Seeing Indigo

Photo Story Prompt: In Traffic

2010-11-03T12:43:00.000-07:00

Let us know what you come up with! Share your fiction, non-fiction, prose, or what have you with us if you are inspired. Leave a comment below, or email it to us at photostory@indigoediting.com.

Editorial Tip of the Week: Lists, lists, lists...

2010-11-01T15:28:00.000-07:00

Lists are an everyday occurrence for some of us, but for others, they are only for special occasions (birthday wish lists, anyone?). No matter how frequently lists make their way into your life, you should know how to list correctly! It's not too much trouble to remember, and if you forget the guidelines, you can always refer back to The Chicago Manual of Style for a little hint.

First and foremost, all items in your list should be syntactically alike, whatever the context. Lists can be written with or without numerals or letters; lists that utilize numerals or letters should do so for a reason, be it to clarify order, show importance, or otherwise. And, of course, lists can be written out in sentences, or set apart as vertical lists (think grocery lists).

Simple and short lists work well in sentence structure, such as: She needed to remember to buy milk, butter, and sugar. Lists that appear within sentences are often set apart by colons, as well. If the introduction to the list is an independent clause, go ahead and use a colon. For example: The grocery store used three types of tags for pricing their items for sale: green produce tags, red clearance tags, and yellow tags.

Longer lists can be used in sentence form as well, but they are easier on the eyes to list out vertically, if it is possible. For a long vertical list, it's best to introduce it with a complete sentence followed by a colon, and then begin your listing. Numbers or even bullets can be used for vertical lists. Closing punctuation is not necessary in vertical lists unless each item requires multiple sentences, or is numbered. In the case of list items that run long, indent the second, third, and any following lines so that they line up with the number of the item.

No matter how big, small, important, or inconsequential your list is, these guidelines are great to reference.

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-10-29T09:52:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, November 2nd
VoiceCatcher contributers will come together to celebrate the release of Volume 5. Readers include: Gerri Ravyn Stanfield, Alida Rol, Liza Langral, Paige Pancratz, Karen Campbell, and Tiel Aisha Ansari. There is a suggested donation at the door of $2-10 to support the work of In Others Words, the only non-profit, women-volunteered bookstore and resource center in the country.
Where: In Other Words, 14 NE Killingsworth
When: 7:00 pm
Cost: Suggested donation of $2-10

Tuesday, November 2nd
Portland writer Dana Haynes will speak to Willamette Writers November meeting about writing, research, timing, and success. His book Crashers was published on June 22nd this year and will be coming out on the big screen in 2012 through Steven Spielberg. Dana has a background in journalism and currently works in public affairs at PCC. Prior to writing "Crashers," he wrote three mysteries under the name of Conrad Haynes.
Where: 1422 SW 11th
When: 7:00 pm
Cost: Free for members and students, $5 for guests of members, and $10 for non-members.

Wednesday, November 3rd
From Nicole Krauss, author of The History of Love, comes Great House, a powerful, soaring novel about a stolen desk that contains the secrets, and becomes the obsession, of the lives it passes through. "A formidable and haunting mosaic of loss and profound sorrow," says Publishers Weekly.
Where: Powell's, 1005 W. Burnside
When: 7:30 pm
Cost: Free

Thursday, November 4th
Celebrate In Other Words' seventeen years in Portland and their expansion into a feminist community center. Reading by Nicole Georges, Alysia Angel, and Carrot Quinn. A photobooth will be provided by Bloodhound Photography, and Bear Feet will provide the musical entertainment.
Where: Northstar Ballroom, 635 N. Killingsworth Ct.
When: 6:00 pm
Cost: $7-20 at the door

Photo Story Prompt: Around the House

2010-10-27T08:15:00.000-07:00

Write whatever you come up with: fiction or non, poetry or prose. Let us know what you have written! Post it below as a comment or email it to us at photostory@indigoediting.com.

Editorial Tip of the Week: Affect or Effect?

2010-10-25T22:43:00.000-07:00

Affect or effect? This is a common question and common mistake. Grammar Girl, a great reference website, offers this cartoon as a visualization of the difference between the two words. A good thing to keep in mind is that most of the time, you use affect as a verb and effect as a noun.

Affect means to influence, as illustrated in the example above. It can also be used to mean that a person is acting in a way they don't feel, or are putting on airs. Therefore you can write things like: "The arrow affected the aardvark" or "He affected an air of superiority."

Effect has a lot of varied meanings, but in the case of determining when to use it, "a result" is a useful way of looking at it. Therefore, you can use effect in sentences like: "The effect was unsettling" or "The special effects were ahead of their time."

There are other rare instances in which affect and effect are in reversed roles, but for general cases, the above examples are good rules to go by.

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-10-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday, October 23rd
Indigo's day of workshops featuring business classes for writers. Featuring: Differently Abled: Using Tools Outside Your Genre to Break Through Blocks in Writing, 10:30 am - Noon; The Power Couples of Great Readings, 1:00 - 2:30 pm; and How to Make Your Book a Head Turner, 2:40 - 4:10 pm.
Where: 519 SW 3rd Ave, 5th floor conference room
When: 10:30 am - 4:10 pm
Cost: Email workshops@indigoediting.com to register

Saturday, October 23rd
Vanessa Davis and Julia Wertz are teaming up to celebrate their two latest releases: Davis's Make Me A Woman (Drawn & Quarterly, 2010) and Wertz's Drinking at the Movies (Three Rivers Press, 2010). Both will give a slide show reading, followed by a Q&A and book signing.
Where: Reading Frenzy, 921 SW Oak
When: 7:00 pm
Cost: Free

Sunday, October 24th
Wonder Woman Day V at Excalibur Comics, an all ages benefit for domestic violence programs featuring special comic artist guests signing and sketching like: Matt Wagner, Natalie Nourigat, Dane Ault, Emi Lenox, and Steve Dorris.
Where: Excalibur Comics, 2444 SE Hawthorne
When: 12:00 pm
Cost: Free

Monday, October 25th
Butterfly is a Rose is a series of poems encompassing Emily Newberry's life in hiding behind her safe exterior, while her female self is emerging, and during transition. A World War II baby, Newberry believes that the dilemmas that transsexual women face can be a learning point for every human who hopes to live more fully as themselves.
Where: In Other Words,14 NE Killingsworth
When: 7:00 pm
Cost: Free

Writers at Work

2010-10-22T11:47:00.000-07:00

Indigo Founder and Senior Editor Ali McCart was recently interviewed by Suzanne LaGrande for the Writers at Work video series.

Photo Story Prompt: Illinois Central R.R.

2010-10-20T08:57:00.000-07:00

Illinois Central R.R., freight cars in South Water Street freight terminal, Chicago. April 1943. Jack Delano.

Write whatever comes to you, fiction or non, short or long. Share with us what you come up with! Post a comment or email your work to us at photostory@indigoediting.com.

Editorial Tip of the Week: Apostrophe Mishaps

2010-10-18T20:25:00.000-07:00

Apostrophe misuse is a rampant issue. There's the common mistake often seen at grocery stores or other places of business where an apostrophe is used in a plural, such as pumpkin's are here or open Sunday's, or the other frequently seen it's versus its confusion. Let's take a look at the three common uses where apostrophes should be: to indicate possessives of nouns, to form contractions, and sometimes in time and measurement.

There's an easy trick for using apostrophes with possessives: to see if you need to use a possessive apostrophe, turn the phrase into an of the phrase. For example, the dog's food would be the food of the dog. Something like this definitely does not work with a sentence like pumpkin's are here!

With its and it's, the apostrophe creates a contraction, turning it is into it's. Without the apostrophe, its is a possessive pronoun like his or hers. A possessive its does not require an apostrophe.

The same concept of apostrophes in contractions apples to dates: to shorten writing the year 1978, you can use '78. A plural of a shortened decade only requires one apostrophe though, like, the '70s.

For further apostrophe guidelines, check out The Chicago Manual of Style. For some apostrophe misuse laughs (or lessons?), check out Apostrophe Abuse.

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-10-15T19:38:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, October 19th
Join Oregon poet laureate Paulann Peterson and poet and journalist Don Colburn for an evening of talking about writing. They'll talk about poetry, prose, and the news, and both authors will read. Bring your questions and enjoy an evening a delicious evening of food, culture, and company.
Where: U of O Portland, 70 NW Couch Street
When: 6:00 pm
Cost: Free

Wednesday, October 20th
Reading Frenzy presents cartoonist, writer, and artist, Lynda Barry at Portland Art Museum's Fields Ballroom. Ms. Barry will give a short slide show presentation based on her latest book, Picture This (Drawn & Quarterly, 2010), followed by Q&A, and signing.
Where: PAM Fields Sunken Ballroom, 1119 SW Park Ave.
When: 7:00 pm
Cost: $8 admission, $34 admission + copy of What It Is

Wednesday, October 20th
Crows are loud and insistent. They are smart and relentless. They are not easily tricked. Instead, they play tricks. They see a long distance backward and forwards. They are dark but shining. Likewise, the poems in Crow Mercies survey large territories, sometimes with an overview, sometimes close-at-claw. Winner of the first Sarah Lantz Memorial Poetry Prize (from CALYX Books), poet Penelope Scambly Schott draws on myriad experiences to bring herself and the reader into a deeper and far-reaching connection to the world.
Where: Annie Bloom's Books, 7834 SW Capitol Hwy.
When: 7:30 pm
Cost: Free

"How to Freelance for Me" Panel on November 10th

2010-10-13T13:11:00.000-07:00

Oregon News Incubator, the Portland-based network for freelancers and other entrepreneurial journalists, is hosting its first big even.

The skinny: Portland-based editors give free advice on what they look for in pitches and in freelancers.
The speakers: Kasey Cordell, senior editor, Portland Monthly; Robin Doussard, editor, Oregon Business Magazine; Abraham Hyatt, production editor, ReadWriteWeb. More guests to be announced!
The spot: Souk co-working space, 322 NW 6th Ave
The schedule: Wednesday, November 10th, 7-8 pm

Please RSVP on Facebook, Calgator, or Upcoming!

Photo Story Prompt: Dead of Winter

2010-10-13T11:22:00.000-07:00

Write what comes to you! Share with us by leaving a comment or emailing photostory@indigoediting.com.

Editorial Tip of the Week: Introductory Commas

2010-10-11T14:12:00.000-07:00

Commas are often used after introductory phrases or words, especially to indicate pause. This can be very useful to help develop the way your piece reads and flows. Use of the comma is frequently a matter of preference and good judgement. However, there are certain instances with introductory phrases and words where a comma is specifically necessary. We'll just run through how the comma can (and sometimes should) be used here.

i. Introductory Phrase with Comma

A comma is used to indicate slight pause following an introductory phrase at the beginning of a sentence, with the exception of very short introductory phrases. In this case, the comma is also useful to prevent misreading of the sentence, so be sure you are not muddling a sentence by omitting a comma.

Examples: On the other hand, her favorite dinner wasn't exactly easy to prepare.

On Tuesday he tried to see the optometrist.

ii. Introductory Phrase without Comma

If the introductory phrase immediately precedes the verb it modifies, a comma is not used.

Example: Running along behind the car was her neighbor's new dog.

iii. Direct Address

Use a comma following names or words used in direct address and correspondence.

Examples: Friends, I will be selling my car soon.

Mr. Fry, please report back to me as soon as possible.

iv. "Yes," "no," etc.

Use a comma following yes, no, well then, and the like, at the beginning of a sentence when a slight pause is desired.

Examples: Yes, I admit he defeated me.

Well then, we should look into the matter.

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-10-08T09:04:00.000-07:00

October 9th & 10th
Wordstock! Wordstock is an annual festival of books, writer, and storytelling in Portland, Oregon. A full schedule of events is available here. Wordstock features nine author stages, a book fair, a children's activity and literature stage, a series of workshops for writers, day-long professional development workshops for K-12 teachers, and more.
Where: Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE MLK Jr. Blvd.
When: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Cost: varies

Saturday, October 9th
The IPRC presents the 5th annual Text Ball at p:ear. The Text Ball is Portland's unique celebration of all things text, where attendees are encouraged to come dressed with text as part of your evening attire. Along with live music, dancing, and text-based refreshments, attendees can enjoy word games and a costume parade.
Where: p:ear, 338 NW 6th Ave
When: 7:00 pm
Cost: $8-$15 at iprc.org

Tuesday, October 12th
Zinesters talking: Know Your City. Examining Portland's forgotten history through zines. The Dill Pickle Club, a civic organization that organizes education project on local history, culture, and civics, talks about Oregon History Comics, with author and Portland Mercury reporter Sarah Mirk.
Where: Central Library, US Bank Room, 801 SW 10th Ave
When: 6:30 pm
Cost: Free

Photo Story Prompt: Commodore Record Shop

2010-10-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

Portrait of Milt Gabler, Herbie Hill, Lou Blum, and Jack Crystal, Commodore Record Shop, New York, NY, ca. Aug. 1947. William P. Gottlieb.

Write whatever comes to you! Share your fiction, non-fiction, prose, or what have you with us. Leave it as a comment, or email it to us at photostory@indigoediting.com.

