"The notion that such persons are gay of heart and carefree is curiously untrue. They lead, as a matter of fact, an existence of jumpiness and apprehension. They sit on the edge of the chair of Literature. In the house of Life they have the feeling that they have never taken off their overcoats." - James Thurber, My Life and Hard Times
It's writer workshop season! Much like the start of the school year, September is when writing clubs and conferences want me to come and share what I've learned over the years. This year is exciting for a couple of reasons:
1. I get to present "What's the Point? Story, Subtext, and Plot" at the California Writers Club of Long Beach in person. I love this workshop and really enjoy teaching it.
The last time I taught at the CWC of Orange County, we were still Zooming. Long Beach is currently in a hybrid mode, so I'm sure a few folks will be remote, which is fine. If you're a writer in California, I recommend checking out this club--they've got 22 branches around the state. Here's the scoop on Long Beach:
2. I'll be teaching two new workshops at the Southern California Writer's Conference in Irvine. In addition to teaching "Something to Talk About: Speaking Publicly About Your Books," I'll also be presenting the spanking-new topics, "Avoiding Stereotypes, Cliches, and the All-Too Common," and "The End is Just the Beginning." I'm both excited and terrified of these new workshops. Developing new material is fun, but can I do it justice? Stay tuned and sign up to find out:
Earlier this evening, I participated in HalloReads, an online gathering of some of the folks from the Southern California Writers Conference, a most unusual group. We have no official organization, no monthly meetings or dues or secret handshake--all we have are two conferences a year that form lifetime friendships.
Everything my writer friends read was weepingly fabulous. Some horrific, some spiritual, some atmospheric, all leaving me to wonder what happens next. Such good writers. Such good friends.
I wrote a piece specifically for tonight's event. I didn't give it a title, but here it is:
* * * * *
Gillian poked her friend Catherine, jabbing her
shoulder with one of her well-manicured nails. “Don’t mess this up for me.”
Catherine flinched but continued to wash her hands at
the sink, watching in the mirror as young girls entered and exited the
restroom. She splashed cold water on her face, patting around her eyes in an
attempt to lessen the redness and swelling.
“I can’t help it, Gillie,” she said, retying her dark
ponytail. “I don’t like horror movies. They scare me.”
“They’re supposed to scare you, ya big baby. That’s
the whole point.” Gillian turned toward the mirror and applied an extra coat of
lipstick. “It’s bad enough you still dress like you’re in grade school. Do you
have to act like it?”
Catherine tugged at the hem of her Wakanda tee-shirt. “Sorry.”
Gillian rolled her eyes and pulled her friend outside
to join the group. The pack of teens had gathered in an inconvenient clump in
front of the theater door. Patrons pushed and excused their way in and around
the traffic jam, but no one in the bunch saw any need to move.
“Sorry it took us so long,” Gillian said as she
bounced up. “Cat had a hair in her eye. Took me forever to get it out.”
“Yeah, right,” Kyle said. “More like Scaredy Cat was
having a meltdown.”
“God, Gillian, let’s go.” Allyson, a coltish blond, grabbed
Kyle’s hand and dragged him down the street.
Everyone else peeled off and followed the pair,
laughing, shouting, and jostling each other for space on the sidewalk. Gillian
scurried to stay in their midst, while Catherine walked behind the crew,
rubbing her hands. One of the boys, a tall gangly brunette, slowed to hang back
with her.
“How’d you like the movie?” he asked. “Wasn’t it lit
when the guy sliced that girl’s head off and she kept blinking and trying to
talk?”
“Yeah, it was…lit.” Catherine looked up at him,
thinking it was not lit at all. She glanced around, noticing the street for the
first time. “Wait, we’re on Ash.”
“So?”
“So we’re going past the cemetery.” Her eyes rounded
and her hands squeezed tighter.
“Yeah?” The boy called up ahead, bounding forward. “Hey,
we’re going past the cemetery. We should totally take a detour.”
“No!” Catherine shouted, then quieted her voice. “I
mean, it’s dark in there. We’ll get in trouble.”
The rest of the group ignored her, except for Gillian,
who turned around and gave her an evil glare. They ran ahead, shouting, while Gillian
dragged her reluctant friend to keep up.
“Don’t embarrass me,” Gillian hissed.
“We can’t go that way.” Catherine stood, refusing to
move. “I…I can’t protect you there.”
“Protect me?” Gillian dropped Catherine’s arm and
pushed her away. “What kind of weirdo are you? Go home!”
“Hey, Gillian!” A short, dark-haired boy walked backward,
laughing. “Ditch the loser and let’s go.”
The graveyard stretched out to their right, bordered
by wrought-iron fencing with an entrance of arched stone. The primary path ran
up to a single mausoleum, a Romanesque structure with the name Pantera across
the front in large letters. Auxiliary paths sprouted left and right, leading
past the tombstones and grave markers throughout the green grass that blanketed
the space.
This was the largest cemetery in town, and the oldest.
Dates on tombstones went back three centuries, and there was an entire section
in the back where the stones were all etched in Cyrillic characters.
On overcast days, Catherine enjoyed strolling around
the grounds and reading the inscriptions. But not tonight.
