Why Writer's Conferences Have Value

By Kellie Larsen Murphy

Writers like to meet other writers, hang out, and trade advice. In today's world, a great deal of this meeting and mingling is done through blogs, facebook, and twitter. And as wonderful as the virtual writing community is (and it is!), there is another, equally wonderful way to meet writing friends - through the writer's conference.

But What Makes Conferences Special?

Although conferences cost money and blogs don't, I believe there is still something unique about seeing and hearing someone in the business share their experiences that can't be matched by tweets or blogs. Certainly, there is nothing more interesting than attending a panel where a published author talks about his or her writing process followed by a lengthy question and answer session. I have been personally inspired by some of these sessions. Conferences offer the opportunity to learn.

Conferences today are more inclusive, diverse, and interactive than ever. Some offer critique sessions on first pages of novels or give advice on how to make your query letter better. Other panels discuss how and when to use social media, how to find an agent, and even how to self-publish.

Conferences also offer writers the opportunity to trade stories and advice with other writers (in the flesh). I was having trouble describing "who I wrote like" (something agents tend to ask) until a new writer friend I met at a conference was able to do it for me.  A romance writer may find a local critique group. Screenwriters mingle with magazine freelancers. Mystery writers sit next to non-fiction writers. It's fun! While the virtual writing community is limitless, writing conferences are up close and personal.

Manage Your Expectations

In recent years, one of the biggest draws for aspiring writers is the one-on-one "elevator pitch" with an agent. For many writers, just the chance to meet an agent and pitch their book is often worth the price of admission. However, contrary to popular belief, that agent meeting doesn't guarantee a full or even partial manuscript request. I have witnessed disappointment in writers when the agent felt the project wasn't ready or the manuscript wasn't complete. Still, I do believe your chances of getting them to take a look are significantly higher than average.

Even if the agent ultimately rejects your manuscript, they have met you and spoken with you. That alone will usually get you the kind of constructive criticism you would never have received from a query letter alone. In my case, I was fortunate to have the agent request the full manuscript. And while she did later reject the manuscript, she included some great advice about my writing. I can truly credit her with having an impact on my writing today and the subsequent book I published in September of 2012. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

Make 2013 Your Conference Year

Add to your writing knowledge base and try a conference in 2013. You may learn more about writing and publishing than you expected and become a member of the writing community in your own hometown or state. Best of all, you may just be a better writer and isn't that what it's all about?

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Kellie Larsen Murphy is a freelance writer who has worked in both the banking and publishing industries. In recent years, she has written on a variety of subjects and been featured frequently in several mid-Atlantic magazines. Her debut novel, A Guilty Mind (September 2012), is the first in a series featuring Detective Michael Cancini. The second in the series, Stay of Execution, will be available in 2013. Kellie lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her husband, four children, and two dogs. She would be happy to hear from readers through her website, www.kellielarsenmurphy.com. 

Celebrate!

By Annette Cole Mastron, Communications Director for Southern Writers Magazine

Celebrate today, May 23rd, with me and say a "Happy Birthday" to a truly gifted author of;
“I like dogs
Big dogs
Little dogs
Fat dogs
Doggy dogs
Old dogs
Puppy dogs
I like dogs
A dog that is barking over the hill
A dog that is dreaming very still
A dog that is running wherever he will...I like dogs.” 
― Margaret Wise Brown, "The Friendly Book"

As a dog lover I love this prose. The story goes that Margaret had to teach illustrators to draw the way a child see things. She gave two puppies to an illustrator. He painted several pictures one day and then fell asleep. He discovered the pictures he painted were blank. This is the part of the story I can identify with, the "model" puppies had licked all the paint off the artist's paper. Back to the drawing board.

Millions of children worldwide still have their childhoods shaped by her musical-like qualities of lyrical overtly simplistic prose. Born in 1910, she died tragically young in 1952 from an embolism, following a surgery. Her debut book, "When the Wind Blew" was published in 1937. Thankfully, she left hundreds of unpublished manuscripts at the time of her death. She wrote all the time and dreamed many of her classic stories. Upon awaking, she would write them down in the morning before she forgot them.

She said of writing, “One can but hope to make a child laugh or feel clear and happy-headed as he follows the simple rhythm to its logical end. It can jog him with the unexpected and comfort him with the familiar, lift him for a few minutes from his own problems of shoelaces that won’t tie, and busy parents and mysterious clock time, into the world of a bug or a bear or a bee or a boy living in the timeless world of a story.” 

