Image by Debbie Ridpath-Ohi of InkyGirl.com Copyright © 2006
Labor Day has come and gone -- As summer slowly crawls to a halt, a solemn mood is in the air. After all that complaining and fussing about the endless, unforgiving heat, it feels a little strange to say goodbye to summer. But the good thing is that you can no longer complain that it's too hot to write!

Pack away those shorts and pull out your notebooks! Enjoy the ever-crisp air of autumn and feel inspired to write about the things around you. To celebrate the end of summer, we bring to you Issue No. 11 -- a lot of exciting things are happening, right here on WriteSpot.org! We say hello to PSST! Ramblings of the Squirrel Squad, a fearless, new feature column, exclusive to the Write Spot. Plus, we've packed in some fabulous reads and some new features for you to enjoy.

Farewell Summer Celebration @ WriteSpot.org!

A Bundle of New Goodies to Help us Celebrate...
⇒PSST! Ramblings of the Squirrel Squad is now officially open!
⇒Comics, courtesy of Debbie Ohi-Ridpath (one for every issue)!
⇒Online Writing Jobs will now be updated every Thursday!
⇒A surprise in store for our poetry lovers (coming next Tuesday)!

New Reads in Issue No. 11

Column: PSST! Ramblings of the Squirrel Squad - Little Jimmy takes us for an insane ride to the world of dogs and shoes. (What??)

Feature
Finding Inspiration From Life To Beat The Writer's Blues - As writers, we sometimes get down and out and get the "writer's blues". But cheer up because there's a way around it. Basically, you just need to know where to look.

Improve Your Writing
Y'all Come Back Now, Y' Hear: A Primer in the Use of Colloquialisms - Writing fiction involves engaging a reader's imagination, making the story come alive in their minds. As a writer, you want them to feel a part of the world you've created for their enjoyment. With the proper use of colloquialisms, you can bring a touch of the exotic to your story. And that may be the key to the reader asking for more!

On Writing: Fiction
Epic Fantasy - A Courageous Approach to Writing - Epic fantasy is a genre about heroes taking on challenges of epic proportions and overcoming obstacles that are seemingly impossible to overcome yet the genre puts out (safe) multi-volume cookie cutter novels that follow a specific formula laid out by Tolkien and Campbell. Break this trend in your own writing.

On Writing: Non-fiction
Articles on the Web: Write Articles that Web Readers will Love - There is much information floating about on the World Wide Web. Writing articles for web use is very different from writing for print publications. Make your article stand out from the muck of poorly-written pieces.

On Writing: Poetry & Prose
Poetry in Dialect - Jamaican Patois - When we all learn to grasp the profound effect that poetry has in any language, we can truly appreciate its impact and the potential of its dynamics on our social, cultural, emotional and spiritual fabric. Even through dialect, you can enlighten the reader because it also has the strength of its expression. A tribute to Jamaica's Miss Lou.

On Writng: Film & Music
Learning and Playing Cover Tunes - Learning and playing cover tunes is an effective tool for the new musician because it gives you the chance to learn techniques, chord progressions, forms, and songs you can actually play for a crowd, for friends or just for yourself.

Getting Published
Getting a Publisher and Getting What You Want - When someone asks, "How do I find a publisher?" they're often looking for the details of this scenario. The answer to this question has to do with what you as a writer want out of the publishing process as well as what the publisher wants. It's best to be as clear as possible on both counts. Here are a few things to consider.

Promoting Yourself
Speak and Sell... Starting in Your Hometown - If you are interested in selling your books and products to the masses, you need to start locally. Groups and organizations in your hometown offer great opportunities in front of hundreds of people.

Anything Goes
Revealing Secrets to Book Review Writing - Get to know how a well-structured and logically built book review should look like!

Writers Showcase
Pool of Life - Is the journey of life circular or linear? A song triggers memories which draw together events from the past and ties them to the present. Will this be the basis for creating a future?

Incantations of a Love Lorn Soul - How much of your past life can consume your present?

Poetry Corner
I Cry (a haiku) by lgardner90
Sarcastic by Venom75
Afternoon Poem by poewhit
Truth by wyldechylde
Help Me by offBeat
The Suitcase by cougarcat
Voiceless by CksBabydoll
Still I Rhyme by Phayne
An Enroaching Enemy by icequeen36
Prophet of Vision by poetiks

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