NCW Conference Palooza

Post by NCW Director Kerrie Flanagan.

Whew...what a great weekend. I am thrilled with how everything went at the 5th Annual Northern Colorado Writers Conference. I am still recovering, but I have been enjoying all the blog posts by writers who attended the conference and I thought I would share those with you as well.

Patricia Stoltey's Blog
Day one of the Northern Colorado Writers Conference is now history, at least for me. There were still writers and agents schmoozing in the hotel atrium when I dragged my tired body home. Since I live less than ten minutes by car from the conference hotel, I commute....READ MORE

Day Two: The coffee, fruit, and pastries breakfast buffet was scheduled for 7:30 to 8:30. I had planned to jump up early and head for the hotel before 8. That didn't quite happen. I popped in about 8:30, then spent so much time visiting with other writers and guzzling coffee that I missed the first session completely...READ MORE

Helen Colella's Blog
Thanks to the generosity of a dear friend, today I had the pleasure of attending the 5^th Northern Colorado Writers Conference.Writers, both published and pre-published (Mike Befler’s clever tag), joined in welcoming award winning novelist and creator of more than forty television shows, Stephen Cannell. His keynote presentation kept the audience enthralled...READ MORE

Kay's Blog
First, I want to praise Kerri Flanagan, the director of the Northern Colorado Writers. She's been doing the conference for five years, and each year some new useful new tool appears. This year's gem was a spiral bound notebook with presenter info, session handouts, and lined pages to write on scattered through out -- all in alphabetical order...READ MORE

Maggie Goins' Blog
Nobody ever told me writing would be easy. In fact, so many people have told me how difficult writing success is to achieve, I sometimes feel like I might as well wake up from my dreams. One of the best ways for a writer to feel valid and rededicated to their pursuits is a good writers conference. The Northern Colorado Writers Conference this past weekend was just what I needed...READ MORE

Tracey Sioux's Blog
I just spent the weekend at Northern Colorado Writers Conference. I pitched The Girl Revolution book to an agent, Rachelle Garnder, a lovely woman with two daughters, at lunch. She invited me to send it in...READ MORE

Patti Struble's Blog
This last weekend I had the privelege of attending the Northern Colorado Writer's 5th Annual Conference. I met amazing talented people who inspired, educated, and provided great insights. I was also lucky enough to meet with an agent during a pitch session. And, the agent made my day by asking to see more of my work...READ MORE

If you have blogged about the conference, let me know and I will add it to the post.
I am already thinking about next year's conference. :-)

~Kerrie

Author Interview: Stephen J. Cannell

Post by NCW Director Kerrie Flanagan

Stephen J. Cannell, best-selling author and Hollywood mogul, is coming to Fort Collins, Colorado to sign copies of his newest book and speak at the Northern Colorado Writers Conference.

If you watched television in the 80’s, then chances are you saw one or more of Cannell’s 42 shows. Hits like the Rockford Files, The A-Team, 21 Jump Street and The Greatest American Hero are just a few of his creations.










He went on to start his own studio and within five years it was the third argest supplier of television and employed 2,100 people.

After selling his company, he changed his focus to writing novels. Most went on to become best-sellers. His 16th book, The Pallbearers was released this week.

The fact the Cannell has found so much success with his writing is amazing in itself, but add to the mix that Stephen Cannell is dyslexic, making reading and writing a challenge, makes it even more incredible.

I had the privilege of interviewing him and he shared his thoughts on writing, dyslexia and his future.

How did you break into Hollywood?

“I wrote every day for five hours a day for about five or six years. I never sold anything. Those were the hours, though at the time they didn’t appear to be very productive, that qualified me so when I did finally find a hole in the wall and get through, people read my stuff and said, ‘Wow, how do I get you to work for us?’”

“Then I got an agent and finally started to sell. And very quickly after that I was under contract with Universal. A year and a half or two years after that, I created Rockford Files and Baretta.”

Over those five years you didn't sell anything, what kept you going?

"I could see improvement in my work. I am a very tough critique of my own stuff. What I found interesting when I was managing 30 or 40 writers that were under contract to me was that some of them were very unable to look at their own work and accurately judge what it really was. Sometimes we write better than other times and its up to us as the writer to know when we are not drilling it and to know if maybe there is a problem."

"A lot of writers don’t know how to do that. They are so invested in being brilliant that it never enters their mind that anything they write, might not be. I on the other, I flunked the 1st grade, I flunked the 4th grade, I flunked the 10th grade. I have no illusions of being brilliant. So for me it is all about how good can I make it and how much fun can I have doing it. Those are my motives. "

How did you cope with all the rejection?

"Sometimes I’d come home from high school and lay in bed at night. It would occasionally flick in my mind ‘what am I going to do when I can’t play football.' Because that is really all I have in my life. Then I would just say 'well, I am not going to think about it' and I would slam the door shut on that thought. And I would not think about it."

