1

We are continuing

to send renewal state-

ments by email as

much as possible.

We’ve discovered a

few glitches in recent

months so please

check your NWA

membership card for a

late (after May) 2017

expiration date or an

early 2018 expire date.

Please, please let us

know if you change

your email address.

We have had over 100

bounce backs on the

newsletter, and I am

sure most of those are

due to changes in

email address.

Have a wonderful

spring!

S pring is

sneaking

up on us

a g a i n .

Hard for me to believe

since we got about six

inches of snow in a

Colorado-like blizzard

last night. But the cal-

endar is telling me

spring is here, and so I

must believe. That

doesn’t mean I am

rushing out to plant a

garden—it just means

it may warm up soon.

With the warming

trend, some may be

tempted to put aside

writing projects and

opt for digging in the

soil. Actually it is the

perfect time to grow a

writing project. When

possible it is time to

move writing from

your trusty desk to the

patio or deck. In-

cluded in this issue, is

an inspiring article

about how one

woman financed her

children’s’ education

by writing Gothic

romances. I think

you’ll agree writing

what you need to

write is sometimes

more important than

what you love to

write.

Also a quick

commercial for those

living in the Denver

area, we are schedul-

ing this years’ Victo-

rian Tea for May 12,

from 2 pm. To 4 pm.

We hope to see our

regular attendees and

some new friends too.

With luck some

place—the Hilltop

School. Our theme

will be Lace and Lin-

ens. Of course there

will the usual good-

ies, the cookbook of

goody recipes, and

prizes for tea cups

and the lucky draw-

ing.

Editor’s Say

Inside this issue:

How to Write a Gothic

Novel

2, 3

The Hashtag User is a

More Elegant Writer

4

Writing Articles is

Something Anyone Can

Do

5

Writing Style—Write

the Way You Talk

6

Authorship

DEPARTMENTS

Books By Members………9

Bookshelf……………….….7

Bookstore…………………..7

Chapter News…………..12

Contest Flyers…...13, 14

Foundation News……...11

FYI…………………..……….…..9

GOOD NEWS………………..9

Just for Laughs.………...8

Meet the Press….……...10

Show Window

Ads…………………………….11

Thought For

Today………………..………….3

Writer’s

Bookshelf……….……..……7

ISSN 1092-9347 WINTER 2017

Published quarterly by the National Writers Association,

10940 S. Parker Rd., #508,

Parker, CO 80134-7440 ** 303-841-0246. A not-for-profit

corporation founded in 1937.

Copyright © 2014. NWA gen-eral membership $65.00 U.S.

funds, open to all writers;

qualified professional member-ship $85.00 U.S.; student mem-

berships (must be ac -

companied by photocopy of student ID)$35.00 U.S.; sus-

taining membership for indi-

viduals or companies $250. Please add $25.00 outside of

U.S. for additional postage.

Subscriptions $20.00 U.S. includes postage and handling

in U.S. Outside U.S. please add

$5.00 for extra mailing fees. Articles are considered for

publication and may be edited

and/or condensed. Query first with SASE.

2

G othic novels are not new . . .

the Bronte sisters wrote lots

of them.

Mid-twentieth-century publishers

actually stopped the rapid decline in

book-sales by resurrecting the genre,

usually in inexpensive paper-back edi-

tions, the highly-colored covers of

which showed a beautiful young woman

in a flowing negligee fleeing from a

spooky castle/mansion/abbey, usually

silhouetted against a windy sky. This

damsel-in-distress was a governess to an

invalid child or a companion to a de-

manding old lady, either of whom were

bound in some way to the handsome/

saturnine/mysterious master of the cas-

tle/mansion/abbey who would inevitably

fall in love with the heroine. Much as

she wanted to reciprocate, she couldn’t

help suspecting the hero of having poi-

soned/pushed from the tower/or other-

wise done-in his late wife.

Not to worry! Another desirable man

would soon be introduced. He, too

How to Write a Gothic Novel by Millie Baker Ragosta

would fall in love with

her . . . even if, initially,

they bickered. The plot

from then on demanded

that one of these hunks

would attempt to murder

her, the other to help her

solve the mystery of the

old castle/mansion/abbey

and lead her forth to a

life of bliss.

