Coffee and Critique Writers' Group Take Ten Interviews

It's hard to believe the Coffee and Critique writers' group has been going for seven years.

When I founded the group in 2007, along with Lou Turner, we wanted it to be open to writers of all levels, with the motto that critiques would be "candid, but kind."

Each week we have about 10-12 enthusiastic and supportive writer show up, and last year we published our first anthology. We also have encouraged writers to submit to publications -- and all have achieved success!

On our Coffee and Critique blog you can find updates about our group. One popular series is the "Take Ten" interview feature with the our members.

Interviews began last May. Doyle Suit was first, followed by the late Nick Nixon, then Bill Mueller, Alice Muschany, and Lou Turner.

Last week it was my turn to answer interview questions.

This year we will continue the tradition, with one member who has contributed to our anthology being featured each month.

Check back often to the Coffee and Critique blog to find out about some of our members.

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.

See What's Brewing at Coffee and Critique

Today I posted news about my weekly critique group, Coffee and Critique.

Pop on over to the C&C blog to see what's brewing with the writers there.

Writing by the Numbers: 14 Writing Exercises, 20 Markets, and One Poem

At lunch over the weekend I was part of a discussion on the topic of which is more important--numbers or words--math versus reading. Of course, I took the side of words.

While numbers have been called the universal language, where would we be without words? We learn to talk before we learn to count, don't we? And if we can't read, how can we recognize numbers?

While I'm still a word nerd, the discussion got me to give numbers their due.

Numbers and words are important in different ways; often they are complementary. I even have examples:

The other day I stumbled upon this list of writing exercises in Stumbleupon with 14 writing exercises.

The first six focus on scenes, narration, verbs and most of all STORY. The next eight focus on creating rounded CHARACTERS.

Here's something writing-related with even more numbers.

Earlier this week Becky Povich sent me a link to Meghan Ward's blog Writerland, whose blog post includes a listing 20 markets for personal essays.

Oh, and then there's Elizabeth Barrett Browning's famous sonnet,  "How Do I Love Thee? Let me count the ways. . ."

Pay It Forward Blog Fest

Today is a special day for bloggers.

Matthew MacNish from the Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment is co-hosting the Pay It Forward Blog Fest.

The three blogs I would like to introduce my visitors to are:

* Mary from WritRTeachR 

* Tammy from Message in a Bloggle: the Art of Being Broken.

* Lynn from Present Letters

To check out all the blogs participating in the blog hop, click on the links below.

Sisters of the Quill Award

After Tuesday's post about Forgotten English, many commented that they liked or loved the modified term I came up with: "Sisters of the Quill." One person wrote it gave her the shivers.

I really like the term, too. In fact, after reading the comments I decided to create a Sisters of the Quill Award. I played around with Clip Art and Power Point, and with some help from my hubby, I came up with the logo on the left.

The very first "Sisters of the Quill Award" goes to the eight people who commented about my post on Tuesday.

As a recipient of this award, you have been deemed a quill-driver, a writer, a scribe, a schrivener, an author worthy of recognition. You are welcome to share this award with deserving writer friends. All I ask is you mention you received the Sisters of the Quill Award from Donna at Donna's Book Pub.

Without further ado, I'm awarding the First Generation Sisters of the Quill Award to the following bloggers and quill-driving writers:

Sioux

Cathy C. Hall

Linda O'Connell

Mary Horner

K9 Friend

Janet

Tammy

Clara Gillow-Clark

Congratulations, Sisters of the Quill. Hope you enjoy your award, and don't forget to write!

Donna

Happy 100th Birthday, Tennessee Williams

During today's Saturday Writers meeting (and at lunch afterwards), our wise, witty, and very funny speaker, Joe Holleman, reminded us that today marks the 100th birthday of the legendary playright, Tennessee Williams.

Thomas Lanier Williams III, better known as Tennessee Williams, was born in Mississippi but lived in St. Louis during his formative years. Williams is known for his award-winning plays, many of which were made into movies. The Glass Menagerie, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and A Streetcar named Desire were a few of his most famous plays.

Back to Joe Holleman: Joe has a blog on Stltoday.com called Yakkin' with the Sherpa. Each Friday on his blog, Joe has a feature "Sherpa's Top 10."

Yesterday's top 10 highlighted the Top 10 Tennessee Williams movies.

Another weekly feature is called "The Decider." This week's decider question is: Jelly beans or Peeps? For me, it's jelly beans--no contest.

Next week I'll post a few of my note's from Joe's talk about the craft of writing. Until then, check out Joe's blog when you get a chance. You won't be disappointed.

