The Writer Mama Riffs

My enjoyment of the Willamette Writers Conference began on Thursday night, July 31st at the Writer’s Faire sponsored by Oregon Writer’s Colony. This is a free event open to the public and I always attend it, not because I think, “Oh boy, I’m going to sell gobs of books,” but simply to say hello to folks and meet and greet anyone who might be considering attending the conference. Much to my delight I sold some books and met lots of nice folks! I especially appreciated the slideshow of attending authors that Linda Khulman created this year.

On Friday, August 1st, I gave a workshop from 10:30-12:00 called Your Roadmap to the Non-fiction Book Writing Process. Here’s what it was about: Do you know about book graveyards where editors at publishing houses bury the books that don’t ever see the light of publication? As an aspiring non-fiction author, you need to be forewarned about these types of pitfalls. This workshop will serve as the roadmap-in-hand that you’ll need to tread the traditional book-publishing road wisely. You’ll walk out knowing what to expect from the glimmer of an idea all the way through to your book’s publication date. This workshop will grant you the courage to control the things you can and the wisdom to let go of the things you can’t, so you can focus on writing the best book possible. Learn about the role of agents and editors, the non-fiction book publishing process, how to make the best choices for your book, and how to form win-win-win relationships with the publishing industry players on your book’s team.

Shortly afterwards, I was the Luncheon Speaker. Naturally, I woke up Friday morning with a deep pillow crease down the side of my face and only to discover that I’d forgotten to pack my deodorant.

No worries. I bounced back and gave my talk. The topic was “Never a Better Time to Be a Writer.” I feel like it’s true, but perhaps that only the most resilient, committed and hard-working writers can survive in the current ever-changing climate. And there is a lot of us who will, so hooray for us!

My appetite reappeared shortly thereafter.

I signed copies of Writer Mama in the afternoon, which is always fun. I’m definitely looking forward to November when I’ll have two books to sign!

On Saturday morning I had an interesting critique because the writer of the non-fiction proposal draft I reviewed was actually the ghostwriter of an autobiographical nonfiction book. We had an interesting discussion (in which I did most of the talking) about the possible routes he could take with the book and whether or not it made sense to pursue traditional publication or for his client to self-publish. I would have loved to review more proposals, but I accidentally didn’t get listed as a reviewer initially, and I have a feeling that’s why I didn’t get many sign-ups. Oh well, I hope to be invited back to review more next year!

I bumped into a writer who I’d had a critique with the year before and she said she had made many suggested changes that had come from myself and other critiquers and she was excited to pitch her improved manuscript to agents and editors. It was so gratifying to hear this. I also loved to hear how she had taken on a more active leadership role in one of the Willamette Writers branches. I’m telling you, this is the path to success! Go, Valerie!

I was also a Silent Auction Participant. I auctioned off a free scholarship to my class Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff (Especially for moms) and a copy of Writer Mama! Congratulations to the winner, Peggy Anderson-Deardorff!

Of course, I saw and socialized with so many folks that I could not possibly mention them all. And, something weird happened this conference. I actually felt that there wasn’t enough time to connect with everyone I would have liked to. This is the first time anything like this has ever happened and perhaps, I can chock it up to the fact that I was so much more visible as a lunch speaker, so I was approached by many more folks than usual (and I loved meeting and chatting with everyone). But, there were more folks there I DIDN’T get to spend enough time with and I wish I could have.

So, let that be a lesson to me. Next time, I will stay for the last day, in other words the entire conference, and I hope you will too! If you didn’t get a chance to chat, please feel free to comment here or e-mail me at christina katz at earthlink dot net.

And p.s. I still haven’t fully recovered my voice from the toasting session in the bar on Saturday night! That place was just hopping with happy, celebrating writers.

P.p.s. My “born to write” tattoo hasn’t worn off or shown any signs of wearing off anytime soon. I love it!

Available for pre-order on Amazon.com

Writer Mama is available at fine booksellers everywhere, including:

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

Booksense-Independent Bookstore Locator

If you’d like to see copies of books by Christina Katz at your local bookstore or library, kindly ask them to order you a copy.