Editorial Tip of the Week: Compounds and Hyphens

2010-10-04T18:31:00.000-07:00

Hyphens and deciding when to hyphenate words are things that confuse me to this day. There's a lot to hyphenation rules, and all different kinds of them. To break it down to easier to understand parts, I wanted to take a look at hyphenating compounds. The first place to look to decide whether or not to hyphenate a word is the dictionary. But after that, here are some things to consider:

i. Readability

Hyphens are used to show structure and pronunciation to enhance readability and comprehension. Hyphens can help out with words that may otherwise be misread; for example, you would want to re-press your shirt, not repress it. And to eliminate ambiguity: decision making is understandable enough, but fast decision-making shows that you are making decisions and not just quick judgements. Something like graduate student housing is not ambiguous, but it is still perfectly acceptable to hyphenate.

ii. Compound Modifiers

When compound modifiers (like well-lit or open-mouthed) precede a noun, hyphenation makes for easier reading and comprehension. When they follow a noun, hyphens are generally not needed (although that is not always the case). The Chicago Manual of Style offers a hyphenation guide for more specifics.

iii. Multiple Hyphens

Standard multiple hyphen phrases like matter-of-fact approach and over-the-counter drug are often written with two hyphens. Other phrases have no real general consensus, but consistency should be maintained throughout a piece. Therefore, early nineteenth-century music or early-nineteenth-century music are both acceptable. The use of one hyphen versus two does not make a difference in the understanding of the phrase.

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-10-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

Sunday, October 3rd

Michele Glazer's poems take on questions of being and value, exploring not just "what" is, but "how" it is. The poems in her new collection, "On Tact, and the Made Up World," are drawn to missteps in perception and language.

Where: Powell's on Hawthorne, 3723 SE Hawthorne

When: 4:00 pm

Cost: Free

Monday, October 4th

Write Around Portland 10-week workshop begins tonight. Based on their acclaimed community writing model, this generative workshop incorporates favorite exercises to inspire the writing life. Workshop fee ($285) includes free parking and snacks, and helps to fund workshops for low-income youth and adults. To register, of for more information, visit www.writearound.org.

Where: Powell's, 1005 West Burnside

When: 6:15 pm

Cost: $285 for 10 weeks

Tuesday, October 5th

Join Wordstock and the Multnomah County Library for this special "sneak-peak" at the Young Adult literature that will be featured at this year's festival, with readings from Heather Vogel Frederick, Amanda Howells, and Nancy Coffelt.

Where: Central Library, 810 SW 10th Ave.

When: 6:00 pm

Cost: Free

Thursday, October 7th

Join us to meet Johnny Ryan and celebrate the release of his latest book, Prison Pit 2. Ryan will sign books and present an exhibition of his original artwork, comix, colorful silkscreen prints, and sculpted figures. Also the main character from Prison Pit, Cannibal Fuckface, will make a special appearance, performing a heavy metal set while covered in blood.

Where: Floating World Comics, 20 NW 5th Ave #101

When: 6:00 pm

Cost: Free

Photo Story Prompt: At Play

2010-09-29T09:55:00.000-07:00

Write what comes to you: fiction, non-fiction, short or long. Share it with us! Leave your work as a comment or email it to us at photostory@indigoediting.com.

Editorial Tip of the Week: Viva Voice

2010-09-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

You may have heard these lines before: It will take some time for you to discover your voice, or, Let me read the first fifty or so pages and see if I like the voice. Earlier this year, authors at the Festival of Books were all over voice—to the point that a writer at the Huffington Post decided to take a jab back. What is this elusive "voice" that's always being talked about?

Generally, voice is referring to one of two things:

The author's voice, their style, that makes their writing unique in some respect and has been crafted over time.
Or, voice as the speech and thought process of the narrator of a story.

Both types of voice are very important to writers and their work. The first, the voice (or stlye) of an author, being something that is developed as a writer develops. It is unique to you, and it is bound to evolve continually over time. Your writing should have as much personality as your own. The voice of your narrator, similarly, is crucial to carrying out your story. Without a cohesive and engaging voice, you may lose the structure, and even the impact, of your story before the reader even reaches the end.

Voice as an author's style is an interesting topic: can it be learned or must it be nurtured only to develop with use? This is one thing that is argued over in the Huffington Post article. You can answer that for yourself, if you wish. But one thing is certain—voice has an effect on your writing mechanics, your word choice, even your structure. Becoming aware of your own voice will allow you a lot of room to play in your writing. Give it a shot.

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-09-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

Friday, September 24th
Celebrate the 20th birthday of the Portland micro-press, Future Tense, at this free event featuring short readings and toasts from an array of authors that Kevin Sampsell's press has published throughout the years. Appearances by Richard Meltzer, Zachary Schomburg, Emily Kendal Frey, Chelsea Martin, Zoe Trope, and more. Plus, of course, there will be drinking and a whole bunch of books for sale.
Where: Disjecta, 8371 N Interstate
When: 8:00 pm
Cost: Free

Sunday, September 26th
Inflectionsim is a poetic movement grown out of discussions among three Portland poets: John Sibley Williams, A. Molotkov, and Shawn Austin. They sought more organic poetry that respected both poet and reader, both words and interpretation. The founders don't seek to control the definition of Inflectionism but encourage other poets to discover their own definitions.
Where: St. John's Booksellers, 8622 N Lombard
When: 2:00 pm
Cost: Free

Tuesday, September 28th
Join us tonight for a reading by Tao Lin to celebrate the release of his second novel, Richard Yates (Melville House, 2010). Richard Yates is named after real life writer Richard Yates, but has little to do with him. Instead, it tracks the relationship between writer Haley Joel Osment, a New Yorker in his early twenties, and Dakota Fanning, his 16-year-old lover. Tao Lin is an American poet, novelist, short story writer, and artist. He is the author of five books of fiction and poetry.
Where: Reading Frenzy, 921 SW Oak
When: 7:00 pm
Cost: Free (and so is the beer!)

Wednesday, September 29th
Guillermo del Toro, one of Hollywood's most popular and imaginative storytellers and the creator of the Oscar-winning Pan's Labyrinth, presents The Fall, the new book in his vampire epic. The event is co-sponsored by the Northwest Film Center's School of Film.
Where: Bagdad Theater, 3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd
When: 7:00 pm
Cost: $26.99, includes admission and a copy of The Fall

Photo Story Prompt: The Lion Tamer

2010-09-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

A lion tamer at Bertram Mills Touring Circus. Edward G. Malindine.

Write whatever comes to you! Fiction, non-fiction, long or short. Share what you come up with with us. Either leave it as a comment, or email it to us at photostory@indigoediting.com

Editorial Tip of the Week: The Square Bracket

2010-09-20T16:36:00.000-07:00

The square bracket is a common sight among parentheses, but it remains one of the less frequently used types of punctuation. Square brackets, or usually just brackets (in the United States), are defined by the Chicago Manual of Style as "used mainly to enclose material—usually added by someone other than the original writer—that does not belong to the surrounding text. In quoted matter, reprints, anthologies, and other non-original material, square brackets enclose editorial interpolations, explanations, translations of foreign terms, or corrections. Sometimes the bracketed material replaces rather than amplifies the original word or words."

That's a lot to handle at once. Aside from their most common use, brackets have a few other places where they would show up. Let's take a look at each with an example sentence.

1. In quoted material, brackets are used to include matter not written by the original author and not belonging to the surrounding text. Example: They [the student body] were against the new schedule changes.

2. In translations, brackets are used to include a phrase or word in the original language. Example: They studied society [Gesellschaft] and community [Gemeinde] in their class.

3. Brackets function as parentheses inside of parentheses. If you need to put something in parentheses, but you are already working inside parentheses, just use brackets. Example: (She didn't know how [or even when] it had all happened.)

4. Brackets can be used to include the phonetic transcription of something. Example: He used the phonetic [fənɛtɪk] transcription in his paper.

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-09-17T15:32:00.000-07:00

Saturday, September 18th

Q Poetry Night with Elaina M. Ellis: Join us for another night of some of the best queer poetry in the Northwest with one of Seattle's favorite queer poets. Elaina is a teacher at Bent Writing Institute and is the founder of TumbleMe Productions. The Q Poetry Night will also feature an open mic for everyone who would like to get up on the stage and share their work.

Where: The Q Center, 4115 N. Mississippi Ave

When: 6:30 pm

Cost: $5 suggested donation

Sunday, September 19th

Please come out to see the renowned poet Eileen Myles read from her new poet's novel, Inferno. Part of the Smorg Reading Series. Food, beer, wine, and espresso are all available at The Waypost.

Where: The Waypost, 3120 N. Williams Ave

When: 7:30 pm

Cost: Free

Tuesday, September 21st

Zinesters Talking: Zines Go To School. Educators Bobi Blue of Fir Ridge High School, Julie Hoffer of Open Meadow High School, and Leanne Grabel of the Rosemont school share tips about how they integrate zines into their classrooms. Learn how making, reading, and sharing zines can change students lives!

Where: Belmont Library, 1038 SE 39th Ave

When: 6:30 pm

Cost: Free

Wednesday, September 22nd

Kim Fay, joined by her sister and best Vietnamese girlfriend, set off to taste as much as possible while exploring the rituals and traditions, street cafes, and haute cuisine of her favorite country. The three women discovered a society shaped by its ever-changing relationship with food. The result of their journey is a new book: Communion: A Culinary Journey Through Vietnam. Tonight's event will include a talk by Kim, a slide presentation, and food!

Where: Broadway Books, 1714 NE Broadway

When: 7:00 pm

Cost: Free

Photo Story Prompt: Hop in...

2010-09-15T11:26:00.000-07:00

Write whatever you are inspired to, be it fiction or truth. Tell us what you come up with! Post it as a comment here, or email it to us at photostory@indigoediting.com

Editorial Tip of the Week: For example, that is...

2010-09-13T23:18:00.000-07:00

I.e., e.g., what's the difference? How do you know when to use one as opposed to the other? The quick trick is this: e.g. offers examples of things, i.e. indicates further clarification. The long story is, i.e. and e.g. originate from Latin terms, id est ("that is") and exempli gratia ("for example"), respectively. Or, to put it more simply, just remember that e.g., which starts with an E, gives an example. I.e., which begins with I, is more like saying "in other words."

Let's take it into context. If I were to say, "I like eating seafood, i.e., salmon and scallops," the use of i.e. indicates that I only like salmon and scallops. But if I were to say, "I like eating seafood, e.g., salmon and scallops," the use of e.g. just provides an example. I could also like eating crab and shrimp, and salmon and scallops were just an example of some of the seafood I like.

There are some general rules to remember about using i.e. and e.g.:

- Don't italicize them! Even though they are abbreviations, they are
considered a standard in the English language.
- Always use a period after each letter. They are abbreviations, after
all.
- Use a comma following the use of either abbreviation. Seriously, five out of six style guides recommend it.

In the end, just remember to have fun. If remembering when to use i.e. and when to use e.g. hurts your brain a little too much, or you find yourself constantly doubting and double checking, you can always skimp on the fancy abbreviations and just say "in other words" and "for example."

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-09-10T15:20:00.000-07:00

Sunday, September 12th
At this collective reading, we'll reflect on the tragic events of September 11, 2001, and discuss the ways people were moved to restore the beauty and bring healing in the face of community tragedy. Local authors Tom Spanbauer, Tami Lynn Kent, Jessica Maxwell, Sara Guest, and Jennifer Lauck will read from their work.
Where: Powell's Books on Hawthorne, 3723 SE Hawthorne
When: 4:00 pm
Cost: Free

Sunday, September 12th
Portland Poetry Slam with Tara Brenner. We're back kiddies with another big badass show. We've got an open slam where eight poets slug it out for fifty bucks and the adoration of the crowd as well as the last two spots in our semi-final on 9/26. Also an open mic. 7:30 sign ups, all ages.
Where: Backspace, 115 NW 5th
When: 8:00 pm
Cost: Free, $5 suggested donation

Tuesday, September 14th

The library welcomes women of color making zines! Whether you currently publish a zine or have always dreamed of making one, learn, share, and network with Tonya Jones to create a presence of women of color in the zine world. Tonya Jones is a zinestar who has taught workshops for women of color at the Portland Zine Symposium and Portland State University.

Where: North Portland Library, 512 N Killingsworth

When: 6:30 pm

Cost: Free

Tuesday, September 14th

Reconciling queerness with religion is an enormous challenge—especially when the religion is Orthodox Judaism. In the groundbreaking new anthology Keep Your Wives Away From Them: Orthodox Women, Unorthodox Desires, Miryam Kabakov brings together the first-person accounts of fourteen lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women as they shed new light on the experiences of individuals and communities who live at the intersection of conflicting sexual and religious identities.

Where: In Other Words, 8 B NE Killingsworth

When: 7 - 9:00 pm

Cost: Free

Photo Story Prompy: One Foggy Night

2010-09-08T23:57:00.000-07:00

Write whatever you think of: fiction or non, poetry or prose. Let us know what you come up with! Post it below as a comment, or email it to us at photostory@indigoediting.com

The Circus Wagon

2010-09-07T19:53:00.000-07:00

Andrew S. Fuller, one of our Ink-Filled Page authors, has just published a novella! In The Circus Wagon, Christopher Epstein grapples with uneasy nightmares of the old antique carnival wagon from his grandmother's backyard, and the helpless certainty that something more terrible has followed him out of the past.

Published by Damnation Books, The Circus Wagon is also available for purchase on Amazon as a Kindle Edition.

Editorial Tip of the Week: Well Versus Good

2010-09-07T19:11:00.000-07:00

When was the last time someone asked how you were, then corrected one of your "I'm good!" responses by telling you it should be "I'm well!"? I know it has happened to me often enough that even when someone else gives a "good" response, that little corner of my mind is triggered. The idea is that well is an adverb (so it modifies a verb) and good is an adjective (and modifies nouns). But not so fast! Saying "I'm good!" isn't always wrong. The key to sorting all this out is in understanding linking verbs versus action verbs.

Action verbs are easy: they describe actions (run, jump, dive). To describe an action verb, you use an adverb, such as well. Linking verbs, on the other hand, are less about action and more about connecting words together. Hence the linking. Got it? Let's look at a couple linking verbs just in case: to be, is, look, am, appear, become, and sense related verbs like smell and feel. There are occasions where you will run into linking verbs that can also function as action verbs; in this case, try replacing the verb with to be or is. If the sentence still makes sense, you have a linking verb on your hands.

