Slushpile by Jan Rider Newman

At one time I’d never have considered self-publishing. I wanted, and I still want, the legitimacy of a big publisher who accepts, edits, and releases my novel, that official industry "A" for my efforts. Any writer worth a book deal knows how to deliver a well-written, well-edited manuscript. But that last mile to the hard-copy book in your hand, I still believe, needs a professional escort. And yet, according to Katherine Rosman and her January 2010 Wall Street Journal article, "The Death of the Slush Pile," the dream has a less than 1% chance of coming true.

Since reading the article, I've begun to look at self-publishing as an avenue worth examining. If you're unknown and end up with a publisher who won't finance much promotion, how much more expensive and troublesome can it be to do all of it on your own?

The self-publishing I reacted violently against isn't today's model, though it can be—one must be careful. But the same technology that stole readers' attention from printed pages has proved to have legitimate uses. After some gnashing of teeth, writers took another look at that LED screen and saw a new world of options—POD, e-zines, Kindle, iPad. Many e-pub options don't cost a great deal. All writers now take advantage of ways to publish and market their work that didn't exist five years ago, or existed only as fringe possibilities.

We’re in an exciting phase. The slush pile is dead; more and more writers are driven to seek publication; the agency model is in flux; and the need to publish is almost as great as the need to write. Technology, once seen as part of the problem, has made the process easier and less expensive. More importantly, it's helped self-publishing gain respectability. Look at the horizon. As you read this, writers are inventing new ways to get readers, promote themselves, and pocket more earnings. I look forward to seeing what will turn up next and to being part of it.

Jan Rider Newman is a published, prize-winning writer of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction, currently writing a fantasy novel. She co-edits and publishes Swamp Lily Review, An Online Journal of Louisiana Literature & Arts (http://swamplily.com); contributes articles and book reviews to LitStack (http://litstack.com); edits the Gator Talk newsletter for the Bayou Writers' Group; and is the group's current webmaster.

Hold On To Those Flashbulb Memories--and Write! by Stan Weeber

Flashbulb memories are very vivid and long lasting memories of the delivery of shocking news. The news is so important that we clearly remember the context in which the news was heard in great detail – where we were, what we were doing and the people present at the time. The memories tend to be long lasting because the news delivered may have important historical or personal significance. The unexpected deaths of a family member, a President, or a politician we admire are examples. Our emotionally charged reactions to unforeseen events such as the attack on Pearl Harbor or the September 11 attacks upon America also serve as examples.

My purpose in writing today is to encourage you to hang on to these memories and to write about them if you are so inclined. The initial drafts of your work come easily because you simply write down in narrative form, or poetic form, what you remember about the flashbulb event. Then, you contextualize your memory based upon an audience that you want to reach.

For example, I was so distraught at the news of President Kennedy’s death on November 22, 1963, that I vowed to find out why someone would do such a dreadful thing. Forty years later, I published a biography of the accused assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald. The first chapter was based upon my own flashbulb memory of that horrible day. The remainder of the book was an academic study of Mr. Oswald’s life.

I was so saddened over the loss of life in the Oklahoma City bombing of April 19, 1995, that I once again vowed to peer inside the mindset of someone who would act in such a horrific way. When the New York Times reported on April 21 that accused bomber Timothy McVeigh had attended militia meetings in Michigan, I dug deeply into the mental makeup of people who join militia groups. The result: thirteen academic studies about the militia movement.

My third flashbulb memory came ironically enough on another November 22, this time in 2002. This was not a day that everyone remembers. It had more significance to me as an individual than for most people. The news flash on this day was that yet another woman was now missing in South Louisiana, this one in Lafayette. I immediately thought of the South Louisiana Serial Killer case. If confirmed as a victim of the serial killer, it would be his fourth victim. I was greatly concerned for the safety of my female students – I am a professor in Lake Charles – and now there was a victim about an hour away from where I live and teach. My fears about the case led to my book, In Search of Derrick Todd Lee, which was about online activists trying to coordinate information about the killer.

