Kansas Writers Association

The 2008 National Book Award winners were announced on Nov. 20. They are:

FICTION: Peter Matthiessen, Shadow Country
NON-FICTION: Annette Gordon-Reed, The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family
POETRY: Mark Doty, Fire to Fire: New and Collected Poems
YOUNG PEOPLE’S LIT: Judy Blundell, What I Saw and How I Lied

Have you read any of the winning books, or other works by the winning authors? Share your comments below!

You can find interviews with the winners, lists of runners-up, and more on the National Book Foundation website.

Dear writing buddies,

Laurie Dove, Erin O’Donnell, Carolyn Erickson and I had a great time talking with you about freelance writing resources, providing recommendations, and answering questions. Each of us had a different path of experience to share and hopefully it gave those of you that attended lots of ideas on how to proceed.

On October 11, Lois Ruby and Dian Curtis Regan held a reading and book signing at Watermark Books and I had the pleasure of attending. Lois’ new book, The Secret of Laurel Oaks, is out and she shared a very interesting photograph of a tree with a knot hole that looks a lot like an ear. She promised we’d learn about that from the book. Obviously she was inspired.

Dian brought the artwork for her two newest books to share with the audience and that was really enjoyable to see. Monster Baby and Barnyard Slam look like they will be lots of great fun for kids to read or have read to them. I believe she said they will be out next spring.

I also had the pleasure of meeting another Kansas writer, Beverley Buller, the author of From Emporia: The Story of William Allen White. She’s a Library Media Specialist at Chisholm Middle School in Newton. I haven’t had a chance to read her book, but I did see it and it is a beautiful book with wonderful illustrations.

If you get an opportunity to attend a reading and book signing, you should! They are interesting and you meet the some of the best people. It’s also a good idea to see what they are all about in case you decide to write a novel and have it published.

Being a writer isn’t just about writing. It’s also about learning the craft as well as networking with other writers and industry professionals. Writing is a journey; don’t forget to enjoy it!

Write on my friends,

BD (Bonnie) Tharp

2008 KWA President

Humorist and NPR mainstay Sarah Vowell will be at the Orpheum Theater 7 p.m. Wednesday, October 22, for a talk, Q & A, and signing of her new book, The Wordy Shipmates. Tickets are free and available at Watermark , which is sponsoring the event. Be kind and make a donation to the Orpheum, though, for helping Watermark make room for the event, which is sure to have a big turnout.

According to the publisher, “The Wordy Shipmates is New York Times–bestselling author Sarah Vowell’s exploration of the Puritans and their journey to America to become the people of John Winthrop’s ‘city upon a hill’—a shining example, a ‘city that cannot be hid.’” Publishers Weekly says, “Gracefully interspersing her history lesson with personal anecdotes, Vowell offers reflections that are both amusing (colonial history lesson via The Brady Bunch) and tender (watching New Yorkers patiently waiting in line to donate blood after 9/11).”

Dear writing buddies,

Another month has passed and a lot of great things have occurred in my writing life. I think I’ve told most of you that my novel Feisty Family Values has found a publisher, Five Star Publishing, Expressions Line, which is a dream come true. I received my executed contract recently and the proposed publishing date is February 2010. That seems like a long time from now, but no doubt I’ll be kept busy with edits and marketing and promotional plans. I understand that a year (or even two) is not unreasonable or unexpected in the publishing world. To a writer it may seem like forever, but there is a lot to be done: artwork to be chosen for the cover, pre-publishing reviews, obtaining comments for the covers from notable writers (that one has me temporarily stumped), etc. We want to have a great product when it’s done, so why rush?

I recently finished a children’s story, inspired by my six-year-old grandson who was very dirty at the time, called What Grows In The Cracks. We had so much fun imagining what might be growing in all the dirt that I wrote a story that lends itself well to illustration. During my consultation at the KWA Agent’s Workshop I pitched it to Joanna Stampfel, and she is interested in seeing it.

If you didn’t make it to the workshop you missed a fabulous time. We learned a lot and laughed a lot, because frankly Janet Reid is a hoot. Learning about the business of writing is important, but having an agent makes it easier. You form a business partnership that is mutually beneficial to both the writer and the agent and ultimately the publisher. There’s a lot to know about contracts and rights, and frankly it would make it much easier to have an expert (agent) selling my work instead of me. I’d rather be writing. The query to the agent is the key. Write a good story, pitch it in the query to as many agents as you can who represent your genre, then pick the one that works well with you and is excited about your work. If they aren’t excited about your work it will be difficult for them to sell it. The query should be in the same voice as the story. It needs to show how you well you write and briefly describe your novel.

