectively so self-absorbed that we haven't even
bothered to show Earth on the map, as if we're so important that we're certain everyone else in the universe knows where we are. But we aren't quite as big a deal as we
give ourselves credit for. After all, Alpha Centauri is so distant in reality that if our little planet suddenly exploded, suddenly just ceased to exist, not only would our
nearest neighbor not care, they wouldn't even know. I study that map any time I'm feeling a little full of myself. My brother wrote to me a few days ago that "false humility" is a foolish thing, that we're put here to be who we are, to live our lives and contribute according to our talents. He is right, of course. One who lives without putting his talents to use is cheating the rest of us, in a way, but I maintain there's nothing wrong with reining-in our ego, both personal and collective, from time to time. Nobody ever died from a lack of "I." Bowing to my brother's advice to avoid false humility, it is with a sense of subdued arrogance that I offer this newsletter. Through it, I will make available to you my own talents so you may take advantage of those that seem to fit your current needs. Introduction Welcome to the premier issue of The StoneThread Newsletter. My intent is to publish this newsletter only a few times each year, probably quarterly or thereabouts, to let subscribers know about forthcoming books and chapbooks, important updates to the StoneThread website, and upcoming appearances. I also intend to include tips on self-editing and on writing fiction, creative non-fiction, or poetry in each issue. If you have an idea for something pertinent that you'd like to see in this newsletter, feel free to write me at h_stanbrough@yahoo.com. Should you decide you want to unsubscribe for any reason, even if you do so through the form at the bottom of my Events page, please also (or instead) take a moment to send me an email at h_stanbrough@yahoo.com and I'll be sure you're manually removed from the list. Upcoming Conferences and Seminars Since you're right here on the website reading the online version of the newsletter, please click Events to view the most current listing of upcoming conferences and seminars. MANY more seminars are planned for Fall, 2006 and all of 2007. I'm very pleased to announce a new partnership with Bob Yehling of WordJourneys. At various times during the upcoming years, he and I will combine his Writes of LifeTM seminar with my own Writing the WorldTM seminar to provide attendees with up to a solid week of in-depth instruction and camraderie in a comfortable setting. More on these combined seminars in the next issue of this newsletter. Note: If you have an idea for a new venue for my presentations to writers' groups or conferences or college writing programs, or for my seminars please write me at h_stanbrough@yahoo.com to request my electronic press kit. The Writer's Perspective In each issue, I'll address some aspect of writing fiction or nonfiction or poetry. For this issue, let's discuss The Elements of Dialogue?they aren't what most writers think they are. Dialogue is actually one part conversation (character voice) and two parts narrative. The writing that appears between the quotation marks is the character's voice, which we normall call dialogue. The narrative parts are tag lines (he said / she said) and brief descriptive narrative passages. Use tag lines only when it's absolutely necessary to identify which character is speaking. Most often, the reader will know from the context (provided by the brief descriptive narrative bits) which character is speaking. The brief descriptive narrative passages should be used to introduce conversation or to interrupt it, never to follow it. For example, it would be better to write either of these: John nodded. "Yep, that's a good idea." John nodded. "Yep, that's a good idea." He turned toward the doorway. "Let's go." If you write it as follows "Yep, that's a good idea. Let's go." John nodded and turned toward the doorway. you will confuse the reader. When the reader encounters the post-dialogue narrative passage, he will most often go back and re-read the line of dialogue now that he knows which character is speaking. In the first two examples, the reader knows John is talking because he "saw" John nod before he began talking and, in the second example, he "saw" John turn toward the doorway before continuing to talk. For more tips on writing dialogue and narrative, take a look at my book, Writing Realistic Dialogue & Flash Fiction (Central Ave Press, 2004). It and its companion, Punctuation for Writers, are available from amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com or your local bookstore by request. Publications Update I've just released a brief quasi-prosody entitled The Craft of Poetry: Structure & Sound as a 53-page chapbook. You can purchase either a hard copy or an electronic copy, which I will send to you via email in PDF format. You can read a description of this instructional chapbook at the StoneThread home page. My new chapbook poetry collection, Always in Your Face: Slanders and Thoughts, is available now as a hard copy chapbook or as an electronic book. Read a description at the StoneThread home page. I also look forward to sharing with you another instructional chapbook about how to create realistic characters. It will include discussions of dialect, character identification through dialogue, the difference between well-rounded characters (protagonist and antagonist) and secondary characters, and much more information. I expect to make it available some time this summer. I'm also putting together another chapbook poetry collection entitled Dribblings from the Corner of a Mind: Epigrams and Other Short Takes. I hope to make it available some time this summer as well. Finally, yes, there will be other instructional chapbooks on self-editing, writing flash fiction, and the art and philosophy of observation (probably several under this umbrella topic). I'll always announce new releases here on the website on the StoneThread home page. That's it for this time. Thanks for signing up. I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope I'll be meeting some of you down the road at one or more of my presentations or seminars. Best, Harvey |