June, 2005

This issue of the Report contains:
1. To Fathers
2. "Best" Bad Writing
3. Congratulations to Authors
4. Feedback
5. Drama Workshops Set-You Can Help
6. Big Media Event Set for Australia
7. Magazine Training Institute Marches On

1.To Fathers

When I was young and frivolous and seldom stopped to think,
Always doing something wrong or just upon the brink,
Throughout those years of childhood-about from six to ten,
It seemed that almost every day I got in trouble then.
And strangers used to shake their heads and say I was no good
But Father always stuck by me; my father understood.

He never seemed to think it strange that I should risk my bones
Or fight with other boys at times, or pelt a cat with stones.
And when I'd break a windowpane, 'tis true it made him sad
But though the neighbors said I was, he never called me bad.

Now there's that little boy of mine so full of life and fun
Who comes to me with solemn face to tell the bad he's done.
And sometimes I am quite upset, and think I should be stern.
I'm tempted to be harsh with him, the kid has got to learn.
But then I think of my own faults-of now, not long ago
For even still, sometimes, I cause the Father pain I know.

Some day I've got to go up there and make a sad report
And tell the Father of us all where I have fallen short
And there will be a lot of wrong I never meant to do
A lot of smudges on my sheet that he will have to view
And little chance for heavenly bliss up there will I command
Unless the Father smiles and says, "My son, I understand."
(author unknown)

2. Best Bad Writers
For lovers of good writing, these are the 10 winners of this year's
Bulwer-Lytton--aka "Dark and Stormy Night Contest"--offered by the English
Department of San Jose State University, wherein one writes only the first
line of a bad novel (listed here from #10 to #1).
10) As a scientist, Throckmorton knew that if he were ever to break wind in
the echo chamber, he would never hear the end of it.
9) Just beyond the Narrows, the river widens.
8) With a curvaceous figure that Venus would have envied, a tanned,
unblemished oval face framed with lustrous thick brown hair, deep azure-blue
eyes fringed with long black lashes, perfect teeth that vied for
competition, and a small straight nose, Marilee had a beauty that defied
description.
7) Andre, a simple peasant, had only one thing on his mind as he crept along
the East wall: "Andre creep...Andre creep...Andre creep."
6) Stanislaus Smedley, a man always on the cutting edge of narcissism, was
about to give his body and soul to a back alley sex-change surgeon to become
the woman he loved.
5) Although Sarah had an abnormal fear of mice, it did not keep her from
eeking out a living at a local pet store.
4) Stanley looked quite bored and somewhat detached, but then penguins often
do.
3) Like an overripe beefsteak tomato rimmed with cottage cheese, the
corpulent remains of Santa Claus lay dead on the hotel floor.
2) Mike Hardware was the kind of private eye who didn't know the meaning of
the word 'fear'; a man who could laugh in the face of danger and spit in the
eye of death--in short, a moron with suicidal tendencies.

AND THE WINNER IS...
1) The sun oozed over the horizon, shoved aside darkness, crept along the
greensward, and, with sickly fingers, pushed through the castle window,
revealing the pillaged princess, hand at throat, crown asunder, gaping in
frenzied horror at the sated, sodden amphibian lying beside her,
disbelieving the magnitude of the frog's deception, screaming madly, 'You
lied to me!'

3. CONGRATULATIONS BOOK AUTHORS
BIRDIE ETCHISEN has a May 2005 release entitled OREGON BREEZE (Barbour
Books). Contemporary romance. Adults. This is four books in one with all
four stories linked together (for more information: etchison@pacifier.com).

MALSAWMI JACOB has a new book released at a function in Bangalore, India, on
April 23, 2005. Published by GLS India, the book is entitled FRESH LEASE and
is a collection of 14 short stories. This is his second book, the first, a
book of poems published in June 2003, was printed in English and Mizo (for
more information: mesjay@hotmail.com)
STANLEY BALDWIN has word from InterVarsity Press that his new book: A FUNNY
THING HAPPENED ON MY WAY TO OLD AGE, has gone back to press for a second
printing less than two months after its original release on April 1, 2005.
(for more information: scbaldwin@juno.com)

