Monday, February 28, 2011
Literacy night
. . . was really enjoyable. Each of the 4 presenters covered different aspects, so there wasn't repetition, and I enjoyed the different viewpoints.
I did NOT enjoy my drive there as my GPS didn't recognize the address. I did have some written instructions but they involved the exit I did not take (my fault). But I found it in time and all was well. I have some ideas I need to jot in my notes for next time, but I was happy with my presentation.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Each one teach one
This evening I'm participating in a panel discussion on literacy. Each of is is supposed to mention our first experiences with literacy. My parents were teachers and my mother was also a librarian, so books were an important part of my childhood. One of my first memories is sitting in my mother's lap as she read me this poem:
Five Little Chickens
Said the first little chicken,
With a queer little squirm,
"Oh, I wish I could find
A fat little worm!"
A fat little worm!"
Said the next little chicken,
With an odd little shrug,
"Oh, I wish I could find
A fat little bug!"
Said the third little chicken,
With a sharp little squeal,
"Oh, I wish I could find
Some nice yellow meal!"
Said the fourth little chicken,
With a small sigh of grief,
"Oh, I wish I could find
A green little leaf!"
Said the fifth little chicken,
With a faint little moan,
"Oh, I wish I could find
A wee gravel-stone!"
"Now, see here, said the mother,
From the green garden-patch.
"If you want any breakfast,
You must come and scratch."
It is estimated that 20% of parents in the USA could not read a poem like this to their child. If you can contribute in any way to your community's efforts to reduce illiteracy, consider doing it! The rewards are substantial. I've been a literacy tutor for 5 years now and it's an important part of my life. The motto at our center is "Each One Teach One." I'm just glad to be one.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Thought-provoking . . .
Most modern books have a beginning, a muddle and an end.
Philip Larkin
Quoted by Writers Relief
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Beloit List Part Three of Three
52. There have always been women priests in the Anglican Church.
53. J.R. Ewing has always been dead and gone. Hasn’t he?
54. The historic bridge at Mostar in Bosnia has always been a copy.
55. Rock bands have always played at presidential inaugural parties.
56. They may have assumed that parents’ complaints about Black Monday had to do with punk rockers from L.A., not Wall Street.
57. A purple dinosaur has always supplanted Barney Google and Barney Fife.
58. Beethoven has always been a dog.
59. By the time their folks might have noticed Coca Cola’s new Tab Clear, it was gone.
60. Walmart has never sold handguns over the counter in the lower 48.
61. Presidential appointees have always been required to be more precise about paying their nannies’ withholding tax, or else.
62. Having hundreds of cable channels but nothing to watch has always been routine.
63. Their parents’ favorite TV sitcoms have always been showing up as movies.
64. The U.S, Canada, and Mexico have always agreed to trade freely.
65. They first met Michelangelo when he was just a computer virus.
66. Galileo is forgiven and welcome back into the Roman Catholic Church.
67. Ruth Bader Ginsburg has always sat on the Supreme Court.
68.They have never worried about a Russian missile strike on the U.S.
69. The Post Office has always been going broke.
70. The artist formerly known as Snoop Doggy Dogg has always been rapping.
71. The nation has never approved of the job Congress is doing.
72. One way or another, “It’s the economy, stupid” and always has been.
73. Silicone-gel breast implants have always been regulated.
74. They’ve always been able to blast off with the Sci-Fi Channel.
75. Honda has always been a major competitor on Memorial Day at Indianapolis.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Writers Relief: Query letters - don't look like an amateur!
By Writers Relief: a great website. Click on title above for a link to this and many other excellent articles.
Here are the most common mistakes we (at Writer’s Relief) see in the query letters that are sent to our Review Board. Don’t make these amateur errors when you’re submitting your work! Some of these may surprise you.
Here are the most common mistakes we (at Writer’s Relief) see in the query letters that are sent to our Review Board. Don’t make these amateur errors when you’re submitting your work! Some of these may surprise you.
Cheesy lead. Don’t be cute. Skip the rhetorical questions. The “What if you were stuck on a sailboat in a hurricane with a mysterious killer” teasers get old fast. Better to lead with the facts; otherwise your reader may feel as if you’re trying to manipulate him or her to create more sensation than pure fact warrants.
Bobbled blurbs. The biggest problems we see with blurbs are 1) too many characters and secondary characters when only the main character should be the emotional hook, 2) a description that’s more thematic than plot-driven (i.e., this book is about peace and love), 3) the author attempts to tell the whole story, including the ending, when he or she should use the blurb as a teaser instead.