Could there really ever be such a thing?

How far back would we have to go?

Unless we’re talking about Harriet Beecher Stowe or one of our other many for-writer-mamas, it seems silly to make that claim.

There was a wonderful book that came out before Writer Mama was even a twinkle in my eye, How to be a Successful Housewife/Writer, Bylines and Babies Do Mix by Elaine Fantle Shimberg.

If anyone is going to get credit for a ton of good work that inspired an entire generation of writing moms, I’d like it to be her.

Also, I’ve recently heard of a publication called, “Housewife Writer,” that used to be around.

Has anyone heard of it? I’d love to get my hands on a copy!

Writing and Publishing The Short Stuff
Especially For Moms (But Not Only for Moms)!
Another Class Begins on October 8th
Prerequisites: None
Finally, a writing workshop that fits into the busy lives of moms! You will learn how to create short, easy-to-write articles-a skill that will make it easier to move up to longer, more time-consuming articles when you’re ready. Try your pen at tips, fillers, short interviews, list articles, how-tos, and short personal essays-all within six weeks. Now includes markets!
Cost: $199.00. [This Class Fills Fast.]
Register at Writers on the Rise

Platform Building 102: The Basics for Writers
Next Class Begins on October 8th
Prerequisites: Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff & Targeting Your Best Writing Markets are recommended or Permission from Instructor
Be the first to sign up for the companion class to my forthcoming book, Get Known Before the Book Deal. Picking up where Targeting Your Best Writing Markets left off. This class helps you go position yourself as a seasoned professional, who isn’t afraid to let the world know what you have to offer. This is an advanced class, for people who have taken classes with Christina Katz and who are ready to take their writing career to a more professional level with a blog, Web site and newsletter. By the end of our six weeks, you will have a clear vision of your platform, and a plan for first and future steps. You will be ready to anchor your book proposal to that all-important online and in-person presence, agents and editors are looking for.
Cost: $199.00 [This Class Fills Fast.]
Register at Writers on the Rise

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Love the Willamette Writers Conference. It’s where I pitched my first book, Writer Mama.

The conference committee was kind enough to invite me to be a lunch speaker, a presenter and a manuscript critique person.

Totally pooped but had a wonderful weekend!

More soon…in the meantime, here’s a few photos:

Me and my lovely editor, Jane Friedman

From left, Lori Russell, Susan Clark, Hallie Ephron, Jon Dragt, Cindy Hudson, me, and Sue Lick toasting Cindy Hudson’s forthcoming book deal!

Agent Verna Dreisbach and me.

~ Joyce Maynard

If you’ve been added to my blogroll, I’d love to be added to yours!
Also worth checking out:

Recommended sources for reputable Markets

The latest Writer Mama Buzz

Write on, mamas!

“Talent is helpful in writing, but guts are absolutely essential.” ~ Jessamyn West

Take a lesson from your kids, writer mama, and leap. Leap off something that seems too high. Explore something unknown. Try on a new style. Remember what it is like to not constantly second-guess yourself, or worry about what others might think. Write with abandon. Call that editor and connect voice-to-voice, not via email. Send that manuscript you fear will be rejected. Shoot for the stars. Swing to the treetops. Take risks. And feel the rush.

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Megan Pincus Kajitani is a California-based writer mama and recovering overachiever who blogs at Having Enough (In a “Have-It-All” World).

Swimming lessons are very different for my boys here in the south than they were for me as a child growing up in the north. I remember standing at the edge of the pool in Vermont shivering, my teeth clacking together, before I stepped-one foot at a time-into the freezing pool water. My boys plunge headfirst into the pool for their swim lessons in July and August in order to escape the cloudless, white, saran-wrap heat of the south.

I float alongside the lanes to watch, cheer and pretend I’m a mermaid mama. Water, whether it is lakes, oceans, rivers, ponds or the creek, has always soothed me so that when I emerge, I am renewed. Water seeps into my essay writing in the form of metaphors; I am “kicking to keep my head above the water,” or “drowning in the sea of my son’s worries” or, “my passion for books is steady and unchanging like the pull of the tide.”

