The Muse Marquee

The Three Acts

2009-11-13T17:43:00.000-08:00

There shouldn’t be a writer alive who doesn’t understand that a story has three main acts:

Beginning
Middle
End

Now let’s break these up a bit:

The beginning is where you introduce your protagonist (main character) and the obstacle that puts his/her life in an upheaval. This obstacle is his goal to overcome by the time you come to the third act – The End. In simpler terms this is your set-up of things to come showcasing the journey the main character will embark on.

The middle is where some headway has been met but then more obstacles steer in his path. This is the act where readers begin to believe the main character is doomed to fail.

The end is where you tie everything together. Your protagonist must have grown in some way, and learned something about himself.

Understanding the three act set-up will help you outline your novel with less stress.

Poppacrit DARES You Contest

2009-07-30T06:24:00.000-07:00

The Muse Marquee proudly announces Poppacrits DARE to one and all writers.

Not only will he give you a FREE critique on your first 500 word manuscript beginning, but now he's added a contest for some excitement.

HOOK CONTEST

Here's your chance to win US$15.00 (payable through PayPal) and have your 500 word beginning to a novel or story critiqued in the September edition of The Muse Marquee.

Do you have the courage to submit to Poppacrit’s red pen?

Click HERE for full contest details.

Shine, Spit, and Polish Your Fiction Writing

2009-05-27T19:11:00.000-07:00

Many writers wish they possessed Aladdin’s genie to help them ‘best seller’ their novels. Realistically, however, we’d be living in a fantasy world if we believed genies existed. So for those writers who are waiting for a miracle…it will never happen. Determination, hard work, and perseverance are all elements you need to possess to ascertain success.

Remember there are hundreds, no thousands, and I would even dare to venture to say millions of writers around the world who are your direct competition. Granted, some may ‘think’ about writing, others will ‘begin’ writing, and few will actually ‘finish’ writing their tales. Which of these three areas do you fit in?

If you chose ‘finish’ then hurray because this book is aimed to help you further digest several steps to get you to that ‘best seller’ category.

If you chose ‘begin’ and wish to motivate yourself to ‘finish’— if you’re open-minded and serious enough to consider what I have to say -- then you’ll find this book helpful.

Read the full article HERE.

Introducing Chris Ivins to The Muse Marquee

2009-05-27T15:06:00.000-07:00

Everyone at the Muse Marquee is excited to welcome Chris Ivins as our newest editor in the Poets Corner.

Chris Ivins loves poetry. After a career in the administrative areas of State Government and private enterprise she escaped from Sydney to the town of Grenfell , the birthplace of the famous Australian poet, Henry Lawson. Now, four and a half years later, she’s currently Poet-in-Residence at a local venue under the umbrella of the Australian Poetry Centre. Recently, two poems she submitted in a local contest (Grenfell Henry Lawson Festival Poetry Contest) were given the honours of Highly Commended and Commended. Chris writes under the “handle” of “alpacalady” on FanStory where she is a Professional level poet, and where she nurtures her mantra on a daily basis: “The power of the pen is mightier than a sharp tongue.” When not busy with verse, Chris encourages a small herd of alpacas to enjoy breeding and producing a cash flow.

Chris officially begins as our newest Poets Corner editor in June. Stay tuned.

I've Searched But Can't Find Ideas

2009-05-27T13:09:00.001-07:00

Were you looking in any particular drawer for a story idea? No? Hmmm…

The funny thing is, you’re probably waiting for me to crack a joke right now, but that won’t happen because ideas can be found anywhere and everywhere, even in drawers.

Don’t believe me? Well, here goes:

1- What’s in that drawer? Have you been watching someone at work, at home, at your friend’s home, unlocking and placing something inside then immediately locking it again? Why? Do they have a drawer disorder?

Go HERE to read the full article.

Poetry Contest

2009-05-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

We just announced in our April issue the Flash Fiction winner along with her entry.

Read it here.

Also, the deadline for our Poetry Contest is June 1st.

Read the guidelines here.

Marketing and Promoting a Picture Book - One Writer's Journey

2009-04-01T11:03:00.000-07:00

Kim Chatel, a rising star in the world of literature, has recently had her first picture book, Rainbow Sheep, published by Guardian Angel Publishing (GAP). The quirky, delightful story is beautifully presented, and complemented by illustrations created from Kim’s own fiber art.