Six teenagers ran into the darkened cemetery. Laughter
rang from the tombstones, flashes of light marking the selfies being taken.
Gillian took a step to follow and was grabbed by her
shoulder.
“Please, Gillie-Bear.” Catherine hadn’t called her best
friend that since they were six. “I’m begging you. Don’t go.”
Gillian wrenched her body away. “Forget it, Kitty-Cat.
Go back to your childhood.” She ran into the cemetery, calling to the others.
Catherine stood under the arched entry, staring after
her ex-best friend. Rubbing her face with the back of her hand, she strolled to
the mausoleum, expectant. Soon she felt her skin grow thick with fur, and she
licked at her paw with a rough tongue to smooth her cheek. Her spine curved and
limbs bent, and her sacrum stretched into a long twitching tail. She always screamed
when that happened.
“What was that?” Kyle’s voice was faint. The group was
moving further into the cemetery. Further away from the entrance.
Yawning, Cat sharpened her claws on a tall silver-barked
tree. Her long white fangs glowed in the moonlight. It was a pity about those
teenagers, but she tried to warn them.
Now it was time to go hunting.
* * * * *
PS, This is what I get for watching a double-feature of HOCUS POCUS and THE CAT PEOPLE.
I am in the midst of writing two books (possibly three), marketing my latest mystery, agent-shopping for the one book I've completed, and preparing to teach three workshops at September's Southern California Writers Conference. As you can tell, my mind is in a complete whirl and the more I try to focus my attention on one thing I could get done, I feel compelled to click on that article about the Best Examples of Payback on some clickbait site. This is why, instead of completing the form for the latest contest for my book, I clicked on "Why You Should Do Your Yoga Teacher Training at a Yoga Retreat." I'm not interested in yoga teacher training. I don't know why I clicked on it, other than work-avoidance. But I do know I'm glad I did. I know all the technical reasons to attend the Southern California Writers Conference. There are writing skills to be gained, business savvy to be learned, agents to be approached. But the yoga article gave me four new and excellent reasons to attend the SCWC, beyond the physical, to address why you go to any kind of "retreat" for yourself.
1. You'll connect with like-minded people.
I know you have your writer's group. Or maybe you're an introvert. Maybe you deal with anxiety issues. When you attend SCWC, you can't help but meet people and you don't have to be a party animal. One of the nice things about the workshops is that the rooms are all set with tables. You sit around the tables, pull out your notebook (or laptop), and someone is bound to sit across from you and say, "Hi." Just say hi back to them, maybe give them a bit of a smile, and continue to write. You are among like-minded people, often people who are introverts with anxiety issues. They understand. And if you want to talk about your latest writing, or what you like to read, or what you dream of, we understand that, too. We speak your language.
2. You'll get to fully absorb and immerse yourself into yoga writing.
Think of it--three whole days to do nothing but think, speak, dream of writing. Maybe even three whole days to write. Picture a jacuzzi filled with words. Dip your body in and let them swirl about you. Bathing suits optional.
3. Change old thought patterns and habits.
I hadn't really thought about this one, but it's true. When you are present in the moment, it's easier to recognize when you veer off-road. When you're given permission to focus on your writing, you can see what you do to sabotage yourself (like clicking on random articles).
4. Come back with new, daily rituals.
Well, yes. You've recognized where you're going wrong, and after three days, you will be energized to go out and do it write right.
* * * * *
Join us this September in Irvine, or next February in San Diego. Immerse yourself.
Feed your passion.
Invest in you.
Here's the link: http://writersconference.com/la/ September 22-24, 2017. Friday until Sunday. Do it. I will be teaching three workshops. I hope to see you there!
