West Virginia Writer's Conference

This weekend the West Virginia Writer's Conference celebrated their 40th anniversary.

The sun filled the sky the entire weekend (our conference is usually visited by rain).

People from all over the United State attended. If I remember correctly, we had attendees from Washington, Iowa, Ohio, Florida and quite a few other states.

I live within a few miles of the conference.

Every year they give the JUG (Just Uncommonly Good) award to a deserving writer. This year one of the recipients was Dolly Withrow. She is a member of our writing group and very deserving of the award. She is a Grammar Guru and has a fun way of helping you remember all the rules that are so easy to forget. And she was a member when the conference formed 40 years ago.

One of the workshop presenters, Michael Knost (who was the other JUG recipient), had a great workshop about showing vs. telling.

Think of showing as a radio play-by-play sports announcer.
Think of telling as the sports commentator.

The sports announcer describes each play as if you were there. He becomes your eyes.

The commentator tells you background information and statistics.

In writing a story, it would translate to something like this:

showing - Lucy scrunched her nose at the stale peppermint from the bottom of her purse. (The writer is your eyes, showing what Lucy is doing)
telling - Her mother gave her the candy a year ago. (The writer is telling in this sentence)

Don't tell things that aren't essential to the story.
Show emotions.
Show reactions.

I attended the Awards Banquet on Saturday Night.

I won 3rd place and Honorable Mention in the children's category of their annual spring writing contest.

And I received 2nd place ribbons in the People's Prose workshop on Saturday and the Poetry Writer's Wall.

After attending the workshops, I am now sitting at my desk editing my manuscripts.

Using the knowledge I gained, I will try to make them better.

Have you attended a conference or workshop lately?
What tidbit of writing advice can you share with us?


One thing I have learned is that most writers love to help each other out and share helpful information.

"I love my writing friends. I appreciate all of you!"

(I sneaked in an !, though my friend, Dolly, says not to use them.)

One of my writing friends, Beverly Stowe McClure, just posted a review of Duck and Cover on her blog. Thank you, Beverly. She is a very talented author, click here to check out her blog.

It's Time for the West Virginia Writer's Conference

The year has flown by.

It is time for the West Virginia Writer's Conference held at Cedar Lakes, West Virginia.

It will take place June 10, 11, and 12th.

As usual, workshops that I want to attend overlap with each other. If only I could become two and attend two workshops at the same time.

I write mainly picture books and middle grade.
But I also love historical fiction and non fiction.

Hmmm, on Friday I need to choose between a picture book workshop with Anna Smucker and a workshop on historical fiction with Matthew Null.

On Saturday, I need to choose between a workshop on marketing by Michael Knost , Magazine Writing (Goldenseal) or go to a children publishing panel.

And I usually don't attend on Sunday, but there is a workshop that I would really like to attend that morning.  

Visual Story Telling for Children workshop with Ashley Teets.
The description for this workshop is:

 A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words: The Art of Book Illustration and Visual Storytelling-- Want to write a children's book with illustrations?  Learn about the process of illustration, working with an illustrator and how a picture becomes a thousand words, literally. Also discover the best ways to pair your text with illustrations so as to present an aesthetically pleasing and successful flow of material for the reader. View children's books in the "raw form" and original artwork that eventually becomes the catalyst for delivering content to audiences. Bring your children's book manuscript for review and feedback!

After reading this, I think I have just made up my mind. I will be attending on Sunday.

Also, Cathy Teets of Headline Books will be offering pitch sessions on each day of the conference for authors with finished manuscripts seeking a publisher.

Time is short. Time to get ready.

I need to run off a poem and prose piece to put on the Writer's Wall.

I need to get my item (set of four scrabble tile coasters) ready for the silent auction table.

I need to run off copies of my picture book manuscripts to take (just in case).

I need to decide what I am going to bring for the snack table.

Are you going to a writer's conference this year?

Writer's Conference - I'm Still Smiling

The WVWriter's Conference is over until another year rolls by.

It was a wonderful weekend. I enjoyed meeting old friends and making new friends.

And, I very much enjoyed attending the Saturday night banquet where they announced the winners of their annual writing contest.

The presenter was speaking about no matter how the entries are mixed up and shuffled before sending them out to the judges - the cream rises to the top.

I am so happy that the judge chose mine as first and second place winners!

