Writer's Contests, Agent and Editors Wishlists, and Writers Conferences

There's a lot going on in the writerly world.

There are contests like the one over here and agents and editors listing their wishlists here (and it's not even December) and conferences galore, like the Willamette Writers Summer Conference.

So much to do, read, and write, if only we all had a little more time.

SCBWI The Great Critique

It was a wonderful morning, filled with inspiration, words of wisdom and new friendships.

It all began at 9:00 a.m. at the TaborSpace in Mt. Tabor. Over 30 writers got together to share their work and have other writers critique their pages.

Oh and it started off with donuts...of course, from VooDoo Donuts (another of course). So with coffee cup in hand and pages all around I sat down to listen to writers read their first five pages.

It was so much fun to see what other people are interested in and hear what they all had to say. It was a great time of sharing, caring and further preparing...because writers are never "finished" with their story. It goes on and on, writing, rewriting--or revising--and then reading and then going through the process all over again.

I think everyone had a good time and we all learned a thing or two.

So until the next Great Critique session...I'll be at my computer clicking away.

The Great Critique

Another chance for writers to be mentored and critiqued by a professional and their peers. We did this in January and it was so successful that attendees asked for a repeat, so here it is!
Location: The Dining Room, TaborSpace, 5441 SE Belmont St, Portland, OR 97215
Time: 9:00 to noon.

Never been in a critique group? Wish you could be critiqued by someone who is ahead of you in the publishing game? Want to strengthen your work? Need a fresh set of eyes and ears on that oft-revised piece? Want to have your manuscript ready for the May conference? This is your chance. A published writer will lead each small group and critique your manuscript. You'll also hear others' work and get feedback from those writers too. Plus you'll learn from the comments by the critique leader about the work of others.

Cost:

SCBWI members - $10.00 (That's less than the price of a Friday night movie!)

Nonmembers - $15.00 (If you bought any refreshments, your movie night would cost way more!)

How it will work:

1. Sign up now with the kind of manuscript you'll be bringing. You may bring a maximum of five double-spaced pages or 1200 words. DO NOT bring more. Use standard manuscript format, which means your first page will not be a full page. For picture books, we suggest you bring no more than 750 words.
2. We will do our best to place you in a group of 5 or 6 peers who write in the same genre and with a published author who writes in that genre.
3. We'll let you know how many copies of your manuscript to bring to the meeting.
4. We'll also send you some basic critique group guidelines.
5. At the meeting each of you will have a chance to pass your work around to your group and read it aloud.
6. Each person in the group will make notes on your manuscript as you read. They'll write down what they like, mark errors they see, indicate where they are confused or what doesn't work for them.
7. The professional writer will verbally critique your work. If time, other participants may comment.
8. You'll receive your copies with written comments from each one in your group. Take them home and let the ideas simmer.
9. You might even make some new friends or find those to form a critique group.
   

"Can’t imagine sitting with a group of strangers and reading your manuscript aloud? It should be harder to imagine sending an untried, unedited, unrevised bit of your soul out on submission!" – Jenn Bailey, children's writer and social media expert

PAL AUTHORS CRITIQUING include Carolyn Conahan, Cat Winters, Emily Whitman, Mike Thaler,Susan Hill Long and Suz Blackaby.

Cork Floor

Okay, a friend sent me this picture of a super-sustainable floor. If you look closely you'll see, it's made entirely from corks. So, at first I thought WOW! That is fantastic. What a way to think outside the box...or outside the bottle ;D

But then I started to think about it. How much wine would one have to drink to have so many left over corks that they could make this floor? I don't know but that might be a sign of more than sustainability...

Still, I think it's a great way to reuse something and the floor would be so springy and comfortable.  So, if this does nothing more than simply act as inspiration, that's okay too.

Remember you don't have to throw away, save that cork for another day...or floor ;D

Nightshade

Plants have been used throughout the ages to heal, energize and even create a little magic.

Myths, magic and legends surround gardens.

Vampires are compelled to stay away by merely hanging garlic cloves at every window and werewolves can be taken down with simple wolfsbane, also known as monkshood, the Devil's helmet, or wifesbane.

Where else do gnomes, fairies and imps live but inside the flowers? Even leprechauns are known to live in the woods. Perhaps its the beauty found in the forest, garden and flowers that make people associate magic with this realm but maybe there's more to it than that.

Plants have hidden powers, for instance foxglove can be toxic and it can also be used to help people with heart disease.

Wrap it Up

We had a birthday party to go to and I wanted to make the present prettier than my usual wrap. So I took an old shoe box and laid out the paper.

I cut the paper to fit the box and used spray adhesive rather than tape to secure the paper to the box. Then I used the reverse paper (white and black rather than black and white) on the inside to make the contrast pop.

I added a couple of ribbons in contrasting colors to keep with my theme of opposites.

I think it turned out pretty and these were leftover from a previous party so it was a sustainable gift wrap.

Movie Review Monday - THE HEAT

SANDRA BULLOCK and MELISSA McCARTHY are great comedic geniuses. I laughed so hard although this FBI fun-fest is a bit predictable, well more than a bit but it's still very funny and a great way to spend a family day especially if it's a hot afternoon, what a better way to enjoy the afternoon than inside a cool theater?

Sandra Bullock plays an ex-foster kid who grew up to be an uptight agent who gets bribed by her superior to work with a rough Boston Cop to try to take down a ruthless drug lord. If Bullock wants her promotion, she's going to have to work with McCarthy - and get along - like a team.

In the end, it's so funny although there are moments of drama.

So, over all I would recommend this show for a fun afternoon - at matinee prices - because it's not a GREAT film but I would say it is definitely GOOD.