Roanoke Regional Writers Conference

Melodie Rakes Book Signing Scheduled in Vinton

2012-02-24T07:08:00.003-08:00

Moneta-based writer Melodie Rakes will be the center of attention at a book signing March 9, 6:30-8:30 at Teaberry's Cafe on Cleveland Ave. in Vinton.

This will be a "dine and sign event" and Melody will authograph copies of Woman of Fairville, a novel based on the biblical story of the Samaritan woman at the well. The book is from Tate Publishing.

E-book Battle Gets Ugly as Amazon Strikes Hard

2012-02-23T05:23:00.000-08:00

The New York Times is reporting this morning that more than 3,000 e-books have been unplugged from their Kindle availability in a dispute over how much the retailer should pay for the rights to those books.

The Times quoted Andy Ross, a literary agent and a former bookseller, as saying, “This should be a matter of concern and a cautionary tale for the smaller presses whose licenses will come up for renewal. They are being offered a Hobson’s choice of accepting Amazon’s terms, which are unsustainable, or losing the ability to sell Kindle editions of their books, the format that constitutes about 60 percent of all e-books.”

Many writers are facing a dramatically changing market in which e-books have become a strong alternative in publishing works that don't have a strong appeal to mass market publishers. Amazon has pursued this market aggressively with its Kindle, setting up appealing deals for writers who either can't get into the traditional publishing rotation or who choose not to.

(Photo: publishersweekly.com)

War Writing Symposium at Roanoke College

2012-02-16T06:39:00.000-08:00

The Lutheran Writers Project will hold its second writers workshop and symposium at Roanoke College Tuesday, Feb. 28, featuring authors Mark Mustian and Dr. Robert Schultz discussing Writing about War. Schultz is Roanoke’s John P. Fishwick Professor of English. They will lead the workshop, which will take place from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Miller Hall, Room 213.

The workshop will include writing exercises, discussion and critiques. Participants will read excerpts from their writing and receive responses from the group. Registration is required, due to limited space, and the cost is $10. To register, e-mail Paul Shepherd at paul@paulkshepherd.com. Registration ends Feb. 24.

The free symposium, held at 7:30 p.m. in the Colket Center’s Pickle Lounge, will feature a discussion with Schultz and Mustian about the considerations, challenges, and opportunities they faced in writing about war. Dr. Michael Hakkenberg, a professor of history at Roanoke, will moderate the discussion.

Mustian’s latest novel The Gendarme tackles the forced evacuation and massacre of Armenians during World War I. The novel has been an international bestseller, and the New York Times commended the book for the way it treats “the tricks of memory that enable us to carry on with our daily existence; the brash decisions and subsequent regrets of the young (and) the ever present need for forgiveness.”

Schultz’s We Were Pirates: A Torpedoman’s Pacific War is a candid and vivid account of the progress of the Pacific War through the eyes of a submariner. The book draws from interviews, crew letters, photographs, captains’ reports, historical research and the diary of torpedoman, Robert Hunt.

Images of the Day: Writer-Journalist

2012-02-13T14:16:00.001-08:00

Another Book from RRWC Faculty Member

2012-02-10T10:29:00.000-08:00

Yet another of our Roanoke Regional Writers Conference faculty members has a brand new book, out today. Anne Clelland of Handshake2.0 in Blacksburg and the Business Advice columnist for Valley Business FRONT magazine has just published Work: It's Personal, a collection of her FRONT columns from nearly three years worth of effort.

Editor Dan Smith says of the book, "If you buy one business book this year, make it this one because it's so very unlike the dull accountings you normally get in business literature. Anne's perspective on business begins with the practicality of personal responsibility. Her writing is crisp and clear, much like her reasoning. The situations in the book will catch you thinking, 'I just went through that,' or 'I know that person.' It's a fine and useful book."

You can buy it here.

Anne has taught about blogging and Internet presence at the Writers Conference and her classes were always well-received. She is a former journalist, coach, counselor and teacher.

Students Grade Faculty for Writers Conference

2012-02-05T12:41:00.000-08:00

Mike Miller had a perfect score with all "excellent" ratings

The grades are in for the presenters at the Roanoke Regional Writers Conference a little over a week ago and the biggest surprise is that Dave Cohan's streak of perfection has ended. Just barely ended, but ended.

Joe Schaben, perfect, too

Dave, a lawyer with Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore, rated excellent with all but one of those students who rated him, the first time in three years he has not been perfect. Still, with a rating of 88 percent excellent, he finished second to Mike Miller and Joe Schaben, a technology writer and a CPA, who had perfect scores. Schaben had a very small class, but Miller got a solid number of votes, all "excellent."