February Giveaway for My Followers

My regular readers know that I am a book reviewer for Bookreporter, Teenreads, and Kidsreads. After finishing my reviews, I often give away books to family or friends or donate them to local libraries.

Sometimes rather than receiving copies of books, I am sent Uncorrected Proofs and Advance Reader's Copies (ARCs), which I can't really donate to a library, so I keep them in a stack that has been growing larger.

To shorten my stack and show my appreciation to my blog followers, I'm giving away two ARCs this month.

In honor of February, with St. Valentine's Day and healthy-heart month, I'm giving away an ARC of THE HEART IS NOT A SIZE, written by National Book Award Nominee Beth Kephart and published by HarperTeen.

The gracefully written book is about two friends who travel to Juarez, Mexico, as part of a mission to help improve a community. The story is about courage, loyalty, and the responsibilities of friendship. You can read my entire review of Kephart's novel on the Teensreads.com site.



The second ARC giveaway is HIGHWAY ROBBERY written by Irish author Kate Thompson, published by Greenwillow Books. This is a middle-grade novel intended for ages 10 and up. It's a story of danger and suspense and an infamous horse.

You can read my entire review by visiting the Kidsreads site.

If you are a children's writer, these books are great to read to study the craft of writing. They also make great gifts for children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or students.

To sign up for the February ARC giveaway:
* Be a follower of my blog
* If you aren't a follower, just sign up before Feb 28
* Leave a comment by Feb 28 and let me know which ARC you would like
* If you would like both ARCs, leave two separate comments
* Be sure to include an e-mail address so I can contact you

I will separate comments by titles requested then randomly select the names of two followers who have left comments. Winners' names will be announced the first week of March.

Good luck to all who enter. If this giveaway receives a fair amount of response, I will repeat the process next month with similar giveaways.

Celebrate, Speak Out, and Share the Love

Yipee!!!! Celebrate with me: When I logged on this morning I noticed Donna's Book Pub has reached a milestone. I now have 100 followers. Whot! Whot!

Thanks, everyone. While this milestone might be modest by some standards, I appreciate every one of you and thank you all for coming along for the ride. Thanks for your support, comments, questions, humor, and wisdom. I'm honored to share my thoughts and words with you all!

I'd also like to acknowledge my four newest followers:

Elsybeth42 at ElysabethsStories

Poetic Justice at tragiccreativity

Vicky Alvear Shecter from History with a Twist

Sara Katt at the Red Cat Society

Another of my followers, Melissa Ann Goodwin, is the featured blogger today over at WOW! with her inspiring Friday Speak Out on being a late blooming writer.

Yet another follower, Jules over at Trying to Get Over the Rainbow, passed this award on to all her followers. So, with St. Valentine's Day on the horizon, I would like to share the love by passing this lovely Bloggers = Love award. Just download the button on the left and post it to your blog. Then in the spirit of sharing the love, pass it on if you like. (Did I just use the word love four times in this paragraph--oops, make that five.)

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. It's going to warm up a bit here, so hopefully some of our evil snow will melt.

Next week I'm going to announce a giveaway to show my appreciation to all you wonderful folks.

God Works in Mysterious Ways

Yesterday morning I met with Becky Povich, a writing friend, critique group pal, and blogger buddy. Becky is bubbly and fun and always upbeat. She also is the new president of Saturday Writers. I'm stepping down from the board of SW, and I had some contest entries and other paperwork to turn over to her--plus, we wanted to get together and chat.

Originally I planned to turn over the paperwork to Becky Tuesday morning at critique group, but Becky couldn't make it to critique group. Then Becky was going to stop by my house Tuesday night, but because I had some running around with the grandkids, we had to reschedule until Wednesday.

Third time's the charm. I suggested we meet Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. at the Starbucks across from the post office in St. Peters because it's close to both of our homes. Becky agreed, so Starbucks is where we met.

Becky was excited about her true story that was recently published in Thin Threads, Life Changing Moments. Her story is about a woman named Tara's experience with Habitat for Humanity, and Becky brought along a copy to show me. Becky is donating $5 to Habitat for Humanity for each copy she sells.

As we settled in with our hot drinks, a young woman wearing a pea coat and a stylish hat and sitting with a friend at a table nearby said, "Becky?"

After Becky turned to look, the young woman rose from her seat. Becky squealed, "Oh, my God. I don't believe it." She jumped up and gave the woman a big hug.

