Writers Unbound

Well, this weekend we finally finished cleaning all the dust and detritus from the construction that’s been ongoing since the first week in June. Workers attacked every room in my house. My new home office–actually my re-tooled original home office–is finally ready. For the next two days, I’ll be purging old paperwork, looking over wannabe manuscripts, and deciding which books I’ll keep and which titles will head to charity. I have entirely too many books. I have entirely too many office gadgets, writing pens depleted of ink, and stick-it notes with phone numbers I cannot identify. I must have at least 10,000 business cards collected over the years at book festivals, trade shows and during interviews.

When we moved to Florida, my original home office was a small room off the back entry way. When I say small, I mean small. It’s a former spacious laundry room. In South Carolina, I had the grandaddy office–a huge downstairs room large enough to justify the moniker ‘library.’

Ironically, if I look at the work I’ve written that won awards, as well as the two books I completed, all of it was written in the unpretentious small room.

Two years ago, we moved my office from the small whatever room to a large room just off the backyard deck. I loved the space and I set out to fill up every inch of it. I loved the view–our backyard is lush green, filled with trees and all sorts of stalks that bloom. Hummingbirds and butterflies are common.

But I soon realized that gorgeous outside view was a complete distraction. In addition, the bright light really bothered my eyes. Besides all that, the family wanted that room–”a media room” they said.

So I agreed. That began a cycle of tiling the floor, building shelves, and moving all those supplies out of that small room.

This time I’m doing it right. I am clearing out every scrap of anything that isn’t essential to my business.

So I’ll be offline Tuesday, July 31, and Wednesday, August 1. Then I’ll return to share tales of my move and some news as well.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, home office, writing room, writing business, freelance, office supplies, office equipment

Not long ago, I received my copy of the inaugural issue of Coastal Homes Southern Style, a new upscale bimonthly magazine. The magazine focuses on luxury living along the “Sweet Tea Coast,” an area spanning Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay to Florida’s Palm Coast. The magazine is glossy, with lots of color photographs, features and community profiles.

I wrote a story about Palencia, an upscale, environmentally friendly development near St. Augustine, Fla. I covered available properties, feedback from residents and information about the tennis courts, golf course and other amenities. There’s a lot of nuts and bolts information, but the story is also a feature, so quotes from residents and anecdotal information about the community and its history are also included.

The first issue totaled 84 pages and hits newsstands July 31. Coastal Homes is the latest periodical of 35-year-old Leisure Publishing of Roanoke, Va. Leisure publishes 18 titles.

“Coastal Homes provides that connection between boomers and the developers of quality coastal communities,” says Richard Wells, publisher and Leisure founder. Wells says the magazine is “a relocation guide for those who want to compare living on the Chesapeake Bay with the Palm Coast of North Florida…to understand the lifestyle considerations between, say, Nags Head and Hilton Head.”

CH editor Marie Hodge, winner of a National Magazine Award and former New York-based editor of Sesame Street Parents and Longevity, says another important factor in the purchase of retirement/vacation homes is proximity to current residence. “Studies of buying trends suggest the majority of buyers want to remain within a three to four hour travel time from their primary residence,” Hodge says. The magazine’s targeted distribution will be focused geographically within four hours of the coast and in key metro markets where air service provides less than four hours travel time.

I got the first assignment to write for Coastal Homes by way of my Freelance Marketplace listing at MediaBistro.com. Working with the magazine was a pleasure, and I’m working on my second assignment for the next issue.

If you’re interested in submitting, visit the Web site and study the content.

Writers may submit queries directly by snail mail:
Editor
Coastal Homes
3424 Brambleton Avenue
Roanoke, VA 24018

Include a brief bio, your pitch and 2-3 clips of published work.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, about Coastal Homes Southern Style, freelance writer, submissions, new magazines, glossy, query letters

Frank Gromling, founder of Ocean Publishing, has been instrumental in bringing educational programs to authors and others in the book business. Gromling is president of Florida Publishers Association.