Dear Writer Friends Who Struggle to Get Their Books "Out There", Next weekend, I will be releasing my 11th book. With each release, I've done about the same amount of release-style advertising. I've used social media, I've run Goodreads giveaways, Amazon promotions, blog tours, etc. It seems like each thing I do is less effective the second time around, which is frustrating. You want to believe that your books will become more well known if you have more books out there to find. So I made the decision to try something different with A MORE DEADLY UNION. I hired a publicist. My few friends who had used them gave me mixed reports, from "I love mine," to "she kept sending me places where I couldn't possibly sell anything." But I met Paula Margulies at the Southern California Writers Conference in San Diego, took her workshop, spoke with her briefly, and filed her name in the back of my mind. When it came time to start planning this release, I visited Paula's website (http://www.paulamargulies.com/) a bunch of times, spent several days wrestling with indecision, and finally contacted her. We laid out a plan, a price, and a timeline, then I took a deep breath and a deep drink of good wine. As usual, I stood atop my personal roller-coaster and looked down at the frenzy that awaited. It's a view I'm used to. How's it going? So far, she's sent out press releases, given me two lists of book reviewers and book contests, a sample query letter for book reviews, and set me up to sign at bookstores (3 confirmed, 3 pending), and talks at libraries (1 confirmed). That's two weeks' work. In two weeks, I've learned two things: 1. Having someone else tell everyone I'm the bomb makes it easier for me to say it. My friends and I discuss this often -- we can sell someone else's books better than our own. You all know me. Even a couple of blog posts ago, when I was promising to be the Big, Talented Fish, I was wondering how I was going to do that. Apparently, when I read my publicist's press release referring to me as "acclaimed author Gayle Carline" and talking about my "thrilling new mystery", I can start talking about this person, Gayle Carline, and what an acclaimed author she is. I'm either getting better at promoting myself, or I'm developing a split-personality disorder. 2. Author Gayle Carline may be acclaimed, but little Gayle Sue still wants to recoil from the spotlight. After 11 books, as hard as Paula is pushing me forward, there's still a hefty chunk of me that says, "No, wait! If I start getting noticed, and people start taking me seriously, then I'll have to get serious about this." So what? *in a teeny whisper that only you and I can hear* "if i become a serious author then i'll be a bigger target for people who hate my books and my writing and i'll probably have to write more and give up something that i like doing now and Life. Will. Change." Maybe it will. If it does, I just have to suck it up and enjoy success. What's next? My launch party is next Monday. It's going to be My Big Fat Book Party, semi-expensive and hugely fun. In the meantime, I'm having a good time working with the fabulous Paula. I'll report back with more gigs and results! Love you and keep writing, Gayle P.S. For some reason, every time I think of a publicist, I picture this clip:
I've been plugging my whirlwind life recently. I'd feel bad about this, in that "what kind of narcissist are you?" way, except that I've been plugging the events that I think other people would enjoy attending. It's not exactly my fault that I'm going to them, too. So how did everything go, you may ask. Seriously. You have my permission to ask that. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WRITERS CONFERENCE - LA: As usual, this was a fun weekend of talking about writing, learning about writing, and laughing about everything. I seemed to have picked up a bad habit - the day of the conference, I came down with a cold. In San Diego, I did the same thing. Each time, I sounded worse than I felt, but sounding worse meant that I practically lost my voice. Helpful hint: Losing your voice when you have to teach a workshop or two is not a good way to spend a weekend. My most vivid memory of San Diego is having to teach public speaking at the very last workshop of the very last day. Dearest woman Laura Taylor bustled into the workshop with a tray of herbal tea with lots of lemon and honey. It was like pulling the thorn from my paw. I will adore her forever. At Irvine, my survival instinct took over, which meant I did not get to close down the bar with my tribe every night. But I did get to spend a little time, here and there, with some of my pals. My workshops went very well. At least, the participants told me they liked it. I hope they're not privately emailing (SCWC director) Michael Steven Gregory and saying, "Please stop her." I sat in a couple of workshops that taught me a lot. Both were about leaving the worry about plotting behind and Just. Writing. Suzanne Redfearn taught "Pantsers: Keep the Creativity Flowing" and I loved her exhortation to not worry so much about where you think the story HAS to go, and let your characters take you where they NEED to go. We did some writing exercises in her class that were fun and freeing. Then I was pleasantly surprised in Jeff Michael's class, "Write from the Heart." He discussed The Muse and Her role in our writing. I've always struggled with the middle of my books, and as he spoke, I realized that my Muse tends to feed me inspiration for the first part of my book, and the last part. I see the scenes setting up the story, as well as the end. But in the middle, She seems to abandon me to go shoe shopping.
"Oooh, pretty, shiny," said Whimsie, Gayle's Muse
I have to say, I admire her style. So I asked Jeff to discuss it, and he had a lot of helpful things to say in class. Afterward, we sat down to lunch and discussed it further. We were joined by his wife, Jill, of course, and our good friend and ultra-entrepreneur, Garrett Miller. Jeff had some excellent suggestions for making certain that my second act is true and necessary and worth the read. As always, I told him how thankful I was for his kindness, as well as to Jill and Garrett for their indulgence. Take note, folks. Always show gratitude. It costs nothing and its value is priceless. And in case you want to get in on the fun, the San Diego conference is in February. Go here to learn more - http://writersconference.com/sd/ On to... LADIES OF INTRIGUE: The good news is that it was a rousing success. We had a room full of people who met new authors and heard about Sisters in Crime. Our panels were smokin' - these women were funny, insightful, intelligent writers. And our guest speakers could not have been more engaging. Catriona McPherson had everyone laughing with her story of how she came to writing. I love her easy, down-to-earth personality. She's won numerous awards, and she deserves them all, and more. Honestly, her Scottish (working class, she says) accent is so entrancing, I would listen to her read the phone book. Carol Higgins Clark was equally charming, discussing how her mother's novels led her to her author's life. It turns out, in her teens, she typed up one of her mother's manuscripts for her. The experience was a deep memory for her, and started her on her path. She was also funny, describing how we all think she's super-famous, and yet people can't even get her name right. We may think she's super-famous, but we know she's super-fabulous. The not-the-best news is that the event was tremendous work for all involved. I'm writing this after two glasses of wine and about five naps. Ask me more about it after another week of sleep and more wine. WHAT'S NEXT? What's next is an interview with Garrett Miller on his popular and fun Rated G Radio show (click here to find it - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/garrettmiller). I've been interviewed on his show before and I'm always excited and a little nervous, only because I want to be a good guest. Garrett is The Perfect Interviewer and should have his own talk show. He actually listens to your answers and asks questions from there, very much like my interview-idol, Dick Cavett. So tune in at 7 pm, PST, and listen to me talk about humor and books and... My launch party at Tri-City Park on October 10th! It's the Placentia Heritage Festival, and I'll be selling my three new collections of humor columns, to honor my 10 years as a humor columnist for the Placentia News-Times. Come on out to the park and find my booth - I don't know where I'll be, but my canopy is bright yellow. The park festivities open around 10 a.m., but I won't be there until I've ridden in the parade. I think we get to the park around 11 or so. Once I get there, we will have prizes and treats and a generally fun time!