Margaret Wise Brown was an insightful author ahead of her time. So many of her books have a gentle pattern of rhythm to them or repeat a word pattern. Her writing brilliance, places a hard word into the story because she intended for children to think harder and expand their critical thinking while they read. Her genius coupled with delightful and unique illustrations shine through on every wonderful page.

Did you know that she crafted a beautiful birthday book? "The Golden Birthday Book" is a delightful combination of Margaret Wise Brown’s writing and Leonard Weisgard’s illustrations. These are pages from my copy of the book with some of her magical words.Take a page from her happy little book and celebrate by being your "own true rabbit". You too, can write a story to influence children and adults for centuries to come. 

Happy 103rd Birthday, Margaret Wise Brown! You continue to make a difference, even in the lives of children and adults in the twenty-first century.

Gift Your Reader, Not Yourself

By Linda Acaster

We all write for ourselves, aiming to get in the zone, to experience the rush, to burn in the white heat of creativity when our fingers can’t fly fast enough over the keys. Yet what exactly is it that ends up on paper? Often it is merely a faded rendition of the movie we saw running in our heads.

English has an alphabet of 26 letters. Forget what your school teacher impressed upon you about spelling and grammar; for a writer of fiction those 26 letters are symbols to encrypt emotional content, the emotional content that engulfs us in the white heat of creativity. Readers don’t want to read, they want to experience.

Pacing, atmosphere, tone, description… these and others go into the mix, but each is little more than an inert statement. It is character that makes them live – or not. I’m hot on showing what I mean so let’s conjure a character: the sassy smart-mouth with the unruly hair.

Got her? I didn’t say it was a ‘her’ yet that’s what the majority of readers will have jumped to, probably fully-kitted out in coloring and clothes, and doubtless with an urban backdrop. A stereotype. A cliché. That’s what stereotypes and clichés are, fast pieces of code so that everyone is reading from the same page with the least effort. Is that what you want to gift your reader, least effort? Here’s news: if readers want to slob out with least effort they’ll hit Netflix, not invest a couple of days engaging with your novel.

Let’s try another character. How about an artist? Oh, you’re suspicious now, are you? You want to know whatsort of an artist? Okay, a painter, for ease a male watercolorist. Walk him to your local store and let him buy a few groceries.

How did he do? How did you do? If you’ve ever painted, no matter the medium, you’ll know that a tree is not green, that clouds are not grey, that tarmac isn’t black. If your character didn’t see subtle tones in the light and shade of objects enroute, if he didn’t see mass and contour in the vegetables on offer at the store, he won’t live and breathe as an artist on the page. Musicians hear street noises in terms of pitch and modulation; plumbers hear a gurgle in a pipe and know if the system isn’t working correctly; police officers see a lone bystander and assess that person’s life in the blink of an eye. More than anything that officer sees the lone bystander, while for me and you the person is amalgamated with the background.

Characters don’t just filter our stories to readers. They are the bridge between the white heat of our creativity and the language that encodes emotional content on the page. Think them through; build their foundations deep. Then step into their skins and write so as to allow readers to experience your fiction the way you intend.

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Linda Acaster talks more about building characters in ‘Reading A Writer’s Mind: Exploring Short Fiction – First Thought to Finished Story’. Despite being a Brit, her bestselling novel is the Native American historical ‘Beneath The Shining Mountains’ – she used to be a re-enactor so understands the need for deep research. Currently she’s writing the second in a trilogy of paranormal thrillers with Celtic undertones, starting with ‘Torc ofMoonlight’. She loves travelling in New Mexico where she often goes under the guise of Western writer Tyler Brentmore. Catch up with her at 

http://lindaacaster.blogspot.com http://www.lindaacaster.com

https://www.facebook.com/lindaacasterUK http://twitter.com/LindaAcaster

So What?

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director, Southern Writers Magazine


You may remember Art Linkletter's famous quote, "Kids say the darndest things".  Even when I was a kid (saying the darndest things), I recognized that it doesn't stop with kids.  I've always been fascinated with the oddities of conversation and how we all say some pretty strange things.

The first time I heard the phrase "good to go" was at a business meeting in 2000, and it caught my ear for its uniqueness and alliteration. I had no idea it would soon become one of the most overused catch phrases of our time.  Having said that, I say it a lot.

In more recent years, "It is what it is" has elbowed its way into modern language.  I was introduced to it by a friend who was suddenly using it several times in every conversation.  I assumed he got it from one of his two great loves, sports or American Idol.  Either way, what an absurd phrase.  How can it not be what it is?  I mean, come on.  I'm validated to observe that "It is what it is" is one of the most hated sayings of our century, and is on its way out.