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Frank Gromling, president of Florida Publishers Association, founded the traditional press Ocean Publishing several years ago in an effort to bring quality titles to the marketplace. Gromling is my own publisher; he’s brought out two of my books. He learned firsthand the challenges of getting books into a reader’s hands and as a result, he shares his experience and expertise with authors who are traditionally and self-published as well as with small publishing houses. Gromling and other FPA members have put together a fall conference in hopes of assisting authors and other industry professionals who want to see their books succeed.

The FPA Conference at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott North runs September 14-15, beginning with a facility tour of HCI, home of Chicken Soup for the Soul products. There’s a Friday evening social, and attendees can enjoy vendor displays as they rub elbows with leaders in the publishing world.

Editors and staffers from Publishers Weekly and others in the industry will speak on Saturday. Sara Nelson, editor in chief of Publishers Weekly will keynote the Saturday luncheon. Cevin Bryerman, PW associate publisher, Louisa Ermelino, book reviews director, and Jim Milliot, Business News Director, will speak. Topics include how PW chooses its books for review, how news stories/editorials develop and the relationship of PW with booksellers, librarians and other publishing industry insiders.

Other Saturday sessions by experts will cover getting reviews, book design, bookstore sales and marketing basics.

Unless an author’s name is a household word, he or she may be challenged by the marketplace even if the title is worthy. The FPA conference aims to help authors of all persuasion to increase their chances for success with their books.

“We’re excited about the lineup of experts for this conference,” Gromling says. “We expect it will be well-attended by many who have an interest in publishing and bookselling.”

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Publishing, Books, Authors, Publishing Conference, Book Composition, Printing, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Florida Publishers Association, Ft. Lauderdale, Small Presses, Independent Publishers, Self-Publish

I read the first book in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. I liked the book; I admire Rowling. I came away from that first novel with the realization a new world classic had been born.

I kept meaning to read the rest of the books. But I just never got around to it. I have watched parts of the movies, usually on Saturday afternoon when I’m cleaning the bedroom. When the latest book came out, I mean to purchase one. I didn’t do that either.

But I did want to know what happened to Harry Potter. So I did an Internet search. I am sad to report that every reputable site I checked—or those I could determine were reputable—refused to satisfy my curiosity.

I have to marvel at the kind of loyalty that still has the wraps on a book that came out days ago. Most wildly successful books have been drawn and quartered by the time they hit bookshelves. This situation has to be a cultural phenomenon. The American government cannot keep a secret, but the unofficial Potter cartel can.

I guess I’ll have to wait to learn what happened to the world’s most popular worker of magic.

But I’m not very happy about that.

Maybe I’ll just saunter to the bookstore and read the last few pages.

RELATED LINK
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
Join the book club, shop at the Harry Store and get the book if you’re a fan.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Harry Potter spoiler, Rowling, publishing, novels, sorcerer

After moving to Florida, I set up my home office in our sunroom. My former home was an old one, with lots of nooks, crannies and excess space. I had a large room that was perfect for an at-home freelance writing business.

In our newer home here, there wasn’t a great place for a workroom. I didn’t think we had much of a choice.

Then we decided to do extensive remodeling. As the contractors ripped up old floor tile, I studied a room off our back entry way. Technically, it’s a supply room. Technically, it’s a former laundry room. But I realized it was plenty big enough for a home office, especially now that I work on a laptop instead of a desktop computer. With everything moved out of it, ‘everything’ being defined as an obscene collection of clutter and cleaning supplies and tools, I can tell the room is actually bigger than I realized.

The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea.

I’ve always joked to friends I have an office Stephen King might envy. There’s a view of our backyard and deck area. We have old oaks, Sago Palms and a big oleander that blooms dark pink slightly lethal blossoms each year. I catch glimpses of hawks, songbirds and an occasional turtle. Butterflies and hummingbirds feed on the Lantana right by my corner window. The sunroom has seven windows in all. Very inspiring. But there are also drawbacks.

