Let me start by saying the writing bug bit me as a teen, when I penned my first novel-length paranormal romance (still sitting packed away somewhere in a 3-ring binder).  After high school I joined the military and became a high-volume reader.  Several years after my retirement, that dormant bug reared up, driving me to plan out and write my first story worthly of publishing. 

While scribbling the tale and all its backstory I didn’t think about the publishing aspect - I just wanted to get the story down – but I later remembered reading an article in the local paper about a veteran-related (military and law enforcement) ensemble that held author panels at the local libraries.  I kept that piece on the Wednesday Warriors until my first draft was completed and then searched for the location of their next panel.  This is when I discovered the panels had been taken over by the Henderson Writers’ Group.  I’d never heard of them, but was eager to take in what they had to say. 

One of the first HWG members I met was Linda O’Connor, then the Vice President.  The information she shared was invaluable to anyone starting out in this business and, to my delight, I wouldn’t have to wait another month to learn more.  I could attend a group meeting every week!  

The Henderson Writers’ Group, whose Monday night meetings are always open to the public, brings together people at all stages of their writing careers.  One of the founding members and now President, Jo Wilkins, saw a need for a writing community where those in the know share what they’ve learned with others.  No-blood-on-the-floor critiquing is a good method of doing this, giving honest feedback on a member’s writing along with recommendations for improvement.  The feedback I received led to my first revision for the same reason most new writers revise – passive storytelling or telling instead of showing. 

Through the HWG I heard about other groups, both national and local.  One that is both, Sisters in Crime, sprouted a chapter fairly recently in Las Vegas.  SIC is unique in that it incorporates readers as well as writers and other literary professionals into their membership.  They often have guest speakers and sometimes discuss popular works at their monthly meetings. 

 Within the southern Nevada writing community, I’d heard of the Las Vegas Writers Group but it took a while to venture out to their meetings.  Here is another monthly gathering, whose main focus is on networking.  While there is a $5 charge on attending, they strive hard to bring in quality speakers each month.  Within the LVWG there is an opportunity to join a critique group based on what you write. 

I’m not a poet, but I know several people who are and they attend the Laudably Tarnished poetry workshop in order to better their craft. 

There are many other writing groups in the Las Vegas area or whatever city you live in.  If you are new to the writing community or are having difficulties getting your work noticed by agents or publishers, I highly recommend joining a writers group.  Search the internet or check your local newspaper for events such as book fairs, where you can talk to other authors. 

Even though I will continue attending other groups, my go-to choice is the Henderson Writer’ Group.  Some of the things I’ve learned from them are:  writing techniques (which encompasses many things), the publishing process (both traditional and self), platform building and marketing, the editorial process, and supporting fellow writers (because what comes around, goes around).

If you have a writers group experience you’d like to share or have questions, please leave a comment.

Audrey

Conversation isn’t dialogue. 

Of course dialogue is characters speaking – conversing.  What she meant, however, is that readers don’t need to know everything they might say, only what moves the story forward. 

For example, you wouldn’t want to have this: 

Suzie said, “Hi, Jen.  This is my neighbor, Allen.”  / Jen shook the man’s hand.  “Hi, Allen.”  /  ”Nice to meet you, Jen,”  he replied. 

This is conversation that is going nowhere.  Instead, consider:

When Jen arrived, Suzie introduced her to Allen.  “He’s helping me change my tire,” she explained.  “Someone went through the neighborhood last night slashing tires.”  /  ”That’s awful!” Jen said.  “Did you call the police?”  /  Allen said, “I did.  They told us several streets were hit.” 

You see that the first is just conversation and the second is dialogue that tells us something we need to know.  So, next time you hear someone say “conversation isn’t dialogue”, you’ll know exactly what they mean. 

This is the first of, hopefully, many reports on “what I learned at a writers group meeting”.  Let me know what you think. 

Audrey

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It occurs to me that I constantly pick up tidbits of knowledge about the craft and business of writing through writers groups and professional journals.  Just as others have shared with me, I’d like to pass the information along.  So, check back more often for items about writing, publishing, promoting or anything else that comes my way. 

Join me in making 2010 a better year!

