Three Books for Every Library

By  Paul Yarbrough

I once told a friend there were three books every Southerner should have in his library:  Gone with the Wind, I’ll Take My Stand, and the Bible. I did comment––“Not necessarily in that order.”  It’s not that all Southern prose, from Virginia to Texas, is captured by these, but they do reach into the Southern soul for a view of life––past, present and future.  That is what I want to write and read about, the South and its life; past, present and future. The South is more than worthy of study.

There hardly exist, in my opinion, a population of characters more colorful and charismatic than Southerners. But they exist when, as Dr. Clyde Wilson has stated in Defending Dixie, one understands that one of the greatest Southern writers, William Faulkner. 1 wrote about Southerners who were not simply “aristocrats” and “poor whites.” Because Faulkner knew the South and knew that they were not simply that. Most were between those groups. And they all were made of flesh with demonstrably great accomplishments as well as great sins.

The three works I mentioned above encapsulate the greatness and wonder of the American South which includes it treasures, its pride, its kindness and its flaws. The South has never been puritanical. That is, again my opinion, a Yankee trait. i.e. New England.

Southern stories include blemishes of its characters. I Certainly recommend Flannery O’Conner at this point. Puritanical stories are largely about a mythical “American exceptionalism.” No defects.

The South has had its greats such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Robert E. Lee. It also has had its murderers, drunkards and vagabonds. Gone With the Wind demonstrates in historical novel fashion this wide variety; I’ll Take My Stand in multiple essay accounts shows the humanness, hard work and sincerity of the South.  

The Bible in no uncertain terms reveals greatness and failure (Saul for example). But the ultimate revelation is that there is no chance for the puritanical polish of mankind by other men. Purity comes from the sacrifice of one man. The South did not give itself the name “The Bible Belt.” The name was given to it. I was born and raised in the South, Mississippi; schooled and married into the wonderful state of Louisiana; and have lived and probably will die in one of God’s most prized places on earth—Texas.

There may be those who know the South better than I. But there are none that love it more.

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 Paul Yarbrough was born and reared in Mississippi and have lived in both Louisiana and Texas. I have spent most of my business career in the oil business. I took up writing as a hobby 15 years ago and love to write about the South. I am just about finished with a fourth novel which takes place in Texas, circa 1953. I write some short stories and essays. One of my favorites is a Southern site, The Abbeville Institute. They have even posted a couple of short stories of mine as well as essays and one poem. I like to write poetry though I have only one poem posted. I mostly do it like the rest of my writing, as a hobby. I had a former friend in another Southern state, herself a fine writer, offering advice but she dropped out. So, I don’t do so much verse now.

Sipping on Glogg While Writing This Blog

By Annette Cole Mastron, Communications Director for Southern Writers Magazine

Yes, I know Christmas 2018 has come and gone in a whirl, so please indulge me. I want to go back 10 days and share part of our family Christmas Eve tradition of going to The Peabody Hotel in downtown Memphis. The Peabody is bejeweled for the holidays. We snag a table in the lobby bar by the elegant baby grand piano, order specialty drinks and enjoy watching the people. Even though the lobby bar is the center stone for the activity of the hotel, the lobby is comfy cozy and welcoming to guests. Every morning the Duckmaster escorts five North American Mallards from their luxury penthouse accommodations to the lobby fountain, delighting guests.

We have seen the duck march a gazillion times, so we prefer to arrive after that event when swarms of people appear to watch the duck march daily. We like to arrive mid day. If you haven’t seen the duck march, it’s worth the time to enjoy and watch. It happens twice a day when the ducks arrive and depart the world-famous Travertine marble sculpted fountain. The fountain was carved from a single piece of Travertine. It’s impressive.

Nothing shows off The Peabody’s marble floors and stately columns like the Christmas decorations and 2 story Christmas tree adorned in lights and ornaments. At Christmas, my eye is drawn upwards to the beautiful stained glass ceiling, and the painted, beamed ceiling that is further highlighted by all the colorful holiday decorations. We like to sit at a corner table by the piano which is always playing holiday music by the Christmas tree. It gives a full view of the Lobby bar and all the activities. It’s a writer’s delight in storing up ideas for new stories. Many authors have stayed and written at the Peabody Hotel, including William Faulkner. 

