Start a writers’ group

Original members, left to right: Jon Hove, Erica Hanson, and Raina Clark. Photo by Deb Anderson, Dunn County News

One of the best ways to kick start your writing project—whether it is a specific book or you are changing direction from one form of writing to another—is to join a writers’ group. And if there isn’t one in your area, or it doesn’t fit your needs, then start one.

Several years ago, one of my friends asked me to start a writers’ group to help her get going on the cookbook she wanted to create. I was stalled on my novel, so it sounded like a good idea to me. I talked to the local bookstore owner and a few other book-lovers and writers, we decided on a day of the week (Tuesday), a time (6 p.m.), a place (a café), and how often (once a month). I put up a few posters, sent a press release to the local newspaper, and on the second Tuesday of June showed up, looking “writerly,” at 6:00 at the coffeehouse.

It was easy for me to identify who was there for the writers’ group, and it was easy for them, apparently, too. We all looked experienced (read “over 30”), fairly academic, and were the only people with stapled sheets of paper clutched in our hands. By the following winter, we were officially sponsored by the public library and had our own page on its web site (http://www.menomonielibrary.org/ ). We developed guidelines and our mission, both of which are posted on the site.

Members bring copies of a 3 to 5 page selection, which he or she reads aloud. Each member comments on the piece. We are careful to start with positive feedback, and then offer concrete suggestions, such as, “I liked the way you provided vivid details of the first scene, and if you could add a similar level of detail to the final scene, it would help me visualize it better.”

Many of us are professional writers who are trying out a different type of writing. For example, I’m a technical writer venturing into novel writing, some are journalists working on fiction, one is a University public relations specialist working on her memoirs, a web designer is writing children’s books, and an engineering professor is working on his autobiography.

That first meeting has blossomed through the years into a solid group of close friends, my own completed novel, steady work on another member’s historic novel, progress for a number of people on their memoirs, a growing collection of children’s stories, and many other stories and poems. My friend’s cookbook? Well, so far she’s only been to one meeting, so I can’t include her in my list of successes.

Recently read: Lee Child’s The Hard Way

When you want to read a fast-paced thriller that is hard to put down, you can’t go wrong with one of Child’s Jack Reacher novels. This one is no exception. Even though Reacher is similar to all the other hard-boiled ex-military heroes of action books, Child does a better job of character development both of Reacher and of the various good guys and bad guys that pass through the pages.

In this book, Reacher is hired to find the kidnapped wife of a mercenary who is able to pull millions of dollars in cash from a secret place in his apartment. With every trail Reacher follows, the questions grow and few are answered. He discovers the wife’s small daughter also disappears, but his employer Lane doesn’t seem particularly eager to find the child. The book stretches from New York City across the Atlantic, as the clues pile up and the answers aren’t always the right ones. Where is all that cash coming from? What happened to Lane’s first wife? Why did the kidnapper specify what car should be used to drop off the money? What is so special about the vacant apartment building? It is a lot more fun for the reader to learn the final answers than it was for Reacher to track them down.

Life is a multimedia event

In one of my Master’s classes, we looked at how technology affects the education system now and in the future, and the impact of technology on learning. Education, along with news, politics, entertainment, and selling, can be categorized as “information delivery.” Like many people in their 50s, the rapid changes are both exhilarating and scary to me. I can stand in front of small and large groups of people and talk for hours (the Sage on a Stage system of education), but expect me to work a visual presentation? Create an animated one? Not without much angst. Regardless of personal feelings, there is very little likelihood of going back to the old ways. Some effects of technology on information delivery include:

• Increased technology and rapid changes across all industries and fields means an increased need for post-secondary education, both initially for those first entering the workforce and recurrently for the rest of the workers. This in turn means teaching at the university and technical college level is becoming even more important.
• Teaching tools affect the methodology, moving it from a human voice speaking from a warm body to high-tech devices where direct human contact is minimal, if at all.
• Changes in the delivery of courses mean students can live anywhere—not just near a campus. Distance learning and web-based courses are being offered at an increasing level.