Would you be surprised if I told you the young woman was Tara, the woman in Becky's story, who was on her way to Barnes and Noble to buy a book for her daughter, but who stopped at Starbucks to meet a friend for coffee? Becky hadn't seen Tara in weeks, but was planning to call that very afternoon. Because Becky had a copy of her book to show me, she was able to give a signed copy to Tara, much to her delight.

The rest of what went on yesterday morning isn't as interesting as the strange coincidence of Becky running into Tara, who lives about twenty miles from St. Peters, being in that Starbucks on that day at that time when Becky and I were meeting to talk, after rescheduling our meeting for a third time.

Coincidence? I don't think so. God truly does work in mysterious ways.

Goals for the Month - Letting Go of Stuff

Over the past week I've done some spring cleaning, but I've still got a long way to go. Cari and I worked on her room on Sunday. Like me, she is a saver, which means she had lots of stuff to go through. I've also decided to move some furniture around, which means get rid of stuff. I've filled up several bags and boxes to give away to various charities and people, but this month I'm also going to focus on cleaning up my writing act.

With the new month, I've set some new writing goals. Here they are:

Book Reviews - Finish one interview and three reviews this month.

Short stories - Work on "Grandma's Suitcase" (now at 1800 words). Have 3,000 words by the end of month

YA Novel - Pull it out, dust off the cobwebs, and start over. Note to self: You can do this!

Critique group - Bring something to read to two meetings. Usually I give up my reading time to others, but this month I'm going to stop being a slacker and bring something to read.

Market/Contests - Find one new market or contest and submit.

Blog - Announce winners of my short story contest in honor of National Short Story Month by June 5th.
Find one new market and post on blog.
Find one new contest and post on blog.

Saturday Writers - Follow up with MO History Museum about speaker for June.
Send out e-mails about Cuivre River Anthology
Update website twice during the month

Book Stack/Shelf - Give away or recycle at least 10 books this month--to library, to critique group, to Saturday Writers, to my sisters, or as a blog giveaway. I'm taking three books to critique group today, so seven more to go by month's end.

How about you, do you have any writing goals for the month?

WOW! Wants Bloggers and Submissions

Some of you might already know about this submission call out from WOW, but for those who don't here's something you might want to check out. I found this information in WOW's May 2010 newsletter.

WOW! is seeking submissions for these upcoming themes:

Creativity: (Deadline for queries/subs: July 15, 2010) They want writers to get creative and send queries/subs!

The Freelance Union 3: (Deadline for queries/subs: September 15, 2010) This issue covers all topics related to freelance writing. This will be their third issue on the subject, so they are looking for article topics they haven't covered before.

For complete details, review the submission guidelines on their Contact page. This will give rates and directions on how to submit. Good luck!

The editors of The Muffin, that's WOW!'s blog, are looking for bloggers with these areas of expertise:

Fiction: The editors want someone who enjoys sharing knowledge, tips, and advice with fellow writers. They want a writer dedicated to fiction, who has a novel under her belt and/or published short stories to craft short posts on how-to topics related to fiction writing.

"Tech" Topics: The editors are looking for a blogger who can write about various "tech" topics in a reader-friendly voice to guide newbies through the labyrinth of the web. Posts can be about anything from how to burn a feed to how to find groups on Twitter.

Blog posts should be short, simple how-tos written for beginners. All posts will be roughly 250 - 500 words. Familiarity with Wordpress and blogging is preferred. This is an ongoing blogging position where you'd be required to blog regularly and come up with your own post ideas with little or no supervision. Starting pay: $5 per post, paid monthly through PayPal. Send an e-mail to editors@wow-womenonwriting.com with "Fiction Blogger" or "Tech Topics Blogger" in the subject line. Include links to sample blog posts related to the topic you're applying for. Include links to your blog(s) and/or links to blogs you currently blog for. Let them know how many days a month or week you'd like to blog.

Now those are some fine writing opportunities. All I can say is WOW! Oh, and good luck!

Words That Go Clunk When You Write

Okay, I admit that's not the greatest title for this post, but it's Friday and my brain is tired, and it's pretty much all I got till Monday.

Here's the thing.

I've read a couple posts the last few days about grammar. One blog responded to a question about the correct use of "then" or "and then" in a compound sentence. Here's an example (but not the same sentence used on the other blog): Is it correct to write: "He went to the bank then he went to the movies."?

According to the response on the other blog, the correct use would be (using my example above): He went to the bank, and then he went to the movies.

I left a comment on the blog that while using "and then" might be correct, it sounds "clunky" to me, and I suggested rewording the sentence to something like: He went to the bank before he went to the movies. I haven't checked back yet to see what the response to my comment was.