Oy, I have so much to shout about, I've had to increase my aerobics training just to get enough lung capacity to be heard. First: The Southern California Writer's Conference is coming soon, September 25-27 - have you signed up yet? If you haven't and you're a writer, you need to. There are workshops to help you develop your writing, workshops to help develop your pitching, and workshops to help develop your marketing. And I'll be teaching a workshop to help you decide what kind of author you want to be - traditionally published, or author-published? Go here to register: http://writersconference.com/la/la-registration/
Seriously, go there. Right now. (Then be sure to come back!) Second: The 2nd Annual Ladies of Intrigue is a few weeks away, on Saturday, October 3rd. It's a full day of meeting fabulous women mystery authors (sponsored by the Orange County chapter of Sisters in Crime), hearing them speak, and buying their books. There's coffee in the morning and lunch in the afternoon, all in the delightful Hotel Huntington Beach. We've got two very special guest speakers, Catriona McPherson and Carol Higgins Clark. I will be your hostess for the day, and promise some lively entertainment. I know what you're thinking: Why do I want to go to this? I'll give you several reasons: 1. You are a voracious reader who is always looking for new authors and series to read. 2. You are active in an organization that is always looking for interesting speakers, and you want to see whether any of these authors would be a good fit for your group. 3. You are a member of Sisters in Crime (any chapter) and want to support your SinC community. 4. You are a writer who wants to know more about what kind of books are being published, and who is writing and publishing them. 5. You enjoy a fun day of mingling with other book-a-holics. Go here to find out more about the event and the speakers: http://www.ocsistersincrime.org/LOI.htm
Really, I'm just begging you to attend this. It'll be all kinds of fun, and we need at least 100 people. THIRD (and finally): My Book Launch is coming! On Saturday, October 10, I will be launching my three new books at the Placentia Heritage Day Festival in Tri-City Park. I'll be in the booth from noon until 5 pm. What will be going on during those five hours? PLENTY! 1. All of my books (in paperback) will be on sale. They are regularly priced from $12.99 to $14.99, but on that Saturday only, they'll be priced as follows: one book = $12, two books = $20, three books = $24. Such a deal! 2. Prizes-prizes-prizes! Books and gift cards will be given out for whatever reason I see fit. I'm thinking that I'll give a prize to... the first person who tells me, "I shot a man in Reno," and maybe... the 20th visitor to my booth, and then... anyone who tags me on social media, especially with a picture. 3. Refreshments. All book launches have refreshments, so I'll be handing out something, depending upon my time and creativity. I might serve cookies, or cupcakes, or Halloween treats, along with a drink of some sort. Sorry, it has to be non-alcoholic. How's that for a launch? Go here to see the new books and read about them: http://gaylecarline.com/whats-new/ I hope to see you SOMEWHERE soon!
I may be writing this post to promote the Southern California Writers' Conference, but if you can't get to Irvine this September and feel the need for a conference, here's a list of what to look for in a good one. *I suppose I should insert the caveat that this is my opinion and your mileage may vary, but I believe with all my heart that this is why I keep coming back to this particular conference (I have been to others, but they didn't make me want to return). 1. How organized is it? A good conference should have its workshop schedule and leaders available ahead of time for you to look over. How do you know you want to attend if you don't know what they're teaching? There should be an email address if you have concerns. Your check-in should be easy. It should look like they've not only done this before, they've constantly learned to do it better. 2. How are the rooms organized? This might not be obvious, but I like a room with several tables and chairs, instead of just rows of chairs. I've come to learn, which means I'll be taking notes. It's so much easier to write at a table than to squeeze into a row of chairs (they're always too close together) and balance my notebook/tablet on my lap. 3. Who is teaching? No, I'm not talking about the guest speakers or anyone's fame. The workshop leaders need to have some experience at what they're telling you. Query tips should be taught by someone who is or has been a publisher, an agent, an editor. In other words, someone who has read queries and decided to accept or reject a manuscript. Authors teaching craft should have written books and gotten some reviews. Not all glowing, but at least no reviews saying they suck at grammar and spelling. 4. Who are their guest speakers? Here's where I'm probably going to surprise you: yes, I love to hear a famous author speak. I actually had lunch with Dean Koontz once, and his speech was delightful, warm, funny. It was also of no value to me as a "new" author. The world where he first found his agent and publisher does not exist anymore. I need to hear from new authors, authors that have just found their path within the last 10-15 years, or the more established authors who have re-invented themselves for the 21st century. 5. How welcome do you feel? Writers are a fairly introverted species, but the best ones are good people, if shy. You should be able to go into a room, sit down at a table and meet someone new. Lunch should only be a lonely experience if you want it that way. Otherwise, you should be able to see someone else with a badge and ask if you can join them--or invite them to join you. BTW, one way I see SCWC as creating this inclusive environment is that their workshop leaders, guest speakers, and conference directors are completely accessible. Did you really enjoy that workshop leader's talk? Ask if you can join them for lunch. Have a drink at the bar in the evening. Who doesn't need more friends? 6. How do you feel by the end of the conference? If you feel motivated, supported, encouraged, excited, antsy to get to work, you've found your tribe. If you feel like maybe writing is a dream for someone else, this was not the conference for you, and you need to go have a big glass of wine and call your Friend Who Loves and Supports You to talk you off the ledge. There's still time to get the discount to the Southern California Writers' Conference, and there are still spots left on the StoryCore Track, designed to help you take your pretty good story to OMG-Must-Read level. Go sign up.Now!http://writersconference.com/la/
I just got home from a week's vacation in the mountains, which is mostly relaxing, if you don't mind getting up early to walk the dogs, packing and unpacking food every day to go to the lakes, and the 10-hour drive to and from the lodge. At least we take two days.
