Happy 2016! My New Year's Non-resolution: Believe

Photo from Openculture.com

 
Missouri's famous writer Mark Twain once called new year's resolutions "harmless annual institutions of no particular use to anybody."

And, if my past performance can predict my future behavior, I can't argue with his words. 

At the beginning of each year, with a heart full of good intentions and a mind focused on success, I map out my resolutions and set what I believe are attainable goals. Then, by mid-year, or even sooner, I lose focus. My good intentions are either forgotten or deliberately ignored.

So, in the spirit of Mark Twain, I'm neither making annual resolutions, which I will not keep, nor will I set goals, which I'll either forget or ignore. I'm going to try something different.

I'm following a suggestion borrowed from Margo Dill's inspiring post on "The Muffin," the Women on Writing blog. In Margo's post, she writes that she is going to focus on one word for 2016. You can find Margo's one word on "The Muffin" blog.

Like Margo, I'm going to focus on one word for the year 2016. My one word applies, not only to my writing, but to every aspect in my life.

My one word is: BELIEVE

I believe God has a plan for me.
I believe I can do whatever His plan is if I take time to be still and listen.
I believe in myself.
I believe in others.
I believe I've been put on earth to help others.
I believe others are here to help me.
I believe in You!

As we turn the calendar page to 2016, I wish you health and happiness, peace and prosperity, and many blessings that you too may believe!

According to Writer and Editor Margo Dill, Writing Is Elementary (Part I)

Last Saturday I attended the monthly Saturday Writers meeting, which featured an exciting presentation by teacher, editor, blogger, and writer Margo Dill. Margo has a freelance editing business called Editor 911 and is a contributing editor and teacher for WOW! Women on Writing.

 

The room was packed! In fact, the staff had to add additional tables and chairs to accommodate more than 50 writers who turned out to listen to Margo talk about "Everything You Need to Know about Writing You Learned in Elementary School."

 

Margo's presentation was energetic and informative and filled with helpful hints for writers to use the tools they learned many years ago, but may need a nudge to remember. She focused on the 6+1 traits of writing: Ideas, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, Voice, Organization, Conventions and Publication.

 

Here are some notes I jotted down during Margo's presentation: 

 

* Ideas. Sources for ideas can be your life, the Internet, newspaper articles or cartoons, books, just about anywhere. According to Margo, you don't only have to write what you know. You can research a topic or talk to other people. She used the example of traveling to Vicksburg to research her recently released book, Finding My Place: One Girl's Strength at Vicksburg. One fascinating tip was using the "potato" method for generating ideas. Don't use the first idea that comes to mind; dig a little deeper to get something fresh beneath the surface. She also talked about how, like potatoes, ideas can become rotten if you don't do anything with them.

 

* Word Choice. For advice on word choices, Margo recommended reading On Writing by Stephen King, who cautions writers about overuse of adverbs and adjectives. Instead, use specific nouns and verbs. Watch for passive voice. Use word choices that fit your genre. For description of a chacter, don't be like a J.C. Penney catalog, but mention distinct characteristics. When using colors, be specific, don't overuse, and have a reason why one color is mentioned several times. (I took that to mean that, for example, does the color red signify an angry or passionate character?) Send overused words to the "word graveyard, where words go to die." Overused words include: very, good, bad, happy, sad, just, little. Also, watch for repeat words. I found this humorous list on AskMen of overused words, some of which I use more than I should.

 

* Sentence Fluency. Vary the length and type of sentences, and vary how your sentences begin. During the editing process, study your manuscript. Watch for the first word of each sentence. Always read your work out loud. If writing in first person, watch for starting sentences with the word "I." For third person, don't repeat the character's name too much. Instead, use pronouns--although to avoid confusion, when characters are speaking in dialogue and both are the same sex, it's okay to use their names. To build suspense use shorter entences and action words. Longer sentences help readers catch their breath.

 

In my next post, I'll share what Margo had to say about: Organization, Voice, Conventions and Publication.

 



Review and Giveaway of Until My Soul Gets it Right by Karen Wojcik Berner

Today, I'm pleased to participate in the WOW! Women on Writing author blog tour, featuring Karen Wojcik Berner. Sorry for this midday post, but I thought I was supposed to post my review on Friday.

Several weeks ago I received a signed copy of Until My Soul Gets it Right: Book Two in The Bibliophiles series by Karen Wojcik Berner.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I opened the pages of Karen's novel, but I have to admit I was instantly engaged with the story of Catherine Elbert, a farm girl from Wisconsin who is trying to find her place in life.

