No time to fall back

With summer just a reflection in our rearview mirrors, that means the FWA Annual Conference is right around the corner. Have you registered yet? The dates are October 23 - 25 with a special pre-Conference master class on characterization with Margie Lawson on Thursday, October 22. More about that later, but remember two things: first, you must be an FWA member to attend the conference, and second, appointments with editors and agents are beginning to fill up. So go to the Florida Writers Association website for all the details and to register.

Now, about Margie Lawson's master class, Empowering Characters' Emotions. You

don't have to register for the conference to attend the master class, but if you're going to the conference, this class is definitely worth an

extra day. The class is $50 for FWA members and $75 for non-members. All proceeds from this class go to the Florida Writers Foundation to help fight illiteracy, so you'll be helping yourself and helping others learn to read.

Lawson, a practicing psychologist, has been collecting rave reviews from writers across the U.S., in Canada, and in Australia and New Zealand. In the last four and a half

years, she’s presented over 42 full day master classes teaching writers how to add emotional power that hooks the reader viscerally and creates a page-turner. More information can be found online.

One more item before we move on, there will again be a silent auction at the conference to benefit the Foundation. Each region has been asked to gather items to include in the auction. I'd like to put together a gift basket of NE Florida-themed items. Do you have something you can contribute? It might be a special book about our area, food or household product. Think about it and email me at vicdig@comcast.net to let me know about your donation.

Now on to this month's FWA chapter meetings:

• First Coast Christian Writers meets every Thursday night at 6:45 p.m. at Christ's Church on Greenland Road. This week's speaker is author Pete Koerner who will discuss his book, The Belief Formula.
• River City Writers meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Regional Library off Gate Parkway. Gregg Golson is the new chapter leader and can be reached at gtgolson@comcast.net.
• Amelia Island Writers meet on the third Tuesday of the month at Fernandina's Florida House Inn at 6:00 p.m. Contact Maggie deVries at maggie1948@yahoo.com for details.
• Ancient City Writers will hear from writing coach John Boles about how to turn your novel into a screenplay. They meet on Saturday, September 19 at 10:15 a.m. at St. Augustine's Main Library, 1960 N. Ponce De Leon Blvd. John has been a producer, director, editor and actor. Writers will break into critique groups following John's presentation.
• Ponte Vedra Writers round off the month with a special program of interest to both crime and mystery writers who want the inside scoop from a working police detective. Karen Smith is a detective with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and the training coordinator for the Crime Scene Unit. She's been with JSO for ten years and investigated over 200 homicides and more than 3,000 other crimes. If you think crimes can be solved in an hour or less (with time for commercials) then you need to hear Detective Smith. She will use her knowledge of crime scene investigation to tell us the difference between what we see on CSI and Law and Order and real-life investigation. The meeting begins at 10:30 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Library.

More News for Writers

• The Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) is meeting on
  Saturday, September 19 from 1-3, at the Southeast Regional Library, 10599
  Deerwood Park Blvd, Jacksonville, Florida 32256. (904) 996-0325. Paul R. May will speak on Organizational Strategies for Novel Revision and Robyn Gioia will walk us through using Wikis. SCBWI meetings are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Janet Walter at jgwalter@comcast.net .
• Mims Cushing will teach a writing class for writers of all persuasions at THE PLAYERS Community Senior Center in Ponte Vedra Beach. Mims describes it as "Not your eighth grade English teacher's writing class. No pressure, no grades." The class will meet on Wednesday afternoons from 12:30 to 1:30 for four weeks starting October 14. There is a minimum $10 donation which will go to the senior center. Call Mims at 285-5781 or make your reservations at 280-3233.
• Frank Green continues to set records every week with his long-running critique sessions known as The Bard Society. They meet at 7:00 p.m. at Frank's home. Contact him for details at frankgrn@comcast.net.
• The University of North Florida's Division of Continuing Education launches another season in their popular Learn Jacksonville personal enrichment programs. Among the dozens of excellent courses (including belly dancing and wine appreciation) are four writing courses of note. Sharon Cobb will teach three 1-day screenwriting courses for beginning, intermediate and advanced writers. John Boles will teach Introduction to Creative Writing, and Carol O'Dell leads a course on memoir writing. And the fourth course? That would be "Novel in a Day," with me as the headmaster. Novel in a Day is an interactive 1-day course taking writers through all the basic elements of novel writing. Held on Saturday, October 27, participants will leave with the outline for their next novel. Click on the link above for details of all the Learn Jacksonville courses.

At the Florida Heritage Writers Workshop last Friday, literary agent Lucienne Diver mentioned America's Next Best Celler Contest. Dorchester Publishing is looking for "the next New Voice in Romance." All genres of romance are welcome, and contestants must publish at least 20 chapters/6,000 words by November 1, 2009 on Textnovel. Voters will select the top ten finalists, with the winning mss receiving a $2,000 advance and publication by Dorchester.

Until the next update, keep writing, and I'll see you in the book stores.

Vic

Getting excited yet?

Yesterday we launched the 1st annual UNF Writers Conference with a day of workshops keynoted by bestselling author Steve Berry. Nearly 100 writers were in attendance for this 3-day conference jointly sponsored by FWA and UNF.

If you missed it, consider the upcoming Florida Heritage Writers Workshop, Friday, September 11 at the Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine. Among the offerings, south Florida Edgar Award-winning suspense author T. J. MacGregor will show you how to storyboard a novel, Florida Book Award Gold Medalist Shawn Bean provides tips on researching historical events, and literary agent Lucienne Diver talks about "Getting an Agent's Attention – the Right Way."