Now why did you just learn all that? The trick to why saying "I am good" is correct is right there in the linking verb. It's common, and standard, to use adjectives (such as good) after linking verbs. In that case, they become predicate adjectives, referring back to the noun that comes before the linking verb (the I in "I am good"). Saying "I am well" is using well as a predicate adjective also. In this sense, well more often refers to your health and feeling well. Therefore, on a general happy day, it is absolutely appropriate to respond with "I'm good."

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-09-03T22:01:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, September 7th

Zinesters Talking: Le Cheap, C'est Chic. Talk and interact with independent publishers sharing their work with you. Chelsea Baker (Olympia) presents Cheap Cookin': A Beginners Guide to Affordable Cooking, and Raleigh Briggs (Seattle) shows how to Make Your Place: Affordable, Sustainable Nesting Skills.

Where: Central Library, US Bank Room, 801 SW 10th Ave

When: 6:30 pm

Cost: Free

Wednesday, September 8th

Star E Rose Open Poetry Jam! Come on down to the Star E Rose and bring those words you have hidden in the back of your closet, your journal you write in while sipping chamomile. The Star E Rose Cafe is a safe and cozy place and we welcome all walks of life as long as you do not use words or actions that may hurt others. Be respectful and be respected. We look forward to hearing you all speak!

Where: Star E Rose, 2403 NE Alberta

When: 6:00 pm

Cost: Free

Wednesday, September 8th

Come celebrate the Death Magazine No. 2 release with Forrest Martin and friends! Loud music + free beer + your first opportunity to peruse and purchase the print version in person. Life is a relationship with fleetingness, and Death Magazine is a tri-annual magazine that speaks to this; a curated journal which asks writers and visual artists to address the topic however they wish, in whatever tone.

Where: Reading Frenzy, 912 SW Oak

When: 7:00 pm

Cost: Free

Thursday, September 9th

Smalldoggies Reading Series PDX001: one musical guest, three writers performing and reading poetry, fiction, and more. Featured readers include Donald Dunbar, Eirean Bradley, Kathleen Lane, and special guests. Music by Sassparilla.

Where: Cafe Magnolia, 1522 SE 32nd Ave

When: 8:00 pm

Cost: Free

Photo Story Prompt: Beauce Carnaval Carousel

2010-09-01T23:26:00.000-07:00

Write what comes to you! Let us know what you come up with. Post it below as a comment or send it to us via email at photostory@indigoediting.com.

Editorial Tip of the Week: The DL on POV

2010-08-30T23:14:00.000-07:00

Point of view: an essential building block for any work of writing. But how much time do you spend thinking about it? Your choice of point of view can be an important tool for engaging your reader and revealing your characters. Let's reviews the choices:

First Person

Utilizes "I," as in: I went to the store today. I felt uneasy around the shoppers. First person is sometimes considered the easiest point of view, but it requires a great amount of understanding to work with. Because the entirety of your story must be conveyed through the one character, your perspective is limited. You are in danger of telling more often than showing. First person point of view provides a greater intimacy and is quite reader friendly, just be careful you are wielding it well.

Third Person

Relies on he, she, or they to tell the story (usually in past tense) and is quite common across all genres. Example: She wanted to go out last night to support her friends and felt guilty for feigning an illness to stay in instead. The story is told through one character and as with first person perspective, you are limited to what that character sees, hears, feels, experiences, or knows.

Omniscient

Allows for an all seeing, God-like perspective on the story, with the perspective jumping from character to character (remaining in one character's head one at a time). This perspective can be very revealing for readers, but is a handful to manage as the author. Omniscient perspective requires diligent attention to keep characters straight and reveal information through the right characters at the right time.

Second Person

Look for second person point of view in "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. This is the least commonly used point of view. Nobody wants to be told what they are feeling or what to do, and this is precisely what second person point of view hinges on: you. Most often executed in present tense, second person relies on the "you are..." perspective. Example: You are walking through the park and feel a sense of euphoria. The sun warms your face and you smile.

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-08-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 28th

Locally grown poetry at the Hollywood Farmers Market, final reading for summer 2010: Frances Payne Adler (10:30 am) and Judith Barrington (11:30 am). The two poets go on when musicians take breaks. Come on over while you shop for heirloom tomatoes, purple potatoes, sweet berries, and extremely lovely lettuce; eat breakfast burritos, crepes, and cookies while good words come beaming out at you.

Where: Hollywood Farmers Market, NE Hancock at 44th

When: 10:30 am and 11:30 am

Cost: Free

Saturday and Sunday, August 28th & 29th

Portland Zine Symposium! A conference and zine social exploring facets of independent publishing and DIY culture. The PZS aims to promote greater community between diverse creators of independent publications and art.

Where: Peter W. Stott Main Gym, Portland State University

When: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Cost: Free

Tuesday, August 31st

Please join us to hear two terrific authors, Matt Love and Willy Vlautin, read from their latest works and be generally entertaining. Matt's latest book, is Gimme Refuge: The Education of a Caretaker. The book tells the passionate story of his teaching career, his experience as a caretaker of the 600-acre Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge, and his awakening as an Oregonian.

Where: Broadway Books, 1714 NE Broadway

When: 7:00 pm

Cost: Free

Friday, September 3rd

Reading and signing with William Upski Wimsatt in celebration of his third book, Please Don't Bomb the Suburbs. Wimsatt weaves a first-person tour of America's cultural and political movements from 1985–2010. It's a story about love, growing up, a generation coming of age, and a vision for the movement young people will create in the new decade. Wimsatt was honored as a "Visionary" by Utne Reader, and included in The Source's "Power 30" list.

Where: Reading Frenzy, 921 SW Oak

When: 7:00 pm

Cost: Free

Photo Story Prompt: A Place Called Banda Café

2010-08-25T21:40:00.000-07:00

Write whatever comes to you! Post it as a comment or email it to us at photostory@indigoediting.com.

Editorial Tip of the Week: Hyphen and the Dashes

2010-08-23T15:31:00.000-07:00

Mistaking a hyphen for an en dash is an easy thing to do. Singular hyphens are even frequently used in place of em dashes, either by mistake or through lack of understanding. It is generally known that two hyphens are representative of an em dash, like this: --. Before we go on, let's clarify what the three look like:

hyphen -
en dash –
em dash —

Though readers may not easily recognize the difference between these, especially the hyphen and en dash, proper use is necessary for editorial precision. Conversion errors from one software to another, through email, or from print to digital form are common with hyphens and dashes, so careful proofreading is important to ensuring you have all your dashes and hyphens where they should be.

But what if you don't know which is which just by sight? Here's a quick refresher:

Em dash: the dash. An em dash is a dramatic punctuation mark; it interrupts the flow of the sentence and introduces extra material. It is called "em" because, traditionally, the dash is as long as the width of a typeset capital letter M.

En dash: the least frequently used of all three. Most commonly it is used to indicate a range of inclusive numbers. For example: Charlie will be out of the office from December 9–January 17th. It is called "en" because, traditionally, the dash is as long as the width of a typeset capital letter N.

Hyphen: used in compound modifiers (long-term relationship), to write out numbers (sixty-four), or within words (T-shirt, re-press). A dictionary is often helpful when you can't decide whether or not a hyphen is necessary in a word.

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-08-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

Monday, August 23rd
Julia Holmes at Powell's on Hawthorne. In her dystopian debut, a hapless bachelor must quickly find a wife--and a nice suit--or lose his freedom forever. Meeks (Small Beer Press) is a dark satire rendered with the slapstick humor of a Buster Keaton film.
Where: Powell's Books, 3723 SE Hawthorne
When: 7:30 pm
Cost: Free

Thursday, August 26th
Zines on Toast tour! Alex Wrekk will be joined by UK zinesters Isy Morgenmuffel, Edd Baldry, Steve Larder, Tom Fiction, and Natalie who will regale you with an evening of entertainment and information about UK zine culture.
Where: Reading Frenzy, 921 SW Oak
When: 7 pm
Cost: Free

Friday, August 27th
Come celebrate the release of Northwest Passage: 50 Years and Independent Music from the Rose City, a book and audio CD highlighting the history of Portland's burgeoning music scene, with short talk by Marc Moscato and Erin Yanke from the Dill Pickle Club. Feature contributors include the Oregon Historical Society, Mississippi Records, PDX Pop Now, Calvin Johnson, Vanessa Renwick, and more.
Where: Reading Frenzy, 921 SW Oak
When: 7 pm
Cost: Free

Friday, August 27th
Write Around Portland is releasing their 33rd anthology--titled Follow Me, Move the World--of community writing by adult and youth summer 2010 writing workshop participants. We invite the public to attend this reading of the writers' powerful work.
Where: First United Methodist Church (Collins Hall), 1838 SW Jefferson
When: 6:30-8:30 pm
Cost: Free, donations are accepted

Photo Story Prompt: A Few Bikes

2010-08-18T11:02:00.000-07:00

Write what comes to you! Post it below or email it to us at photostory@indigoediting.com.

Editorial Tip of the Week: What's the Point?

2010-08-16T11:26:00.000-07:00

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.

-- Rule number one of eight in Kurt Vonnegut's rules for writing a short story, from Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction.

A common problem with short stories (or any fiction, really) is a dreadful one: a story with no point. As much as your reader wants to see well-developed characters and engaging action, they also want to be able to pinpoint why they are reading and why you were writing. This isn't to say that every work of fiction should be one of Aesop's fables or conquer some sort of grandiose theme, but your reader should be able to come away with as much of a sense of importance as you had when writing.

In Jack Bickman's book, The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes, he discusses logic in relation to fiction and the importance of the whys of each part of your story: "Because fiction is make-believe, it has to be more logical than real life if it is to be believed. In real life, things may occur for no apparent reason. But in fiction you the writer simply cannot ever afford to lose sight of logic and let things happen for no apparent reason."

As a general rule, you want your reader to be able to easily grasp the point of your story. Be sure you answer all of the "why" of your story. Write about things that matter to you; if you really don't care, the reader will be able to tell. Write with passion. Spice up your characters, make them human, even throw a hardship or two at them. Develop a new take on a subject, or whatever you need to do to give your story a reason to be.

Without that, you have nothing that lingers after the reader finishes your story. The second the last page is turned, your reader could be thinking about when the laundry will be finished, what they will have for lunch tomorrow, etc. With all of the things we invest our time in, make your story one that the reader will not regret. And if you're lucky, it just might be the new topic over coffee or at the dinner table.

Volunteer for Wordstock!

2010-08-16T10:04:00.000-07:00

Calling all Wordstock Volunteers Past, Present, and Future

Wordstock 2010 is right around the corner, and we need you! Current volunteer opportunities include escorting authors to their readings, assisting with book signings, managing stages, staffing information booths, selling merchandise, and much more.

If you would like to help up put on a great festival, click here to sign up. You can also access the form through the Wordstock website. Click on "Get Involved" at the top of the homepage, and then click on "Volunteer." Feel free to sign up for more than one shift, a whole day, or the entire weekend.

Without volunteers, Wordstock would not be possible. We hope to see you this year. If you have any questions, email the volunteer coordinators at volunteer@wordstockfestival.com The festival is October 9-10 at the Oregon Convention Center.

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-08-13T15:46:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 14th
The 3rd annual Letterpress Printers Fair is an outdoor event celebrating letterpress, printers, and appreciators. Featuring demos, print shops, suppliers, resources, cards, ephemera, and more.
Where: 323 SE Division Place
When: 11 am - 5 pm
Cost: $2 before 2 pm, free after 2 pm

Saturday, August 14th

The Market Day Poetry series, a collaboration with the St. Johns Farmers Market, will be featuring readings by Jesse Lichtenstein and Ericka Recordon.

Where: St. Johns Booksellers, 8622 N. Lombard

When: 12-1 pm

Cost: Free

Tuesday, August 17th

Benefit to help raise funds to demolish the church that housed Phil Wikelund's Great Northwest Bookstore, which burned down this past May. Featuring live music, poetry, comedy, and a silent auction.

Where: Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W. Burnside

When: doors at 5 pm, show at 5:30 pm

Cost: $15 advance, $18 day of (21+)

Wednesday, August 18th

Christopher Luna and Toni Partington will be here for the Figures of Speech reading. As always, open mic, a writing prompt, cookies, and other fun. Toni Partington lives and works as a poet, editor, visual artist, and life/career coach in Vancouver, Washington. She is co-founder and editor, with Christopher Luna, of Printed Matter Vancouver, an editing and small press service. Christopher Luna is a poet, visual artist, and performer with an MFA from the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado.

Where: 100th Monkey, 110 SE 16th Ave

When: 7 pm

Cost: Free

Thursday, August 19th

In her candid memoir Composed, acclaimed singer and songwriter Rosanne Cash writes about her upbringing in Southern Carolina as the child of country legend Johnny Cash, and of her relationships with her mother and her famous stepmother, June Carter Cash.

Where: Bagdad Theater, 3702 SE Hawthorne

When: 7 pm

Cost: $26.95 (includes admission and a copy of Composed)

Photo Story Prompt: Shulman's Market

2010-08-11T17:52:00.000-07:00

Shulman's Market, at the southeast corner of N Street and Union Street, Washington, D.C., between 1941 and 1942. Louise Rosskam.

Write whatever comes to you, fiction or otherwise. Tell us what you come up with! Post your story in a comment below, or email it to photostory@indigoediting.com.

