The Writer's Weekend Update

I am having serious laptop problems, which is simply disastrous for a writer. I'm going to take it in today to see if it can be repaired. Even if it can, it might be time to upgrade. I have been told that creative people should use Macs rather than PCs. Anyone think there's any truth to that, or have an opinion? I haven't used a Mac since I was in grade school playing Oregon Trail, and I'm intrigued. I've heard good things about Scrivener.

Right now, I am finishing up an article on Swiss artist Jean Tinguely for Swiss Made Magazine. I haven't written for them in a while, though they recently published an older piece of mine on Herman Hesse (pages 92-95).

I broke 24,000 words in my novel last weekend because I went to an Austin WriterGrrls write-in. The hosts are lovely ladies with a lovely home and I always make good progress when I write there. They are hoping to host these write-ins on a monthly basis, which would be wonderful for me.

I was reading a blog post recently that said that for new authors, you should never, never submit a manuscript of more than 80,000 words. In reality, it should be closer to 50,000. This is good to know. I am just wondering how many words I need to write in order to come up with 50-80,000 good ones. I am halfway at my target mark, but I am still only focusing on one character's perspective on the narrative (there are two others waiting in the wings). And obviously, I know that the 24,000+ words I have written do not all merit being included! It's such an intense process, especially for a first-timer like me.

The Writer Must Refocus

Despite my silence, a lot has been going on recently. I am stuck in a quandary of where to spend my time and devote my energy. My personal Achilles' heel is to believe I can do 50,000 things at a time and to then attempt it. Through discussions with friends and personal reflection, I have realized once again that it is time to prioritize and make some sacrifices. (Ugh! So hard!)

Anywho, rather than waste more time discussing how I manage (or don't manage) my time :) I am going to give my brief updates!

The most pressing and arguably exciting news is that next Saturday, May 23rd, is my newest panel on women's issues at BookWoman in Austin, Texas. You can find all of the info at their website. The panel is chock full of impressive ladies and it should be great, so if you are in Austin please come out. We'd love to meet and talk with you!

Aside from that, I am focusing once again on my novel. The critique group I belong to is really helping me learn how to "show, don't tell" and bring my scenes to life. It's very exciting!

Poetry Challenge: Rekindled

NaPoWriMo has been great so far, and it reminded me about my poetry challenge way back when. I need to take it up again, because it gave me the opportunity to really stretch my writing, not to mention to experience fantastic poets I hadn't read before. To recap:

1. Sappho

2. Omar Khayyam

3. Anne Sexton

4. Dorothy Parker

5. Adrienne Rich

Little Writing Tidbits

New York Times: H.P. Lowers Bar for Printing Glossy Color Magazines

I found this article very interesting. It made me wonder if this could be somewhere to take Della Donna in the future. I love the idea of laying out and printing a physical magazine, but I prefer to keep DD free and accessible to everyone, as it currently is.

Also, I think NaPoWriMo is genius! (More feasible than NaNoWriMo, for me at least.) I am a few days behind since I just found it but I have already started writing some poems.

Finally, I am also taking part in ProBlogger's free course, "31 Days to Build a Better Blog." It is really convenient, since one email comes to my inbox each day.

The Writer on Saturday Morning

Saturday mornings (and sometimes Sundays too) are the most productive times for me. I wake up early, as my body is conditioned to do all week long, and in the quiet of my still sleeping apartment, I nurse a cup of coffee (or two!) and write. It is the most magical part of my week and I look forward to it.

While the dishwasher is rocking and the coffee is brewing behind me, I thought I would put down some of my thoughts, news and other miscellaneous items.

The critique group looks like it's going to begin in a week or two. Again, it will be only three members - two non-fiction writers and myself - but I don't mind. I haven't touched my poor novel since NaNoWriMo in November, and this group has given me that nudge to pull it out again. As I do, I am looking for some guidance on structure. I read a lot of fiction so I have a general sense of how to structure a story, but as a first-time novelist I really want to nail it. I asked some friends in the Austin WriterGrrls group for advice and Wendy Wheeler, a fabulous Renaissance woman, directed me to some notes on the 7 Point Plot Outline on her site that I am currently taking a look at.

In other news, plans are in the works for a third panel event at BookWoman. The store manager has signed off on my new idea and I already have some great leads. I will keep you posted!

In that vein, I should mention some other exciting events going on in Austin that have caught my attention. I had lunch yesterday with Laura Pressley, a SafePlace board member I interviewed for my first piece on domestic violence in The Good Life. She brought me up to speed on some excellent legislative work they are doing.


In addition, SafePlace is having a Field Day Festival on April 18 where my friend and former interview subject and panelist Michelle Mock will be speaking. She is a strong woman with a dynamic story, and those of you in Austin should come out! If you plan to, leave a comment here and let me know - I'd love to meet you.

The Writer Has a Cup of Coffee and Thinks Out Loud

There are talks among some of us Austin WriterGrrls about creating a critique group. I tried in the past but it fell flat after one member (of three total) decided it wasn't for her. It's difficult to have a critique group with only two members. I suppose you can do it but I don't think it was what either of us wanted, so the whole thing came to an end.

The discussion has been revived among writers of non-fiction and has led to the idea of having a group that accepts members who are working on non-fiction or fiction. We are all professional writers and I don't think it would do any harm; in fact, it might break up the monotony. There is some interest and I am really hoping it takes off because getting honest feedback on my novel in progress is something I could really use.

