Monthly Archives: October 2013

Why Would Anyone Read My Writing?

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Why Would Anyone Read My Writing?

By Rory C. Keel

 

Why would anyone read my writing? This is a question beginning writers often ask themselves. It’s a normal question to ask. You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve asked it of myself.

How do I deal with it? I learned not to make it personal. Many experienced writers ask the same question when they find themselves struggling to put something on the page.

The simple answer is that people want to read your writing because it’s entertaining, interesting, funny or emotional. These are the same reasons people read anything written by any author. The characteristics that make other authors worth reading are the things that will make your writing worth reading.

Don’t take it so personal

Most readers don’t determine what books they read by the personality of the author who wrote it. Many times the attributes of authors aren’t known until they reach some measure of fame. A person reads what they are interested in based on the content and writing, and then the reader may choose to learn about the personal traits of the author he or she likes. This shows that the writing is important.

Improve your writing

If your work isn’t interesting, entertaining, funny or emotional people probably won’t read it. Nothing personal about you as a human being, just improve your writing. To do this study the craft of writing, seek help from a critique group or a writing association.

As your writing improves, so will the number of readers.

Roryckeel.com

The Good and The Bad: Writing Groups

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The Good and The Bad: Writing Groups

Are you a member of a writing group or organization?

Last week I blogged about the 25,000 member Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and about a regional meeting I attended.  Certainly, the time and money to join an organization can be a major investment. There are good points and some not so good when you sign up.

The Options

There are many, many groups where all are welcome to specific genres only, online or in a town near you. Some organizations are new, and some have been around for decades. Membership fees range from affordable to hundreds of dollars. The meetings can give you a place where you might share your work with a living, breathing human in structured critique sessions, or maybe you’re learning story craft and networking every month.

Some groups utilize local talent, and this is good because you can rub elbows with the multi-published writers in your own area. Other groups have the budgets to host conferences featuring successful agents, editors and award winning authors as speakers. Find a roomie to split expense, and go. Learning about your craft is always good. I know several writers who find inspiration in online groups where members may live all over the world and will never meet face-to-face.

The Good

Networking and gaining knowledge in your chosen profession is nothing new in the corporate world. Writers however tend to disappear into the artistic expression of their fictional worlds and overlook that there’s a whole industry involved in the process. I’ll never forget the first writers’ conference I attended in Amarillo ten years ago. Overwhelming seems hardly the right word to sufficiently describe the range of emotions I experienced that weekend. I was blown away as I listened to a real, live New York City editor share insight on the industry. I realized she loved a good story as much as I did. Other speakers included a California agent, a major magazine editor, several publishers, an award winning poet, and a New York Times bestselling author–all in one weekend.

That conference changed my writing life. I discovered that crafting stories is big business and these people do not take their job lightly. This is serious work.  The most significant thing I realized is that there are many opportunities for submissions, and I learned this from talking to other writers. I was amazed at the variety of venues in which people have their work published. There’s nothing more inspiring than someone telling you about how they worked hard to realize their dreams.

The Bad

Joining a group includes participating, and what I’ve found out by participating is that it can zap your creativity and time. I’ve served on boards, volunteered to chair committees, organized events, and judged writing contests. All of which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. And I’ve met some wonderful people who have since become dear friends. I also met my amazing critique partners, WordsmithSix, through our local writer’s organization.

Beware:  the group you’ve spent the most time building can take an ugly turn. People are people. Personalities, varying leadership visions, conflict, and jealousies take their toll on the inner workings of successful organizations. It’s a horrible, festering disease that drives members apart and turns meetings into a stressful experience. It’s frustrating. At the point you feel that you’re being sucked into the drama, it might be time to break away.

If a similar experience has happened to you, the time may come to change directions, break ties, and find inspiration in another direction. It’s as simple as that. Do not waste creative energy worrying about people that drive you crazy, and I say this as a warning. Don’t give up on being a part of a writing organization either. There are many wonderful groups out there.

I don’t know about you, but I need people around me who energize me, inspire me to produce the best, and are genuine cheerleaders. I want to hang with writers who are obsessed with words and story as much as I am. I must have a network of professionals.

You can’t loose sight of the big picture, and you need positive friends who are also writers to remind you of that fact. The big picture is this: YOU have a novel to finish. YOU have sparks of stories in your head just waiting to be written. YOU will persevere.

