Last Call

Today is the last day to submit your stories,
essays, and artwork for the winter issue of the Ink-Filled Page!

The Ink-Filled Page is a quarterly literary journal produced by Indigo Editing, LLC. At this point, the journal exists as an online presence with the hope to print an anthology annually. To sponsor an anthology or to get involved, e-mail amccart@indigoediting.com.

Literary Submissions
Fiction submissions can be short stories or novel excerpts, and the nonfiction section is open to personal narratives and essays. While all genres are welcome, special interests include travel, multi-cultural themes, feminism, and young adult.

Limit submissions to 4,000 words, one submission per candidate.

Artwork submissions
Open to all mediums and are selected based on composition and compatibility with selected literary submissions. Submit digital artwork at low dpi. Upon acceptance, a digital version of 300 dpi or higher will be requested.

Limit three submissions per candidate per issue.

By submitting your work to the Ink-Filled Page, you are offering first online and print publication rights. Rights revert to authors and artists after publication.

E-mail all submissions to editors@indigoediting.com with "Fiction Submission," "Nonfiction Submission," or "Artwork Submission" in the subject bar by midnight tonight.

Question: Comma before "and"

Ali B. asked: Growing up, some of my teachers told me always to put a comma before and in a series, but others told me never to do it. Which is correct?

It depends on what kind of writing you're doing and which style guide you're following. The Chicago Manual of Style, which is standard in book publishing, calls for a serial comma, which is the comma before and in a series. Associated Press (AP) style, standard for newspapers and business writing, calls for no serial commas unless there could be confusion without one, and the American Psychological Association (APA) style, standard for books and papers written in any of the social sciences, concurs.

As with any rule, though, what's most important is consistency. Either use the comma or don't.

Vote for the 2006 Word of the Year

As you probably know, new words are added to the dictionary every year. This year, you can help choose a new word for 2006. Miriam-Webster wants to see your votes for the 2006 Word of the Year.

Which one of the hundreds of words you've encountered this year do you think best represents the year now quickly drawing to a close? Maybe it's one you've seen again and again in the headlines of newspapers and magazines, or one that seems to be a particular favorite in the blogosphere, or maybe it's a word you've heard bandied about ad nauseam by various TV and radio pundits. No matter where you've seen or heard it, every word is eligible to take the top honors for 2006.

There are no rules here, so feel free to be creative. If your nomination hasn't made it into the pages of the dictionary yet, this can be your way to let the Merriam-Webster editors know that it's a word that deserves to be closely watched.

So, take a moment to think it over, and then visit http://www.merriam-webster.com/info/06words.htm, type your nomination for the Word of the Year in the box, and click "send" to submit. They'll be taking submissions through Monday, December 4. And be sure to check back later in December, to see if your choice makes the "Top Ten!"

Some Helpful Hints

Finishing A Book?

Do you have a personal deadline that is beginning to affect the quality of your work? Are you an expert at proofing, editing, or publishing?

Patricia Fry, in Writer's Weekly, addresses all these topics in her essay "Hurry Up and Fail." For a few helpful hints on how to go about finishing and publishing a book, while making sure the book is the best it can possibly be, perhaps you should read this article.

The article can be accessed at: http://www.writersweekly.com/this_weeks_article/003748_1122
2006.html

New Release Spotlight: Artemis Fowl, Book 5

Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony, By Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl, Butler, Foaly, and Captain Holly Short are back in the most recent edition of the popular Artemis Fowl series. Artemis Fowl’s days as a criminal mastermind are over, but he is still trying to outwit the fairies. Ten thousand years ago, all the fairies moved underground to escape the growing population of humans. All, that is, except for the demons who attempted to cast a spell that would allow them to live on their own island out of time. The spell did not work, however, and is starting to unravel by the time Artemis realizes what is going on.
Surprisingly, Artemis is not the first to figure out the problem. Another child genius is on the scene – a girl who battles Artemis and the fairies until both groups realize that if the time spell stops, demons will be flung onto the Earth and cause chaos. Working together, Artemis, Holly, and an interesting new group of characters travel to the island in an attempt to overcome the demon magic. While not as fast-paced and complex as other Artemis Fowl plots, there are still laugh-out-loud moments as Colfer continues to provide a fresh look at the fantasy creatures everyone knows so well.

Review by Maureen Inouye, Indigo Editing, LLC

Welcome, Maureen!

Indigo welcomes a new editorial intern, Maureen Inouye, as editorial assistant.