The Peabody is a constant in our ever changing city. It’s said the Lobby bar is “the living room of Memphis; the place to see and be seen as well being the beginning of the Mississippi Delta.” If you want to learn more about the history of The Peabody check out this page with pictures of the hotel from 1869 to today. It’s fascinating. 

Only at Christmas can you see the gingerbread village, themed differently each year. You can smell the gingerbread from the Lobby bar. It adds to the writer senses, as do the themed drinks, in a layered effect that helps bring life to any writing. This year the gingerbread theme was based from Roald Dahls book, Willie Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. It was a masterpiece. Well done, Peabody chefs.

This year I tried a new-to-me adult beverage, a Glogg. It was a chilly Christmas Eve, so the warm beverage was perfect. Glogg is a sweet, warm, spicy, and merry musings of its Old Norse origins, meaning "glowing ember” drink. It’s a drink like Scrooge from Charles Dickens, “The Christmas Carol” enjoyed with the ghost of Christmas present.

So Christmas Eve 2018, I enjoyed time with my family while writing this blog and storing up ideas for a future Christmas story.

‘‘Twas the Afternoon Before Christmas
When all through The Peabody
Families were coming and going in a rush
Gingerbread smells wafted through the lobby
The piano played, Jingle Bells, 

while I sat at the corner lobby table sipping a Glogg and writing this blog.” 

THE FIRST INGREDIENT IN WRITING

By Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief for Southern Writers Magazine 

“Read, read, read. Read everything - trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it. Then write. If it's good, you'll find out. If it's not, throw it out of the window.”  William Faulkner

I ran across the above quote not long ago and it struck me how many times I have heard, “I don’t like to read.”

Yet that person is trying to write a short story/book. I am not sure why or how they think this business is done, but if they don’t like to read, chances are they may tire and give up on writing. The two basically go hand in hand.

To me, only a reader can understand the depths a writer goes to create a new world with different characters walking around, living day to day lives in this imaginary creation.

Jeff Goins, https://goinswriter.com/good-writers-read/ who is an author, blogger and speaker said, “Writers need to read. A lot. Magazines. Books. Periodicals. And so on. They need to grasp the art of language, to appreciate the finer points of words. As they read, they should jot down ideas and capture thoughts as they come.”

When we read a book, it is like being in a one-on-one relationship with the author who is showing you how they write, their style, character development, scenes, plots, and dialogue.

You will see things pop up that make an impression on you. Ask yourself, why did that make an impression? Jot it down. I agree with Jeff, write down the ideas and thoughts as they come to you and think about it when you have completed the book. What did you like about it? What didn’t you like?

Seeing how other authors write is like getting a free class in writing. Pay attention. Nothing is more motivating to me. There are even some books I read I think to myself, I could have written that.

One thing I notice as a reader, my vocabulary jumps higher, words fall out of my mouth and onto the pages faster.

When was the last time you read a book and found yourself intrigued? Learning? Story ideas popping?

As writers, we can enlarge our worlds by reading so we can aspire to greater written works.

Choosing a Narrator

By Janie Dempsey Watts

Who’s telling the story? This is the first question a writer faces when beginning to structure his or her story.  Will the plot unfold through one person’s point of view? Or will there be many narrators such as William Faulkner employs in As I Lay Dying?

In my first novel, Moon Over Taylor’s Ridge, I used the voice of a first-person, female narrator.  Although somewhat limiting in showing all that was going on in the story, I was able to show the bigger picture through other characters’ dialogue and actions, and through what my narrator sees or thinks.

In my second novel, Return to Taylor’s Crossing, I wanted to explore the impact of two violent attacks on all those involved.  The story begins during the Civil Rights era and follows some of the characters for fifty years. In my first draft, I used third person omniscient which allowed the reader to see inside all of the characters’ minds as the story unfolded.  This sometimes created confusion although I used only one point of view in each paragraph. Thus, one paragraph would show the inner thoughts of one character and the next one the inner thoughts of another. It was clear to me, the writer, what was going on, but when I workshopped my novel, I found I had confused some of my readers.  Also, whipping back and forth inside everyone’s head created a “head hopping” effect.  And just between you and me, one paragraph does not a deep relationship make.  I really wanted to get into my characters’ heads, but instead I felt I was watching a well-orchestrated ping pong game.