Editorial Tip of the Week: Splice It Up

2010-08-09T13:27:00.000-07:00

The comma splice is a common mistake, I've been guilty of it myself plenty of times. Did you catch that one? With so many ways to use commas, things can get a bit tricky. A comma splice is the joining together of two main clauses with a comma (incorrect), instead of a conjunction, semicolon, or period. Luckily, the answer to correcting your comma splices is right there in the definition. So let's take it one by one:

1. Coordinating Conjunctions

Most commonly, commas are used to separate two main clauses connected by a coordinating conjunction. In other words, if you're joining two things that could function as independent sentences, you need to be using something like "and," "but," or "or." Example:

Charlie ran into the backyard, and Maggie searched for the bones.

Both work on their own as complete sentences. To combine them with a comma, simply add in a coordinating conjunction. Without the coordinating conjunction, you have a comma splice: Charlie ran into the backyard, Maggie searched for the bones.

2. Semicolons

If the two clauses are closely related, a semicolon can be used to splice them:

Charlie ran into the backyard; he was looking for bones.

These two things can exist as individual sentences: Charlie ran into the backyard. He was looking for bones. Because the two are related, they can be joined with a semicolon.

3. Periods

When you are aware of a comma splice, it's very easy to fix them. Because the splice joins together two main clauses, those two can be separated into individual sentences. Simply use a period where the comma was:

Charlie ran into the backyard. Maggie searched for the bones.

Give it a try yourself. Each comma splice has it's own personality, so one way to fix it may be better than another. Some instances will lend themselves more to coordinating conjunctions, while others may not make sense with a conjunction.

There is always the question of stylistic writing: should writers be allowed to use comma splices and other mistakes for the sake of their art? Every once in a while, someone skirts the rules and is still a successful author, but it's much more common that your punctuation and grammatical mistakes are unintentional. For the sake of your readers (and editors!), stick by the rules.

Summer 2010 Release

2010-08-06T15:34:00.000-07:00

We are honored to showcase these talented authors and their unique works in the Summer 2010 issue of Ink-Filled Page. These pieces stood out for their innovative methods of expression, creating a varied landscape of thoughts and ideas. Though they are vastly different in form and content, it happens that, by subconscious choice or mere coincidence, each work examines the relationship between identity and the conditions which build it. Join these authors as they explore the roads that lead to who we are. Featured authors include Lisa Marie Basile, Sandra Argüello Borbón, Rebecca Bornstein, Terra Chapek, Lesley Kimball, and Gretchen Van Lente. Art contributions by Claudia Martin, Cassandra Marie Hrapchak and Ericsson San Pablo Chu, and Christopher Woods.

Read the free preview here.

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-08-06T14:41:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 7th

2nd Annual NW Book Festival. Over 50 Northwest authors gather in Pioneer Courthouse Square today to sign books, sell books, and chat about their books, many of which are self-published. Information about some of the individual authors is listed here.

Where: Pioneer Courthouse Square, 701 SW 6th

When: 11 am - 7 pm

Cost: Free

Sunday, August 8th

Kids Comic Jam! Open to the public (youth 10-17 years old only). Come and hang out with other comic artists, play comics games and go home with a sample zine of comics. Drop in, no registration needed. Snacks are provided.

Where: Independent Publishing Resource Center, 917 SW Oak #218

When: 2-4 pm

Cost: Free

Monday, August 9th

The former editor of the Portland Review put together this promising collection of work from established and up-and-coming Portland writers. Tonight features readings from BT Shaw, Emily Kendall Frey, Justin Hocking, Zachary Schomburg, and more.

Where: The Press Club, 2621 SE Clinton

When: 7 pm

Cost: Free

Wednesday, August 11th
Esther K. Smith, author and co-designer of How to Make Books, Magic Books & Paper Toys, and The Paper Bride will discuss her books, her art press, and show us how to make origami-based snake books! Please bring a few magazines to re-use or other paper you'd like to incorporate into your book, a bone folder if you have it, scissors, and something to draw or stamp with, we'll provide the rest!
Where: Reading Frenzy, 921 SW Oak
When: 7 pm
Cost: Free

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-07-24T12:06:00.000-07:00

Monday, July 26th
Matt Lauer calls author Jeff Yeager "the ultimate cheapskate." With the publication of his book, The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map to True Riches, it is obvious that Lauer meant this as a compliment.
Where: Annie Bloom's Books, 7834 SW Capitol Highway
When: 7:30pm
Cost: Free

Monday, July 26th
Temra Costa reads from Farmer Jane, a hands-on guide for getting involved in the sustainable food movement. She profiles thirty women in the sustainable food industry, illustrating the amazing changes they are making in how we connect with food. Co-sponsored by Edible Portland. At Powell's City of Books on Burnside.
Where: 1005 W Burnside
When: 7:30pm
Cost: Free!

Thursday, July 29th
This month's Back Fence storytelling event centers around the topic of "he said, she said," with the same story being told from two different perspectives. Free treats from Saint Cupcake!
Where: The Mission Theatre, 1624 NW Glisan
When: Doors at 6pm
Cost: $14

Saturday, August 7th
Practice the art and balance of description – not too much, not too little - as you look for the small details that allow a reader an entrance into a room, a conflict, a psyche. The Devil’s in the Details, a workshop led by Kim Taylor. To register, contact Portland Writers.
When: 1pm - 3:30pm
Where: SW Portland
Cost: $25

Photo Story Prompt: Have A Seat

2010-07-22T12:02:00.000-07:00

Write whatever comes to you--long or short, fiction or otherwise.
We'd love to see what you come up with! Post your story in a comment below or send it to photostory@indigoediting.com

Editorial Tip of the Week: Position Is All

2010-07-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

Each issue of Poets & Writers Magazine includes Page One: Where New and Noteworthy Books Begins. This first sentence, possibly the most important in your work, opens the door to draw in the reader. In fact, you hope it can reach out and drag passersby off the streets and into this new-made world of yours. It can be dramatic, teasing, funny, quirky, ominous, or mysterious. It can be concise or else present a fully developed scene. It can be a line of dialog, internal or external. Most of us find the opening sentence for our work when we edit, and we may find it lurking on page two or three.

I can still hear Lois Hudson explaining "commanding position." She wanted us to consider the opening of each paragraph and—more important—the last, reminding us not to let that last sentence wander off or fade away instead of ending with a word that matters and, except for the last sentence of a section or work, providing a transition to the next paragraph.

Here's how M.F.K Fisher uses position in "The Measure of My Powers," one of the essays in A Life Through Meals.

Opening sentence: "The first thing I remember tasting and then wanting to taste again is the grayish-pink fuzz my grandmother skimmed from a spitting kettle of strawberry jam."

And the first sentence in a later paragraph: "She was a grim woman, as if she had decided long ago that she could thus most safely get to heaven."
Last sentence: "Sometimes she let me pull stems off the cherries, and one year when I was almost nine I stirred the pots a little now and then, silent and making myself as small as possible."
Transitional sentence that begins the next paragraph: "But there was no nonsense anyway, no foolish chitchat."

Seattle Art Museum's 32nd Annual Betty Bowen Award

2010-07-19T20:30:00.000-07:00

The Seattle Art Museum is currently seeking entries for this year's Betty Bowen Award!

Submitting your work lets you introduce your art to SAM Curators and the Betty Bowen Committee. Two artists are also selected to act as part of the following year's selection committee. This fantastic opportunity is open to residents of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho and the deadline is August 1st.

For more information about the award and how to apply, go to http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/bettybowen/

Be Part of the PDX Bridge Festival

2010-07-16T23:46:00.000-07:00

Bring a bridge poem, and take your place at the microphone.
Sunday, July 25th, 4pm
Powell's on Books on Hawthorne, 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd

Paulann Petersen will begin this event with a few words about poems as bridges Then the Powell's stage is open to you. Here's your chance to pick your favorite Portland bridge and write a poem to or for it. Sharon Wood Wortman, the Bridge Festival organizer, says that at this reading,"metaphors are welcomed and encouraged! This is an opportunity to expand the definitions and limits of the roles bridges play in our
lives."

"Aerial photo of bridges radiating like spokes." For more information, see the PDX Bridge Festival website.

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-07-16T23:11:00.000-07:00

Monday, July 19th
Julia Whitty explores the three-dimensional ocean river, far more powerful than the Nile or the Amazon, encircling the globe. She reads from "Deep Blue Home: An Intimate Ecology of Our Wild Ocean," At Powell's Books on Hawthorne.
When: 7:30pm
Where: 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd
Cost: Free!

Saturday, July 24th
Sign up to read your own work or a favorite poem at the Poetry Picnic in Scott Park, behind the Ledding Library. Part of the Milwaukie Daze celebration.
When: 2pm - 4pm
Where: 10660 SE 21st Ave, Milwaukie
Cost: Free!

Photo Story Prompt: Point Wilson Light Station

2010-07-14T23:51:00.000-07:00

Write whatever comes to you—short or long, fiction or truth.

Feel free to comment on each other's stories and just generally enjoy the process of playing with the written word and the world it creates.

Happy writing!

"Point Wilson Light Station, Harbor Defense Way, Port Townsend vicinity, Jefferson, WA. General view of light station, fuel storage building, and fog-signal, looking north."

Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, HAER WA-171-7
Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record

Editorial Tip of the Week: Quote, Unquote

2010-07-13T11:23:00.000-07:00

Dialogue can be a great way to tell a story. It allows your reader to pick up on details that would otherwise have to be blatantly explained. Dialogue gives characters their personality. If done well, a character will go from flat to round by way of the things they say and the way they interact with other characters. Conversation in literature can help you avoid long-winded, adjective-ridden descriptions of the weather, the setting, or the characters' moods. It is a useful tool, but it's important to keep some things in mind.

1.) Don't follow every line with, "he said", or "she said." These are also known as dialogue tags. An abundance of these will give the piece an unfortunate and irritating rythm, especially if the lines are short. If there are more than two people speaking, you will need this clarification, but keep it to a minimum.

2.) When a "he said" or "she said" is necessary, don't add an adverb every time. This only exponentiates the unfortunate rythm mentioned in rule number 1.

3.) Replacing "said" with something like "gasped" or "responded" or "yelled" may seem like a clever disguise, but it's not. It's good to mix up your verbs, but know that a different word doesn't eliminate the annoyance of this excess. It will still come across as choppy no matter how rare the dialogue tag you choose is. Try to use these only when the character's tone could be misinterpreted.

4.) Break up your dialogue. There's nothing worse than 20 pages of non-stop conversation. You're not writing a screenplay. Talk about what the characters are doing as they speak. Are they eating? Jogging? Where are they?

5.) Don't throw in unnatural details. Your dialogue should mirror natural speech as much as possible. For example, if your characters a good friends, it doesn't make any sense to have them telling each other what they do for a living. You'll need to be subtle if you want these details to be told through dialogue. Trust your reader to make the necessary connections.

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-07-08T12:11:00.000-07:00

Friday, July 9th
Experience the diary as you've never seen it before at the release of Jesse Recklaw's Ten Thousand Things to Do. Multimedia comic diaries by Melinda Tracy Boyce, Clutch, Virginia Paine. Free beer! ,
When: 7pm
Where: Reading Frenzy, 921 SW Oak
Cost: Free

Saturday, July 10th
Rummage through books, CDs, and DVDs at bargain prices at the Garden Home Community Library used book sale this weekend.
When: 11am-3pm
Where: Garden Home Community Library, 7475 SW Oleson Rd.
Cost: varies

Monday, July 12th
Suzanne Rivecca reads from Death Is Not an Option, her debut collection about girls and women. From a college student who adopts a false hippie persona to find love, to a young memoirist who bumps up against a sexually obsessed fan, the characters in these fiercely original tales grapple with what it means to be honest with themselves and the world. At Powell's Books on Hawthorne.
When: 7:30pm
Where: 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd
Cost: Free

Thursday, July 15th
Andrew Beahrs reads from Twain's Feast, weaving passages from Mark Twain's works with his own journey through present-day America as he retraces Twain's accounts from a time when foods taken fresh from grasslands, woods, and waters were at the heart of American cooking. At Powell's City of Books on Burnside.
When: 7:30pm
Where: 1005 W Burnside
Cost: Free

Photo Story Prompt: Watching the Grass Grow

2010-07-07T15:03:00.001-07:00

Write whatever comes to you--long or short, fiction or otherwise.

Tell us what you come up with! Post your stories as a comment below or send them to photostory@indigoediting.com.

Editorial Tip of the Week: Read It Aloud

2010-07-06T00:10:00.000-07:00

Whether proofreading, revising, or polishing your work, you'll find it helps to read it aloud--or even shout it.

Ben Yagoda, in The Sound on the Page, tells this story:

Flaubert...would go out to an avenue of lime trees near his house and proclaim what he'd written at the top of his lungs, the better to see if the prose conformed to the ideal that was in his head.

For the same reason you may find yourself subvocalizing as you work on a particularly difficult section of your own work. And, something to keep in mind, your readers can also hear your words, whether or not they move their lips as they read.

So it's a good idea to test your text by reading it aloud or by asking someone else to read it aloud for you, one of the advantages of participating in workshops and critique groups. Another trick is to trade pages, each taking notes while the other reads.

Peter Elbow, in Writing With Power, reminds us how useful reading aloud can be in cutting out the clutter left from earlier drafts:

Look for places where you stumble or get lost in the middle of a sentence....where you get distracted or even bored....Cut through the extra words or vagueness or digression...Listen even for the tiniest jerk or stumble in your reading....for places where the words themselves seem to stop paying full attention to their own meaning.

And lastly, read each word out loud when you're proofreading. This takes concentration, because it's easy to unconsciously add the missing letters to a misspelled word or add the word you, or another writer, meant to put in. This is one time to avoid the process of co-creation that is part of the reader/writer relationship.