The cost is only $50 if you act fast because after August 14 it jumps to $65. And if you procrastinate, the price at the door is $85. Seating is limited to the first 100, so visit www.fhbookfest.com and click on the Events page to register.

Here's what happening this month at the FWA Chapter meetings:

• First Coast Christian Writers, now affiliated with FWA, meets each Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at Christ's Church on Greenland Road. Each meeting provides a guest speaker as well as a critique session.
• River City Writers meet Tuesday, July 11 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Regional Library, 10599 Deerwood Park Blvd. This month's speaker is freelance journalist and FWA member Anna Rabhan speaking on the topic, ""Freelancing: Is it for You?"
• Ancient City Writers meet Saturday, August 15 at the Main Library in downtown St. Augustine at 10:15 a.m. The chapter is offering a double-barreled program this month with Rita Malie discussing writing memoirs and Rik Feeney reporting on his trip to Book Expo America earlier this summer.
• Our neighbor to the north, Amelia Island Writers, meets on Tuesday, August 18 at 6:00 p.m. at the Florida House Inn in Fernandina Beach. Chapter leader Maggie deVries will be giving a mini-writing seminar covering dialogue and common writing mistakes. For more information, contact her at maggie1948@yahoo.com.
• As usual, the Ponte Vedra Writers close out the month with a meeting on the fourth Saturday, August 22, at 10:30 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Library. Entertainment attorney Carolyn Herman will tell you "What You Need to Know Before You Become Rich & Famous." She'll discuss those shadowy contractual issues you definitely need to know about before you sign a contract.

More News for Writers:

• The Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) is meeting on
  Saturday, August 15 from 1-3, at the Southeast Regional Library. Special
  guest speaker, Dr. Katie Monnin from the University of North Florida, will
  talk about developing a Graphic Novel. For more information, contact Janet Walter at jgwalter@comcast.net.
• Anyone interested in joining a new critique group being formed by Jennifer Swanson may contact her at jenswan1222@yahoo.com or pennyandrio@yahoo,com. Jennifer said the group will meet twice a month at either the Pablo Creek or SE Regional Libraries.
• Time to register for the 8th Annual Florida Writers Conference, Lighting the Way, if you haven't already. Dates are October 23 - 25 and will be held at the Orlando Marriott Lake Mary. Six agents, nine publishers and a host of professionals will present workshops on everything from craft techniques like point of view, to how to build buzz for your book. There are a lot of reasons to attend, Open Mic Night, the keynote speech by suspense/thriller author James O. Born, and of course, the Royal Palm Literary Awards Banquet. For all the details, download the conference brochure from the FWA conference page.
• Here's another reminder about the upcoming Literary Legends Awards dinner, part of the Florida Heritage Book Festival. The event honors outstanding Florida authors Michael Connelly, Harry Crews and Michael Gannon, and will be held at the Sawgrass Marriott in Ponte Vedra Beach on Thursday, August 27. Connelly, pictured at right, has been on the New York Times bestseller list with his Harry Bosch crime series as well as his stand-alone novels like Blood Work, which was made into a film starring Clint Eastwood. His latest release is The Scarecrow. Crews, an iconic novelist and former writing instructor at the University of Florida, was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame earlier this year. And Dr. Michael Gannon is known as the "dean of Florida studies," because of his acclaimed histories of Florida. Purchase your tickets online at the Florida Heritage Book Festival website.
• The Scribbler's Retreat Writers Conference is held four times a year at the Sea Palms Resort on St. Simon's Island, GA. The next one is this weekend where the theme is Science-Fiction & Fantasy. I'll be in attendance Saturday and give a workshop on scene & sequel, entitled "Let's Make a Scene."

That's it for now. I'll leave you with a statement made by Steve Berry when he keynoted yesterday's UNF Writers Conference. He said that he wrote for 12 years, receiving 85 rejections for five different novels before he sold The Amber Room. "If I can do it, then so can you."

Vic

Summer Doldrums

Here's a quick summer look at what's happening at the various FWA writers groups this month, as well as a reminder about upcoming events of interest.

• First Coast Christian Writers meet each Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at Christ's Church on Greenland Road. This week, July 16, author, speaker and trainer Snowden McFall is the speaker.
• River City Writers meets Tuesday, July 14 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library. Former MP officer Henry Stevens became a UNF faculty member and developed advanced criminal investigation training courses for the school's Institute of Police Training & Management. He'll discuss basic crime investigations and interrogations techniques. Sounds like a good one for all you mystery writers out there.
• Ancient City Writers meet this Saturday, July 18 at 10:15 a.m. at St. Augustine's Main Library. Arliss Ryan, the author of two historicals, including The Kingsley House, will discuss "How to Research and Write the Historical Novel."
• Amelia Island Writers meet on Tuesday, July 21 at 6:00 p.m. at the Florida House Inn in Fernandina Beach. Contact Maggie deVries at maggie1948@yahoo,com for details.
• The Ponte Vedra Writers round out the month on Saturday, July 25 at 10:30 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Library. Returning to the area is former resident and editor Camille Cline. Camille, a former senior editor with Cader Books in NY and senior acquisitions editor of Taylor Publishing in Dallas, now leads her own editing firm, The Literary Spa. Camille has more than ten years of real editing and book publishing experience. She will have a two-pronged talk (although she does as much listening to authors about their projects as she does talking) focusing on the numbers: Ten Tips for Self Editing & Five Keys to Getting Published.