I researched writers I admired to see their point of view choices.  Sue Monk Kidd, one of my favorite authors, uses two narrators in The Invention of Wings.  I toyed with using two narrators but soon realized my cast of characters was larger than that. I decided I’d expand my narrators to six characters, three African American and three white.  Each would have his or her own chapter, and each chapter would move the plot forward in some way. 

Oddly enough, when I gave the characters their own chapters, they started revealing themselves to me in ways they had not when I only spent a few paragraphs at a time with them. My first approach, third person omniscient, was like speed dating with my characters while spending a whole chapter with each of them was like an all-day picnic.

This multiple point of view method was not without its challenges.  For example, which character would be the best one to describe a certain scene? Probably the one most impacted by the action, I reasoned.  I found myself wanting to reveal more, share all I knew, but always I had to pull myself back into the structure I’d created.

One character, Xylia, owner of the general store where some of the action takes place, kept wanting to have her own chapter.  I finally gave in and let her have a chance mid-way through the book. If I am honest and include Xylia’s chapter to my list of narrators, my story is really told from seven points of view: six main characters and one minor one.

Seven narrators is a challenging number to juggle, unless one considers Faulkner’s use of fifteen different narrators in As I Lay Dying.  I can promise you, I won’t be doing that in my next novel!

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A Chattanooga native, Janie Dempsey Watts grew up riding horses at her family farm in Woodstation, Georgia. Her curiosity about most everything steered her to journalism and a writing career. Her new novel Return to Taylor's Crossing won first place in the Knoxville Writers' Guild novel excerpt competition. Her first novel, Moon Over Taylor's Ridge, was a Georgia Author of the Year Award nominee for a debut novel and nominated for a S.I.B.A. She enjoys speaking to Friends of the Library, book clubs and to other groups about her storytelling roots and writing process. Her stories have been published in magazines and anthologies including the 2014 fiction collection, "Broken Petals." In addition to her stories in five "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books, another of Janie's non-fiction stories, "Picture Hat," is in "Project Keepsake," an anthology published in March, 2014.  After living in California for many years, she returned to northwest Georgia to live near the family farm. She is married and has two grown sons and two grandchildren. When not playing with her horses at the farm, she can be found at her desk writing with her American bulldog, Bella, supervising. For a complete list of her published works, and more on horses, please visit her at: www.janiewatts.com

The Free State of Jones – A Southern Saga

By Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor for Southern Writers Magazine    

William Faulkner once said, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” 

Nothing could be truer especially in the South. And because of that there are always stories that continue and grow as they go. The Free State of Jones is just such a story. With an upcoming movie in June starring Matthew McConaughey I expect it will grow even further.

During the Civil War some of the citizens of Jones County Mississippi were against slavery, succession and the Confederacy. One reason was Jones County had the smallest population of slaves. As the men of the county went off to fight with the Confederacy their beliefs made it easier to see reasons to desert and many did. One in particular was Newt Knight. Knight deserted after the Battle of Corinth and returned to Jones County. There he joined with fellow deserters and former slaves to  fight against the Southern Army that was taking their livelihood away from them with taxes and thievery.  Knight and a troop of 1,000 men eventually became powerful enough to run most of the Confederates out of the county and temporarily hoisted the Union Flag at the county courthouse in Ellisville. They then declared Jones County as the Free State of Jones.

Knight went on to have a long life with 7 children by his white wife  and 5 children by a slave that had once been owned by his grandfather. The children finding it hard to find mates ended up marrying each other which led  to interracial marriages and a small settlement of  Soso MS which a majority of  citizens were biracial. With the common thinking of the South at that time and the “one drop rule” there was a lot of animosity towards Knight and his descendants.

Knight was a hero to some but to the local Confederates, Knight and the notorious Jones County was shameful. So in 1865 they renamed the county Davis County after Jefferson Davis and County seat of  was renamed Leesville after General Robert E. Lee. In later years there was a vote and it was overturned and the names returned. Knight’s status as hero or traitor ebbs and flows with history and the current sway of social standards. For local History Professor Wyatt Moulds, a direct descendant of Newt Knight’s grandfather, the movie is an idea whose time has come. As for history I have always been fond of  the idea that the truth and history are close relatives but not identical twins.

