Welcome to The Verb!

Brrrrrrrr, we be cold around here. Good time for warm cozy nights at home, watching movies and eating hot soups. It's also a good time to curl up with a steamy cup of Chai and share a few tips, make a few announcements and answer a few questions.

I was a finalist in one of your contests, but I'm not listed on the results page anymore. Where will I find that? Sorry, the Previous Contest Results page is updated every three months. When the results are removed, they are gone for good. Excluding the winner, of course. To capture this page at any time and save it as a file, go here for instructions.

What rights do I surrender if I enter your writing contest? Excellent question. You will find the rights at the bottom of our Contest page. If you still have questions after reading them, don't hesitate to ask. And by the way, this applies to all writing contests out there. If you can't find the rights, or don't understand the guidelines, write to the hosts to request clarification. Never enter your precious work in a contest without knowing what you may be giving away.

Are you professionally connected with any literary agencies? No. Although we know many fine agents, we don't work with, or for, any of them. We're here to help get your manuscript ready for submission. And when the time comes, we'll gladly point you to resources that list reputable literary agents. But we don't make recommendations. That is for you to decide.

I hate to bother you, but I haven't received my Opinion or Proofread. Did I miss it somehow? Please, bother us. Eight years we've been in business, and we've never missed a deadline. So if you haven't received our service when it's due (the date is posted on your reservation), something is terribly wrong in the cyber world! First, check your junk file. Our subject lines will always contain the words "OPINION" or "PROOFREAD," so they're pretty easy to spot. If yours isn't there, send me a "Hey, Elizabetherino, me no receive no feedback." I will immediately re-send. 

I thought I saw on your site once that you reviewed websites. Do you still do that? We used to offer proofreads and marketing tips for websites, yes. But we've moved away from that service to concentrate more on manuscripts. Google "website reviews," and you should find several places that will do it. Some even for free!

Do you accept articles and/or photos? At this time, we only accept Chalkboard submissions. Which leads me to... the Chalkboard. Yes, we are accepting submissions again. As you know, we publish a mere twelve issues a year. As you may not know, the Chalkboard competition is stiff. So if you have a lovely piece of prose you'd like to submit for consideration, please do so as soon as possible. Guidelines.

I am going out of my mind. Do you know how to get rid of a Trojan virus? Although we aren't a computer business, we do receive many computer questions. And this one, by far, is the most frequent. (Oh, to get my hands on the social misfits who create these bothersome things!) When you're suddenly slammed with pop-ups all over your screen, the first thing to remember is don't click anything! That's exactly what they want you to do. Instead reboot your computer. When it's back on, you'll have to work fast. The pop-ups won't appear immediately, but they will appear. As soon as you can, click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore. Your computer will take it from there, returning to a happier time (you choose the date) before the virus invaded. And it won't affect your saved personal files. Read more about System Restore.

Will you please update my subscription address for The Verb? I don't want to miss an issue. We can do that. But you can do it even faster by typing your old email address into the box at your right. Click unsubscribe and submit. Then type your new email address, click subscribe and submit. You are done!

Finally, I have a new bl... bl... blog! It's a story blog, with a new scene added twice a week. Every Sunday and Wednesday. Hope you'll stop by for a read. And thanks again to my son for the lovely artwork. 

Happy, Happy New Year!

Elizabeth Guy      
 Editor     
  

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This issue 
was published 
under the musical 
influence of...



Hall & Oates
Live at the Apollo