In other news, those of you who are on Facebook can become a fan of Della Donna if you so wish. I should probably put that up on the actual DD site somewhere. I am planning a design change now that I am being trained on the Adobe Creative Suite. I plan to, at the very least, overhaul the banner on top.

The Writer is Still Alive... I Promise

It is frightening for me to realize that I haven't posted here in over a month. With the American economy being what it is, there have been many changes in organizational structure and workload at my company right now. That accounts for some of my absence. Aside from that... well, I haven't been doing much on the freelancing side. The Good Life magazine has gone out of business, to my dismay. I am still writing for Nü Magazine, though, and doing some other things. I also released a new issue of Della Donna not too long ago.

My independent writing focus has been drawn back to my novel. I haven't worked on it since November, but I am thinking about it and mulling it over. I took a look at my NaNoWriMo work last night and was surprised to find that it really yielded some important scenes. Even though I didn't complete the novel in November, that challenge had great results.

Here are the links to my recent work, in case anyone is interested:

Abstractions and Normality
The Throwbak Kid

The Writer's Update

• I am currently working on my third feature article for The Good Life magazine.
  
• Nü Magazine just ran some of my articles: "Multimedia Artistry: Celine Bellon" and "DJ Simple Simon: Prepmode."
  
• Upcoming pieces will soon be available at Nü Magazine and The Feminist Review.
  
• The Winter Issue of Della Donna will be out shortly!

Happy holidays!

I have some exciting news to share :)

• My special report on sexual violence has been published in this month's issue of The Good Life Magazine. If you live in Austin or surrounding counties, you can get a free copy at most stores and restaurants. If not, you can still read it online!
  
  
• To celebrate this release, I am moderating another panel at BookWoman. It will take place this Friday at 7:00 pm and feature several important women - authors, activists and survivors who will share their insight into this terrible problem. The event is free so I hope that (once again) those of you in Austin will stop by, and/or share the info with your friends.
  
  Time: Friday, November 7, 2008 @ 7:00 p.m.
  Location: BookWoman
  Title of Event: "No More Shame" - A Panel on Sexual Violence
  
  Join authors Cynthia Juniper and Mary James, sexual assault survivor Michelle Mock and local writer April Boland to discuss a widespread problem facing women (and men) all over the world. Free copies of The Good Life Magazine (containing a feature story on sexual violence in Austin) will be available.
  

The Fall Issue of Della Donna is now out, just in time for Halloween!

An Update on the Writer

The special report has been submitted. I am very proud of the work I've done and glad that it's nearly finished. Now there will be back and forth editing and tying up of loose ends, but come November it will hit the stands all over Austin. I really hope that it will make a different for someone. That is the whole purpose, after all.

In the meantime, here are the last few articles I've written for Nü Magazine. I forgot to announce them when they came out, and I have been a little slow in updating my website.

• Lounge To... The Green
  
• Nü Presents James Diaz

My editor over there, Oscar Valdes, is so talented with layout and design, in addition to being a great guy.

Finally, the other big thing I have going on is organizing my second panel at BookWoman. It will coincide with the publication of my piece on sexual violence, so that is the topic. If you are an Austin-based author who has written on the subject (in a memoir or otherwise), and you would like to participate, let me know! We'd love to have you.

Till next time friends :)

Over at Women on Writing, there is a wonderful piece on how to focus your writing. I love tangible tips and charts, but that is just me :)

I recall that a couple of years ago I was fixated on becoming a creative non-fiction writer. I went and saw Lee Gutkind, the creative non-fiction guru, speak at the Texas Book Festival and I started reading his how-to books. I have since let that fall by the wayside as my writing has developed, but I still think about it from time to time and wonder if it is something to explore.

Alive Magazine just published my article, "My Solo Travels in Italy," in their August issue (beginning on page 25). I cannot get over the amazing layout job the editors did. I hope you will check it out!

I have not worked on my novel in months. Since my loss I just lost all desire and will. I have continued to write, but mainly in the form of articles and blog posts (speaking of which, I have a new gig over at HalfHourMeals.com).

Anyway, recently my characters have been trying to get my attention. I think about them and want to return to the novel, though I have not as of this writing. I suppose after such a long break I will have to just jump in.

The Writer Moderates

The Voices of Addiction event was fantastic - so much so that the manager of BookWoman has asked me to return and coordinate a series of them. Thank you to everyone who came and helped make it a success!

I was extremely impressed with the panelists and would love to do what I can to plug them and their work.

Carol Ann Conway is the author of Born into the Enemy Camp.

Jacquelyn Covington is the author of Who? An Addict Like Me who works with Street Works in Nashville, TN to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and to provide services to those infected.

B. Gayle Boles is a psychologist and children's book author with a very inspiring blog called "A Courageous Life is an Adventure." (She has also published in Della Donna :)

For those of you who like inspirational writing that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, you might enjoy checking out the 302designs blog. If you recall, I wrote about this company for Nü Magazine. Upon meeting David and Abdon, I was really impressed by the fact that they value positive messaging and inspiration as much as they value fashion and business. This is why I continually write for their blog, along with other talented writers.

Just a Snippet

I will write more soon, I promise :) But in the mean time, here is a new piece I wrote about Austin photographer Jo Ann Santangelo.

I have a brand new piece out at Nü Magazine about my friend and talented artist, Kate Payne.

I will have a (late) Sunday Salon post up shortly, but in the meantime, you can check out my latest article at Nü Magazine.

My feature article on domestic violence has been published; you can read the PDF version by clicking on the magazine cover image above.