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March 20 Creative Scribes Meeting Special Guest:
Literary Agent, Susan Graham will be making
a special appearance at the March 20th meeting of Creative Scribes! Please make plans to attend and invite all of your
writer friends as well!
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Hi Everyone!
Today’s muse comes from, "Author
101 .. Bestselling Secrets from Top Agents: The Insider's Guide to What Agents and Publishers Really Want," by Rick Frishman
and Robyn Freedman Spizman (ISBN 1-59337-417-8):
p43 "Remember: Most agents
want writers to contact them initially via email. They want written submissions so they can get a sense of the writers' ability
to express themselves, and to see how well writers are organized and their skill in presenting themselves and their ideas.
If they are intrigued, they will ask the writer to send them a book proposal. Frequently, agents' submission requirements
are posted on their Web sites. Agents vary as to how much editing or revising of proposals they will do. Some
are editorially intensive while others will make only minor edits. When agents find a proposal acceptable, they will create
a list of editors who they think might be interested in the book. Then, they will contact those editors and send the proposal
to those who express interest. If an editor is interested in buying the property, the agent will negotiate the terms of sale
and review the contract."
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THERE WILL BE NO WRITING PROMPT
FOR THE UPCOMING MARCH 20, CREATIVE SCRIBES MEETING.
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Special "THANKS" go
to David Mohr for his detailed and very informative presentation on his experience in self-publishing at Tuesday night's meeting
of Creative Scribes. David, we are especially appreciative of the handout you prepared giving the detailed time line and cost
of publishing your book through Booksurge! Thank you, again, for stepping up to the plate!
Recommended Reading:
As we know, the first rule of writing
is, "Read! Read! Read!" Once a month the attendees of Creative Scribes
make recommendations for our pleasure reading. The following were submitted at Tuesday night's meeting:
Mary Jane: "#1 Ladies' Detective Agency" book series, by Alexander Mccall Smith.
Suzy: "My Happy Days in Hell," by Gyogy Faludy
Betty Ann: "Miasie Dobbs," series by Jacqueline Winspear
"Abraham,"
by Bruce Feiler
Jason: "Out of Egypt," by Anne Rice
"The Accidental
Christ," by Lou Milo DuQuette
Karen: "Page After Page," by Heather Sellers
"Chapter
After Chapter," by Heather Sellers
Any
in the series of Christian fiction by author, Karen Kingsbury
David: "Ivan's War," by Catherine Merridale
Rob: "To the Hilt," by Dick Francis
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WE'RE
LOOKING FORWARD to the upcoming release of "Everywhere Enemies: Foreign and Domestic," by Creative Scribes
attendee, Rob Joseph! CONGRATULATIONS, Rob on this latest publishing adventure AND your hard work!
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I'm looking forward to seeing
all of you and your other writing friends at the next meeting of Creative Scribes. Special guest appearance will be
Susan Graham, Literary Agent and Owner of About Words Agency. Don't hesitate to invite all of your writing friends to attend
this meeting Creative Scribes on Tuesday, March 20, 6:00-8:00 at Penwicke's Book Shop, 815B N. Tibbs Road, Dalton, 706-529-BOOK
(2665).
April meeting
dates for Dalton Creative Scribes are on the 3rd and 17th.
In the meantime....
Keep writing,
Ina
Thurs 3/8/07 8:32AM
Hi Everyone!
Today's muse comes from, "The Savvy Author's Guide to Book Publicity," by Lissa
Warren (ISBN 0-7867-1275-9):
p18 "The Tour/The Interviews - Unless your book is fortunate enough to win a
major award at a later date - like a National Book Critics Circle or a National Book Award - the month or two after pub date
will be your most intense period of interviews. Some of them you'll be able to do by phone (possibly at ungodly hours
with interviewers who've clearly not read your book). sometimes a reporter, or camera crew, a photographer will come
out to your house; sometimes you'll have to go to a local studio. And, if your toured, expect lots of meetings in hotel lobbies,
coffee shops, and bars. It's annoying, it's exhausting. Just try to keep in mind the countless other people who would
kill to have this chance, and the tons of potential readers you're reaching."
WRITERS' CONTESTS:
AuthorHouse
provides many resources for our authors. Check this page frequently to discover contests specifically for self published books,
independent publishers and their authors.
Deadline: 5th of every month
Writers' Forum Ongoing Short Story Competition
Prizes range from a minimum 1st prize £300,
2nd prize £150 and 3rd prize £100
with an annual trophy and a check for £1,000 for the best story of the year.
The competition is open to all nationalities but entries must be in English.
Deadline: 15th of every month
Writers' Forum Ongoing Poetry
Competition
Poets are invited to enter their
unpublished poems for a competition to be held in each issue of Writers' Forum. There will be a first prize of £100 and three runner-up prizes all published in the magazine.
Deadline: March 15, 2007
24th Annual Florida State Writing Competition
This contest, open to all writers, awards cash prizes for top three entries of fiction and non-fiction
self-published book chapters, children's literature and poetry.
