Writeful

a weblog for readers and writers

Friday, August 31, 2007

An Amish-Indian Affair

What happens when you mix a shunned Amish mother with a Native American biker? A little bit of conflict and a whole lot of love.

In her unique romance novel, Safe Haven, Judy Turner introduces these two characters from entirely different worlds and convincingly makes them fall in love with one another.

Check out her first chapter — it’s entered in the First Chapters Romance Writing Competition.

(Remember that per the new rules, a rating of 10 is "yes" and any ratings between 1-9 don't count. It's 10 or nothing.)

You have to log in to vote and comment. If you’re not already a member of Gather, visit their main page to register. It only takes a minute or two.

http://www.gather.com/

You can read and rate Judy’s first chapter here.

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977093776

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Ten Years Later: Remembering a Princess in Fiction

When you write a story, put it away, pull it back out a few years later, then put it back on the shelf, you never really know what the future may hold for it.

Ten years ago, a day or two after the Princess Diana tragedy, in the vacuum of media attention, I wrote a story. Now, ten years later, it has been published.

The editor of The Arabesques Review recently gave me the good news, just a few weeks after I dusted it off and submitted it — my fiction is published in the current issue of their popular literary journal! What’s more, it’s published both in their print and online versions.

The printed magazine is about 150 pages and features original poetry, fiction, and articles along with translations of essays and interviews by international writers, journalists, scholars, and poets. Each issue is illustrated by featured artists. And every issue includes guest editors from around the world.

The theme of the current issue is Globalization. Not just economically, but socially, politically, emotionally.

My story is called Di Did Die (But So Did I). It’s about an American who catches London’s foggy mood during his vacation there the day after Princess Di’s accident.

Coincidentally, Di Did Die (But So Did I) has been published on the tenth anniversary of the tragic accident.


You can learn more about The Arabesques Review at their website.

http://www.arabesquespress.org/


Visit the current issue here.

http://www.arabesquespress.org/journal/

Or go directly to my story, Di Did Die (But So Did I).

http://www.arabesquespress.org/journal/eric_d_goodman/index.html

Friday, August 24, 2007

Writing Out Loud

The Maryland Writers Association Baltimore Chapter announces a panel discussion on writing for broadcast media this Monday, August 27 at 7:00 p.m. at the Catonsville Library, 1100 Frederick Rd., Baltimore, Maryland. The event is free for members and first-time visitors, $5 for returning non-members.

The panel features Van Williamson, writer and host of "Radio from Downtown" live radio theater program; Tamara Keurejian, a long-time Baltimore news writer and traffic reporter; Jill Earl, script writer and editor and voice artist for an Internet radio drama; and Shirl Hayes, who transcribes novels into audiobooks.

Join us and learn alla bout writing out loud. Here's the link to more information.

http://www.mwabaltimore.org/

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Reading Your Work Aloud

Last Saturday, I participated in the Baltimore Authors Showcase. The event was well publicized in the local media and despite the cool, sunny weather after an unbearable heat wave, the indoor event drew quite a crowd. It was nice to see a crowd interested in basking in the warmth of literature instead of the tempting sun.

The showcase took place in the historic Canton branch of the Enoch Pratt Library — the building dating back to 1880. Six local authors read recently published fiction.

I read “Out for a Walk,” a story published in the most recent issue of The Baltimore Review. Other writers read from their novels and short fiction from literary journals. Editors from three separate literary journals were present, as well as representatives from community associations, the library, and other writing organizations.

The branch manager of the Canton library seemed sincerely appreciative, thanking us for coming out — although I felt we should be thanking her (as we did) for inviting us.

And that’s the message I’d like to pass on — if you have literary talents to share, look beyond print. Although publishing is the ultimate goal when it comes to fiction, there are other ways to share your work. If you’ve published a story in a journal or anthology (or if you’ve been fortunate enough to publish a book), you have something to offer — something that some libraries and organizations may be hungry for.

In fact, I’ve found that once you’ve shown you can read, you’ll be invited to read again. Of the four readings I’ve done in the past year or so and the two upcoming, I’ve never gone out in search of a venue. I’ve always been invited. There seems to be a need for people to read their fiction aloud.

So consider getting out there to do it yourself!

To take a look at the Baltimore Authors Showcase from last weekend, visit the link below.

http://mwabaltimore.org/events.html

Monday, August 20, 2007

Thank You in Advance

I’d like to thank you — valued reader — for faithfully reading Writeful. Furthermore, I’d like to thank you in advance for reading Writeful in the months and years to come. Thank you for coming back each week to read another few posts and staying in the know when it comes to reading, writing, and all things literary.

