More Comic Book Talk

Over the CONvergence weekend, I house sat the kitties of a fellow Wyrdsmith, Bill Henry. He's also a comic book fan, and on his living room table was a set of steampunk graphic novels: Freak Angels by Warren Ellis.

I have to say, I haven't read much steampunk but I rather enjoyed this, though I only got through the first volume and a half before Bill returned from his trip, and I had to leave them behind. The world isn't your typical (from what I understand, anyway,) steampunk, in that it's a fantasy future in which London -- much of the rest of the world as well? -- has been flooded and some other incident (which our heroes may be at least partly responsible for) ended civilization as we know it. There are eleven odd young adults, the Freak Angels, who are psychic and who are running White Chapel or one of those other neighborhoods in London. There's a mystery involving a rogue member who is misusing his powers and some people from over yonder who come in by boat and get their a$$es handed to them by the Freak Angels.

I'm actually uncertain where it's going or what it's about, but it's very compelling writing despite all that, and I'm going to have to lean on Bill to fork over the next issues. Or heaven forbid, go out an buy my own dang copies.

Is that a recommendation? I don't know. I haven't had enough coffee yet to be be more coherent.

666th Post

I feel like I should probably say something vaguely EVIL since this is my 666th post, but really I just wanted to say: "Whoot!" because I wrote 2,000 words today. Yay! Go me! Hip, hip-horray!

I'm particularly pleased since I decided to skip working out today to try to get a jump on my writing, since I'm going out tonight. There's a reading group that's going to be discussing one of my alter ego's books tonight at 7:00 pm at Turtle Bread, 4762 Chicago Avenue, Minneapolis, and I'm going to listen in. Hopefully they'll have some nice things to say.

Also, I just wanted to share an image from this morning: A bunch of kids all decided to walk down the hall holding hands with one of Mason's best girl friends, Ava. Most of them were all kindergarten girls, and I noticed one young lady had a Hannah Montana backpack and in one corner? A NASA sticker! How awesome is that?! Talk about girly girl-power!

Speaking of school, I'm off to go pick up the little darling!

Yesterday the mail carrier delivered Mason's Marvel Adventures All-Ages SPIDER-MAN #52, "No Substitutes" (Mark Sumerak).

As usual, I brought it to school and Mason devoured it in the back seat. The nice thing about this routine? On the days I bring comics, Shawn and I can have a mostly-interruption free conversation about her day. Mostly because Mason will still sometimes blurt out with, "Shhhh, I'm trying to read!"

I ended up reading the issue myself, and I want to make one comment about it. First of all, I love the all-ages titles, and I'm only bummed that they stopped producing Fantastic Four All-Ages, because those were Mason's favorites. My theory? FF is too science fiction, even for comic books. I mean, they go into space on a regular basis. I'm not sure a lot of kids these days find that plausible... I mean, unlike, say radioactive spiders giving you super powers.

Anyway, in Spider-Man All Ages, Peter is still a high school teen at Mid-town High or wherever. In this issue, he's leaving the public library and, thanks to his Spidey-senses, stumbles across a secret cabal of villains (psuedo-"Hydra" types). Anyway, he accidentally leaves his biology report on at the scene of the crime after beating up the baddies, and picks up their top secret plans (conveniently in a similar manila file folder) instead. The next day, Peter is mortified to discover he doesn't have his homework. But thinks it's going to be okay when there's a substitute teacher, Jessica Drew (Spider-Woman to those in the know.) No, she comes down hard on him and puts him in detention, which Spidey is kind of grateful for because he's realized that maybe the bad guys might now know his secret identity thanks to his mix-up.

Little does he know that Spider-Woman has his biology report which she found at the scene, and she thinks he's an agent of not-Hydra. At any rate, adventures ensue and, of course, Spider-Man and Spider-Woman end up defeating the evil not-Hydra's plans to blow up Times Square.

The best part of this issue, however, is that the author, Sumerak, finally punches through one of those superhero tropes I hate. The trope (or maybe it's better defined as a crutch) is that people can spend all day with the alter ego of the superhero, talking to him/her, and somehow not recognize their mannerisms and/or voice behind the mask ten minutes later when the hero comes to their rescue. I roll with that because it's so common that I tell myself that the Marvel Universe is populated with people who either chose to ignore the obvious (in the case of Aunt May and MJ "denial isn't just a river in Egypt") or are merely, in the words of my favorite Lois & Clark episode, "galatically stupid."