And don't forget about these upcoming events:

• There's a new writers conference in town — The UNF Writers Conference. This 3-day conference, August 7 - 9, is unique in that it combines writer's workshops with comprehensive critique sessions and a pitch and query panel designed to help writers get their work before agents and editors. The first day begins with twelve 1-hour workshops keynoted by NY Times bestselling author Steve Berry. The workshops cover craft, marketing and expanding your writing horizons. For registration and all the info, click on the above link.
• The Florida Heritage Book Festival rolls out three blockbuster events you won't want to miss. The first is coming up on Thursday, August 27 at the Sawgrass Marriott Hotel in Ponte Vedra Beach. That night, the FHBF bestows three outstanding Florida authors with the Literary Legends Award. Michael Connelly, Harry Crews and Michael Gannon will be the recipients honored. Read about it and reserve a seat by clicking on this link.
• The Florida Heritage Writers Workshop follows on Friday, September 11 at the Casa Monica Hotel. Literary agent (Knight Agency) Lucienne Diver will deliver the luncheon keynote and one of the workshops – "Getting an Agent's Attention–The Right Way." The cost, including lunch, is only $50, but it rises to $65 after August 14 and jumps to $85 at the door. Use the same link as above to register.
• Don't forget to register for the annual FWA Conference, Lighting the Way, October 23-25 in Lake Mary. Always one of the better writers' conferences around, it's a good way to hone your skills, build your network and get published. You can also sign up for a Masters Class with Maggie Lawson on Thursday, October 22. Maggie is the developer of innovative psychologically-anchored editing systems and techniques. She'll teach us how to empower characters' emotions. The cost for the class is not included in the conference, but the $50 fee (for FWA members) benefits the Florida Writers Foundation to fight illiteracy. Visit the webpage to details and registration information.

That's it for now. Look for your FWA update newsletter in a few weeks.

Happy writiing trails to you,

Vic

"Eighty percent of success is just showing up"

~ Woody Allen

Woody had the right idea, didn't he? The race often goes not to the fastest and strongest, as the hare found out, but to the most persistent. So, as writers, we hold on to our dreams and keep plugging away waiting for success to reward us. This month, you're rewarded with a multitude of opportunities to improve your craft, network with your peers, and learn how to make showing up more rewarding.

NE Florida FWA Chapter Meetings

• First Coast Christian Writers meets every Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at Christ's Church on Greenland Road.
  
• River City Writers will not meet this month. They will return on Tuesday, July 14 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library. Contact Darlene Myers for info: dfm1973@ymail.com
• Visit the Ancient City Writers at St. Augustine's Main Library downtown to hear Nancy Haddock discuss how to grow a plot from a single sentence. They meet Saturday, June 20 at 10:15 a.m. 
• Amelia Island Writers will convene at the usual time and place—Tuesday, June 16 at 6:00 p.m. at the Florida House Inn in Fernandina Beach. Group leader Maggie deVries can give you the details: maggie1948@yahoo.com
  
• Ponte Vedra Writers meet at their usual time of 10:30 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Library on Saturday, June 27. This time they'll
  gather to hear from mystery writer Mary Anna Evans talking about FINDING YOUR STORY'S VOICE. Mary Anna reminds us that no two people sound alike.  Most writers recognize the value of bringing  characters alive through pitch-perfect dialogue. She will show us how to bring your story alive by also honing the narrative voices that tell the tale. Show up for this valuable workshop.

And More for Writers

• Speaking of mystery writers, Elaine Viets is one of the more popular ones with her Dead-End Job Mystery series. The South Florida author will make an appearance at the Ponte Vedra Library on Monday, June 15 at 6:30 p.m. as part of the FOL's Book Talk Cafe program. Elaine actually works the "rotten jobs" she puts her protagonist in with each novel. She'll talk about some of her experiences working everything from sales clerk to telemarketer, as well as her latest book, Killer Cuts, in which amateur detective Helen Hawthorne works as an assistant in a high-end hair styling salon.
• Remember to register for the annual FWA Conference, Lighting the Way, before July 31 to take advantage of the early-bird rates. Mystery and now SF author James O. Born is the Saturday keynote speaker, and the line-up of workshops is impressive. Click on the above link for details and registration form. Remember, you must be an FWA member to attend.
• FWA has topped the 900 mark in membership for the first time. New chapters have been added across the state and more benefits are coming. If you haven't joined or logged on the FWA Network lately you should check it out for the latest news and Forums for writers.
• The SCBWI Jacksonville children's writing group is meeting again on June 20 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library. The format of the meeting will be "Meet, Greet & Critique."
• The Amelia Island Book Festival presents an author luncheon with New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank discussing her novel, Return to Sullivan's Island. Benton will be at the Ritz Carlton, Amelia Island on Wednesday, July 15 at 11:30 a.m. Go to the AIBF website for more information and reservations. 
• The Anhinga Writers' Studio Summer Workshop (formerly the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Writing the Region Workshop) will be held July 29 - August 1 in Gainesville. Along with a noted faculty of writing pros, the conference will feature Charlaine Harris, author of the Southern Vampire Mysteries, popularized on the HBO series, True Blood.
• The Florida Heritage Book Festival offers all kinds of great opportunities for writers and readers alike. The 2nd Annual Literary Legends Awards banquet is scheduled for Thursday, August 27 at the Sawgrass Marriott Hotel. This year's ceremony honors New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly, pictured at right, noted historian Michael Gannon, and novelist Harry Crews. Each will appear at the dinner, as will Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning who will present the awards. Tickets are available online at the website link above.
• Also part of the festival is the Florida Heritage Writers Workshop on Monday, September 11 at the Casa Monica Hotel. The day-long conference features many of the authors appearing the next day at Flagler College, including Thomas Cavanagh, T. J. MacGregor, Shawn Bean and M. C. Finotti. Also presenting a workshop on how to get an agent's attention is literary agent Lucienne Diver. Early-bird registration is only $50 before August 14. But it jumps dramatically after that so make your reservations soon as seating is limited to 100 people. Again, you can reserve your seat online and pay via PayPal.