Today I found this question/answer post on Writers' Digest about using the pronouns he or she for a non-specific gender. The post is interesting, and as I read the answer to the question, my eyes lit up at: " No. 1 on the Writer’s Digest 10 Commandments list states: 'Thou shalt avoid clunkiness at all costs.' ”

While I thought my comment about not being clunky was original, apparently Writer's Digest also advises writers to "avoid clunkiness." Is clunkiness a real word? Anyway, I agree with the sentiment. Avoid clunkiness and "things that go clunk when you write."

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Today in St. Peters, MO: Sunny, high 69 degrees. My lilac bushes are in full bloom (about this color) and smell amazing (use your imagination).

Winners and Bloggers

Thanks to everyone who left comments after my post last week about Patricia Stoltey's book, http://patriciastoltey.blogspot.com/, PRAIRIE GRASS MURDERS. I wish I could give copies to everyone who left a comment, but I only have two copies to give away. The names of the winners were picked at random--i.e. folded pieces of paper.

And the winners are: Nancy Cook and Linda O'Connell. Please e-mail me at dvolkenannt (at) charter.net so I can send copies to you. If you weren't a winner, check back later this month. I will have a contest to win another book.

While at Linda's blog I discovered another blog with writing advice for writers: The Blood-Red Pencil. "It is place where you can find "sharp and pointed observations about writing." If you get a chance, check it out.

Today in St. Peters, MO: Partly cloudy, high in the mid-fifties.

Top 100 Writing Blogs to Improve Your Writing

Today in St. Peters, MO: Rain and snow, high 40 degrees. Maybe we should send some of our snow to Vancouver for the Olympics?

If you're looking for something to do while waiting for the snow to melt, here's a suggestion. Universities and Colleges. org has published a list of 100 blogs that will help you improve your writing "by providing inspiration, motivation, creativity and new techniques from experts, freelancers, and editors from every genre."

While I've only clicked on a few of the links, I have to check out a lot more. Many of them sound interesting and some of them are downright funny. How can I resist visiting blogs called: Evil Editor, Cute Writing, Throw Grammar from the Train, Flogging the Quill, Mens with Pens, or the Grammar Cop? And who knew there is a "Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar"?

Hope you all have a great weekend! Happy writing!

Donna

Mastering the Craft

Today in St. Peters, MO: Light rain, high 49 degrees. Sunshine predicted for the weekend.

Today on Michael Hyatt's blog (Michael is the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing) his guest blogger is Mary DeMuth, an author, a speaker, and a book mentor with seven published books.

Her thoughtful guest post on Hyatt's blog poses the question: "Are you the type of person who will invest 10,000 hours to become a master writer?"

DeMuth has compiled a checklist of 10 traits to determine if you have what it takes to become a master writer.

All 10 traits have merit, but the ones that connect most with me are: 2, 5, 8, 9, and especially 10: "I understand the beauty of God’s sovereignty in the midst of the journey. He gives and takes away. Blessed be His name, no matter what happens—published or not." (Amen!)

How about you? After reading DeMuth's guest post on Michael Hyatt's blog about what it takes to become a master writer, which traits resonate with you?

Blog Me, Baby

Forecast for St. Peters, MO: Thunderstorms, high 90 degrees.

Each month I feature one or two personal writing friends I want to introduce so others might become acquainted with them, their works and their websites. My two picks for August are Dianna Graveman and Joy Wooderson. Both women are members of Saturday Writers, and I've known Dianna for about seven years and Joy for about five years. In addition to being great writers, they are also good and generous friends.

Dianna Graveman is an editor, a writer, and a teacher. Her fiction and nonfiction stories and articles have awards from the Missouri Writers Guild Awards and the Catholic Press Association Awards, as well as recognition from Whispering Prairie Press, Women on Writing, ByLine Magazine, Adams Media, and other groups. Dianna co-authored of one pictorial history for Arcadia Publishing ("Images of America" series) and is currently under contract to develop three more for release in 2010. Dianna is very generous with her time and talent. She frequently sends me requests for submissions and contest alerts to post on my blog.

Joy Wooderson was born in Durban, South Africa, the eldest in the fourth generation of a prominent ministerial family. At age twenty-one she set off alone for Toronto, Canada. In 1971 she emigrated to the U.S. and settled in Atlanta, Georgia—where she worked for Delta Air Lines as a writer in their customer service area. In 2004 she decided to try another part of the country and moved to St. Louis, Missouri. To her delight, she found Saturday Writers, a chapter of the Missouri Writers’ Guild. Joy is an award-winning writer whose essays have been published in numerous anthologies. For several years she served as the Membership Chair for Saturday Writers, where she was the smiling face at the welcome table for our meetings. Click on the link above to her website to learn more about Joy or her book, Finding Joy: One Woman's Journey Back to Faith.