Seem presumptuous? Feel a little cynical when people thank you in advance? Well, take a look at DR Belz’s feature from the latest issue of The Cynic called (you guessed it) “Thank You in Advance.”

http://www.cynicmag.com/features2006.asp?articleid=1793

Friday, August 17, 2007

Baltimore Authors Showcase Tomorrow

Looking for something exciting to do Saturday afternoon? Happen to be in the Baltimore-DC area? Then you're in luck!

The Baltimore Authors Showcase takes place tomorrow, Saturday, August 18 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the historic Canton Branch of the Enoch Pratt Library located at 1030 S. Ellwood Ave in Baltimore.

The event is free (including refreshments) and open to the public.

Highlighting Baltimore’s contemporary literary talents, the showcase is co-sponsored by the Baltimore Chapter of the Maryland Writers' Association (MWAB) and the Enoch Pratt Free Library with the support of the CityLit Project, Write Here, Write Now, and the Friends of the Canton Library.

The featured authors are:

Eric D. Goodman - Award-winning author of the novel-in-short-stories TRACKS, and featured in The Washington Post, On Stage Magazine, Travel Insights, Coloquio, The Baltimore Review, Writers Weekly, and Arabesques Review, among others;

Angela Render - Author of the historical novel Forged By Lightning: A Novel of Hannibal and Scipio, and featured in Smithsonian Magazine Online and Writers Journal;

Mathew Lee Gill - Author of the award-winning suspense novel leaving the canoe club;

Lalita Noronha - Award-winning author of a short story collection, Where Monsoons Cry, an editor of The Baltimore Review, and featured in The Baltimore Sun, Catholic Digest, and The Christian Science Monitor;

Paul Lagasse - Award-winning author of the young-adult historical novel Seeing Through Clouds: the Story of an Airship Apprentice; and

Caryn Coyle - Author of fiction featured in the online literary quarterly JMWW.
Come out for an exciting afternoon of fiction and refreshments at the Baltimore Authors Showcase!

For more information, check out the event’s flyer.

http://www.mwabaltimore.org/showcase-flyer.pdf

To read more about it, take a look at the official press release.

http://www.mwabaltimore.org/showcase-pr.pdf

Monday, August 13, 2007

Writing Retreat in France

Christine Stewart, the writer-in-residence at the Creative Alliance, and instructor of the Write Here Write Now workshops, invites you to join her in France!

The writing retreat takes place near Bordeaux, France in March of (tentatively the tenth to fourteenth). The location is sublime, the housing is dorm style (two to a room), and the French cuisine promises to be excellent.

The retreat includes two day-long excursions, workshop meetings, and opportunities to read and share your work.

Total for room, board, and workshop will be about $1,200-1,300, not including airfare. That's about half of what most writers' retreats and conferences in Europe go for. A $200 deposit reserves your spot.

This is a fantastic opportunity to expand, explore, and experiment as a writer.


For more information, or to register, contact Chris Stewart at her email address below.

www.therealwriter@netzero.com

Friday, August 10, 2007

There's a New Literary Columnist in Town

Did you know that in addition to writing and editing Writeful, this literary blog, I also serve as a Book Correspondent for Gather?

Based on the literary-related material I write for Writeful and share with the Gather community, the Gather editorial team asked me to publish a regular, weekly column to Gather Essentials on the Books and Writing content channel.

I've been publishing my weekly literary column, Lit Bit, on Gather for about six months now. Almost every column makes the front page of Gather.

Every Wednesday, around noon, I share a new Lit Bit. I craft each bit to fulfill your literary longings, and I encourage you to comment and contribute to the conversation. Gather makes interaction easy, so you can be a part of the column. We’ll talk about writers, writing, books, publishing, and all things literary.

Look for the next Lit Bit this Wednesday. Or, hit “recent articles on LitBit” and travel back to all of the past Lit Bits where the conversation – your ability to comment and be commented to – is still alive!

Join the Lit Bit conversation at the following link.

www.Gather.com/LitBit

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Put Some Sunshine in Your Reading

Looking to put a little Sunshine in your reading? The best way to do that is to order a copy of her acclaimed novel!