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-07-02T23:45:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, July 7th
Oregon Literary Review brings you great poetry and wine. Featured poets include Nicholas Karavatos, Pat Cason, and Indigo associate editor, Susan DeFreitas.
Where: 3519 NE 44th Ave.
When: 7pm
Cost: Free

Thursday, July 8th
What has happened to the world economy? With the kind of striking precision that only graphic nonfiction can provide, Understanding the Crash proceeds from that simple question that still haunts us. Seth Tobocman and Eric Laursen will be at Powell's Books on Hawthorne to explain just how we got into this mess — and how we can get out of it.
Where: 3723 SE Hawthorne
When: 7:30pm
Cost: Free

Sunday, July 11th
Open your senses and channel life’s sensual feast through your pen at a women-only workshop: Hot Summer Nights: Writing Erotica, with Alida Thacher and Allegra Heidelinde. Visit the Portland Writers website for registration and location and to find out about other July workshops.
Where: NE Portland
When: 1- 5pm
Cost: $50

Tuesday, July 13th
Portland Hearing Voices, a support network for sufferers of schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder will host a benefit featuring poets Emily Kendal Frey, Zachary Schomburg, and James Gendron, among others.
Where: Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th Ave.
When: 7pm
Cost: $10 donation

Future Monthly Meetings with Veronica Esagui

2010-07-01T14:22:00.000-07:00

Starting in October, author and television host, Dr. Veronica Esagui will be organizing monthly meetings and book readings for authors in the Portland area. They are likely to be held at Java Mama on Sundays at 2pm. More details to come. To stay connected and help plan these upcoming events, e-mail Dr. Esagui at handson13@hotmail.com.

Photo Story Prompt: July 4,1940

2010-06-30T23:17:00.000-07:00

Write whatever comes to you—short or long, fiction or truth.

Feel free to comment on each other's stories and just generally enjoy the process of playing with the written word and the world it creates.
Happy writing!

"One of the entrants in soapbox auto race during July 4th celebration at Salisbury, Maryland" by Jack Delano, 1940
Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
[LC-USF33- 020624-M2]

2nd Annual Northwest Book Festival

2010-06-30T20:37:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 7th, 11am-7pm

Pioneer Courthouse Square

Now accepting applications from authors for 2010!

For more information, go to http://www.nwbookfestival.com/

Spread the word!

Editorial Tip of the Week: Adverbially Speaking

2010-06-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

Using adverbs can be so satisfying. You're typing away and arrive at a crucial point. It is imperative that you make your reader understand the importance of the given thought, opinion, or description. Underlining is out of the question and you're certainly not going to utilize the caps lock. Maybe italics...no, that only makes the text look weak and unsure of itself. This point is too strong to be slanted and light.

And so you write something like, "It was completely and utterly ridiculous." Of course, "ridiculous" does a fine job of connoting not much of anything on its own, but that's a different editorial tip. What makes this sentence all the more useless are its adverbs. They add clutter, and what's worse, they make for a sense of empty passion. Of adverbs, literary critic Pat Holt writes, "These words promise emphasis, but too often they do the reverse. The suck the meaning out of every sentence."

Adverbs often accompany anger or frustration. That's why you can get away with them in conversation. If you're telling a story about something "completely and utterly ridiculous," the adverbs, though still empty, will tell your listener that you really, really mean it. Adverbs have a certain therapeutic quality, your sanity may feel dependent on them like a solid smack into a pillow or punching bag.

Try to approach your writing with more composure. Or, put all the adverbs in the first draft and when you're feeling more zen, delete them all. You will find that the passion you wish to convey will come across much stronger without the adverbial additions. Until there's some kind of universally understood typeface language that captures every mood, we'll have to settle for firm conciseness.

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-06-25T15:52:00.000-07:00

Monday, June 28th
Brett Easton Ellis reads from his new book, Imperial Bedrooms, the sequel to 1985's Less Than Zero.
When: 7:30pm
Where: Powell's Books, 1005 W Burnside
Cost: Free

Thursday, July 1st
The Basil Hallward Gallery presents original broadsides featuring writing from participants of Write Around Portland. Artists include Inge Bruggeman, Barbara Tetenbaum, and Sandy Tilcock. First Thursday: Ink and Impact, at Powell's City of Books on Burnside.
When: 6:30pm
Where: 1005 W Burnside
Cost: Free

July 10th-11th
Print Camp! at the Independent Publishing Resource Center. Learn a wide range of printing skills including screenprinting, letterpress, bookbinding and relief printing.
When: 7/10-7/11, 9am-5pm
Where: IPRC, 917 SW Oak Street
Cost: $150

Sunday, July 11th
Poetry of the Ordinary, is the first workshop of a July series offered by Willa Schneberg at her air-condtioned office. Participants will have the opportunity to respond to prompts, write in a supportive group atmosphere, and share a first draft with other participants. There will be time to critique poems you have previously written. Also in the July series: Writing the Political Poem (July 18) and Mastering the Poetic Sequence (July 25). For more information or to reserve a space, visit Willa's website.
When: 1pm - 4pm
Where: Pearl District
Cost: $40 / single workshop; $110 / three-workshop series

Photo Story Prompt: An Absolute Gem

2010-06-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

Write whatever comes to you--long or short, fiction or otherwise.

Post your story in a comment below or send it to: photostory@indigoediting.com

Enjoy!

Editorial Tip of the Week: All Together Now

2010-06-22T15:07:00.000-07:00

Time to look at how all plays with other words:

When is all of necessary? Leave of at home when all modifies a noun. But when a pronoun follows, all of takes the lead, as in this example from Karen Elizabeth Gordon's, Torn Wings and Faux Pas: A Flashbook of Style, a Beastly Guide Thought the Writer's Labyrinth:

All the activities on board required social graces, so the second skipper was much obliged to skip all of them and skulk about the deck alone.

Already is old news. But if some one is prepared to do the deed, he or she is all ready.

Alright is not all right in polite company, but it may be found when folks are just hanging out. See Grammar Girl for a more thorough discussion.

All together is a phrase that means, "in a group" (think of the Beatles). But altogether is an adverb; think "completely" or "entirely.

Remember that distinction between phrase and adverb when you come to all ways and all most. Each is a two-word phrase, and the words can be rearranged. For example, "the path twisted all ways" or "keep to the path through all the ways it twists and turns."
Always and almost are adverbs. Almost means "at all times" or "forever." And almost means "nearly." Paul Brians keeps it interesting when he points out the difference between most always and almost always:

"Most always" is a casual, slangy way of saying "almost always."

Good to for writers to remember, because sometimes our characters need to loosen up.

Although takes precedence, opening a clause. Though is often used to link words and phrases. Again, quoting Karen Elizabeth Gordon, this time from "Out of the Loud Hound of Darkness":

Although we've never actually met, I feel I know you through and through ..."
Raving mad though I am about most of Manx Vulpino's work, ...

When in doubt, there's the Miriam-Webster OnLine Dictionary.

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-06-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

Saturday, June 19th
Powell's Books welcomes Janet Fletcher, author of the cookbook, Eating Local, who will be sharing recipes and discussing the importance of consuming fresh foods grown nearby. She is joined by one of the CSA farmers mentioned in the book.
Where: Pastaworks, 3735 SE Hawthorne
When: 6/19, 2pm
Cost: Free

Thursday, June 24th
Oregon's poet laureate, Paulann Petersen, will be reading along side Molly Gloss and Hannah Louise Poston and a wine and dessert bar at a release party for the latest issue of The Grove Review.
Where: The Writer's Dojo, 7518 N Chicago
When: 6/24, 7:30pm
Cost: Free, donations gladly accepted

Saturday, June 26th
Locally Grown at the Hollywood Farmers Market: Kirsten Rian reads in the first half of the morning, Sam Lohmann in the second. Both perform when the band takes breaks. More poets will be reading July 31 and August 28--stay tuned. Contact for poetry: ja@juditharcana.com.
Where: NE Hancock between 44th & 45th Ave
When: 8am - 1pm
Cost: Free

Saturday, June 26th
Come for all or part of Soapstone's annual workday. We’ll be making kindling and starter logs from branches that fell during the winter, weeding and transplanting in the native plant restoration area, and clipping overhanging plants along the trails. For information, email retreats@soapstone.org.
When: Starting at 11am, with a potluck dinner around 5pm
Where: Soapstone
Cost: Free

Photo Story Prompt: Ferris Wheel

2010-06-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

Write whatever comes to you--short or long, fiction or truth.

We'd love to see what you come up with! Post your story in a comment below, or e-mail it to photostory@indigoediting.com.

Feel free to comment on each other's stories and just generally enjoy the process of playing with the written word and the world it creates.

Happy writing!

"People on a ferris wheel, silhouetted against a setting sun."
©Travelling two | Dreamstime.com

Editorial Tip of the Week: Check Your List

2010-06-14T14:19:00.000-07:00

What do you think of this sentence?

He ate a lot that day: Fritos, a frozen pizza, a box of Klondike bars, Laffy Taffy, plain cake doughnuts, a club sandwich, and a jar of pickles.

Do you appreciate it for its presentation of information by way of concrete images? Or does it seem superflous to specify what this person ate?

Let's take a minute to think about the "list sentence." I don't have a definite answer, this is more of an awareness piece.

Lists can be a way to juxtapose feelings and themes, as in, "She sat at the edge of a small cliff, surrounded by ivy, evergreens, moss, small birds and looked down at shopping carts, beer cans, tires and old pipes." But, it seems a bit cluttered, doesn't it? How does it compare to, "She sat at the edge of a small cliff surrounded by greenery, looking down on an assortment of trash,"? It lacks details, don't you think? So maybe it would be wise to break it up, give each noun a chance to shine on its own, "She sat at the edge of a small cliff, looking at the ivy. The evergreens towered above her. Moss cushioned her. She gazed down at the shopping carts that littered the hillside. The beer cans glistened in the sun. Tires and old pipes were strewn about like confetti on New Years."

Sometimes lists establish a certain kind of voice, you know, a listy voice. Because we list naturally in speech, it goes hand in hand with a conversational tone. Every once in a while a writer can pull off a structure in which lists enhance the piece, and don't distract from it.

As always, it is important to be conscientious. Just remember, using consecutive nouns to enhance meaning treads the dangerous ground of a reader's lost interest.

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-06-11T12:54:00.000-07:00

Friday, June 11th
Portland City Art and New Avenues For Youth host a celebration of youth work inspired by their lives on the street. Speakers, music, food/drink and a silent auction will be features of this benefit.
When: 6/11, 6:30-10pm
Where: New Avenues for Youth, 1220 SW Columbia
Cost: $50

Wednesday, June 16th
This month Figures of Speech features Sid Miller and Alison Apotheker, along with open mic, writing prompts, books, cookies and a new art show at the 100th Monkey.
When: 6/16, 7 pm
Where: 100th Monkey Studio, 110 SE 16th Ave
Cost: Free!

Thursday, June 17th
Lucy Jane Bledsoe reads at Powell's on Hawthorne from The Big Bang Symphony: a novel of Antarctica, the intertwined stories of three complex and independent women thrown together by a cargo plane crash in Antarctica. Book trailer.
When: 6/17, 7:30pm
Where: Powell's Books, 3723 SE Hawthorne
Cost: Free!

Saturday, June 26th
G. Xavier Robillard, author of Captain Freedom and creator of Alldaycoffee.net will be conducting a one-day workshop, FINDING YOUR ONLINE AUDIENCE at The Attic. Pick up some social media skills and develop your online presence!
When: 6/26, 2-4pm
Where: The Attic, 4232 SE Hawthorne
Cost: $45 in advance

Indigo's Next Day of Workshops

2010-06-11T11:11:00.000-07:00

Our first day of workshops was a hit, so we're already planning our second. Mark your calendar for Saturday, August 21, and join us to hone your skills of writing across genres, attracting the attention your book deserves, and providing top-notch readings. Each class is limited to nine students, so register early!

Differently Abled: Using Tools Outside Your Genre to Break Through Blocks in Writing
10:30 a.m.–Noon
Instructor: Susan DeFreitas
Cost: $45*

Can the music of poetry inform the language of prose? Can fictive structures strengthen nonfictional narratives? Can the kind of character development normally associated with prose create stronger, more striking poems?

Yes, yes, and yes! In this workshop, we’ll examine ways that tools and techniques common to fiction, nonfiction, and poetry can work together to inform and strengthen one another.

Open to any and all writers, this workshop is likely to prove especially useful to those who already work in more than one genre. Come with pen and paper, and/or your laptop—leave with new insights, new writing, and new tools.

Susan DeFreitas is a writer whose work encompasses multiple genres and mediums. Her nonfiction has been published in Yes! Magazine; Natural Home; E, the Environmental Magazine; and The Utne Reader. Her poetry has appeared in The Bear Deluxe, Third Wednesday, and Southwestern American Literature, and her Web site of hypertext poetry and fiction, www.hypertextmeditations.com, went online in June of 2010. She is a recent transplant to Portland from Northern Arizona, where she served as an associate editor and monthly columnist for The Noise. Currently, she blogs on green technology for www.earthtechling.com and is enrolled in the MFA in Writing program at Pacific University.

How to Make Your Book a Head Turner
2:40–4:10 p.m.
Instructor: Ali McCart
Cost: $45*

The key to publishing a book successfully is to make an impression. Every person involved in the process of publishing your book—agent, editor, publicist, reviewer, bookseller, and consumer—must be impressed with your words and your approach. This workshop will teach you tips on researching your book’s place in the market and tricks for making it stand out. We’ll include time to evaluate your current approach and to provide feedback on developing a book that will turn heads and open wallets.

Ali McCart has been evaluating authors’ methods since before she understood the term literary criticism. She has helped dozens of writers transform their books from wallflowers to knockouts—or, put in book terms, from spine-outs to face-outs—with simple accentuating techniques.

