When Eleanor Vincent and I were at pages: a bookstore the other night discussing our memoirs and how writing helped us heal, we continually mentioned how it takes a village to write a book. I'm now in the process of writing a novel, and I continue to believe in the importance of many helping hands in the process. I've just completed a novel revision workshop and got useful comments from my instructor and classmates. I also belong to a writing group, and I've used the resources of The Next Big Writers website to get reviews of my book as I review the work of others. Here I discuss how I got my memoir written and published, not only once but twice. A member of my village helped me connect with my current Dream of Things publisher when my first publisher went out of business. Even though writing is a lonely business, a village of resources helped and nurtured me from the time I started writing my memoir, Leaving the Hall Light On. I started with journaling, at first sporadically … [Read more...]
So how was the writing workshop?
Back from four long days at the UCLA Extension Writers Program's Novel Revision Techniques workshop. And when all is said and done, I must say I got a lot out of it. The instructor, Mark Sarvas, was well prepared and he enthusiastically imparted his knowledge of novel revision. It was hard to tell that this was the first time he had ever taught this workshop. As a result I'm very tempted to sign up for his Novel IV class that starts in April. His best advice is: Read Like a Writer He also encouraged us to keep reading novels all the time. The class was really grueling. It included lectures on these subjects: The Many Drafts of the First Draft Revision Tools Structure Scene Character Language The Essential Revision Questions Mark used The Great Gatsby over and over again to illustrate his points, and believe me, he is an expert on The Great Gatsby. He reads it at the start of every year. As much as I like the book and I like it even better now that I know some of … [Read more...]
My UCLA workshop starts tomorrow
I'm scheduled to start a novel revision workshop through the UCLA Extension Writers' Program tomorrow, taught by Mark Sarvas. (He looks like he could be my grandson.) I just hope I'm doing the right thing by taking it. Not that I don't think my work is any good, it's just that it might be premature for the stage I'm in on my novel. But I know one thing for sure; it will jump start my work on the novel something that has been too much on the back burner lately. So to prepare for this class I had to pick a portion of the novel that others could read and critique. I chose chapters three and four. That took up the allotted page count 15 pages double-spaced. We were also required to turn our selections in by January 22 with a one-page synopsis and what specifically we want help with going forward. On January 23 I received a compilation of the entire classes' work or so I thought and began reading. At the outset we were told that if our material wasn't received by the … [Read more...]
Writing Life Stories
We were out to dinner with our friends Patti and Pat the other night and Patti shared with me that she's taking a writing class at her church. I've never known that Patti had an interest in writing, so I was fascinated to know that this is a class in lifestory writing a topic that's been very much on my mind lately. I also discussed it with a friend who works at the Jewish Home for the Aging in Los Angeles, suggesting they offer a class for the folks who live there. As people age, we mustn't lose their stories. We must find a way to record and save their stories for future generations. I would love to teach the class should the Jewish Home decide to offer it. Writing life stories has become all the rage. We're in the so-called Memoir Revolution with volumes written about how to write your life story or memoir and how to produce it into a book. One in particular is Sharon M. Lippincott's The Heart and Craft of Lifestory Writing: How to Transform Memoires into Meaningful Stories. I've … [Read more...]
Back to writing work
What a relief to not have to drive an hour to Anaheim and back anymore. I finished my consulting job - which I loved - but I'm very happy not to have to do that stressful drive anymore. So instead, I'm using my time to catch up on my writing work. The first order of business is gathering my November 2012 challenge poems into a chapbook. Robert Lee Brewer's instructions are to submit no more than twenty by January 7 - this coming Monday. I went through them this afternoon and picked out fifteen. I have a little editing left to do, and then I plan to get the document off tomorrow. After that I'm on to the next item on my list. It gives me great joy (there's my word Joy that I picked for 2013) to tick items off my to-do list. Here's a preview of a couple of poems I'm submitting. This prompt was to write about something just beneath my skin. Just Beneath My Skin Unfortunately those miracle creams that are supposed to get rid of age spots fine lines, deep … [Read more...]
My writing life in 2012
Writing became a way to live with my son Paul's bipolar disorder and to survive his suicide as a result. However, I never dreamed it would become my way of life. I still cannot get through the day without writing something. However, in the last few years it has become more than a balm to ease the pain. It has become a joy and a way to meet and interact with some very wonderful writing friends. Like writing, I can never have enough Buddhas (Richard Stock photo) With that in mind, I thought I write down a few of the highlights of my writing life from 2012, starting with my first publisher's decision to go out of business. At first I was indeed devastated and then so angry. She closed down with four days warning and cut off our websites even before that. But the devastation and anger were very short lived. I reached out to a few writing friends especially Keith Alan Hamilton and got some suggestions about where to query. However, my dear friend and mentor Mark Shelmerdine came … [Read more...]