My book-in-progress is called, “Dreaming About Water.” So, if water is as soothing for you as it is for me, go to the beach, or the lake or the river with your children, submerge yourself in water. You will all sleep better that night.

Get Watery:

·    I know I can use a few reminders on the proper breathing techniques and since swimming is an excellent workout (good for the whole body and the mind), why not take swimming lessons with your kids? Come home and write about your first swimming lesson and compare it to your child’s, how was it different or the same?
·    Curl up on the beach while your children splash in a gully and read one of the following books for examples of water metaphors: The Sea by John Banville, Salt Water by Charles Simmons, or The Seas by Samantha Hunt. When you come home that night, read your children one of these wonderful water stories: Dear Fish by Chris Gall, The Fish Who Cried Wolf by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler or Flotsam by David Wiesner.
·    Take a walk on the beach in the early evening, get the blood flowing to your brain, bring your kids and let them collect shells while you wander ahead or behind, seeking inspiration.
·    Take surfing lessons, train for a triathlon, put your body in water and see what inspires you. Invent your own water metaphors.

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Amy S. Mercer is a freelance writer living in Charleston, SC with her husband and two sons. Her writing has been published in skirt! Magazine, Literary Mama, Diabetes Forecast and A Cup of Comfort for Writers. Amy is Blog Editor for Literary Mama and Associate editor for The Writer Mama Zine. More at Dreaming About Water.

After much careful consideration, I’m pleased to announce the lineup of authors for the Northwest Author Series in our second season. You can see the list of 2008-2009 presenters for yourself here.

If you are local and you think you might like to attend, please click on the little envelope in the upper right hand corner of the blog and sign up for the Northwest Author Series reminders.

Back from another night at the show. It would have been my eighth night straight watching Seven Brides for Seven Brothers but I only caught the second half. (Any former drama kids in our writer mama ranks? If so, you might enjoy these photos of the show.) There’s just one of my daughter about half-way through. She’s not on stage much, but she sure makes the most of it when she is.

My second little charge these days is that little “kitten” I posted about a couple of weeks ago.

Turns out she is indeed pregnant and now we are fostering her until eight weeks after the kittens are born. Wish us luck. I’ve never had a pet that has had babies before. I just hope they don’t decide to come while I’m away at the Willamette Writers Conference! Especially since my husband and daughter already have our five other pets to care for without good ol’ mom around to help.

I’m a little nervous.

Keeping it real: Renee’s Pages

Freelance writer and mom Renee Roberson likes to share. In her blog, Renee’s Pages, she passes along information she’s learned along the way, “so other writers may not have to go through as much ‘trial and error’ as I have in my journey.”

She’s not afraid to admit her mistakes and how she bounces back from them. “I try not to let those mistakes bring me down and keep me from doing what I love the most - writing.”

Roberson’s humor also shines as she shows readers that you can balance motherhood with writing.

Swing by her blogspot and see what you can learn from her.

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Tiffani Hill-Patterson is an award-winning journalist with thirteen years of writing and editing experience. She’s a regular contributor to The Writer Mama zine and Birmingham Parent magazine, and her articles on health, parenting, fitness and pop culture have also appeared in The Huntsville Times, The Moulton Advertiser and The TimesDaily. She lives in Alabama with her husband and daughter. Read more at http://www.tiffanihillpatterson.com.

Mid-summer and your well-intentioned plans to launch a writing career have officially stalled. But it’s not because of a lack of talent or motivation; it’s because your kids are home on summer vacation.

What to do? First of all, we’re into July so you can kiss June goodbye and stop fretting over the “lost days.” Consider it a break before your next creative frenzy. The good news is that most publishers practically shut down during the summer months so you’re not alone in your pool time. The bad news is if you continue to slack, you’re at risk of losing any hard fought momentum you may have gained since spring.

Begin by organizing your workspace and materials. This is something you can do with the kids at your side. You can even pay them to be runners between your filing cabinet and the recycle bin. Kids love whiteboards. Have them help you make a project list on a whiteboard and then assign a “percentage complete” value next to each title. You’ll get a snapshot of where your writing is headed; they get a refresher in math that’s masked as “helping mommy.”