• The next day's activities are free, except for the Keynote Luncheon with Sen. Mel Martinez,  A Sense of Belonging: One Man’s Pursuit of the American Dream. The day features author talks, panel discussions, book signings and more by many noted authors including Tim Dorsey, Nuclear Jellyfish, that's him peeking around the bush to the left, young fantasy sensation Nancy Yi Fan, Swordbird, Eliot Kleinberg, Weird Florida, Rick Yancy, The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp, and many more. Visit the FHBF website often for schedules and details as it is constantly updated.

That's it for now,

Vic

"All things seem possible in May"

~ Edwin Way Teale

   Teale was an American naturalist, photographer and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who obviously knew a thing or two about the promises of spring. I find that some of my best story ideas come to me while mowing the lawn or working in the garden—if you can call the motley assortment of plants, weeds and tree roots snaking through my lawn a garden. 

   But this month brings a florist's truckload of goodies so read on for news of FWA meetings and other activities of interest to area writers.

NE Florida FWA Chapter Meetings

• First Coast Christian Writers meets every Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at Christ's Church on Greenland Road. The May 7 speaker is Jacksonville Beach Police Chief Bruce Thomason who will discuss his crime thriller, Body Toll.  
• River City Writers meets on the second Tuesday of the month at the SE Branch Library off Gate Parkway at 7:00 p.m. Next meeting is Tuesday, May 12. Lynn Thompson is the speaker. Contact group leader Dar Myers for more information: dfm1973@ymail.com
• Ancient City Writers this month calls on another ancient writer for its program as Regional Director Vic DiGenti presents a follow-up to his "Great Beginnings" workshop. This time Vic (yes, we ancient writers are allowed to refer to ourselves in third person) continues the novel lesson plan with "How to Avoid Muddled Middles & Dead Ends." We will all gather at the Main Library's meeting room at 10:15 a.m. to hear Vic discuss how to sustain interest to the very end. That's the ancient writer pictured to the right in what seems like ancient days when he had time to relax and read a good book.
• Amelia Island Writers will convene at the usual time and place—Tuesday, May 19 at 6:00 p.m. at the Florida House Inn in Fernandina Beach. Group leader Maggie deVries can give you the details: maggie1948@yahoo.com
• We wrap up the month of FWA meetings at the Ponte Vedra Library as the FWA Ponte Vedra Writers  gather at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 23. All of us who dream of seeing our novels on the big screen should take note as John Boles, an award-winning writer, producer, director and actor will discuss "Turning Your Novel into a Screenplay." John has taught writing, film and screenwriting courses for a number of years. He also writes and produces live, interactive mysteries for his own company, Mystery Makers. 

I'll have coffee brewing, you bring the popcorn.

And more for your money

• If you didn't get your RPLA submissions in the mail yesterday, you missed the cut-off and the entry fee has risen to $40 per submission. Remember you must be a member of FWA to enter the competition, and that the fee jumps to $50 on July 1. The deadline is July 13. Visit the FWA website for guidelines and to become a member.
• Another reminder about the upcoming FWA anthology, From Our Family to Yours. The deadline for submissions is May 31. This is the first in a new series of collections sponsored by FWA. The theme is family and it can be fiction or non-fiction or poetry with a 1,500 word limit. Like the RPLA, you must be an FWA member to be eligible to submit. This is a great way to get your work published and sold as the books will be sold online and at the FWA bookstore and conferences. Here's the link to submission guidelines.
• Those of you writing children's books (and there must be many in this area judging by the turnout to hear John Cech last week), you might want to check out the 2009 Moonbeam Childrens Book Awards. The new book awards program, designed to honor the best children's books, authors and illustrators, is accepting entries until August 22nd. Click on the link for guidelines and entry form.
• UNF's Literary Magazine, Fiction Fix, is now accepting submissions for Fall 2009 for fiction and/or artwork.  Short stories, short short, or novel excerpts may be submitted, but greater consideration will be given to fiction under 3,000 words. 
• Congratulations to Judy Weber, 1st Place winner in the Mystery category of the recent Do It Write Literary Competition. Another local winner was Linda Eadie. 
• More congratulations, this time to Rodney Hurst, It Was Never About a Hot Dog and a Coke, winner of the inaugural Stetson Kennedy Award. Presented by the Florida Historical Society, the award recognized the book for its investigative research "which casts light on historical Florida events."
• The Anhinga Writers Studio 2009 Summer Workshops, formerly the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings–Writing the Region) is set for July 29 to August 1 in Gainesville. It features Charlaine Harris, author of the popular Southern Vampire Mysteries which were turned into the HBO series, True Blood. 
• Apple and iTunes has a new offering—and it's free. You can download 33 podcasts from Roy Peter Clark's book, Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer, read by the author. These range from Nuts & Bolts subjects like "Begin sentences with subjects and verbs," and "Watch those adverbs," to what he terms, Blueprints like "Use dialogue as a form of action." 

That's it for now. I'll leave you with this pearl of wisdom from that great philosopher, Groucho Marx, 

"I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book."

