In this issue:

Writing Avenues

What do you think of when you hear the words "autobiography" or "biography?" I confess, for me I think of high school social studies where I felt I was being forced to learn about "real people" who supposedly did things that I should have been interested in. I was always more of a fanciful thinker, preferring to immerse myself in works that were fantastic versus dry or more other-worldly rathen than based in reality. The greatest classes for me were English Literature, where I could dive headfirst into worlds that never existed except in the minds of those who created them and had the courage to put them to ink.

Thank goodness for maturity. As I've gotten older, I've learned that non-fiction, when done well, can keep me on the edge of my seat. As a child I never would have thought a compilation of the life of JFK even remotely entertaining, but now I'm riveted. Each time I let myself into someone's life, I feel like I've become part of something even bigger than myself. Even the most mundane life has something that can be woven into a beautiful tapestry that you'd want to explore. A book on Yogi Berra made for a wonderful conversation between me and some of my baseball-minded friends while an account of the life of Elizabeth Taylor made me realize how lucky I was to be married to the same man for ten years.

Accounts of real people can make you laugh and cry and it was those emotions that I wanted to bring out in a present to my parents for their thirty-seventh wedding anniversary. I wanted to document all the wonderful things that have happened in their lives, but really didn't want to make it into a standard novel. I wanted to inject it with fun and creativity. That's when the idea about "the game" came into being.

What better way to commemorate the love and laughter in my parent's lives than to showcase it in the same flavor as how they lived - full of richness, hilarity and an intense need to live life to the fullest? I created a game based on the board game, Trivial Pursuit™, but changed some of the categories and all of the questions to pertain strictly to my immediate family, both their inner and outer circles. What started as a fun little side project ended up taking nearly eight months and was so incredibly enriching that I would never give up all the hard work and dedication it took to complete.

First, I developed question and answer categories with the following themes: Pets, Friends 'n Family, Sports 'n Leisure, Strange/Dumb & Weird, Scandals, and General Knowledge. Next, I proceeded to call, write, e-mail and essentially beg hundreds of family members and friends of my parents for any bit of trivia they could provide me about themselves and about their experiences with my parents. I learned things that I never would have known had these wonderful people decided not to help me out. The pieces of trivia were incredible and even stretched the boundaries of good taste at times. I learned mundane details, like the names of all my parents friend's pets from up to twenty five years ago. I learned about who varsitied in highschool sports, what languages were studied in school, middle names and birthdays. I discovered bits of information that probably never would have come out had I not asked, such as: what people wanted to be when they grew up, what gifts my grandparents shared with each other, even people's strange habits and obscure abilities, like who could wiggle their ears or who was double-jointed in their fingers. The best, though, was that I also learned things for the scandals column, which proved the most hilarious of all, such as who had secret tattoos, who had racy photos of themselves on the internet and who loved to gamble in Atlantic City. I was amazed at what people shared with me.

After acquiring hundreds of questions, I put them into question and answer format on playing cards that looked something like this below. Remember, Blue is General Knowledge, Pink is Friends 'n Family, Yellow is Pets, Brown is Strange/Dumb & Weird, Orange is Sports 'n Leisure.

The beauty of this game was that when I presented this to my parents, they were absolutely dumbfounded at the very concept that I did this and that all their friends and family knew about the creation of this game for months, but no one let on. They laughed and cried and remembered as they tried to answer the questions.

In the end, this became a history lesson about their lives and had this been a class of mine in high school, it would have been one I know I would have wanted to take, over and over again.

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has written three novels in the action adventure/thriller genre and a host of short stories. Her short story, THE LITTLE ONES, appeared the Spring, 2001 edition of The Vampire's Crypt. In addition, her short stories have also appeared in a host of anthologies, such as CARVED IN STONE, which appeared in the anthology, Spirits of Blue and Gray: Ghosts of the Civil War, A WORLD OF OUR OWN, which appeared in the anthology, The Archives of Arrissia, and TWO MORE MONTHS, which appeared in the anthology, Thirteen Nights of Blood: Legends of the Vampire.