My intent here is not to discourage or brag, but to INSPIRE. If publishing is your goal, you can do it. A writers group is an integral part of the process that will help you improve your craft and write a story that will not only knock the socks off of an agent, but off the publishing and reading world as well. Make time for it. I work a full-time job and have a part-time job freelancing for two magazines on a regular basis. I also do web copy editing for a local business. I have a family, grandkids, a very messy house, and a hubby who likes to have meals besides grilled cheese and Ramen, and yet I still get some reading and writing done. (My Crock Pot® is my favorite kitchen gadget.) Sometimes it’s hard. I write and read during my lunch hour, after the dinner dishes are done, and if I’m having trouble sleeping. On weekends I run off to the bookstore or library for a couple of hours and hide with my laptop. I carry a notebook with me almost everywhere I go. I love writing, so I find time to write whenever I possibly can — and SO CAN YOU. I’m living proof it can be done. And don’t forget that KWA is a big part of my life, too. Being president is a joy, a challenge, and an honor. Being a KWA board member is the same. The new year is fast approaching and it is my hope that some of you newer members will step up and volunteer for board positions.

Being a writer in this busy world is a balancing act and a challenge, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. If I didn’t devote so much time to the craft I wouldn’t have improved enough to publish. I enter contests and I don’t always win, but I always learn something that makes me a better writer. I attend workshops and at least one writers’ conference a year. I go to author readings and book fests — why? Because I meet wonderful people, I learn, and it’s paying off. It’s like being a turtle. You can’t get anywhere unless you stick your neck out, and slow and steady will win the day. Don’t be afraid to stick your writing neck out, folks, it’s worth it.

Write on my friends,

BD (Bonnie) Tharp

2008 KWA President

Lois Ruby and Dian Curtis Regan will be signing and reading from their books at Watermark Books on Saturday, October 11, from 10:30 a.m. until noon.

Ruby, the author of Shanghai Shadows, will be signing her newest book, The Secret of Laurel Oaks. It’s a wonderfully spooky ghost story set in Louisiana’s past and present.

Regan, author of
Princess Nevermore and Cam’s Quest, is a Wichita resident and the writer of an extensive list of books for middle-school and younger readers, including Cyberpals According to Kaylee, Chance, and I Know God is Near.

Just a heads-up — we’ve moved the Christmas party and awards banquet on Dec. 14 to Yia Yia’s in Bradley Fair. Put it on your calendar now to join your KWA friends to celebrate the season and another great year of great writing!

In the newsletter, we promised you some extras from Elizabeth Stevens’ screenwriting talk if you came to visit the blog. Aren’t you lucky?

Elizabeth is a writer, story analyst and script consultant for film producers and screenwriters. She is now researching and writing a screenplay of her own about the Gold Rush. She shared with us of list of books and websites she recommends for learning the art and business of movies. You can get the complete list at ourworld.cs.com/EAnnStevens/recommendations.htm, but here’s a sample:

Books

• Elements of Style for Screenwriters, by Paul Argentini
• How To Make It in Hollywood, by Linda Buzzell
• 500 Ways To Beat The Hollywood Reader, by Jennifer Lerch
• The Tools of Screenwriting, by David Howard and Edward Mabley

Websites

• Done Deal - Tracks script, book, treatment, and pitch sales and options made in Hollywood each day
• Trigger Street - A platform for undiscovered talent to showcase their work and receive peer feedback
• Internet Movie Database - IMDb for short. It’s the ultimate web resource for movies.

We also enjoyed learning a little screenwriting lingo:

Coverage: An industry standard report with brief comments, a synopsis, and commentary on the writing quality of a script

“On the nose” dialogue: Dialogue that is obvious or too perfect for the situation. Strive to be more natural.

Slugline: A short description of your setting at the beginning of your script.

So what are some of Elizabeth’s favorite flicks? Here’s a partial list:

• A Beautiful Mind
• Adaptation
• Best in Show
• Crash
• Finding Nemo
• In the Bedroom
• Maria Full of Grace
• Memento
• Moulin Rouge!
• Shrek
• State and Main
• The Insider
• Traffic
• Unfaithful

As writers, what are some of your favorite movies? Post them here in the Comments area!

Let Your Work Find Its Home

Of all the ways to tell a story, screenwriting is one of the most collaborative. The screenwriter provides the raw material for the story, then watches as it is further interpreted by the director, the actors, the editor, and who knows how many other cooks.

That’s why story analyst Elizabeth Stevens advised writers at our August workshop to be terse. Be essential. And be patient. “If you want to write screenplays, understand that it’s going to take years. The average screenwriter does half a dozen or more scripts before he or she has any success. You need the practice to get it right. Find stories you can invest in and hang with.”

Even people in Hollywood don’t always know what a story analyst does, says Stevens, who recently relocated to Lawrence from L.A. She has evaluated more than 1,500 scripts and novels for their suitability as film productions, writing both critiques and “coverage” — an industry standard report with brief comments, a synopsis, and commentary on the writing quality of a script. She recommends ways to strengthen a story’s structure, depth, character arc, and dialogue.