As you can see, my flashbulb memories were about major newsworthy events, but flashbulb memories do not always require such a high profile. The death of a relative, a pet, or the horrendous aftermath of a violent storm are also examples. Or, you win an award and life changes forever for the better. Some flashbulb memories are positive. .

One reason that flashbulb memories are remembered is because these memories tend to be retold over and over again. Because of that, accuracy tends to be lost over time, and the details are not necessarily accurate. Don’t worry, the memory is still vivid to you and deserves to be told as you remember it. Readers will bond with your account if they’ve been through something similar.

Stan Weeber is an Associate Professor of Sociology at McNeese State University. He has written or edited 20 books, including In Search of Derrick Todd Lee: The Internet Social Movement that Made a Difference (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2007).

The Secret of the Written Word by Marcia Dutton

“Marcia, it is two a.m. and you have to be up early in the morning. You need to get to bed” admonished my husband.

“I can’t, I just can’t.  I’m reliving that glorious trip we made through Europe on the Eurorail trains.  Remember that year of the Achilles Lauro terrorist attack when that guy was thrown overboard?  Everyone was afraid to travel and we had entire compartments to ourselves and no tourist crowds to contend with.”

Normally, I don’t live in the past. I have moved so many times; there is only the present for me.  However, joining the Bayou Writer’s Group got me into writing my past adventures and what fun it has been remembering all those experiences.

With our three week Eurorail passes we were able to come and go practically any time of day or night, staying at favorite places as long as we pleased. We could leave extra baggage in railway lockers, take day trips or excursions without waiting in line for tickets or going through the hassle of restrictions.            Boat trips across lakes in Switzerland and cog trains to mountain tops were included. We took ‘Sound of Music’ bus tours through Austrian Alps, watched the Lipizzaner dancing horses in Vienna, toured the blue Danube, walked through vineyards and enjoyed watching passersby at outdoor cafes. Venice, Paris and Barcelona were near enough to be explored.

Now because of my writing I am able to not only remember these places but share them with others who are interested.  How often does one get to do that in everyday conversation? Ah, what a discovery this little secret of the written word. 

Award-winning artist Marcia Dutton has published letters to the editor in the American Press and the only English newspaper in Saudi Arabia. She was a newsletter editor in Saudi Arabia and sent numerous letters home to family members about life in the various countries she lived in. Marcia is writing a book of memoirs about her days in the U.S. Navy and her many adventures abroad.

McNeese Leisure Learning - Writing Classes

To the Bayou Writers,

McNeese Leisure Learning offers the following writing courses starting this week:

Query, Synopsis, and Book Proposal Workshop

Instructor: Janice Repka J.D./M.A./M.F.A.

Location: Frasch 106

Date: Thursdays: July 7 & 14

Time: 6:30 - 8:30 pm

Cost: $45

Do you want to be a published author? Get guidance on how to write a successful query letter, book synopsis, or book proposal by studying real ones that worked. Then, get personalized feedback and critique on your own query letter, book synopsis, or book proposal. come join us as we explore how the publishing world works and how you can become a part of it.

Writing Your Life Book

Instructor: Janice Repka, J.D./M.A./M.F.A.

Location: Drew 110

Date: Saturdays, July 9, 16, 23, 30, Aug. 6

Time: 12:00 - 1:30 pm

Cost: $68

Would you like to create a keepsake to preserve all of the wonderful family stories floating around in your head? Participants in this introduction to memoir writing class will take part in exercises and enrichment activities designed to immortalize their life stories on the page. Whether you’d like to create a lasting memory about your life for your children, grandchildren, or for your own reflection, you are welcome to join like-minded writers on this exciting story telling and memory preserving journey. Price includes supplies for creating your Life Book. ******

Additionally, McNeese Leisure Learning offers over 300 online courses, www.ed2go.com/mcneese. ;

Offered are many writing courses, such as:

beginning writer’s workshop

beginner’s guide to getting published,

introduction to internet writing markets

write your life story,

mystery

travel

writing fiction like a pro,

write and publish your own non-fiction book

advanced fiction writing,

The courses which begin monthly are 6-week courses available online 24-7. New lessons are released each Wednesday and Friday.

