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Yesterday’s Magazette Marks 36th year!

April 1, 2009 marks the 36th year of the founding of my first magazine, Yesterday’s Magazette.

Many “experts” said Yesterday’s Magazette would never last. They said a magazine devoted to the preservation of individual memories was a bad idea. They said a lot of things 36 years ago.

Founded on April 1 1973 as “The Original Magazine of Memories,” YM was no April fool’s joke. It pioneered the concept of sharing memories. First as a tabloid paper and then as a glossy magazine. Now YM is back as an E-zine in the exciting world of the Internet. So return with us to yesterday, when time moved slowly and life seemed much simpler and safer than today. Perhaps it wasn’t. But our memories still cling to those days of long ago.

And remember: This is YOUR E-zine! So feel free to share your memories with the world.

Thank you.

E. P. Ned Burke (YM editor/founder)

View and be inspired!

Happy Birthday, Mr. Poe

Two hundred years ago, on January 19, 1809, a son was born to two itinerant actors. He was orphaned at the age of three and later taken in by John Allan and his wife who enrolled him in an academy run by William Burke.

His troubles escalated when he was forced to leave the University of Virginia due to drinking and gambling, even though he was one of the school’s top students. This disappointment was followed by another when he learned his sweetheart, Elmira Royster, had become engaged to another man. He continued his drinking until his stepfather cut off his funding.

In 1827, he published “Tamerlane and Other Poems” at his own expense. Few copies sold and today it is considered one of the rarest volumes in literary history. That same year, he entered the Army under an assumed name and was sent to Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina that he later used as the setting for his story, “The Gold Bug.” He was dishonorably discharged due to drinking and gambling. Then he pleaded with his stepfather for money to enter West Point. His stepfather gave in but in 1830, after only one year of attendance, he was court-marshaled and discharged.

It was the last straw for his stepfather who said he never wanted to see him again.

Three fruitless years later, his short story (MS Found In A Bottle) was published and he began to make a meager living as a staff member of Southern Literary Messenger and other small publications.

At this time, he fell in love and soon married his thirteen-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm, Her youthful devotion was enough to quiet his tormented soul for a short period. But after Virginia burst a blood vessel and became an invalid, he again became deeply depressed.

On April 6, 1844, he moved to New York with his ailing young wife and landed a job with The New York Mirror. The following year his poem, The Raven, received national recognition. But his joy was short-lived once more. His young wife succumbed to tuberculosis and died in 1847. Again, he fell apart and stayed in a drug stupor for almost a year.

Plagued by severe headaches, deep depression, and frequent attempts at suicide, he somehow managed to write brilliantly. In 1849, he penned his most moving poem about Virginia, “Annabel Lee.” That same year, he also published “Eldorado” in which a “gallant knight” seeks his Eldorado but never finds it.

In August of 1849, the former Elmira Royster, now widowed, rekindled her love for him. Once again, a thread of hope dangled before him. A wedding was planned for October. At last, it seemed he would find true happiness.

But on the third of October, on his way to Richmond to see Elmira, .he got off the train in Baltimore. Nobody knows why, but later he was found facedown in front of a saloon, drunk and severely beaten. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but it proved too late. After four days of torment and suffering, he cried out his last words: “Lord, help my poor soul!”

He died without a single soul around to grieve his passing.

On October 9, 1849, his body was lowered into the damp cold earth and covered with dirt, a scene he had written so many times in chilly detail.

To this day, nobody can be certain if Edgar Allan Poe even found peace in eternity.

Happy New Year!

*It’s that time of year again. And in appreciation I am giving away three e-books for FREE! (See above) Happy Holidays!

Don’t Miss The Winter 2008-2009 Issue of Yesterday’s Magazette.

FREE. Available at: www.yesterdaysmagazette.wordpress.com

AND … Hot Off The Press … the new issue of TPW Magazine

FREE. Available here: www.theperspiringwriter.wordpress.com

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Welcome to my world.

Kick your shoes off, get a cup of java or whatever, and join me.

Since I’m a writer, much of this site will be devoted to writing.

But as I am also a member of the unpredictable Homo sapiens breed on this crazy revolving planet that we all call home, I may digress from time to time. So please bear with me.

So let’s light this candle!

Is There An Easy Way To Write a Novel?