Presenters were graded excellent, good, satisfactory and poor. The percentage for the Top 10 is figured on excellent votes. The Top 10 presenters were:

1 (tie). Mike Miller, Joe Schaben, 100 percent
3. Dave Cohan, 88 percent
4. Maryke Barber (librarian), 85 percent
5. Matthew Vollmer (teacher/author) 76 percent
6. Brooke McGlothlin (author), 73 percent
7. Sarah Beth Jones (journalist/small business owner), 71 percent
8. Cathy Hankla (teacher/author), 63 percent
9. Beth Macy (journalist), 61 percent
10. Roland Lazenby (author), 60 percent

Brooke McGlothlin scored well

No teacher, class, reception or panel finished with more negative votes than positives and that was not close. Only four participatants had votes in all four ratings. There were only a smattering of "poor" ratings.

Cathy Hankla, the opening speaker for the conference, drew the largest number of "excellent" votes with 29 and added 16 "good votes." She had one "satisfactory." Others with a substantial number of "excellent" votes were Roland Lazenby, Nat Sobel (whose scores were all over the board; he is a literary agent), Jim Minnick, Brooke McGlothlin, Gina Holmes, Sarah Beth Jones, Maryke Barber, Peggy Shifflett (an author who talked about memoir writing) and both the reception and the panel discussion at the end of the day.

The conference had its second straight sellout.

Dave Cohan's streak broken

Those attending came up with some good suggestions, most notable that classes are not long enough. We are considering having fewer classes next year and making them an hour instead of 45 minutes. We would cut classes 24 to 20 and would start the day at 8:30 instead of 9 a.m.

There was some grumbling (as always) about coffee and water not being available out front all day. Actually there are three water fountains on the classroom floor and those wanting coffee after lunch have the option of bringing a thermos. There were also some excellent suggestions for specific classes, notably a class on formatting a manuscript for e-books, something we will likely have next year.

We'd like to thank everybody for the opinions expressed and we assure you we take them all seriously and will work to implement what changes are necessary so your 2013 conference will be even better.

Today's Lesson: Take It to Heart

2012-02-05T06:55:00.000-08:00

This little missive has been making the rounds of the Internet and where better to post it than where it will do some real good? Enjoy and remember.

Mollie Cox Bryan's First Mystery Novel Available

2012-02-03T05:52:00.001-08:00

Mollie Bryan, who taught at last weekend's Roanoke Regional Writers Conference, has a new book for sale as of this week. It may well be the world's first scrapbooking mystery and it's a good read. Here is the press release for Mollie's book:

Debut mystery author Mollie Cox Bryan's new scrapbooking-themed series has all the right essentials to have readers coming back for more. Author Clare O’Donohue noted the “intriguing characters, eerie happenings, and a scrapbook of secrets kept me guessing 'til the end. I can’t wait for the next installment!”

Set in a small town, it’s filled with quirky characters, crafters and suspense, but with a special emphasis on the bonds between women. The first installment of the series; Scrapbook of Secrets featuring Anne Chamowitz, the newest member of the town’s scrapbooking club debuts this February in mass market original.

In Scrapbook of Secrets, Cumberland Creek, Va., seems like a peaceful rural community--too peaceful for the recently transplanted Annie Chamovitz. "This town is run by scrapbookers," she says balefully. Still, she attends a crop party, as scrapbooking groups are known, and starts to see that scrapbookers are fun. But when a local mom, Maggie Rae, turns up dead, and her scrapbook materials are dropped in the garbage the same day, the Crop Circle moves into action. Maggie Rae's own scrapbooks offer tantalizing clues. All is not what it seems in Cumberland Creek, and Maggie Rae's scrapbooks reveal secrets that mean life there will never be the same again.

Tinker Mountain Workshop Set in June at Hollins

2012-02-03T05:34:00.001-08:00

Hollins University's respected Tinker Mountain Workshop for writers is scheduled June 10-15 and will feature a group of eight college professors/writers on its faculty. The cost is $750 for the workshop and $200 each for meals and lodging.

This is one of the more prestigious workshops for writers in the East at a university known for producing Pulitzer Prize winners. The workshops range from fiction to nonfiction to poetry and class size is held to 15.

You can find out more here and you can register here.

Writers Bridge Guide to Freelancing

2012-02-02T05:48:00.000-08:00

Darrell Laurant, who founded The Writers Bridge in Lynchburg a few years ago, has put together a fine guide for freelance writers and one of the best features is its relative brevity. Below is the guide. Use it in good health.

The Bridge, by the way, helps link writers looking for work with the work and it has freelance writing clients all over the country. It's cheap and effective. We recommend you join.