I entered six manuscripts into the children's category and four of them placed. (I also received 1st HM and 3rd HM)

Duck and Cover and Amazing Miss Maizie are near and dear to my heart. My heart skipped a beat when they were announced as winners.

Amazing Miss Maizie was the second PB I ever wrote, and it has been changed many, many times. I am a BIG advocate of revising to get it right.

Duck and Cover is a more recent product of my imagination. It takes place during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The manuscript started out as a small memory from my childhood. A small memory that I never really understood. I remembered us going to my aunt's house and being scared. One of my other aunts kept saying that the world was coming to an end. But, I finally figured out that it must have been a memory from the time period of the Cuban Missile Crisis. So, I put on my writing cap and a story came to life from that one small memory.


For now I want to say to never give up and to keep revising until you are happy with your manuscript. Don't send your work out before it is ready. (Unfortunately, I have did this many times)

I think when you submit a story in which you have put your heart and soul into and have revised it over and over again --- that manuscript will have a much better chance to rise to the top and stand out in the slush pile.

I am very thankful to my writing group. They have put up with listening to my stories over and over again until I am sure they were sick of hearing them.

 Happy writing! I will be posting later about some of the things I learned from the workshops at the convention.

At the conference with WV Poet Laureate Marc Harshman.

Writer's Conference

 

Cedar Lakes, WV

It is once again time for:

What:West Virginia Writer's Conference

Where: Cedar Lakes, WV

When: June 12, 13, 14

Every year writers from West Virginia and beyond gather at Cedar Lakes to attend writing workshops and the banquet on Saturday night to see if they placed in their annual writing contest.

Among the workshop presenters this year are, Marc Harshman poet laureate of West Virginia and author of 11 children's books! And,

Edie Hemingway co-author of two Civil War novels, both licensed by Scholastic Book Fairs and optioned for films.

I enjoy attending writing workshops.

You get to mix and mingle with other writers and learn more about writing.

I'm going. Are you?

If not, have you ever been to one? What is your favorite part about writing conferences?

photos from prevous WVWriter Conferences:

local geese

What's New?

I just attended the West Virginia Writer's Conference. 

Along with lots of writers, there were an abundance of geese, lakes and other wildlife.

I attended work shops on children's writing, writing short stories, beginnings and endings, marketing yourself and your books, etc.

I enjoyed the workshops and learned info that will help me with my writing. Plus, I met old writing friends and made new ones.

At the Saturday Night Banquet, I excitedly accepted awards for three of my children's manuscripts that I had entered in their annual West Virginia Writing Competition.  I received 2nd, 1HM and 3HM in the children's category.

Now, I need to start sending out my MG to publishers. I checked my records and I haven't sent it to anyone this year.

If you write, you must submit or your work will never get published.
Just make sure it is ready to submit.

Let other eyes see it, let other writers critique it and edit it until you are happy as you can be with your finished product.

I have been working on my author's page. It is still under construction, but it is on the web.

You can go here to visit it.
There is also a page above that has a link to it.
Check it out. If you have any ideas for my page or questions, contact me on the contact gadget. I'd love to hear from you.

What have you got planned for this summer? Any conferences? Any submitting?

Happy Writing!

Writer's Conference Coming Up!

It is that time of year again.

The West Virginia Writer's Conference will take place at Cedar Lakes, WV (in beautiful Jackson County) on June 7th, 8th and 9th!

See the covered bridge at the top of my blog - it is located at Cedar Lakes.

I am so lucky to live close by!

I will be there. Will you?

Some of the people giving workshops, that you may be familiar with, are:

C.  Hope Clark of Funds for Writers.com. Her site has been chosen by Writer's Digest for its 101 Best Websites for Writers for the past 12 years. Her newsletters reach 35,000 readers (including me) each week. She also has the cutest dachshund named Roo!

 Marc Harshman, writer of numerous picture books and West Virginia's Poet Laureate.

Marilyn Sue Shank, author of Child of the Mountains.

Two literary agents, Marlene Stringer and Christine Witthohn, will also be there to receive your pitches.

You can go here to find out all about the conference.

Grab your Goodie Bags and name tag and come out and post your prose and poetry on the Writer's Wall. Attend the banquet on Saturday night. Browse through  the book store where members sell their books. Stroll over the lovely grounds of Cedar Lakes and just have a good time chatting with all the friendly attendees.