"As a survival technique, that was an amazing one. As I got into show business, and at the beginning of your career, 99% of the things you are trying to do get rejected. I have friends who were always the best and the brightest at school, some went to Princeton and Harvard, and when they started to get rejected, they couldn’t deal with it. I on the other hand would just say to myself, I’m not going to think about it and would just keep going."

You are very open about being dyslexic, but you never refer to it as a learning disability. You call it a learning difference. Why?

“The reason I don’t is because I think it is the greatest gift I have. It is a gift created by the fact that my right side of my brain is much better than the left side. I don’t believe I would have the career I have today. I don’t believe I would have the life I have today. I don’t believe I would any of this stuff if my mind worked other than the way it works.”

You have found success as a screenwriter, a producer, a studio owner and a novelist. What’s next for you?

“As I am aging, I’m finding that I’m getting as much satisfaction out of the success of my children as I am out of my own. I have a daughter who is a film director in Toronto. My other daughter is an on-camera television host. My son is just out of college and starting his career as a musician. It’s been a joyous thing for me to know that my wife and I raised kids that don’t use drugs and who understand that this (life) is a game we’re playing and it is no fun to sit on the sidelines and complain.”

Going Straight to the Editors

Post by NCW Director Kerrie Flanagan

Many writers think they must acquire an agent in order to publish any of their books. If you are looking to publish with one of the big houses (Random House, Simon and Schuster...) that is true, but there are other options where you can bypass an agent.

Smaller publishing houses typically accept queries and proposals directly from an author. This year at the Northern Colorado Writers Conference, in addition to having three agents there, I am bringing in two editors as well.

My purpose for this was to remind writers that these smaller houses welcome submissions from unagented authors and have the editors available on site to hear pitches, teach sessions and be available for questions.

If you attend the conference you will have the opportunity to meet Mira Perrizo from Johnson books and Ben Barnhart from Milkweed Editions. Regardless of whether or not you are attending the conference, you should look at the information below to see if you have something to submit to these publishers.

Johnson Books

In their submission guidelines, Johnson Books states they publish only nonfiction that focus on titles pertaining to Colorado and the West. It seems this scares some people off because they think it has to focus on Colorado and has to be some kind of nature/science book.

The truth is, the West encompasses more than just Colorado, and by closely examining the books in the current catalog, it is clear that yes they do publish the nonfiction resource book, but they also publish creative nonfiction like essays, memoirs as wells as other types of books.

When researching a potential market it is always good to see what they currently publish. Here are some from Johnson Books:

Homeland
This book brings together the best writers in the West today—including poets, ranchers, and conservationists—in a one-of-a-kind, unique look at the West, literally our Home Land.


Confessions of a Barbarian: Selections from the Journals of Edward Abbey
Edward Abbey reveals all his rough-hewn edges and passionate beliefs in this witty, outspoken, maddening, and sometimes brilliant selection of journal entries that takes the writer from his early years as a park ranger and would-be literary author up to his death in 1989.

A Quilt of Words
The events in these women's lives are told through their oral histories, diaries, etc… An important view of the Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado frontier.


Gardening on A Shoestring
This book is for anyone who has more energy than dollars and wants to create a beautiful garden.


The Five Minute Healer:
Self-Healing techniques for busy people.



Milkweed Editions

Milkweed is one of the leading independent, nonprofit literary publishers in the nation. They publish twelve to twenty new books each year in the genres of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. In addition, they are one of two nonprofit presses that publish children’s literature.

Milkweed publishes a variety of books and is one worth exploring. Here are some of the books currently in their catalog.

Skybridge
Fiction
With spirit and a kind of awkward grace, Libby learns that love and support, more than blood, are what truly define a family.


The Art of Writing
Nonfiction
Long considered to be one of the most important literary works in the Chinese language, The Art of Writing by Lu Chi is of interest to all those who wish to understand and appreciate the literary arts with keener insight.

The Butterfly Effect.
The poems in the collection move between the world of physical experience and the world of symbol in myth.



Floramel and Esteban
Children's Fiction
Floramel and Esteban is the heartwarming story about a lonely cow and a wayward egret who find inspiration, music, and friendship together.

***

Remember to keep smaller presses in mind when you are looking for markets for your books. Because these publishing houses are smaller, they are able to give their authors more personal attention.

Do you have any small presses that you recommend?

I hope to see you at the conference this year.
~Kerrie

NETWORKING 101-Your Mother Was Wrong!

Post By NCW Member Bob McDonnell

Sorry, but good old mom was mistaken when she told you not to talk to strangers. How are you ever going to meet new people, find new opportunities or get new business if you don’t open up?

Many people dread going to an event where they know few, if any people. Planning and having the right frame-of-mind will make these gatherings fun —or at least tolerable.


The upcoming Northern Colorado Writers Conference will be a good chance to try this out. Chances are you will already know some of the people attending, so it shouldn’t be overwhelming.

