A Little Humor Anyone? It's My Holiday Gift for Writers

I just had to share this resource with my #SharingwithWriters visitors and subscribers. It's one of  my favorite writers' conferences of all time (time that it is getting longer and longer with more and more #writersconferences to choose from!). A writers conference for humorists? you are thinking? There is nothing like a sprinkle of humor.  Since I presented at this conference (twice now!), I use humor in more and more unexpected places. Subject lines (can you imaging how boring subject lines can get for feature editors and other gatekeepers that writers send emails to?), in query letters, and my how-to books for writers (you know you've thought you'd like to read one but dread the idea of a whole book full of bullets and advice, but really. Read my reviews. Every once in a while someone mentions that a little humor keeps them going!).  It's not LOL-funny stuff, but when I can work it in, it serves to set even the driest documents apart and give me an edge. You'll even find a humorous poem or two in "Blooming Red," the holiday chapbook I wrote with Aussie Magdalena Ball. So, after this long introduction, here is a little holiday gift (and resource!) for you!

PS: My writing friend Dr. Bob Rich even uses humor in most of his biographies! 

On Nov 24, 2021, at 4:13 AM, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop <erma@udayton.edu> wrote:



It's Erma Time on the Dayton Riviera! Registration Opens Dec. 9 for In-Person and Virtual Experiences The Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop, slated for March 24-26, 2022, on the University of Dayton's campus, will feature New York Times’ bestselling authors, Saturday Night Livelegends, Emmy Award winners, Thurber Prize winners, a Moth GrandSLAM winner, the author of the Bible (The New Comedy Bible, that is), screenwriters and a slew of celebrated comedians and authors. The slate includes an amazing 11 former keynoters. With her special blend of grace and humor, stand-up comedian Leighann Lord will emcee. Registration for the in-person workshop* opens at noon (EST) on Thursday, Dec. 9. A link will be posted that morning and shared via our e-newsletter. Fee: $499, which includes keynotes, workshops, meals and full access to a *virtual* package of the keynote talks and the always-entertaining and educational Pitchapalooza. You're invited to relive the Erma experience long after the workshop ends. For those interested in the virtual option only, the registration fee is $79. From the comfort of your home (think: pajamas!), you can enjoy the keynote talks and Pitchapalooza in real time, participate in a live chat with other writers joining virtually or tap back in later at your convenience. For both options, expect to laugh, learn and network with a supportive writing community. Read more about the 2022 keynoters and faculty as well as the workshop sessions. New this year: sessions such as "Erma would KILL on TikTok — a Writer's Guide to Social Media Videos" and "When Humor Goes, There Goes Civilization: How to Use Your Gifts to Change the World (and have a laugh along the way)."  If you're looking for a creative (and fun) pilgrimage, *this* is the one. *Masks are required indoors for all attendees, regardless of vaccination status. While proof of vaccination to attend is not mandatory, vaccination is highly encouraged. The vast majority of faculty, staff and students are vaccinated at the University of Dayton.  THE PROGRAM Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop | University of Dayton 300 College Park Dayton, OH 45469-2904 Visit our Website | Contact Us  ‌  ‌  ‌

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER

 Howard-Johnson is the multi award-winning author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the multi award-winning The Frugal Book Promoter (http://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), now offered in its third edition by Modern History Press. Carolyn's latest is in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers is How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. She has two booklets in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series, both in their second editions from Modern History Press. Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers (http://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and The Great First Impression Book Proposal (http://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The one on writing book proposals is also available as an Audio Book. The Frugal Editor (http://bit.ly/FrugalEditor), now in its second edition, is the winningest book in the series. Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques (http://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor (http://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow for news on her new releases direct from Amazon at http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.