THE IDEAS

A. WHERE TO FIND THEM:

1. From your personal experience -- things you've done,places you've been, people you've met, events you've attended.

2. From your local newspaper. Read it as often as you can,and keep an eye out for things that might have "legs" beyond yourarea. Example: Three new members are elected to your county's governing body --no legs. The chairman of that board is blind -- legs.

3. On the Internet. If you have a subject that interestsyou, do frequent Google searches under "news," or set up a Googlealert linking that subject to your area.

4. Random information. If you see something on TV or hearsomething on the radio or in a conversation that interests you, jot it down.

5. From inside your head. If you have one of these "Iwonder why this is?" moments about something, it might be a story. Chancesare, other people have wondered, as well.

6. Your opinions. If you can back it up, and it's somethingother people can relate to, there's probably a market for it somewhere.

7. Lists. The Ten Best, The Twenty Biggest, The 15 Worst,and so on. It's all subjective, but who cares?

8. Anniversaries of events. Magazines love these, but it hasto be a round number, like 10, 20, 25 or 50. Go to Wikipedia, look up specificmonths and years, and you'll find a lot of possibilities.

9. Special months. National (whatever) months are often agood hook for a story.

B. QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF:

1. Again, is this something that would likely interestsomeone in another state, or readers of a national magazine?

2. Could it be a jumping-off point for a broader story?

3. If it's strictly local, is there a good local market itwould fit?

4. What is the shelf life? Since most magazines operatethree to six months in advance, Christmas stories should be pitched in July andAugust, Memorial Day stories in December or January, etc. If the shelf life isshorter, you might be better off contacting Websites or newspapers. Of course,most stories are more evergreen than that.

5. Is this something you can realistically accomplish? Ifyou live in Maryland, you might think twice about pitching a California story,unless you plan a trip there in the near future or can pull it together onlineand on the phone. Can you gather all your information remotely, or is thissomething that really needs a dash of color and firsthand observation?

6. Is this fresh? You wouldn't want to send out a query on"How Sept. 11 Changed My Life," for instance, unless it was some sortof anniversary.

7. Is it specific? Ideas like "Sexual abuse" or"Diabetes" won't fly. You need to find a niche within the largersubject, or some recent development involving it.

8. Can you produce photographs? This is a strong sellingpoint, since magazines (and even Websites) are becoming more and more visual.

THE HUNT

A. FINDING MARKETS

1. It has its flaws (like not always updating information),but you really can't beat Writers' Market for possible connections. It's whatthey do.

2. On the other hand, there are some good markets that don'twant to be listed there because they don't want to be inundated with queries.You can often find those with Google searches (i.e., "cancer research +magazines")/

3. There are a number of lists of writers' guidelines outthere -- again, use search engines to find them. Always check the Webaddresses, though, to make sure the publication still exists. These days, younever know.

B. TARGETING QUERIES

1. If you can find a Website for a publication that seemslike a likely match for an idea, go to either "About Us" or"Contact Us" and look for the name of an editor. If someone is listedspecifically as the managing editor, they're probably the best bet, becausethat person probably does more of the hands-on work with queries (executiveeditors eat lunch with advertisers a lot). If you can't find a listing on thesite (which often happens), try searching for the name of the magazine plus"masthead." If all else fails, just address your query to "Tothe Editors." Note: If the editor is named something like "Pat"that can go either way, gender-wise, see if they have a Facebook page.

2. If it's an e-mail query, you want to make sure it doesn'tfind its way into a spam folder. What I do is use the name of the person I'mcontacting in the subject line: "Article query for Judy Jones."People are more likely to open something that has their name on it.

3. Before you send a query, you might try a search thatconnects your topic with that magazine to make sure they haven't written aboutit.

4. Read over at least one or two issues of your targetpublication on-line, to get a sense of their style. It's always good to subtlylet the editor know you've done that by saying something like "I see that yourpublication often explores (topic) ..."

C. MATCHING MARKETS WITH TOPICS

1. Remember that the most obvious market isn't always thebest. If it's a story that's perfect for that magazine, chances are they'vealready done it. On the other hand, don't assume without checking.

2. Avoid tunnel vision. There might be an angle to yourstory that would appeal to a market that at first would seem unlikely.

3. Cut and paste. In many cases, you can take one idea andspin it in several different directions.

THE QUERY

A. GENERAL RULES

1. When you're talking about non-fiction articles, it'salmost always better to query an idea rather than send a completed manuscript.Editors like to be able to establish the length, tone and focus of what theyprint (it is, after all, their magazine or Website), and you take that awaywhen you dump a finished piece on them.

2. Don't take the "No simultaneous submissions"admonition too seriously. In the first place, how would they know? Moreover,this is aimed largely at writers who compose what is essentially a form letterand send it around to everyone and his brother.