The Power Couples of Great Readings
2:40–4:10 p.m.
Instructor: Kristin Thiel
Cost: $45*

The age of the quiet writer is over, now that technology has shrunk our world and the economy has tightened the wallets of publishers and readers. And now that hermit heroes J. D. Salinger and Hunter S. Thompson have left the building. Authors need to be a part of public readings and other events—and that one you gave at the last campfire doesn’t count. Practice planning a great reading and then reading great with our strategies that are broken into three helpful power couples: Short and Sweet (or Sour); Free and Clear; and Bold and Bright. No one has reason to stand before potential book buyers grumbling, mumbling, or at a loss for words.

Kristin Thiel lives solidly in the introvert camp, but she loves giving successful readings and continues to be asked to the stage. She’s read on KBOO radio and in bookstores, at Multnomah County’s Central Library and at wine shops.

*Attend all three workshops for just $100. Each class is limited to nine students. All classes will be held at the Indigo office, 519 SW 3rd Ave., 5th floor conference room, Portland, Oregon.

Take advantage of these great prices to add to your knowledge base and to get to know our editors! E-mail workshops@indigoediting.com to register.

Photo Story Prompt: Roller Door

2010-06-09T19:14:00.000-07:00

Write whatever comes to you—short or long, fiction or truth.

We'd love to see what you come up with! Post your story in a comment below, or e-mail it to photostory@indigoediting.com.

Happy writing!

"Roller Door with ..."
© Heinschleb
Dreamstime.com

Book Talk and Memoir Workshop Tomorrow Night

2010-06-09T15:59:00.001-07:00

BLACKBIRD WINE SHOP PRESENTS

Book Talk and Memoir Workshop
Thursday, June 10th 7:00 pm – 8:00pm
4323 NE Fremont ST.
Portland, OR 97213

“At age 61, I was earning a Masters in Teaching degree. As part of my student teaching I taught a section on memoir writing to 8th graders. I thought ‘Hey this is fun,’ and so I began Some Days Chicken, Some Days Feathers.” Part of my mission is to get readers started on their own story. I will conduct a fun-filled, hands-on memoir workshop that will get you scribbling! Join us at Blackbird Wine Shop for a no-host nosh or glass of Chablis. I promise you some laughs along with giving you the tools to put your history into a format that will impress your family and friends."

Bob Ferguson, Author of:

Some Days Chicken, Some Days Feathers

A memoir that will grip the reader with memories of their child hood, the nostalgia of the '60s, college football, romance and the Vietnam experience up close and personal.

If you cross-pollinate the humor of Dave Barry with the sagacity of Robert Fulghum you will taste the flavor of my memoir, Some Days Chicken, Some Days Feathers. It begins with my earliest recollections in Oregon and ends as I am discharged from the Marine Corps due to Vietnam injuries. It is a comedy mixed with Greek tragedy, but really wants to be a musical as fun as Mama Mia.

Editorial Tip of the Week: What's up with THAT?

2010-06-07T21:08:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, an intriguing grammatical topic came up in my Writing Careers for English Majors class. We had been discussing the problem areas in our writing--long sentences, commonly misspelled words, comma use and someone asked the professor what his written hang-up was. "I have problems with that," was his response. We all laughed, thinking he was referring to writing in general. What he was referring to was "that" as subordinative conjunction, also known as the aptly-named empty complimentizer. For example, when I wrote, "We all laughed, thinking he was referring to writing in general," I could have written, "We all laughed, thinking that he was referring to writing in general," and the meaning would be exactly the same. It was a strange moment, a room full of English majors, most of whom are working on a writing minor, and none of us could think of a reason for the extra word. The professor works at the Writing Center at PSU and has given this extensive thought and asked several colleagues. No one knows. In this context, it seems that "that" is simply decadent.

"That" often appears as an introduction to a restrictive clause as a relative pronoun. For example, "Audrey thinks that the sky is blue," vs. the non-restrictive version, "Audrey thinks the sky is blue." It is can also be used to connote an abstract distance as in , "this or that." It's primary function is as a demonstrative, as in, "That cat said hello, " or, "That dog was displeased." Though still vague, "that" gets props for establishing space and specifying which cat or dog one is discussing.

As for "that" as a subordinate conjunction, it's a matter of taste. If you like your sentences restrictive, by all means, indulge in the pointlessness. Its use does carry a certain proper, tea party quality. It can also enhance clarity in a long sentences, the pause that you hear in speech is a good place for a "that." The logic behind this variety of "that" remains a mystery, but it seems that it must serve a purpose, even if only to ease the transition from thought to text.

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-06-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

Saturday, June 5th
Oregon Encyclopedia editor-in-chief, Rick Hardt, hosts an event to brainstorm with the public about new additions to the book. Anyone is welcome to share their thoughts!
What: Libraries as Community Research Centers
When: June 5th, 10am-1pm
Where: Holgate Library, 7905 SE Holgate Blvd.
Cost: Free!

Saturday, June 5th
Frances McCue reads from her new book inspired by Richard Hugo's landscapes, The Car That Brought You Here Still Runs. (If you can’t make it Saturday evening, McCue will also read Sunday, June 6th, 4 p.m., at Powell’s on Hawthorne.)
When: June 5, 7-9 p.m.
Where: Looking Glass Bookstore, 7983 SE 13th Ave. (in the Sellwood neighborhood)
Cost: Free!

Monday, June 7th
Join local poets Nicholas Karavatos, Chris Cottrell and Carolyn Brazda for a reading and book signing.
What: 3 Friends Mondays-Caffeinated Art
When: June 7th, 7pm-9pm
Where: Show & Tell Gallery, 201 SE 12th Ave.
Cost: Free!

Thursday, June 10th
Neil Landau reads from 101 Things I Learned in Film School. Co-sponsored by the Northwest Film Center, this event includes a screenwriting workshop.
When: June 10th, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Powell's Books on Hawthorne, 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
Cost: Free!

CALYX event!

2010-06-03T10:21:00.000-07:00

Photo Story Prompt: Grocery Bag

2010-06-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

Write whatever comes to you--long or short, fiction or otherwise.

Tell us what you come up with! Post your story in a comment below or send it to photostory@indigoediting.com.

Editorial Tip of the Week: Lost in the Perilous Thicket, Part 2

2010-05-31T23:36:00.000-07:00

Last week's tip followed Susan Bell's advice, editing away our prose to "see how the scene plays spare."

There may be a writer who gets it right with the first draft. The rest of us have to look at our work later, preferably when the glow of creation has faded.

It helps to review the smallest book on a writer's shelf: Strunk & White's The Elements of Style. For example, here's one of the reminders in "Section V: An Approach to Style."

4. Write with nouns and verbs, not with adjectives and adverbs. The adjective hasn't been built that can pull a weak or inaccurate noun out of a tight place. This is not to disparage adjectives and adverbs; they are indispensable parts of speech. Occasionally they surprise us with their power.... In general, however, it is nouns and verbs, not their assistants, that give to good writing its toughness and color.

I applied this reminder to last week's strangled sentence:

The intrepid explorer hacking a sinuous path with her sharp and trusty brush hook—a well-worn heirloom from her sainted mother—exhaled soft whispers of shocking profanity with every breath as she severed the stout stalks and sharp brambles that barred her way through the sinister thickets of dank green and crimson weeds.

And came up with this:

The explorer swung her brush hook as she cleared a path. "Damn," exhaled on the down swing. "Bastard!" the blade sliced through the tough stalks, "Yes," a sigh as she turned the hook to lift and pile the fallen brambles to open her way through the thicket. She paused for minute to catch her breath. She stretched her fingers, running them along the time-smoothed grain of the handle; her hand, her mother's hand.

Strunk & White’s Elements of Style at www.bartleby.com/141

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-05-28T12:24:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, June 2nd
First Wednesday! Matt Love, Cheryl Strayed, and Bryan Free of Bryan Free and the Doxyhaunt read. Co-hosted by the Oregon Literary Review and Blackbird Wine Shop. Wine-tasting. This show is 21 and over.
Where: Blackbird Wine Shop, 4323 NE Fremont
When: June 2nd, 7-9 p.m.
Cost: Free

Thursday, June 3nd
Spend First Thursday with the IPRC for their first annual Chili Cook Off and Olde Time Auction! All the chili you can taste and free beer and wine. Local chefs will award prizes in categories including Best Vegan, Best Veggie, Best Meat, Best In Show, Hottest and People’s Choice. There will also be a silent auction--almost everything in the IPRC is up for bids.
Where: Indepedent Publishing Resource Center, 917 SW Oak
When: June 3rd, 6-9pm
Cost: $5

June 4th-June 6th
Former owner of Murder By the Book, Jill Hinckley is organizing a benefit for Phil Wikelund, owner of the Great Northwest Bookstore, and Walter Curtis who lived in the building which burned down earlier this month. They are looking for volunteers and book donations.
Where: 3025 SW 1st
When: June 4th & 5th from 10-6, June 6th from 11-2
Cost: Most books $3 and under

Saturday, June 5th
Poet Sage Cohen joins Sharon Wood Wortman for the June Portland Bridge Walk. About a mile long and easy-paced, includes tour of the tower and bascule pit of the Morrison Bridge. See eight bridges in all. Preregistration not required.
Where: Begins at corner of NW Second & Everett (steps of the Northwest Natural Building)
When: June 5th, 8:30 a.m. until lunch (extra $) in Chinatown
Cost: $16 / adults, $10 /children

Welcome to Rain Town, Portland's First Independent Young Adult Press!

2010-05-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

Rain Town Press is currently accepting manuscripts! Though they take queries from a wide range of genres, they are particularly interested in dystopian themes, modern realism, coming of age stories, and tales of protagonists finding their true voice/strength/power while facing adversity.

Submission guidelines and the online submission form can be found at Rain Town's website: www.raintownpress.com

Featured Photo Story: The Picture of Innocence

2010-05-28T00:42:00.000-07:00

Thirty-six hours ago, a woman died in Val's No Tell Motel. Larry and Barbara had several bad spots in their marriage. Barbara thoughts their troubles were over when he suggested a weekend mini-vacation in Orlando. What he didn't tell her was that the reservations were for the cheapest motel within a hundred miles. The first night resulted in everything she could have hoped for (short of a decent motel.) Great food, sex, and booze in previously unheard of quantities. The second night wasn't quite as good. On Sunday morning, Larry deposited the shovel, hammer, and scraps from some plastic sheeting into the farthest dumpster at the end of the parking lot. As he headed off alone, back to Slidell, he glanced at the woods behind the motel, grinned briefly, and gunned the engine.

Thanks to KEN LUMMUS for translating image to imagery.

Photo Story Prompt: Made Bed

2010-05-26T23:11:00.000-07:00

Write whatever comes to you--long or short, fiction or truth.

Tell us what you come up with! Post your story in a comment below or send it to photostory@indigoediting.com.

Happy writing!

Editorial Tip of the Week: Lost in the Perilous Thicket, Part 1

2010-05-24T23:24:00.000-07:00

The intrepid explorer hacking a sinuous path with her sharp and trusty brush hook—a well-worn heirloom from her sainted mother—exhaled soft whispers of shocking profanity with every breath as she severed the stout stalks and sharp brambles that barred her way through the sinister thickets of dank green and crimson weeds.

Alas, the poor sentence, its action strangled by verbiage! Severe pruning is needed (unless you're working on an entry for the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest). Some writers are bleeders. For others of us it's like pulling teeth. Either way, getting the words out is only the first step. Next comes editing. One trick is to highlight adjectives, asides, redundancies, clichés, and verbs ending with –ing. And, for a start, let's assume that all the information is necessary.

The intrepid explorer hacking a sinuous path with her sharp and trusty brush hook—a well-worn heirloom from her sainted mother—exhaled soft whispers of shocking profanity with every breath as she severed the stout stalks and sharp brambles that barred her way through the sinister thickets of dank green and crimson weeds.

Now you're ready for an exercise in verbal economy. Susan Bell, in The Artful Edit: On the Practice of Editing Yourself, describes an exercise from theater school and applies it to editing when she suggests we edit away much of our prose to "see how the scene plays spare." So let's keep the original to compare it with the spare version and then edit away:

The explorer hacked a path with her brush hook. She exhaled profanities as she severed stalks and brambles through the thickets. She kept the brush hook sharp; it was from her mother.

The basics are here, bare bones and dull. No dialog, no images. You might want to play with it. I did.
I'll post my version next week.

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-05-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

Saturday, May 22nd
Join Stumptown Underground for ping-pong, pie and the release of their 9th issue, All in the Family. You'll also have an opportunity to compete in Whiffies' 2nd pie eating contest and earn the title of "Pie Champ 2.0."
What: Stumptown Underground Issue Release Party
When: May 22nd, 6 p.m.
Where: Whiffies Fried Pies, SE 12th & Hawthorne
Cost: Free!

Monday, May 24th
Bill Cameron, the author of the dark, gritty Portland-based mysteries Lost Dog, Chasing Smoke, and Day One, is featured this Monday at OWC Presents!—a series of free workshops for and about writers and writing held the fourth Monday of each month at Looking Glass Bookstore.
Where: 7983 SE 13th Ave. (in the Sellwood neighborhood)
When: May 24th, 7 p.m.
Cost: Free!

Monday, May 24th
As the summer after junior year begins, Alton Richards becomes intrigued by his great-uncle Lester, by the game of bridge, and especially by a pretty, shy girl—and struggles to figure out what it all means. Louis Sachar, the bestselling author of Holes, reads and signs his latest novel, The Cardturner.
Where: Powell's Books, Cedar Hills Crossing, 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd.
When: May 24th, 7 p.m.
Cost: Free!