Award-winning author Sunshine O’Donnell has gotten a lot of good ink for her premier novel, Open Me, published this past June by MacAdam/Cage Publishing. She’s been written up in last issues of Poets & Writers Magazine and Glimmer Train and has enjoyed standing ovations at book readings, and has a pretty cool website to boot.

Open Me is a well-written literary set within the secret society of professional mourners in which women are trained to cry at the funerals of strangers — and well paid for their efforts. The central character is a young girl at the center of this unusual world.

If you’d like to learn more about the novel and the author, visit Sunshine’s website. You can read excerpts, learn about upcoming readings, and even order copies of the book.

Open up Open Me here.

http://www.sunshineodonnell.com/

Monday, August 06, 2007

Harry Potter Secrets Revealed

Want to learn all of the things you've ever wanted to know about Harry Potter? Now, all of Harry Potter's secrets have been revealed!

Just read the book.

(As someone who writes about fiction, I couldn' t let the huge Potter craze slip by without writing about it. And J. K. Rowling was not available for comment.)

Friday, August 03, 2007

Meet Baltimore Authors!

Baltimore area book lovers will have a unique opportunity to meet six local fiction authors and hear them read from their recent works at the Baltimore Authors Showcase. The event is free and open to the public.

The Baltimore Authors Showcase takes place on Saturday, August 18 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the historic Canton Branch of the Enoch Pratt Library located at 1030 S. Ellwood Ave. in Baltimore.

Highlighting Baltimore’s contemporary literary talents, the showcase is co-sponsored by the Baltimore Chapter of the Maryland Writers' Association (MWAB) and the Enoch Pratt Free Library with the support of the CityLit Project, Write Here, Write Now, and the Friends of the Canton Library.

Refreshments (in addition to the literature) will be provided.

The featured authors are:

Eric D. Goodman - Award-winning author of the novel-in-short-stories TRACKS, and featured in The Washington Post, On Stage Magazine, Travel Insights, Coloquio, The Baltimore Review, Writers Weekly, and Arabesques Review, among others;

Angela Render - Author of the historical novel Forged By Lightning: A Novel of Hannibal and Scipio, and featured in Smithsonian Magazine Online and Writers Journal;

Mathew Lee Gill - Author of the award-winning suspense novel leaving the canoe club;

Lalita Noronha - Award-winning author of a short story collection, Where Monsoons Cry, an editor of The Baltimore Review, and featured in The Baltimore Sun, Catholic Digest, and The Christian Science Monitor;

Paul Lagasse - Award-winning author of the young-adult historical novel Seeing Through Clouds: the Story of an Airship Apprentice; and

Caryn Coyle - Author of fiction featured in the online literary quarterly JMWW.

Come out for an exciting afternoon of fiction and refreshments at the Baltimore Authors Showcase!

For more information, check out the event’s flyer.

http://www.mwabaltimore.org/showcase-flyer.pdf

To read more about it, take a look at the official press release.

http://www.mwabaltimore.org/showcase-pr.pdf

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Perfecting Your Pitch

You’re in the elevator, wondering how you’re ever going to turn one of those form rejection letters into an acceptance, when who walks in but the hottest power-agent in town! What do you do? What do you say? It’s already been seven seconds and all you’ve done is broken out in a sweat.

Baltimore Author Christine Stewart of the Creative Alliance and the Write Here Write Now Workshops paid big bucks and spend a weekend at a conference focused on perfecting your pitch and practicing on actual agents and editors.

But you don’t have to — because Chris likes to share.

Your pitch is what you need to sell your book (or story) to an agent, editor, or publisher. You don’t want to memorize it, but you do need to know it. It should be a natural part of you, as easy explaining as your love of writing.

It needs to consist of your name, platform (credits and readers), genre and title, comparables (which two or three authors are you like), and most importantly, the pitch itself.

The heart of your pitch should be 250 words or less. This is what you’d want on your back cover or book flap, the sales copy that will sell your book. Set the scene, introduce the characters, hook the reader, show rising action with a plot point, and end with a cliffhanger that bets the question — what next?

Finally (and in that elevator this may be the only thing you have time for) you need a log line — the clever motto on the movie poster that sums it all up. The log line should be no more than a sentence or two, 25-30 words.

The entire pitch should be no more than two or three minutes long. And the same copy can — and should — be used in your query letter.

You’ve written the novel, you’re ready to sell it. So what are you doing reading this? Go practice your pitch!

Learn more about Chris at The Real Writer.

www.therealwriter.com