Author Archives: Barbara Pattee

Writer’s Digest Annual Conference 2017 Part 2

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Do you remember why you wanted to become a writer?

Lisa Scottoline, the awesome, informative, and funny keynote speaker at the conference, revealed her reason. As a pregnant trial attorney and soon-to-be divorcee, she wanted to stay home with her baby. Taking an extraordinary gamble, Scottoline left her firm and began to write legal thrillers in hopes of making a living as a writer. Surviving on loans and multiple credit cards, she continued to write despite numerous rejections until she finally sold one of her stories. Since then, she has written dozens of legal thrillers as well as some nonfiction books. She also co-authors books with her daughter.

One of her rejections came from an agent who said to her, “I don’t have time to talk to you.” Years later after her many successes, she was at a conference when that agent approached her. Scottoline’s response was, “I don’t have time to talk to you,” as she turned her back on him and walked away.

That response received lots of laughter and applause from the conference attendees.

Scottoline said, “Success now doesn’t prevent me from feeling inadequate as a writer.” That statement was a frequent comment from several of the presenters even after experiencing success as writers. Many writers lack confidence in their own talent.

She states that what prevents her writer’s block is a mortgage. She writes every day and some days are better than others.

Her advice includes the following:

  1. Write drunk. Edit sober.
  2. Live your life and use it for your stories.
  3. Be willing to say ‘No’ to someone who takes you away from your writing.
  4. Write your story regardless of genre; let someone else decide the category in which it belongs.

On Saturday, I attended “Banishing Doubt: What I Wish Someone Had Told Me about Being an Author” presented by Hank Phillippi Ryan. She said writers can’t get rid of their doubts. Several statements she made resonated with me.

  1. You must power through. If you don’t hit a wall, you’re not working hard enough.
  2. Set a goal that is doable. That success will give you confidence to repeat that goal.
  3. Tell yourself that you’re not a bad writer. You just had a bad day.
  4. Be careful of the internet. It sucks your time from writing.

I enjoyed the next session, Danny Gregory’s “Shut Your Monkey! How to Control Your Inner Critic and Get More Writing Done,” which was presented in an informative and humorous manner. He said the voice in your head is very negative. That voice warns you that writing is too hard and too risky. The voice in your head doesn’t like new things. Worry and fear belong to that voice. Tell yourself, “It’s not my voice.”

Gregory said the medulla in the brain is ready to control us and inject fear into us. It warns you, “Don’t eat that. Don’t wander beyond a certain point.” This keeps us alive and out of danger. Creative people are most susceptible to this fear. Gregory said to draw a monkey face to represent that fear. Then ignore that monkey when he wants you to procrastinate.

Try journaling to move negative dialogue with your monkey out of you head. List your successes and stop focusing on failures. Thomas Edison said, “I haven’t failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

Windy Lynn Harris presented, “Crafting a Strong Short Story.” Harris said that a short story is about one person with a goal. A writer starts with an idea, gives her character a goal, and finds a conflict strong enough to drive the story. The pace is different from longer stories. Because stories are only 1,000 to 8,000 words in length, every word must count.

After taking time for lunch and to rest my overwhelmed brain, I attended the last session on Saturday, “Writing from the Senses and Creating Believable Fiction” by Lauren B. Davis. The writer’s job is not to tell, but to create emotions in the reader.

Davis said that emotions are expressed in five ways:

  1. Sensual reactions in our bodies (fast heartbeat, stomach churns)
  2. Sensual response outside our bodies (wind whipping through character’s hair)
  3. Experience of emotion coming as a vivid burst of awakening (mind’s image of a dog attack)
  4. Flashes of the future (imagining your child’s success)
  5. Sensual selectivity (If you’re in a good mood, you see things one way. If you’re in a bad mood, you’ll see things differently.)

On Sunday, Jane K. Cleland presented “The Art of Distraction: Using Red Herrings to Create Suspense.” Cleland has a short story published in the September/October 2017 issue of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. She mentioned that the magazine conducts a contest with a $1,000 prize if your story is published.

“Writers use red herrings to paint the innocent with powers of guilt,” she said. “The red herring also will allow guilt to go free.”

An example of a red herring is when we see the caretaker in the far-off cabin appears to be the killer on the loose. Also, a doctor is believed to be trustworthy except in your story, he is the killer.

“I Hear Voices: The Art of Craft of Distinctive Voice” by Heather Webb was the last session I attended. She said that the voice in a story isn’t necessarily the narrators’. An author’s rhythm is from word choice and word order comes from a writer’s beliefs.

Webb’s suggestions on how to find your voice include the following:

  1. Have confidence in yourself.
  2. Try free writing.
  3. Know your audience.
  4. Use mindful reading to discover what moves you.
  5. Speak differently to different people.

My experience at the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference 2017 was everything I expected. Meeting professional and other amateur writers was exciting and fun. Many of us shared stories of our struggles and successes in writing. I look forward to attending another conference in the future.

