ENTER CONTESTS

Have a short story sitting around? Do you wonder what to do with it? Not much of a market out there, is there?

For those writers who are still waiting for that first publication, consider entering a few contests. It's a good way to get your feet wet (excuse the cliche!) and compete with your peers. It's strange but when we know judges or editors will look at our work, we tend to spend more time polishing it.

Also, winning a contest often opens doors. My first entry many years ago took a first place and went on to be published as a novel. It won out over two published authors, and all three winning entries in that contest were later published.

Why don't you enter your story a contest? Here's a good one. It's the 10th Annual Writers Digest Short Short Story contest. The deadline has been extended to December 10. You can win big money. The first prize is $3,000; second is $1500; third $500; etc. You've got a few days to sharpen your work, make sure it's formatted properly and the best you can make it.

Here's the link to find out more about the contest and getting that story in on time.

Be sure to check out any contest you aren't sure of before spending valuable time and money entering your work. That's important. How do you find contests? Google for them. I've learned you can ask Google anything and get some sort of answer. If you don't get what you wanted, reword your request.

It's The Story Stupid

Over the past few years I've noticed the not-too-subtle change in entertainment, including novels and movies. It seems we've turned slowly from quality creativity to STORY. Some of those who write today are not very good writers, but they are terrific storytellers. And this seems to be where the industry is today.

Of course, we must be able to handle the English language fairly well to have our work accepted, but that is second to telling a great story. As always, characters are most important. You can't have much of a story without characters that the reader can identify with. Someone they care enough about to spend all those hours immersed in their adventures.

So, with that in mind, we came up with an innovative (to us) idea for our critique group. Instead of bringing five pages from their book or story or article, anyone who wants to may bring up to five pages telling their story. We will then brainstorm and help them decide where to go with the story, what to add that will make it jump off the pages when an editor reads it. In the past two weeks, we've brainstormed four stories and helped writers turn them into "out of the box" ideas for fiction novels.

It's surprising how many good ideas leaped from the minds of our writers. Some are better at this than others, but almost everyone in our rather large group had suggestions to "ramp up" the stories, as that exciting new author Jordan Dane says. Of course, all of the ideas won't be usable. The direction some of these stories have taken is amazing. I can't wait to hear the finished product.

My novel-in-a-month project has gone well, though I won't finish it in the month. I have written 11 pretty complete chapters, or 220 pages since the beginning of November. That's pretty impressive, I think. In line with turning this into an exciting story, I've done some brainstorming on my own for finishing the novel. I think I'll take the story in to our critique group and let them add their WOW ideas before I finish up and do the revisions.

Writing is such an exciting business, and I can understand why so many people want to write a book. Last I heard it was 85% of the American people who said they'd like to write a book. Most of them won't, others will try and not finish, but some will indeed become bona fide writers. Living in the world of our own creation is a breathtaking experience. I wouldn't take back a single year I've spent struggling to get published and to stay published. The excitement of successes far outweighs the disappointment of rejections. Just being in the business and meeting so many super writers has been worth all the effort. Take a peek into my world.

I heard from my editor at Old American Publishing that my book, The Boston Mountains: Lost In The Ozarks, will be out in the spring of 2010. I now have the proofs for editing. The book looks really good and I'm excited to see it published. Still waiting on word about the recipe/story book, which we've now titled Arkansas Meals and Memories: Lift Your Eyes To The Mountains.

E BOOKS ARE BUSTING OUT ALL OVER

With the announcement from Harlequin that the publisher has begun a new house for E books with a long list of genres, it's easy to see that the E book evolution has begun. Take a look at what this publisher is interested in and check out Carina's website.

I have no intention of beginning an argument over whether E books are a good idea or not, but only want to point out that digital books are coming. No old fogey can stop them. Authors young and old should be looking seriously at becoming involved. Children today are literally born with iPhones in their hands. My 3-year old great-grandson uses a computer and an iPhone with ease. What do you think he'll be reading in a couple more years?

I've been writing for 25 years. The first five of those were spent on an electric typewriter. Then I bought a used word processor, called a computer in those days by those of us who had no idea what was looming on the horizon. For a long time I found it difficult to write with a screen in front of my eyes. A friend of mine said if I'd put a bell on my word processor so it rang at the end of a line, I might be able to produce better. But I hung in there and learned because it was clear to me that I would fall behind if I didn't.

