Notes from All Write Now Conference: Perfecting Your Pitch with Jill Marr

Sioux reads her winning pitch while Jill Marr listens

For the next few posts I'll share some notes and observations from the All Write Now! Conference last weekend at SEMO in Cape Girardeau, which was an amazing experience by the way.

The first event of the morning was "Perfecting Your Pitch" with literary agent Jill Marr.

During the session, Jill described what she considers to be the makings of a successful elevator pitch.

Jill stated the best elevator pitches can be done in about 60 seconds, so her first word of advice was for writers to keep it short and focused.

For fiction, the focus should be on your project, rather than yourself.

Here are some specific tips on pitches. Pitches should be:

* Concise (be brief)

* Clear (no acronyms or jargon)

* Correct (appropriate audience)

* Compelling (hook to ask for more)

* Conceptual (stick to high level, don’t give too much detail)

* Customize (be ready to improvise)

* Conversational (keep it flowing, not stiff)

Also, be sure to include: character, situation (inciting incident), objective (goal), opponent (antagonist), disaster (climax - blackest moment in time).

* For nonfiction, the focus is more on yourself. Why you are proposing this project? What is your personal story?  

When pitching, know your title and genre. Have two options in your head. Be prepared.

Jill has an issue with pitches starting off with a question; it usually doesn’t always work for her. 

After her talk, about a dozen brave souls volunteered to give their pitches to the entire audience. 

I was not one of those brave souls. Call me chicken, but I'm not one to volunteer to get up in public and read. But I did use what I learned during this session to polish my pitch for later that afternoon.

To encourage the audience to participate, Jill offered as a prize for the winner a ten-page critique.

My observation of those who gave pitches was that the best were concise, focused, and memorable.

The one selected as the winner was Sioux Roslawski’s. (Yay, Sioux!)

Sioux (pictured above) visited our critique group and shared her pitch last Tuesday, so I had a hint at what she was going to say.

When Sioux practiced her pitch to our group we blown away. Still, her pitch was fresh. To sum it up, I’d say Sioux’s manuscript is wickedly funny.

After this session I revised my own pitch so I'd be prepared to pitch my project later in the day.

And I'm happy to report that when I pitched my project to Jill she had positive comments. She loves my title and subject matter. She gave me her card and asked me to send the entire manuscript after I've polished it. She told me she'd rather have it polished than quick.

Hope this post is helpful to anyone who plans to pitch to an agent or an editor.

For my next post I'll share some notes from John Rudolph's session on publishing contracts.

St. Charles City-County Library Local Author Event

Donna and Marcia

I'm a bit late posting this, but I wanted to make sure I shared these photos and gave a report on last month's local author event sponsored by the St. Charles City-County Library.

This is the first year the sixth annual event was held at the Spencer Road Branch in St. Peters.

In previous years the event was held at the Middendorf-Kredell Library in O'Fallon.

The change in location was because the number of authors has increased every year.


Pat, Marcia, and Donna

This year, with more than 100 mostly local authors (as well as many from as far away as Cape Girardeau and Rolla), the beautiful and spacious Spencer Road Branch was the perfect site for the event.


When I first read there would be more than 100 authors on hand, I wondered how the library would pull it off.



Doyle Suit

I was pleased and impressed how organized the venue was, with each writer assigned a specific table area and given help carrying their books and other materials inside.

The rooms were roomy and laid out to encourage foot traffic.

The snacks were plentiful, and the library gave away several door prizes.

The library staff and volunteers did an outstanding job with this special event.



Sioux Roslawski

It was my good fortune to sit next to two of my favorite writers, Marcia Gaye and Pat Wahler, both members to Coffee and Critique.

Doyle Suit, another C&C member, was not far from where we sat.


Sioux Roslawski and Candace Carrabus Rice were also nearby, and I was happy that I had time to chat with them and share a few memories and stories.

I'm looking forward to next year's event and meeting even more writers and readers. Hope to see you there too!

Candace Carrabus Rice

Double Feature: Not Your Mother's Book Signing at STL Books

 Last week I was among two dozen local writers who participated in a a double Not Your Mother's Book signing at STL Books in Kirkwood, MO. The signing featured contributors from NYMB: On Being a Mom, which several writing friends and I have a stories in, and NYMB: On Family, which several of my writing friends have stories in.

My good friend and High Hill Press CEO Lou Turner picked me up and drove me and another good friend Marcia Gaye to the event in Lou's luxurious Lincoln, which did just about everything except drive itself.

Several of my writing friends have already blogged about the gala. I'm a bit late chiming in, but I wanted to post these photos in case you missed the report anywhere else.

The first shot is of the generous and gracious STL Books owner Robin Theiss kicking off the festivities, while NYMB editors Dianna Graveman and Linda O'Connell look on.

Contributor Jenny Beatrice reads her
sweet story about her daughter.

Sioux Roslawski reads her
hilarious tale about her son.

Dianna and Linda relax
after the event.