In this issue, however, at the end when Spidey says he has to leave before the not-S.H.I.E.L.D agents arrive to debrief the heroes to protect his secret identity, Spider-Woman lets him ago with a "you've helped tremendously--" (then, after he's swung a good distance away she says in smaller letters, thus quieter,) "Mr. Parker."

And he never notices. I think it would have been even more awesome if she had just said "Thanks, Mr. Parker," and for him to go, "You're welcome" and zip away, and never notice that he'd answered to his real name, because don't you always figure that might happen some day? (And actually Bendis plays with that in the New Avengers when Daredevil accidentally calls Spider-Man "Peter" in front of Captain America and then stops and says, "Uh, you know Spider-Man is Peter Parker, right?")

I love stuff like that.

It's very Joss Whedon-esque. By that I mean, for a moment, it steps out of your "comfort zone" if you will and says, "why do we roll with that crutch/trope, anyway?" It makes you realize how much wider the world can be if you play with the established "rules."

It's a good lesson in writing, actually.

The Con and Stuff

I had a great time at CONvergence. If you didn't see me, it was because I was in disguise as my alter ego. If you're so inclined, I wrote a bit about my experiences (and other stuff) over at her LJ.

I forgot to mention that on Sunday, Lynne Thomas and her husband Michael came over to our place to finally pick up a box of my papers for her manuscript collection at the Northern Illinois University. I sent a long a box of unpublished writing, including some dorky stuff I wrote in high school that I'd saved... well, probably just for this moment. And after she and Michael left, of course, I found a whole other box of stuff up in the attic, which includes a bunch of really awesomely dorky children's stories I wrote while board at my job at Pillsbury.

But the thing I realized going through that "extra" box last night is that I have really quite consciously lived my life as though I hoped to be famous one day. I saved every bit of writing, no matter how bad. I organized it (loosely) and put it somewhere for THE FUTURE.

I can't decide if that makes me forward-thinking or totally narcissistic.

Conventions 101

I'm off to CONvergence this weekend, and that got me thinking...

When I occasionally talk about self-promotion there's usually a very quick, off-hand, "Oh, and go to conventions."

Most of the time, that's excellent advice. But not all science fiction conventions are created equal, and what you get out of a convention is really dependent on what you're looking for and, potentially, what you're willing to put into it.

You have to ask yourself: what am I looking for?

If you're looking to connect to other fans of a particular genre, TV show or movie, you can attend nearly any science fiction convention and not be disappointed. If you're not sure your particular "fandom" (area of obsessive interest to the layperson) is represented at the con you're considering attending, most cons post a sample, thumbnail, or even complete programming schedule on-line several weeks before the start date. If you feel you have something new to contribute to the discussion of your fandom, most con coms (the guys and gals in charge to the layperson) are more than happy to consider you as a panelist, but to do that you often have to get in on the programming process a lot earlier, like in the idea generating stage, or be in the know with someone on the programming committee.

Why do this if you're a as-yet-unpublished author? Won't showing off your inner geek bust the whole professional image you've been so carefully cultivating?? Well, depends on your area of fandom, but one of the best panels I was ever on was my very first where I got into a heated discussion about the movies of Ripley Scott. I didn't even have a story published, but I ended up making really great connections with the other panelists, one of whom later brought me into her circle of friends that included some movers and shakers in the publishing industry.

You never know who knows who, and even if nothing comes of it having fun is always good, you know? (People can tell if you've come to a convention just to "work," too.)

And that's the other thing. It's never too early to cultivate a fan base. If you are well known and well liked in the science fiction community (or even just someone that triggers a "I think I remember liking her/him on a panel...") it's more likely that people will want to buy your book when it comes out. People like to support friends. They like to be able to say, "I knew her/him then!" (I know *I* do at any rate.)

If you're going to connect with other writers or to learn about the interests of various agents/editor/etc., find a convention with a strong literary track (using the above methods.) These kinds of panels are sometimes more difficult for a beginning author to get on because the competition at this level is more fierce. But you can still attend as an audience member and take mental (or real) notes. But whatever you do, don't rush the editor/agent after the panel to try to press your business card into their palm. I was once at a WorldCon panel where it was a mob scene after the "Meet the Agents" panel. I'd hoped to say hello to someone, but it was pretty useless... and you can always see if you can find yourself in a conversation with someone later on at a party. (Although I try to never mention that I'm a writer or hand off business cards at parties either, unless asked. Thing is? Editors and agents often come to parties to relax, not do business. It's good to respect that.)