Appearance. The letter looks bad, smells, is printed on cheap paper or photocopied, etc. We also receive e-queries that are poorly formatted (all caps, colored and silly fonts, goofy pictures in the signature line) or that lose their formatting once they are sent. TIP: Do yourself a favor and test your e-query to make sure it keeps its formatting by sending it to a bunch of your family members and friends to see what it looks like in their inboxes. Then you can send it to agents.
Mentioning prior manuscripts (and/or certain self-published books). If you’ve written three unpublished book manuscripts in the past, best not to mention them. Otherwise the agent in question may be intimidated by your prior projects, thinking, “If I take on his/her current project, the writer will probably pester me to represent all those previous books that, for whatever reason, didn’t sell.” The same goes for self-published manuscripts, which agents will look at the same way as unpublished manuscripts UNLESS you have significant accolades for your self-published book. (Read more about the best way to mention your self-publishing credits.)
The multiple personality bio. Often writers will inadvertently begin their bios in first person, but wind up in third. Be on the lookout for pronouns gone wild! Also, some bios will begin in present tense, but then end in past. And, as always, it helps to have a strong bio! Read more about bios:Building Publication Credits and No Publishing Credits? Get Publishing Credentials: How To Build Up Your Writing Bio Super Fast.
Groveling. It may seem like it makes sense to acknowledge your own humility by pointing out a lack of experience, but resist this urge. Confidence wins hearts.
TMI. While it’s always good to convey your own unique personality in your bio, be careful not to include too much information. If your novel is about sailors, it may help to include your background in the Coast Guard. Be personable and interesting, but do so with care.
Listing publishing credits that aren’t really publishing credits. Be careful that the publishing credentials you’re listing are not part of poetry contest scams or anthology scams. Including bad credits suggests you don’t know the market (and therefore don’t know good writing).
Copyright. Industry standard is to not include the copyright symbol on your work. (For more information on copyright, read: Urban Legend: The Poor Man’s Copyright).
Cover art. If you include cover art, you show a) that you don’t know how the industry works (since writers get almost no say over their covers), and b) that you might just be the kind of high-maintenance writer who wants complete control.
If you flatter, mean it. Agents can often see straight through the “I greatly admire your agency” bit; they know a generic form letter compliment when they see one. If you’re going to take the approach of flattery, be specific in your praise.
Some common phrases that authors should not use in query letters:
This is the first book I’ve ever written! If this is true, you don’t need to say it; better to position yourself as a person who knows the biz (which means you must be a person who knows it!).
I’ve been writing since I was five. Writers who feel compelled to explain that “I’ve been writing since I was X years old” or that “It is my greatest wish to get published” inadvertently declare to agents, “I am a newbie.” It’s presumed that you’ve been writing since you were X years old and now want to get a book published. That’s what every writer wants.
This would make a great movie. Almost everyone thinks his or her book could be a great movie. You want your query letter to ask your agent to do one thing and one thing only: represent and sell your BOOK—not a screenplay, not a series of action figures, not your foreign rights. Let the agent in question decide if your book is screenworthy or not.
This book will appeal to readers of all genres. Literary agents want to work with writers who understand that each genre appeals to a very specific demographic. When you say, “This appeals to everyone,” an agent will read, “This appeals to no one in particular.”
My friends/parents/teachers like my writing. We often read how new writers get a favorable response to their writing from close ones. But unless your mom or dad is a renowned literary critic, leave off any amateur praise.
Oprah will love this book. If the story is solid and the writing is strong, there’s no reason an author should feel obligated to proclaim that a book is the next Harry Potter. Don’t promise what you have no control over. Your work should speak for itself.
Writer’s Relief works closely with clients to prepare powerful query letters and target them to the best-suited agents. If you’re not ready for our intensely effective Full Service program, check out our A La Carte services. We can do as much or as little as you like, to help build up your bio and get your submissions to the literary agents and editors who will be most likely to enjoy your work!
A remarkable book
“Those images were the world, and it stewed in her as she sat with the lovely books and their manicured titles. It brewed in her as she eyed the pages full to the brims of their bellies with paragraphs and words (521).”
“It's just a small story really, about, among other things: A girl, Some words, An accordionist, Some fanatical Germans, A Jewish fist fighter, And quite a lot of thievery...”
I highly recommend The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
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