As for the saga’s growth I expect the animosity and hero worship of  Knight will continue. I am reminded of the split decision on the book and movie The Help. Some saw it as fairly accurate and others just a polluted version of an outsider. The beauty of it all is the South has many stories that have yet to be told due to the historical and social opinions that have existed. But as Bob Dylan said, “These times they are a changing.”  

        

Thinking of Elvis While Writing About The Delta

By Annette Cole Mastron, Communications Director for Southern Writers Magazine

Last week was Elvis celebration week in Memphis. It was a ten day event, attended by generations of Elvis fans from around the world. The last event is a candlelight vigil held at Graceland, Elvis's home. It always reminds me that a man who came from poverty roots in The Delta continues to impact the world 38 years after his death. 

An amazing photographer, Chris Barwick, inspired today's blog post. Thanks, Chris. This picture of an old sharecropper's shack in the middle of the Mississippi Delta, just south of Tunica made me crave the need for a road trip south to soak in some settings for my current work in progress. Elvis was born in Tupelo to sharecropper parents. 

The land of The Delta can be a hard land where blood, sweat and tears of generations, past and present, have been in constant odds with the elements of nature. It's ironic that the very floods from the Mississippi River over this land gives it renewal by leaving behind silt that enriches its soil and its people. 

I hopped in the car and drive south out of Memphis on Highway 61 one hot summer day in August. Blue suede flip flops on my feet and Marc Cohn's song, "Walking in Memphis," playing, set the tone of the trip. Once I hit the TN/MS state line, The Delta begins to emerge an icon for the South, good, bad and ugly. The Delta has produced amazing talent, perhaps from the hardship and rebirth of the land. The Delta Blues are world famous as is Elvis who came to be known as The King of Rock and Roll. 

Of course, since I'm a writer who lives in the South I feel an affinity to those Southern writers' past and present that have written about the region known as The Delta. Their words speak to my soul. Eudora Welty, Willie Morris, William Faulkner and those other Delta writers drive my desire to further capture the struggles of the modern day Delta. 

I continue my drive, soaking in settings to use in my book. When I stop to take in the abandon sharecropper shacks, commercialization of some of the areas down Highway 61, I record what I see with my camera and record my research on my iPhone app. I detour off Highway 61 and turn down a farm road so I can soak in the view of “King Cotton” growing in the field, and as I turn my car around, a farmer in an ancient pickup truck stops to ask if I need help, and we chat about his crop. He is very happy with his crop and says this year he might actually make up for the years before. I shared I was a writer, working on a book and needed to see a cotton field up close and personal. He asked if I wanted to inspect his crop. He showed me the cotton, and we talked about how cotton is graded. He broke off a stalk and ask me if I wanted it. I said I'd love to have it as my talisman. This interchange provided in-depth research for my book and reiterated the Southern hospitality found in The Delta. 

My day spent driving in the Mississippi Delta was invaluable research you can't get from searching on the Internet. Sometimes you just need to put on your blue suede flip flops, head to your "Delta" and soak up the setting of your book. Be sure to bring back a talisman to put by your writing area. 

National Suite T Day for Writers

By Annette Cole Mastron, Communications Director for Southern Writers Magazine

Yesterday was the National Iced Tea Day. Hopefully, you were able to enjoy a complimentary iced tea from one of the many establishments who were offering a deal. It was hot and humid in Memphis, the perfect day for tea with lots of ice. Iced tea is the beverage of choice in the south, sweet tea to be exact.

Southern Writers Magazine's blog was purposefully named. Intent on drawing readers to the blog, while using a play on words, associated with the southern beverage sweet tea and the business of writing. Therein, Suite T was born. When you verbalize "Suite T," you hear "sweet tea" which may conjure up a scene from a William Faulkner novel or perhaps Robert Harling's, Steel Magnolias.

Pour yourself a glass of sweet tea and take the time to browse through the archives of Suite T. The archives on the right side of the web page. Contained in the archives, are five years’ worth of insights in all aspects concerning the business of writing. Three times a week, guest authors write on a variety of writing issues often giving solutions to common problems they experience.

Today we at Southern Writers Magazine are declaring June 11th, "Suite T" day.