Writer’s Digest Annual Conference 2017 Part 1

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Creative energy filled the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference 2017 held in New York City

from Thursday, August 17 through Sunday, August 20. I attended the conference hoping to receive lessons and helpful hints that could facilitate my writing.  The conference fulfilled my expectations. During the registration, I selected buttons that represented the genres in which I’ve focused my creative efforts.

I was delighted to meet Brian Klems, published author of Oh Boy, You’re Having a Girl, and the online editor of WritersDigest.com, after he presented the orientation for the conference. During his talk, Klems encouraged attendees to talk to other participants to make meaningful connections. The genre buttons helped us begin conversations.

The first session I attended on Friday was “Perfecting Page One” by Hank Phillippi Ryan. She dissected and analyzed “acclaimed first lines and opening paragraphs” of published authors to “reveal the writing secrets” in those examples. “It’s never a good thing when the stewardess is crying,” is an excellent opening sentence. That beginning peaked my interest immediately.

Hallie Ephron, who writes stand-alone mysteries, presented the next session titled “Writing a Mystery Novel: A Crash Course.” Mysteries deal with “the whodunit, whydunit, and the howdunit.” She noted that mystery genre conventions include a puzzle, bad things happening, a sleuth who has a reason to investigate, rising stakes, a ticking clock, and credible unexpected plot twists. She said that we should write the backstory out of our system. Then put it aside and weave it into the novel when we need to do so. Ephron suggested that if you want to write action, read books by Lee Child.

Jennifer Probst presented “Write Naked: A Bestseller’s Secrets to Writing Romance and Navigating the path to Success.” She suggested using real life experiences to sketch out fully developed characters, give characters quirks or weaknesses, push them hard, and make sure the protagonist has a solid growth arc. Probst noted that sex scenes could go anywhere from stolen glances to the pornographic.

“The Thin Line Between Historical Fact & Fiction” by Crystal King, and Anjali Mitter Duva revealed the difference between history books and historical fiction. An historian can’t know the “why” of someone’s motivation for doing something. However, writers of historical fiction can explore the” why” and distort the truth, but the author must have a compelling reason for doing so. Authors must still hold true to the rules and customs of the culture.

Next month, I’ll be writing more about the well-attended conference and noting some common themes of the speakers.

Writing Contests

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“Exercise the writing muscle every day, even if it is only a letter, notes, a title, a list,

a character sketch, a journal entry. Writers are like dancers, like athletes. Without that exercise, the muscles seize up.” — Jane Yolen

Add writing contests to the list of ways to exercise your writing muscle. You may want to be a novelist, but what’s wrong with getting your name out there by entering small contests? Even if you don’t win first place, second place, or honorable mention, entering a contest will prove that you can complete a story by a deadline.

If you don’t know where to find writing contests, below are a few suggestions.

Writersweekly.com has a 24-hour short story contest once each season every year. Entering costs only $5 per contest. The next contest will start on September 9, 2017. Check out their website for further details. http://writersweekly.com/

Rochester Writers’ 2017 Summer Writing Contest is calling for entries now. The deadline is September 1, 2017.

Categories: Poetry, Micro Fiction, First Page, Milestone Memory

Prizes: Cash Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Places in each category. In addition, Best of Show will receive a complimentary pass to a future Rochester Writers’ Conference. https://rochesterwriters.wordpress.com/writing-contest/

Writer’s Digest holds numerous writing contests: Self-Published eBook Awards, Popular Fiction Awards, Poetry Awards, Short Short Story Competition, Annual Writing Competition, Self-Published Book Awards. Check the website below for information.

http://www.writersdigest.com/writers-digest-competitions

You can find additional information in various writing magazines including Writer’s Digest, Poets and Writers, and The Writer Magazine. Find a contest that is reasonably priced, offers a cash prize, a critique of your work, or publication.

Exercising your writing muscles with contests can be rewarding.

Try it. I won the first place $100 prize, a third place, and an honorable mention by entering writing contests. I’ve kept for future reference several of my non-winning contest entries. Who knows? With careful editing, a better story could come from those efforts.

 

 

Game On!

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“Let him know how smart you are,” my father said before I went on a date with my boyfriend.

I heard my father’s words and questioned his advice.

I recalled when one of my teenage boyfriends taught me to play Backgammon. As a long-time board game player, I quickly caught on to the winning strategy. After the second game, I won. When I won the next round, he quit playing. We never played that game again or any other board game together. He soon found another girlfriend.

One of my dates took me to the local fairgrounds. We enjoyed eating the fried food, sweet treats, and going on some of the rides. The fun continued until he tried the shooting range to get a prize for me. He was unsuccessful but offered to teach me how to shoot which I had never done before.

I held the gun as he instructed and took my first shot. Bang. I hit the target the first time and the second and the third. I collected my prizes, but my date wasn’t happy. I guess I shouldn’t have shown him up. He hardly spoke to me for the rest of the afternoon. We broke up soon afterward.