Her story opens in Wisconsin in 1985. Catherine is an excellent high school student who is selected for a plum part in the class play. Much to her disappointment, her stern and unloving mother squelches her dream of becoming an actress. In fact, her mother does her best to destroy Catherine's self-image at every turn.

Two years after graduation, with a dim future ahead of her and after watching a travel show on public television, Catherine embarks on a journey that takes her from Wisconsin to an island off the coast of Maine, to San Diego, California, and back to the Midwest.

Along the way she makes several friends and makes a lot of mistakes, while she learns a lot about life and about love, but mostly about herself.

Berner's characters are lively, and the book has mild touches of humor, some soul-searching situations, and some swearing. Berner does an excellent job of setting the scene and giving the reader a good sense of place. The writing is strong and fluid, with one minor exception involving the eye color of one of the characters. On one page his eyes are green, on another brown--the "same brown eyes" as Tom Cruise's--except TC's eyes are blue. That hiccup took me out of the story for half a second, but for the rest of the book I found myself flipping the pages to find out what was going to happen to Catherine. I wondered: would she ever find love, would she make amends for her mistakes, and how was the Bibliophile Book Club going to fit in? All my questions were answered by the last page.

Until My Soul Gets it Right by Karen Wojcik Berner is a novel of self-discovery, sin, redemption, and forgiveness--and also wicked fun.

In the spirit of sharing, I am going to give away my signed review copy to one lucky person who leaves a comment between now and October 2nd. The name of the winner will be picked at random and announced on October 3rd.

Guest Blogger: Pesi Dinnerstein, Author of A Cluttered Life: Searching for God, Serenity, and My Missing Keys

As part of the WOW! Women on Writing Blog Tour, please join me in welcoming my special guest today, Pesi Dinnerstein (a.k.a. Paulette Plonchak).

Dinnerstein has written selections for the best-selling series Small Miracles, by Yitta Halberstam and Judith Leventhal, and has contributed to several textbooks and an anthology of short stories.

Dinnerstein recently retired as a full-time faculty member of the City University of New York, where she taught language skills for close to thirty years. She has been an aspiring author and self-acknowledged clutterer for many years, and has spent the better part of her life trying to get organized and out from under. Despite heroic efforts, she has not yet succeeded; but she continues to push onward, and hopes that her journey will inspire others to keep trying as well.

Today she will discuss something that I often struggle with, and I'm sure many of my visitors who are writers struggle with as well.

TRYING TO FIND THAT SMALL, STILL VOICE


“How’s the baby?” my friend asked.

“The baby?” I asked back. “What baby?”

“The one you gave birth to this summer,” she said, beginning to sound alarmed.

“Oh, thanks for reminding me,” I said. “I forgot all about her.”

“How could you forget about your own baby?”

“Well, she’s so small that I can hardly see her,” I tried to explain. “I mean, she’s only the size of a splinter—so I keep losing her; and then I forget that she even exists.”

My friend stared at me in disbelief.

“But don’t you hear her when she cries? How can you not notice a screaming baby?!”

“What can I do?” I said. “Her voice is so small—even when she screams, it’s barely a whisper.”

“Then, how do you know when to feed her?” my friend pressed on.

“It’s a problem,” I admitted. “And, most of the time, I don’t remember to do it. Maybe that’s why she’s still the size of a splinter . . . . ”

I woke up in a sweat as my friend was about to dial the Child Abuse Hotline.

Horrified at this portrait of myself, I immediately tried to understand the deeper meaning of the dream. Using an old Gestalt technique I had once learned, I began a dialogue with the main character:

“Who are you?” I asked the baby—anxious to discover her true identity before she slipped back into my subconscious.

“I’m the writer that you always wanted to be,” she whispered.

I sat up in bed, suddenly wide awake.

“Then, why do you appear as a tiny infant?” I asked.

“Well, since you don’t nurture me, I can’t grow.”

“But I didn’t know even know you were there,” I said in defense.

“That’s because you’ve never been silent long enough to hear my small, still voice.”

I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to take that in.

“You’re right,” I finally said. “And I’m really sorry. What can I do to make it up to you?”

As she slowly drifted into the night, she cried out, “I need a pen . . . and a piece of paper . . . and someone—please—to listen . . . . ”

I’d been searching my entire life for that small, still voice—and, somehow, I had never heard her calling to me. In fact, I probably spent a good part of the time running in the opposite direction.