I get distracted very easily. For one thing, we have this chicken that showed up two years ago and decided she’d stay. She flew over the back fence and adopted us. She’s still basically untamed; try to touch her and you will feel the wrath of her beak. But she likes attention. She’ll show up at the door and peck on the glass until I go out and talk to her.

Then there’s the glare. I end up closing all the blinds in the afternoon because the sun is so bright it drives my eyes straight to the nearest bottle of eyedrops.

There’s also the traffic. My daughters and their friends always use the sunroom door when they head to the pool, despite the availability of a very good exit door in the family room.

Things are topsy turvy here with all the house renovations—one fellow fell through our garage ceiling not long ago, sustaining no serious injuries—but I’m planning my new workspace with enthusiasm.

It’s a lot smaller than the space I have now. But what’s important is that it’s more private and there are no windows.

Every writer needs a place of her own. Whether it’s a corner or a full room doesn’t matter. It’s what you do with the space that counts.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, home office, writing, freelance, writing business, home remodeling

Aspiring writers often ask me about writing workshops. Are they worth the time and money? Can they really help you take your writing (and maybe your publishing) to the next level? And if so, what workshops are the best?

Early in my career, when I left a wonderful job to freelance and all my loved ones thought I was crazy, I did attend writing workshops. One of the most significant to me was the SC Writers Workshop. I had just started freelancing, and I wanted a network. In later years, I’d find myself on the other side of the podium because I conducted workshops for this annual conference. At those workshops, I met people who would be influential in my career, and I won my first significant award for poetry.

I had a déjà vu moment last summer as I conducted the poetry workshop for the Southeastern Writers Association conference. It was the first day of the conference, and I gave a small introduction describing my ideas and attitudes about poetry. One of the workshop attendees raised her hand.

“So you mean it’s okay to rhyme poetry?” she asked.

I told her of course it is. It’s okay to do anything you want. It’s your poem. Form only comes into the picture when you’re marketing your poetry. So you’d want to market poetry that rhymes to a magazine that publishes formal work like sonnets.

Then the participant told me something that blew my mind. She said a poet at a workshop told her to never ever rhyme poems.

By the end of the conference, I was very glad I met the woman who asked me about rhyming poems. She was a very gifted formal poet. Only someone who appreciated diversity in poetry would really appreciate the talent this woman had.

This has happened more times than I can tell you, not just with poetry, but with other genres as well. For some reason—and I’ll never fully understand it—some writers who teach workshops want the participants to write in a single-minded narrow fashion.

I’d say if you run into someone like this, don’t bother with the class.

Constructive criticism is important—it helps us to see our work as others see it. But when a writer critiques the work of another, that work should be judged on its own merit on its own terms. When you offer your work to another for feedback, bear in mind the type of outlook the other writer has. If there’s a narrow-minded aesthetic at work, you’re better off buying a book on writing. In my humble opinion.

If you find a writer who inspires you and who offers positive constructive feedback that helps you to improve your work, then your money is well spent. Conferences also offer great networking opportunities during downtime like receptions and meet-and-greet sessions.

It’s important to view publishing as a different goal than writing. Publishing is about the business; writing is about the art.

Publishing has very little to do with talent. Otherwise, Emily Dickinson wouldn’t have been dead before her poems were appreciated and she was recognized as a cornerstone in modern American poetry.