When you attend any networking event, there are a few things to consider:

• What is your goal? Do you want to attract more clients or just seek people with common interest or occupations as yours?
• Will they remember you? Most events have many attendees, so you want to be memorable. Have a good elevator speech ready, AND be ready to listen to theirs. (See my elevator speech below)
• How will you remember them? I know you think you will remember every person you interact with at the conference. Right! When you get their card, (or later, right after the event) jot on the back of it where you met them and any follow-up you will do. Trust me, you will thank me someday.
• What do you have to give them? Do you have an old-fashioned business card, brochure or marketing piece?
• Do you have and ID? No, not for buying drinks, but so they can remember you. Wear a nametag. Sometimes it helps to have something other than just your name on the tag. I have been putting wordsbybob.com (my blog) on mine. It makes my tag unique and can be a conversation starter.
• Do you have “herd mentality”? If you attend with close friends or your critique group, don’t just hang out and talk to them. Spread out! You can see them anytime. This is your chance to interact with others.
  

Most of all, relax, enjoy yourself and see what happens. I do lots of face-to-face networking. For the most part, I have never met a psycho person or serial killer. They tend not to attend these type events, I think. (Just good people with the same trepidation you have)

Here is my elevator speech (or a reasonable facsimile thereof), for what it’s worth.
“Hi, I’m Bob McDonnell. I am a freelance writer and blogger. My focus is on newspaper feature articles. I have a blog, www.wordsbybob.com that explores the use, misuse and humor or words. How about you?”

See you at at the conference on the 26th and 27th.

~Bob

Advice from Stephen J. Cannell

Stephen J. Cannell, the best-selling author of the Shane Scully Novels and a Hollwood mogul who created over 40 hit television shows including Rockford Files, 21 Jump Street and Greatest American Hero, will be the keynote speaker at the upcoming Northern Colorado Writers Conference.

Stephen has some great advice for writers through short videos on his website. Here are two of my favorites. One on how to get an agent and the other on dealing with writers block. Enjoy!

Take a Bite Out of Time: Online Research Is a Writer’s Best Friend

Post by NCW member Laura Bridgwater

John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, was famous for reading multiple newspapers every day. Now thanks to digital media, we can all be JFK’s and gorge ourselves around the clock on media web sites. The information superhighway makes writers ask not what can they do for their research, but what can their research do for their writing?

As a news junkie and radio commentator, I have my daily online media rounds. At first glance, the abbreviations on the toolbar on my laptop look like the stock exchange: NYT, WaPo, LAT, DP, and NPR are part of my rotation. (If you’re not a newshound, that’s the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Denver Post, and National Public Radio.)

But even more than easy access to multiple news outlets, as a freelance writer I love the Related Stories sidebars. The Related Stories sidebars are a great place to begin studying a market to pitch a story idea to. These sidebars show freelancers quickly what topics and angles a publication has published recently.

For example, I live with a Twihard (a diehard Twilight fan) and I was kicking around a commentary idea about Twilight trading cards for NPR. So I clicked on NPR and found a recently aired story about the vampire trend in books called For Love of Do-Good Vampires: A Bloody Book List.

That’s where I also found these Related Stories, or as NPR cleverly named them, Selected Bites: A few fang-tastic stories from NPR’s archives:

'Dracula Is Dead,' But How Is Romania? Dec. 13, 2009
Sexing Up The PG-13 Vampire ... But Not Too Much Nov. 18, 2009
The Ten Most Annoying Things About Being A Vampire's Girlfriend Nov. 17, 2009
There Will Be Blood -- And Wisecracks: Buffy Lives Jan. 23, 2009

I also had an idea for a commentary about the wildly popular best-seller Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert. After entering “Elizabeth Gilbert” (be sure to include the quotation marks) into the search box on the NPR website, I found a long list of online archives.

Then I hit gold when I stumbled across to this great All Things Considered commentary on a guy’s perspective of Gilbert’s book called Man Enough to Love ‘Eat, Pray, Love’
by David Sax. So not only did I find out what NPR has already aired, but I learned something about what makes a fresh angle and what it’s going to take to break into NPR.

Related Stories sidebars and online archives aren’t just a freelancer’s dream, either. If I were writing a vampire fantasy or a memoir about a spiritual journey, both would be helpful for following trends in those genres—what’s selling, what’s hot, what’s not.

Now that most publications maintain and make available online archives and Related Stories sidebars, there’s no excuse for not doing your homework before pitching an editor (unless you can claim that the dog ate the Internet.). By doing your research, you increase the odds that an editor won’t respond to your query letter or book proposal with, “Bite me!”

Do you have an online research tip to share?

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Bio: Laura Bridgwater is a writer, teacher, and radio commentator for KUNC. She will be teaching the nonfiction track at the June 2010 Explorati Teen Writers Bootcamp .