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Writing Tips, World War II Photography, and Richard Nixon

© Robert Powers

Writers are everywhere. But not all of them practice their trade. One reason is that when one sits down in front of the white computer screen, a sudden realization occurs. What do I write? Will anyone care about what I've done? Especially, will a publisher want to pay money for my effort? And where do I look for that publisher?

There are probably thousands of books on writing available in libraries (several shelves at my local public library are devoted to books aimed at aspiring writers). None of these books means a thing unless the prospective author does the most important task known to a writer. Yes, that's correct. Writers must write.

I've been involved on a tiny level with a new writer's book that I believe will easily be worth its selling price. The Writer's Friend: Behind the Scenes with Editors is a slender volume just under 200 pages. It contains solid, no-nonsense advice from writers and editors across the country.

Author of The Writer's Friend is Linda Davis Kyle, a professional writer turned Web site wrangler. Co-authors are Joseph Gregg and Nancy McAlary. All three authors have publishing credits across the globe. They talked to editors and sought answers to those important questions most writers pose.

I "met" Linda through her Web site, WritingNow.com, which publishes monthly. Linda published a couple of articles by me over the past two years, then asked for a quotation from me that she could use in the book. There was no hesitation about helping her, and thus my little piece of advice appears in The Writer's Friend.

The book contains 20 chapters, ranging from finding encouragement to knowing your audience, from composing a query letter to fulfilling your dream. The book doesn't guarantee that you'll have success in achieving publication, but it undoubtedly will make the effort easier. All you need is a talent for putting words on paper and knowledge of what to do once the words are finished.

The Writer's Friend is available on the Web through Amazon.com and WritingNow.com. For mail orders, send $14.95 and $3.95 postage and handling to WritingNow.com Publishing, P.O. Box 270070, Austin, TX 78727.

War Through Lens

World War II was a special experience for combat photographers, whose duty was to make a photographic record of the war. Thayer Soule was a Marine Corps veteran who held that assignment. He has written about his adventures in a fascinating book, Shooting the Pacific War: Marine Corps Combat Photography in WWII (University Press of Kentucky, $25).

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