Deadline: April 15, 2007
4th Annual Tall Tale Tell-Off
The contest will be held in Nashville , Indiana June 23, 2007. Five selected entrants will vie for the $1,000 in prize money offered.Winning
entrants must be available to perform their submission in Nashville , IN.
Deadline: May 15, 2007
76th Annual Writer's Digest Writing CompetitionFor 76 years, the Annual Writer’s Digest
Competition has rewarded writers just like you for their finest work. Best of all, they’re accepting work in 10 categories giving
away more than $30,000 in cash and
prizes!
WRITERS PROMPT taken from WritersDigest.com:
"Everyone is always
offering advice on everything. What's the best piece of advice you've ever received? What's the worst (and why)?"
We respectfully
ask that all works created from writing prompts for our meetings be kept to no more than 1,500 words. This will allow each
of us ample time for reading, discussing and exploring our writing generated from the writing prompts. As the group grows, the number of words allowed for the writer's prompt will decrease
as we want everyone to have an opportunity to read their work!
I'm looking forward to seeing all of you and your other writing friends at the next meeting
of Creative Scribes nest Tuesday, February 20, 6:00-8:00 at Penwicke's Book Shop, 815B
N. Tibbs Road, Dalton, 706-529-BOOK (2665). March meeting dates for Dalton
Creative Scribes are on the 6th and 20th.
In the meantime....
Keep writing,
Ina
Thurs 2/15/07 5:39AM
Hi Everyone!
Today's muse comes from an unknown author. Frankly, it came from a note
I found inside a book while looking in the writers' books section at a local bookstore. Obviously written by a teenager, it
gave me the comfort of validation that young writers are seriously concerned about their writing - concerned enough that they
will go to a bookstore and make notes like the following: Misconceptions: Writing gets done without writing; writers
have time to write; writers know in advance where they are going; writers have something important to say; writers publish
their work, get famous or rich; writers are more sensitive, more creative than other people; there is no such thing as a creative
person, only a created act which is a human being at one time with one particular set of tools, trying to write his or her
heart out. Writing Schedule: What is the best time of the day to write? How long should my writing sessions
be? How often should I write?
This young writer was questioning all the right myths and asking all the right
questions!
WRITERS' CONFERENCES: (July)
GROUP NOTES:
FEBRUARY
20 PRESENTATION:
Creative Scribes member, Rob Joseph, will be giving a presentation on Web site construction and its value to today’s
writer.
WRITERS PROMPT taken from WritersDigest.com:
"Everyone is always
offering advice on everything. What's the best piece of advice you've ever received? What's the worst (and why)?"
We respectfully
ask that all works created from writing prompts for our meetings be kept to no more than 1,500 words. This will allow each
of us ample time for reading, discussing and exploring our writing generated from the writing prompts. As the group grows, the number of words allowed for the writer's prompt will decrease
as we want everyone to have an opportunity to read their work!
I'm looking forward to seeing all of you and your other writing friends at the next meeting
of Creative Scribes on Tuesday, February 20, 6:00-8:00 at Penwicke's Book Shop, 815B
N. Tibbs Road, Dalton, 706-529-BOOK (2665). March meeting dates for Dalton Creative Scribes
are on the 6th and 20th.
In the meantime....
Keep writing,
Ina
Sun 2/11/07 9:28AM
Everyone!
Today’s muse comes
from, “Book Editors Talk to Writers,” by Judy Mandell (ISBN 0-471-00391-3)
p128 - “Do you
have advice for authors seeking a publisher of innovative formats? An author should know the publisher
that he or she is submitting a proposal to. Go to bookstore, look at the books that the publisher is currently doing, and
obtain a copy of their catalog. Many authors don’t spend enough time researching before they choose publishers. We receive
proposals for original fiction and poetry all the time, but we’ve never published that kind of material and probably
never will. Call the publisher and obtain the name of someone specific to whom you can address your proposal.
That way it will be evaluated by the person who has the ability to understand it and eventually buy it. Many
authors (and even some agents) don’t put enough thought into their proposals. For example, I regularly receive proposals
with grammatical and spelling errors. Such lack of attention does not make me inclined to consider an author’s work.”
RECOMMENDED READING:
The following books were
recommended by the participants of the February 6 Creative Scribes meeting:
From Suzanne:
“Nights Under a Hot Tin Roof,” author unknown
“The Facts of Life and Other Dirty Jokes,” by Willie Nelson
From Nick:
“Black Boy,” by Richard Wright
From Mary Jane: "The
Life of Pi,” by Yann Martel
From Betty Ann: “Sweet
Water Creek,” by Anne Rivers Siddons
From Ina:
“Selvidge Street Stories,” by Mary
Jane Hamilton Mohr
“Tide
Water Family,” by Betty Ann Chamblee
Applause and Thank You’s
go to Suzanne, David and Rob for writing and reading their written pieces on the writers’ prompt,
“Missing Sock!”