I snapped this photo from Lou's
SUV. After hiking a few blocks
to the parking lot, my feet were screaming.
It was a long night, but lots of fun!

A Busy Saturday: The Heart Walk at Busch Stadium and Listen to Your Mother's Show at St. Luke's

This Saturday, May 10, I'll be participating in the Heart Walk at Busch Stadium, on a team to honor my sister-in-law Gerry, who will celebrate the one-year anniversary of her heart transplant in July. 

Gerry's daughter, my niece Jamie, is once again sponsoring a team through her employer, Cassidy Turley, who has donated a special prize (St. Louis Cardinals tickets) to be raffled among Jamie's team members.

Jamie and Gerry will be walking side-by-side with my brother Jim. My sister Kathleen and I will be there along with other members of the Duly and Schneider families and Jamie's Cassidy Turley family at work.  

The  Heart Walk opening ceremony starts at 8:30 with the walk beginning at 9:00. Jamie's company’s meeting spot is in Section 157 in Busch Stadium. 

Here's a link to Jamie's work team if you'd like to  join us in some heart-healthy exercise or donate for this worthy cause.

***

At the signing last Saturday for the Not Your Mother's Book: On Being a Mom, I chatted with Ellie Grossman, author of of Mishegas of Motherhood.

During our conversation, Ellie reminded me about the Second Annual Mother's Day Listen to Your Mother Show St. Louis on Saturday, May 10 at St. Luke's at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The show features live readings of funny, touching, and inspiring stories about motherhood. Proceeds from ticket sales benefit the local charity, Girls in the Know.

With the heart walk being on the same day, I won't be able to make this event, which is disappointing because the brilliant and funny writer Sioux Roslawski is among the featured speakers. 

***

If you're in the local area and want to have some fun while supporting a worthy cause, check out one--or both events-- if you're able!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day: My Writing Process Blog Chain

Cead Mile Failte! (That means "A Hundred Thousand Welcomes!" in Gaelic.)

I’m honored on this Saint Patrick’s Day that Margo Dill has invited me to be part of a blog chain to discuss my writing process.

Margo is a full-time mom and writer, as well as a creative writing teacher and an editor. Her latest YA book, “Caught Between Two Curses,”* will be published tomorrow.

Here are my answers to Margo’s questions:

1. What am I working on?

I always seem to have several projects going on at once, which is probably why it takes so long to complete anything. Right now—well after I finish working on income taxes—my focus is on completing a thriller I started in November during National Novel Writing Month. I finished the challenge with just over 52,000 words of a manuscript, titled "Framed in Black," which will end up being around 80,000 words. I put it aside over the holidays, but I didn’t stop thinking and planning. While my manuscript simmered I decided to make some major changes and have begun rewrites. So far, I’ve rewritten the first two chapters. 

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

It’s a thriller with spiritual overtones. The main character is female; a twenty-five-year-old English teacher living in the Midwest. The setting is in Missouri and in the Bavarian State of Germany.

3. Why do I write what I do?

In the past my focus was on short stories and personal essays. I’ve always wanted to complete a novel, so last year I decided to give it a try.

4. How does your writing process work?

I’m a write-when-I-can type of writer. The mornings work best for me. I scratch down ideas in notebooks. My first drafts are messy hand-written affairs. For my novel I scratched out a rough outline. The act of writing things down before typing them up helps me clear my thoughts so when I type the basics have already taken shape.

5. The last step in this process is to invite two other authors to participate in the blog chain.

I hope that my writing friends and blogging buddies, Mary Horner and Sioux Roslawski, who both are writers and teachers, will continue this blog chain.

Mary Horner is a teacher and writer who blogs at WritRTeachR about all things editorial, including writing, publishing, authors and books, and author of "Strengthen your Nonfiction Writing."

Sioux blogs on Sioux’s Page about writing, dogs, grown-up children, menopause, the joy of a marvelous book, classroom teaching in general, and specifically, the teaching of writing.

Thanks, Margo, for inviting me to participate in the blog chain. 

And "Adh mAr ort!" May you have the luck of the Irish with your new book, "Caught Between Two Curses."* 

* In my original post I had the wrong first word of Margo's book title.

Announcing the Cupid's Quiver Anthology Release and A Healthy Heart Giveaway

February is a month for red, with love and flowers and hearts -- and giveaways.

In the love department, my romantic short story “The Promise of New Beginnings” is among the twelve stories in the just-released Cupid’s Quiver anthology. Oh, and flowers play a large part in my story.

What’s special about this anthology is that it includes stories from some of my writing friends and blogger buddies: Sioux Roslawski, Linda O’Connell, Pat Wahler, and Claudia Mundel to name a few. Cupid's Quiver is available on Amazon Kindle.