So, dear friends, this old broad fully intends to become involved in the E book revolution. I'm working now on preparing a manuscript to submit to Carina. One nice thing about this new publishing house is that they are looking for writing that might not be acceptable at traditional publishing houses. That means that some of our work that doesn't fit any of those New York genres might well find a home at Carina, or some of the other E book publishers that have been around for a number of years.

For a long time I've said I was going to try to get into E book publishing, this time instead of talking about it, I'm doing it. And it won't be long until I break down and buy a reader. As more companies go into competition with the best known readers, like Sony and Amazon's Kindle, prices will be more affordable. The new "nook" is out and selling faster than it can be manufactured. Imagine being able to carry over 300 books with you in something smaller then one hard cover book. Imagine reading in the dark with ease, or changing the font size so that the print is easier to read. Those are just some of the pros of this new generation "book."

No one is paying me for this, I'm a firm believer in keeping up with the times. And so should you be if you want to become a successful writer. Have to go now and finish re formating my manuscript so I can mail it off. Oh, by the way, here's yet another perk. It won't cost me a lot of bucks to get that 300 page manuscript to the publisher. I'll just punch a couple of buttons and it'll be on its way. I won't even have to kill a tree and print it out.

Writing the Bones

Recently I heard comments about how wasteful it is to write a novel in a month. Everyone knows you can't do that. It will be nothing but trash.

Comments like this are usually made by left-brained people. Right-brained people are creative and know that it is very possible to let that right-brain take over and create without thinking about grammar, punctuation, or any of those other "English Class" rules. We create from a stream of consciousness. We are creative because we know how to reach deep into ourselves and, as a famous writer once said, "open a vein." We let flow our innermost beliefs, thoughts, desires, and turn them into stories. But first we have to put down the bones of those stories.

It's necessary to knock that editor off your shoulder to accomplish this. Don't worry about anything but the flow of your creativity. I do make notes, about names mostly, so I don't forget them. Anything else can be noted and fixed later. If I can't think of a word, I just put something there in caps and go on. If you stop to think, you've lost the free flow.

That doesn't mean you never think, that would be ridiculous, but if you have to stop and ponder on something inconsequential such as the name of a street or workplace, then you will lose the creativity. I found this type of writing much easier when I was new at it than I do now. For some reason, probably because I have written newspaper columns and been an editor for a newspaper in the past, I have to fight the urge to edit as I write. My creativity kicks in on rewrites, but I think new writers need to practice this "flow of creativity" so that they don't get bogged down.

I've known writers who rewrite their first chapter over and over and never can continue with the book. Or they work for hours on the opening sentence. The time for that is after the book is written and you are rewriting. Get the characters moving, talking, reacting to each other. Sometimes it's good to write an entire scene in dialogue only, then go back and add tags and beats, and a bit of description and action to fill in the scene.

How much information does the writer need before he begins that first paragraph, page, chapter? Very little. Character, setting, situation are enough to start the creative juices flowing. As you write you'll find yourself getting to know the character, stepping into the setting, adding information to the situation. Even so, keep writing. The third, fourth and fifth chapters will be much better than the first three, but don't go back and fix the first three. Just keep writing. Each chapter will be better because you're getting to know your character and story better. By the end of the book, you'll be itching to get back to the first chapter and rewrites because you'll know exactly how your character will act and how the story will begin.

As I said, for me rewrites bring out creativity, and that's fine. You will want to delve even deeper into internalization of your POV character, the situation and reactions by minor and secondary characters. Rewrites and editing are two different things. In rewrites, we break down each sentence, each paragraph, each scene and add just the right spice.

Writing is a profession, and we don't learn to do it overnight. That said, I will also say that no one can teach you how to write in the sense of your very own personal creativity. But you can learn your craft, learn how to polish your work and create salable stories. So go to it.

November is Writing the novel month

I'm sure most of you are aware of all those writers who will begin to write their 50,000 word novel this month. I've decided to unofficially join all those involved in this endeavor and write a novel I've thought about for a while. If I can get down the bones in one month, I'll be that far ahead in finishing it, which I expect will take me at least a year. I know the subject, but only have four characters in mind. None of the minor or secondary characters have come out of hiding yet.

