The Fateful Day Has Arrived…Almost: Crested Butte Writers Conference

Okay, the truth is, I wrote this several days in advance of our departure and the “fateful day” will still be twenty four hours from when we leave. That said, it’s the week of and I’m more nervous than the last turkey in the pen on Thanksgiving morning.

My “To Do” list keeps growing, and I refuse to guess at how I’ve overshot my grocery allowance for the month. Snack foods are expensive. I need to pack most of my daughter’s wardrobe to insure against nudity. Sigh. I’m sure to forget SOMETHING, which is why I intend to take notes.

Huh?

Yes. My list keeps growing because of my notes and that won’t change at the conference. Most folks take notes at conferences and I’m sure they share much of what they learn. I am an avid scrapbooker among other things and know from experience, I’ll forget much of what happens and/or is said unless I write it down. That’s why I wanted to let you all know there will be a blog fest upon my return from Crested Butte. In fact, I’ll probably write a daily journal there and post those comments if I can find an available computer. I don’t know if I’ll see any of you, but if you are coming, I hope we meet!

Addendum: Much to my shock and delight, I discovered that I DID get a pitch request from one of the attending professionals. My relief and stress levels have skyrocketed. How on earth did God make it possible for humans to experience both sensations at the same time? Well, however He did it, I want to thank Him for the opportunity. I could never have come this far without Him.

THE BOOKS FOR ASIA FUND

I just found this site and wanted to share:

Books change lives. When you give to The Asia Foundation’s Books for Asia Fund you are empowering children with literacy, creating opportunities for higher learning, and educating future leaders in 18 countries, from Afghanistan to Vietnam. Books crackle with ideas and theories – they shape and hone young people’s imaginations, critical thinking skills, and their understanding of the world, and are powerful tools to combat poverty and inspire positive, long-lasting change.

Many of us take access to good books and well-equipped libraries for granted. At Books for Asia we believe everyone deserves to experience the transformative power unlocked by opening a book. Your donation can make the difference between opportunity and hardship for thousands of people.

Just $1 can put a book into the hands of a child.

HOW TO MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION

Contribute to the Books for Asia Fund or mail a check, payable to The Asia Foundation with Books for Asia Fund in the memo line, to:

Books for Asia
c/o Resource Development
The Asia Foundation
P.O. Box 193223
San Francisco, CA 94119-3223

For more information contact the Resource Development team at: give@asiafound.org

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What’s the Big Deal?

Question for you all:

Is it more important to be respected for your work, though you may not live to see that respect, or to be published and lauded now, though perhaps not later?

I saw this quandary posted somewhere else (and done much better, by the way) and some of the answers surprised me.

To me, there’s no contest. I crave respect and would never want to give it up – even posthumously. My husband tends to chuckle at one of my Grandfather’s favorite authors. The man’s name escapes me right now, but his stories were well known and popular for awhile. They’re banal by today’s standards. I’d rather be remembered as a nice woman who rarely published, but liked to write, than as an awful writer.

This question will continue to come up due to the self-publishing craze, of course. Not everything that’s self-published is bad. Obviously, not everything that’s published by big houses is good. What’s your take?

Deconstruction

You know that thing they tell you to do that no one wants to do? I did it.

I cropped the first six chapters, approximately 8,000 words, out of my novel. Granted, about two thousand went back in. You do need SOME backstory. I have no idea if it still flows and if so, how well. I started the task in February, had a meltdown of brain and flashdrive cells and had to restart that and several other projects. (Have you run a backup recently?) I think it’s been for the better. When I launched into the restructuring two weeks ago, I had a new vision for how to do it and well, what do ya know? It worked. I think. Give me a few months of not staring at the blasted thing to get it out of my head – or a new beta reader – and I’ll be able to give you a better idea. At any rate, I hope to receive some sort of guidance from the writers conference and the agent that’s had my original opening. If she tells me I should never have cut a thing, fine.

My one concern has been how flummoxed everyone was by the number of characters and their names. (Be grateful I did not include the original novel’s massive cast.) Those readers who got confused pleaded with me to start the book slowly and give them time to acclimate. The problem with that is, no agent and/or editor wants to see a book start slow. Since publication has always been a goal, I elected to kill more darlings. There were already little bodies all over the floor anyway, what’s a few more?

Who Are You Reading?

My friend, Sangu has a great post today and I think it’s so important as a writer to do the sort of exercise she suggests, that I want to recommend you visit her.
She takes apart Daphne Du Maurier’s “Frenchman’s Creek” and discovers what moves her in the book and how she can use what she’s learned. I’ve done this many times in the past. I’m sure many of us have and all of us should. My “go to” book is sometimes “Tigana,” by Guy Gavriel Kay, sometimes “Pride and Prejudice” by the immortal Jane Austen. I’ve also done it with Pearl S. Buck’s “Dragon Seed” and “The Good Earth.”

What novels do you study after you’ve devoured them?