They're so sweet when they're sleeping.
This particular trip was sidelined to visit one of our friends, a dear young girl who was supposed to be with us on the vacay, except that she discovered her leukemia is back and she had to be in the hospital instead. And, as lightly as I'm trying to say that, my heart is aching with hope and fear and a desire to be on my knees begging God to make it all right.
So now that I've been home for 24 hours, I am a big ball of tired-cranky. My son would call me salty. "Gee, Mom, want some salt with that?" he'd ask if he were here. Since I am here, I can answer him. "Shut up." I now get to plan for my next trip(s) in September, back-to-back travels to Monterey, then Irvine. In Monterey, I will be attending workshops to help me become a better trustee for my library. There's always something interesting to learn, plus, well, Monterey. I'm totally looking forward to breakfast at LouLou's on the pier. Irvine, however, is where the action's at. September 25-27 is the Southern California Writer's Conference. This is our "Los Angeles" conference, which is almost never held in L.A. We used to be in Irvine, then we went to Newport, and this year, it's back to our old Irvine haunts. We should christen the hotel with a bottle of something. This is probably the first of a couple of posts about the conference, but I wanted to let everyone know there's still time to get a discount on registration, a room at the hotel, and even an advanced reader or several. Go here: http://writersconference.com/la/ I'll be teaching at least one workshop to help people who are on the fence about self-publishing determine whether they want to try it or not. When I'm not teaching, I'll be in workshops learning to grow as a writer and a marketer of my books. I know what some of you are saying. "The conference costs money. I can't afford to go to conferences. I get everything I need from YouTube videos, chat rooms, and my writer's group at the coffee shop." IMHO... no, you don't. Seriously, go here: http://writersconference.com/la/ Here's what a conference gives you (or a good one should): access to industry professionals. These folks are editors, publishers, authors with traditional contracts, people who've been around the block more than once. They can steer you, mentor you, lift you up toward your goal, IF-- If you want to be a better writer and get a book out to the world. (Have I told you where to go? http://writersconference.com/la/) And if you're worried about the cost, here is something to consider: being an author means you are self-employed. That means you are a business. Businesses need assets, need investment. Writer's conferences are an investment in the business of your writing. After all this blabbering, I'm still feeling salty, so what are you waiting for? Get thee to that website and register! INVEST IN YOU. http://writersconference.com/la/
Although I'd rather sit and revel in my vacation, there are squiggles in my calendar that say I have to do stuff. So it's time I get to it.
First on my list is the Southern California Writers Conference (http://writersconference.com/la/), where I'll be teaching an introductory workshop about self-publishing. The focus of the workshop is for those folks on the fence, wondering whether they should take that step. I can't give anyone a magic formula, you know, "if X is True and Y is False, Then Publish." What I can give people is a list of questions to ask themselves and an accounting of what I've had to do.
My hope is that people come away with the ability to make an informed decision.
I love this conference because I consider it a friendly, working conference. I will confess, I haven't been to a lot of other conferences, but the few others I've been to have not tapped into that desire within me to go home and write. SCWC inspires me, goads me, takes me by the reins and gallops me toward finishing my next project.
If you like lists, here is my list of why I like the Southern California Writers Conference:
1. The people are friendly and supportive. You can walk into any workshop, sit down at a table and make 5 or 6 friends. And most of them are friends who will continue to be your friends, post-conference.
2. The workshops give you useful information, whether about the craft of writing or the business of publishing. And if they don't - they encourage you to try another workshop. The rule is that if you get into a workshop and it's not what you expected, you should go to another workshop. You paid for this weekend. You shouldn't feel like any time was wasted.