Winning Writers.com Presents Three Contests--One of them Frugal-Free! (-:

Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest     Top prize: $2,000. Total prizes: $3,500. Submit one funny poem by April 1. Both published and unpublished work welcome. Free to enter. Final judge: Jendi Reiter.   Learn more Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest     Top prize: $3,000 X 2. Total prizes: $8,000. Submit stories and essays by April 30. Both published and unpublished work welcome. Fee per entry: $20. Final judge: Dennis Norris II.   Learn more North Street Book Prize for Self-Published Books     Seven categories for self-published books. Grand prize: $5,000. Total prizes: $13,750. Top winners receive additional benefits from BookBaby and Carolyn Howard-Johnson. Submit online or by mail by June 30. Fee per entry: $65. Final judges: Jendi Reiter and Ellen LaFleche.   Learn more

© 2001-2021 Winning Writers. All rights reserved except for fair use. Winning Writers 351 Pleasant Street Suite B PMB 222 Northampton, MA 01060-3998

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER 

 Howard-Johnson is the multi award-wining author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the multi award-winning The Frugal Book Promoter (http://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), now offered by Modern History Press in its third edition. Carolyn's latest is in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers is How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. She has two booklets in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series, both in their second editions from Modern History Press. Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers (http://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and The Great First Impression Book Proposal (http://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The Frugal Editor (http://bit.ly/FrugalEditor), now in its second edition, is the winningest book in the series. Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques (http://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs at all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor (http://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow for news on her new releases direct from Amazon: http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.

So What Is NOT Funny About Humor Poetry

I have been following the guidelines for contests at http://WinningWriters.com for a long time and they have never lead me wrong.  You'll love their newsletter. You'll also love the advice they give on better ways to compete in literary contests, like this for their coming Wergle Flomp poetry Contest. Find advice on what NOT to submit to their FREE humor poetry contest below--and links to enter!  And you'll also find more information, ideas, and contests in the Writers Resources section of my Web site at  http://howtodoitfrugally.com/contests.htm.

Enter Our Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest

Our 14th annual Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest welcomes your entry through April 1.
There's no fee to enter. Jendi Reiter will judge, assisted by Lauren Singer. We'll
award $2,000 in prizes, including a top prize of $1,000. Winners are published on our website.

This contest welcomes published and unpublished work. Your poem may be of any
 length. Click to submit online.

After screening last year's 4,484 entries, Lauren has advice for this year's
contestants:

Parodies based on Poe, "The Night Before Christmas", Yeats, ans Frost:  

If you are going to have a "With Apologies To..." poem, it needs to be clever enough to back up the fact that it is based on a famous original. So many of these poets jumped ship somewhere in the middle and did not utilize any clever parodying qualities, and merely wrote poems that were completely separate from the originals. Just stealing the voice of a dead poet does not a good poem make!

Poems that I found particularly arduous to read: Poems about pooping, farting, vomiting, getting fat, having saggy boobs, tricking your husband so that he would stay with you, tricking your wife so that she would leave you, wrinkles, chocolate addiction, unoriginal limericks that began "There once was a man from Nantucket" that ended with "f*** it!", poems that invented their own language without a glossary and just translated as wan gibberish.

Poems that were offensive: Ones that embraced a pro-rape culture (there were more of these than you might think, and it was quite disheartening); poems that described women as objects; poems that led the reader to believe they were about women and then turned into poems about an object (odes to a car, boat, La-Z-Boy, golf club, burger, guitar, etc.); homophobic, sexist, xenophobic, racist poems, of which there were many; poems that mock a lifestyle in attempts to undermine it (making light of stay-at-home moms/dads, that sort of thing); poems that made light of mental illness, addiction, and recovery, in an offensive way as opposed to a self-deprecatingly humorous way.

"I'm getting so old" poems: These were by far the highest number of poems submitted in 2014. These have the ability to be funny, but more often than not there is SO much overlap. "I used to be so attractive, thin, energetic. Now I'm fat, wrinkly, and don't have sex. I can't bend over anymore, I can't sit up without grunting, I can't eat fried foods, I can't enjoy life because I'm over 60." These become tiring and disheartening after a while. There were a few that embraced an original voice and those made the cut, but the vast majority of poems about aging were nearly indistinguishable from each other.

Feeling squirrelly: There were well over a hundred poems solely about squirrels. This is merely a side note, as some of them were quite funny, but out of sheer curiosity, what the hell was it about squirrels this year? What is this obsession? Why are squirrels so dang poetic? Any squirrel poems that ended in a pun about nuts generally didn't make the cut.

All the Wergle Flomp winning poems and judges' comments going back to 2002 are

 available for reading in our website archives.

Submit your 2015 entry now at
http://www.winningwriters.com/wergle

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second edition of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor .

Dull Old Subject Lines? Would Farting Help?

How Are Your Subject Lines Doing?