Even if you never press palms with the person you've been hoping to meet, you can always start that query letter with "I saw you on the [fill in the blank] panel at [fill in the convention]..." they might not be impressed, but they will recognize that you're an active member of the community and have at least potentially learned a thing or two about how the business works.

It's always a question about how much that sort of thing works, because, of course, in the end it's the story that sells itself. You can sell without ever attending a convention. I know plenty of people who avoid conventions like the plague and still sell quite successfully. However, I also know from personal experience that there are times when meeting someone gives you that two extra seconds to help sell your story.

And when you're published, of course, whatever panels you are on help introduce you to your colleagues and potential readers... just make sure, ehm, that dealers' room actually sells books....not to mention YOUR books. (Not that THAT's every happened to me, no sir!) Similarly it's always good to stop by the dealers' room and say "hi" to those hardworking booksellers and offer to sign stock.

At any rate, you never know. Whatever else, conventions can be a great deal of fun. For me, that always makes them worth attending.

See you at CONvergence.

Scottish History On-Line (For Writers)

WORKSHOP: Highland Clans from Medieval Times through the Clearances

Date: July 13-Aug 31, 2009
Workshop Title: Highland Clans from Medieval Times through the Clearances
Instructor: Cindy Vallar, author of The Scottish Thistle and an associate editor for Solander magazine (http://www.cindyvallar.com/)

Workshop Dates: Tuesday, 7 July through Friday, 28 August
REGISTER: www.celtichearts.org

Description: We often assume the Highland clans of Scotland have always been. In reality, they evolved. This workshop explores the origins of the clans in general, then examines the history and development of clans from four perspectives: Western clans, Central and Eastern clans, the Lords of the Isles, and clan wars. Other lessons will cover Highland land and settlements, the Highlanders' year and the customs that influenced their lives, the structure of clans (surnames, law, fosterage, traditions, succession, etc.), occupations, and clothing.

About the instructor: A retired librarian, Cindy Vallar is the Associate Editor of Industry for Solander, the magazine of the Historical Novel Society, and writes the "Red Pencil" column where she profiles authors and compares a selection from their published historical novels with an early draft of that work. She also reviews for their journal, Historical Novels Review. She is the Editor of Pirates and Privateers, a freelance editor, a content editor for Pyrates Way magazine, and a workshop presenter. She belongs to the Historical Novel Society, the Red River Branch of Clan Cameron, the Scottish Clans of North Texas, the Laffite Society, the Louisiana Historical Society, and the National Maritime Historical Society. In 2005 at the Clan Cameron North American Rally, Cindy received the first Friend of Clan Cameron Award. She is the author of The Scottish Thistle, her debut historical novel about Scotland's Rising of 1745, and Odin's Stone, a romantic short story of how the Lord of the Isles settled the medieval feud between the MacKinnons and MacLeans on the Isle of Skye. She invites you to visit her award-winning web site, Thistles & Pirates (http://www.cindyvallar.com/), to learn more.Workshop Duration: 6 weeks Eliza KnightCHRW PresidentAuthor of sizzling historical romance. Bringing passion to life, one love story at a time...www.elizaknight.com / www.historyundressed.blogspot.com / www.mamawriters.com

Buffy vs. Edward

This is a must see (sent to me by my friend and fellow writer, Naomi Kritzer):

More Good Advice

I actually cribbed this from Kelly's post over at Wyrdsmiths today. It's from Lilith Saintcrow's blog and I found this article in particular very... illuminating, and a little bit nerve-wracking.

It's not that I've ever (to my knowledge) been "Z" (in her second example of hard sell: fail), but I can totally understand the desire. When you first sell, there's a huge shift in your mind that goes something like this -- I am now legitimate. Which is to say, it's hard not to fall into the trap of being perhaps more than a little bit self-important, because, you know, suddenly you feel like all those opinions you kept to yourself about how brilliant you were... well, someone else finally agreed, and when that someone else might even be a New York book publisher, frankly, that's pretty f**king cool.

And it's really, REALLY hard not to say: hey, look at me!!

*blushes*

Ehm, moving on....