The Romance Writing Secrets course will be offered in July and August only. So, if anyone is interested, August will be the last time the course is offered.

Romance Writing Secrets

Learn the secrets of writing romance novels that get publishers excited. Facilitated by a bestselling, multi-published romance author, this course will guide you on your road to writing your first romance and getting it published.

Romance writing is the hottest fiction genre going. From Nora Roberts to Jayne Ann Krentz to Linda Howard, readers gobble up romance novels to the tune of $1.2 billion a year. This course starts with the fundamentals of organizing your book, beginning with the overarching theme, and moves on to the basic elements of good storytelling—character development, structuring your plot, internal and external conflict, and point of view. The class then proceeds to the specifics of romance—the importance of writing emotions, love scenes, witty banter, and romantic imagery. The course concludes with hints and tips on getting published within the romance market.

Students will be exposed to real-life examples from popular romance novels and from the instructor’s 12 years of experience as a published author of 39 romance novels.

6 – week course

$99

Session Start Dates:
July 20
August 17

To register for a Leisure Learning Course.

1. Pay with a Visa, MasterCard, Discover by phone, 475-5616, 475-5130 or 800-622-3352, ext. 5616.

2. Fax Registration Form to 337-475-5172.

3. Mail Registration Form to
MSU Leisure Learning
Box 92375
Lake Charles, LA 70609

4. Pay in person at Smith Hall between 7:45 a.m. – 3:45 p.m.

5. Students may register for online classes at www.ed2go.com/mcneese

May Poché Gray

Coordinator, Programs & Short Courses

McNeese State University

337-475-5130

800-622-3352, ext.5130

Fax: 337-475-5172

mgray (at) mcneese.edu

www.mcneese.edu/conted

THE BLANK PAGE by Stanley Klemetson

As I sit at my desk in my new office at Utah Valley University I realize that I have a blank page to be filled.  How will I fill it?  How will I take the experiences that have brought me to this point in my life to write the story of my life to come?  Will I always make good choices?  Will choices from the past come back to haunt me?  How will I fill that blank page?  And as a writer, how will these experiences affect the lives of my characters as I write their stories? 

I attended a two day writer’s workshop by Orson Scott Card last summer.  We were assigned to interview someone in the community to obtain a backstory for our writing.  My partner and I found a women sitting at a table in the coffee shop of the book store.  After a moment’s hesitation at being approached by two unknown men she decided to join us at our table.  For the next 20 minutes she told us her life story, including her children, ex-husband, and work experiences.  Armed with that information both of us wrote a story for the next day's class.  As you might expect, our stories were different versions of her future even though we had the same starting point.  We never gave her copies of what we wrote, but I wonder what she would have thought of the futures we had created for her. 

As a novice writer I have to continually experiment with the craft to evaluate what works and what does not.  I recently finished reading several books and tried to evaluate the "show not tell" structure of the writing.  I tried to determine if the story was believable.  There was good and bad writing in the books that I read.  Last week I submitted several poems to a contest.  I wonder how my writing will be judged.  I was not happy with my short stories yet so I have saved them for future contests.    

I decided to experiment with the recent story of my own life to see it if makes sense.  About two years ago I moved to Lake Charles to work at McNeese State University in the Department of Engineering with a new blank page.  The community and people were all unknown.  I had never lived that far south.  What I found shaped my life and set me on a new path.  The people of the south were extremely friendly and quickly drew me into their circle of friends.  I sure can't complain about the food.  In the Bayou Writers Group I found very supportive friends that encouraged me to write.  I enjoyed my writing classes at McNeese, and I wrote poems and short stories that I had always wanted to write. l submitted some of the writings to contests and read one of my poems at a coffee house.  At McNeese I was asked to be the Department Head and had a great faculty to work with.   I became involved throughout the campus and community.  Then I was invited to apply for an Associate Dean position at a large university in Utah, a job that I would not have gotten if had not been the Department Head of Engineering at McNeese State University.  Since returning to Utah I have joined a writer’s group with more confidence than I had two years ago. 