The variations on the

main plot often had holes

big enough to drive a

couch-and-four through.

However, when the end

of World War II sent all

the Rosie, the riveters

b a c k t o A m e r -

ica’s kitchens, gothic

novels became a life-line

to many women.

To me—they were

textbooks.

Husband Vince and I

lived with our children—

eleven, eventually—in

an isolated house outside

of town where he began

establishing an insurance

agency. This kept him

busy from early morning

until late at night and me

with no companionship

except a house full of

rambunctious kids.

It was the perfect

venue for writing gothic

novels . . . on a 1911

typewriter Vince bought

for $5 at a garage sale. I

kept it at a wide-space in

the upstairs hall-way

atop my roll-top desk

which—when I had to

throw a load of clothes

i n t h e w a s h i n g -

machine—could be low-

ered and locked so the

kids couldn’t use my

manuscripts for coloring

books.

Even so, my ac-

tual writing-time was

restricted to the length of

my toddlers’ naps. And,

when the “big” kids were

home, after school or in

the summers, nap-time

became non-existent.

Did this present a

problem for me? Heck

no! That was when I

wrote my best suspense!

Indeed, I found a yel-

lowed manuscript way

back in a drawer yester-

day. I’m producing it

below, the old manu-

script in italics, the

“now” comments in or-

dinary print.

The silence of the

night around the old

keep was shattered by a

scream, ululating from

the very depth of the

crypt. Moira, torn from

an uneasy sleep, sat up

and pushed aside the

heavy bed-hangings. She

groped for the tinder-box

beside the . . .

“Boys! Stop that

fighting right now!”

. . . bed and stuck a

light, pitifully small in

the vast, shadowy cham-

ber. She . . .

(continued on page 3)

3

You’re not fighting,

you’re practicing wres-

tling holds. Stop!

. . . candle and,

wrapping her robe

around her, moved to-

ward the

. . . screen. You will

put your foot through the

television screen.”

door. With all her

heart, she wanted noth-

ing so much as to pull

the heavy armoire across

the door and huddle in

her bed until . . .

“Tomorrow! I’ll sew

the button on your

blouse before you leave

for school tomorrow,

Margaret. Put it on my

sewing box.

“Roberta’s ghost

stopped screaming from

the ancient dungeon

near . . .

“Kathy, please check

the record-player; it’s

stuck, stuck, stuck . . .

“her tiny candle with

which she reluctantly lit

her way to . . .

“Ruthie, that’s not

soft-ball stage yet. Cook

the fudge a bit longer . . .

“the crypt. Only she

could free Roberta’s tor-

mented spirit from . . .

“Wrestling again!

Boys, I mean it. Stop!”

“her torment. Down,

ever downward to . . .

“Ruthie, now you

cooked it too long . . .

don’t hold it over my

desk by the imbedded

spoon!”

“. . . the horror of

the crypt. Something

cold brushed against her

face . . .

“No, Rosie, you are

not a baby; tell Margaret

Mommy said so . . .

“and she screamed!

“E.e.e.e.e.e . . .

About The Author

Millie Baker Ragosta was

born in Huntingdon, Pennsyl-

vania in 1931, graduated with

honors from Huntingdon High

School in the class of 1949.

She married Vincent A. Ra-

gosta in 1950. She is the

mother of eleven children,

grandmother of nineteen, and

great-grandmother of ten, at

last count. Her husband died

in 1990, her sixth child, Jo-

seph, in 2013.

She is the author of thirteen

published romances, most of

them for Doubleday, many

short stories and articles and,

for eight years until her resig-

nation upon her husband’s

death, a family humor col-

umn, Ba ker’ s Do zen ,

for Catholic Twin Circle.

She edited and sold her

father ’s cr i t ical ly ac-

claimed Doughboy’s Diary,

his account of the part Hun-

tingdon’s Company F played

in the First World War. She

wrote four historical nov-

els, Bonny Ketty Gordon, A

Thousand Kingdoms, The

Monmouth Rebel, and High

Wind Rising dealing with how

many Huntingdon County

families, Scotch and English

citizens driven from the

How to Write a Gothic Novel (continued)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

“FILL YOUR PAPER WITH THE

BREATHJINGS OF YOUR HEART.”

-WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

British Isles by various wars, eventually

reached America in the late 18th century.

Doughboy’s Diary and these Hunting-

don Chronicles are e-published by Amazon.

National Writers Press, Inc.

NWP is now accepting new

manuscripts for a 2019 release

date.

PUBLISHING QUALITY,

ROYALTY FICTION AND

NONFICTION.

No unsolicited

manuscripts.

Accepting e-mail and mail

queries.

For more information about

the National Writers Press,

visit their website at:

www.nationalwriterspress.com

E-mail

natlwriterspress

@hotmail.com

4

Y esterday I had an intense conver-

sation in which it transpired that

we no longer look at content in

its own right. When you are be-

ing shown a photo album, it comes with com-

mentary rather than five further pictures that

would explain the content.

When you go to an art gallery, there's a de-

scription next to the painting rather than several

other paintings telling you the story of the artist's

life. When you watch a play, you've read the

program rather than having an actor talk you

through the production background and credits.

Moreover, when you see something on its

own, you are more likely to either bypass it or

search for supporting information. Content, es-

pecially supporting content, is everywhere and

no more so than on here, the empire in which

Google rains and SEO purrs by its side like a

tamed tiger. The hash tag is the beautiful and

popular twin-sister of the content tag.

Imagine an empty white space with a big

window and a broken piece of furniture, which

you just so happen to walk past on the way to

work. This can mean a lot. It can mean a shop

has gone bankrupt, emptied the space but

dropped that piece of furniture. It could mean

there's a new pop - up gallery that hasn't finished

constructing the space - hence, there are no de-

scriptions, titles or tags. What if you looked

twice and there it said "Waste of Space" at the

bottom corner of the window? How about a

scratched out "Wo-lw-rth-" or in really obvious

cases "Shop coming near you soon". Would that

be clearer? Maybe not, but it gives you a second

layer of information to explain the situation

with.

Now imagine a piece of content that has no

reference to anything but itself. Imagine you're

working on your spread- sheets and an auto-

mated Social Media interface such as

The # User is a More Elegant Writer by BigStar

TweetDeck makes a little

"ping" noise. You look up and

there it is, between all the

headers and questions and

links. Just a plain little tweet

statement that says, "Leaves

are green". What on earth is

that twitterer trying to say?

But then you see a hash tag,

and it all makes sense. It

could be #ObviousStatements,

# S c i e n c e I s W r o n g ,

# E n j o y i n g N a t u r e ,

# I t ' s N o t A u t u m n Y e t ,

# I ' m B o r e d ,

#ResearchingPaint - anything.

But it will make the tweet a

lot clearer without disrupting

the copywriting itself in any

way.

Make the most of your

140 characters.

This is particularly help-

ful when you want to make

sure the SEO of your content

is covered without having to

add a whole other pointless

sentence taking up any of

your 140 characters of a

tweet. You want to engage

your reader but not bombard

them with statements.

"You don't ask visitors to

do heavy lifting as soon as

they come through the door

e i t h e r , d o y o u ?

#CopywritingTips"

* The majority of the

140 characters are taken up by

the interesting question or you

want to pose to your readers *

Although the question itself

does not use the key words

you need, anybody looking

for copywriting tips will be

able to find this tweet and

with it, the link * It indicates

the nature of the answer of the

question without giving it

away * It evokes curiosity and

a higher possibility of tempt-

ing the reader to click on the

link because they know it is

relevant to them but are not

s u r e h o w

If this were a tweet, I'd add

#TheRightWayToUseHashTa

gs. Imagine there was no hash

tag description at all... People

might have thought the ques-

tion was meant literal and that

the tweet was discussing

courteous ways of greeting

guests.

#HowNotToWriteTweets

* "This is a Copywriting Tip."

* "One of our copywriting

tips is wondering whether you

should ask visitors to do

heavy lifting as soon as they

come through the door." *

"The right way to use the hash

tag is as follows in an exam-

ple".