But much more recently, I'm noticing the unusual propensity of some people to start an answer with the word "so".  For example:

"Why did you become a writer?"
"So when I got out of school I..."

Huh? When did "so" become a synonym of "because"?

Watch any episode of Shark Tank and you'll see numerous instances of this.  For a while I assumed they skipped something in editing, but it's become obvious that's not the case.  I've been hearing it elsewhere too, like on cable news channels.  Have you?

"So" at the beginning of an answer seems to be replacing the ever-popular "well".  Which, if you think about it, is just as odd of a word to start an answer with.  The dictionary doesn't even explain "well" in that context, but we all use it as a bridge of sorts, an interjection to lead us from the question to the answer, giving us an extra moment to form the words that follow:

"Why are you late?"
"Well, I..."

Actually, I have a theory.  In recent years psychologists have asserted that "well" at the beginning of an answer could mean the person is not telling the truth.  (Perhaps it's become an unofficial qualifier, like "actually" or "honestly".)  Because of that, companies may have instructed their salespeople to avoid saying "well", and other circles have followed suit.  Just a theory.

Still, I question the choice of "so" as its replacement, which is like starting an answer with "therefore".  It's especially unforgivable among journalists, who purport to use the English language more fluently than the average bear.  Instead, they're only perpetuating the madness.

Kindly pardon the rant, but it's starting to get on my nerves and I hope this bizarre trend will fade into oblivion soon.  Until then, it is what it is.

A Dash of Dis and a Dash of Dat

By Kittie Howard

South Louisiana is a gumbo of ethnicities, languages, dialects, colonial histories, and varied landscapes. I didn’t know dat, me, growin’ up dere, no.

Ah, Cajun English, the sound of home: a pot of gumbo on the stove; sweet corn dripping down the chin; collard greens with—shhh, our secret—a dash of sugar. Mo chagren. I’m sorry. What am I saying? The sound of home is in my mind, a recording only I hear.

When I roughed out my latest novella, Rings of Trust, I dove into the keyboard with the sound of home. Pleased with my Cajun English dialogue, I printed a copy for my husband. Minutes later, he frowned. “What’s the matter?” I asked.

My New Hampshire husband hesitated. “Maybe you should tone down this Cajun dialect.”

We exchanged blank looks: New Hampshire’s boiled potatoes and South Louisiana deep-fried shoestring potatoes; New Hampshire’s clam chowder and South Louisiana’s gumbo. As if I were a character in one of my books, I perused my lips. “Okay,” I said.

I returned to the keyboard and sat there, staring at the screen and tapping my finger on the desk. My husband spoke conversational French, but with a Canadian English foundation his mother’s first language. Tap. Tap. This dialogue is so normal. Tap. Tap. What’s wrong with him? He’s been to South Louisiana countless times without a problem talking sports. Tap. Tap. He wasn’t paying atten—whoa!

I’d forgotten about body language and eye contact, the other aspects of hearing. Of course hub didn’t get it. He wasn’t born into Cajun English, a dialect that had evolved from Cajun French out of economic necessity in the 1800s. When one’s sitting in an un-air conditioned mom and pop diner in August, one understands Da day’s hot, hot. It’s easy to pick up that the lack of the plosive /th/ sound in Cajun French has turned the into da. Just as easy, the brain hears hot. But to read hot, hot in a dialogue? Neither listener nor reader knows the first hot means very. When Cajuns end sentences with no or yeah, there’s no rule, only a sensing.

I then did what I should have done in the first place: I devised a list of Cajun accented words (dôn for don’t) and fractured English (Id dôn matta, no.) to season the straight English. Once I had a consistency, the fingers flew. My husband turned page after printed page. “What’s Broussard going to do next? he’d ask.

I’d smile and return to the keyboard. However, I’d learned an important lesson about assuming. The author and the reader have to hear each other. In a way, we’re like cicadas calling each other. If one doesn’t hear, the evening is too quiet.

Much of the dialogue in Southern literature reflects the South’s drawl. But it differs. We hear who’s from Mississippi or Northern Louisiana. We know who’s who. How do you handle this drawl in your dialogue?

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Kittie Howard was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and graduated from Louisiana State University with a Bachelor of Science degree. She has worked for the U. S. Department of Defense. The United States Marine Corps presented her with a citation for her contributions to its Family Readiness Program. She has served as an advisor to local Red Cross, Navy Relief Boards, the national Armed Services YMCA Board and has coordinated various projects for local chapters of the USO. Kittie Howard’s Christmas novella with Remy chararacter in Remy Broussard's Christmas. Southern Writers Magazine showcased her Louisiana heritage on its blog in July 2012. In association with a Louisiana historical society, her grandmother’s family will be one of three families featured in a book about South Central Louisiana’s pioneers. Kittie and her husband, Dick Vercauteren, presently divide their time between Northern Virginia and Louisiana.