My latest novel has been lounging on my computer for months. I have a thousand excuses for not finishing it: too busy with other endeavors, writer’s block, my lead character won’t budge, my cat needs food. Oh, yes, I have a ton of legitimate reasons for not finishing my third novel in my Amos Grant mystery series. I feel angry with myself. But then again, I don’t want my cat to starve. A dead cat in the house is bad for one’s muse.

So I feed the cat and start to thumb through The Easy Way To Write A Novel by Rob Parnell. It’s an e-book that caught my attention. (I like e-books because they are cheap and fast, much like some of the girls from my old neighborhood.) But Parnell’s book is more satisfying.

“If you are reasonably well educated, or even if not, everything you need to write an enduring novel-length piece of fiction is inside you. You already possess the talent and the necessary skills. All you have to do is access them.”

This is how Rob Parnell, founder of Easy Way To Write, begins his 179-page informative e-book you can find at Ebooks On Writing. Using psychology and motivational advice, Parnell walks you through his unique process. More Zen monk than strict writing teacher, he spends a good part of his book teaching you meditation and visualization techniques.

Some may find his holistic approach a bit strange. But treating the whole person, taking into account one’s mental and social factors as well as the physical act of writing, caught my attention. It differed from the hundreds of other writing books I have sitting on my bookshelves. It sparked my muse into a new way of writing novels. If I had read Parnell’s e-book before I struggled through my own six novels, I believe the entire process would have been less painful.

What Rob Parnell does is prepare you to write before he shows you how to write your novel in 30 days. (Maybe he should have named his book “The FAST Way To Write a Novel.”) In any case, I was intrigued by his system. I, especially, enjoyed his putting to rest some of the myths about writing a novel.

For instance, he points out that all art (writing included) is subjective. “There is absolutely no reason to believe that what you create is less a work of art than anything else,” he writes. “If you believe your book to be a work of art, then that’s exactly what it is. Period.”

You must have an “original idea” is another phrase you hear a lot about. But Parnell points out that what these know-it-alls really mean is that you should write something “significantly different.” There is no such thing as an original idea. I found this out when in 1973 I came out with my “original” magazine of memories, Yesterday’s Magazette. Unbeknownst to me, others were heaving this same “original” idea around the same exact time. But I still say I came out with it first.

Here’s another example: In 1970, I coined the “original” saying of “always expect the unexpected.” But the funny thing is that since that time I must have heard my same “original” expression repeated a million times or more. One more original idea I thought I had back in the late 70s was to write a column of “Oddball News” items, which I did for a few years. Now I see there is a very similar column called News Of The Weird which is now syndicated in hundreds of newspapers.

So believe me and Rob Parnell when we say “don’t waste your time” agonizing and trying to come up with some original idea for your book. Don’t even try. Just put a twist on an old idea.

Parnell recommends writing fast. “If you try to use your conscious logical side of your mind to write, you’ll take forever,” he states. “Let your fingers write or type automatically.” In other words, he advises, use your subconscious to write that great novel.

As much as I enjoyed the mindset and motivational techniques in the first half of Parnell’s book, I have to admit that Part Two about his “30 Day Formula” for writing a novel was equally entertaining and informative. Right off, he tells you that you need CHARACTERS before anything else. He says without interesting characters, there is simply no story.

He guides you through each day. He even designs a ten step plot template and explains how setting should best be viewed as another character to define. He then  goes on to list the ten fundamental mistakes that writers should avoid. Lastly, like a good coach, he is there to nudge and push you along and to motivate you. “You’re always closer to success than you think!”

I admit Rob Parnell’s e-book, The Easy Way to Write a Novel, got my motor running. In fact, I’ve decided to spend the rest  of the day working on my novel.  After all, it is National Novel Month. What better time to finish a novel. I feel really pumped! My mind is racing with ideas. My fingers are a twitter. I’m smokin’!

But first … I need to feed the cat.

*You can view some interesting novels by clicking here.

Check Out The Burke Film Library

See more films at the new www.BurkeFilmLibrary.wordpress.com

Make A Writing Plan

Before you lock yourself in your room to write that best-selling book or whatever, you should honestly ask yourself what you want to accomplish. If all you want to do is pen a few poems or write some lines of prose for your own amusement, then go now with my blessing and enjoy. But, if you want your talent to be recognized and rewarded and long lasting then you will need a “plan” of some sort before you start.

Because writing is not an exact science, there are no rules you must obey. What follows are only “suggestions” that I have found useful over the years.