Diversions still help
I don't think I've mentioned that I've agreed to take on a consulting job for a few weeks. Actually I signed on because I was told the assignment would be over before Christmas. Yet as soon as I arrived, I found out it goes into January as well. So, I offered a compromise. I'll work in the last week of December (two weeks beyond my initial commitment) tomorrow and Friday and during the first week of January, and then I'll be finished just in time to get ready for my husband Bob's hip replacement surgery the following week. It's not that I don't like the job. I'm working as a technical writer and advisor to young engineers, helping them write and produce a proposal something I've done in the aerospace business for years. The work is always interesting especially when the engineers are receptive and smart. However, it takes me over an hour each way to get back and forth. In my old work life I never spent more than ten minutes commuting each way because early on, my husband and I … [Read more...]
Meet master-networker, Sonia Marsh
I'm delighted to host Sonia Marsh, author of Freeways to Flip-Flops, today. I got the opportunity to ask her several questions about her writing and publishing experience. As you'll read from Sonia's answers, she is a master networker. I have learned an immense amount from her. Plus Sonia is very generous about imparting her wisdom. If you are thinking about self-publishing, and even if you have a publisher, take some tips from Sonia about how to market your book. I believe you formed your own publishing company for the release of your book. Why did you decide to do that rather than go the traditional publishing route? Like most writers. I was hoping to get a traditional publisher; in fact a small traditional publisher loved the premise of my story and kept asking me to show my manuscript. I knew it wasn't ready, but after her third request, I finally e-mailed it to her. She agreed it needed more work, and a year later, she asked to see it again. It still wasn't quite ready, … [Read more...]
Meet my dear friend, Keith Hamilton, poet and cell-phone photographer
I think I was one of the first to join Keith's Facebook group Poets, Writers, Photographers, Musicians, Artists, etc., and as such we developed a mutual admiration for each other's work. Keith offered to showcase my work on his Hamilton Gallery and has been very generous in promoting my work ever since. My husband and I had dinner with Keith when we were in Boston last spring, and we became devoted friends. We're also talking about collaborating on a poetry and cell-phone photography project. More about that later. Keith's style is earthy. He doesn't pull any punches. And he has a heart of gold all he wants to do is save the world. How and Why I Publish By Keith Alan Hamilton I'm a Publisher, editor, poet, writer and cell-phone photographer. I have a mind that fires on all cylinders; I think and think and think about everything, often to the point of mania, which leads to mental fatigue with extreme lows of prolonged depression. I have thought of suicide so often, I've gotten … [Read more...]
I love Cheryl Stahle’s journaling suggestions
I also met Cheryl Stahle while we were co-panelists on a Google+ hangout about writing life stories. I'm so glad that you'll also get to know about Cheryl and her book, Slices of Life: the Art and Craft of Memoir Writing. I hope you'll also resonate with her journaling suggestions as I do. Journaling Towards Healing by Cheryl Stahle Grief. Unmentionable. A taboo topic. If we don't acknowledge the presence of grief maybe it will disappear. But often it doesn't. Ted Schwartz, the surviving member of Ted & Lee (now Ted & Co www.tedandcompany.com) has recently published his memoir addressing grief at the loss of his business partner, creative muse, fellow actor and best friend entitled Laughter is a Sacred Space. Ted has transformed his memoir into a one-man stage show that immortalizes the legacy Lee left through his suicide while leaving Ted to reinvent himself. Ted is currently touring the United States bringing his memoir to life through a genre outside of a print book. … [Read more...]
Introducing my guests
For a change of pace I'm going to devote the next three weeks to the voices of other wonderful and experienced writers and publishers. I've asked eight people whom I've either met personally or online to tell you about their writing, publishing, and marketing experiences. I feel so fortunate that they have agreed to be my guests here on Choices. I hope you will keep coming back for more and more. You'll find the information interesting and very helpful to your writing lives. Here's my guest lineup in order of appearance: Sharon Lippincott November 26 Sharon is the author of The Heart and Craft of Lifestory Writing, knows she's been successful. Her insightful questions and observations have challenged people in many areas for decades. Today they are primarily aimed at students in her lifestory and creative writing classes along with readers of her blog, forum posts, book reviews, and other publications. Kathleen Pooler November 29 Kathy is a … [Read more...]
What are you grateful for?
