Hello Group-
Just wanted to give a heads up to those following the SWG blog–my debut suspense novel “Staccato” is still on track for release September 15th. My copy of the Print Proof should arrive any day now. If you would like to be one of the first to receive “Staccato” go to: www.secondwindpublishing.com to pre-order your copy.
Hi everyone!
Spring is almost here, can you believe it? I have fresh dirt under my nails to prove it. It was a nice day to perk up the flower pots on my front patio. A bit warmer than I’d like for this time of year; hopefully it’s just March coming “in like a lion.”
My cat, Leo
Here are a few events at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe:
MEET THE BUYERS 2-4PM SATURDAY, MARCH 14 If you have a new book idea or you’re about to do another printing of your present volume, come talk to one of our buyers and get expert advice about shelf appeal before it’s too late to make changes. If it’s a new book, you might want to bring samples of covers you are considering, an abstract of the book, and any questions you might have regarding marketing or how to contact other bookstores with your new book. One of our buyers will take a look at the book or your abstract and give you tips on how to improve its shelf appeal. Cost: $25 for 15 minutes with either our Children’s or Adult buyer. Registration and pre-payment required at 480.730.0205. WORKSHOP:
SCREENWRITING 1-4PM SATURDAY, MARCH 28 Writing a screenplay? Want to sell a screenplay you’ve already written? Screen and television writer and producer Jeb Rosebrook is here to inform, advise, and assist. Rosebrook also discusses his 40 years’ experience as a professional writer. Cost: $30. Registration and pre-payment required at 480.730.0205.
WRITING WORKSHOP FOR GUYS: CREATING DYNAMIC HEROES & NEFARIOUS VILLAINS 3-4:30PM SUNDAY, MARCH 29 J.S. Lewis, co-author of the Grey Griffins fantasy novels for young readers, helps guys ages 11-18 write fiction and nonfiction pieces based on a variety of exercises. Attendees will also edit each other’s work and discuss published works as good story models. Cost: $25. Registration and pre-payment required at 480.730.0205.
Looks like fun! For you singletons out there, try the “Sweet on Geeks” singles night! That and other events can be seen here:
http://www.changinghands.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp?s=storeevents&
Have a wonderful week,
Heidi
Well, up late online again, and I came across this interesting call for submissions. Here’s the link – check it out! And let me know when you get published…
http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/abbyholcomb/
See you at the library,
Heidi
Hey Gang!
Well, It was a whirlwind of a holiday season, and I can’t believe it’s already 2009 — what happened to 2008? If the unofficial growth chart on my pantry door is any indicator of how fast time goes by, it’s no wonder the months are such a blur. Every year the kids grow more than they did the year before, and the time seems shorter. If we ever move from this house the new owners will have to get themselves a new pantry door, because this one goes with us!
Thanks for hanging in there with me, I’ve been a bit lax with the updates. Don’t forget this forum is for everyone in the Scottsdale Writers’ Group. If you’d like to post an announcement, all you need is a wordpress account, and to email me your info, so I can add you as a user.
Speaking of announcements, I’d like to let everyone know there is a Writer’s Workdhop at the Poisoned Pen:
Tillman, currently collaborating with Harold Coyle in a series of thrillers, will teach a workshop. One hour will be on collaborative authorship, a fascinating topic. Then we’ll have a coffee break and do an hour on Queries, Pitching your work, Proposals. Fee: $10. No advance registration required.
| when | Jan 31, 2009 from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm |
|---|---|
| where | PP Scottsdale |
| contact name | Lorri Amsden |
| contact email | sales@poisonedpen.com |
| contact phone | 480 947 2974
|
Also, here’s a contest from www.fundsforwriters.com:
WRITER ADVICE CONTEST
http://www.writeradvice.com
—
$10 ENTRY FEE
Need flash fiction, memoir, and creative non-fiction that
grabs, surprises, and mesmerizes readers in fewer than 750
words. If you have a story or memoir with a strong theme,
sharp images, a solid structure, and an unexpected discovery,
please submit it to the WriterAdvice Flash Prose Contest.
Deadline April 15, 2009. First Place earns $150; Second
Place earns $75; Third Place earns $50; Fourth Place earns
$25; Honorable Mentions will also be published. A list of
all winners will be posted in the summer issue of
WriterAdvice.
Happy New Year, and hope to see you at the Library!
Heidi
Hello Group-
I wanted to alert you about a radio interview editor/non-fiction writer extraordinaire Nancy McCurry gave recently. I encourage all of you to listen in at:
http://www.publishedandprofitable.com/public/420.cfm
I know you all will learn a lot from this wise and competent SWG member.
Hello Group-
I found out this afternoon that Forge Journal has nominated my short story “Cuba Bound” for the Pushcart Prize in the short story category. The Pushcart was established in 1976 to honor the best writing featured in print and small publications. I am humbled that Forge found my work to be worthy of such an honor.
If you are interested in purchasing a copy of this impressive literary magazine, here is the link to do so: http://forgejournal.com/?page_id=9 “Cuba Bound” appears in their 2.1 issue. They state they are taking pre-orders, but they actually do have copies available.
I hope great words are coming your way. Take care,
Deb
I found this list of “Top 10 Tips for Writing Dialogue” on about.com. I thought they were pretty relevant, and wanted to share them with everyone. The Calvin & Hobbes is just for fun. Enjoy!
Heidi
Top 10 Tips for Writing Dialogue (about.com)
Writing dialogue — realistic dialogue, anyway — does not come easily to everyone. Done well, dialogue advances the story and fleshes out the characters while providing a break from straight exposition.