Vic

Since these blog postings are sent out to people interested in writing, it's safe to say most of us consider ourselves writers. Or do we? When do we step over that invisible line dividing wannabe writers from honest-to-goodness writers? Is it when we decide we're writers, or when we become published? Maybe it's when someone actually pays us for our work. 

That's probably a question we all have to answer for ourselves, but if you're still waiting for your first publishing credit, you're in luck. FWA is publishing the first in a series of anthologies for FWA members. The first collection is titled From Our Family to Yours, and as the title suggests, it's all about families. These will be short stories (fiction or non-fiction), 1,500 words or less, with a family hook—good families, funny families, strange and dysfunctional families.

 Sixty of the best submissions will be selected for this first collection so get yours in right away as the deadline is May 31st. The book will be printed this fall and made available for purchase.

Some things to keep in mind: 

1. You must be an FWA member to submit and current through the fall publication of the book 

2. Submission is done electronically to FWACollection1@floridawriters.net

3. Authors whose stories are selected will be required to sign a release for one-time North American printing rights assigned to FWA

4. Go to this FWA website page for the complete details

Good luck with your submission. Now, let's see what our regional FWA Chapters have in store for you this month.

• You're invited to meet Almon Gunter at the First Coast Christian Writers (FCCW) meeting this Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at Christ's Church on Greenland Road. Gunter is a life coach, motivational speaker, and a two-time Olympic Track Qualifier. He's also the author of Focus on the Final Seconds and Win the Game. FCCW, now part of FWA, meets each Thursday and is open to anyone looking to improve their writing skills. Visit FCCW online for more information.
• River City Writers leader Darlene Myers reports that tomorrow night's meeting, Tuesday, April 14 at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library located at 10599 Deerwood Park Boulevard, will cover a number of topics, including "How to Create an Instant Bestseller," and "40-Plus Ways to Make Your Next Book Signing an Event!" Contact Dar at dfm1973@ymail.com for more information.
• The Ancient City Writers chapter calls upon veteran thriller writer William Kerr to discuss elements of the series character at its meeting on Saturday, April 18 at 10:15 a.m. at St. Augustine's Main Library. Bill's latest Matt Berkeley action/suspense novel, Mark of the Devil, was recently released and takes the reader from Florida's northeast coast to Germany in a desperate race that could change the face of history. Bill, a retired U.S. Navy Captain, will talk about how to keep a series character fresh while deepening and developing the character through a series of books. 
• The omnipresent speaker/author Rik Feeney returns to the First Coast to headline the Amelia Island Writers meeting on Tuesday, April 21st at 6:00 p.m. This time, Rik will be talking about how to use your book as a primary marketing tool. The group, led by Maggie Carter-de Vries, author of Amelia's Secrets, meets at the Florida House Inn, 22 3rd Street S. in Fernandina Beach. Contact Maggie for more info at maggie1948@yahoo.com.
• As Professor of English and Children's Literature at the University of Florida, John Cech directs the Center for Children's Literature & Culture. He's also an author of books for children and adults and the guest speaker at this month's Ponte Vedra Writer Chapter meeting, Saturday, April 25 at 10:30 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Library. Cech's topic: "Children's Books: Trends, Markets, Mysteries, and What's Always True." This is your chance to learn more about children's books from one of the nation's preeminent experts in the field.  

And here are a few other items of interest to area writers:

• The North Florida Writers meets on the second Saturday of the month at 2:00 p.m. at the Webb-Wesconnett Library. 
• The Mandarin Writers Workshop meets the second and fourth Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the S. Mandarin Library. This is a critique group and new members are welcome. Contact group leader Larry Barnes at wordsandpics@bellsouth.net.
• Don't forget the Royal Palm Literary Awards Competition is now accepting submissions in 23 different categories. You must be an FWA member to submit, and you can save some bucks as entry fees increase $10 after this month. Go to the website for complete guidelines.
• The University of North Florida is launching the UNF Summer Writers Workshop, August 4 - 7, an intensive workshop modeled after the acclaimed Iowa Writers Festival. The final day, Friday, August 7, will feature a day-long series of workshops on everything from screenwriting to Internet marketing, from self-editing to character development and dialogue. With 3 tracks covering Craftsmanship, Publishing and Marketing, the mini-conference will benefit FWA and includes lunch. Look for more information to follow shortly.
• The Florida Heritage Writers Workshop, Friday, September 11, kicks-off the 2-day Florida Heritage Book Festival in downtown St. Augustine. The workshop is held at the Casa Monica Hotel and features sessions with mystery writer Tom Cavanagh,literary agent and author Lucienne Diver, thriller writer T. J. MacGregor, award-winning journalist Shawn Bean, and many others. Early bird registration is only $50 (includes lunch), and the registration form will go up on the FHBF website soon. Speaking of the FHBF, in last year's inaugural event, they launched a new awards program called The Literary legends Awards by honoring Florida authors Stetson Kennedy, Patrick Smith and Jack Hunter. Word is out that this year's gala event will honor Harry Crews, Dr. Michael Gannon and bestselling mystery author Michael Connelly. The awards banquet is set for Thursday, August 27 at the Sawgrass Marriott Hotel in PVB. This will be a hot ticket, so check the website as ticket information will be loaded soon.
• And finally, for those of you looking for a good book title, sorry to tell you The Art of French Kissing is already taken. But you can meet Kristin Harmel, the author of this and other "chick lit" titles on Monday, April 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Ponte Vedra Library. A longtime reporter for People Magazine, Kristin has been called the real-life combo of Bridget Jones and Carrie Bradshaw, the Sex and the City author. She's also the book reviewer known as "The Lit Chick" on the nationally-syndicated TV show, The Daily Buzz. Among her other titles are How to Sleep with a Movie Star, The Blonde Theory, and the YA novel, When You Wish. It's free and coffee and goodies will be served.