Reading Fun on Facebook, While Improving Your Writing

By Annette Cole Mastron, Communications Director for Southern Writers Magazine 

Many successful writers have written, "how I write books." Almost always, they advise in order to be a good writer you must read anything and everything. I'm in total agreement. 

Southern writer, William Faulkner, who also taught writing at The University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS advised his students to, "Read, read, read. Read everything—trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it is good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out the window." How can you hone your writing skills and voice, if you don't strengthen your own reading skills?

You can easily get free ebooks through the Kindle App by searching through their free offers. If you like holding and reading a book, use your public library. Every town has one thanks to Ben Franklin. 

In the past, I have blogged on Suite T about Stephen King's book, "On Writing: A Memoir of theCraft." In his book, Mr. King states, "If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time or the tools to write."

Like most readers, I often read books recommended by other readers. Which is what attracted me to the latest status "reading list challenge" prompt on Facebook.

Here's how it works. You post in your Facebook status the following; "In your status, list 10 books that have stayed with you; in some way. Don't take more than a few minutes and do not think too hard. They do not have to be the "right" books or great works of literature, just ones that have affected you in some way. Tag 10 friends including me so I can see your list." Create your book list, post the challenge and wait to see your friends list. Enjoy discovering and rediscovering books to expand your reading and writing skills. 

My "reading list challenge" Facebook list is shown in the picture. My daughter who nominated me said I cheated by listing all the works of several authors. In my defense, when I find an author I like, I read everything they write. I can't just pick just one title from all the books written by each of my author picks. These are primarily books that started me on my own reading path from childhood to my children's childhood. We read aloud everyday until their own reading tastes evolved and they discovered their own favorite books. 

The fun thing about this Facebook experience was seeing each other’s lists, remembering favorite books that I now want to re-read and finding books that others recommend. 

So, what are your ten favorite books? It’s okay to cheat.

Excuses or Not, Just Write

By Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief, Southern Writers Magazine

“Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good.” William Faulkner.

Sometimes someone will say to me, “I’ve often thought about being a writer. I have many stories in my head but I just can’t find the time to sit down and put them to paper.”

I imagine you have heard that too, when people find out you are a writer. When I hear this, I can’t help it; I always want to say, “Well, not everyone can write. It is only for those people that decide not to make excuses. It’s just for the people who truly want to write. The ones who make time to sit down and put their words to paper. You know, only for the ones who truly want to put to paper the stories that are in their head.”

I don’t say it because it would make them feel terrible. Instead, I tell them the important thing is just to put the story on paper, and then after it is all on paper begin working with it, editing and rewriting until it says what they want the story to say. Hire a good editor. I go on to tell them there are some great books that will help learn about character building, creating dialogue, plots, scenes etc.

Then I hear, “Oh, honey, I don’t have time to read and learn all that.”

Yes, it does take time to work on our craft of writing. We’re not going to learn everything overnight. But little by little, we will learn as long as we think it is worth pursuing.

So, if you catch yourself saying, I don’t have time…rework your priorities…your schedule. Get up thirty minutes earlier or go to bed thirty minutes later. Set aside time. Begin. Even when the words aren’t making sense continue, don’t stop.

William Faulkner said, “I’ve heard people say, “Well, if I were not married and had children, I would be a writer.” I’ve heard people say, “If I could just stop doing this, I would be a writer.” I don’t believe that. I think if you’re going to write you’re going to write, and nothing will stop you.”

Wisdom from William Faulkner

by Susan Reichert

The University of Mississippi once invited William Faulkner to the English department to address one class per day for a week. Faulkner devoted the entire time  to answering the students' questions.

 

When asked what is the best training one should have for writing he said, “Read, read, read. Read everything – classics, good or bad, trash; see how they do it. When a carpenter learns his trade, he does so by observing. Read! You’ll absorb it. Write. If it is good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out the window.”

 

Good advice. Writers are always seeking out ways to learn how to write.  Reading is one of the easiest ways to learn how to write. You learn by observing. By reading, you are observing.

Faulkner was asked another question. The students wanted to know if it was good to copy a style. His answer was somewhat profound. “If you have something to say, use your own style: it will choose its own type of telling, its own style.”

 

Of course, these are only two of the pieces of advice he doled out to the students, but I think by far they were the most useful for a budding writer. Don’t you? “Use your own style" and "read, read, read.”

 

What would your answers have been to the students?