In doing this, the object is not to edit a word, but write, write, write. It's difficult for me to shut down my editor. Over the years I've had to edit most of my newspaper articles quickly as they are always on deadline. This exercise should be good for me.

I'm taking a story from my first unpublished novel, which is now dated, and working it into a contemporary story of my main character's granddaughter. Grandmother will play a major role in the girl's life. Oddly and wonderfully, this was suggested to me by a young writer at a conference a few year's ago when some of us were asked to give a synopsis of our first book. When I did and said I didn't suppose it would ever get published because the subject matter was dated, she came up to me after the workshop and made a suggestion. This goes to prove what I've always said. You can learn something new, no matter how much you may think you already know.

This young girl wasn't published, but her brain went to work and came up with the idea that would involve grandmother, her lost love, granddaughter and her fiance. I wish I knew the girl's name, I would like to let her know that I am finally going ahead with her suggestion.

If you are multi-published, have been in the writing business a long time and think you know all there is to know, take a lesson from my experience. There's never a workshop or conference that I don't learn something, usually more than one somethings, if you'll pardon the twisted sentence.

Recently we attended The Chisholm Trail Book Festival in Duncan, Oklahoma. The crowd was small but enthusiastic and I didn't sell one book. People are having trouble coming up with money for food and their bills, so it's understandable they can't buy books. What did happen, though? I made invaluable contacts. Several are interested in my books due out in 2010, they left me their email addresses so I can let them know about the books. A local bookseller came along and we exchanged information. Others were interested in the same subjects I am and we had great discussions. Still others passed along information that I can use in the future, and we all exchanged cards. So was I unhappy that I didn't sell any books? Sure, it would've been nice, but I gleaned information worth more than the few dollars I might have made from selling a hand-full of books. Never discount these types of contacts.

You might think about writing a book in the month of November. Realize, of course, that you aren't truly writing a book in a month. You are writing what will become a book after you add months and months of work to the initial "bones" of your novel. This is simply a way to kick off an idea and turn it into a book. Let me know how it works out if you decide to give it a try.

Caught in the Trap of Writing

Since I started writing, it seems that every day is a working day. If I'm not at the computer creating, my mind is making up stories, or I'm wondering if the guy in the next aisle at the grocery store might make a good character, or I'm listening to a conversation and trying to remember a particular way of saying something. Once we begin in this business, there is no end, no rest, no time off.

The last week of September I finished two manuscripts and sent them off to the publishers, via the Internet. Thank goodness for up-to-date publishers. No more printing 3-400 pages, lugging the big fat manuscript to the Post Office, finding which box they'll fit and forking over the dough. At least not with many of the small publishers. We hope soon to see New York publishers catch up. At any rate, the books were finished after a year of hard work and research and I was ready to relax and take a break from writing for a while. This was not to be.

We left on October 8 for a writer's conference in Eureka Springs where I was surrounded by ideas, and suggestions for two full days. After a day home to wash some clothes and pack up, we took off for Red River, New Mexico where we had a small get-together with Jodi Thomas. What did we do? Discussed writing, of course. After three gloriously sunny days there, we headed for Colorado and a brief visit with the protagonist of my latest book, Fly With the Mourning Dove. Edna celebrated her 95th birthday in July and doesn't look a day older than she did ten years ago. Nor does she act it. We had a good time visiting with her, then it was a leisurely drive through Texas back to Duncan, OK for what? An all-day book fair where we discussed writing with other writers and readers.

That's not all. Not a day passed during the trip that I didn't find words to describe the scenery, or place characters in one of the ranches we passed, or dream up dialogue to set a scene. I guess once we're caught up by this writing business, there's no escape. And obviously we don't want to get away from it.

It's our habit to stay off the Interstates. My husband spends a good long while plotting our route over state highways that meander through small towns, ghost towns that sport closed service stations with old gravity pumps out front and empty, boarded up buildings. In one such town known as Yeso, New Mexico, I parked and we crawled out of the car. I'd spotted some old adobe buildings, mostly crumbling to the ground. Great scars in the walls took bites out of old signs advertising early products. Trees grew up through the floors. Glassless windows gaped darkly at us.