I do have to say, however, Lilith's advice at the end of the post is worth its weight in gold. The weirdest, most true bit? Thank-you notes. I wrote a ton of them in the beginning of my career, and can say unequivocally that they helped me get gigs. People appreciate being thanked. And it's super-easy to do. Your mom was right. Just sit down and do it.

Her whole blog is pretty awesome actually. Go check her out: http://www.lilithsaintcrow.com/journal/about/

On-Line Promotion and other Pitfalls

From time to time, fellow Wyrdsmith Kelly McCullough and I get into a heated (or at least intense) discussion about the efficacy of author promotion. Though, really, at the bottom line, I think Kelly and I both agree that an author really can't do all that much to bump sales figures significantly (other than write a good book or just happen to "hit" the right moment), I tend to maintain that I need to do a bit of self-promotion or I feel guilty/responsible/insane.

This article sent to me by fellow SF/F author David Levine via one of the various author lists we're on, totally depressed me.

Apparently, I should be providing a whole lot more "insider" information... things like "sneak peeks" on works-in-progress, contests, etc., and not, well, talking about the weather... and my fish.

Did I mention it's hot here? Although it was raining a bit ago, and I suspect it's going to get muggy.

Hmph.

On-Line Murder Investigaton Class

********************Permission to Forward****************************

RWA's Mystery/Suspense Chapter is pleased to announce our COFFIN College of Felony and Intrigue MURDER ONE online Workshop for the month of July 2009.

WORKSHOP: Crime Scene Investigations and Fingerprints: The Two Part Class

PART ONE: Crime Scene Investigations: Okay, you got the call -- Now, what? What to expect at a crime scene. This will be an interactive workshop giving scenarios of crimes and how you would/should/could handle it. I plan to make this fun and answer plenty of questions along the way to help your story read like the real thing. From the cop's point of view to the writers, be sure to join in.

PART TWO: Fingerprints: Fact or Fiction. I will explain the correct terms and preferred procedure information on fingerprint evidence from crime scene to lab. I will then guide us on how to take the facts we've been given and work them into your fictional masterpieces. You won't want to miss this workshop!

Instructor: Phyllis Middleton: While employed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation at the tender age of nineteen, Phyllis Middleton was trained in the Science of Fingerprints. This training included the classification, comparison and search methods used by FBI and known throughout the USA. Returning to her home in Colorado, she became a Deputy Sheriff for the Pueblo County Sheriff's Department and specialized in crime scene investigation and evidence processing. Certified in Pueblo District and County Courts, Phyllis testified in a number of cases as an expert in the field of fingerprints. While with the Sheriff's Department, she branched out in Patrol and Investigations as well as becoming a member of the Search and Rescue Squad and the State Disaster Team. She added becoming an Emergency Medical Technician and Certified Police Instructor to her service.

MURDER ONE workshops encompass the technical aspects of murder and mayhem.

PAYMENT MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE 27TH day of the month PRIOR to the start of the COFFIN class. Cost of each workshop is (Currently) $15.00 US for KOD Members, $30.00 US for non-KOD Members (RWA membership NOT required to take the course).

For more information check out our website at http://www.rwamysterysuspense.org

********************Permission to Forward***************************

New Moon Monday

As those of you who are astrologically savvy already know, today is the New Moon, which is a good time for beginning new projects and genearally starting something new. So are up to anything fun? Creative?

Me, I'm trying not to sweat too much. It's hot and muggy here in Minnesota. We're supposed to get temperatures in the 90s F (32 C). Over the weekend one of my fish tank filters decided to gum up and spot working, so this morning there was much sweating and "ewwwww"ing as I got that thing going again. Then I took out the garbage and played around in the garden just long enough to get something gross smelling on my foot. And sweat some more. This is all made much worse by the fact that this weekend I managed to get super-dooper sun burned on my back and shoulders. Yes, I used sunscreen, but not, apparently, dillegently enough. All I can say is: ouch.

Now I think I may retreat to my one air-conditioned room in the house to do a bit of writing. I'm on the second chapter of the new young-adult vampire/witch book, and it's a lot of fun so far, I have to say. I've been making good progress, which is important since it's due at the publisher on October 15.

Anyway, hope you're well, and up to starting something good today!

Excuse and an On-Line Class

Sorry for the long absence, my son contracted something that very well might have been Swine Flu (he had all the symptoms, but we have no official confirmation), and so I've had to keep him out of school for the required seven days. What, in June, you ask? Shouldn't he be on summer vacation anyway? Mason goes to a year-round school, so no. He's at school until August, which is actually nice for me and my writing schedule... usually. The ironic part of all this is that he's been fully recovered since Sunday (he had a very mild case), and so I have a very squirrely, happy kid that can't go to school until he's not contageous any more.