Do you think you live too far away to come? In the past, we have had people in attendance from Washington, Nebraska, Ohio, etc.

Have you went to a writing conference before?
What is your favorite part of a conference?


Posted by Janet Smart  on Creative Writing in the Blackberry Patch.

2012 Writing Accomplishments

I am sitting here trying to think of what I have accomplished with my writing in 2012.
Below is my short list (in no particular order)

 ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

I wrote a children's column each month for Two-Lane Livin' Magazine.
I joined an online PB critique group in March.
One of my stories that I submitted on the Rate Your Story site rated a #2!
 I attended the WVWriter's Conference in June.
One of my MG manuscripts came in 2nd HM in their annual writing contest in the children's category.
 I had an article published in our local newspaper, The Jackson Herald.
I participated in Cynthea Liu's Red Light Green Light. I actually received a green light a couple of times.
 I got brave and attended Open Mic sessions at our local library.
I won first place in our Library's Appalachian Writing contest last fall.
I participated in PiBoIdMo in November and came up with 30 picture book ideas.

I started and finished writing my second MG manuscript!

GOALS FOR NEXT YEAR:

Get more organized.
Have a publisher pick up one of my PBs or my MG novel!
Research how to do an e-book. I have written an informative book that I want to put in e-book form.
Improve my craft and . . .
write more manuscripts!

How about you? Want to tell us about your accomplishments or goals?

Posted by Janet F. Smart on Creative Writing in the Blackberry Patch.
 

Cedar Lakes

Spring has sprung at Cedar Lakes.

Cedar Lakes is where West Virginia Writers has their annual writer's conference. 

I drove through it a few weeks ago and took these springy pictures.

Beautiful Holt Lodge where conference attendees can spend the weekend.

Go here to read all about West Virginia Writers.

Go here for more pictures of Cedar Lakes.

I look forward to seeing some of my writing friends here in early June.

Posted by Janet F. Smart at Creative Writing in the Blackberry Patch.

Getting Your Babies Ready

The West Virginia Writer's annual writing contest is well under way.

Time to edit and get those manuscripts ready to submit.

I usually wait until the last minute to submit, that is just the way I am.

I am fine tuning my MG manuscript to enter in the children's category. It received an honorable mention last year. I would so like it to place in the top three.

I'm looking at the beginning with a magnifying glass.
Checking for good description and detail.
Trying to find just the right words.

If you live in West Virginia or are a member of WVWriters, you can enter their contest.
Deadline is March 15th, late deadline is March 31st ($2 late fee).
The winners will be announced at the West Virginia Writer's Conference in June.
Go here for a look at the entry form and the many categories available to submit to.

Any suggestions on how to make a manuscript stand out to a judge?

Are you fine tuning any of your manuscripts for a contest or submission to publishers?

I've Been Busy

I've been busy lately and haven't had the chance to post as much as I would like.

I have been writing and rewriting on a manuscript I'm pitching at the West Virginia Writer's Conference next weekend. I am beginning to get a little burned out.

So, I've had to stop and relax every now and then.

We've been to see the Moth Man!

We're in the process of watching 3 families of robins hatch, grow up . . .

and venture out into the big world on their own.

We've survived a ferocious hail storm . . .

and a graduation.

We've been walking up country roads to hidden cemeteries. . .

and took time to enjoy a visit from the Ice Cream Truck!

All I want to do now is just sit and relax for a while under the apple trees. . .

because on Friday I have to cook for a church dinner and on Saturday we have our Family Reunion! And next weekend is the West Virginia Writer's Conference!

So, what have you been doing lately?

Pitch Session

Hi everyone. I thought I would do a little pitch session for the WVWriters annual conference.

When? June 11,12, 13, 2010

Where? Cedar Lakes, WV (about 30 minutes north of Charleston off I-77)

Price? If a member of WVWriters ($20 for a year's membership) it costs $120 for a 3 day pkg. If not a member it costs $140.

Why? Lots of reasons why. It's going to be a great one this year. Pitch sessions with Peter Lynch, Editorial Mgr. at Sourcebooks, Inc., Christine Witthohn, founder of Book Cents Literary Agency and Kelly Mortimer of Mortimer Literary Agency. Workshops with Kaylan Adair, Associate Editor of Candlewick Press. If you go to her workshops, you will receive a validation to submit a full manuscript for consideration. If you check out their site, Candlewick is not accepting submissions otherwise, so this is a chance to submit to them.