3. Their "Read and Critique" and "Rogue Sessions" are fabulous. Both of these workshops work the same way: you read some number of pages of your work and get feedback on your writing. The difference between the two is that the Rogue Sessions occur after the evening speaker, starting around 9 p.m. and go until everyone has read. Sometimes they last until 6 a.m. the next morning! The facilitators ensure that the critiques are controlled and remain positive and focused on the work. They really taught me the correct way to run a critique group. Read their rules (http://writersconference.com/la/faq/) and see if you don't agree.
4. The organizers care about whether your conference experience was a good one. They want you to get your money's worth. They are willing to listen to suggestions for future workshops. Michael and Wes want to give you value for your money and time. Read this as proof:
(From the website) - NOTE: Agents wanting to participate contact Michael Steven Gregory only if you're accepting clients. There are plenty of other conferences that provide reps who have no sincere intent of acquiring new clients with free weekends at nice hotels in desirable locales. The SCWC is not one of them.
Here is my one caveat for attending this conference: if you are a very, very serious writer who is intense about your writing experience and general literary discussions, this may not be your conference. We work hard and we play hard. We joke a lot. We're irreverent sometimes. But if you can take a joke or two, if you can hope to achieve our conference goal of "sucking less than you did before you came" then please join us.
There was a Facebook post today from a friend, who passed around a status by a frustrated writer. Frustrated Writer had decided to say "Rules, Schmules, I'm gonna toss thoughts about word count, genre, marketability, and just write my story." Someone else commented on the status, encouraging Frustrated Writer to discard all the rules, storm the Bastille, etc. The punchline here is that the Someone Else commenter is well known as giving a lot of writing advice without ever being published.
On the one hand, this is a cautionary tale about listening to people who don't have the requisite experience to be giving advice. On the other hand...
I believe that Frustrated Writer should just write their story. Don't worry about how long it is or isn't. Don't worry about which bookshelf (or cyber-category) it will fit into. Screw all that. Write the story.
Just don't expect to publish that story.
I remember sitting in quite a few workshops at the Southern California Writer's Conference led by Lynn Gard Price, editorial director for Behler Publications. Lynn's workshops were about the publishing and marketability of books, and were always well attended. Behler publishes non-fiction "personal journeys with socially relevant themes."
A lot of people I meet at the SCWC are writing memoirs. These folks have been through something and want to tell the world about it. Their personal journey is usually socially relevant. They all arrive at Lynn's workshop with hopeful hearts, listening for her to tell them how to query her with their manuscript.
What she gives them is not a hopeless message, but a warning: there are dozens of memoirs out there about addiction, abuse, death, disaster. She tries to be kind. She knows each story is unique to the individual it happened to, but it is not unique to society. Much, much, much of it has been done. Lynn wants to know what makes your story rise above the rest as being the one that Needs To Be Heard.
It seems like there is always a moment in the workshop where I hear the quiet whistle of dreams deflating. What I want to stand up and shout when I get that feeling is, "Write your story anyway! Don't worry about the publishing. You need to write it for you!"
Not all stories will be published, but I think they still need to be told. Memoirs especially need to be written. If you've been through something and emerged on the other side, sometimes you need to write, just to figure out what it all meant to you. Sometimes you find out that you still have some inner work to do. Sometimes you find out that what you thought was barely escaping with your life was actually a huge victory.
Maybe you've got a piece of fiction galloping around your brain that is so outrageous or quirky or out-of-the-box that it only might appeal to ten people on the planet. Perhaps there's an experimental kind of writing that you're itching to try. Neither of these may be sellable.
Write them anyway, without expectation.
Think of it this way: writing the Manuscipt That May Be Buried can only do two things for you. First, you can always learn from every bit of writing you do. Frankly, if each bit of writing does not teach you something, you're missing out on the wonder of the written word. Second, getting this story written clears out the pipes and allows your mind to move on to something that might be marketable.
Too bad my name's not Brooke. That'd make it a really funny post title.
I'm still recovering from a fabulous weekend at the Southern California Writer's Conference. I spent three days discussing writing and marketing with fun and earnest people from all over. After each day's hard work, I sat at the makeshift bar of the Crowne Plaza Hanalei on San Diego's Hotel Circle, nursing a glass of wine and laughing my tushie off at the antics of the same fun and earnest people.
There's more to the debrief, but my eyes, to quote my grandmother, feel like "two pee-holes in a snowbank" and I can't quite make the right words come out of my brain.
In the meantime, the interview I did with Julie Preble of Horse and Rider Magazine is up and at 'em. If you want a chance to win Snoopy's book, go here. There's also a Q and A video of me on YouTube. Check it out.
I'll be back tomorrow or Thursday to report more. After I've slept.
In a few short weeks, I'll be teaching a workshop or two at the Southern California Writer's Conference. The schedule is still shaking out, so I'm not certain what else I'll be yammering on about, but one of my workshops is a new one for me, one that I hope will be both fun and informative. It's called "Storytelling is Murder, She Wrote," and we're going to take an episode of a TV mystery series and dissect it, looking for the kind of structure we use in our writing.
With each conference (I do two a year), Michael the director calls or emails me and solicits workshop proposals. And for each conference, I search my brain cells, looking for ideas and thinking, who am I to teach these people anything?