The Gift of Writing Comes From Inside

By Peter B Forster

‘Oh I have always been a writer. All my life I have snatched words out of the air. Even as I woke in the morning my first thought would be to catch their bright burning flame, wield a pen like a branding iron and scorch them deep into a sheet of velum. The pain of the world writ large in raw hide…’ How many times have you heard that kind of pretentious twaddle from a writer?

When I was asked to provide an original piece of work for the magazine and one that might provide some useful insights about the process of writing to the readership I was stumped. Words usually pour out. They jump and bubble. I let them go and watch as they dance around the page like a row of chorus girls. I have never experienced the dreaded yips. Or the cold hollow whistle of an empty head. But that is because I think the gift of writing is within us all. It is not a unique talent; there is no magical formula. All you need to do is write down your thoughts. We all have them and it is as easy as that.

Of course that is pretentious twaddle as well because if it was easy then anybody could do it and if it was true we would all be bashing out books all day long.

‘Oh I’ve always thought I would write a book one day…’

How many times have we heard that? Of course every single person on this planet has a story. And everybody thinks they can write it down.

But they don’t, do they and why not?

It is easy to say creative writing takes discipline and hard work, but that goes without saying. If we all have the gift then anybody can sit down with a lap top. With the press of a button the flood gates are opened and the words just spill out. It is as easy as ABC. But if that is true what makes the difference between words that dribble out with the graceless hum of a splattered cowpat and those that slip off the tongue with a lyrical roll and move with a rhythm that captures the imagination?  I think it is personality. If a writer can harness their own unique personality and transfer it on to the page then the words come to life. They have a personality, power and majesty all of their own.

Well maybe, possibly, perhaps.

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Peter is a consulting Counseling Psychologist in a busy East London community health setting. He has published in academic works and provided chapters in books for counselors’’ psychologists and psychotherapists he nurtures a love of and talent for creative writing. He attends writer’s workshops, written and performed poetry as well as provided lyrics for jobbing musicians. Currently he is fulfilling his ambition to write full length fiction novel. Peter’s academic work can be found in Tribe and Morrissey (eds) Handbook of Professional and Ethical Practice for Psychologists, Counsellors and Psychotherapists. Brunner-Routledge (2005) web: www.peterbforster.com   twitter: @peterbforster

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Peter-B-Forster/382099575196003?ref=hl

Tearing Into History

By Annette Cole Mastron, Communications Director for Southern Writers Magazine

Have you ever watched a building being torn down? Last week a 2300 year old Mayan temple in the Nohmul complex in Belize was leveled by a construction crew. Reportedly, it was destroyed to provide gravel for a nearby road under construction.What?

According to the Belize Institute of Archaeology, a small portion of the center of the pyramid mound was left standing. Although situated on private property, historical sites are protected by the government of Belize, and criminal charges may be filed.

Ironically, the day I heard of the destruction of the Mayan pyramid I was able to observe the destruction of a non-historical icon a former Mrs.Winners Chicken & Biscuit building. Not that this compares to the loss of a historical landmark, but it does compare to the edit process of a book 

In order to destroy a building, you need a big crane and an experienced crane driver. In editing a book, you need written pages and an editor. The crane driver/editor manipulates deep into the pages of the book and extracts what is not necessary. The unnecessary words are scooped up into a pile and deposited into your computer's trash bin. 

During the process of building-destruction, a construction crew member waters down the pile of trash so that it doesn't combust and cause a fire. For your book that could be a trusted reader(s) or critique group. Editing is a personal process even though it's part of the business. While some of your written words are going to trash, it's important to get positive reinforcement. 

When the dump truck is filled to capacity, it leaves the site. After editing is completed, one of the hardest things for me to do is hit the delete button on the trash bin. Once done, you are free from the edit process and ready to start your next project.

What does editing have to do with history? Your book or story contains history no matter the subject or genre. It represents the author's personal history. Life was happening around you while you wrote your book. I think that is why we sometimes have trouble in the edit process. If you are like me, the words I've written remind me of life events that happened, while my book and story developed. When those words are deleted, it's as if part of my history has been deleted. Sometimes it's hard to tear into history but it has to be done. You may be left with a small portion of the original but the heart of your book will allow your voice to shine through.