Hash tags can be used in

many different ways and are

helpful for SEO, online cam-

paigns, which denote solidar-

ity on a topic, and identifying

trending topics such as #ff to

join in, hereby ensuring a

higher readership based upon

miniscule use of words that

could have meant missing out

entirely. I'll talk about the

different uses in another

#SocialMediaHighSchool

article.

There's nothing wrong

with being mysterious. As

long as it's clear what you are

talking about, of course.

About The Author Bigstar Content is an award-

winning UK web content

company that works with sev-

eral leading UK search agen-

cies, SMEs and large busi-

nesses across a range of sec-

tors. Our services include web

copywriting, articles, blogs,

press releases and content

consultancy.

V i s i t h t t p : / /

www.bigstarcontent.co.uk no

w and find out how we can

make your web copywriting

more effective.

5

W riting arti-

cles is a

very ef-

f e c t i v e

way to advertise online but

many tend to shy away from

this strategy because they

lack confidence in their writ-

ing skills. The fact is how-

ever anybody can easily

learn how to write articles

and will quickly discover the

biggest barrier is simply the

confidence you lacked. If

you can carry on a conversa-

tion you can author some-

thing worth reading.

Here are 3 simple steps

you can take to increase both

your writing skills and your

confidence in your abilities

to compose something worth

reading.

Speak Your Ideas Out

Loud

You will find that by

simply 'talking' out what it is

you want to compose, that

the words will come easily.

Speaking fluidly comes sec-

ond nature to just about any-

body blessed with the gift of

speech and rarely are we

challenged for finding the

words we want to say. When

trying to compose something

however we tend to 'think' before

we write and this slows the proc-

ess thereby making it more diffi-

culty than it needs to be. Con-

cern over grammar and punctua-

tion is normal and natural but it

only disrupts your train of

thought and increases your frus-

tration. When you speak out loud

these concerns disappear and

thoughts flow much more

smoothly.

Get Concise

In time you will learn how to

say more with less words. When

you write articles or any other

type of content it is always rec-

ommended to proofread your

work. Here you can check gram-

mar, punctuation and even edit

sentences or phrases that do not

sound right or are too lengthy.

There is little reason to use more

words than needed to get your

point across and readers will ap-

preciate your conciseness as

well!

Full Circle

It is important to realize and

remember that writing skills are

just that, skills, and they can be

learned. The more you practice

this skill the more proficient you

will become and the more you

will also realize that you are

merely having a conversation

with your readers. At this stage

you will become less 'hung up'

over grammar and wording

thereby finding that your efforts

will come easier and much faster,

almost second nature! In the end

you will find speaking from the

heart is the quickest and best way

to compose something others will

f i n d w o r t h r e a d i n g !

Writing articles is not difficult

but gaining the confidence to do so

can sometimes make the process

more complicated. Being this par-

ticular strategy is a very effective

way to advertise online developing

your writing skills is something

you will want to do. As mentioned

above if you can carry on a conver-

sation you can writes articles. The

3 simple steps suggested above

will serve to help anybody who

lacks the confidence or is even ex-

periencing writer's block to over-

come these barriers. You owe it to

not only yourself to but the rest of

the internet community to share

with them what it is you have to

say!

About The Author

TJ Philpott is an author and Inter-

net entrepreneur based out of

North Carolina.

For more tips about writing arti-

cles and to also receive a free

instructional manual that teaches

valuable niche research tech-

niques for online marketing needs

simply visit:http://

affiliatequickstart.com

Writing Articles is Something Anyone Can Do by TJ Philpot

6

W hen I started in network

marketing, I ran my warm

market far away from me.

When my family and

friends saw me coming, they ran in the other

direction. Because I was never a pushy used

car salesman type, needless to say, I never

had many sales or recruits.

Then I discovered the Internet. I met a

person who introduced me to Internet mar-

keting. Marketing and generating leads by

means of this fabulous new tool called the

Internet, was great. I loved the Internet any-

way, so why not use this format for my busi-

ness purposes.

I learned some new marketing techniques

and strategies using the Internet. I was gener-

ating leads and meeting some awesome peo-

ple in the network marketing community. I

really loved what I was doing.

