Top Sixteen OWFI 2014

By Natalie Bright

 Oklahoma Writer’s Federation held their annual conference this past weekend in Oklahoma City. This group always offers a diverse slate of speakers representing multiple genres and topics plus agents and editors. For more information www.owfi.org. Hope to see you in 2015!

1. You can pursue regional and niche markets that the big traditional publishers ignore. JERRY SIMMONS, retired, V.P. of sales, Time Warner Book Group.
2. A Fairy Tale Sampler by ELOISA JAMES, free to every OWFI attendee!
3. Authors are damaged people. It’s not normal what we do. DAVID MORRELL, bestselling author, creator of Rambo.
4. We don’t believe in sleep at OWFI. Be sure to attend a buzz session after the banquet. CHIRSTINE JARMOLA, 2014 OWFI President.
5. Become a student of the market place. SIMMONS.
6. Embrace the reasons we are doing this crazy thing. MORRELL.
7. Write blogs to showcase your voice and practice your writing. HEATHER DAVIS, popular MiniVan Momma blogger and author.
8. Writing has to be a real job in your head. CHRISTINE TAYLOR-BUTLER, best-selling children’s author.
9. Every person has a dominate emotion. Probably it’s something that is so painful and so shameful you don’t acknowledge it. Admit it and write it. MORRELL.
10. Schedule your time to write as if it’s a doctor’s appointment or part of your day job. TAYLOR-BUTLER.
11. Don’t blog unless you really want to. If you’re not genuine, people will know. DAVIS.
12. Don’t get your work critiqued until you know clearly what you are writing. Opinions will get you off track. TAYLOR-BUTLER.
13. Keep an idea folder for newspaper or magazine clippings, articles, even junk mail—anything that sparks an idea. DARLEEN BAILEY BEARD.
14. In real life, we do not address one another by our names. Don’t use them in the dialogue of your fiction. MORRELL.
15. If you are serious about writing as a career, you must write two pages per day. No excuses! TAYLOR-BUTLER.
16. The future will include newer, faster forms of delivery, easier forms for payment, and content will become shorter. eBooks aren’t going away. SIMMONS.