Leave the drama behind. Polish, polish, polish—be brave—submit!

Happy writing!

www.nataliebright.com

 

Cowboys and Family

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A Pinch of Rodeo

                                                           By Joe R. Nichols

 

Cowboys and Family

In a chapter I recently finished for my novel, Trails End, I wrote about my main characters borrowing a car from two cowboys they had only met the day before.

I remember one time when my pick-up broke down at a rodeo, and a friend gave me his truck to get home to my folks house. My Uncle couldn’t believe that someone would do that. “He must be a really good friend to loan you his vehicle,” he commented. I thought that was such a strange thing to say. We swapped cars, rides, equipment, and quite a bit of money. If you were winning, you carried the guys that weren’t. When they were able, they paid you back, and when you were broke, they gladly paid your fees or bought your share of the gas. That’s how we stayed on the rodeo trail. You didn’t go home, you stayed after it till you started winning again. The rodeo family is tight and will take care of their own.

My Mom and Dad came to visit this past Thursday through Monday. They live eight hours away by car, and we don’t get back home near enough to see them as much as we would like. They flew in to Amarillo and it was so good to have them at our house. We didn’t plan any big activities, we simply enjoyed the company and conversation. They also got to spend time with their Grandson and his family, including the one-month-old Great Grand Daughter and two older sisters.

Whether it’s blood relatives or cowboys on the rodeo road, good family is the best support system a person can have.

Thanks Mom and Dad for making the trip. It meant a lot to Dianne and I, and we enjoyed every minute.

The Television Set

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POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

The Television Set

By Nandy Ekle

Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. 

–Anton Chechov

 

Betsy walked across the yard. When she came to the steps she went up and knocked on the door. After a couple of minutes, she turned the knob carefully.

OR

The silver disk of the moon hung in the dark sky giving off just enough light for Betsy to see the grass as she crossed the yard. Her foot ached after the fight with Ted, but she couldn’t take the chance of being caught if she stopped to rest. The toe of her good foot suddenly hit the first step toward the front door. Sucking in a silent breath she hobbled up onto the porch. The light from the moon played the old illusion game by making the front door suddenly appear fifty feet tall. She swallowed, raised her fist, rapped, then put her ear to the door listening for the sounds of someone coming to her rescue. After what felt like an hour, which was actually only two minutes, she put her hand on the door knob. The cuts on her fingers from knife burned as if rubbing alcohol had been poured directly on them. Slowly, her fingers closed around the knob and gently twisted.

Well, I did use a few adverbs. But I think the exercise was a good one. Which paragraph gave you the clearest picture?  Now, go try this.

POSTCARDS

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POSTCARDS
by Sharon Stevens

This week I came across a postcard from Colorado that a dear friend and neighbor sent me a couple of years ago. We were watching their home for them while they were gone on vacation. They knew our neighborhood had been having a skunk problem, so the postcard they sent us had the cutest baby skunks on the front. The note they wrote on the back was personal and timely about the fun they were having and the sights they were seeing. The title on the card was, “It stinks when you’re not here…”

Our Buffalo Bookstore will be hosting a book signing for Tim Lewis and his book, “Forever Friday” at WTAMU Homecoming on Saturday October 5, 2013 from 9-12:am. Lewis’ wonderful story celebrates the life and love of a Gabe and Puck, and connects with postcards in a unique way.

You wouldn’t believe the number of tourists from around the world that come through asking for postcards with a little piece of Texas. We have teachers following with students, grandparents with “Flat Stanley’s”, business people sending cards home, and those with loved ones in the military for a reminder of all they treasure on the home front. Even though the premise of these cards has not changed in over a hundred years, the picture postcards are not dead by any means.

As writers we have to write so many things. Along with the body of our story there are also dedication pages, acknowledgments, blurbs, reviews, and also those we write for others. Tough gigs all across the board. But what if we had to write our entire life in the tiny space allowed on one side, and the address of our friend or beloved family on the other. How can we ever focus so simply? What words will fit or what will you discard? How many thoughts are empty? What will your heart share when it is full?