Audrey

I’ve been working on a short story to submit for a 31 August deadline, but I find that the computer lures me away to other things.  So, when I went to visit family for a week (out of state and away from cable and internet) I took a note pad and pen.  It was a great opportunity to get my story down.  On my return last week I got it typed up, but needed to re-work it (that flow thing).  And then, with the deadline looming, I focused from midnight to 4am the last two nights strictly on the revision.  Now it’s done.

The final step was to make sure the formating followed the submission guidelines, so I went to the site and, low and behold, the real deadlines was 31 July!  I’ve managed to procrastinate myself right out of an anthology.  Ugh.  Oh well, I’ll find another one to submit it to or hold on to it for next year.

The lessoned learned here is to make sure you know your deadlines before cramming for them!  HaHaHa

Audrey

I find that I work well under pressure, maybe because I get so much practice at it, but I don’t leave everything to the last minute.  When writing, I get things on paper (virtual or real) right away.  Then I think about them, let them stew, work out the logics.  I put off going back to them until I’m ready or the deadline looms.  Deadlines are great for clearing the cobwebs and pushing the brain into gear.

I’ve been revising a chapter for the past two weeks (or so).  Every time I looked at it, I would change the wording here and there.  Then I’d re-read it.  Where was the flow?  Something was missing.  The third or fourth time, frustration set in.  I printed it out . . . and left it to sit.  I went on to other things and tried not to think about it.  Finally, I chose a day and declared, “This is the day I figure this out.”  Sitting in silence, rebuffing distractions from family and work, I read.  No revising at first, I just read.  My reading is at speaking speed, which is fairly slow.  As I read, I listened to the flow.  Then I went back and, wherever the story jerked to the next idea, I smoothed it out.  Once the first fix came to mind, the next one followed more easily and then the next one.  Finally, the story moved.

Now, I don’t recommend putting everything off (especially things like bills), but sometimes procrastination means thinking long and hard about how to proceed before moving forward.  As the saying goes, “Good things come to those who wait.”

I get invites to movie premiers all the time, but they’re not usually as grand as what was put on tonight at the Palms in Las Vegas for the movie “Prey”.  Prey is an Australian movie and tonight was the North American premier.  

Other showings at Brenden Theatres, such as Hellboy II, started with a long line that formed well before the posted five o’clock (for a seven o’clock showing), continued with a pass exchange for tickets, followed by a wait in another line until the doors were opened.  That’s at least an hour and a half in lines and a half-hour wait in the theater.  I usually bring a book to fill the time.  

For Prey, however, even though the line began before five, by half past, passes were being exchanged for tickets.  Only this time IDs were checked against them – to make sure no one snuck in, I guess.  With each ticket we received a free popcorn and drink and a wristband to the after party at Moon.  Then a strange think happened.  They didn’t keep us corralled anywhere, we were released until the movie (showing at eight, not seven) with an invitation to see red carpet arrivals at seven.  Interesting.  

Zombies/Walking Dead at "Prey" Premier

Curiosity drove us to the red carpet area where zombies paraded before waiting press.  Is this a zombie movie?  Or just a blood and guts one?  Huh.  Just before seven a drum corps broke out in … song? drum music? drumming? (what do you call it?)  Anyway, there is something about drums that goes straight to my heart – what can I say, I look forward to half-time at football games because of this, too.  Vegas Vanguard was cool.  Then, to my surprise, Robin Leach appeared with four showgirls to began welcoming special guests.  

Robin Leach and showgirls at the North American premier of the Australian movie "Prey"

All but one of the main characters came to the US and one of the those was American.  They were difficult to see through the photographers and hard to hear because they didn’t get close enough to the mic when answering Robin’s questions, so we went off to the theater to find a wooden snake waiting at every seat.  Is this movie about snakes?  

While waiting in our seats, we watched the short trailer for Prey – several times.  Dead people walking, snakes, things glowing, a chain saw, and a weird man in a duster and Freddie Kruger hat.  What was this horror movie about?  Had someone taken bits from every type of scary film and combined them?  I was almost afraid to find out.  