Tuesday, May 25th
The zine and experiemental film masters of Deap Leap screen their latest work of microcinema, The Internet is a Terrible Place to Live.
What: Deep Leap Microcinema
Where: Grand Detour, 215 SE Morrison suite 2020
When: May 25th, 8 p.m.
Cost: $3-6

THIS WEEKEND: Ooligan Write to Publish Conference

2010-05-20T11:14:00.000-07:00

Oolican 2010 is only a few days away, so here's a line-up of speakers and events to help you get the most out of your conference experience!

Saturday, May 22nd (Workshop Day)

The State of Publishing with Dennis Stovall, Sarah Berry and Marty Brown
9-10:15, session A

Young Adult Trends and Audience with Sara Ryan
9-10:15, session B

How to Polish Your Manuscript with Vinnie Kinsella
10:30-11:45, session A

Graphic Novels: Publishing and Process with Brett Warnock and Aaron Colter
10:30-11:45, session B

An Agent on Writer/Agent Relationships with Bernadette Baker-Baughman
1:15-2:30, session A

Writers, Conventions and the Web: A Friendship with Bo Johnson
1:15-2:30, session B

Copyright with Michael Clark
2:45-4, session A

How to Find a Publisher with Dennis Stovall
2:45-4, session B

The Dos and Don'ts of Self-Publishing with Ali McCart
4:15-5:30, session A

Social Media and Community Marketing with Greg Netzer, Andi Zeisler and Aaron Colter
4:15-5:30, session B

Sunday, May 23rd (Open House and Author Stage)

11:00- Ursula K LeGuin

12:00- Deborah Hopkinson

1:00- Shannon Wheeler

2:00- Lilith Saintcrow

3:00- Virginia Euwer Wolff

4:00- Chuck Palahniuk

And don't forget to meet and mingle with your local publishing experts at Sunday's Open House--see you there!

Photo Story Prompt: Dock of the Bay

2010-05-19T23:10:00.000-07:00

Write whatever comes to you—short or long, fiction or truth.

We'd love to see what you come up with! Post your story in a comment below, or e-mail it to photostory@indigoediting.com.

Feel free to comment on each other's stories and just generally enjoy the process of playing with the written word and the world it creates.

Happy writing!

"Dock of the Bay: People talking and fishing while standing in a jetty. Australia."
© Superepi2000
Dreamstime.com

Editorial Tip of the Week: Use A Different Word

2010-05-17T16:43:00.000-07:00

Overusing words is a common affliction of the writer. It can happen to anyone. Some words simply have a knack for getting themselves noticed--repeatedly. Words don't realize that in frequenting the page they are receiving the wrong kind of attention. They don't know that they would be much stronger, much more respected if they only came by occasionally. Your words ought to play hard to get, they should be aloof and mysterious. Don't let the attention hogs of the written word soil an otherwise decent text. We're writing in a language of countless synonyms, take advantage of this.

Obviously, some words are unavoidably overused. Prepositions, demonstratives, articles, and conjunctions will always have VIP reservations throughout your manuscript. No one will take note of how many times they've read the word, "the." Similarly, you can usually get away with repeating nouns, particularly concrete nouns. If you are writing about a boat, for example, you can use terms like "ship" or "vessel" but the word "boat" will still be justified in its recurring presence. If instead of concrete, you are writing about an abstract, like say, "truth," you will want to utilize similar terms so that "truth" doesn't lose its meaning through repetition. As for the stars of the show--the adjectives, the verbs and adverbs--they should always be eclectically distributed. Words most likely to be abused include: "interesting", "good" and "very." Grace Fleming of About.com uses the example "the book was very interesting" in contrast to, "the text was quite motivating." You want to choose words that most accurately depict what it is you mean to say--if you shoot for specific rather than vague, it will be more difficult to overuse words.

There isn't a solid rule about how often a word can appear in a piece of writing, it boils down to instinct and preference. Generally though, if you're going to reuse a word, incidences should be far enough apart that your reader will have forgotten they've seen the word before. Depending on the uniqueness of the word, a page in between is probably an adequate distance.

Word over usage happens. Luckily, there is a cure: your thesaurus. I know, I know, it sort of feels like cheating, but rest assured there is no shame in cracking open that little book of expanding vocabulary, or even in using the one built in to your word processing program. Keep in mind, though, that this too must be used in moderation. There is a delicate balance between artfully incorporating a varied diction and sounding like the thesaurus itself.

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-05-14T08:51:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, May 18th
This week marks the 30th anniversary of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. Let's think about the volcano--what it meant then and what it means now--with Ursula K Leguin, Gary Snyder and Jerry Franklin as they discuss their personal writing about the mountain and how people relate to nature.
What: The Power of Nature, Mount St. Helens 1980-2010
When: May 18th, 7:30pm
Where: First Baptist Church, 909 SW 11th Avenue
Cost: $35

Wednesday, May 19th
Writers tell tales inspired by the theme "at your service" in under 10 minutes a piece.
What: Back Fence Live Storytelling
When: May 19th, doors at 6pm, starts at 7:30pm
Where: Mission Theatre, 1624 NW Glisan Street
Cost: $14

Sunday, May 23rd
Join Nancy Linnon in a Writing as a Spiritual Practice workshop to explore ways we can use writing about the self, relationships, and our spiritual lives to grow in awareness and to enrich and deepen our daily life. Nancy Linnon, a former journalist for U.S. News & World Report, has published in Creative Nonfiction, Yoga International, and Los Angeles Review. To register, contact Nancy Linnon.
When: 1-5 p.m.
Where: The Garden Sanctuary in Multnomah Village
Cost: $70

Save these dates!
Writers in The Schools (WITS) residencies culminate as students from Marshall, Roosevelt, Lincoln, Jefferson and Franklin high schools read their poems, prose and comic arts at galleries, cafes and libraries.
May 18 - 6:30 p.m.
Midland Library/large meeting room, 805 SE 122nd Ave.
May 20 - 7:00 p.m.
Ladybug Organic Coffee Co., 8438 N Lombard St.
May 21 - 7:00 p.m.
Portland Art Museum/Marion L. Miller Gallery, 1219 SW Park Ave.
May 26 - 6:00 p.m.
Talking Drum Bookstore/Reflections Café, 446 NE Killingsworth St.
May 27- 7:00 p.m.
BiPartisan Café, 7901 SE Stark St.
Cost: Free!

Photo Story Prompt: Turn on the Globe

2010-05-12T10:06:00.001-07:00

Write whatever comes to you--short or long, fiction or truth.

We'd love to hear what you come up with! Post your story in a comment or send it to photostory@indigoediting.com

Feel free to comment on each other's stories and enjoy the process of playing with the written word and the world it creates.

Happy writing!

Photo by Rosie M-M

Editorial Tip of the Week: A While vs. Awhile

2010-05-10T15:28:00.000-07:00

Let's take a moment, or maybe a while, to consider the difference between awhile or a while.

You've reached the place in your novel where the dentist tells the hapless protagonist, "This will only hurt for a little while." You've written "a little while" as a simple noun phrase: while is the noun that's modified by two adjectives, "a" and "little." (Yes, according to The Chicago Manual of Style, the indefinite article a is a limiting adjective that "points to nonspecific objects, things or persons that are not distinguished from other members of a class.") So, even if you decide to remove "little" from that phrase, a while would still be a noun phrase, with one adjective and one noun.

Because you're aware that the reader's time is precious and patience limited, you decide to tighten your prose. But how? If you type "This will only hurt for a while," your noun phrase will become a prepositional phrase, beginning with "for" and still followed by a limiting adjective and a noun. No problem. But if you change "for a while" to "for awhile," you risk distracting any reader who has an eye for grammar—and you want your readers to focus on the scene itself. Your innocent change has converted a noun to an adverb and, as Paul Brians, in Common Errors in English Usage, explains:

When “awhile” is spelled as a single word, it is an adverb meaning “for a time” (“stay awhile”); but when “while” is the object of a prepositional phrase, like “Lend me your monkey wrench for a while” the “while” must be separated from the “a.”

So your grammarian reader, whether irritated or indulgent, will see this phrase as "for for a while" and pause, in spite of your intention to move that scene forward.

Try out the following options:

This will only hurt for a little while.
This will only hurt for a while.
(Where while is a noun meaning "a period of time.")
This will only hurt awhile.
(Where awhile is an adverb meaning "for a time.")

And then let your ear decide.

Indigo's Day of Workshops

2010-05-07T08:15:00.000-07:00

It's true, we're beginning to offer non-writing workshops for writers to help them navigate the editing and publishing worlds. Please join us on Saturday, May 15, for our first day of workshops featuring:

Breakthrough Writing Playshop
10:30 a.m.–Noon
Instructor: Susan DeFreitas
Cost: $45*
This inspiring workshop will help you break through the constraints of left brain logic and into the fascinating chaos of the deep creative or intuitive mind. We’ll incorporate a series of prompts garnered from found images and objects, quotes, Surrealist-style writing exercises, and more, drawing on layering techniques designed to unhinge habitual patterns of meaning-making and arranging, with the goal of jogging the subconscious mind into loosing its gems of association through intriguing and unexpected combinations of words and images.

All participants will leave with a series of free-writes that may serve as seeds for future pieces and creative dynamite aimed at breaking through current writing blocks.

Susan DeFreitas is a writer, editor, multimedia artist and poet who enjoys the way different art forms can influence writing. She has an interdisciplinary degree in Arts and Letters from Prescott College for the Liberal Arts and the Environment; her prose-poetry natural history (influenced by classical music) was recently published in Southwestern American Literature.

Impress Your Editor—All of Them
1–2:30 p.m.
Instructor: Kristin Thiel
Cost: $45*
If someone’s opinion is important enough for you to share your manuscript with that person, it’s equally important that you prepare your manuscript to its best before you hand it over. Learn how to ready your manuscript for your writing group. Save time and money by following a few simple tips before you hire an independent editor. Support—don’t sabotage—your manuscript before the acquisitions editor or agent finally slices open your promising box of twelve-point Times New Roman.

Kristin Thiel has been an editor for almost a decade, and sharing her own writing with other editors for longer than that. An excerpt of her writing is an example of what to do right in the reference book Don’t Sabotage Your Submission: Save Your Manuscript from Turning Up D.O.A.

Publish Before You Publish
2:40–4:10 p.m.
Instructor: Andrea Deeken
Cost: $45*
If you have dreams of becoming a published author but don’t know where to start, this is the class for you. Submitting to contests and journals is a great way to begin building a platform for your writing that can easily be carried over into further publication. Learn the basics of how and why to submit, as well as the kinds of submissions to avoid. There will be time set aside for free writing and feedback. All skill levels welcome.

Andrea Deeken has studied writing for almost fifteen years and has been an editor since 2005. A veteran of submitting to contests and journals, she has won first place in writing contests sponsored by Richard Hugo House and Portland Pen and Pie. Her work has most recently appeared in The Bear Deluxe.

*Attend all three workshops for just $100. Each class is limited to nine students. All classes will be held at the Indigo office, 519 SW 3rd Ave., Fifth-floor conference room, Portland, Oregon.

Take advantage of these great prices to add to your knowledge base and to get to know our editors! Visit www.indigoediting.com for more information. E-mail workshops@indigoediting.com to register.

Ali McCart to Speak at Ooligan's Write to Publish Conference

2010-05-07T08:10:00.000-07:00

POWER TO THE WRITER!

Ooligan Press presents Oolicon: Write to Publish Conference 2010
The goal of Write to Publish is to demystify the publishing industry for writers. During this two-day conference you will learn the skills you need to transform your writing from a creative endeavor to a published work.

Our workshops will help you understand the world of publishing, from finding your audience to copyright law. On the first day, Workshop Day, you will gain insight into:
• Polishing your manuscript
• The agent/writer relationship
• Finding a publisher
• Self-publishing a manuscript (Taught by Indigo's Ali McCart!)
• …and many more!

On day two of Write to Publish, you will have the chance to rub elbows with industry professionals at Open House Day. Take this opportunity to make valuable contacts and maybe even pitch your idea to a local publisher. Open House Day will also feature Chuck Palahniuk, Ursula K. Le Guin, Shannon Wheeler, Deborah Hopkinson, Virginia Euwer Wolff, and Lilith Saintcrow, who will share their experiences with the publishing industry.

Write to Publish 2010 is about empowering you as a writer so you are one step closer to getting published.

Visit http://ooligan.pdx.edu for further information and to register.

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-05-06T11:52:00.000-07:00

Date: May 8th
Portland women writers from the VoiceCatcher anthology read at St. John's Booksellers.

Where: 8622 N. Lombard St., Portland, OR
When: 2:30 p.m.
Cost: Free!

For more information visit VoiceCatcher's Web site.

Date:May 18th, 7pm
Reading Frenzy welcomes Anne Elizabeth Moore, author of Cambodian Grrrl: Self-Publishing in Phnom Penh. The book is a collection of six essays inspired by Moore's work with the impoverished and brilliant women of Southeast Asia.
When: May 18th, 7 p.m.
Where: Reading Frenzy, 921 SW Oak Street
Cost: Free! Including free beer from Ninkasi Brewery.

Date: Now
Don't let the lazy days of summer melt your brain! Summer registration for writing classes and workshops at The Attic is going on now. A variety of topics are offered to stimulate anyone's inner muse.
When: Varies, check out the schedule and class listing
Where: The Attic, 4232 SE Hawthorne

Date: May 21-23
Richard Hugo House hosts its first writers’ conference: Finding Your Readers in the 21st Century. In addition to traditional publishing models, we’ll look at ways writers can promote themselves and their work directly to their readers, and offer hands on practical workshops on basic tools of the writing business from creating a pre-pub platform to building your own Web site.

Where: 1634 11th Ave., Seattle, WA

Cost: $300For more information visit the conference Web site .