One technique that I tried and fell in love

with was article marketing. I loved to write,

and now I could get a blog and start writing

my articles for my business and my pas-

sions.

My first writing came on a very popular

platform called hubpages. Many of you have

probably heard of it or are writing on your

own hubpages, but I didn’t know what to

write about. My friend told me to write about

things I was very passionate about. So I

started to write. That was almost two years

ago and one of my very first articles is still

getting hits today.

I want to give you five quick simple

steps that will help you make your writing

skills about you, your personality, and attract

more people to you.

1. Write the Way You Talk

Good writing is like a conversation be-

tween the writer and the reader. So when

you’re writing, think about how you would

Writing Style—Write the Way You Talk by Brian Gosur

explain what you’re saying to a

close friend who is sitting right

across from you. Use the same

words, the same stories that you

would normally use to explain

your points.

2. Read Out Loud To Yourself

You should be proof reading

your articles before you publish

them, and when you do, read

them out loud to yourself, as if

you were reading them to a con-

gregation. As you read you will

stumble over the parts that you

need to fix. They will sound awk-

ward and won’t have that nice

flow. Do this until your article

sounds good and flows smoothly.

3. Ask Someone to Read It for

You

This is where my wife comes

in. I ask her to read my articles

before I get ready to publish

them. She is my best critic. If she

see something that doesn’t sound

right, I better take a look at it.

This should be someone that you

know will give your writing an

honest scrutiny.

4. Use the Same Words You

Talk With Every Day

When I first started to write

and blog, I tried to use big long

sophisticated words. I tried to be

someone I wasn’t. Just be your-

self. Your true personality will

come out when you start writing

this way, and people will just be

attracted to you because of who

you really are. Remember, not

everyone will like who you are,

and that’s ok too.

5. Just Start Writing

Don’t worry about the

grammar, writing styles, and

punctuation, just start writing.

Get your main thoughts and

ideas down, and don’t worry

about anything else. Once

your done, than you can go

back and edit your spelling

and grammar errors. Remem-

ber, you and a close friend

will be proof reading it before

it goes out.

Have fun writing and

expressing your thoughts,

ideas and value to enhance

your readers and followers

lives. Remember to always be

yourself, because people will

always be attracted to the real

you, and not to someone you

are pretending to be.

About The Author

After thirty five successful

years at Ford Motor Com-

pany, Brian Gosur has a new

career as an entrepreneur,

network marketer, and inter-

net marketing coach. To learn

more about him, visit his

w e b s i t e a t ; h t t p : / /

www.bgosur.com

7

WRITER’S BOOKSHELF

“How do you get your ideas?” was a

question from at least one workshop atten-

dee at every workshop I ever conducted.

Early on my temptation was to answer with

some smart aleck answer like “out of my

head”, later on I figured out how to make

the answer last twenty minutes and turn it

into another workshop.

Now the solution is simpler. Denise

Jaden has compiled the hundreds of answers

into STORY SPARKS: Finding your Best

Story Ideas & Turning Them into Compel-

ling Fiction. This handy 131-page idea-

filled book is brimming with ways to spark

your writing and turn it into that 300, or

more, page novel.

Jaden gives her readers and students the

key to SPARK- S)eek, P)assion, A)llies, R)

esonance, K)inetic Energy to generate a

successful writing piece. She also uses five

new appendices to give the writer a new

perspective on names, places, motives, ob-

stacles, and story themes. Even old veterans

can refresh their writing with Jaden’s tech-

niques.

STORY SPARKS: Finding your Best

Story Ideas & Turning Them into Compel-

ling Fiction is a publication of New World

Library which retails for $14.95.

Writer’s Bookshelf

NWA BOOKSTORE

Now, through your National

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bership, you can save up to

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For further details, call 800-

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ceive your exclusive dis-

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Be sure to ask about Penny

Wise’s special Welcome

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office supplies for $24.99.