Her clients include Barry Levinson’s Baltimore/Spring Creek Pictures, Sandra Bullock’s Fortis Films, and Lifetime Television, and she has been a judge in the Final Draft International Screenwriting Competition for several years.

We asked Stevens about rookie mistakes. Here are some common pitfalls of beginning screenwriters:

• Don’t be so polite to your characters, showing every scene from greeting to farewell. Instead, remember “in late, out early.”
• Don’t be “on the nose” with dialogue - i.e., too obvious. “People don’t say what they mean. People lie. They talk about something else that may be an analogy for what they really mean.”
• Don’t be vague about your setting. Give an exact time and place in your opening slugline.
• Don’t be sloppy! Study the precise formatting that a screenplay requires, and stick to it.

As for the Do’s:

• Really study the craft. Learn about exposition, narrative, those elements of storytelling. Read a lot of screenplays. Read books and see how they are adapted. Read everything.
• Break down a movie by yourself. Go minute-by-minute through a film and write down what happens and how it is shot.
• Enter contests - but not too many.
• If you know anyone in Hollywood, use your connection. Don’t be shy.

Finally, we asked Stevens how much a writer should worry about making his or her work marketable or following trends. Her advice: Don’t. “Write what you want to write, and let it find its home,” she said. “There are all kinds of producers, just like there are all kinds of publishers.”

– Erin Perry O’Donnell, KWA Webmaster

Greetings, friends!

We want to thank Hazel Hart, who did a wonderful job presenting Nancy Pickard’s CASTS system to all of us at the July meeting. If you weren’t there, you missed a good program.

Do you aspire to see your stories played out on the silver screen? Join us in August as we welcome Elizabeth (E.A.) Stevens, a freelance feature film story analyst, script consultant, and writer newly transplanted to Lawrence. Elizabeth has evaluated more than 1,500 scripts and books for clients including Sandra Bullock’s Fortis Films, Lifetime Television, Interscope, the Final Draft International Screenwriting Competition, just to name a few. She loves dissecting screenplays and films for what works, what doesn’t, and why, and she is passionate about scripts and films that embody “smart art with heart.” She’s the real deal folks, so please make her welcome at the August meeting.

As for September, we have literary agents Janet Reid and Joanna Stampfel coming from New York. YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS ONE EITHER! We’ll have an all-day event at the Collegiate Upper School. This is a special workshop so we will be charging $50 for KWA members and $60 for non-members. If you would like to have an opportunity to speak with a NY agent, here’s your chance, but it’s first-come, first-serve, so don’t wait to sign up. Janet Bahl will set up 10-minute consultations for all those interested - and if you’re not interested, then come anyway. There will be presentations on queries, pitches, synopses, pet peeves and top mistakes we writers make. There will no doubt be funny publishing stories, too, so mark your calendars.

It was really fun meeting the new visitors to the July meeting. We really miss the long time members, too, so please make it a point to put KWA on your calendar for the third Saturday each month. Our VP, Vicki Hermes-Bond, has done a terrific job with programs this year in answer to the member surveys you filled out. The Board is working very hard to make KWA an organization that all writers will benefit from.

I recently watched a video called The Last Lecture, and it moved me deeply. Many times we have dreams and don’t achieve them. Maybe something bars the road, but those obstacles are put there for a reason - to see if we truly want what we think we want. Do you want to be a published writer? If so, then don’t let anything stop you and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t. Believe in your dreams.

Take care all and write on!

BD (Bonnie) Tharp
2008 KWA President

At our July workshop, author and KWA member Hazel Hart took us through the CASTS method for revising scenes. The system was created by author Nancy Pickard, who shared it at our Scene of the Crime Conference in April.

CASTS stands for Conflict, Actions, Surprise, Turn (emotional shift), and Senses. The point is to evaluate each of your scenes to ensure that it includes all of these elements. Pickard also recommends scanning for point of view problems and cliches.

“When you’re revising and you want to get it into a shape that might be publishable, use these elements to help you decide if a scene is successful or not,” Hazel said.

Remember, this is a revision process. Don’t use it on your rough draft. Use whatever notemaking tool works best for you: index cards, large sticky notes, the Track Comments feature in Microsoft Word. Just take your manuscript a chunk at a time — one writer at the meeting recommended doing 50 pages at a go.

CASTS may be a more analytical process than you’re used to, but it’s a quick way to get in the habit of checking your work to make sure all the critical pieces are there to complete your literary puzzle. We’re grateful to Hazel for walking us through it!

If you attended the workshop, let us know what you thought of the exercise! Post a reply below (click on the Comments link if you don’t see the Leave a Reply box below).

• Hazel’s blog: Seasoned Aspirer
• Hazel’s storefront on Lulu.com