In the heart department, last week my sister Kathleen and I attended the Her Heart: Every Beat Counts seminar and luncheon, sponsored by SSM Health Care. It’s the third year we’ve attended the free event. The inspiring speakers included local cardiologists and a young mother who is a heart attack survivor. There were several vendors and lots of activities going on all morning. Lunch was tasty, and although I didn’t win a door prize, they looked fantastic.

While I was at the event, I picked up some handouts and promotional items. Rather than keeping everything for myself, I decided to have a giveaway so I could share them with one of my blog readers. The giveaways include a red-and-white bag to hold the goodies, two colorful pens for writing, a Go Red for Women pin to wear, a nail file to keep you sharp, and several pamphlets with educational information about women and heart disease.

For a chance to win the bag of heart-healthy writerly goodies, be sure to have a mailing address in the USA and leave a comment by February 22. I’ll pick one name at random and announce the winner’s name on Feb 25.  Good luck!

 

Win a Free Book on Cathy C. Hall's Blog

Cathy C. Hall, one of the funniest and most generous writers in the blogging community, has a contest going on over at her blog.

She is giving away a copy of  "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Boost Your Brain Power" to one lucky blog follower who leaves a comment suggesting a way to keep your brain cells actively engaged.

While you're leaving a comment on Cathy's blog and becoming a follower --- if you aren't already one --- be sure to check out some suggestions others have left.

The always wise and witty Sioux Roslawski has left a funny one, and the deep thinker Madeline Mora-Summonte left a suggestion I'm going to try today.

Good luck if you enter!

Writing and Other Marathons

On April 7, I, along with Sioux Roslawski, Bea Siros, Jennifer Hashieder, Marcia and Jim Gaye, Kathleen Kaiser, Barbara Hedges, and Rebeca Wise, participated in the Saturday Writers First Annual Writing Marathon.

Our group of intrepid writers met around 9 a.m. on the corner of Boone's Lick and First Street near the Trailhead Brewery then proceeded to walk down Main Street.

This was my first writing marathon, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but Sioux Roslowski provided excellent direction and guidance. Sioux (with blue scarf) and Bea Siros (in pink hat) are in the photo on the left. They were dedicated to their task of writing.

I was more in an observational mood and wanted to visually record the event, but sadly, this photo is the only photo that came out unblurry. The batteries on my camera were out of juice, and the other photos I took looked like they were washed in honey.

As we strolled along Main Street, the sights and sounds elevated my mood. Most of the stores hadn't open yet, so the view of the homes and stores was clear. I stopped to read some of the placards on historical buildings, and Spring had definitely made its presence known. The dogwoods, red buds, and tulips were in bloom. 

I  ran into a former co-worker opening her shop on Main Street. We chatted about the good old times--not at work--but when her children visited our farm when they were teenagers. We caught up on what we'd been doing lately and how our lives had changed. Mostly we talked about our daughters. She and I lost our daughters in motorcycle accidents, two years apart.

My thoughts turned to wondering about connections--how certain people come into our lives for reasons we might not realize until years later--as we near the finish line of the marathon called our personal histories.

When our group convened for readings, we sat on stone benches alongside the Homestead Store and Grandma's Cookie Shop. The sun made its presence known, crowds of shoppers grew, and chippies scavenged for bits of cookies on the cobblestone sidewalks while we shared our works. The talent of the marathon writers was inspiring.

After our readings, a handful of us stopped in an outdoor cafe called Braden's for Mimosas before visiting the Oil and Vinegar store. I bought a bottle of specialty cooking oil to give to Walt for Easter.

Because of a soccer tournament clear on the other side of the river, I wasn't able to stay for lunch, but I heard later that it was fun and the limericks were a blast. My impression of the writing marathon was that it was both relaxing and exhilirating--an attractive combination of experiences--that I hope to repeat soon.

Calls for Submissions: Angel Encounters and Times to Remember

Here are two submission call outs to get your writing juices flowing over the next few months.

Earlier this week my writer-friend Sioux Roslawski reminded me about a call out from Chicken Soup for the Soul: Angel Encounters. According to the guidelines on the CS website, the editors are looking for "stories from people who believe that they have encountered or been helped by angels." Their editorial preferences are quite specific, so be sure to read the complete call-out guidelines. The deadline for submission of a true story or a poem about an angel encounter is July 31, 2012.

The second call for submissions was e-mailed to me by Becky Haigler, one of the editors at Silver Boomer Books. The working title of the anthology is Times to Remember: A Pocketful of Holidays. According to Becky's e-mail, "When the phrase 'the holidays' is mentioned most of us quickly think of the end of the year and the period of Thanksgiving through Christmas. That time of year has produced many wonderful stories and poems from many talented pens. If you have a piece for that season, you may send it but we are hoping to include events from throughout the year in this project. Your chances of being selected will be higher with a well written essay or poem about Flag Day, or Arbor Day or the Watermelon Festival, etc. Surprise us." The deadline is May 31, 2012.

So, be an angel and take time to remember to check out the submission guidelines from Chicken Soup for the Soul and Silver Boomer books. Good luck if you submit.