NWA BOOKSTORE

NWA GUIDE TO

WRITING FOR

BEGINNERS

Basics for every writer by

Sandy Whelchel

Rowman and Littlefield

publishers $24.95 + $2.20

p&h (retail $25.95)

THE FREELANCE

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A WAY IN THE

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BOOKS MAY BE

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8

Just for Laughs

9

BOOKS BY MEMBERS

Durlynn Anema of Galt, CA has an-

other book being released by the Na-

tional Writers Press May 25. A Common

Thread is a compilation of women’s sto-

ries showing how they not only rose to

the occasion when faced with obsticles,

but overcame them.

Congratulations to Durlynn on her ongo-

ing success!

Good News and Books by Members

GOOD NEWS

Do you have Good News?

We would like to share it

with your fellow NWA

members!

Please e-mail us at

natlwritersassn@

hotmail.com

FYI

The following is a list of

publishers, agents, or edi-

tors which have discontin-

ued business or ones with

which members have

lodged complaints. Please

note that those listed in the

complaint section may

have resolved their prob-

lems with members, so to

make sure of the status,

call the office before mak-

ing your final decision.

***If you’re considering

working with an agent or a

publisher, please contact

us for current information.

Please con-tact us on our

w e b s i t e a t

www.nationalwriters.com,

or email us at

Natlwritersassn

@hotmail.com***

NWA BOOKSTORE

NWA GUIDE TO

WRITING FOR

BEGINNERS

Basics for every writer by

Sandy Whelchel

Rowman and Littlefield

publishers $24.95 + $2.20

p&h (retail $25.95)

THE FREELANCE

WRITER’S BIBLE

by Dave Trottier

Don’t miss this book.

$18.15 + 2.50 p&h

A WAY IN THE

WILDERNESS

by Paula Silici

This well-researched

western romance is

bound to leave you ask-

ing for more.

$16.95 + $2.50 p&h

Moonlight Mesa

Associates Publishers

ALL THE ABOVE

BOOKS MAY BE

ORDERED THROUGH

NWA.

10

A Common Thread

by Durlynn Anema

$14.95

ISBN: 978-0-88100-167-9

Release Date May 2018

What do ten women of varying ages and backgrounds have in common?

The ten women featured in A Common Thread: Ordinary Women Facing Extraordinary Situa-

tions, range in age from thirty to over one hundred years old. They have shared one or more

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Meet women who have not only rose to the occasion, but went beyond through strength, perse-

verance, passion, faith, and the will to conquer. A Common Thread salutes those who struggle,

feel despair, often want to give up—yet know that is not a part of their character.

Their stories are related honestly, with sometimes shocking details and are told to help everyone

undergoing the same situation so that ultimately they can meet their full potential.

While accomplishments are celebrated, it is faith , hope, love, and positive attitudes that are the

lasting legacy. The lives of these incredibly strong women are reflected in this collection.

Meet the Press

11

EDITING/REVISING

NWA award winning author with extensive

grammar and punctuation background will edit

your work carefully and concisely. Proofread-

ing, editing and critiques of book-length works

or poetry and short stories. Email Paula at

pro-edits.com

SERVICES

Experienced transcriptionist seeks clients.

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Have you Visited the NWA Website lately?

We have updated our Links page to

include handy to links enabling you to

advance your writing career.

Links include:

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life/index.cfm?page=p011

12

NOTICE:

Chapters are a great way

to network, form critique

groups, and generally get in

touch.

Remember, membership

with an active NWA chapter

gives you a $5.00 discount

on your NWA member dues.

Contact NWA for infor-

mation on starting a chapter

or joining one in your area.

We encourage our members

to visit with their local chap-

ters.

You can also request re-

search report #112 for more

information. The meetings

are a great way to network

with fellow writers, so drop

by the next NWA chapter

meeting in your area.

Members are organizing

a chapter in the San Fran-

cisco, California area.

FOOTHILLS CHAPTER

An NWA Chapter has

formed in the Evergreen,

Colorado area. The Foot-

hills& Vicinity Writers

Group meets in Evergreen

on the 4th Saturday of every

month. For time, location,

and program agenda, contact

Jo Ann M. Colton at

jmccwrt@aol.com

SOUTH FLORIDA

CHAPTER

The chapter regularly meets

at the Coral Gables Holiday

Inn opposite the University

of Miami at 10:00 a.m. on the

first Saturday of each month.