The Pasco/New Port Richey 1-Day Writers Conference is this Sunday. Maybe a long way to go, but they also picked up on our regional book competition and work has leaked out that one of our own NE Florida members has taken the top prize in the Mystery category. Congratulations will go out as soon as it's official on Sunday, so stay tuned to see who the mystery author may be.

That's all for this blog. Let me hear from you and keep banging away.

Best,

Vic

Developing good writing habits

Talk to a dozen writers and you're likely to hear twelve different approaches to writing. Some people write in fits and starts, all hours of the night and day. Others are as disciplined as robots, writing at the same time of day, cranking out the same number of words or pages. For example, Shirley Rousseau Murphy, author of the Joel Grey feline series, has a set system. "I write, or revise and polish, a minimum of 2,000 words a day, 3,000 on a good day."

My buddy Randy Cribbs, a St. Augustine author with 6 or 7 books under his belt, is more laid back in his writing habits. "I'm afraid I'm not a normal writer," Randy told me. "I don't set goals, don't make many notes, and never write unless it is in my head. I basically build the story—characters, plot, everything—in my mind and eventually, when it seems to be falling into place, I sequester myself in what my wife calls the man room, and usually write until it's done."

The moral to this story is to set your own pace and find what works for you. It does help to set goals, whether to write a certain number of words or pages per day. The object is to focus on your writing and not beat yourself up along the way. 

Which leads us to this month's FWA update. Let's take a look at what's in store at the various meetings coming up in NE Florida.

• The First Coast Christian Writers group, FWA's newest Jacksonville chapter, meets each Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at Christ's Church off Greenland Road in room 513. Tomorrow night's speaker is Cheryle Touchton, a missionary and evangelist who speaks on her relationship with God and hands out cards containing quarters. Thus, she's known as the "Pocket full of quarters Lady." 
• Visit the River City Writers on Tuesday, March 10 to hear Bruce Thomason, Jacksonville Beach Police Chief and author of the mystery, Body Toll. This group, led by Darlene Myers, meets at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library, 10599 Deerwood Park Blvd. Contact Dar at dfm1973@ymail.com.
• The Amelia Island Writers Group welcomes Annette Myers, author of The Shrinking Sands of an African-American Beach, as speaker at the Tuesday, March 17 meeting.  The meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. at the Florida House Inn, 22 Third Street in Fernandina Beach. Call group leader Maggie DeVries, 904-321-6180, for information.
• The Ancient City Chapter skipped last month's meeting because the AARP moved into their meeting room to provide income tax assistance to us old folks. To make up for the loss of February, Rik Feeney will provide a double-whammy of a program, covering two topics—Developing Author Web Sites and The Right Way to Publish. They will gather at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, March 21 at St. Augustine's Main Library. 
• And the last meeting of the month, when, hopefully, March will exit like a lamb, takes place on Saturday, March 28 at the Ponte Vedra Library. The PV Writers Chapter is on a roll. Last month, John Byram, University Press of Florida editor-in-chief, talked to a packed room about some of the most common reasons why book proposals are rejected. For your edification, among the reasons are: 1) Picking the wrong press to submit your proposal to in the first place. Do your research before submitting. 2) Forgetting to spell-check. Editors are funny about misspelled words, especially if it's their name. And 3) Demanding unreasonable marketing and promotional support for your book. This month's guest is super-speaker, consultant and author Jon Gordon. He's the author of The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work and Team with Positive Energy, and The No Complaining Rule: Positive Ways to Deal with Negativity at Work. Jon and his books have been featured on CNN, NBC's Today Show, and in a variety of national publications. He will be talking about "How to Build a Million Dollar Platform." The meeting starts at 10:30 a.m. Don't be late or you may not get a seat.

Other items of interest include...

• The Royal Palm Literary Award Competition is now accepting your entries. This annual writing competition covers 23 categories of both published and unpublished work. The catch is that you must be an FWA member to enter the competition. There are new categories and new guidelines, so go to the RPLA Competition page on the FWA website for all the details. Winners will be announced at the RPLA Banquet at the October conference.
• Here's another benefit for FWA members you might want to take advantage of. FWA will publish its first anthology, a collection of stories from FWA members titled From Our Family to Yours. The publication will feature all kinds of stories about families, both fiction and non-fiction. The selection committee will choose up to 60 of the best ones, and Suzette Standring, former President of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists will select her top ten stories. Read more about it on the website, and send your submission to fwacollection1@floridawriters.net.
• As announced in my last update, the Florida Sisters in Crime chapter was planning to move their meetings to the first Saturday of the month. You know what they say about best-laid plans. Unfortunately, the meeting room wasn't available, so the March meeting will be on the 3rd Saturday, March 21 at the SE Branch Library. Then they will revert to the first Saturdays.
• Plans are being made for the next Florida Heritage Book Festival, September 11 & 12. Watch for information on the September 11 Writer's Workshop held at the Casa Monica Hotel, and the free reader's festival on the 12th at Flagler College.  The Literary Legends Awards dinner will take place several weeks before the festival (time and place TBA) to honor several of Florida's outstanding writers. Check the website for the latest news. 
• The Amelia Island Book Festival is moving from the fall to President's Day weekend, February 11-13, 2010.  They will feature new events and activities.
• UNF is in the process of planning a 4-day summer writer's workshop modeled after the acclaimed Iowa Writers Festival. More news as it develops.
• Sharon Scholl has asked me to announce that her poet's group, A Gathering of Poets, meets on the first and third Thursday of each month at 2:00 p.m. at the Ponte Vedra Library. They welcome visitors and new members.
• Mom's Choice Award Winners —  Pamela Bauer Mueller, a Gold Recipient in the Mom's Choice Awards for two of her novels, Aloha Crossing and An Angry Drum Echoed.  And to Jane Wood, Silver Recipient, for her two books, Adventures on Amelia Island: A Pirate, A Princess, and Buried Treasure, and Trouble on the St. Johns River. And Jennifer Swanson is a Silver Award winner for her juvenile fiction, Penny and Rio: The Mysterious Backyard Meeting. Congratulations to all.
• Kudos to Mary Jane Hayes, whose children's book, Emma's House of Sound, will be performed as a play at the Limelight Playhouse and the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind.
• And one more big pat on the back to Rodney Hurst, a Florida Book Award Bronze Medal winner for his non-fiction book, It Was Never About a Hot Dog and a Coke. 
• Chris Berman's new SF book, The Hive, has been released and he's out doing signings. As is George Prom, with his new book, The Thrift Store. Congratulations to them both, and to all of you about to do great things.