Anyway, I hope to be back to my writing posts soon, but in the meantime here's an on-line class forwarded to me by my local RWA group:

**Permission to forward granted and encouraged**

Yosemite Romance Writers is proud to present their online workshop for July.

Date: 07/06 - 07/31
Workshop title: Developing Plot and Tension in the Novel

Description: You may have wonderful ideas for your novel, fascinating characters, and beautiful writing, but those attributes alone won't tie a novel together. Plot and the ensuing tension that a carefully constructed story engenders are what keeps your readers tied to your words. In this workshop, we take your material and create a storyline, working on creating successful beginnings, middles, and ends. We also see how your characters and your writing style work in conjunction with your plot. Working from a complete draft of a novel, a partial draft, or an outline of an idea, we explore your stories. Through lecture, discussion, in-class writing, and workshopping, we follow the arc of your story, discussing how all the components work together. Among the topics considered are structuring an effective "hook," watching for the middle "sag," and tying up loose plot ends. We also work on creating effective, round characters and focus on the theme of your work.

About the instructor: Jessica Barksdale Inclán's debut novel Her Daughter's Eyes, published in 2001, was the premier novel published under New American Library's new imprint Accent. Her Daughter's Eyes was a final nominee for the YALSA Award for the best books of 2001 and best paperbacks for 2001 and has been published in Dutch and Spanish. Her next novel The Matter of Grace was published in May 2002 and was re-released in a mass market version in May 2004. Her third, When You Go Away, came out April 1, 2003. Her fourth, One Small Thing, was published April 2004, and has been published in Dutch and Spanish. Her fifth, Walking With Her Daughter, was published in April 2005. The Instant When Everything is Perfect was published in February 2006. In June 2006, she published the first in a trilogy from Kensington Books. When You Believe was followed by Reason to Believe and Believe in Me. Being with Him--the first in a second trilogy, was published February 2008 and the second, Intimate Beings, is due out October 2008.. She is a 2002 recipient of the CAC Artist's Fellowship in Literature. Inclán teaches composition, creative writing, mythology, and women's literature at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California, and on-line creative writing courses for UCLA extension. She has studied with Sharon Olds, Anne Lamott, Kate Braverman, Grace Paley, Marjorie Sandor, and Cristina Garcia. Her short stories and poems have appeared in Rockhurst Review, Hotwired, The Salt Hill Journal, Free Lunch, The West Wind Review, The Prairie Star, Gargoyle and many other journals and newspapers. Her short story Open Eyes was given first prize by Sandra Cisneros for El Andar magazine's 2000 writing contest. She co-edited a women's literature/studies textbook Diverse Voices of Women (Mayfield Publishing, 1995). Ms. Inclán has degrees in sociology and English literature from CSU Stanislaus and a Master's degree in English literature from SFSU. Ms. Inclán lives in Oakland, California and is currently at work on her next novel.

Deadline to register: 07/05/09
Fee: $20 YWR members; $25 non-members.
RWA Membership isn't required; Anyone can take our courses.
Where to sign up: You may register online at our website,www.yosemiteromancewriters.com. Please click the Pay Now button and follow the instructions for Paypal. You will receive a confirmation from us once your payment is received. You may also contact YRW at YosemiteRomanceWriters@YosemiteRomanceWriters.com if you have any other questions.

Thank you for considering our workshops!!

Dawna Richard
President, YRW

Skill Versus Talent

One thing you're going to hear me say a lot during this discussion about writing is that there is more than one way to do to [fill in the blank.] My way is only what works for me, and might turn out to be total anathema to how you write best. Use my methods, etc., only if you wish. Also, writing is, for me, one of life's Great Mysteries. No matter how often I teach in-person classes, take them, or read books about writing, a lot of how it actually WORKS remains opaque to me. I think this is one of the reasons most people tend to think that you can't actually TEACH writing, but that writing is a talent you have to be born with.

I believe you can teach anyone to write better. Not everyone will write at the same skill level by the time they die, but, I believe everyone gets better with practice. I know this for a fact. Not only have I seen students improve exponentially, but I've also noticed growth in my own work over time (and I can always see room for improvements).

Practice really does make perfect.