Because I teach multicultural communications as well as business writing, I am collecting a variety of blogs and sites that represent a wide range of media. And, since communications should be enjoyable, I particularly like things that amuse me. These are just a hoot!

http://www.dirtycarart.com/ (now this is a creative medium!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDSGmx8c2AM&mode=related&search= (look for Algorithm March with Ninjas. Two will play—the first one has a translation, the second has Ninjas)

Earning money while waiting for the world to discover you have written a best seller

In 1990, I was asked to serve on the board of the Council for Wisconsin Writers (http://www.wisconsinwriters.org/ ). The other board members were university faculty, editors, and a literary agent. I was completely intimidated by all these high-powered people, and wondered how I ended up being asked to serve on the Council board with them. At my first board meeting, when I explained that I was a technical writer for the State of Wisconsin, everyone gasped. That made me feel even more intimidated—but just for a moment. Almost immediately, everyone started talking at once, saying things like, “you are so lucky. . . we need someone on the board who actually earns a living writing . . . how did you get your job?”

I have earned a good living as a writer for 30 years. I've written for the private sector as an employee and as a freelance consultant, and also for state government as an employee. And I still am asked how did I get so lucky as to be able to earn a living as a writer, and what is my advice for getting a job as a technical writer?

My first professional job after college was in health insurance. When upper management noticed I could write, I was moved into the Communications Department. The career of Technical Writer did not exist at that time. Now, it is a growing field and covers a wide range of categories. Because I am asked regularly and often about technical writing, I thought I’d include a series of essays on the subject, including discussions of some of the categories such as Grant Writing. Stay tuned . . .

This moment in life

I have changed the direction of my life at fairly regular intervals during my five decades of living, and many people I know are doing the same. This can happen because of circumstances such as loss of a job, or the desire to do something different with your remaining life. In the early 1990s, I had one of my regular life-crises, in which I examined what I’m doing, assessed how comfortable I was with my life at that moment, and looked at what I wanted. During that particular introspective period, I came up with a tag line to describe how I want my life to be, and it continues to serve me well. It is: “I want a job that I love to get up for in the morning, and that increases my prosperity.” Part of this process is knowing when to take a risk, rather than playing it safe. (Note: use a little bit of caution and make sure you have a safety net of some sort, such as a day-job, sufficient savings or a supportive partner.)

To make life-changes happen, I must be in touch with myself, aware of the present moment, and willing to take a risk. A writer and musician I know, Kenton Whitman, writes about living a life that is rooted in the moment. One of his recent postings expresses this view exactly, “It’s all about discovering this very moment, and finding that if we stop trying to force life into little boxes, it blossoms in infinite perfection. The magic answer is that we don’t have to work hard to live an amazing life – we just have to cease all the habitual effort we usually apply to trying to force life into boxes. In this way, our life becomes amazing when we stop trying so hard. Yes, it sounds like a paradox, but it’s also a truth you can discover for yourself” (Whitman, June 29, 2007). Visit his web site, Zen-Inspired Self Development, at http://kentonwhitman.com/ .

Happy Fourth of July

Other facts about July 4, in addition to the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, are:

• The U.S. Military Academy opened at West Point in 1802
• Hawaii was declared a republic in 1894
• The poem “America the Beautiful” by Katherine Lee Bates was published as a hymn in 1895
• Louis Armstrong was born in 1900
• The Philippine Islands were declared independent in 1946
• President Johnson signed the Freedom of Information Act in 1966

Facts courtesy of Reference.com On This Day at http://www.reference.com/thisday/index.html?m=7&d=4

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July. Remember those who came before us, those with us now, and those who will follow us.

Recently read: Iain Pears’ The Last Judgement

I enjoy this series, although if you prefer hard-boiled or intense action, this may not be the book for you. If, on the other hand, you like low-key characters, mainly European settings (Italy in particular), and art and/or art history, Pears’ books will liven some of your summer evenings.

Art historian and sometime art dealer, British Jonathan Argyll lives in Italy with his Italian girl friend, Flavia. Jonathan’s easy-going ways, and his constant bad luck, are kept in line by the masterful Flavia, who also happens to be a police officer in the art squad. Each book in the series revolves around a painting, delving into art techniques, the shady side of the art world, lots of history, and lovely scenery. This one involves a dodgy art sale (of course), an uninspired painting that no one understands why it’s valuable, and the methodical solution by Jonathan, Flavia, and a wealth of international cops and robbers. Fun, frothy conundrum. If you like deeper—and longer—books, pick up his Instance of the Fingerpost set in England in the 1660s. Think of it as an English Name of the Rose.