IWSG Wednesday

IWSG GROUP

Please thank our awesome co-hosts for this month, Stephen Tremp, Karen Walker, Denise Covey, and Tyrean Martinson
Co-hosts are wonderful beings who enjoy helping make this blog "hop" a success, so make sure you visit and thank them for all that they do, as well as our Ninja Captain, Alex himself...





For this month’s IWSG post, I have some introspection I’d like share. What does it mean to win an award? How many writing awards are out there and is there a list of those who “count/matter” and those who don’t?

I don’t know. I just know what it feels like to (finally!) win one! A Royal Palm Literary Award, first place in mystery, from the Florida Writers Association's annual competition. To win a contest where no one who knows me is amazing. That my work was judged by no one who has anything to gain by liking what I wrote, that's a wow. I love this feeling about winning an award.

On the other hand, I made the mistake, perhaps, of reading the rubrics (I should have waited until I wasn’t working on the current WIP) from the judges who commented on the other novel I entered that did not win. Depressing. Not because they were mean. Contrarily, they were professional about what they said and I could see truth in some of the comments, which made me feel terrible.

However, “it’s too late to turn back now.” What I learned from this is that I may not be able to go back and change what is already out there, but I can learn from what I did and did not do and make this next novel that much better. I’ve decided to take that route and get over my pity party, as soon as I can, which probably won’t be for another few days. I know myself. I need to grieve and dwell. Then I can move on.

How do you handle criticism, no matter how “constructive?”

Evangeline's Miracle Wins First Place!

 

Folks, I don't know how to tell you everything that went right at the Florida Writers Association 13th annual conference, (Floridawriters.net) but at least three things happened (among all the others) that stand out for me.



FIRST: Evangeline's Miracle won FIRST place in the Mystery category of the Royal Palm Literary Awards!!! Which confirmed for me that I did the right thing in revising and having EM edited professionally two years ago. EM was a finalist in 2012 but did not even place. I reworked it, re-entered it this year and it WON. I made the investment both in time and money and it paid off. Satisfying to say the least!

Marie Bostwick

SECOND: Our keynote speaker/multi-published author Marie Bostwick, made me cry with her keynote speech. When she saw I was weepy (I sat next to her at dinner) she asked me why, then told me that we needed to talk and to find her after dinner, which I did. She proceeded to listen to me, hug me, and tell me not to play it safe with my writing. That I was hurting my inner artist to not write what I needed to write. Then she told me "what you need to do as soon as you get home," hugged me, and I left. I did not want to monopolize her time when she was nice enough to give me what she did, a personal moment with her. If I ever get as published as she is, I want to be like her when in public. EVERYONE loved her. She was amazing.

Rachel, me, Nicolette, Mallory (with Vic DiGenti lurking behind!)

THIRD: Three young women, Mallory, Nicolette  and Rachel, from Eckerd College attended the conference as interns, helping us with conference work as part of their community service, which they must complete to graduate. I first met them back in April when I went down to Orlando as part of my training (as registration chair) to a FWA mini conference. We hit it off then and this time it was as if we just picked up from where we left off. One worked with me in registration for the entire conference, but I spent time with all three, especially Friday and Sat. nights. Not only did we just enjoy each other, but one has been to Tanzania and gave me "permission" to "pick her brain" if I wanted, for info on Africa while researching for my current work in progress "Rain." I felt honored and happy to meet and get to know these three young women who are all very intelligent and fun to be with. We had much to talk about, and I got the impression that they enjoyed our time together as much as I did. The one I worked with ended up calling me "Mom," which they all seemed to agree with, perhaps an honorary title! Somehow it meant a lot to me that we bonded.

With the lovely Marie Bostwick

Okay this is long enough! Just wanted to share these three events that only reinforced for me that I'm doing the "write" (heh heh) thing in being a part of this conference (4th year). When I start to think it is "costing" me too much time or effort, things like this happen and remind me that giving is so very rewarding. After all, the motto of this group is "Writers Helping Writers." That, to me, says it all.

August IWSG and NEWS!