The "So What" of Writing Biographies
by Lucile Davis

Last month Sue Turner wrote about the "so what" of book reviews. She explained it wasn't enough to tell what the book was about: A reviewer should reveal what the book meant to him/her. That is, the reviewer should reveal "this is why I think you will enjoy reading this book." I liked Sue's point so much, I'm going to "steal it" for this article on writing biographies. (Thanks, Sue.)

Writing a biography also requires a "so what." Telling the story of someone's life is more than just a recitation of the facts. There must be a point of view. Check your local library or bookstore. How many biographies can you find about Franklin Roosevelt? How many biographies are there of Eleanor Roosevelt? Now look for titles referring to both. Don't forget to look in the children's section, too. Much has been written about the couple who inhabited the White House during the years of the Depression and World War II, and we probably haven't seen the last of those biographies either. Fast forward to modern times. Between now and November the number of biographies on the current White House residents will probably multiply tenfold, along with quite a few titles on a fellow named Kerry. Times being what they are, you won't have to open the book to see how the subject will be treated--all you'll have to do is look at who wrote it.

Are you beginning to get the picture? What we're really talking about is "spin." Let's leave the angst of the coming election and go back to World War II and the Roosevelts. The facts of Franklin Roosevelt's life are fairly common knowledge, so how can anyone hope to get another Roosevelt biography published? Spin. There are biographies devoted to Roosevelt and his politics, how Roosevelt accomplished what he did despite his health, from the point of view of a son, from his wife's view point, and more still on how historians are beginning to view Roosevelt's life and presidency. The key to writing a good (publishable) biography is the "so what" or "spin."

All right--I can hear some of you grumbling that "spin" is not quite appropriate for so serious a matter as a biography. For the serious minded, instead of "spin" let's call it "focus." You must have a focus for your biography. What will people most want to know about the subject's life?

So how do you determine what your reading audience wants to know? Sometimes current headlines will tell you. If you were writing a biography of Mel Gibson, what focus would you use for the book? You might think about covering his "rags to riches" story (again), or his story of faith (which has been all over the media lately), or you might examine his life from the perspective of his relationship with his father (hinted at in recent media coverage). Since the first two options are already covered, the third one might be your angle.

"But what if I'm writing about a historical figure?" you ask. Again, current headlines might help you find your focus. Another biography on Franklin Roosevelt might examine his presidency and handling of WWII through his relationship with the media. Did the press hound Roosevelt with conspiracy theories and whispers of complicity in war casualties as is happening to the current President? (For those who don't know, the answer is "yes." FDR was accused of allowing Pearl Harbor to happen to bring the United States into the war with Japan. And this was not the only accusation of that kind.) Get the picture? Take today's headlines and see if you can apply them to a figure from history.

Once you have found your focus, begin the biography with a bang. "Could Franklin Roosevelt sympathize with George Bush over accusations of trumped-up reasons for going to war?" Sorry, I got back to modern-day politics, but do you see how to pitch history from a modern point of view?

So here are the easy steps to writing a winning biography.

1. Pick an interesting person. (marketable to modern times)
2. Craft a viewpoint. (newsworthy spin)
3. Then tell the person's story in a lively, readable way. (in your best writer's voice)

Happy writing.

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Lucile Davis is a freelance writer and author of 18 children's nonfiction books and numerous children's biographies. She does freelance work for newspapers, magazines, businesses, and organizations. She is also an instructor for The Institute of Children's Literature, an accredited correspondence school advertised through Writer's Digest and other sources.

From Another Angle
by Susan Long Turner

Awaken Your Memoir With Fiction Tricks

Making a book is a craft like making a clock;
it needs more than native wit to be an author.
~ Jean De La Bruyere, quoted in Christoper Klim's
'Write To Publish'

Klim's 'Write To Publish' provides the essentials for modern fiction and the memoir market. In about 150 pages, you'll discover a timely way to write and sell fiction and non-fiction. One sentence on page 113 reveals the secret to writing a saleable memoir, accurate as the second hand on your watch. "Learn to focus on moments, as opposed to events."