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-04-23T11:41:00.000-07:00

Apr. 23rd, 7:30 pm: Terry McDermont documents the true story of neuroscientist Gary Lynch's attempt to answer two questions: "What happens in the brain when a human being encounters a new experience so that he or she can recall it at will tonight, tomorrow, in 2025? And what goes wrong when we can't remember?" This event is co-sponsored by the OHSU Brain Institute and hosted at Powell's City of Books on Burnside (1005 W Burnside, Portland).

Apr. 24th & 25th: Stumptown Comics Fest 2010 is invading our town! Featuring everything from book signings to artist talks and DC to zines, this year's festival has something for anyone with a penchant for spandex or sharp writing. The festival costs $6 a day or $10 for a weekend pass. Visit the Doubletree Hotel (1000 NE Multnomah, Portland) to take part in the action!

Apr. 29th, 7:00 pm: Come celebrate in the release party for the Disappearing Book, a reflection on the fragile nature of our different environments. A collection of disappearing things, this book is the product of artist Melody Owen's collaboration with dozens of artists, writers, and musicians. The release party features an exhibit of some of the work documented in the book. This event is free and hosted at the Container Corps Headquarters (1322 N Killingsworth, Portland).

Picture Credit: Container Corps

Photo Story Prompt: On the Railing

2010-04-21T11:06:00.001-07:00

Write whatever comes to you—short or long, fiction or truth.

We'd love to see what you come up with! Post your story in a comment below, or e-mail it to photostory@indigoediting.com.

Feel free to comment on each other's stories and just generally enjoy the process of playing with the written word and the world it creates.

Happy writing!

"Madrid scenes de rue" by Ch. Chusseau-Flaviens

George Eastman House, Photography Collection [1975:0112:2678]

Editorial Tip of the Week: The Return of the Slash!

2010-04-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

Slash ambiguous terms and sentences by examining the meaning of slashed constructions. As our Chicago Manual of Style posits, the slash has been a traditional way of signifying immediate alternatives, used as shorthand for and or or. We have already shown the valid and convenient uses of this sign, but the slash as a darker side steeped in confusion.

Consider the following slashed constructions:

and/or editor/publisher is/was side ponytail/tube top dress code

Although these constructions have the straightforward appearance of legal language, they exhibit an underlying confusion when closely examined. The Copyeditor's Handbook provides an excellent summary of the situation:

Today, the sleight-of-hand of "a and/or b" is usually interpreted to mean "a or b or both," but often the intended meaning is simply "a or b," or even "a and b."

Instead of forcing your readers to take a stab at your intentions, tell them by substituting the correct word or phrase for the construction.

Both editor/publisher and is/was suffer from similar ambiguity. When and author is looking for an editor/publisher, are they trying to find a company to occupy both roles? Do they need one or the other? Are they looking to fill two different positions? The slashed construction of is/was does no better in presenting the reader with an accurate picture. Try to avoid the slashed construction when a few words could make your meaning clearer. Consider the following interpretations of the slashed conjunction:

Justin is/was Emily's best friend.
Justin is or was Emily's best friend.
(We are unsure of the status of the relationship.)
Justin once was and now is Emily's best friend.
(They grew apart for a while.)
Justin continues to be Emily's friend.
(They have remained close.)

Another cause of confusion can be found when joining multiple-word phrases in slashed conjunctions. When I read about the side ponytail/tube top dress code, the ponytail/tube is scanned as the conjunction. Chicago recommends using a thin space before and after the slash to signify the use of multiple-word phrases, but ambiguities remain. Do we have to have both a side ponytail and a tube top to meet dress code? Can we have one or the other?

The slash is a useful shorthand when dealing with alternatives, but be careful to not slip into confused statements. Strive toward clarity in your writing. When in doubt, use your words.

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-04-16T10:45:00.000-07:00

Apr. 17th, 3:00 pm: Come participate in another edition of the Mini-Sledgehammer Writing Contest presented by Indigo Editing & Publications. After a reading by Alan Dubinsky—the winner of last year’s contest—the audience will receive prompts and will have 36 minutes to write their own short stories. All entries will be judged on the spot and winners will take home prizes. The Mini-Sledgehammer Contest is free and open to the public—the event is hosted at Floyd's Coffee Shop in Old Town (118 NW Couch Street, Portland).

Apr. 20th, 6:00 pm: The New Oregon Interview Series is turning its eye toward the literature and arts in Portland. Join host Nora Robertson as she leads a discussion with artist/curator Nan Curtis, filmmaker/architecture critic Brian Libby, and writer Floyd Skloot. How is the Portland art scene in dialogue with other regions? How does our art allow us access to the outside world? The event is free and also includes an open wine and beer bar. Follow the discussion at White Stag Block (70 NW Couch Street, Portland).

Apr. 21st, 8:00 pm: Join the release party for Jeff Parker's latest graphic novel Underground. Parker, a local writer and comic book artist, twists the man versus nature story, moving the action to the caves of Kentucky. Parker has worked with DC, Dark Horse, Image, and Marvel. Celebrate this arrival of another great graphic novel at Things from Another World (4133 NE Sandy Boulevard, Portland).

Picture Credit: Cover of Underground #3 by Steve Lieber and Jeff Parker

Call for Submissions: Sixth Annual Ooligan Editors' Choice Fiction Contest

2010-04-15T19:28:00.000-07:00

This just in from the Ooligan Press:

Portland State University's Publishing Program and Ooligan Press are sponsoring the Sixth Annual Ooligan Editors' Choice Fiction Contest. The Advanced Book Editing class wants your stories!

Submit your original short story on the theme MAKING MONSTERS.

The Ooligan Press Editors will carefully select and professionally edit the five entries that best exemplify originality, reader appeal, and writer's craft. The winning stories will receive the Ooligan Editors' Choice Award and will be published in Ooligan's Best Short Stories of 2010 (our annual electronic journal).

Details:

Stories must not have been previously published
Maximum of 4,000 words
One story per person
Authors will retain copyright to their writing

To Enter:

Send a Word document, double-spaced and formatted in 12-point type, as an e-mail attachment to nancycdinzillo@gmail.com. Include the title of your story. In the body of your e-mail, include your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address.

All submissions are due by May 1st, May Day.

Read past winners at www.ooliganpress.pdx.edu

Photo Story Prompt: Planes from the Ceiling

2010-04-14T20:25:00.001-07:00

Write whatever comes to you—short or long, fiction or truth.

We'd love to see what you come up with! Post your story in a comment below, or e-mail it to photostory@indigoediting.com.

Feel free to comment on each other's stories and just generally enjoy the process of playing with the written word and the world it creates.

Happy writing!

"Chicago, Illinois. Model airplanes decorate the ceiling of the train concourses at Union Station" by Jack Delano

Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division [LC-USW3-015950-D]

Editorial Tip of the Week: Cut the Dangling Participles!

2010-04-12T22:00:00.000-07:00

Participial phrases often add excellent descriptions to sentences, but writers should be careful to make sure the intended meaning is clear. Dangling participles loom in the margins of sentences and twist the writer’s words. While these dangling phrases are incorrect, they can be found in the copy of careful writers. When you come across participial phrases in your work, make sure that phrase connects to the intended subject.

But let’s review our terms before moving toward certain grammatical edicts.

The Chicago Manual of Style never hesitates to offer precise definitions. The fifteenth edition notes, “A participial phrase is made up of a participle plus and closely associated word or words, such as modifiers or complements.” It’s easy to spot the participle. You have to look for a modified verb stem, usually ending in ing for present participles or ed for past participles. Participial phrases come in two forms: they can function as an adjective to modify a noun or pronoun, and they can function as an adverb to modify the predicate or part of the predicate. Participial phrases modifying the subject of the sentence are the most problematic for writers, so we will focus on these phrases. Here are some examples of participial phrases to show how they work in sentences:

Snuggling into my blankets, my cat purred in the dark.
Running from the cops, the robber tripped over the curb and dropped the stolen money.

In the first example, Snuggling is the participle for the phrase into my blankets. The participial phrase Snuggling into my blankets modifies the subject cat, showing what she was doing as she purred in the dark. The second example modifies robber through the participial phrase Running from the cops. Participial phrases tend to be at the beginning of a sentence; they are usually very close to the subject being modified.

The participial phrases begin to dangle as they become disconnected from the proper subject. When the independent clause following the participial phrase does not begin with the subject modified by the participial phrase, the reader can quickly become confused. For example:

While pumping my gas, my car began to roll backward.

It seems that the car is both beginning to roll and pumping my gas. Rephrasing the uncanny ability of my car to pump my gas, I have two easy alternatives that offer more clarity. I can use the correct subject in the participial phrase, or I can begin the independent clause with the correct subject. Here are the two corrected versions of this sentence:

While I was pumping my gas, my car began to roll backward.
While pumping my gas, I noticed my car was rolling backward.

These introductory phrases clearly express that I—and not a futuristic car—was pumping the gas. We have cut the dangling participles!

There are two types of sentences prone to creating dangling participles. When using participial phrases, you should not start the independent clause with there is, there are, or it is. The Copywriter’s Handbook also notes, “Dangling is also inevitable when the independent clause is headed by a verb.” Here are a few examples of these dangling participles:

Reading the reports from the front line, it is unsafe for our army to advance any more.
Awakened by the thunderstorm, there is no chance of me going back to bed.

Watching the sunrise, getting up early was her greatest pleasure.
While eating the chocolate bar, trying to drive was very difficult for Paul.

These phrases can be corrected as easily as our first examples. We can either insert the correct subject in the first clause, or we can begin the independent clause with the proper subject. Here are two corrected versions of these examples:

After I was awakened by the thunderstorm, there is no chance of me going back to bed.
While eating the chocolate bar, Paul found driving to be very difficult.

Always pay attention to the participial phrases in your writing. Although the concept may make sense in your head, you should be sure that your sentences clearly communicate your thoughts.

Spotlighted Literary Events

2010-04-09T12:30:00.000-07:00

Apr. 10th, 7:00 pm: Tangent Press hosts a multimedia poetry event featuring poets David Buuck and Arnold J. Kemp reading alongside video artist Jennifer Hardacker. With a background in performances on the street and in the theater, these three should put on quite a show. The event will be held at the Clinton Corner Cafe (2633 SE 21st Avenue, Portland).

Apr. 14th, 7:00 pm: Eileen Garvin will read selections from How to Be a Sister, her candid memoir documenting the struggles and triumphs in her relationship with her autistic sister. Garvin will be sharing her stories at Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing (3415 Cedar Mills Boulevard, Beaverton).

Apr. 15th, 7:30 pm: It's the end of the world as we know it, and Sharan Newman is here to teach the different theories of the apocalypse. Her latest book, The Real History of the End of the World, examines society through our concepts of the end. Newman will be speaking at Annie Bloom's Books (7834 SW Capitol Highway, Portland).

Also, be sure to plan ahead for the Mini-Sledgehammer writing contest at Floyd's Coffee Shop in Old Town on Saturday, Apr. 17th.

Photo Story Prompt: A Soldier's Good-bye

2010-04-07T18:47:00.000-07:00

Write whatever comes to you—short or long, fiction or truth.

We'd love to see what you come up with! Post your story in a comment below, or e-mail it to photostory@indigoediting.com.

Feel free to comment on each other's stories and just generally enjoy the process of playing with the written word and the world it creates.

Happy writing!

"Soldier's goodbye & Bobbie the cat, ca. 1939-ca. 1945" by Sam Hood

Collection of the State Library of New South Wales

Editorial Tip of the Week: Count me in!

2010-04-05T19:00:00.000-07:00

Numbers (and their sibling, mathematics) can be the bane of any writer. When should a writer use numerals and symbols? When should a writer spell the number out? The rules for writing numbers can be vague and tend to vary from source to source.

When writing a technical or scientific piece, it is often necessary to use numerals to convey the data clearly to the reader. In most journalistic writing, the space on the page is given the highest priority. The style of the Associated Press dictates that journalists spell out both cardinal and ordinal numbers one through nine while suggesting that the writers use numerals in other cases.

A writer must strive for consistency and readability when dealing with numbers. The Chicago Manual of Style, fifteenth edition, offers wise words for writers struggling with proper usage. Chicago structures its conventions around one general rule: “whole numbers from one through one hundred, round numbers, and any number beginning a sentence” should be spelled out. Others should be written using numerals.

Two hundred and twenty-one rabbits were found living in the abandoned house.
Seventeen of the students were twenty-two-years old.
There were nearly two thousand people in the coliseum.
We’re going to party like it’s 1999!
I counted 3,397 bricks in the pathway of our neighborhood park.

The round numbers of Chicago are hundreds, thousands, millions, or higher round values. These round numbers should be spelled out. When a writer wishes to express a very large number (usually in the millions, billions, or higher), a combination of numerals and spelled out numbers is recommended for readability.

Recent research suggests that the Big Bang occurred around 13.3 and 13.9 billion years ago.
As of the 2000 census, there are an estimated 1.2 billion people living in Mainland China.

Simple fractions should be spelled out. Numbers involving whole numbers and fractions are often written in numerals, but may be spelled out if they are short. Percentages should always be written in numerals. As Chicago is quick to note, the word percent should be used in humanistic writings.

I finished writing two-thirds of my essay before falling asleep.
I woke up the next morning with 33 percent of my work left to do.
She took meticulous notes her 2½ x 4-inch index cards.

As a general rule, strive toward consistency and readability when using numbers. These conventions should provide some support when using numbers, but there will always be traditional exceptions. It’s much easier to tell someone to pick up a 60-watt light bulb than a sixty-watt light bulb. It makes more sense to use a 12-point font than a twelve-point font. If you consider your reader as you write, using numbers will be as easy as one, two, three.

For more information on using numbers when dealing with money, please read Martha's tip.