So here it is:  Five friends and a tag-along (three guys, three gals) take time away from their busy lives to go somewhere that sounds like a surfing beach, but since they don’t have boards I don’t know what they were going to do when they got there.  Along the way they are sidetracked by Freddie in a paranormal way and the female lead begins having visions.  They never find the place they are looking for and, after the first person is killed, they can’t seem to get away from the place no matter how far they drive.  As you can guess, with six victims, they get picked off one after another.  You’d think after a while that a person wouldn’t wander off alone without at least telling someone where they were going, but no.  When two are left we finally get some answers, however, if there was a story or curse that began this strange happening, it either wasn’t told or went over my American head.  

All in all, I don’t think the movie was meant to be taken as serious horror – which I’m glad of, because psycho butchering doesn’t interest me at all.  As a campy scary movie with laugh-out-loud moments, it hit the mark.  I have to say, I really enjoyed Prey and would watch it again – even the scene with three vehicles moving, when only two were occupied.  I applaud the actors; they did a great job of not cracking up when the rest of us did.  See Prey – it’s coming to pay-for-view this summer – and let yourself be entertained without being traumatized.  

Audrey

P.S. – We never made it to the after party, though I was impressed with the invite.

I knew I liked what little DMB I’d heard and attended the concert with few expectations – for lots of people and loud music, mostly.  As the band took the stage behind a white curtain, the first notes rang out and the audience moved to their feet as one, even those of us in the nosebleed sections.  The curtain disappeared and they performed perfectly.  No notes went wrong and all were heard clearly without busting any eardrums.  This could be attributed to the band or it could have been the venue as the Jason Mraz opener was just as good.  

Maybe it’s a sign of aging that I appreciated the music, but not the crowd – except for the bachelor party dressed identically as Elvis.  Them I took in stride.  It might have had something to do with the smell of marijuana that reached me when Jason began, clearly emanating from the large man seated directly in front of me. Alternating his vice with beer and cigarettes, the big man’s sporty headband slid closer to his eyes the more inebriated he got.  The stranger beside me sympathized.  Then several beers later, broke out his own smokes, apologizing with each strike of the match.  He explained that hypnosis hadn’t helped kick his habit and then later (after more beer) shared his hope that pot would, as he would soon get his “weed card”.   

The Arena is an enclosed venue with no smoking allowed and I don’t smoke (in case you hadn’t figured that out from the rants).  Though most of the attendees seemed to behave normally, when those within arm’s reach clouded the air around me, I wondered if I’d stumbled into the twilight zone.  Do-do do-do, do-do do-do.  

Okay, much like my fellow concert-goer, I’ve now over-shared.  My purpose in writing this blog was to praise DMB.  The high-energy members were one of the happiest groups I’ve ever seen perform (thanks to three large screens showing close-ups behind them), especially the drummer who smiled the entire time.  Twilight zone or not, I’d recommend anyone go see the Dave Matthews Band if they get the opportunity.  You will not be disappointed.

To improve my chances for traditional publishing, I have joined a writers group, attended writer workshops, and plunged into the local writers conference, the Las Vegas Writers Conference (LVWC).  It was at the LVWC that, following lunch one day, a man stood up at the podium and shared his story.  I’d seen him mingling comfortably with the attendees, but this unassuming gentleman now exhibited nervousness in his quiet, and slightly shaky, voice. 

This man, Dave Kuzminski, explained how he created P&E to answer questions repeatedly posed to him.  The information he collected was verified and posted, good or bad.  On the bad side, those unscrupulous people found to charge folks like us for services or products they never planned to deliver were angered enough at the negative publicity that they took him to court to have the site removed. 

At this point in Dave’s story, his voice strengthened, fueled by indignation.  The law, as evidenced by the continued existence of P&E, was on his side.  (It’s funny how the truth usually wins.)  His defiance animated him with passion and confidence, contrary to the first impression he gave, and he vowed to carry on.  What had happened to the mild-mannered everyman who lost himself in the crowd?  He’d transformed before our eyes into a crusader for writers everywhere – Dave Kuzminski is every writer’s unsung hero.

The LVWC is small compared to what I’ve read about other conferences, conducive to more personal interactions.  I highly recommend it and will be attending this year’s as the Assistant Conference Coordinator.  Taking place 16 – 18 April 2009, the LVWC can be checked out at www.lasvegaswritersconference.com.  I hope to see you there.