Order your copy of this book from www.write-to-publish and receive the author's review of a query letter or first page of a novel, book, or short story. "The battle for interest in your story is often won or lost on the first page. The industry understands that the title and cover of a book prompt the reader to pull it from the shelf, while the first page sells the book," Klim said on WOR-Radio.

Christopher Klim is a successful author, editor, writing mentor, and magazine entrepreneur. For information on the premier issue of 'Writers Notes Magazine,' click on www.WritersNotes.com, which includes writing tips and information for curious people. According to Klim, 'Writer's Notes Magazine' is open to new voices.

His latest novel is getting significant attention. NYC Editor Linnea Jones says that "'Everything Burns' secures Boots Means as a recurring character and Klim as a distinct voice in mainstream fiction. This book will linger with me for a long while." Boots was first introduced from the pages of Christopher Klim's 'Jesus Lives In Trenton.'

In an E-Mail to Carl Veno, Chrisopher wrote,"As for memoirs, it's all about story." Veno is putting the finishing touches on 'Invisible Ink' to inject that "you are there" feeling into his twenty-five years of reporting and editing for newspapers from Florida to New York.

Klim continued, "Some of the great memoirs in the last decade were written just like fiction, where their authors admitted to changing/manufacturing events for a better story. This works as long as you stay true to the overall facts and tone of the times." He suggested that readers aren't interested in your personal story, but they'll read all about you in a compelling story structure."

"Oh, wow, what a great quote," well-known writer and speaker, Nancy Robinson Masters said. "'My Memoir Collection, All My Downs Have Been Ups' has sold just over 20,000 copies because of the structure, not the story--exactly what Christopher Klim is saying."

Carl Veno intends to follow Klim's suggestions with selling 'Invisible Ink.' Klim advised,"Market through schools and colleges, creating a road show or platform for journalism. (This is the future of authorship for most.)" He added that everyone not asleep at the wheel understands that the journalism profession's integrity is going downhill" at an accelerated pace, and your experiences will add value."

Masters is an outstanding example of creating such a road show using her many experiences and background in aviation for her programs throughout the United States. Her successful platform has helped to sell all those copies of her memoir and sales of many other books, including children's stories.

I've never considered doing my own memoir of forty plus years in writing. After all these suggestions, if I can add an hour or so to my day, I may give it a try. How about you?

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Susan Long Turner is co-author with Russ Turner of "Wings Born Out of Dust" which is available now from 23 House Publishing and is also available in trade paperbacks and hardback at other major online bookstores. Visit her Website

Sea of Regret
by R. S. Nailor

Of all the things he remembered, there was only one he regretted: He would never see Shara Ki again. Afloat on the waves, the sole survivor of a shipwreck, he stared at the monotonous view. The ride was continuous, wave after wave, always rolling down into the trough and its myriad shades of blue and green, only to glide back up to the top where it was crested in white. The crest, where in the distance it was always the sea touching the sky. Land had been but a dream for the last five days as he floated under the scorching sun.

Seaman Second Class Hanson straddled his floating island of debris. The ship had exploded, that much he remembered. The frigate had been carrying linens and furniture when it went down. Hanson had no idea why the ship had been destroyed. He remembered the explosion, being thrown into the air, then grabbing a piece of wood as he sputtered in the water when he came to. He'd discovered that he was alone. Hanson had shouted for any companions but been met with silence. He had gathered a wooden bench, three chairs and a lanyard pole with a small amount of rigging rope. He used the rope to hold his bounty together. He'd also found a floating wooden galley crate partially filled with fruit. The salty water didn't aid in preservation and it was quickly rotting and shriveling in the hot, tropical sun.