However, just as realistic dialogue is one of the most powerful tools at a writer’s disposal, nothing pulls the reader out of a story faster than bad dialogue. It takes time to develop a good ear, but noting these simple rules and obvious pitfalls can make a huge difference.
1. Listen to how people talk to each other.
Eavesdrop and scribble down phrases you like. Writers must have a good ear and eye for detail. The right detail can bring a character to life. Likewise, the wrong detail can destroy the reader’s belief in the character. For instance, it’s unlikely that a mechanic is going to use the word “behoove” or that a tax attorney would say “awesome.” Develop a sense of the natural rhythms of speech and a good memory for phrases.
2. Dialogue is not exactly like real speech, but it should read like real speech.
That is to say, real speech has plenty of words and sounds that would be distracting if included on the page. Beginning writers often think that including words like “uh” and “oh” makes their dialogue sound more realistic. The truth is, these kinds of extraneous words look unprofessional (the same is true of attempting to write a stutter). Alfred Hitchcock once said that a good story was “life, with the dull parts taken out.” Keep this in mind when revising dialogue.
3. Cut words and phrases that don’t serve the conversation’s purpose.
As I said in the beginning, dialogue should move the story forward while bringing the characters to life. If it doesn’t do either of these things, it should probably be cut altogether. Oakley Hall, in The Art and Craft of Novel Writing, offers the rule, “One thought at a time and keep the lines short.”
Many writers find it helpful to record their dialogue and play it back to themselves during the editing process.
4. Don’t try to provide too much information at once through dialogue.
In other words, it should not be obvious that you are using dialogue to communicate information. In general, apply the three-sentence rule: give no character more than three uninterrupted sentences at once. Let the story unfold naturally. You don’t have to let the reader know everything up front, and you can trust the reader to remember details from earlier in the story.
5. Break up dialogue with action.
Remind your reader that these are physical human beings by grounding their dialogue in the physical world:
“That’s her!” J.P. says. He puts his cup next to his chair. He gets up and goes down the steps to the drive.
Physical details also help to break up the words on the page: long periods of dialogue are easier for the reader’s eye when broken up by description. (And vice versa, for that matter.)
6. Don’t try too hard to vary your tag lines when writing dialogue.
Veering too much beyond “he said/she said” only draws attention to the tags. Readers tend to read over these phrases anyway, whereas obvious efforts to insert variety, through words such as “interjected,” “counseled,” or “conceded,” draw the reader out of the action. If the writer is doing his or her work, the reader is already aware that the speaker is interjecting, counseling, or conceding. The writer won’t have to say it again in the tag.
7. Avoid stereotypes, especially when it comes to dialect.
Any Southerner will cringe if you have a character say “Pa” in this day and age. And unless you grew up in Brooklyn and know you can pull it off, think twice before inserting, “Fugeddaboutit,” into the mouth of your Brooklyn cop.
8. Don’t overuse profanity and slang when writing dialogue.
Rather than making your characters seem tough or cool, both of these will quickly date your work. Hemingway, whose characters included soldiers, fishermen, hunters, and artists, had excellent advice on this subject: “Try and write straight English; never using slang except in dialogue and then only when unavoidable…slang goes sour in a short time.” You’ll notice that even with his toughest characters, profanity is as rare as slang.
9. Read widely, noting both good and bad dialogue.
Pay attention to why things work or don’t work. Where are you taken out of the action of a story? When do you feel confused or frustrated? Are there points at which you stop believing in a character? On the other hand, in stories that work, in which you feel particularly close to a character, how did dialogue help to achieve that effect? See the examples and reviews on this site for suggestions of stories and books to read, or pick up an anthology and start your own list.
10. Punctuate Dialogue Correctly
Take some time to learn the basic rules for punctuating dialogue. Nothing is more distracting than a writer who doesn’t know how to use punctuation.
Hope to see you all at the library.
I just read Mary’s post and immediately googled writers u to learn more about the synopsis writing course she mentioned.
I’m certain I just lost an interested agent over a poorly written one. After reading my first three chapters, which she called engaging, she requested the dreaded synopsis. The next three days were spent fighting a beast I didn’t know existed, and two weeks later I received my rejection email. I can’t blame her – I wouldn’t want to read my book after that synopsis either.
The online course sounded perfect for me – unfortunately this one appears to have a pre-requisite.
Why is writing a synopsis so difficult?
Does anyone in the group have good sources for synopsis writing: books, links, courses?
Jaime
Hello All,
I finally got around to visiting the Poisoned Pen bookstore in Old Town Scottsdale. A nice store with thousands of titles to rummage through, primarily mysteries. The store owner was most helpful and kind. If you’d like to sign up to receive their monthly newsletter, go to www.poisonedpen.com. They host many famous aauthor visits and workshops.
Also, an amazing site for finding books (again, primarily mysteries) – say you can’t remember the author or title, but remember the character’s name or where it took place- you’ll be able to find it here: www.StopYoureKillingMe.com.
And, I came across a website for freelancers to find work: www.elance.com.
Hope everyone is well, and feeling creative…now if we could just find the time…..
Heidi
OK, folks, get out your pens & pencils! It’s still hot out, but school’s back in session, and that means summer’s over – back to the grindstone! Time to work!
Our next Writer’s Workshop will be:
Friday, September 5, Mustang Library, 9:00 – 11:00 AM.
The theme will be character development.
Be there or be square.
Theme: Rubric. Blog at WordPress.com.