And, IMHO, writing really is a skill, like any other, that can be learned. I think, in the end, what REALLY separates the writers from the non-writers isn't "talent" so much as persistence and determination and discipline. If you have those three things they will carry you much farther than if all you have is so-called talent (which to me is better labeled "proficiency" or "skill.")

I'm not saying, however, that people all start out in the same place. But when I noticed one of my students at the Loft who seemed very polished and professional right out of the gate, I asked her a simple question: "Do you read a lot?" Are you surprised that the answer she gave was a resounding: "Yes, of course!"? And it wasn't just that she read, but that she read a lot in the genre and type she was trying to emulate, ie fantasy novels.

I think that people who get labeled as talented writers are often people who have developed a strong ear for storytelling through reading. Even though they may have never put paper to pencil (or pencil to paper as the case may be), they are folks who have been practicing their art unintentionally by absorbing the ideas of structure, plot, dialogue, etc. Of course, there are still plenty of avid readers who struggle when they write their first story... or second or third.... But I think the more you read what you want to write, the more you might (perhaps at first, perhaps eventually) have the jump on your colleagues.

Or maybe not. The important thing to remember is that you can learn to write professional quality stories. I believe anyone who wants to be published, can be given enough time, energy, and luck. And if I could only have one of those three, I'd go with energy. Energy to keep at it. Energy not to quit when the going... goes. Energy to look at a malformed piece of writing and willingly tear it apart and recreate it. Energy to dump parts that aren't working, and milk the ones that are. Energy to say: I will try again tomorrow, when all you want to do is sob in frustration or escape into hours of "Bejeweled" (guilty!)

That's the real talent, if you ask me. The talent to keep pushing, like Sisyphus, even when it all just seems to crumble at the summit, as it were. And you have to start over. And over.

But you know what? The hope here, IMHO, is that you can do it, if you work at it. I believe in you.

Ways to Critique, More on Writers' Groups

One of the other things you need to decide once you have a writers group, is how often to meet and how you're going to do the critiques.

The group I'm currently in meets every other week (or, at least twice a month.) I've been in workshops that meet monthly, but one thing we discovered is that if, for some reason you have to cancel, it's a LONG time until the next meeting. This can be especially bad if you have novelists in your group. The memory can be quite strained by trying to remember who, what, and where with such long gaps between sessions.

In fact, I once had an argument about whether or not you could effectively critique longer works, like a novel, in a group. Wyrdsmiths is mostly novelists, and we do very well. I think, though, that one key component is how often we meet. We started out of a weekly class and almost decided to meet weekly, but thought that might be impossible for those of us with full-time jobs (which was all of us at the beginning.) Twice a month works really well for us, and when we have to cancel or when people have to miss, it's not so terribly overwhelming to try to catch up.

But monthly can work, and may be the only option for people with supremely busy lives.

There are many ways to run a workshop/critique session. I attended one where you showed up with something to read, read it out loud, and people gave you instant, verbal feedback. I found this to be somewhat problematic, because, IMHO, it tended to favor good readers. Thanks to a background in theatre, I can read out loud pretty well. And the listeners noticed that, rather than the flaws in my text. However, you can get a good sense of first impressions this way. Also, if the group membership fluctuates wildly (this was billed as an open house style group), it can work just fine. There are also genres, I think, where this could be the preferred method, like poetry, for instance.

The way we do critique in Wyrdsmiths is that we come with a copy of a hand-out for every member. They take it home to review it next session. With paper in hand, critiquers tend to give a more detailed response. They correct typos, grammar, etc., (though my group doesn't dwell on that, unless the typo is particularly funny, as in the one I once wrote about "quacking aspens.") Since our group came out of a fiction writing class, everyone is very skilled at the art of critique and many of us still follow a structure set up by the instructor wherein we write our first impressions, strengths, weaknesses and then final impressions. (Note: starting with strengths is a good way to keep the author listening, and feeling good about what's to come.)

If people in your group are unfamiliar with how to critique, I offer this great site: How to Critique Fiction by Victory Crayne.

Groups often have other rules, like: "no cross talk" or "the gag rule." The first means that each critiquer gets the floor, no interruptions. The second means the author is not allowed to defend her work (or ask questions, except for clarification,) until everyone is finished critiquing her piece. At Wyrdsmiths we've been together so long that we no longer strictly enforce either of these, but they can be helpful when you're first starting out.