Getting Folks to Open Your E-Mail

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About once a week I get an update from an author with a subject line that says, “Shameless Self-Promotion from Joe Doe” in the subject line. It never varies. This subject line may be the most egregious misuse of subject-line space I’ve come across for these reasons:

• “Shameless self-promotion” implies there is something to be ashamed of and that doesn’t exactly encourage his audience to open it. I doubt even his mother opens it.
• It gives no indication of what the receiver might find within the e-mail, much less how one might benefit from the information therein.
• There is no variety, no reason to be tempted to see what’s happening in that author’s life this week than there was the last time we opened the mail, which was maybe a year ago.
• Though sometimes repetition in marketing is a good thing, this feels just plain lazy.

Recently I came across a subject line that took me only a split second to figure out that I wanted to know more. I’ll mention it here, because it’s an example of a mail that probably got a very high rate of interest and therefore a lot of clicks to open it. It was “Smart Phones and Farting the 1812 Overture.” Now, I know you’ll want to read it, too. Find it on this from journalist and educator Walter Brasch's blog at 

http://www.walterbrasch.blogspot.com/2014/02/communicating-atomic-fart.html

 

That’s not to say we can spend the time to make every one of our subject lines to deserve a five-star rating. We have lots to do. But do think “benefits,” “humor,” and—at least—“variety.”

 

You can learn a little more about subject lines by reading up on pitches and titles in your copy of The Frugal Book Promoter. Many of the basics are the same. Be sure to also look up “e-mail” in the index for more ways to make your e-mail dispatches count.

 

PS: “New Blog Post” doesn’t cut it either.

 

 

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second edition of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor .

Kristine Lowder Gives Tips on Writing Humor--In a Humorous Way

I know you will be tickled by the post from Kristine Lowder today!

 

Tickling Funny Bones: 8 Tips for Writing Humor

By Kristine Lowder

What makes something humorous? Responses vary, but “humor” usually involves unexpecteds, unforeseens or exaggeration. Humor breaks the routine and whisks us into smiles and silliness. Think Lucy and Ethel in the bon-bon factory. Abbot and Costello and Who’s on First?

When I was young and foolish I decided to try my hand at writing humor. Folks cheered me on, insisting that mine was a truly wry – if not wicked – sense of humor.

I crashed and burned.

After weeks of staring at the computer, all I had to show for my efforts was a headache that’d give the Marquis de Sade cause for pause. I not only hadn’t written anything that could be dubbed “humorous” by any charitable extreme, but the only “funny” ideas I came up with wouldn’t outlast the expiration date on a milk carton.

Sound familiar? If so, take heart. If not, kindly quit reading and order out for dessert.

Well. On my way to publishing a couple humor books and some side-splitting, insanely funny and Pultizer-Prize winning articles (I made that last one up), I learned a lot about humor writing. Since I’m such a nice lady, I’m passing these tips along for free:

1. Is Joke-Writing Different from Writing Humor?

Is the Pope Catholic? Is rain wet? Is Obama running for re-election?

There may be some “spill over,” but writing jokes and writing humor are two different genres.

A joke writer pursues the “ta-da!” moment followed by a canned laugh track. Writing humor is more of an art form. It’s a sustained chord as opposed to a tympanic crash. Humor is to writing what a seven-course meal is to cooking. Jokes are a quick trip to the drive-thru. Comprende?

2. Write what you know.

Doesn’t this sound like an echo from your long-lost junior high English teacher? That’s because she (or he) was right. Don’t try to impress people with how funny you can make an unfamiliar topic or event. Start with your own experience and stamp it with your own brand of kooky. (You can take that any way you like.) If you get really good at charting the hilarious in territory you know nothing about, run for Congress.

3. Put yourself in your story.

Unless you’re dull as dirt – and you know who you are – your readers want to hear from you in the first-person. If you don’t think your stuff is funny, chances are no one else will, either. So unsheath your rapier wit, trot out your droll conviviality and craft your magnum opus like it’s the best thing since raspberry white chocolate cheesecake. Try this: Tell your story as if you’re sharing it over a cup of coffee at the kitchen table with an old friend. You could also picture yourself sharing your story with a new enemy, but I won’t be responsible for the consequences.