My blogging friend, Pam Young, wrote down her list of things she's grateful for, and I decided to copy her. This is the season to think about such things. Gratitude has been on my mind a lot lately - especially since my husband Bob of 42 years seems to be experiencing a lot a pain in his hip, and I worry about him. I don't want anything bad to happen to him, and I'm trying to be positive that nothing will. Our marriage and our friendship is something I am very grateful for. Here's my list - at least so far: My good health and healthy life style of a good diet and lots of exercise My happy marriage My wonderful son and daughter-in-law That I can continue to write and work toward ending the stigma of mental illness and preventing suicide Many loving friends and family members That I can still workout or take a walk every day of the week That I live in what I think is the most beautiful place in the world only 10-minutes from the beach That we live comfortably … [Read more...]
More poems from the PAD challenge
I'm keeping up pretty well with the Poem A Day challenge. Sometimes I surprise even myself. Here are a couple I've written in the last week. I've included the prompt so you know what I am trying to express. Day 6 (a Two-for-Tuesday prompt) which is actually two prompts: 1. Write a Left Poem 2. Write a Right Poem It's About Balance If I work the right I have to work the left like taking my right leg on a ride on the spin bike well, then the left needs a ride too. If I twist to right the left also needs to twist If I cross my legs in the half Lotus with one leg over the other, soon I need to change sides. But it's hard to keep it all straight. One of these days, one side or the other will get slighted and left out. I'm right on about that. Day 8 Talk back to a dead poet. Choose a poem you like by a poet who is no longer living and offer a rebuttal. Dickinson's line, I'm Nobody! Who are you? is just begging for a response. Maybe, unlike Shakespeare, your lover's face … [Read more...]
The November Poem A Day Challenge is in full force
While I don't intend to post every poem I write during this challenge, I'll start here with Day 1. Here's the prompt: Write a matches poem. The matches could be sticks that make fire. Or it could be matches from a game. Or the verb of to match. Or as in the phrase He's not a good match for you. Or whatever other match you can make. And here's my attempt: At the Match She watches on the sidelines hunched over, her arms, legs fingers crossed for luck. Her head looks left, then right as the ball goes over the net back and forth back and forth. She takes a deep breath when her son loses a point, then her head looks left and right again. His opponent beats his racket on the court when he misses, sneering at his father standing with his nose at the fence. But, calmness prevails. Her son's last shot, his famous backhand down the line, wins, and she knows they'll have a great drive home. Ben, age 14 He had a few tennis trophies … [Read more...]
My writing life – still all good
Did I really say I wouldn't be working constantly while on my three-month virtual blog tour? I must have been dreaming. Writing, revising, and refining each and every one of my articles and getting them to the blog owners in enough time for them to post have kept me very busy. Plus, I've had new several requests from other bloggers to write for them that I've tucked into my blog tour schedule Right now I have a yellow sticky on my virtual desktop reminding me of the eight posts due in the next thirty days. Now that might not seem like a lot to you. However, just coming up with blog post ideas is a challenge that is unless one of the blog owners asks for something specific. In the last couple of weeks I've been asked to write about: 1) how I realized poetry alone was not enough to convey the story I told in my memoir, Leaving the Hall Light On, 2) my concept of gratitude, and 3) what I would say to someone who has just lost a loved one to suicide. These are not so simple … [Read more...]
Finding music in my life
Today's post is in participation with Women On Writing's mass-blogging event, Everybody is Talking About Finding the Music in Life. We are celebrating the release of Sonia's Song by Sonia Korn-Grimani. To read Sonia's post and follow our symphony of participating bloggers visit The Muffin. Share your comments on any participating blog for a chance to win a copy of Sonia's Song! One reader will also win! I will send in the name of one commenting visitor to be entered into the WOW drawing for a copy of Sonia's Song in either print or ebook (winner's choice), and from those entries one winner will be chosen at random. (The contest is open until 11:59 pm Thursday, October 18th I will send in my randomly chosen reader's entry by noontime Friday, October 19th (Mountain Time) My jazzman. That he was. I couldn't do this topic justice without writing about my son Paul and his music. We lost him to suicide in 1999 as a result of his bipolar disorder. Very early, from the time … [Read more...]
Book tour report
The first event was a National Association of Memoir Writers roundtable with Linda Joy Meyers on the subject of: Keeping Your Book Alive Part I and II: Advice for authors who Need a New Publisher; Low-cost/no-cost Marketing Ideas I sat with Mike O'Mary, owner and publisher at, while we talked about what to do if your publisher goes out of business and what it's like to "start over" with a new publisher. And as you probably know already the loss of my original publisher was a blessing in disguise. Mike and I met for the first time just before we went on the air, and he is the dream of Dream of Things. During the roundtable, Mike and I also talked about what it takes to promote your memoir in today's marketplace, including a variety of low-cost and no-cost ideas that any author can use to promote his/her book. Here's the link to this roundtable. Mike has a wealth of information about ways to promote your book. Mike orchestrated the next four book tour events for his other … [Read more...]