IWSG SITE

It seems like FOREVER since last month’s IWSG post, not just a month. I have been “away” from the computer for almost that whole time because of my daughter’s wedding, amongst other things. So, I’m home now, catching up, if that is possible, and I found an email I missed while away. What an email to miss!

My novel “Evangeline’s Miracle” has made it to the finals in the Florida Writer’s Association (over 1300 members) annual conference Royal Palm Literary Award Competition! I will not know until the evening of the award ceremony on October 17, 2015, if EM has actually won or not. But for now, I am happy that it has made it this far.

I have been here before with EM. My novel has made it to the finals only to trip over that last step, so I am understandably hesitant to get really ginned up over this. I ask myself, should I publicize like crazy and let everyone know this? Or keep it low key until I know for sure?

Pahhh! Not publicize? I may be hesitant, but I’m not stupid! Please wish me luck, and if you ever find yourself where I am, don’t listen to your own doubts. Go for it! Unleash the “beast” and let all your friends, readers, family, followers know. Give them the chance to celebrate with you! Here is my badge of honor!

Image from:

threadsofmine.blogspot.com

www.lifehack.org 

Kindling a Fire in the Belly of the Beast

Now who in their right mind would want to actually kindle a fire in the belly of a beast? A writer would. Can be debated if any writer (or politician) does actually have a ‘right mind,’ but in my world they, and I, do (writers I mean, wink wink, nudge nudge).

When I arrived at the Florida Writer’s Association’s Eleventh Annual Writer’s Conference I dove straight into an all day workshop called “How to Write Killer Fiction.” This “Celebrity Workshop” was given by Vic DiGenti, a writer of course, published (hence celebrity) and leader of his critique group. The workshop preceded the conference and is actually hosted by the Florida Writers Foundation, which is a nonprofit that promotes literacy. What a slam dunk to get into “conference” mode.

I won’t go into boring detail about all the fantastical workshops I attended throughout the duration of the conference, but I will say that I walked away from each one with my head buzzing, so much so that I went to bed with headaches, just as if I were in the first week of a visit to France, trying to keep up with all the French conversations going on around me. A lot to process, a lot to think about, a lot to question and consider. Writing to prompts has led me to consider submitting a “flash fiction” story. Learning about Digital Publishers has led me to submitting to an agent who handles ebooks only.  Exploring how to calm myself, to move in front of an audience and stay cued into my breath has led me to reconsider reading aloud to others or public speaking. Every workshop on polishing my writing whirl-winded through my conscious and left me breathless with discovery.  I was even asked to consider coming back next year and presenting a workshop on the business of writing. Then, just when I thought I couldn’t be more overwhelmed, I made the ‘mistake’ of saying I wanted to volunteer (thinking I’d be a body at next year’s conference). Which then led to a path I never considered in any wild dream.  I instantly (almost) became assistant secretary for the FWA! The list can go on for a mile of what I took away from this conference. I’m floored. But sitting on that floor my belly is rumbling. It’s hot and steamy, ready to be a part of something bigger than myself, and I dream of what I can do in the next year to win the Royal Palm Literary Award or be in the next FWA anthology or both. I was a RPLA finalist this year. Next year I’d like to be more than that, more than what/who I am now. And I haven’t even touched on all the amazing and diverse people (400+) who were my fellow attendees and staff. As I said, overwhelmed.

I’m home now, in my usual spot in front of my screen and I ponder the mysteries of what it means to write. My gut tells me this is the right thing to do. My head screams I’m a fool for thinking I can write something anyone else (besides my mother) would want to read. I can say I only care about writing to feed my soul, but that isn’t true. As Leonard Pitts, Jr. wrote “…a writer without readers is like shouting in an empty room.” My belly is full of fire, my laugh throaty, my tears as warm as anyone else’s. I want to publish. I want to be read. So the beast within me won’t be satiated until I achieve that goal in a meaningful way. My tummy is rumbling with the fire kindled within. Look out world. Here I come.

Images from:

villainsandvaudevillians.com

http://www.floridawriters.net/