Today when I picked up this particular postcard from two years ago, I was instantly transported back to the skunk problem and the smell that accompanied it. I remembered a dear friend that shared this particular memory and how we laughed together when they returned home. It may only have been a cheap card, but to me it meant the world stretching across the miles.

So please take a moment and think of what you will write in a couple of sentences on your own postcard. Use it not only as a writing exercise, but as a reminder of why we love what we do.

Tim Lewis’ book signing will be a simple affair as we are a simple book store. His book is not gang buster’s and violence. You won’t find horror or blood within the pages. What you will find is a great love story, but not a sugar sweet concoction either. Gabe and Puck are real, as well as Adam Colby. They live in a reality of life with trials as well as treasures stretching across the war years to a time right here and now. I loved Tim’s story and connected to it in so many ways. There is also some nursing home shenanigans I chuckled with that I remembered when I was a young nurses aid at our local home. Watch the trailers for the book and listen to the music as this is a song that Tim wrote and performed for his wife Dinah.

We welcome everyone to stop by and visit with Tim about his book and celebrate the legacy of a postcard and a love that withstands the “long division”. The WTAMU Homecoming parade is always stupendous and we have great viewing in front of our business. We will be having cookies and lemonade, and Tim even shared “Gabe’s” favorite chocolate cake recipe. We hope that “Puck” will be proud and that it tastes as good as what they remember.

And let this be a reminder to never forget of the love you truly share with a simple memory, even on something as the words on a postcard.

And on another sweet note…Natalie Bright just returned from a book signing at the West Texas Book Festival in Abilene. Her story, “A Cowboy’s Christmas Blessing” was included in the anthology “West Texas Christmas Stories”. According to Natalie’s web site, “this is a collection of heart-warming and humorous Christmas stories all set in West Texas by West Texas writers.”

Wonderful story and what a way to share a simple gift of the holidays.

Natalie is a good friend and fellow blogger at Wordsmithsix. She is also one of our founders of the Jodi Thomas Fan Club now celebrating 10 years. Natalie took her first writing class from Jodi and has been writing ever since. Her book, “Oil People” has been published. Also “Gone Never Forgotten’ is on e-books and soon will be in print. She has several more in the works. Natalie has been a guest speaker around the country on writing and feels it is so important to donate her books in school and public libraries everywhere she speaks.

And on a final note I want to take a moment for reflection on the passing of Tom Clancy. Here at our Buffalo Bookstore Clancy is one of those authors whose books are ones traded most often. They never go out of style, and his unique genre is the most popular through the cycles of readers. He will be missed, but he will always be remembered as long as books exist on this earth. And I think that will be for eternity. New readers are being born every day.

Who Am I?

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Outtakes 115

 

Who Am I?

By Cait Collins

Have you ever been asked to take one of those personality tests? The ones that attempt to determine your traits as they relate to your job? Don’t feel slighted if you’ve missed this opportunity. There are not many surprises. The tests present some seemly innocent questions such as “If you had an hour with no commitments, how would you spend the time?  A) Read War and Peace  B) Spend the time contemplating the veins in a flower petal  C) Work on a craft project D) Dance  or E) Organize your computer files.” Once you have answered all the questions, you total your points based on the number of A answers, B responses, and so on. You don’t get the key until you’ve totaled the responses. In my high stress job, I usually learned I was dominate/analytical. Translated – – boring. But if I took the same test as a Disney cast member, I scored free thinking/creative.

Was the test flawed? Absolutely not. Each of us have different personalities for different situations. As an office manager I had to take charge, set deadlines, study the issues, crunch the numbers and make the best decisions based on the information at hand. At the Disney store, my instructions were to exceed the guests’ expectations and to have fun. I had a blast at Disney because I was permitted to use my creative side. I could be a kid, a princess, or a villain. It all depended on the guest. With the children I could be silly, but when a serious collector came in, I changed the personality to speak the collector’s language. I loved both jobs. The requirements were performed by one person with two distinct personalities.

All of us have multiple personalities. We are different people depending on circumstances. Accepting our varied personas doesn’t mean we have mental issues. Instead it makes us more balanced and real. Have you ever met a one dimensional person? Someone who displays only one personality? While they are basically good people, they are not always comfortable to be around.

