Tuesdays with Story

Writer’s Mail
Tuesdays with Story
May 7, 2015

He said it . . .
“When you write a story, you’re telling yourself the story. When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are not the story.” – Stephen King (1947-), horror/sci-fi/fantasy novelist

Who’s up next . . .
May 12: Jim Salimes (chapter 1, Tones of Home), Carol Hornung (scene, The Ghost of Heffron College), and Jeannie Bergmann (2 poems).

May 19: Lisa McDougal (chapter, Tebow Family Secret), Amber Boudreau (chapter, Stone), Mo Bebow-Reinhard (???), Kashmira Sheth & Amit Trivedi (chapter, novel), Bob Kralapp (short story, part 2, “Flamingo”), and Jerry Peterson (chapters 5-8, Killing Ham).

May 26: June 2 : Pat Edwards (???), Kashmira Sheth & Amit Trivedi (chapter, novel), Cindi Dyke (chapter, North Road), Millie Mader (???), Alicia Connolly-Lohr (chapters 20, Coastie Girl), and Andy Brown (chapters, The Last Library).

Our May editor . . .
Jerry Peterson is our editor this month for Writers Mail. Send your good stuff to him.

Tuesday evening at B&N Westside . . .
Eleven first-and-thirders in attendance, six up with chapters, poems, or excerpts for critiques, Here we go.

– Pat Edwards (poem, “Dream”) . . . Most liked the poem, but many had confusion over the point of view “from the alley.” Pat explained her observer memory. Many enjoyed the description of the wolf’s tongue and the metaphor of the circles. Jerry liked how Pat book-ended the poem with the question “what did you dream?”

– Kashmira Sheth (novel in verse, part 2, Turban Boy) . . . Pat, Judith, and others had questions about one of the poems that had to do with how the braid was cut. Jerry commented that protagonist’s switches from “father” to “dad” and if there was a reason for it. There were suggestions to use a more timeless word for “bullying.”

– Cindi Dyke (chapter 15, North Road) . . . Jerry questioned why Kath doesn’t just tell Martha and Todd everything she is thinking instead of keeping it to herself. Kashmira wondered if those personal observations and thoughts would work better later in the chapter when she is alone on the beach. Alicia and Pat thought more conversational pieces should replace info dumps.

– Millie Mader (chapter 62 rewrite, Life on Hold) . . . Several commented that this was the best chapter Millie had written, but wondered if this was the end of the book. Millie said there will be a couple more chapters. She said she’s learned a lot about writing dialogue as a result of taking on telling this story.

– Alicia Connolly-Lohr (chapters 18-19, Coastie Girl) . . . Most of the group enjoyed the voice and character of Auntie Opatakka, but several said the long story she tells needs to be broken up. In a few spots, there is a stated motivation of a character which precedes dialogue saying the same thing. Andy and Pat noted that. Cindi felt the reader needs an explanation about the amount and availability of clean water at Smiley’s after the hurricane.

– Jerry Peterson (short story, “Big Shooter”) . . . “Where is this Kwik Trip?” Pat asked. “Nothing interesting ever happens at mine.” Here there was a shootout with a robber, Wads using a Colt cavalry revolver that may have belonged to General Custer. Andy Brown suggested making more of that Custer connection at the end of the story, “and that may lead you to a better title for the story,” he said.

Contest for YA writers . . .
Writing a young adult novel? Looking to get published? Here’s an opportunity, sponsored by Elephant Rock Books, a relatively new publisher of YA literature.

It’s ERB’s 2016 Helen Sheehan Book Prize. The winner gets $1,000 plus a book contract.

Submission Period: Now to June 30th.

What they want: Unpublished YA manuscripts, only one per author.

Length of the manuscript: Minimum of 50,000 words.
Submission fee [Yes, it isn’t free]: $20.

How to submit: Send your submission to ERB’s Submittable account. They want a cover letter, the first 50 pages of your manuscript, and a one-page synopsis of your manuscript.

What they’re after: Quality stories with heart, guts, and a clear voice. Says the website, “We’re especially interested in the quirky and the hopeful and the real. We are not particularly interested in genre fiction and prefer stand-alone novels, unless you’ve got the next Hunger Games. We seek writers who believe in the transformative power of a great story, so show us what you’ve got.”

If you win, ERB editors will work with you to sharpen your manuscript. They then will assign a cover designer to come up with a wicked cover for your book. When your book is out, they will crank up their promotion machine.

Here’s the website that will get you to ERB’s submittable account page: http://www.elephantrockbooks.com/ya.html

Here’s another contest for you . . .
This one sponsored by Swoon Reads . . . The 10 Word Love Story Sweepstakes.

The winner gets an iPad Mini and a couple other goodies.

This is a sweepstakes, so all entries go in a pot and one will be drawn for the big prize. Swoon Reads then will draw five more entries for lesser prizes.
So does your 10-word love story great? No. What’s important is that you send it in. Somebody’s going to win that iPad, and it might as well be you. Good news, there’s no cost to enter. Yes, this one is free.

Here’s the link that will get you to the story about the contest on Book Page dot Com. Once there, click on ENTER HERE to post your story: http://bookpage.com/contests/18189-10-word-love-story-sweepstakes#.VUpBkfBja1m

Great words . . .
From Word Spy Paul McFedreis:

sweatworking
Meaning: (pp.) Combining a business meeting with physical exercise.

Etymology
sweat + networking

Examples:
“Sweatworking, the growing practice of meeting clients for a walk, a run or a fitness class, is elbowing networking out of bars and restaurants and into boutique fitness studios.”
– Why ‘Sweatworking’ Is The New Lunch Meeting, The Huffington Post, April 20, 2015

“As exercise has become more social – think mud runs with friends, or ‘sweatworking’ with business contacts – many push themselves harder because their peers hold them to it.”
– Social media fitness sites offer support, motivation, Chicago Sun-Times, March 12, 2014

“The concept of networking while working out – dubbed ‘sweatworking’ in the U.S. where the trend originated – is proving increasingly fashionable in the U.K. The New York Times reported last month that business people are taking clients to the gym instead of entertaining them with drinks and meals out.”
– Kate Youde, Forget networking. Get ready for sweatworking!, The Independent (London), January 8, 2012

Earliest:
“The late night scene may not be your thing or may not be your thing night after night. That’s OK! You’ll find plenty of opportunities for events such as networking breakfasts, morning yoga, bike rides or other activities. Last year, a group of us engaged in ‘sweatworking,’ where we met up for a morning run along one of Austin’s trails.”
– 10 Ways to Make the Most of SXSW, USA Today Social Media Lounge, March 2, 2010

Notes:
Here’s an earlier usage that refers to a person who (probably figuratively) sweats because he or she is networking so intently:

“Perhaps you have attended a networking event and witnessed ‘Mr Power Networker’ in action. He runs around the room distributing his business card like a cheap flyer. He shakes as many hands as he can, spewing his 30-second commercial, then pouncing quickly on the next victim. This misguided networker is not networking – he is sweatworking.”
– George Torok, Networking or Sweatworking, Power Marketing Blog, September 7, 2006