They hold additional critique

groups for fiction,

nonfiction, short stories, poetry,

religious works and writing tech-

niques.

Write to the chapter at P.O.

Box 570415, Miami, FL 53257-

0415 .

LOS ANGELES CHAPTER

The NWA/LAC president is Tom

Howard. The chapter meets at the

Marie Callender’s Restaurant,

10050 Riverside Drive, Toluca

Lake, CA.

For further information contact

Tom at Tom4art2@aol.com

HONOLULU CHAPTER

The Honolulu Chapter is cur-

rently moving their meetings to

several locations.

Please check the NWA newslet-

ter for the location of their cur-

rent meeting. They are accepting

membership from all NWA

members living in and around

Hawaii, this includes members

living in Guam and other Pacific

Islands. Send #10 envelope to

Robert T. Tanouye at the address

below. They hold their meet-

ings— from January to Novem-

ber— on the first Monday of

each month.

Contact president Robert-

Tanouye

at: 1015 N. School St. #A-802,

Honolulu, HI 96817 or call (808

-845-9585).

Chapter News

VIRGINIA CHAPTER

We welcome members of the

newly organized Chapter in

Richmond, Virginia. Robblynn

Bonner has been working hard

to get this group organized. If

you live in the area and are in-

terested in the group, e-mail

Robblynn at

rlynnb1@yahoo.com

SISKIYOU CHAPTER

They have annual meetings with

social events scattered through-

out the year to encourage and

support our local membership.

Contact Shari Fiock,

406 Walters Lane, Yreka, CA

96097.

WRITE-ON HOOSIERS, INC

We welcome our newest chap-

ter, the Write-On Hoosiers in

Crown Point, IN. Sharon

Palmeri is the President. She

can be contacted by calling

219-663-7307 or by e-mailing

journe3@attiglobal.net

*************************

Any corrections or additions to

Chapter Information should be

sent to:

NWA Chapters, 10940 S. Parker

Rd, #508, Parker, CO 80134 OR

e-mail us at

natlwritersassn@hotmail.com

13

NWA NOVEL CONTEST

OPENS December annually

PURPOSE OF THE CONTEST:

The purpose of the National Writers Assn. Novel Contest is to encourage the development of creative skills,

recognize and reward outstanding ability in the area of novel writing.

CONTEST RULES:

Any genre or category of novel manuscript may be entered. All entries must be postmarked by April 1. Only

unpublished works may be submitted. All manuscripts must be typed, double-spaced, in the English language.

Maximum length is 100,000 words. Those unsure of proper manuscript format should request Research Report

#35. The entry must be accompanied by entry form (photocopies are acceptable), entry fee of $35 per submission,

and return SASE if you wish the material and rating sheets returned. SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE RE-

TURNED WITHOUT SASE. The U.S. Postal Service will not allow us to use your metered postage unless it is

undated. Receipt of entry will not be acknowledged without a return postcard. Author's name and address must

appear on the first page. Entries remain the property of the author and may be submitted during the contest as long

as they are not published before the final announcement of winners.

JUDGINGAND PRIZES

Judging will be based on originality, marketability, research, and reader interest. Copies of the judges evaluation

sheets will be sent to entrants furnishing an SASE with their entry. First through fifth place awards will be pre-

sented at the annual NWAF Conference. 1st Prize -- $500 and possible representation; 2nd Prize -- $250; 3rd Prize

-- $150; 4th through 10th places will receive a book of the winner's choice. Honorable Mentions receive a certifi-

cate.

ENTRY FEE AND CRITIQUES

The entry fee per submission is $35. If you wish to have your submission critiqued, please request this on the entry

form. Entry fees are used to pay judges and prize money.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

NWA NOVEL CONTEST FORM Entry #____

To:NWA NOVEL Contest Date_______

National Writers Assn. Amt________

10940 S. Parker Rd. #508

Parker, CO 80134

Please enter the enclosed entry (title)________________________________in the NWA Novel Contest.

______My entry fee $35 is enclosed.

___Please charge my ____MasterCard _____Visa #____________________________Exp. date_______ CVV___

NAME (PLEASE PRINT)_____________________________________________________________

ADDRESS_________________________________________________________________________

CITY, STATE, ZIP________________________________________________________________

TELEPHONE #_______________________

_____You may retain my submission for a critique after judging. I am enclosing an additional

$1 per page for a critique.