Making up your mind
The first thing you should do is to commit yourself to writing. This means believing in your talent enough to visualize your success before it actually happens. On a Seinfeld television episode a few years back, Kramer planned going on a long trip. His friends doubted him, but Kramer pointed to his head and told Jerry, “Up here, baby, I’m already gone!” Of course, the line got laughs because Kramer was a real “gone” character. But the point it makes is that once your mind tells you something is true then your body will follow. So, commit yourself to your dream of becoming a successful writer–see it happening!–and before you know it success will be yours. They say faith can move mountains. Let your faith in your own ability bring mountains of personal and financial rewards to your doorstep.

Communicating your intentions
After you resolve that you are serious about your writing, you must relate that same seriousness to your family and friends. I realize that writers who are married to non-writers find this difficult. But you must try to make your loved ones know how committed you are. In the movie, “Cool Hand Luke,” Paul Newman as Luke is dragged back in chains after he tries to escape from a backwoods southern prison. The warden, apparently believing that Luke didn’t fully understand the consequences of his act, calls all the inmates together and tries to get poor Luke’s “head straight” by saying, “What we have here is a failure to communicate.” So, before you place your spouse or kids in leg irons for disturbing you, make certain you communicate with them from the start. Tell them you need time to write. Set down some rules. Don’t fail to communicate beforehand how serious you are. Then, if these rules are broken by anyone, feel free to bring out the shackles.

Staking out your space
After you have made your commitment and communicated your intentions to your loved ones and friends, you need to locate a suitable space where you can write without interruption. The ideal solution, of course, is to have an “office”–a separate room in your home or apartment reserved exclusively for writing. It took me almost 35 years to get to this point. And I relish it. But, for decades, I wrote wherever I could find a quiet spot. For instance, my first so-called office was in the basement. It consisted of an old workbench next to the coal furnace. Later, I set up my trusty Royal typewriter in the attic. Like Stephen King, you may find your niche beneath a stairway, or, perhaps, in a second bathroom which Erma Bombeck used to pen some of her best-syndicated columns.

The main thing you have to look for is a space that is relatively quiet and away from possible interruptions. This is why I don’t advocate writing on the kitchen table or in the living room or any room frequented by other family members. You can’t expect them to tiptoe quietly around you while you work.
If you can’t find a quiet place at home, consider this idea: Get a job! By that I mean part-time solitary employment, such as a cashier in an all-night parking garage, a night watchman, or night bridge tender–all jobs I have worked at and used to my advantage. Not only do you put a few dollars in your pocket, but such jobs also offer you hours of quiet solitude and even supply you with free coffee and office space. How can you go wrong?

There are many “mindless jobs” out there that offer the writer a superb place to write. So, if you can’t write at home, get out of the house and write.  For years, I penned my newspaper articles on yellow legal pads in the front seat of my old Buick during my lunch break. Then I’d go back to the office and pound out the story in a matter of minutes, much to the amazement of my colleagues. A friend of mine liked to write in the library where she had access to as many books as she liked. Hemingway and others sketched a lot of their stories in cafes and saloons. So, lack of proper space should not be an excuse not to write.

Finding the time
Experts say the ideal plan is to have a set routine where you write each and every day at the same time. Personally, I find this difficult, especially when writing at home. So, rather than being held accountable to a clock, I prefer to set a goal for myself based on the amount of words I can produce.  For instance, if I can chisel out 500 words a day, I’m satisfied.

The way I look at it is that in three days I have the first draft for a column like this one; in ten days I have enough words for a short story, and in a hundred days I have the makings for a novella or a good chunk of a novel. This way I’m not locked into a timetable that I know I can’t possibly keep day after day. If my muse is in a good mood, I might get out a thousand or more words in one day. When this happens, I head out to the golf course the next day without any guilt.

Of course, each writer is a little different. Decide for yourself what is best for you. But, don’t set unrealistic goals and then give up when those goals aren’t met. Your writing plan–like writing itself–should be enjoyable and within your capabilities.

Getting started
Once you have your space and the time to write, the fun part starts. You stare at that blank sheet of paper or empty computer screen. You adjust your chair. You crack your knuckles. You scratch your head and … nothing!