That's it for now. Send me your good news and items of interest for area writers.

Best,

Vic

Is it cold enough for you?

There are many good reasons why I live in Florida, but 27 degree weather isn't one of them. Still, it's all relative, isn't it? Our winters usually consist of only a handful of hard freezes, while the folks up in Lake Wobegon suffer through seven months of winter. And while some people may relish winter's arctic blasts, like this insane Green Bay Packers fan, give me a warm beach and a cool beverage anytime. But as one wag said, nine-tenths of the people wouldn't be able to start a conversation if the weather didn't change.

What does this all have to do with writing, you ask. Good question. It may be my personal antipathy to leaving my warm home, but I've found I've been more productive the past few days, pounding out pages and ignoring all the usual reasons to go outside. So thin as it may seem, that's my reason for talking about the cold in a writing blog. Maybe you have your own take on weather and writing. Let me hear from you. 

Okay, on with writerly happenings in the NE Florida region:

• First Coast Christian Writers meet each Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at Christ's Church, 6045 Greenland Road. This week's speaker is Florida Times-Union editor Tom Szaroleta. Tom will talk about how to get your feature stories into the paper, among other things. Visit group leader Lorraine Haataia's web site for more details. 
• River City Writers meet on the second Tuesday, February 10, at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library, 10599 Deerwood Park Blvd. Group leader Dar Myers reports that this month's speaker is award-winning Harlequin romance writer Tracy Montoya. Tracy will present, "Writing Romance: Is There a Formula or is There More to These Books Than Bodice Ripping?" Need more info, contact Dar at dfm1973@ymail.com.
• The Amelia Island Writers has a fascinating topic this month. Group leader Maggie de Vries tells me Jim Morgan, the former leader of this group, will return to talk about the discovery of an old manuscript apparently written by several unknown writers. Jim is the author of The Copper Indian and Faith and Proton Therapy. Visit with Jim and Maggie on Tuesday, February 17 at 6:00 p.m. at Fernandina Beach's Old Florida Inn. Contact Maggie at maggie1948@yahoo.com.
• St. Augustine's Ancient City Writers Chapter has been booted from their meeting room this month by the AARP tax preparers, but have no fear, they'll be back on Saturday, March 21 at 10:15 a.m. at the Main Library with a return visit by the always effervescent Rik Feeney.
• University Press of Florida Editor-in-Chief John Byrum speaks at the Ponte Vedra Writers Chapter meeting on Saturday, February 28 at 10:30 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Library. A faculty member of the Society of American Travel Writers, John is also on the editorial advisory board of The Florida Review. John will tell us "The Top Ten Reasons Why Editors Reject a Non-Fiction Proposal (and How Authors Can Avoid This Fate)." Sounds like something we all should hear.

Other items of note:

• Mark your calendar for this year's Much Ado About Books, February 27 and 28. They're in a new location with a slightly different format. They're moving to the Jacksonville Main Library for both days. Friday's event includes craft workshops with authors Anne LeClaire and Carla Neggins, a panel on blogging, a Q&A session with David Baldacci, and Steve Berry's "Eight Rules of Writing." There's also a Friday Brunch with Baldacci and Saturday Luncheon with Adriana Trigiani. Both are ticketed events, as well the pricey Ex Libris Gala Friday night. For schedule of events, click on the Much Ado About Books home page.
• The Do It Write Literary Competition has moved their submission deadline back to February 15 so you still have time to enter. You need to send 3 copies of the first 30 pages along with a 1-page synopsis. Click here for submission guidelines.
• The Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) Jacksonville chapter has changed its meeting format to two closed groups—one for picture book writers and the other for those writing novels. If anyone is interested in participating in either of the two groups, please contact Janet Walter at jgwalter@comcast.net.
• The First Coast Romance Writers meets on the second Saturday of the month at 11:00 a.m.at the West Regional Library, 1425 Chaffee Road. Former Simon & Schuster editor Marcella Landres presents a two-part workshop on February 14. The first part is "How Editors Think," and the second part is "After the Contract." The Jacksonville RWA also has their annual Southern Lights Mini-Conference coming up on March 14. The theme is "Five Key Elements for a Powerful Story." More details here.
• Noth Florida Writers also have a Valentine's Day meeting planned—2:00 p.m. at the Webb-Wesconnett Regional Library, 103rd Street near I-295. 
• And for you fans of thriller novelist James W. Hall, the author is speaking at Flagler College tomorrow evening, Thursday, February 5 at 7:00 p.m. in the Flagler Room, Ponce Hall, 74 King Street.
• Remember that FWA members can take advantage of their own social marketing network. FWA Network is for members only and includes genre discussion groups, blogs, publishing news and views and much more. Sign up here.
• And speaking of FWA, when was the last time you checked out the website? There's beau coup new stuff including news of the Royal Palm Literary Awards and he upcoming annual conference, which has been moved  from it's traditional November date to October 23 - 25 at the Lake Mary Marriott Resort. 