3. Having said that, though, it's not really a good idea topitch exactly the same idea to more than, say, two markets at a time.

B. THE QUERY ITSELF.

1. Remember that the query is, in effect, your audition.Don't overwrite or make it overly long, but make sure it's your best writingand free of typos or grammatical errors. I'm always happy to look over anyone'squery before it goes out.

2. A query is never about you, but always about the editorand the readers of that magazine or Website. The editor doesn't care thatyou've always wanted to get published, or that it would be an honor for you toappear in the pages of that magazine. Rather, he or she wants to know threethings: Is this a good idea for that particular publication, are you a goodperson to produce it, and can you be trusted?

3. Display confidence, but not arrogance. If you talk toomuch about what a wonderful writer you are, you might be sending the hiddenmessage: "This person is going to be difficult to work with from anediting perspective."

4. Gauge your salutation to the tone of the market. If itseems low-key and informal (a music, gaming or sports magazine, for instance),you might address the editor by first name. You wouldn't do that withSmithsonian.

5. Keep it short and to the point. The old journalisticadmonition "don't bury the lead" applies threefold here.

6. Be careful with your clips. It's fine to send them to anon-line repository of your past writing, or to your blog, but make sure thereisn't a poorly written piece featured prominently. If you send clips, make themrelevant to the job at hand -- you wouldn't try to tempt a tech magazine with abatch of poems. If you're just starting out and don't have any clips to show,you're in trouble -- but you might pull it off by not mentioning clips at alland wowing them with your query letter. Or, even better, start a blog.

THE FOLLOWUP

A. WHEN THERE'S NO RESPONSE.

1. Don't automatically assume that this means disinterest onthe part of an editor. Your query could have gotten lost, or wound up in a spamfolder.

2. Re-check the Website of your target market to make sureyou didn't send your query to someone who no longer works there.

3. What I do is wait 30 days. If I don't hear anything, Ire-send that query with a brief note that says: "Last month, I sent you aquery about ----. Since I received no response, and knowing that e-mails oftenget lost in cyberspace these days, I'm taking the liberty of re-sending."I do this no matter what the listed time frame of the market might be, becauseit's a way of getting your name and idea in front of them twice. If I still getno response over the following two weeks, I start trying other markets.

4. Do not e-mail or call editors to ask when they're goingto get back to you. They hate that.

B. WHEN THE RESPONSE IS NEGATIVE.

1. Acknowledge it. As soon as possible, contact your targetto say something like "Thank you for your consideration. Perhaps I can temptyou another time."

2. Don't take it personally. Remember that this is just achoice on the part of the editor, often a subjective choice, and notnecessarily a reflection on you.

3. Have a backup plan. It's natural to feel a quick stab ofdisappointment and/or anger when you get a turndown. Use that as energy fueland immediately send out a query to someone else. You'll feel better.

4. Don't burn bridges. Don't contact the editor to ask whyyour wonderful idea wasn't welcomed with open arms. Accept that decision andmove on. If you handle this professionally, they'll remember you the next time.

(Graphic: amandarudd.wordpress.com, Photos: Mike's Writing Workshop & Studio, connect.nwp.org)

Shooting with a purpose

2012-01-31T13:31:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Dan for setting up the blog and making it available for the local community of writers. I thought I would kick things off by providing a link to a recent post on my own photoblog, for those who might be interested. http://virginia-media.blogspot.com/2012/01/shooting-with-purpose.html

I'll post photography related things over there from time to time and link back to them from here. Enjoy and feel free to comment in either blog about my posts. But please only say nice things...my ego is very fragile...

Michael Miller

PS - the graphic is not mine nor is it related to anything I have written or intend to write, but still, it's funny, right?

Writers Conference Blog: We're Up and Running

2012-01-31T05:42:00.000-08:00

Matthew Vollmer teaches his class this past weekend.

Welcome Roanoke Regional Writers Conference followers and those who've attended any of our five January conferences at Hollins University, including the one this past weekend.

It was our second straight sellout and the reviews were sterling. One of the strong and persistent suggestions to come out of the conference was that we create a better Web presence and we are in the process of doing that, beginning with our Facebook page (Roanoke Regional Writers Conference) and this new blog. Please subscribe to the blog and friend us on facebook. That will enable you to keep up with the conference as we recruit faculty for next year and as we schedule non-conference events.

We always want your suggestions of what we can do to create a stronger writing community in an area that forms a 100-mile circle around Roanoke.

Those of you with items to post on the blog, please e-mail us at roanokewriters@gmail.com and we'll get your posts up as soon as we can. If you have photos for the blog, please include them in low resolution and edited so they look good. If you don't know how to do that, please attend that class next year and send your photos on now and we'll edit them.