Okay, don’t panic. Take a deep breath and look around you. What do you see? Now, describe your surroundings as if you were writing to your best friend. Don’t worry about punctuation, grammar–just write! Once you get going, change gears–don’t stop!–go directly into what you wanted to write in the first place. Your mind is like a locomotive. Once it builds up steam, it will roll along swiftly and almost effortlessly. But you have to jog that big engine out of the station first. You will be surprised that, many times, it pays to write before you think.

Sticking with it
The hardest part of writing at home for many writers is the guilt that goes along with it. You tell yourself you should be spending more time with your loved ones. All writers have struggled with this dilemma of how to balance writing time with the needs of family and friends.

Author James Faulkner once missed his son’s birthday party because he needed to write and was told, “I’ll bet Shakespeare didn’t miss his son’s birthday party.” Faulkner shot back, “Who cares about Shakespeare’s kids?”

This disregard for the feelings of others may sound harsh, but the point Faulkner makes is that if you believe you are destined to be a great writer you often have to be selfish. The amount of time you spend writing–alone, away from family, friends, and other worldly distractions–will determine the degree of success you will eventually receive.

And, this “selfish” attitude also means being selfish toward yourself as well. You can’t give into your personal craving to watch television, or go shopping, or play a round of cards with your friends. You have to be as tough with yourself as you are with others. Remember, like most things in life, you have to work at it if you want to succeed. But you should enjoy writing enough to make these small sacrifices. Your journey to success should be a pleasurable one, albeit a difficult one at times.

Finishing the task
There is no greater joy in the writing process than typing “The End” on the last page of your manuscript. It signifies you accomplished what you had set out to do. Like James Caan in the movie “Misery” after he finally finished the novel to Kathy Bates’ liking, it’s time to light up that cigarette and drink a glass of your favorite wine. You’ve earned it

But wait! You still need to re-examine your work one last time before you mail it out. Have you followed the publisher’s writing guidelines? Is your submission free from misspelled words, or typographical and grammatical errors? Is your manuscript typed neatly with adequate margins and enough space between the lines to allow for editing changes? Did you include a SASE with adequate postage for a reply or return of your manuscript? Are you certain you spelled the editor’s name correctly? Have you spelled your own name correctly? Yes, a writer’s lot is not an easy one.

But would any of us change it for another occupation?

I think not.

So, plan today for a rewarding tomorrow.

The Simple Secret To Marketing Success

Be The First Marketeer In Your Niche To Strike It Rich!

Maybe you want to write a best-selling e-book? Or, perhaps, you want to reach a six-figure income before any of your copywriter friends.

It doesn’t matter what marketing niche you have chosen. The answer to your success is the same.

Let me tell you a little story first. It’s about two boyhood friends I’ll call George and Edgar. Now George and Edgar grew up together. They went to the same schools. They both graduated with honors and they both started their careers at the same local ad agency with similar desires to succeed.

Twenty-five years later, George and Edgar went to their high school reunion. George was still working at the same agency, trying hard to make ends meet and keep the bill collectors from his door. Edgar, on the other hand, drove to the reunion in his new Cadillac, right after returning from a three-week vacation to faraway exotic lands with his family.

At the reunion, during a casual conversation, George learned Edgar had published several best-selling e-books and had his own copywriting and online marketing business.

So why did George end up poor and Edgar rich?

They both had the same intelligence, talent, and desire to succeed. They both had opportunities over the years. So what was it that made the huge difference in these two lives?

The answer is K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E!

Edgar had simply acquired more information about his chosen profession and used it to his advantage when opportunity knocked.

So if you don’t want to end up like poor George, you should fill your head with as much information as you can find on your marketing field. And today there is no better way to gain that knowledge easily and quickly than by downloading inexpensive e-books.

The Internet has thousands of e-books for marketeers and on marketing. A Google search will find them for you with a simple click.

And here’s a secret you should know: Many of these e-books come with extra FREE bonus reports. So this is really a great way to gain even more additional knowledge.

Don’t end up like poor George. You can do something right now that will ensure your future success. Remember: Information is king!

Be like Edgar. Learn everything about all aspects of your chosen marketing field. And some day you too will drive up to your high school reunion in your new expensive car. All eyes will be upon your perfect tan, the one you got from that recent vacation to those faraway exotic lands. You’ll be smiling because you had learned the secret to success: K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E!
(E. P. Ned Burke is president of E. P. Burke Publishing and editor of Yesterday’s Magazette and The Perspiring Writer Magazine and owner of E-Books On Writing and Marketing.)