Shara Ki was the girl he'd loved and left behind. He wanted to marry her but just like other young men of his village, he had no money. Shara Ki's father had accumulated a tidy dowry for her and the manor lord's young son was quickly wedded to her. Hanson left the village the morning of Shara Ki's marriage; he couldn't stand to watch his beloved in the arms of another.

The seaport of Tileth had beckoned to him and he answered the call. Four years later he had proven himself worthy and been promoted many times.

Hanson grabbed an apple and bit it firmly. The rot wasn't too bad yet.

"What does that taste like?" a timid, female voice asked.

Hanson scrambled to sit up. Had he truly heard a voice or had the days of floating alone pushed his grip on reality? He regretted not listening to the older sailors tell their tales of woe when stranded at sea. Perhaps then he would have gleaned a tidbit to help him. Still, it was a voice.

"I asked how that tastes." The voice was clear this time, neither a dream, nor a delusion.

"Who said that? Who's there?" His thirst told him that he hadn't swallowed that much sea water as to send his mind completely over the brink.

"I did," the voice said from just beyond the bobbing bench on his left.

"Who are you?" He stared at her where she hid behind the turned dowels that formed the back of the bench.

"I am Ayala," she replied. "What is your name?"

"I am called Seaman Second Class Hanson. How did you get here?"

"I live here," she replied, then giggled.

"Where?" He searched vainly to see land when his makeshift rig crested again.

"Here," Ayala repeated. "I live in the sea. I am a mermaid."

Hanson eyed her through the wooden bars of the bench.

"You're a mermaid?" He could be hallucinating. Yet, being a mermaid would account for her pallid skin. Her white face was stark, framed by the long, wet, dark hair with a greenish cast; but it was her eyes that caught his attention. They were the same ice-blue as Shara Ki's which caused tears to well in his eyes.

"You don't look comfortable Seaman Second Class Hanson," Ayala said. "Are you hungry? I have watched you for two days now. The only thing you've eaten is from that." She pointed in the direction of the box of fruit.

"I have this apple," he replied and held it up.

"What a strange thing," she said. "May I taste it?"

"Sure," Hanson answered. He locked his legs around the pole for stability, placed one hand on the pole and then gently tossed the apple. "Here."

He watched her as she grabbed the object from the air, turned it over and over in her hands then finally brought it to her mouth. Teeth, a complete row of sharp pointed teeth glistened as she chomped the apple.

Her eyes widened and she cocked her head in disbelief. "I have never tasted anything like this," she said. "You call this an apple?"

"Sure do," Hanson said feeling rather proud of himself. "Been eating them all my life. What do you eat?" He arched his back to ease a kink out of it and splashed the waters to remove the numbness from his legs.

"We're merpeople, Seaman Second Class Hanson. We eat what we catch," she said. "The sea teams with food."

"How far to land?" Hanson asked. "I don't think I can survive much longer out here. The last of the fruit in this box," he thumped the wooden container. "Well, it is just about all rotten now."

"Come with me," Ayala said. "Come to my world." She slipped toward him coming around the bench that separated them.

"Where?" Hanson queried.

"With me," she responded. "Here, take my hand; it's not that far." Her hand shot out of the water at him. The fingers were long with webbing between them.

"How?" Hanson asked and pulled away from her.

"Take a deep breath, silly. Now, come along."

Hanson inhaled deeply before Ayala grabbed his hand, yanking him from his perch. The cold waters embraced him and his eyes stung as he strained to see where Ayala was pulling him. For one so frail looking, the strength of her clutch on his hand surprised him.

Deeper and deeper they plummeted. His lungs burned and he regretted not taking a deeper breath. Would he survive to surface again?

In the distance he could see others swimming toward them. The sea was full of merpeople. They were coming to greet him.

Ayala turned to look at him and through the haze he could see that her eyes were dark, nearly black. They were no longer anything like Shara Ki's. In fact, Ayala's soft smile now twisted into a grin, an evil grin. The sharp teeth glistened from behind the curling snarl of her lips.

Seaman Second Class Hanson regretted at that moment not paying closer attention to what Ayala had said. They ate whatever they caught.

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