When I asked Kim why she chose the small but fast-growing GAP, Kim said, “That's like asking ‘Why did you pick this lottery to win?’ - especially for a first time picture book author.”

Link here to read the rest of the interview with Kim Chatel conducted by Susan Stephenson.

Shadow Play Entertainment

2009-04-01T10:44:00.001-07:00

Shadow Play Entertainment is pleased to begin the last week of March 2009 with some incredible updates---and believe us: this is all news you will want to share.

1) WEBSITE: The website for The Write Stuff Reality Show has been revamped with some exciting new updates. Make sure to visit it page by page to see how we are changing to best educate and inform our visitors.

2) NEW ENDORSEMENTS: We are excited to say that authors and book lovers all over the country are joining forces with us---and we couldn't be more thriled. Late last week we announce that New York Times Bestselling author Steve Berry had joined forces with The Write Stuff. Now we can tell you that thanks to author and friend Mark Eller (http://www.hellhole tavern.com), we have added yet another New York Times Bestselling author to the mix. His name is Scott Sitzer. Look for all the details on the website. Thanks Mark!

Speaking of endorsements, many of my friends from other reality shows are coming onboard to offer their help as well. So far we have Poprah (VH1's I WANT TO WORK FOR DIDDY), Jon Boy (VH1's EGO TRIP'S THE WHITE RAPPER SHOW), Nikki Shallwani and Derrick Hargrove (MTV's 50 CENT: THE MONEY & THE POWER. I can now tell you that Boris "Can Do" Kuperman from VH1's I WANT TO WORK FOR DIDDY has joined the show as well. We are glad to have him involved, and look forward to his experience as part of a reality show cast being of use to our contestants.

3) MAGAZINES!! There have been several magazines that have reached out to us about featuring the contestants as well as offering opportunities for the winner. I want to personally thank Crunk Magazine, Hype Magazine, our own Conversations Magazine and Industry Standard Magazine for working with The Write Stuff

The June/July 2009 issue of Conversations Magazine will be released in late May 2009. This is going to be a big one that will of course talk about the contestants of The Write Stuff and the judges. Look for more details later.

That's all for now. Make sure to encourage others to become a member of The Write Stuff Reality Show website. It's totally free, and it allows you to get all of the updates FIRST. If you have any questions or comments, contact Cyrus A. Webb at cawebb4@juno. com.
http://thewritestuf ftv.webs. com/

Mark Eller

Meet Sally Murphy

2009-03-01T06:43:00.000-08:00

Muselings editor, Susan Stephenson, has a terrific interview with author Sally Murphy in February's issue of The Muse Marquee. Sally Murphy is a prolific Australian writer.

As well, like always, Susan ends with some interesting links for writers.

Muselings Column

Mother Hen's Hello? column

2009-02-26T11:52:00.000-08:00

For those new to the Muse Marquee what I'll do is over the course of the next few weeks introduce you to some of our past columns. We'll begin with:

Mother Hen's past column:

“Hello? Hi, my na…sure, I’ll hold.”

by Lea Schizas

Ever feel like you're stuck in a broken telephone chain of miscommunication? Not sure how to pull yourself out of a rut, get your creative juices flowing? Well click above and get some of my - what I like to call - kick in the butt advice.

The Muse Marquee Flash Fiction Contest

2009-02-06T08:02:00.000-08:00

The Muse Marquee offers various contests throughout the year and for 2009 we begin with our Flash Fiction Contest.

Here's your chance to win US$25.00 (payable through PayPal) and have your story published in the April edition of The Muse Marquee.

The challenge, if you should accept, is to write a complete story where each word is essential. The maxim for flash fiction is: MINIMUM WORDS, MAXIMUM EFFECT.

For the full details, visit our FLASH FICTION CONTEST page.

Best part - there's no fee to enter.

Check out the details now before the deadline comes and goes.

January 2009 Issue

2009-01-23T15:16:00.001-08:00

The Muse Marquee - January 2009 issue - is now published. Stay tuned for posts based on each column this month.

The Muse Marquee

2009-01-22T09:46:00.000-08:00

The Editors of The Muse Marquee are excited about our newest addition:

The Muse Marquee Blog!

This gives you, our dear readers, an opportunity to leave your comments about our columns, give us your thoughts, add to our own column thoughts...correspond with us.

We'll be reminding everyone about our contest deadlines, offering excerpts from our current issues, and more.

Stay tuned! Our journey together has begun.