I spend the first part of my brainstorming session proving my credentials - to me. I've been writing for publication since 2000, I've had my weekly column since 2005, I've published six books and will soon have the seventh out on the market. And through all of it, I have strived to learn more about what I'm doing and do it better next time.
Still, I have that malady described most perfectly by the Divine Miss M in her book "A View from a Broad" where she states:
I'm always afraid Miss Burke (Bette's former hula teacher) will suddenly appear, and picking me up by the back of the neck like some great tabby, announce to one and all, "This hussy is a fraud!"
BTDubs, I am an ardent admirer of Bette Midler and have used her book many times for inspiration as to how to relax a little and stop giving such a rat's tokhes about everyone else's opinion.
While I was fertilizing my own little ego, I got into a discussion with my son (via Facebook messaging, which is where most of our conversations occur these days). He was longing for a post-college goal, a dream he could aim for. I suggested looking at what his now-graduated colleagues were doing, to kick-start ideas.
Then he told me, "I really liked what *local band* is doing, but I'm not sure if I'm good enough to gather the level of musicians they did and write music that cool. And I keep toying with the idea of a an educational YouTube channel all about music, but I don't feel nearly smart enough or confident enough to teach people on the internet."
See a common theme here?
How do I impart to my son to go forward with confidence, if I constantly question my own knowledge and skill set? Do I tell him it comes with the territory, creatively-speaking? Do I tell him to "fake it until you make it"? I could inform him that he is brilliant and creative and knows more about music than most people, but I know from my own experience that until he feels it on the inside, it won't help to pump it in from the outside.
I'm home again from all the conferences. I swear I love the SoCal Writers Conference oodles, but it wears me out. I come home both energized to be a writer and too pooped to pick up a pen. I'll give you a few highlights before I say, "Neener, neener, you missed it." Then of course I'll direct you to the page for the February conference in San Diego.
I can never get a clear picture of Michael - he's always on the move.
THE WORKSHOPS:
I sat in some really good ones. Marla Miller and Jennifer Silva Redmond always run a great workshop they call The Pitch Witches. Read your pitch, then sit back and learn. I usually don't have anything to pitch, but I love to go and hear what works and what doesn't work. Pitches, loglines, and jacket blurbs are harder to write than the damn book.
My other favorite workshop was Jenny's on how to be your own acquisition team for your own book. It involves a lot of talking to yourself, which I'm good at. Marla and I snuck into Drusilla Campbell's NovelCram, just to watch her work. Totally cool.
I gave two workshops. The first one, "I've Written the End - Can I Self-Publish Now?" went really well and we had quite a few people. (BTW, the short answer is No. The long answer is Hell, no.) The second one, "Rhythm, Pace, and AMUSEment" also had a fairly large audience and was well-received.
Here's the thing: I use PowerPoint slides for both, mostly to keep myself grounded and on track. Both workshops have an equal number of slides. The self-publishing workshop ran out of time. I ran through the rhythm and pace workshop slides within half the allotted time. We still kept talking about writing and editing and things we do for craft, but if Michael asks me to teach this again, I gotta expand the slides by a bunch.
Several people asked me for copies of my slides, so I must have done a good job!
RUNNING WITH THE BIG DOGS:
For the first time as a workshop leader, I was given two (!) submissions by authors for me to read and evaluate. The first one even requested me. I was excited yet frightened. Both manuscripts showed promise. I liked a lot about each one. However, both required work. Would the writers take my notes in a positive light, or would they assume a defensive position and argue with me? Would they be sane or make me call Wes for security?
They were both lovely women who were anxious to learn, to have their questions answered, to have me say what they suspected. It was a wonderful time.
THE PEOPLE:
This is my tribe, my group of people that I can discuss writing and publishing and not feel self-indulgent because they're up to their ears in the same topics. If I list everyone I saw and hugged and talked to, well, I'm sure I'd leave someone out and then they'd read this and be disappointed. I hung out a lot with my editor, Jennifer, and with Marla, slummed a teeny bit at the registration table with Melanie, Laura, Heather, Oz, and Rick, and finally caught up with Claudia from Michigan. I see these people on Facebook a lot, but it's not the same as face time.
I also got to chat with the directors, Michael Steven Gregory and Wes Albers. We were missing a few faces this time. Judy Reeves and Cricket Abbott got some kind of waiver to do other things, Laura Taylor had an emergency (she's fine, thanks), and Rick's wife Linda decided at the last minute she was just too exhausted to drive up. To show Linda how much we missed her, Jen and I took pictures of each of us kissing Rick and Jen posted them to Facebook.
That's just how much we care.
Heather was the person who summed up the weekend for me. We were both dragging our tushes around the conference rooms on Sunday morning, after being up WAY TOO LATE Saturday night. She said she had been so tired she was almost falling asleep and knew she should go to bed, but she loved being around these people so damned much, she couldn't leave the party.
That was my feeling, too.
SO:
Neener, neener, I got to spend a fabulous weekend doing fabulous things with fabulous writers. Jealous? Then here's the link for the February event. http://www.writersconference.com/sd
Sorry I haven't been around. This week, I went to Monterey to a conference held by the California Special Districts Association. The CSDA is important to me because I am a trustee on the board of the Placentia Library District. Our library is a special district. Our funding comes from property taxes and goes directly to us. Yes, we know we are blessed.
