Cactus Country II Is Now Available

Last week, while I was getting ready to leave for the Erma Bombeck Workshop in Dayton, my good friend Lou Turner, who is the Publisher and Editor of High Hill Press, took time from her unbelievably busy schedule to drop by my house and deliver a copy of Cactus Country (Volume II).

Even though Lou is an award-winning writer and publisher, she is sweet and considerate like that.

Anyway, I'm so excited that my short story "Keeping Faith" is included in the Cactus Country Volume II anthology, along with stories, articles, and poems from some famous Western writers, as well as a few writing friends.

If you like reading about the West, or if you enjoy good writing, Cactus Country II is an anthology not to be missed. 

The anthology includes works from: Dusty Richards, Jory Sherman, Delois McGrew, Brett Cogburn, Lucia St. Clair Robson, Pat Carr, Claudia Mundell, Ellen Gray Massey, Regina Williams, W. E. (Bill) Mueller, and many more talented writers.

Yesterday at critique group two writers purchased copies from Lou then asked for my autograph. What fun!

So, I hope you'll gitty up, pony up a few bucks, and get yourself a copy of this anthology. 

Here's a link to the Cactus Country book store with information on how you can buy a copy, as well as a link to submission guidelines if you want to submit something for a future Cactus Country anthology.

Writing Fiction with Pat Carr

Last fall Saturday Writers presented a workshop with acclaimed fiction writer Pat Carr. It was the fourth time I've heard Pat speak, and each time I'm inspired to run home and write short stories. During last year's workshop I used Pat's exercises to begin a few new stories. Like magic, those stories took shape.

After last year's Saturday Writers workshop, Lou Turner, CEO and publisher of High Hill Press, convinced Pat to write a hands-on book about writing fiction. The result is Writing Fiction with Pat Carr, the lovely book featured on the left.

You might be wondering: Who is Pat Carr and how can she teach me to write fiction? Pat Carr has a B.A. and M. A. from Rice, a Ph.D. from Tulane, and has taught literature and creative writing in universities across the South. She has fifteen published books, including the Iowa Fiction Prize winner, The Women in the Mirror, the PEN Book Award finalist, If We Must Die, and over one hundred short stories in pubications including The Southern Review, Yale Review, and Best American Short Stories. Her latest short story collection, The Death of a Confederate Colonel, a nominee for the Faulkner Award, won the PEN Southwest Fiction Award, the John Estes Cooke Fiction Award, and was voted one of the top ten books from university presses for 2007 by Foreword Magazine.

Her award-winning story "The Party," which was first published in The Southern Review, is included in her book. Other stories included are "The Death of a Confederate Colonel" and "Incident on the Border."

Carr's how-to book begins with "The Techniques" and the sentence "Fiction is narrative in scenes." From there she gives two dozen assignments, which cover the nuts and bolts of writing compelling short stories, including: scene, setting, character, details, names, emotions, dialogue, point of view, openings, endings, symbols, vision, revision, theme, and more.

On "Point of View," she writes, "An author's choice of point of view can make or break a story." Carr not only offers advice, she includes diagrams to demonstrate her points and includes examples of different points of view.

On openings and endings, "The opening sentence of a story should promise what the story will deliver," and "The last line of a story should be a piece of dialogue, an action, or an image."

While this post isn't a short story, I'll take Carr's advice and leave you with a piece of dialogue.

After reading and using Writing Fiction with Pat Carr, Donna Volkenannt commented, "Carr's advice is brilliant and her assignments are inspiring!"

National Short Story Month Contest - Day 10

We're about one-third of the way through NSSM and my contest to encourage my visitors to write and submit a short story. If you missed my original post about the contest, check back to the beginning of this month. In essence, I'm hoping to encourage short story writing and asking visitors to submit a short story of no more than 2010 words. Contest details are in the earlier post.

If you're stuck and looking for ideas to get started, here are a couple of suggestions.

Last Friday on Cathy C. Hall's blog, she posted a link to The Absinthe Road where you can find writing prompts each Monday. How's that for a great way to get inspired to write?

If that doesn't work, I'll also try to help. This week I'll post some prompts I've gathered from workshops I've attended as well as from other sources I've collected on my writing journey. Today's prompts come from Pat Carr, who gave a "Writing Fiction with Pat Carr" workshop to Saturday Writers last October.

In Pat's workshop, she taught that a "short story moves from innocence to experience" and "fiction is narrative shown in scenes." She advised not having more than five charaters in a short story and shared these prompts:

1. The easiest place to start a story is with an incident that actually happened. Prompt: Write five incidents you remember (preferably longer than five years ago).

2. For authenticity, use a place you've been. Prompt: Set your story in one of these places:

The most comfortable place in life, most uncomfortable, most exciting, most boring, or the most frightening.