Do you like your neighbor and her children? Arrange a swap where you take all the kids one day, and then she takes them the next. When I was in a new moms’ group, we created laminated “Baby Bucks,” good for one hour of babysitting time apiece. We would use them like money and it created an equitable and efficient way of paying each other for services. I wrote many of my first essays this way.

Can you afford camp? Block out one week to send your kids and then make that time boot-camp week for your writing. I did this when I sent my girls to a local church summer preschool program. For one week I packed lunches for all of us and after dropping them off in their rooms, I retreated to another room in the church. At the end of the camp day, I walked over to their rooms and picked them up. I wrote the first forty pages of my first book that way. If you’re going to send your kids to camp, don’t use that time for running errands or cleaning house or even for the business side of writing. Just sit down and WRITE.

Summer is also a time of rejuvenation. Look back and see how far you’ve come at the calendar’s half-way point. Celebrate as a family any “win” you may have had, regardless of how small. I was elated when I found out I had taken “Honorable Mention” in Writers Digest’s annual writing competition. Then slather on the tanning lotion and keep at it.

Oh, and if you get a chance, go to a summer writer’s conference. I’ll be at the Willamette Writers this conference soaking up all the good advice and industry updates I can. If you’ll be in the Portland, Oregon-area, I hope to see you there.

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Mary Andonian is the agents and edtiors coordinator for the Willamette Writers Conference, one of the largest writers’ conferences in the United States. In past years, she was Co-chair and Program Coordinator. She just completed her second book, Bitsy’s Labyrinth. Contact Mary at maryandonianwwconference AT yahoo.com.

One of the best ways to figure out the real ins and outs of this business is to learn from the “pros.” Even without personally knowing them, picking their brain is easier than you think. It may be as simple as gleaning info from their websites (such as the names of publications you didn’t know exist) or actually sending them a quick email asking for their advice. Just don your networking hat and get to work. Here are some suggestions to consider:

- Do seek out any information they already offer. This may be in the form of online classes, seminars, e-zines, blogs, books, and writing forums they belong to. Don’t stalk them, but access the knowledge they readily share.

- Don’t ask questions they’ve already answered. You may be excited to learn from someone who has been there, done that, but do your research first. Check out their blog archives. Read their entire book. Make the best use of the generosity of their time by only asking questions they haven’t already addressed.

- Do remember that while many writers like to help out newbies, not all do. We’ve all been fledgling writers at some point and many of the pros remember this difficult time and want to help. Still, others will view you as competition and won’t be interested in giving you a helping hand. Don’t take this personally. They may feel that they had to learn the hard way and expect others to do the same.

- Don’t namedrop unless you’re given permission. Networking is important in this business, but just because you’re given an editor’s name doesn’t mean you should mention said gracious writer. Keep the sentence, “[Successful writer] said I should contact you,” out of your query unless you’ve specifically asked permission to use her name.

Learning from those who have been where you are and have grown to where you want to be is a good business practice. Their accomplishments can also be a great source of inspiration and learning. Just be considerate and remember that everyone’s path to success is unique, so heed all they have to offer, but pave the way that works for you.

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Jennifer Applin is a freelance writer living in Ohio with her husband and four young children. Aside from writing for many regional publications, she is regular contributor to eLearners.com and Projectworkingmom.com. She spends her days cooking, cleaning and caring for little ones, and her nights writing about pregnancy, parenting, and the quest for peace (as in peace and quiet). You can also find her at Managing the MotherLoad.

Phew! It’s summer and yet it doesn’t ever get any less busy in my home office.

Especially now that we are officially in, what we call hell week for the play my husband is directing and my daughter is playing a small role in.

So, it’s official. I’m a stage mom. I’m spending 4-5 hours a night over at the theater, along with the other parent volunteers.

And I’ll tell you what, even though we’re not big on too many activities for Samantha,  she has sure loved being a part of “Daddy’s show.” I have a feeling this is just the beginning…so I’d better get used to it.