Let’s go back to my blank page from just two years ago.  While the entire story is true, does it sound believable?  The whole story sounds unbelievable to me, but I have great memories of Southwest Louisiana and the people I have met.  I will miss all of you.

Thanks for the memories.

Stan is an Associate Dean in the College of Technology and Computing and is responsible for the School of Applied Technology and Construction at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.  His e-mail address is sklemetson (at) uvu.edu.  His phone is 801-368-6476.  

NO OPTIONS AVAILABLE by Georgia Downer

Sunday morning, June 5, 2011

   NEW YORK (AP) – Harry Bernstein, whose acclaimed memoir of an English childhood haunted by anti-Semitism, “The Invisible Wall”, was published when he was 96, has died at 101.
                                        -30-

After receiving 40 rejections, and burning most of his manuscripts, he did write successfully. In 2008, at the age of 98, he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship to pursue his writing. I cannot get that first AP sentence out of my mind. I read the rest of those two columns a few minutes ago. They are a testament to perseverance.

Pursue his writing? At 98 years old?  Bravo, Mr. Bernstein.

How embarrassing for those of us who despair at our first, tenth, twenty-first rejection.  I have no illusions about my writing skill. I enjoy it and find some satisfaction in what I’ve accomplished so far. How much longer should I keep trying; I am, after all, seventy years old.  I’ve decided that wallowing in sorrow and disappointment for more than one week, over a rejection slip, is a waste of time. The odds that I could create a best selling novel, or wildly popular magazine/newspaper column are not good. Especially if I never try again.

So I will listen to our writing group’s speakers. I will read up on articles in Writing, and The Writer, search Amazon for yet another new tome on Creative Non-Fiction. I will share writing thoughts with fellow writers.  I will learn to trust my own judgment about my stories, hang the rejections slips on my black “Ribbon of Despair,” and keep writing and enjoying it. 

There are no options available.

Georgia Downer is BWG Treasurer. She writes essays and short fiction and has won prizes for her work. She's currently working on a novel.

Affecting Others by Sherry Perkins

A few months ago, I secured a second job.  When someone I knew came in, she was surprised to see me and asked, “How do you make time for writing?”  I smiled and replied, “When it’s something you’re passionate about, you make time.”  She nodded in agreement. 

No matter how many hours in the day slip away, I find time to write.  For me, it’s more than a passion – it’s an obsession.  Not only is it an obsession, it’s my responsibility to nurture whatever talent God mercifully gave me.  Unlike going to the grocery store or filling in for me at work, no one can do it for me which brings me to my point.

 Zig Ziglar came out with a book of quotes titled, “Zig Ziglar’s Little Book of Big Quotes.”  It’s more of a mini-book, maybe three inches by four inches but I keep it in my purse and have for years.  Although it is filled with motivational pieces, my favorite is, “You are the only one who can use your ability.  It is an awesome responsibility.”

Please don’t keep your passion bottled up.  Remove the lid, pour it out, and let it water your soul and the souls of others.  For you never know how, or when, your writing will affect someone.  Let your stories and your poems be a light in someone’s darkness.  Let your paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, quilts, or other projects bring a smile to a stranger’s sad heart.  Believe in your talent and develop what the Lord gave you!  If not for yourself, do it for others and blessings will overwhelm you.

Sherry Perkins has been published in magazines and newspapers across the state of Louisiana. She loves speaking to people, organizing, being supportive of others, and working hard. Sherry is the 2011 President of Bayou Writers Group and conference coordinator for the November conference--A Bridge to Publication.