Links to selected writers’ conferences

http://www.myscww.org/
SC Writers Workshop; annual conference is in October, usually at Myrtle Beach. S.C.

http://www.southeasternwriters.com/
Southeastern Writers Association; annual conference is in June, usually at St. Simons Island, Ga.

http://www.asja.org
American Society of Journalists and Authors; annual conference is in April, in New York City.

http://www.wcupa.edu/_ACADEMICS/sch_cas/poetry/conference/index.html
West Chester Poetry Conference usually held in June, in West Chester, Pa. Application and submission of poems required.

http://journalists.org/2007conference/
Online News Association; this year’s October conference is in Toronto, Ontario.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Writers Workshops, Writers Conferences, Writing Seminars, Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction, Contests, Authors, Workshop Leaders

Not long ago we were cleaning out our very messy garage. We came across a box of old photographs. We were on a roll until we found those pictures. As soon as I opened the box, all activity halted. My husband and I strolled down memory lane, recalling days when we both had long hair, big dreams and near-empty pockets. A bonus from that memory walk came in the form of inspiration. Thumbing through those photos inspired a new poem and an essay. Sometimes, we find inspiration not by seeking it but by accident.

It’s hard for a writer to gauge her own work, but one of the poems I consider my best occurred quite by accident. I was facilitating a Community Poetry Series for our local Barnes and Noble here in Jacksonville. Poet and author Steve Kowit emailed to tell me he’d be in our area, and we set up a poetry workshop for him.

Of all the workshops I’ve ever participated in, Kowit’s stands out for the remarkable experience every attendee had. Suddenly I found myself on the other side of the table. Instead of conducting a workshop, I was participating in one.

Kowit used several prompts to encourage us to pen an off-the-top-of-your-head poem. I chose, “I remember.” Within 15 minutes I’d sketched a draft of a poem about my youngest brother who died when he was a baby. Until that moment, I had never been able to write a poem about him. Ultimately, the poem “Sibling Blue” was published in the afterword to my memoir Killing Earl. It will also be included in my new poetry collection ‘Notes from a Florida Village.’

What made Steve Kowit such a great workshop leader?

He was kind and encouraging. His attitude towards poetry was very democratic because he likes many different kinds of poems. He wasn’t one of those, “Do NOT rhyme your poems!” types. In addition, his knowledge of poetry is extraordinary. He was able to listen to each participant’s poem and offer solid suggestions without intruding on the rights of the poet. I suppose those are a few of the reasons Kowit’s book ‘In the Palm of Your Hand’ is a wildly popular poetry handbook.

We all have dry spells where writing is concerned. So next time you have one, thumb through some photos, or use a prompt like, “I remember,” or “I regret.” The results may amaze you.

RELATED LINKS:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780884481492&itm=1
Book page for ‘In the Palm of Your Hand’ by Steve Kowit at Barnes and Noble online.

http://www.flagstaffcentral.com/bookfest2000/Authors/kowit.html
Page about Steve Kowit from Northern Arizona Book Festival.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Books, Poetry Handbooks, Kowit, Poems, Inspiration, Writers, Book Festivals, Writing Workshops

Saturday Night Live offers a Harry Potter parody. Hermione has certainly grown up.

Author J. K. Rowling has expressed her annoyance over pre-release book reviews of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.’ The reviews were published in the United States. China Daily reports Rowling said, “I am staggered that some American newspapers have decided to publish purported spoilers in the form of reviews in complete disregard of the wishes of literally millions of readers, particularly children.”

The fact that reviews are only now appearing contradicts the typical book review process in the United States.
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This video features one of the only live interviews with author Philip K. Dick who achieved well-deserved fame too late. Dick died in 1982, but his remarks are still timely.

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Over the years I’ve accumulated hundreds of links to useful writing sites. I’ve learned about everything from digital cameras to building my own Web site. I got a great education in college, but most of what enabled me to work in the writing biz occurred after college. Here are five of my top writing Web site picks. (more…)

How do you know a contest is fair?

Most writers enter a contest at some point, and it’s often hard to tell when a contest is fair. The poetry world, aka Po-Biz, experienced a severe shakeup several years ago when a librarian founded the site Foetry to help poets make wise decisions before parting with entry fees as high as $35. Poets and Writers recently featured an article about two poetry contests that left entrants empty-handed.

There’s never a perfect method for determining fairness. But along the way I learned to be cautious. Here are some tips I learned the hard way:
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