4. Write in the first-person whenever possible.

Related to the incredibly incisive and sagacious advice above, use “I” in your story, vignette or article whenever possible. Inject some of your personality into your writing. Find your “voice.” Keep it active rather than passive. This may take some tinkering and experimenting. That’s alright. Questions to ask along the way:

What are you passionate about? Where do you like to go, spend your time, invest your day? What makes this incident or event funny to you? Who else will relate to this topic?

Give people a chance to get to know you. Write from the heart. This doesn’t mean sharing every minute detail of your life. If you do, readers will doubtless expire of boredom by or before the end of your story. So use your best judgment. (This tip is null and void if you’re a felon on the lam, oyster eater, or cat lover.)

5. Study the Masters

Stroll over to your local library and take a gander at some established humor authors. Skim some books. Are you chuckling wildly after a chapter or two? What makes that chapter, paragraph, person or topic humorous? How did the author construct his or her plot, characters, setting, tempo, and transitions? Sometimes an ordinary occurrence can turn into an adventure in hilarity if the author tells it that way. (Sometimes it can wind up a wrong turn down a one-way street, but let’s not go there.)

6. Double check everything!

Thoroughly proof your manuscript before sending it out. Nothing screams “amateur!” like typpos, missspeld werds or pore grammur. Ask a family member or friend to read your work. They may catch mistakes you haven’t.

Read your piece out loud. U’d bee soo-prized howe meny “oopses” yul find wen u reed yer werk alowd. You’ll also get a better “feel” for important elements of humor writing such as pacing, dialogue, and voice.

7. Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.

How long did it take me to write my first humor book, Guys and Other Near-Humans? Or my next, how I got to be fifty and other atrocities? (Subtle plug here, in case you missed it.) Do you want the whole nine yards or the condensed version? Okay. Condensed version: about four years. Each. Just keep at it and be sure to pack a lunch.

8. A final tip: Be patient with yourself.

Don’t take rejection letters personally. Learn from them and those kindly acquisition editors - yes, there are one or two - so you’ll avoid repeating the same mistakes.

Keep writing and learning. Keep an eye out for new material. It materializes in the most unusual places: dead of night, while driving, in the shower, or arguing the nutritional merits of broccoli with an eight year-old. Keep submitting and practice, practice, practice.

Humor writing is hard work. What?! Do you think I was born this funny? So if you’re warming up your funny bone and planning to join the literary luminaries of the humor world, good for you! Now stop reading and knock out some silliness and smiles! Lord knows we can use more of both – and lots more dessert!

***

A multi-published author, Kristine Lowder resides in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, their four sons and one loveable yellow Lab. Visit her at: www.KristineLowder.com or http://www.kristinelowder.wordpress.com.-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second ediction of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

The Book As a Revolutionary Product

I couldn't resist letting you see this video. You will love it, even if you have you book available electronically. It takes only three minutes to watch through to understand the value of book marks and book stands, will improve your Spanish (if you are interested), and is subtitled (which, if you're not interested, makes it funnier). 

Aren't we just too lucky to have the wonder of book technology?

Alternatively you can also see this at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhcPX1wVp38

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

Take Good Care of Yourself: Write! And Laugh!

You all know how I love guest posts. I love to spread the love, talent and wisdom around. (-: Georgia Richardson (also known as Queen Jaw Jaw) not only has good advice but her work is a model for using humor in your work. Enjoy!

Writing – Celebrate your life!

By Georgia Richardson

If I had a dime every time someone said, “Oh you’re a writer. I’m going to do that some day,” I would be a rich woman; or at least wear better underwear in case of a wreck. Sorry Mom.

When you commit your thoughts to streams of words, you will invariably learn things about yourself, and along the way, you will grow as a person and as a writer. It doesn’t matter what kind of writing you want to explore, whether it’s poetry, that novel in your head, or god forbid, humor; writing is an immediate gift you can give to the one who matters most; YOU. It is a celebration of sorts, and shouts to the world...I matter.

Isn’t that what everyone wants?

For those scared to begin, take comfort in knowing your writing doesn’t have to go public. If you love to write, and writing helps express your feelings, then why not follow that inner voice that craves the extension? Talk about a stress-reliever! Write about your hard day at work, your relief at passing that exam, your husband’s love affair with his lawncar (lawn mowers with cup holders, headlights, a horn, etc), or your waistline needing its own zip code. Whatever emotional event passes through your day, write it down and release the tension. Now you have a history trail, or in some cases, blackmail. Yes dear, Friday you promised you would go shopping with me TODAY. See? I wrote it down. Busted!