FEBRUARY 20 PRESENTATION:
Creative Scribes member,
Rob Joseph, will be giving a presentation on Web site construction and its value to today’s writer.
WRITERS PROMPT taken from WritersDigest.com:
"Everyone is always offering advice on everything. What's
the best piece of advice you've ever received? What's the worst (and why)?"
We respectfully ask that all works created from writing
prompts for our meetings be kept to no more than 1,500 words. This will allow each of us ample time for reading, discussing
and exploring our writing generated from the writing prompts. As the group grows, the number of words allowed for the writer's prompt will decrease as we want everyone
to have an opportunity to read their work!
I'm looking forward to seeing all of you and your other writing friends at the next meeting of Creative Scribes
on Tuesday, February 20, 6:00-8:00 at Penwicke's Book Shop, 815B N. Tibbs Road, Dalton, 706-529-BOOK (2665). March meeting dates for Dalton Creative
Scribes are on the 6th and 20th.
I hope you ALL are having a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!
Today's inspiration comes from the book I mentioned in an earlier message, "Fondling
Your Muse," by John Warner.
p31 "Fondling Your Muse ... Writing as Ritual" the muses, Greek goddesses
of creativity: Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, uhh... Donner, Smurfette, Sneezy, Uma Thurman, Reese Witherspoon and a couple
of others I can't think of right now. (Note to lowly editorial assistant who is paid indentured-servant wages to clean
up after my ignorance and mistakes: I think a couple of those names might be off - check my spelling.)
Some will tell you that the muses are a myth, but I'm here to say that they're
very real. I've seen and experienced their presence, and not just when I'm gorked up on ecstasy, or watching Olivia Newton-John
in Xanadu. All of us can have access to the creative power of the muses, but before you can tap this rich vein of inspiration,
its important to recognize that the muses are women, which means three things: They are slow to warm up; they are fickle,
and they will not shave their legs in the winter, no matter how many times you ask if somehow Sasquatch has snuck into the
bed.
Because they are sensitive to the needs of their muse, real writers are creatures
of habit, and its important that, early on, you begin to establish your own personal writing ritual - a collection of steps
or procedures that signals to your creative unconscious that's its time to get down to business. It could be as simple
as a game of computer solitaire or having a cup of green tea; or as complicated as hiring a Balinese manservant to tickle
your feet with ostrich feathers (as popular thriller writer James Patterson does).
Whatever it is, don't be embarrassed or ashamed. If Toni Morrison could write
Beloved wearing nothing but mohair undies and a Boston Red Sox Cap, while partially submerged in a kiddie wading pool, surely
you can let yourself go where your writing desires may take you. Whatever that part of your ritual is, its personal and
private - I don't really want to hear about it unless you are a supermodel, or Swedish, or both "
On the personal side, many thanks go to Gary & Beth for ensuring that
out last meeting on Tuesday, November 21 was facilitated in grand style!
The next meeting of the Dalton Creative Scribes Writers' Group will be held on Tuesday, December 5, at Penwicke's
Book Shop, 815-B N. Tibbs Road , Dalton ; Telephone: 706-529-B00K. Meeting dates in December for the Dalton Creative Scribes
Writers’ Group are December 5 and December 19. In the meantime….
Keep writing,
Ina
Saturday 11/25/05 7:09AM
Hello Everyone!
This morning's muse comes from the book, "Thinking Like Your Editor: How to Write
Great Serious Nonfiction - and Get it Published," by Susan Rabiner and Alfred Fortunato.
p17 Prologue - "Editors are generally not business geniuses, but most quickly
figured out that these profit-and-loss projections tend to favor one kind of book - the kind that promises to establish itself
quickly and sell well in hardcover over the first twelve months of publication. They put at a disadvantage books whose initial
potential is not clear, as well as those whose strength is "backlist," in other words, those that may never take off in hardcover
but sell for many years in paperback. And so, notwithstanding the increasing presence of dour MBAs looking over their shoulders,
editors began to look for creative ways to ease in and out of the mix of sales projection numbers those that would nudge toward
the good side of the profit-and-loss statements on books they wanted to acquire. They did so (and do so to this day)
not to deceive, but because they truly believe that the decision about which books to publish is best made editorially, not
financially, that is, by asking such questions as, "Its this an important book? Is this a book that my publishing house can
publish well?" so quite often it is the decision to acquire that comes first; then the creative math follows, as editors
figure out ways to mute signals that they are predicting too large a first-year-sale solely because they passionately want
a particular book on their list."
I'm looking forward to seeing all of you and your other writing friends at the
next meeting of the Dalton Creative Scribes writers' group on December 5 at Penwicke's Book Shop, 815-B N. Tibbs Road,
Dalton, 706-529-BOOK. December meeting dates for our writers' group are 5 and 19. January, 2007 meeting dates will be
January 9 and 23rd.
In the meantime....
Keep writing,
Ina Sunday 11/26/06 8:51AM
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