3. To make your setting come alive for your reader, use specific sensory details. Prompt: Use one or more of these to get your story started: An odor (our sense of smell is our strongest), time of day and season, temperature, sound, an important object, a dominant color, a dominant shape, something that can be touched, a taste, a certain slant of light (from Emily Dickenson).

I've used Pat's prompts to start two short stories--note I wrote start--they are still works in progress, but they got my creative juices flowing and gave shape to my ideas. So, how about you?

Interview with Pat Carr - Part II

Today in St. Peters, partly sunny, high 70 degrees. Another fine day!

As promised, today I will post part II of my interview with Pat Carr. In addition to being a prolific writer, Carr has also been a teacher. She has taught English at Rice, Tulane, New Orleans, and several other universities. She has received numerous awards and honors, including a writing fellowship to the Foundation LedigRowohlt in Luasanne, Switzerland. She and her husband have retired and live in Elkins, Arkansas.

Here are my interview questions and Pat's answers:

Donna Volkenannt: Several years ago I had the privilege of attending a workshop during which you read your short story, “The Party.” I still get a lump in my throat when I think about the characters in that story. It is such a vivid and moving piece; I think it should be required reading for students from junior high through high school. I’m curious: what has been the reaction from teachers, parents, and students to “The Party”?

Pat Carr: I loved your reaction to "The Party." When I was teaching in college, my colleagues used to ask me to read it to classes to introduce the concept of a short story, and I have had great responses to it from students, teachers, and editors. It's been anthologized more than any of my other stories, and Hillary Clinton wrote me a note after she read it that said, "Reading it was like a fist in the gut."

DV: I can understand Mrs. Clinton's reaction. "The Party" is an amazing story, beautifully told. Here's another question about short stories: With more than 100 short stories published, you must have a favorite. Which is you have a favorite and why?

PC: I'm afraid I have a lot of favorite stories. Besides "The Party" I really like "The Puppet" and "An El Paso Idyll" but my husband's very favorite is also a favorite of mine, "Diary of a Union Soldier."

DV: In your works of fiction which comes first, character or plot?

PC: When I write a story, I usually start with an incident and then pick a character, so I'd have to say that plot comes before character for me.

DV: That's interesting. Now another question on craft. On October 24 you will be giving a workshop at Saturday Writers in St. Peters on "Vision, Voice, and Viewpoint." I'm curious about what is most important in writing fiction: vision, voice, or viewpoint?

PC: As for which is more important, vision, voice, or viewpoint, definitely viewpoint. It can make or break a story, and I've seen the most achingly beautiful story ruined by the author choosing the wrong point of view to tell it.

DV: Thank you for your succinct answer and wise advice. It is definitely something to think about before beginning a story. Speaking of advice, what is the best writing advice you’ve ever received?

PC: The best writing advice I ever got was probably that of my father who said, "Nobody can be great in more than one field, so you need to decide if you want to write or paint. Since you write more than you paint, I'd choose that if I were you."

DV: That is good advice, and definitely something to think about. As a final question: What are you working on now, and what’s the best way for readers to find out about book signings, workshops, or personal appearances?

PC: I don't currently have a website, so people can find out about readings, signings, etc. by checking with my e-mail, patcarr313@aol.com I don't mind answering them (with an e-mail the size of a post-it, of course.)

Thanks again, Pat, for taking the time to answer my questions and share you knowledge and wisdom with my blog visitors. I look forward to learning even more from you during your "Vision, Voice, and Viewpoint" workshop with Saturday Writers on October 24.

If you are in the St. Louis area and would like to attend the Saturday Writers workshop at the St. Peters Community and Arts Center, 1035 St. Peters- Howell Road from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with Pat Carr and Regina Williams, editor of Storyteller Magazine, walk-in registrations will be permitted on a space-available basis. For workshop fees and other details about the event, visit http://www.saturdaywriters.org/ Events page.

Interview with Pat Carr - Part I

Partly cloudy, high 71 degrees--another beautiful day in St. Peters, MO.


I am so excited to share with you my interview with acclaimed writer and teacher Pat Carr. The interview will be in two parts beginning today and concluding tomorrow.

Carr's twelve books of fiction include THE WOMEN IN THE MIRROR, winner of the Iowa Short Fiction Award, IF WE MUST DIE, nominated in the 2003 PEN book awards, and THE DEATH OF A CONFEDERATE COLONEL, published by the University of Arkansas Press. Her more than one hundred short stories have been published in Southern Review, Yale Review, Best American Short Stories and other publications. ForeWord magazine named Carr's, THE DEATH OF A CONFEDERATE COLONEL one of the top university press books of 2008.


This coming Saturday, October 24, Carr will present a workshop to Saturday Writers at the St. Peters Community and Arts Center on "Vision, Voice, and Viewpoint." I conducted my interview with Pat via e-mail.

Donna Volkenannt: You have written a dozen books of fiction and have had more than 100 short stories appear in notable publications such as Southern Review, Yale Review, Best American Short Stories, and others. THE WOMEN IN THE MIRROR won the Iowa Short Fiction Award. Your novel IF WE MUST DIE was a finalist in the PEN book awards. It is obvious you are talented and a master of the craft! When did you first discover you wanted to become a writer and how did you go about becoming one?

