Writers, May the Force Be With You

Using a popular movie quote as the title of May's blog post may seem a bit over the top, but the more I thought about the task writers face and the long, hard road to success (for most writers) the more I realized it takes a special force to keep plugging away. Look at the obstacles that some of the most successful writers faced to reach their lofty perch. Dr. Seuss has been in the news for all the

wrong reasons lately, but the beloved children's author and artist almost gave up. He'd been rejected by 27 publishers and was on his way home to burn his latest rejected manuscript when he ran into an acquaintance, who happened to be an editor of children's books. When asked about what he was carrying, Seuss (Ted Geisel) told him it was a children's book no one wanted to publish and he was going to burn it. His friend insisted on seeing it. The rest is history as the book was published to rave reviews and Seuss went on to write more than 60 children's books. This may have been serendipity, since, as Seuss later said, "If I'd been walking on the other side of Madison Avenue, I'd be in the dry cleaning business today." Still, other writers like J. K. Rowling, Agatha Christie, and John Le Carre were rejected multiple times and kept writing and submitting. So, take heart and keep on keeping on because the force is with you.

Here are this month's highlights:

• A website is one of the most important tools in a writer's toolbox, and I've invited tech wizard Nate Hoffelder to show us how to improve our author websites. "DIY Author Websites: From Blah to Boss" is the title of Nate's Zoom presentation on Saturday, May 29 at 10:30 a.m. Here's how Nate
  
  describes his presentation: An author’s website is their online office and storefront, but it doesn’t have to be a stodgy one. In this session, you will learn how, with just a little work, you can rapidly transform your author website from blah to boss. A good website doesn’t have to cost thousands of dollars; your site can be as simple as a single page and still present a professional face to reviewers and help you connect with fans. It all starts with knowing what you want to do, and why. In this session authors will learn:
• Tools and third-party services they can use (for free) to build their site
• How to revamp an existing blog to turn it into an author website
• What to put on the home page to win over new readers

        Use this link to join us on Saturday, May 29 at 10:30 a.m. The Waiting Room doors will open at 10:20 a.m. All are invited.

 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82994547970?pwd=UmtkRHNOZ3BZbmNBZktnbVlwNitvdz09

Meeting ID: 829 9454 7970

Passcode: 913701

• Admittedly, most of you won't read this in time, but tonight Rik Feeney will present his first in-person meeting of the Orlando Area Writers Group at the University Club in Winter Park. The subject: "Page to Stage: Read Your Writing for Perfomance." Performer and acting coach Jennifer Gregory will discuss how to best read your work to an audience. While we won't all be rushing to Winter Park for this presentation, Rik is also making it available via Zoom. The meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. tonight, Wednesday, May 5, and here's the link to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85364073400?pwd=YzNlRTlzQzE2TndPZkUyZTY2dmJmQT09
  Meeting ID: 853 6407 3400
  Passcode: 783088
• FWA has announced the Royal Palm Literary Awards are now officially closed. Hopefully, you were able to submit your work for the competition in time, and we'll report the area winners after the October Florida Writers Conference and the RPLA Banquet. 
• And we're happy to report that the 20th Annual Florida Writers Conference is back on track with a solid line-up of old favorites like face-to-face meetings with agents, 75 workshops and panels, plus new offerings like elevator pitch training, and RPLA Readers Theater. Here's the link for info and registration.
• Author Nancy Cohen is our guest speaker next month. The celebrated author of the Bad Hair Mystery series will tell us how to convert our print and ebooks into audiobooks to reach a wider audience. Look for more information and the Zoom link in my next blog post.

And in other news ...

• The Amelia Island Writers group gathers next on June 29 at the Story & Song Bookstore to hear Nancy Blanton and JR Sharp discuss Methods in Research.
• We're sorry to report the loss of another of our area writers. Doris Manukian, who was a longtime attendee of the Ponte Vedra Writers group, passed away on April 14. Doris had a long and eventful life and will be missed.
• There's news of another passing of sorts. I was saddened to learn that after 14 years the Florida Heritage Book Festival is calling it quits. FHBF Board President Debra Rhodes Gibson sent out the
  
  announcement last month with highlights of the history of this fine event, which was birthed by a band of visionaries who believed the nation's oldest city was the perfect place for a book festival. Led by retired elementary school teacher and principal Kathy Dvornick and Margot Pope of the St. Augustine Record, the idea blossomed into a successful festival that attracted hundreds of authors, recognized annual Florida Literary Legends like Michael Connelly, Edna Buchanan, Carl Hiassen, and Michal Gannon, and raised nearly $100,000 for St. Johns County Friends of the Library groups, Bookmobiles, and more. Dvornick became the first Executive Director of FHBF and I signed on as Co-Director soon after and helped grow the festival with the day of writers workshops and the Literary Legends Banquet. There's an unwritten expiration date on all events, of course, so I offer thanks to the many volunteers who worked tirelessly over the past 14 years to make the FHBF a success.  

And since I began with Dr. Seuss I'll end with one of his most famous quotes.

    "You're off to great places. Today is your day. Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way."

Cheers,

Vic

Vic DiGenti

FWA Regional Director