At the conference, you can post samples of your prose and poetry on the writer's wall. Attendees vote for their favorite. Go to the Awards Banquet on Saturday night and see if you won.

Go here to get all the info.

Check out all the links to see the workshop schedule and presenter's bios.

I've went all out this year. I sent in 5 entries to their writing contests. I sent part of one of my manuscripts to Kaylan Adair to be critiqued by her. I also scheduled a 5 minute pitch session with Peter Lynch. I'm not sure what manuscript I'm going to pitch to him yet, but I have a while to figure that out.

I figure, if nothing else, it's good experience. I may fall flat on my face, but you never know unless you try.

Go ahead and check out the site. If you don't live too far away, think about attending. It's fun and you meet a lot of neat people who like to write.

Any suggestions on giving a 5 minute pitch?

Writing, Writing, Writing

I have been writing a lot lately. Mostly editing and adding words to my manuscript Lucy of Tupper's Hollow.

I love this story, but it needs to be made longer and that's what I've been doing for the past week, going through it chapter by chapter and adding more content.

I want to get it good enough so I can start submitting it to publishers.

If you noticed on my sidebar, the poem I submitted to Holler got accepted and it is in the Winter 2010 edition of that publication! Since I don't really consider myself a poet, that email was a surprise and made me very happy. I've been invited by them to a reception and reading of poems on March 18th. I figured, why not, and emailed them that my husband and I would attend.

The deadline for the WVWriters Spring Writing Competition is drawing near, I have to decide which stories I will submit to the contest.

The convention is going to be great this year, they are having a lot for children's writers.

There will be pitch sessions with Peter Lynch of Sourcebooks, Inc. and one on one children's book critique sessions with Kaylan Adair of Candlewick Press.

You can go here for more information on the WVWriter's Annual Conference at Cedar Lakes.

I'm looking forward to the conference this year.

Soon, I hope to announce about something else I've written being accepted. So stay tuned, I'll hopefully let you know about it in a few days.

Keep writing and sending in, that's the only way to succeed at being published.

It's Over Until Next Year

Cedar Lakes was the place. . .



for the West Virginia Writer's Conference.




It was fun! I was only able to attend classes on Friday, but next year I'm going to make sure I have nothing else planned for the Conference Weekend and attend classes on both Friday and Saturday.

One of the best parts was that I met some very nice and talented writers.

One of the classes I attended was called "The Business of Writing."
Susan Reinhardt was the instructor of this class.
She is a humor columnist for the Asheville Citizen Times, a radio personality and author of: Not Tonight Honey, Not Til I'm a Size Six, Dishing With the Kitchen Virgin, and Don't Sleep With a Bubba Unless Your Eggs Are in Wheelchairs.
I enjoyed this class very much. One of her suggestions she passed along to the class was to - Build Your Resume. You can go for the gusto and send your writings to the New York Publishers first, but it's best to start out little. Send articles to newspapers and magazines. Create an audience and following for yourself.

When writing an inquiry letter the first and most logical thing is to get the person's name right. Then list your best accomplishment at the beginning of the letter. Describe your work, demonstrate that it has conflict and plot. In your description show that you're a good, creative writer. Include a short bio and don't forget the SASE!

I took a quick photo of her at the end of the class.



There was a writer's wall in the Assembly Hall at the Conference. Writer's attending could post a page or two of prose or poetry. An assigned number was put on your paper and it was posted for attendees of the conference to read and then vote on their favorite. I posted a section of my novel "Lucy of Tupper's Hollow" and ...



Winners were announced at the Banquet on Saturday Night. I didn't win anything in the Writer's Contest, but I am very proud of this. The people voted on it, and a big smile came to my face when they announced my name.

Boyd Carr is a poet, essayist and philosopher. He is also the official WVWriter's Conference Artist In Residence. He sat one over from me at the Banquet on Saturday. Two years ago he did a sketch of me when I was at the conference. After I got my award, the lady next to me pecked on my shoulder and said "Turn around, he wants to sketch you."


He is such a sweet guy and a real character. I secretly hoped he would sketch me this year, and I got my wish.

I was disappointed I didn't win anything in the Writing Contest, but I was not alone. Many others that entered did not win.

So, maybe next year. And in the meantime I'll write and write and write some more.