Ask a Literary Agent by Noah Lukeman

Today's forecast for St. Peters, MO: Chance of thunderstorms, high 79 degrees.

Literary Agent Noah Lukeman, president of Lukeman Literary Management and author of The First Five Pages, (I have a copy of the book and recommend it) has launched a blog where he answers aspiring authors' questions about writing and getting published.

According to information on his Ask A Literary Agent blog, Mr. Lukeman invites questions about publishing or the craft of writing. He will pick random questions to respond to once every few days or so. He is not accepting new clients, so please don't use this blog to query him.

The first question he's answering:
"How do I find out what agent represents a novel in the genre that I think fits my work?"

Once a month, Mr. Lukeman will send out the Ask a Literary Agent newsletter, which will include tips and advice not included in this blog. If you'd like to subscribe, you can find out how to do so on his blog.

I'm a subscriber to his newsletter, which I received yesterday. That's how I found out about his new blog!

Blog Me, Baby

Today in St. Peters, MO, it's partly cloudy, 76 degrees.

Recently I've received e-mails from two writing friends asking me to add links to their websites on my blog. I'm more than happy to do that. It got me to thinking about how closely connected networking and marketing are. Linking with other writers via blogs or websites or social networks helps to stay in touch--and possibly connect with publishing industry folks who visit blogs like mine.

I used the title "Blog Me, Baby" from Amy Willoughby-Burle's e-mail to me, which gives you a hint at Amy's wit and wisdom--not to mention her elegant writing!


Amy Willoughby-Burle’s fiction has appeared in Potomac Review, Sycamore Review, Inkwell, The MacGuffin, Summerset Review, Reed Magazine, and Cuivre River Anthology. Her story “Stone Jesus in the Front Yard,” which appeared in The MacGuffin was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2007.
Amy is a graduate of East Carolina University. Born and raised and now back in North Carolina she has also lived in Virginia, New York, California, and Missouri working as an event planner, a receptionist, a cashier, a housekeeper, a newspaper editor, a certified nurse’s aide and much more. What some would see as a fear of commitment she has used as a map of life and knowledge, allowing all that is awful and beautiful to permeate her fiction--living in that moment of transition. Amy resides in Candler, NC just west of Asheville, with her husband and two adorable daughters.



Claudia Shelton lives where summers are hot with humidity and winters are cold with snow; but, the other two seasons provide her world with colors and scents enough to spark her feelings. In spring, her imagination tiptoes through the daffodils, sits beneath trees bursting with blossoms and relishes the sound of birds returning from their winter vacation. Leaves in all their colorful reds and golds mix in her fall imaginings with the call of geese on their way south or the smell of an early morning get-the-chill-off fire. These all become the backdrop for her stories of relationships and love, patriotism and duty...and second chances in life.

Claudia is a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA), Missouri Romance Writers of America (MORWA), Missouri Writer’s Guild, Saturday Writers and a few critique groups. Her short fiction has received numerous recognitions, plus being published in Sweetgum Notes and Cuivre River Anthology, Volume III. Sharing time with her family and two dogs brings her happiness. And, relaxing on her swing with a good book is always a great way to start the day.


If you get a chance, visit Amy's and Claudia's websites to see what wonderful and unique ways they express themselves through their writing.

Blog Announcement - A Book A Week - and A Contest Announcement

Today's forecast for St. Peters, MO: Mostly sunny. High 90 degrees. It's a hot one out there. The kiddos are already asking when they can go swimming.

* If you get a chance, pop on over to my new blog, A Book A Week, where once a week I will discuss a book I have read. This week's pick is SECRET KEEPERS by Mindy Friddle, from South Carolina. Mindy's writing has been compared with Flannery O'Connor and Eudora Welty.

* I will also interview Mindy right here Friday, June 5, on Donna's Book Pub, as part of the WOW Author's Blog Tour.

* The second announcement is courtesy of my writing friend, Julie E. about the 2009 Juked Fiction and Poetry Prizes. The winner in each genre will receive $500 and publication in an upcoming print issue. Final judges this year are Dan Chaon (fiction) and Dora Malech (poetry).
Submission Deadline: August 31st, 2009

Entry Fee: $10

Fiction: one story per entry, no length requirement

Poetry: up to five poems (no more than ten pages total) per entry

Complete guidelines at: http://www.juked.com/prize/