PAT CARR: I knew I wanted to be a writer before I could write. Before I knew the alphabet, I'd fold up pages into book form and write squiggled lines that I'd "read" to anyone who'd listen. I taught myself how to type when I was 13 so I could type up stories and start submitting them. Fortunately, no magazine took any of those early ones, but I had a liquor box stuffed with stories by the time I started high school.


DV: That's an interesting story, rich in memory and detail. Now, on to your latest book. THE DEATH OF A CONFEDERATE COLONEL is a short story collection set in Arkansas during the American Civil War. ForeWord magazine named it one of the top university press publications of 2008. What was your inspiration for THE DEATH OF A CONFEDERATE COLONEL, and why did you chose to write a short story collection rather than a novel?

PC: I did write a Civil War novel called A PERFECTLY SPLENDID TIME, but as I was researching and writing it, I ended up with a cast of characters that didn't fit in the novel plot, so I wrote a series of short stories as well and ended up with DEATH OF A CONFEDERATE COLONEL.


DV: The research in your work shines through but does not overshadow story. Your novel IF WE MUST DIE is set in Tulsa, Oklahoma, during the deadly race riot of 1921. Your short story collection THE DEATH OF A CONFEDERATE COLONEL is set in Arkansas during the American Civil War. Both works of fiction are rich in historical detail. Please talk about how you research your fictional works.

PC: When I do historical research for a historical novel--or story--I read everything I can get my hands on--which in the case of the Civil War is thousands of volumes. For IF WE MUST DIE, there are basically only 8 sources since that deadly riot was kept secret until the 1980s. After I read everything, I go to the places I'm going to write about so I can get a feel for the setting. (I just finished another novel, BORDEAUX IS BURNING, set in 1348 France when the Black Plague came to Europe, so I had to go to Bordeaux to do part of the research.) I also stalk every museum I can find.


DV: I know what you mean about visiting museums. What a wonderful obsession! Now, on to short stories. Over the years I’ve attended numerous writers’ conferences, and almost without exception, agents and editors said they did not represent short story collections. Lately I’ve noticed short story collections are getting some favorable attention. Oprah’s latest pick, SAY YOU’RE ONE OF THEM by Uwem Akpan, is a collection of stories. John Grisham’s FORD COUNTY: STORIES is one of the most pre-ordered books on Wal-Mart.com and Amazon.com. What do you make of this? Do you think short story collections are making a comeback?

PC: I hope short story collections are making a comeback because I love the form. But agents and publishers other than academics are still very shy about taking on a collection.


DV: I hope you are right about short story collections making a comeback because I love the form, too. On the topic of short stories, who are some of your favorite short story writers?


PC: Short story writers I like are Chekhov, Frank O'Connor, and Katharine Mansfield.

That concludes Part I of my interview with Pat Carr. Check back tomorrow to find out which Pat believes is most important in fiction writing--vision, voice, or viewpoint--and what Hillary Clinton had to say about Pat's short story "The Party."

To learn more about Pat's "Vision, Voice, and Viewpoint" Workshop visit the Events page of Saturday Writers.

Pat Carr Headlines Saturday Writers' Annual Workshop October 24

Today's weather for St. Peters, MO: Chance of thunderstorms, high 89 degrees.

Mark your calendars for October 24. That's when the Saturday Writers' chapter of the Missouri Writers' Guild will sponsor its annual workshop. This will be a hands-on workshop, limited to the first 50 people. A workbook will be provided so bring nothing but a sharpened pencil and your enthusiasm. (Lunch on your own.) Acclaimed writer Pat Car will headline the event, with a presentation on "Vision, Voice, and Viewpoint." Carr’s twelve books of fiction include The Women in the Mirror, winner of the Iowa Short Fiction Award, If We Must Die.

In the 2003 PEN book awards, and The Death of a Confederate Colonel, published by the University of Arkansas Press. You can read an interview with Carr on the University of Arkansas link. Carr's more than one hundred short stories have been published in such notable publications as Southern Review, Yale Review, Best American Short Stories. ForeWord magazine named Pat Carr's, The Death of a Confederate Colonel, one of the top university press books of 2008, praising Carr's economic narrative as being precise and dramatic.

Also on hand will be Regina Williams, publisher and editor of Storyteller Magazine, who will also give a presentation about writing for Storyteller. During the workshop, Regina will take pitches from attendees. Williams will speak in the morning about how to submit your short story, essay or poem to any magazine or anthology. She’ll tell you what to include in your query, and what to avoid.

A Workshop Registration Application and Contest information can be found on the http://www.saturdaywriters.org/ Member Application page.

All workshop attendees are eligible to enter a writing competition, with $150 in prizes. Visit the Saturday Writers Contest page for details.