14

NWA SHORT STORY CONTEST OPENS April 1 annually

PURPOSE OF THE CONTEST:

The purpose of the National Writers Assn. Short Story Contest is to encourage the development of creative skills,

recognize and reward outstanding ability in the area of short story writing.

CONTEST RULES:

Any genre of short story manuscript may be entered. All entries must be postmarked by July 1. Only unpublished

works may be submitted. All manuscripts must be typed, double-spaced, in the English language. Maximum length

is 5,000. Those unsure of proper manuscript format should request Research Report #35.

The entry must be accompanied by entry form (photocopies are acceptable), entry fee of $15 per submission, and

return SASE if you wish the material and rating sheets returned. OTHERWISE SUBMISSIONS WILL BE DE-

STROYED. The U.S. Postal Service will not allow us to use your metered postage unless it is undated. Receipt of

entry will not be acknowledged without a return postcard. Author's name and address must appear on the first page.

Entries remain the property of the author and may be submitted during the contest as long as they are not published

before the final notification of winners. Final prizes will be awarded at the NWAF Workshop in June.

JUDGING AND PRIZES Judging will be based on originality, marketability, research, and reader interest. Copies of the judges evaluation

sheets will be sent to entrants furnishing an SASE with their entry. First through fifth place awards will be presented

at the NWAF Conference. 1st Prize -- $250; 2nd Prize -- $100; 3rd Prize -- $50; 4th through 10th places will re-

ceive a book. First through third place winners may be asked to grant one- time rights for publication in AUTHOR-

SHIP magazine. Honorable Mentions receive a certificate.

ENTRY FEE AND CRITIQUES The entry fee per submission is $15. If you wish to have your submission critiqued, please request this on the entry

form. Entry fees are used to pay judges and prize money.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

NWA SHORT STORY CONTEST FORM Entry #____

To:NWA Short Story Contest Date_______

National Writers Assn. Amt________

10940 S. Parker Rd. #508 RP_____Y______N

Parker, CO 80134

Please enter the enclosed entry (title)______________________________in the NWA Short Story Contest.

______My entry fee $15 is enclosed.

_____Please charge my ____Mastercard _____Visa #____________________________Exp. date__________

NAME (PLEASE PRINT)_____________________________________________________________

ADDRESS_________________________________________________________________________

CITY, STATE, ZIP________________________________________________________________

TELEPHONE #_______________________

_____You may retain my submission for a critique after judging. I am enclosing $5 per thousand words for critique.

15

AUTHORSHIP GUIDELINES

PURPOSE: Authorship magazine is the “in-house” publication for the National Writers Assn. It

is read by thousands of members on a quarterly basis. Currently the magazine is a 16 to 24-

page publication with a four color cover.

SCOPE: Articles submitted for consideration to Authorship should have a writing slant. Mate-

rial should deal with writing “how-to’s” or current market trends. We are overstocked on inspi-

rational “How I became a successful writer...” type material and will not be interested in any of

these articles. Articles slanted toward aspects of fiction—creating characters, setting scenes, etc.

are of interest and will be our primary interest. Humor is a plus — writing is serious enough

without a totally serious article.

We do not accept fiction. Poetry is published in our winter issue, if it has a writing theme.

SUBMISSIONS: All submissions should be in standard manuscript format, approximately

1,250 to 1,500 words, accompanied by an SASE if the material is to be returned. Authorship

uses AP style with the exception of state abbreviations. If the author is not aware of proper

manuscript format, they should request NWA RR#35 prior to submitting. Manuscripts accepted

for publication will be requested via e-mail in Microsoft Word format in text files with line

breaks. NO tabs, fancy fonts, bullets, charts, or tables. If charts or tables are necessary, submit

them like art work. Electronic files will be given preferred treatment as this prevents typos in

final copy.

Sharp clear photos of article authors will be requested if material is accepted.

PAYMENT: We are currently paying $10 honorarium per article or a $10 reduction on mem-

bership dues.