On the writing front, I am putting a big push into spreading the word about Writer Mama before back to school time, which means back to writing for many mommies. Is there anything you can do to help? Feel free to drop me a line with the name of any mama-related media contacts you have in your Rolodex. Be sure to let  me know if I can use your name. Thanks in advance for your ideas at writer mama at earthlink dot net.

I’m also organizing my Northwest Author Series for the upcoming seaosn. Looks like we are going to have a great line-up, wonderful door prizes from Writer’s Digest, supportive sponsorship from the Wilsonville Public Library, the Friends of the Wilsonville Library, and the Wilsonville Arts and Culture Council. Now all I need are refreshments…

Something else I’m organizing this week is the Writer Mama Back to School Givewaway for the month of September. It’s going to be a blast again! I’ve already lined up dozens of books from dozens of authors. Please help spread the word! I’ll announce the list of giveaways in early August. Special thanks again this year to Writers Digest Books.

I just wrapped up my new class, Crafting a Saleable Nonfiction Book Proposal, which will be repeated in January. I’ll tell you what, it’s a good thing I can still remember how intimidating/challenging/confusing drafting that first book proposal can be. It might be easy to forget after writing and selling a few books, but I assure you, I remember. The students did great. They each finished the class with a clearer understanding of what they need to do to ready themselves to pitch their book concepts and land the deal.

And last, but not least, I’ve got a new blog banner and a new blog badge to match. Feel free to post it willy-nilly all over blog land.

That’s it for me and it’s only Wednesday. I’m off to the next task on my three-page list.

What are you up to this week?

At this moment, my 23-month-old son is upstairs in his crib, wailing miserably. He is complaining because he does not want to take a nap. Until three days ago, Miles was a solid afternoon napper. You could set your watch by his schedule: lunch, then a book or two, asleep by 1 p.m. No muss, no fuss. Usually I wouldn’t hear a peep out of him before 3 p.m. On rare occasions, he would indulge in a three-hour nap, leaving me with a whole hour of unexpected free time. Hallelujah!

As a work-at-home mom, I have come to count on my son’s naps. I schedule my life around them-literally. The minute he’s tucked in, I usually head straight to the computer and get to work. If I have phone interviews to do, I schedule them for 2 p.m., smack dab in the middle of naptime so I can be assured some peace and quiet. Except now, all bets are off.

Wouldn’t you know it, the very day my child decided to give up naps was the very day I had taken on a big assignment with a tight turn-around time. Two assignments, actually. I thought that between his two mornings at the babysitter’s and those daily naps, I could surely get my work done. Ha!

I used to be able to take on as many writing assignments as possible. Supporting myself as a single, self-employed writer, I was well aware of the feast-or-famine nature of freelancing. I never wanted to pass up an income opportunity lest I be faced with a “famine” the next month. So maybe I was extra busy for a little while. It wasn’t a big deal; I had nothing in my life that couldn’t be put off in the short term.

Until I had a baby, that is. I quickly discovered that infants aren’t all that flexible about waiting for their next feeding until Mommy’s finished sending out one last email. They don’t seem to understand the concept of deadlines and how unexpected illness can affect Mommy’s ability to meet them. And frustratingly, babies refuse to alter their sleep habits to fit your schedule. For the first time in my life, I was turning down assignments, asking for extensions, and working evenings and weekends. It’s only by the grace of God and caffeine that I still haven’t missed a deadline.

Now, my son is almost two. I’ve settled into a new work routine as he’s gotten more predictable and adaptable (though no more patient). And then, as children tend to do, he goes and changes again. So I’ll have to figure out a new way of working around my family’s schedule. Maybe I’ll hire a sitter a few more hours a week. After all, more assignments equal more income. Or maybe I’ll simply continue to enforce naptime, despite my stubborn toddler’s protests. Come to think of it, I don’t hear any more squawks coming from upstairs.

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Abigail Green is a freelance writer in Baltimore. Over the past 10 years, she has written for national, regional and online publications including AOL, AAA World, Bride’s, Baltimore Magazine, Cooking Light and Health. Her latest project is raising her first child, which she chronicles in her blog Diary of a New Mom http://diaryofanewmom.blogspot.com/. Abby teaches the class, Personal Essays that Get Published for Writers on the Rise.