Maureen is a junior English major at University of Portland where she is also the senior editor for Writers literary magazine and president of the English Society. Maureen favors young adult books and is curious to see how editing could fit into her career plans.

Welcome!

Poetry Contest

Writer's Digest Poetry Awards

If you write poetry, this could be your opportunity for recognition. It is wonderful when any writer has his or her work acknowledged.

Writer's Digest is now accepting poems of all styles
(free verse, haiku, rhyming, etc.)
for the Writer's Digest Poetry Awards.

Entries cannot exceed 32 lines and must be original, unpublished, and in English.

Entries are due by Wednesday, December 20th, 2006. Poems can be submitted online or by mail.

For more information regarding this poetry contest, please see http://www.writersdigest.com/contests/poetry/index.asp

Murder by the Book

Court TV is sponsoring the Search for the Next Great Crime Writer Contest, submissions due by November 27.

Do you have a killer book idea? Then this is your chance to make crime pay. Court TV is offering you a chance to win a book deal with Regan, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

How it Works:
1. Register for the contest by visiting the registration site and filling in your contact information.
2. Upload or cut and past your synopsis (1,500-3,000 words) and sample chapters (5,000-10,000 words).
-The esteemed panel of judes will narrow down the entries to five finalists.
-Entries will be judged on communication ability/writing skill, concept/story/structure, creativity/originality, character development, and usage of the mystery/crime platform (staying true to the genre).
-Check back on December 11 to see who the finalists are.
-The public will have the chance to read the entries and vote for the winner!
-Read official rules here.

Watch Murder by the Book on Court TV, premiering November 13 at 10 p.m. EST.

Call for Submissions--Crate

CRATE—UC Riverside's MFA Literary Magazine—is dedicated to exploring the borders and boundaries of art and literature. This edition's theme is "Margins and Mainstreams” after a series of lectures by Columbia historian Gary Okihiro who writes that "The core values and ideals of the nation emanate not from the mainstream but from the margins."

Within contemporary art and literature, who is marginalized and who is mainstreamed? Who decides? And how are today’s writers and artists addressing the imminent changes of the 21st Century within their work?

We are looking for work that moves us, challenges us, and most of all, offers us the possibility to reconsider our status quo. We want pieces that remain with us long after the first read, scenes and experiences so vivid that we imagine we’ve lived them, and lines so sharp they cut us. In short, we want your best.

CRATE is produced by UC Riverside’s MFA Program in Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts. Past writers have included Chris Abani, Susan Straight, Kimiko Hahn, and Marilyn Chin.

Submission Guidelines:
-All submissions should be typed, no email submissions
-Up to five poems for poetry and up to 25 double-spaced pages for fiction and non-fiction
-For artwork and photography, please send a hard copy; for multi-media work, please send CD-rom
-Include cover letter with contract information and SASE for reply; please mention if simultaneous submission
-Received deadline for the 2007 issue is January 30, 2007

ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards

Independent publishers, take action. ForeWord Magazine is accepting entries for the 2006 Book of the Year Awards until February 15, 2007. Entries are accepted in most genres, and the Editor's Choice Best Fiction and Best Nonfiction awards include $1,500 purses.

Visit http://www.forewordmagazine.com/awards/ to view 2005 winners and to register 2006 entries online.

If your books expand a reader's world, introduce a voice society needs to hear, offer practical knowledge where none existed before or simply entertain so compellingly that all distractions fall away as the reader turns the next page, they should be submitted for the Book of the Year Award.

ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Awards were established to bring increased attention from librarians and booksellers to the literary achievements of independent publishers and their authors. Our awards process is unique because we ask a jury of our readers, librarians and booksellers, to select their top categories as well as choose the winning titles. Their decisions take into consideration editorial excellence, professional production, originality of the narrative, author credentials relative to the book and the value the book adds to its genre.

ForeWord is the only review trade journal devoted exclusively to covering books from independent houses -- ranging in size from university presses publishing hundreds of titles per year to micro, POD and eBook publishers who may publish one title in a lifetime.

NaNoWriMo

November is National Novel Writing Month!

Take the challenge to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. It doesn't have to be award winning. It doesn't even have to be good. All you have to do is transfer your procrastination tendencies from writing to work and household chores so you can nurture that long-neglected book simmering in your brain.

Seize the month of November. Write your book!

Sign up at http://www.nanowrimo.org/.

And please keep us posted on your progress! Indigo is a proud supporter of aspiring authors everywhere.