As writers we know our characters are complex. They change with their surroundings. This is good. By permitting them to be themselves we have real persons and not cardboard characters. Listen to your characters. They will guide you in telling the story. How will you know if you are allowing the players to run amuck? Don’t worry. If you are truly listening, the characters will tell you. ,

For Example – That is

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For Example

By Rory C. Keel

To keep you from being confused, here are some abbreviations and their usages.

e.g.

This is an abbreviation for Latin words meaning “For example.”

It is usually followed by a comma and should not be confused with “i.e.”

Example: “The magazine article covered many topics, e.g., getting started, completing the work and submitting the piece to editors.”

i.e.

This is an abbreviation for the Latin words meaning “that is.”

Most often followed by a comma and is not to be confused with “e.g.”

Example: “At that hour, Mr. Jones was usually indisposed i.e., taking his afternoon nap.”

I hope this helps.

 

Roryckeel.com

SCBWI

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SCBWI

By Natalie Bright

Do you know about this group?  If you aspire to write for children, this group is a MUST.

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is an international professional organization with over 70 regions throughout the world. Closest to my area, I try to attend at least one regional conference every year.

One Day of Inspiration

The recent North Texas conference in September proved to be an inspirational day with creative writers. The tools shared for story craft were exceptional, and the presentations were well worth my time and travel expense. The main reason I made the trip to Dallas several weeks ago was to hear the founder of SCBWI.

Lin Oliver organized the very first children’s writers conference along with co-worker Steve Mooser, in 1972. Before that, there wasn’t any resources for writers who wanted to craft stories for children. Lin knows this because she tried to find one. A managing board was formed from the faculty who provided how-to talks on craft to about fifty people. Lin mentioned that her own mother made the potato salad for that first gathering. Today SCBWI has grown to 25,000 members representing regions all over the world. From an organization with beginnings in volunteerism, friendship and a great love for children’s literature, SCBWI has become a powerful force in the field.

WHY?

Participating in an organization is important for your writing career. Not only can you stay updated on market trends, story craft techniques, and the publishing bizz in general, you can talk to other writers. There’s nothing more inspiring than lunch with 100+ children’s authors. The creative energy is electrifying, and you’ll come home armed with confidence and with renewed energy to keep writing.

For more information go to scbwi.org.

 

 

The Good Ideas

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POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

The Good Ideas

By Nandy Ekle

Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don’t see any. 

— Orson Scott Card

 

So where are these thousands of ideas? Everything in your world is the same as it’s always been. The kids fight. The office is business as usual. Dinner must be cooked, kids must be bathed and you finally crawl into bed. Then it starts all over tomorrow.

So where are these thousands of ideas? Everything in your world is the same. Why are the kids fighting? One kid wants his turn on the game console. The solution in the past has always been to give each one a time limit by setting a timer. When the timer dings, he must pass the controller to the next child in line. Only, when the timer goes off, he’s in the middle of a puzzle and nowhere near a saving point. It would be a horrible injustice to force the boy to give up the controller and lose it all. But it’s also not fair to the girl who’s been waiting her turn patiently. So the rule is made that the player must save as soon as possible (within the next three minutes) or allow his character to die. From your place in the other room you suddenly hear the waiting child blurts out, “Will you just die already!”

Story idea?

At the office, business as usual. You boot up your computer and read your email. Pushing the “get work” button, you read a request from a client for a detailed history of every payment ever made. But you’ve been trained and written several of these letters in the past. No problem. You open the other program and realize the client has more than ten payments, each with six different steps to report.

Story idea?

After a day of writing challenging letters, you walk in the door and greet the four other people living in your house–and they all have a starved look deep in their eyes. Oh no! You forgot to thaw something for dinner. Opening the fridge you find a bit of soup, a bag of salad, one and a half carton of eggs, and a couple of bowls of undetermined something.

Story idea?

The kids must be bathed. Yes, they are old enough to bathe themselves, but they must also be coerced to do it. You manage to pull the two wrestling children apart and march them to the bathroom. As you start the water running, the younger one says, “Guess what my brother told me about where babies come from.”

Story idea?

You finally crawl into bed. Exhaustion has crept all through your body and brain. Laying on your back with your head on your pillow, your eyes refuse to close. You have characters running through your head accusing you of all kinds of negligence toward them and their stories. You beg their forgiveness, you’re just too tired to think anymore. But your eyes still don’t close.