FEEDBACK

From JEF BAGLEY:
I just read the latest ICW Report. This was one of the better ones from my
point of view.
Do you really think outlines are mandatory? I've been through plenty of
writing instruction that stresses the importance of the outline. Now that
I'm reading to prepare for law school, I'm again encouraged to use outlines
to make sense of class material and to organize answers to exam questions.
Still, I have always gotten along just fine without using outlines. I
organize my material in my head, then write at the keyboard. Then I go back
and read my material in an order other than the order I wrote in to make
sure what I wrote makes sense and flows. When I find it does not, I use cut
and paste and delete to fix obvious errors. I think for me it's a little
like the baseball player who has "terrible" mechanics to his swing, yet he
bats .300 and hits 50 home runs a year.
I thought the piece (in the Report) on a grateful spirit was great. I
always try to remember there is one tried and true get-rich-quick scheme;
count your blessings. I can relate to thinking there is nothing to be
thankful for because the bad in your life is so bad. Then you meet, or hear
about, or see, or read about someone in much worse shape than you are and it
can serve to straighten out a bad perspective. Isn't it interesting when
"science" proves what the Bible has taught for eons?
(My response: Hey, if not outlining works for you, fine. I still think you
would find outlines a help and not just an extra task. Even if the "outline"
is simply a matter of listing all the "pieces" in your essay or article, it
can help. Maybe you'd get an A+ instead of just those A's.)

From CARL TOWNSEND
Thanks for the Report and your work on it.
Here's more scoop on how an author can use Amazon:
A publisher normally puts limited content in the Amazon book listing for an
author's book. An author can help sales by adding more stuff such as an
author review, table of contents, about the author, reviews, and excerpts. I
did this with my In Pursuit of Healing. The publisher just listed it. I
added all the other stuff.
To see how this is done see Amazon's directions at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/catalog-updates/content-books.html
The stuff stays out there a long time.
Most of what I am doing now is in e-book format. I just did a book on
search engine optimization
(http://www.web-site-search-engine-positioning.net)- very valuable for any
church or organization that wants to be hot in the search engines. I'm
working on another e-book on blogging. Both books are updated so often (the
SEO book is on Version 6) that using a normal publisher and Amazon wouldn't
work.

5. DRAMA WORKSHOPS SET-YOU CAN HELP
In cooperation with GIFTS Ministries of Mumbai (Bombay), India, ICW is
arranging for drama workshops in Madras and Mumbai in March of 2006. Thanks
to Dick Sleeper and Sam Hall, who independently recommended Chuck Neighbors
of Master's Image Productions as principal resource person for this
ministry.
Here follow brief bios on Chuck Neighbors and his associate, Steve Wilent,
both of whom will conduct the India workshops. ICW trainers/teachers raise
their own travel expenses for third world ministries such as this. ICW takes
nothing from them for administrative expenses and in fact gives each a small
stipend of $200 toward his expenses. If you want to help, send your
tax-deductible designated gift to:
ICW
Clackamas Bible Church
15655 SE Johnson Road
Clackamas, OR 97015

CHUCK NEIGHBORS has over 30 years of professional theatre experience as an
actor, director, and writer. He has toured his one-man shows throughout
North America as well as abroad. His most popular one-man drama, an
adaptation of Charles Sheldon's Christian Classic, In His Steps, has been
featured on radio and television and performed before hundreds of live
audiences. Chuck has performed in theaters, churches, gymnasiums, airplane
hangars and even on board a submarine.
He has traveled by planes, trains and automobiles (and buses and boats) and
even by helicopter to mountaintops in Korea, performing for U.S. military
troops. In recent years Chuck's ministry, Master's Image Productions, has
expanded to represent other professional Christian artists. Chuck's
published works include his best-selling What Would Jesus Do? Playbook, The
Comfort Zone, and In the Moment (Lillenas Publishing), and Power Plays
(Baker Books). He has also written numerous magazine articles on the arts
and worship.

Chuck is a workshop/seminar leader for both large conferences and local
churches. In addition, he is a World Vision Artist Associate working to
bring help and hope to the world's poor through the child sponsorship
program. Chuck and his family make their home in Salem, Oregon.