It was my second year of attending and I must say, I got more out of this year's conference than last year's. Mostly, I got enough information to wonder if we've got all our bases covered in our policies and procedures, from social media to bid protests. It was a call to action.
Monterey was beautiful and cool, which felt good after the weeks of 100-degree weather we've had in southern California. On the last morning, I couldn't find any classes that applied to me as a trustee, so Dale and I snuck down to the pier, had breakfast at LouLou's Griddle in the Middle and watched a huge group of sea lions battle for a spot on their own floating dock.
We got home Thursday evening, and I immediately unpacked, did laundry and repacked for this weekend.
I'm going down to Newport Beach to the Southern California Writers Conference. It's a totally wonderful conference and I've told you and everyone within listening distance about how wonderful it is. It's where I sold my first novel. It's where I got the inspiration for Snoopy's memoir. It's a working conference, geared toward giving participants a full-range of writing, from the craft to the business.
I could go on and on, extolling its virtues, but I'm not going to. I'm just going to go to the conference, teach two workshops, have a most excellent time, then come home and tell you all about it. And then won't you feel jealous?
Yeah, I know. No one was speaking of them. So just listen while I speak.
You all probably know that I have a new book coming out in a very few weeks. From the Horse's Mouth: One Lucky Memoir is my horse's story about his life, and how breaking his leg changed us both.
You also all probably know that I go to two writers' conferences a year, both run by Southern California Writers' Conference, headed up by Michael Steven Gregory and Wes Albers. They hold one conference in San Diego on President's Day weekend and one in Newport Beach in September.
I've told the story of how I was inspired to write Snoopy's book after attending a workshop by Charmaine Hammond. What I don't know if I've made clear is that all of my novels have come from SCWC.
ALL OF MY NOVELS, PEOPLE.
Even if I don't get the inspiration for each plot at these conferences, this is where I've learned the rules of the fiction-writing road. I learned how to tell what genre I'm writing and what its rules are. I know that no one walks in a novel -- they stroll or amble or wander (willy-nilly is optional). I know that a chapter should never end with my character going to sleep. (Being knocked unconscious doesn't count.) All of these things came from sitting in workshops, or reading my first few pages in a read and critique session.
If you are a writer, especially one who is floundering about the publishing arena, you need to go to a working conference. Naturally, I'm recommending SCWC, but if you can't get there, get somewhere. Meet other writers. Mingle with agents and publishers without seeing them as aliens from Planet YouSuck. Find out whether complete strangers are enthralled by your writing, and if they aren't, find out how to make them enthralled.
Also, a good conference should teach you how to learn about the business. The times, they are a'changing.
SCWC is offering a discount if you sign up early (the "Early Bard" discount), so if you're interested you should hop over and sign up. Space, as they say, is limited (even if it is the final frontier).
Michael and Company made a series of animated videos dealing with writers, agents, and editors. They are humorous AND timely, which is amazing since they were made three years ago. I suppose that makes them timeless. Here's the first one:
Check out the others.
Also, if you want information about Snoopy's book launch, go to his blog. He's got the scoop.
Howdy, Peeps! I'm home from the Southern California Writers' Conference in San Diego, where I spent three glorious days and one semi-conscious morning talking, teaching, learning, and laughing. I barely have a voice left, and my brain feels like pea soup, but I did want to give you a few highlights:
Tameri at High Tea on the Queen Mary
1. My workshops went over really well and they were fun for me to teach. The PowerPoint slides were invaluable, as they kept me on track and slowed my pace enough. In my first workshop, I thought I breezed through everything a little too quickly, and kept saying so. My buddy Tameri Etherton, who attended the workshop, threatened to smack me if I didn't stop saying that, so I've modified my opinion - my workshop on Rhythm, Pace, and AMUSEment was perfect.
Rick gave out prizes!
2. I learned a lot from attending other workshops. One example: Rick Ochocki taught me some great tools for keeping my writing process flowing. He was referring specifically to NaNoWriMo (National November Writing Month), wherein writers everywhere try to produce 50,000 words in 30 days. This is something I've tried once and failed miserably at. I don't know that I'll try it again, but I'll certainly use some of the tools.
3. I laughed a lot (and learned) from the conference directors Michael Steven Gregory and Wes Albers. Michael is mostly about film, and when he discusses why certain movies do and don't work, he gives me ideas about why certain books do and don't work, too. And in his new(ish) job as a coordinator for hostage negotiation/standoffs/SWAT activities, Wes gave me some rather fabulous insights into the recent Dorner case, psychological insights I can use in my books.
4. I discovered that if you are hopping from table to table in the bar and you leave your cell phone with one rowdy group, they are happy to take rude pictures on your cell phone. I don't know if they're happy to have said pictures posted on my blog...
Prepare yourself...
They only get worse
There may be more insights and discussions (and rude photos) later in the week, but this is the most I could muster with my thick gooey brain cells, and I didn't want to leave you hanging, wondering how the conference went.