Let me know if you have announcements of new publications or awards won so I can pass them along.

Until next time, stay warm and keep writing.

Vic 

Looking Ahead

The holidays are over and we're tip-toeing into 2009 with the best of intentions, 

looking for positive change rather than more of the same. While I'm not a big believer in New Year's Resolutions, there are a few things I hope to accomplish over the next 12 months. How about you? I wish your New Year is filled with everything good and nothing bad. Didn't we have enough of the bad stuff in 2008? It left many of us reeling and more than a bit stressed out, nervous about the coming year. Hopefully,

 you don't feel like this guy? 

 

If you're committed to getting your writing career on track, complete a project or just get started, then there are more opportunities than ever before. FWA continues to offer monthly meetings in five different locations here in the NE Florida area. Additionally, there are other writing groups, classes, and opportunities to learn and grow as a writer. So let's get started. Here's what's going on in this first month of 2009.

• First Coast Christian Writers is the newest addition to FWA chapters in our area. They meet each Thursday evening at 6:45 p.m. at Christ's Church on Greenland Road. Julie A. Fast is the guest speaker on January 8. Julie is the author of several books, including Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder. For more information, visit their blog site.
• River City Writers get their groove back with the Tuesday, January 13 meeting at 7:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library at 10599 Deerwood Park. Blvd. This is a good one for you mystery writers as the speaker is Detective Karen Smith from the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office. For six years she's been a detective with the Crime Scene Unit, and also teaches Crime Scene Investigations at the police academy. 
• The Ancient City Writers chapter meets on the third Saturday of the month at 10:15 a.m. at St. Augustine's Main Library. This month, January 17, the guest speaker is Marshall Frank. Frank who was a presenter at last May's 1-day conference in Ponte Vedra, is an entertaining speaker. A former Miami-Dade police captain and the author of nine books, Marshall will talk about turning facts into dynamic fiction and non-fiction. Contact Jeff Swesky for information: sweskys@comcast.net.
• The Ponte Vedra Writers chapter offers a do-over this month with the return of Nancy Haddock. You may recall a messy lady named Hurricane Fay washed away our August meeting, so we've invited Nancy, the author of La Vida Vampire, back to talk to us about writing for the paranormal market. Barring a surprise January storm, join us on Saturday, January 24 at 10:30 a.m. at the Ponte Vedra Library.

Here are some other opportunities of note:

• Writing instructor John Boles, who is a spring speaker at the Ponte Vedra Writers, announces his next round of creative writing and screenwriting classes through the Duval County School System. Three Creative Writing classes at Terry Parker and Englewood High Schools on Mondays and Tuesday (8-week terms), and a Screenwriting class on Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Registration for the winter term is January 6 through 8 with classes beginning the following week. Call for registration or information: Terry Parker - 720-1650, ext. 142 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Englewood - 739-5212, ext. 128 from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. There are fees for each class.
• June Weltman will teach "Writing Mysteries for Children & Teens I" through Mandarin High School's adult community education program. The 8-week term begins January 22 and classes will be held from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the school. June will teach the follow-up course, "Writing Mysteries for Children & Teens II,"through UNF's adult education program starting January 21. Registration for the Mandarin High class will be held from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., January 6 - 8 at the school's office. Call 620-4200 to register for the UNF class.
• Lynn Harlin's next round of Shanty Boat Writers Workshop classes begin this month. The workshop is designed for both beginning and seasoned writers and cover various elements of writing fiction. The evening class runs Wednesdays from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. for six weeks and there is a $100 fee. Day sessions and an evening poetry workshop will also be announced. Call Lynn at 778-8000 or email her at lyharlin@aol.com.
• Florida Sisters in Crime meets at 10:30 a.m. on the first Saturday of the month at the SE Regional Library. Click here for more information.
• First Coast Romance Writers meet at the West Regional Library at 1425 Chaffee Road at 11:00 a.m. on the 2nd Saturday of the month. Go to the FCRW site for more details.
• Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) normally meets on the third Saturday of the month at 1:00 p.m. at the SE Branch Library, but will next meet in February. Click here for more information.

Contests:

• Writer's Digest is accepting entries or their 78th annual Writing Competition with a deadline of May 15. Enter in 10 different categories to be eligible for more then $30,000 in cash and prizes.  WD Competition.
• Looking for a list of contests, try this one.

And here's the winning entry in the 2008 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest ("It was a dark and stormy night...") Visit their site for all the winning entries.

Theirs was a New York love, a checkered taxi ride burning rubber, and like the city their passion was open 24/7, steam rising from their bodies like slick streets exhaling warm, moist breath through manhole covers stamped "Forged by Delaney Bros., Piscataway, N.J.

Until next time, 

Vic