STEVE WILENT in 1979 left a promising acting career in Hollywood to attend
Multnomah Bible College in Portland, Oregon, graduating with a BS in Bible
in 1984...but he still had that "acting bug." In 1987 he graduated from
Western Seminary in Portland Oregon, with a Master of Divinity degree...but
he still had a desire to act. Then in 1988 he became the pastor of a church
in Oregon...but he still had, you know, that acting thing. In 1990 he moved
to Tualatin, Oregon to help start a brand new church, a church that was
committed to using drama as an integral part of worship and outreach. For
the next 12 years Steve served as the Director of Drama at South Hills
Community Church where he directed, produced, wrote and yes, finally, even
acted in dramas every Sunday. (God does work in mysterious ways!) In 2002 he
joined Master's Image Productions, writing and producing three one-man shows
that he is currently touring the country performing...as an actor!
With over 30 years of experience in the dramatic arts, Steve has performed
in film, television, video, radio and theater. Along the way he has managed
also to become a published author, screenplay writer and a producer of
corporate videos. He enjoys running and hiking mountains and is the proud
father of his daughter Melissa, and his son, Jameson.
Drama Now! Seminars with Chuck Neighbors--Ten Cities in 2005!
Find out more at http://www.dramanow.info

6. BIG MEDIA EVENT SET FOR AUSTRALIA
The National Christian Media Workers Conference, August 25-27, 2005, in
Sydney, Australia is a landmark event for Christians working in journalism,
radio, television, print and films. It will be addressed by Deputy Prime
Minister John Anderson and Labor's Foreign Affairs Spokesman Kevin Rudd.
Also featured will be the Archbishop of Sydney Peter Jensen, Sky TV's Leigh
Hatcher and ABC Presenters Russell Powell and Kel Richards.

Overseas guest presenters will include: David Aikman (22 years at Time
Magazine and Author of Jesus in Beijing); Julia Duin, Religion Writer for
the Washington Times; BBC Veteran Julia Bicknall; and Steven David, a senior
political writer from India Today.

Event Director Dominic Steele writes ICW: We need your help to locate EVERY
Christian media worker in Australia to let them know about the conference
and invite them to the most important gathering of Christian Media workers
this decade.

Details and registration are available through the website:
(http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=4qstphbab.0.b4d9vhbab.yzqma9n6.109&p=http%3A%2F%2Fw
ww.christiansinthemedia.org%2Fconference).

7. MAGAZINE TRAINING INSTITUTE MARCHES ON
Magazine publishers gathered in Seoul, Korea (April 24-29) for a Business
of Magazine Publishing course presented by MTI. "A business strategy
provides daily focus, direction, and a roadmap for your publication,"
trainers told participants.

Some 40 participants from 24 publishers in Korea, Philippines, Malaysia,
Indonesia, Japan, and Singapore learned how refining their publications
purpose, vision, values, and goals lays the foundation for a coherent and
reliable business strategy.

In a packed five-and-a-half days, trainers used a PowerPoint presentation
accompanied by an 85-page manual to set a fast pace for a course covering
every aspect of magazine business and management, from personnel to
research, to finances, to circulation, distribution, and production.
Two trainers with a combined 50 years in the magazine publishing business
kept the momentum going with anecdotes and examples from their experience in
working with a wide variety of magazines.
John Styll, founding editor of CCM, a contemporary Christian music magazine,
has also served as publisher of Youthworker Journal, Worship Leader, The CCM
Update, Aspire, American Gospel, and Life@Work Journal. He is currently
president of the Gospel Music Association. He taught an MTI business course
in Bulgaria in 2002.

Tim Gilmour, vice-president of Group Publishing, Inc., is publisher of Group
Magazine, Children's Ministry Magazine, and Rev Magazine. During his 25
years in the magazine business he has launched eight titles and played key
business roles for 18 different publications.

In evaluations completed at the end of the course participants gave high
marks to the trainers, who they described as professional, knowledgeable,
passionate, and approachable. They also praised the hands-on practical
assignments, which gave them an opportunity to think through how to apply
the principles they were learning. A final group assignment that comprised
nearly the entire last day was described as especially valuable.
The Magazine Training Institute has been active in Eastern Europe since
1989 and Asia since 2000, offering some 50 conferences, courses, and
seminars throughout the region. A conference for publishers of magazines for
children and youth and teachers of children and youth is planned for Oct.
30-Nov. 4, 2005, in Croatia. It will be followed by a one-day Comics Seminar
on Nov. 5, and a course on Design for Magazines, Nov. 6-11, 2005.

Until next month, keep writing,

Stanley Baldwin, Director

For more information or questions contact us by email.

Copyright © International Christian Writers. All rights reserved.