A New Review of DIID

I'm sorry I keep interrupting myself, but, honestly, it's so much easier to post about the nice things people have said about me than... uh, think. Here's a great review of Dead If I DO by the kind folks over at Enchanting Reviews. "Dead If I Do: 5 Enchantments!"

Top o' The List to Ya!

Google Alerts found this for me this morning, and I have to smile. At least I make a best seller's list somewhere! Top 10 Metaphysical Books at Eye of Horus

Tomorrow I hope to continue the writers group/new-to-writing blogs, but I have to confess the cold, gray rainy day is calling me to sit inside with a warm cat on my lap, have some tea, and write like a demon from hell. :-)

More Good Writerly Advice

This from Kim Richards on "Charge of the Write Brigade," who answered the question: What is the number one mistake writers make when submitting to you?

Advice From Somewhere Else

This came through a list that I'm on. It's from Toni Andrews' blog "Something Different This Way Comes":

Permission for forward granted and encouraged!

I do a workshop on finding and fixing the common issues that get manuscripts rejected. It's been suggested that the information would make a good article to submit to writing magazines, but I never could get around to writing it. As a first step, I committed to publishing the workshop information in a series of blog posts.

I've gotten terrific feedback, especially from unpublished and "underpublished" writers who want to break in with the bigger houses.

Part 1: http://tinyurl.com/de2bxr
Part 2: http://tinyurl.com/csunv7
Part 3: http://tinyurl.com/d6sqj7
Part 4: http://tinyurl.com/d52ho6
Part 5: http://tinyurl.com/dmjkpw
Part 6: http://tinyurl.com/d4udfo
Part 7: http://tinyurl.com/r7qa7b

Happy writing!

--Toni

What Are We Doing Here: Writers' Critique Group (II)

In my experience (and I've had a lot with writers' groups), one of the hardest things about writers' critique groups is not so much finding writers, but getting together with ones that share your goals... or maybe a better term is: values.

Why is this important? Maybe it isn't for you. Maybe you're self-motivated enough that it won't matter to you that you might end up being the only one in your group who is interested in something beyond writing as a hobby (which there isn't anything wrong with, mind you. I fully support people who want to write just for the fun of it, and might only ever want to post the occasional bit of fanfic or political blog or just write privately in their own journals or whatever.) Perhaps you live in a town so small that getting two writers together -- even if one writes erotica and the other is a food journalist -- is the best you can hope for, so, well, then that's what you have and that can work for you. Support is support. As someone who was a member of the National Writers' Union before I broke in to fiction, I hung out with a lot of non-fiction writers and journalists. They taught me a lot about my craft, but even more about the value (economic and otherwise) of writing.

But, if you have the luxury and the inclination, it is nice to have a group that's all committed to the same sort of thing. I don't mean by this that everyone needs to be writing in the same genre (though that can help, particularly since both genres that I've published in get dissed and misunderstood by some,) or at the same level (I've learned a lot about writing by teaching others to write better.) But the biggest, most deeply fought fights I've had in writers' group have boiled down to two issues: Are we writing to be published? And, are we writing commercial or artistic work?

The two questions are kind of part of one whole, but you can be writing to be published and still consider your work art for art's sake with a goal of finding the perfect small press to put out your chapbook. There's room for all of that sort of stuff, but in my opinion, you get very different critiques from people who are "artists" and from those who want to sell.

My advice: decide what kind of writer you want to be, and try to find writers with similar goals (if possible, of course.) Maybe at your first meeting you can ask people that classic interview question about where they see themselves in ten years. The answers might be very illuminating about not only what they want, but who they are (and if you can get along with them professionally.)

Then you have to decide if you're tough enough to tell someone they're not right for your group... admittedly, I've found that difficult, myself. :-)

Reviews of DIID

My publicist forwarded a new review of Dead if I Do from ParaNormalRomance.org: "Another Fun Read from Another Talented Writer."

Books by Jen also reviewed DIID and liked it, although she admits to being a bigger fan of Parrish (who she didn't see enough of in this book.)

Also, Google Alerts found some others of older books. Urban Bachelorette Review picked up Tall, Dark & Dead, and loved it. Which is always nice.

And, in other news, my alter ego just signed a contract for a short story of hers to appear in a Biblical Horror anthology called: She Nailed a Stake Through His Head. Her short story is a modern retelling of the Samson story from the point of view of his wife (before Delilah) called "Jawbone of an A$$."