Time is probably the biggest excuse used by would-be writers; yet everyone has the same twenty-four hours. Investigate where your time is spent and you might be surprised to find that time is irrelevant. If you want to see a movie, go on vacation, or phone a friend, you always find the time. Why not squeeze in a few minutes each day to begin writing?

If you can’t produce the world’s greatest novel, then why bother, right? Very few writers I know are on the New York Times Best Seller List, yet there are millions of wonderful books, articles, and blogs available for escaping reality, for entertainment, or for learning something new. I once fixed a toilet via a “how-to” article on the net, which led to an article about the joys (insert rolling eyes) of grandchildren. Did you know there isn’t one toothpaste tube on the market that will flush? Writers never know when inspiration will strike. Or grandchildren, for that matter.

If writing one genre leaves you flat, then try another. Maybe poetry holds your voice and makes your heart sing. It could be non-fiction; how-to articles, copywriting, or even writing catchy jingles for cereal boxes or greeting cards. Discover which one(s) speaks to you. Break free of the mindset that novels are the only path and you could find a new, exciting, and often profitable way of highlighting your abilities.

Writing publicly isn’t for everyone, and if that doesn’t appeal to you, try journaling. One major benefit is that writing thoughts down can bring clarity to problems that often seem to swirl around in our heads like a carousel. Seeing the problem in print can often bring you to place of understanding; an awakening or “A-ha!” moment.

Journaling is also very important as it is an imprint of your life. Where would we be today without the records of those passed on before us? You may think, “Oh, but what if someone reads this?” I say, wouldn’t it be sad if someone doesn’t. They would be missing a golden opportunity to know the real you. Nonetheless, if this concern persists, there’s always time capsules or bank vaults, or better yet, that best friend who will pinkie swear to swoop in and grab your secrets should you transcend to a better place.

Remember, writing is a choice and a very valuable tool in getting to know yourself, and to celebrate your life. I get a high every time I complete an article, write a blog, or even send a humorous email. I’m higher than a kite right now. Where’s my Oreo’s? I must celebrate!

How will you celebrate your life?

Author Biography

Georgia Richardson, official humorist for the National Association of Baby Boomer Women (NABBW), is also a motivational speaker/gablogist, Southern humorist, author, and stretcher of the truth. Better known as Queen Jaw Jaw or JJ, her work has appeared in GRAND magazine, Chicken Soup for the Soul magazine, Woman's World, Guidepost online, BOOMER—for Central Iowa, Boomer Magazine, Missouri, Shoals Woman and a host of other regional and national magazines.

Her debut book, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Throne, consists of every day life experiences with just a twist of the imagination. Her second book, an anthology, Pink Jasper- Gems from the Journey, was written by Georgia and five other women across the United States, Canada, and England. Amazingly, these women have never met. Mixing her sharp sense of humor with everyday life observations, the Queen says, “Every single story is true, honest injun… I'd rather walk on my lips than tell a lie.” Visit her Queendom where you can read all about her Lunch Hour Specials. Don't forget to “paws” a while and see what her good friend and writer-dog Trixie, a.k.a., da Trixster, has been up to. E-mail her at gjawjaw1@bellsouth.net


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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about it:

Free Contest Honors Memory of Erma Bombeck

I'm so happy. Other years I've presented at the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop at Dayton University. This year I'm not so I can enter their contest. I hope you will, too. Even if you've never written humor, why not give it a try? It FRUGAL! (It's free!)

Here's the notice from my Sharing with Writers newsletter.

For the past 12 years, the Washington-Centerville Public Library’s Erma Bombeck Writing Contest held in conjunction with the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop http://www.humorwriters.org/ has encouraged thousands of aspiring writers to capture the spirit of one of America’s great humorists in 450 words or less. Learn more at the Library’s own Web site at www.wclibrary.info. The contest opens January 4, 2010, and goes to the end of the month only. They give entrants a month to enter their essays the green way, online.

This comes from Debe Dockins, Erma Bombeck Writing Contest CoordinatorWashington-Centerville Public Library, ddockins@wcpl.lib.ohs

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

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