But inspiration comes at strange times and from odd places. I awoke the next morning unable to think of anything but that little splinter of a writer who could only get my attention in a disturbing dream. I ran out immediately and bought her a notebook with a big rainbow on the front and a matching pen.

“This is for you,” I told her. “It’s very tiny now—just like your voice—but maybe . . . if I keep listening . . . it will grow into a full-sized book someday . . . . ”

Synopsis:

Insightful, unsettling, and wildly funny, A Cluttered Life: Searching for God, Serenity, and My Missing Keys (Seal Press) is the story of Pesi Dinnerstein’s quest to create a simple and orderly life—only to discover that simplicity is not so simple and what constitutes clutter is not always perfectly clear. When a chance encounter with an old acquaintance reveals the extent to which disorder has crept into every corner of her existence, Pesi determines to free herself, once and for all, of the excess baggage she carries with her. Along the way—with the help of devoted friends, a twelve-step recovery program, and a bit of Kabbalistic wisdom—her battle with chaos is transformed into an unexpected journey of self-discovery and spiritual awakening.

For more information visit: http://www.aclutteredlife.com/http://www.aclutteredlife.com/ or http://www.sealpress.com/

Hope you enjoyed Pesi's guest post. Feel free to leave comments!

One lucky visitor who leaves a comment by Wednesday, January 25, will receive a PDF copy of Pesi's inspiring and humorous book.

Well Versed Acceptances and An Announcement

Earlier this week I received official notification that two of my essays won in the Columbia Chapter of the Missouri Writers' Guild contest for non-fiction. Both submissions will appear in the 2012 edition of Well Versed, the anthology of the CCMWG.

In addition to placing in the contest, I was excited for a few reasons.

Well Versed is a well regarded anthology. The 2011 edition won best book award in the 2011 MWG President's Contests.

Contest judges for the 2012 issue are esteemed writers and editors: Evelyn Somers Rogers, the Fiction judge,  has been associate editor of The Missouri Review since 1990. Poetry judge, Harvey Stanbrough, has had work nominated for the National Book Award. Non-fiction judge Becky Carr Imhauser, is a former newspaper and magazine editor who has written six non-fiction books and has had more than 900 articles published in national periodicals.

Even more exciting, two members of my critique group, Marcia Gaye and Alice Muschany, had works which placed in the contests and will have poems and essays included in the Well Versed anthology. Here's a link to the CCMWG site, with a list of the winners, bios for the judges, and the names of writers and poets whose work will appear in the anthology. If your name is among those listed, Congratulations!

Now for my announcement: Hope you will visit Donna's Book Pub next on Monday, January 23, when I will have a special guest as part of the WOW! Women on Writing author's blog tour.

Pesi Dinnerstein, author of A Cluttered Life: Searching for God, Serenity, and my Missing Keys, will post about "Trying to Find that Small, Still Voice."

I'm always happy to read advice from other writers, so I'm looking forward to read what Pesi has to say.

Until next time . . . Happy writing!

Traits of Successful Women Writers

One of my guilty pleasures on weekends is watching Book TV. Generally I wait until my hubby and grandkiddos are out and about or busy doing something else before I tune in. Otherwise I get groans from them because they want to watch something else.

Last night, after the late news was over and everyone else in the house was asleep, I switched to C-SPAN's Book TV and caught most of a presentation given by Marji Ross, President of Regnery Publishing. Last night's presentation was a broadcast of a talk she gave in November at the Heritage Foundation.

The title of Ross's presentation was "Seven Surprising Secrets of Best-Selling Female Authors...and How Your Future Happiness Might Depend on Them." Her talk really was a celebration of women in a positive way--not anti-male at all -- which I found uplifting. She spoke candidly about how she worked through the grief of losing her husband, how she is open and honest with her daughters, and how she is a champion for publishing books with a conservative slant.

The primary focus of her talk, however, wasn't on her conservative politics, but on what she has learned after years in the publishing industry about the traits that successful women writers share. I'm always trying to learn from others who are much more experienced and wiser than I am, so I grabbed a notebook and pen and took notes.

The following are the highlights of her talk--at least what I jotted down late last night -- about traits shared by successful women writers and publishers.

Successful women writers: 

* Understand the value of building relationships (vs networking). Networking has come to mean what can I get from you in exchange for giving you something I have, where building relationships is more long-term and personal.