Story idea?

Mr. Card was right. There are thousands of story ideas every day. Just change your perspective.

Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.

POSTCARDS

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POSTCARDS
by Sharon Stevens

This week I came across a postcard from Colorado that a dear friend and neighbor sent me a couple of years ago. We were watching their home for them while they were gone on vacation. They knew our neighborhood had been having a skunk problem, so the postcard they sent us had the cutest baby skunks on the front. The note they wrote on the back was personal and timely about the fun they were having and the sights they were seeing. The title on the card was, “It stinks when you’re not here…”

Our Buffalo Bookstore will be hosting a book signing for Tim Lewis and his book, “Forever Friday” at WTAMU Homecoming on Saturday October 5, 2013 from 9-12:am. Lewis’ wonderful story celebrates the life and love of a Gabe and Puck, and connects with postcards in a unique way.

You wouldn’t believe the number of tourists from around the world that come through asking for postcards with a little piece of Texas. We have teachers following with students, grandparents with “Flat Stanley’s”, business people sending cards home, and those with loved ones in the military for a reminder of all they treasure on the home front. Even though the premise of these cards has not changed in over a hundred years, the picture postcards are not dead by any means.

As writers we have to write so many things. Along with the body of our story there are also dedication pages, acknowledgments, blurbs, reviews, and also those we write for others. Tough gigs all across the board. But what if we had to write our entire life in the tiny space allowed on one side, and the address of our friend or beloved family on the other. How can we ever focus so simply? What words will fit or what will you discard? How many thoughts are empty? What will your heart share when it is full?

Today when I picked up this particular postcard from two years ago, I was instantly transported back to the skunk problem and the smell that accompanied it. I remembered a dear friend that shared this particular memory and how we laughed together when they returned home. It may only have been a cheap card, but to me it meant the world stretching across the miles.

So please take a moment and think of what you will write in a couple of sentences on your own postcard. Use it not only as a writing exercise, but as a reminder of why we love what we do.

Tim Lewis’ book signing will be a simple affair as we are a simple book store. His book is not gang buster’s and violence. You won’t find horror or blood within the pages. What you will find is a great love story, but not a sugar sweet concoction either. Gabe and Puck are real, as well as Adam Colby. They live in a reality of life with trials as well as treasures stretching across the war years to a time right here and now. I loved Tim’s story and connected to it in so many ways. There is also some nursing home shenanigans I chuckled with that I remembered when I was a young nurses aid at our local home. Watch the trailers for the book and listen to the music as this is a song that Tim wrote and performed for his wife Dinah.

We welcome everyone to stop by and visit with Tim about his book and celebrate the legacy of a postcard and a love that withstands the “long division”. The WTAMU Homecoming parade is always stupendous and we have great viewing in front of our business. We will be having cookies and lemonade, and Tim even shared “Gabe’s” favorite chocolate cake recipe. We hope that “Puck” will be proud and that it tastes as good as what they remember.

And let this be a reminder to never forget of the love you truly share with a simple memory, even on something as the words on a postcard.

And on another sweet note…Natalie Bright just returned from a book signing at the West Texas Book Festival in Abilene. Her story, “A Cowboy’s Christmas Blessing” was included in the anthology “West Texas Christmas Stories”. According to Natalie’s web site, “this is a collection of heart-warming and humorous Christmas stories all set in West Texas by West Texas writers.”

Wonderful story and what a way to share a simple gift of the holidays.

Natalie is a good friend and fellow blogger at Wordsmithsix. She is also one of our founders of the Jodi Thomas Fan Club now celebrating 10 years. Natalie took her first writing class from Jodi and has been writing ever since. Her book, “Oil People” has been published. Also “Gone Never Forgotten’ is on e-books and soon will be in print. She has several more in the works. Natalie has been a guest speaker around the country on writing and feels it is so important to donate her books in school and public libraries everywhere she speaks.

And on a final note I want to take a moment for reflection on the passing of Tom Clancy. Here at our Buffalo Bookstore Clancy is one of those authors whose books are ones traded most often. They never go out of style, and his unique genre is the most popular through the cycles of readers. He will be missed, but he will always be remembered as long as books exist on this earth. And I think that will be for eternity. New readers are being born every day.