In Texas we drove through Caprock Canyon, a site we would have totally missed had we followed Interstate 40. The highway coiled between towering red bluffs and wandered between great cottonwoods dressed in bright gold autumn attire. Still, I made up stories. A wagon making its way through the hills, fording a creek where perhaps someone tumbled out and there would be a great scurrying to rescue that hapless character, who was in trouble at every turn.

I believe there is no escape from this trap called writing, no matter where we go or what we do. It's not as if I can't bring myself to write, rather it's as if I can't stop.

What Comes Next? / Small Publishers Rock

Late last week, sitting at my desk, fingers on the keys, I found nothing to write. What was going on? Ah, yes, I'd finished my book, in this case two books, and didn't have the foggiest what might be next. Edit an older book to see if it might sell? Work on that book I'd fiddled around with before getting the contracts for two nonfiction books?

Have you ever found yourself in this position? If you haven't, believe me you will one day. It's sort of a lost feeling. All writers have tons of projects in their heads, but deciding which one comes next isn't always easy. For me, it's another women's fiction when I have two that haven't sold yet. Will I be wasting my time there? Perhaps I ought to take another look at those two. No, that's not a good idea. We can write them to death. A partial is with an agent with no reply, so let's forget that one for a while. Still, do I continue in that genre, or work on something else?

I've written something different for me. A sort of humorous shape shifter that sat with an editor who liked it till she resigned and now I can't find the manuscript. No one at the house will reply to my inquiry. Okay, so perhaps that's the new project. Begin searching for a publisher for this book is a good idea. I have in mind checking out small publishers, so an agent isn't needed for that.

Okay, that settled, where do I go from here? There's always Google for small publishers. Or maybe I should narrow down the search. Put in publishers of paranormal novels? Yes, that's where I might go first. Second step will be to write a fresh query letter, if the publisher calls for one, and check out guidelines thoroughly. Make sure I do everything exactly as they require. Don't assume they'll look at more than they ask for. Don't send something cutesy to introduce myself and my work. Be very businesslike, even if my book is humorous.

Maybe I ought to include a bit of humor just to show them I know what is funny. I'll have to think about that. I might shoot myself in the foot by trying too hard. Best to let the book stand on its own merits. Most small publishers will look at three chapters and they can be sent through email, which cuts the cost of submitting the manuscript. In most cases, they'll also take the entire manuscript that way, saving still more.

Yes, I like the idea of checking out small publishers first. There's a ton of them out there, 93,000 to be almost exact. Of course, they'll be narrowed down a lot when considering subject matter and breaking down those who take fiction. Many prefer nonfiction. And I can write that, just finished two in fact, and sold them both to small publishers. Because I like working with them and they are buying more today than New York.

Why do I like working with them? Well, example. Last week I sent in my book through email and the next day received a call from my editor letting me know he had it and when he would read it. Then we discussed possible titles, me taking his suggestions very seriously, even if I might not totally agree. He'll take my input seriously as well, and we'll come up with a title. He later emailed me that another author in the house had made suggestions for a title. Mmmm, that's nice, and one of them was a pretty good idea too.

Over the years I've worked with editors in New York, and nothing like this ever happened. We did have phone conversations when they wanted large edits or when I called to tell them they'd sent a box of my books to Winslow, AZ instead of Winslow, AR. We all make mistakes, and we had a laugh out of that, so the next box was delivered at the local 7/11 store out on the highway because it hitched a ride in a semi and it couldn't come out our country road. They were trying to save money.

Only a couple of the adventures of publishing in New York. God love them, I'd take a contract any day and be deliriously happy. There can be problems with any editor or publisher. And I'll bet they can tell just such stories about authors who don't do what they're supposed to, as well.

My point here is, do exactly what is asked of you, no matter the problems that might arise. Be businesslike and professional. Maybe those are the same. And whoever you're working with, be polite, no matter what. Know what I did after the books went to Arizona? I sent a big box of Arkansas souvenirs to the office in New York. Mugs, computer critters, desk items of all sorts, some with the Razorback Hog on them, others simply read Arkansas. I received another phone call with thanks, and they never forgot I lived in Arkansas again. I think I was the only author they had who did.

Have fun, try to see the humor in everything that happens, commit yourself to becoming the best writer there is, and get out there and network. I've sold all my books at writer's conferences, but that's for another blog.