* Like to communicate and share their experiences with others. More women belong to book clubs than men, for example.

* Know they need character to have integrity. They listen to their internal moral compass. Women remind society to stay on the right trail.

* Look for win-win solutions. Success is not finite; success breeds success.

* Know that little things matter, but they don’t lose sight of the big picture.

* Understand that service is strength. Serving others doesn't make a person weak; it can make them indispensable

* Celebrate differences between men and women.

Ross suggests women writers should:

* Be trustworthy and supportive.

* Embrace the success-breeds-success philosophy.

* Be problem solvers rather than just problem spotters.

* Volunteer to overcome depression and lonliness.

* Figure out what they believe in, write it down, and share it with their families. The act of writing down one's beliefs will help clarify them.

* Always bring a pen and paper (or iPad) to take notes.

* Be a person of character and live a life of integrity.

* Avoid chasing success only to leave happiness behind.

* Bring passion to your work.

* Be on a mission to reach people rather than just selling books. As you reach people, books will sell.

* Be an expert in something. Find your niche.

* Realize that books are changing their role in society. While e-books may continue to grow in popularity and sales, physical books will gain value as gifts.

As I re-read my notes this morning, I decided to share them with my readers. I agree with Ross that sharing experiences with others and building relationships is important, as well as is being supportive and embracing the success-breeds-success philosophy.

So, what do you think? Do you agree with her observations and suggestions? Are there any traits you would add?

Guest Blogger - Tracy Seeley on Finding the Best Publisher for Your Book

I’m pleased to welcome Tracy Seeley to Donna’s Book Pub as my guest blogger today as part of the WOW! Women on Writing Author’s tour.

Tracy moved a lot when she was young, but she grew up mostly in Witchita, Kansas, before heading for Austin, Texas, where she was awarded a Ph.D in British Lit. She taught at Yale for five years before moving west for San Francisco. Since 1993 she has been teaching literature and creative nonfiction at the University of San Francisco. Click here to read Tracy's bio on her website.
You can also find Tracy here:
twitter: @tracy_seeley
website: www.tracyseeley.com
Facebook at My Ruby Slippers: the Road Back to Kansas
blog: www.myrubyslippersthebook.wordpress.com

One lucky visitor who posts a comment or a question for Tracy will win a copy of her memoir, My Ruby Slippers: The Road Back to Kansas.

In her post today Tracy will discuss: finding the Best Press for Your Book: How My Ruby Slippers found a University Press By Tracy Seeley (@tracy_seeley)


Your Book is Done! Not Yet.

After years of staying glued to your desk chair, shaping sentences, crafting chapters, reorganizing, revising, editing and polishing, you finally have a tidy stack of 300 freshly-printed pages on your desk. Congratulations! Your book is done.

Wrong. Because it’s not a book yet. It lacks a great cover with your name on the front, blurbs and an ISBN on the back. It might be wonderful, a real page-turner. But until you have a publisher (or publish it yourself), it’s a caterpillar, not a butterfly.

When I finished the manuscript for My Ruby Slippers, I knew what I had to do to turn it into a butterfly. I’d read everything I could about how to find an agent and dreamed of signing a contract with a major publisher. I thought, “New York, here I come.”

But I couldn’t get an agent. I quickly learned that a literary memoir by a debut writer would have a hard time. Especially since my book-to-be didn’t tell a story that involved a controversial, sensational, or Oprah-worthy topic.

Without an agent, my New York dreams keeled over in a coma. Now what?

Landing at a University Press

Once I set my mind to something, I’m pretty relentless. So instead of shopping for an agent, I went shopping for a press. One that not only would accept unsolicited manuscripts, but would be a good fit for My Ruby Slippers.

This meant entering the world of small and university presses. It’s a world I highly recommend. There, writers often find a better home for the book they’ve written than they could ever find at a big house. Small and university presses work on tight budgets, but because they have smaller lists than the big guys do, they can give all of their writers more attention. And they’re committed to publishing high quality work.

Happily, I landed at the University of Nebraska Press. A University Press may not be the first thing you think of when it comes to shopping for a press. But in addition to scholarly works, many university presses publish fiction and literary nonfiction, including memoir.

By doing my homework, I knew Nebraska would be a good home for My Ruby Slippers. They publish literary nonfiction, including the series “American Lives,” edited by the great memoirist Tobias Wolff. And they publish a lot of books with connections to the Plains and Midwest. Because Kansas sits at the heart of my book (and of me), it seemed a perfect fit.