Once at a party, a male guest saw a creatively crafted chessboard on the coffee table. “Who’d like to play a game of chess with me?” he said. “I have to warn you that I’m a top-rated chess player.”

Bored with the rest of the party, I foolishly said, “I will,” even though I was a marginal chess player.  What could it hurt playing a game with a good-looking man? The artistic pieces were made of twisted wires. The hostess told us what each chess piece represented.

“Mr. Good Looking” made the first move. I followed with typical beginner moves. As we continued, he made an incorrect move with the knight. He had forgotten what that odd shaped piece represented. This flustered him as he made another error. Seeing my chance to take his queen, which he didn’t notice, I won the chess game easily. He stomped away cursing. “Mr. Good Looking” didn’t seem so handsome after that.

I never told my father about any of the above situations. However, he must have noticed that I held back to please people. Thinking about his advice, I now wanted to know if I had finally found someone who enjoyed playing games as much as I did. But I also wanted someone who wouldn’t freak out if I won occasionally.

This boyfriend, Roger, seemed to be the perfect fit for me. He and I had already played games at a friend’s house before we became a serious couple. He enjoyed competing and didn’t seem to have a fragile ego.

When I invited Roger to my house to meet the family, I told him that my mother enjoyed playing Boggle after dessert. Because she hated losing, I asked him to let her win.

“Barbara, that’s not in my genetic makeup,” he said. “I like to win.”

After dinner, our Boggle game continued, until Roger and my mother were clearly tied for first place. Finally, at about 10:30 pm, my mother was one point ahead.

“Okay, that’s it,” she said to my father. “We can go home now.”

I was delighted to see that my boyfriend didn’t seem to mind that my mother won. I finally understood why when I met his family for the first time that Christmas. They enjoyed playing games, especially cards, and his mother hated to lose. Sometimes, we’d find ourselves playing past midnight until she won a game. I noticed that he never just let her win.

Roger and I were married that following May. We continue to enjoy spirited games of Scrabble, Gin Rummy, Skip-Bo, 500 Rummy, Rummikub, and other board and card games with family, friends, and each other. My husband plays hard, wins often, and enjoys a little “smack talk” after his wins. When I win, Roger expresses disappointment but doesn’t freak out or stomp out of the room in anger.

My father would be so proud of me that I “Let him know how smart I am.”

 

 

 

Freedom! What Freedom?

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“Barbara, your assignment is to write a 250-word essay entitled What Freedom Means to Me, my English teacher said. “I’m submitting your work to a local writing contest.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said, not questioning why she selected that subject or why none of my classmates were given the same assignment.

She told me nothing about the rules or the real purpose of the contest, or her reason for choosing me. My writing in class garnered decent grades and some of my writing appeared in the school newspaper. However, I had never entered a contest. An essay on freedom didn’t interest me in the least.

Freedom, what freedom? I never felt the freedom to do what I wanted to do. In my last year in a junior high school, I was told I’d be going to a business high school. Not my choice. I wanted to go to the college prep high school even though I knew my parents couldn’t afford to send me to college. I had high aspirations. Without college, I knew my career options were limited. My mother thought the business high school would be good preparation for a decent office job rather than one of the many factory positions available at that time. I envisioned an unhappy, unsatisfying, boring future.

Freedom, what freedom? I attended school when you couldn’t choose your subject matter or teachers. Most of my teachers were okay, but my social studies teacher was an uninspiring, older woman who never discussed the subject. Every day, she simply told us to copy the twenty questions written on the chalkboard, find the answers in the textbook, and write those answers on the lined paper she gave us.

When that school year was over, I hoped that my next social studies teacher would be better. When I was assigned to her again, I sat in class with tears in my eyes. More of the same, I thought.

Freedom. What freedom? We ate what my mother prepared for dinner or cooked what she told us to cook the way she wanted it done. She even selected all my clothes with little or no input from me.

Freedom. What freedom? I told my mother about a relative’s excessive use of alcohol and I was chastised harshly for talking negatively about the family. When I chose not to socialize with a friend because she had been mean to me, I was again chastised. I shut down emotionally and learned to keep my observations and feelings to myself to avoid her displeasure.

Freedom. What freedom? Without a second thought, I quickly wrote what I thought she wanted in the essay. When the students in the English classes were assembled in the library that next week, my English teacher pulled me to the side.

“Barbara, you didn’t put much effort into your essay,” she said. “Here,” she said handing a second-place certificate to me. She then walked to the front of the library to join the other English teachers and some visitors.

One person, a contest judge I assumed, called a girl to the front and congratulated her on winning first place. I looked at my disappointed teacher and thought, this contest wasn’t about what freedom means to me. It’s about a teacher’s bragging rights of having the winner in her class.

Freedom. What freedom? To write what interests me, to study any subject that interests me, to cook what and how I want to, and to wear whatever I wish are freedoms I don’t take for granted.