After My Ruby Slippers went through a series of reviews by outside readers and revisions by me, Nebraska said “yes.”

Since then, the press has been nothing but a pleasure to work with. My editor worked closely with me during the review and revision process, the copy editor was meticulous and respectful of my intentions, the cover designer was brilliant (I love my cover), and given its limited resources, the marketing department has done a great job promoting the book.

Getting published is a great dream. But getting published by the right press for your book is even better. My Ruby Slippers emerged from its chrysalis four months ago, and it’s been a thrill watching it take wing.

***

Thanks, Tracy, for letting us know how you found the right publisher for your book, which is a fascinating and intelligent memoir that chronicles your physical and emotional journey to your childhood homes.

Note to Visitors: Feel free to leave a comment or question.

As part of the WOW! Author's Book Tour, one lucky person who posts a question or a comment will win a copy of Tracy's thoughtful memoir, My Ruby Slippers: The Road Back to Kansas published by the University of Nebraska Press as part of the American Lives Series, edited by Tobias Wolff.

Winner's name will be announced on Friday, July 15.

WOW! Winter 2009 Flash Fiction Contest

Today's forecast for St. Louis: Mostly cloudy, high 31 degrees, chance of flurries tonight. (After two snow days, the kiddos are back in school. They were actually happy to go back because this is Catholic Schools Week throughout the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Today they got to "dress down," which means they didn't have to wear their uniforms, plus there's a school-wide trivia game this morning.)

While you're trying to stay warm over the next few weeks, here's a contest you might want to check out--the WOW! Winter 2009 Flash Fiction Contest.

I can personally vouch for the WOW! contests as being worthwhile because after entering the Spring contest, I was among the honorable mention winners. One of the best parts of the contest is the judging process; the final entries are judged by a guest judge. This go-around it's Literary Agent Janet Reid, with Fine Print Literary Management. She also has a blog that is helpful for writers, not only those seeking representation, but those who want to learn more about the business end of writing.

Back to the contest: The WOW! contest prizes are amazing, even for honorable mention. For the Spring contest, in addition to receiving a free one-year subscription to the Premium-Green newsletter, I received a huge box in the mail packed with goodies.

Enough about me. Here's a link for the contest details.

Good luck, and good writing!

WOW Blog Tour and Premio Dardos Award

Premio Dardos Award Logo

Today's forecast for St. Peters: Flurries today, high 20 degrees, sleet tonight. If you're planning to travel around town this evening, it's not looking too good.

I'm skipping Monday's market today to share some news.

If you're a regular visitor to my blog, you may have noticed the two logos on the right-hand side of this post. The top one is the WOW! Women on Writing Blog Excellence Tour logo. Next month I will host two writers as part of the WOW blog tour. I'm so excited to be a part of the blog tour, which will introduce writers to my blog viewers. I'll post details about those two tours next week.

The other logo is the Premio Dardos Award. The editors of WOW presented me the Premio Dardos award, which means "prize darts" in Italian. The award is given in recognition of cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values transmitted in the form of creative and original writing.

By accepting the award, I must follow two rules:

1) Accept the award by posting it on your blog along with the name of the person that has granted the award and a link to his/her blog.

2) Pass the award along to blogs you find worthy of this acknowledgment. Remember to contact each of them to let them know they have been selected for this award.

The blogs I am nominating to receive the Premio Dardos Award are:

Midlist Writer "Welcome to Literary Purgatory" - This is the blog of Sean McLachlan, a freelance writer specializing in history and travel. His blog postings are wise and witty and include his thoughts on critiques, rejection, goals, and other publishing and writing-related topics.

Critter Alley - Pat Wahler is a freelance writer who enjoys reading/writing stories about pets. I especially enjoy the photos Pat includes along with her blog postings.

Coffee and Critique - Tricia Grissom offers writing tips, contests, submission opportunities, and other information to benefit writers. This blog is sponsored by the Coffee and Critique Writers' Group, which meets at Barnes and Noble in St. Peters, MO.

Cathy C's Hall of Fame - Cathy C. Hall is a freelance writer who loves to get published. Follow her blog if you want to find out where she meets Fame and Fortune along the way. Cathy's posts are humorous as well as informative and always put a smile on my face.

A Day in the Life "Stories, Mine and Ours" - Camille Faye loves stories. She has been a traveler, news reporter and teacher, and the stories on her blog include her life stories, as well as others' stories as they pass by her wherever she goes.