South Carolina Writers' Workshop

Arts Alliance Advocacy Day

2012-02-10T09:43:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, February 7, Kim Blum-Hyclack, Pat FitzGerald, Claire Iannini (all from Rock Hill) and I (Columbia)spent the day at the State House participating in the Arts Alliance Advocacy Day in an effort to draw the attention of our state legislators to Bill H.4697, a commonsense approach to funding of the arts in SC (a portion of the current State Admission Tax, levied on admission to concerts, movies, theaters, etc. would be appropriated to SC Arts Commission). Sen. Hayes is introducing a similar bill in the Senate this week.

The point was made time and again that students who have an arts component in their educations make better grades and are more successful after school. Another reiterated fact was a community with a vibrant arts environment is more attractive to prospective businesses looking to set up shop in our state. It seems the arts is good for the individual, community esprit de corps, and business - really a win-win situation.

I urge you to contact your legislators and let them know that these bills are important to you, your community, and the economic health and well being of South Carolina. I'd even go so far to say the arts are necessary in our lives.

SCWW Scott Lax Wildacres Scholarship

2012-02-05T12:16:00.000-08:00

SCWW is pleased to announce the SCWW Scott Lax Wildacres Scholarship.

Wildacres Writers' Workshop is a week-long writing workshop held in Little Switzerland, NC. The views are spectacular and the food is amazing, but the writing experience is one you'll never forget.

Attendees register for one of five (5) workshops - classes for those workshops are held every day. Classes are small, 8-10 attendees, so there is strong, individual critique work for each person. Faculty members are not only generous with their knowledge during class, they are ready to sit on the patio after class or in the evenings and offer more tips and advice. And there is plenty of free time to enjoy the area . . . or just sit and WRITE!

This year's Wildacres Writers' Workshop is July 7-14.

The SCWW Scott Lax Wildacres Scholarship is provided through an anonymous donor and is named for a former WA faculty member. It is for the full tuition for the week.

ONLY THE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT WILL NEED TO REGISTER FOR THE WILDACRES WRITERS' WORKSHOP

Eligibility for the SCWW Scott Lax Wildacres Scholarship
* Applicants must be SCWW Members in good standing
* Applicants must be 50 years old or older

Application process - applicants will submit one (1) of the following:
* Poetry - 3 poems
* Creative Nonfiction - up to but no more than 10 pages
* Novel - up to but no more than 10 pages
* Short Story - up to but no more than 10 pages
* Contemporary Commercial Fiction - up to but no more than 10 pages
All prose must be in standard submission format - double-spaced, 1" margins, 12 pt. Times New Roman.

Along with the manuscript or poetry, please include a cover sheet with the following information:
name, mailing address, email address, telephone number, SCWW Chapter affiliation, title of the manuscript or poems, and which class you intend to register for at Wildacres - if chosen as the scholarship winner. Also include a brief essay, 250 words or less, on why you want to attend Wildacres Writers' Workshop.

Applications are now being accepted and the in-hand deadline is March 10, 2012. Any submissions received after March 10 will not be eligible.

Send to Kim Blum-Hyclak, 1315 Treetop Dr., Lancaster, SC 29720

The scholarship recipient will then register for the Wildacres Writers' Workshop. Only the scholarship winner needs to register for Wildacres.

Questions? Contact Kim Blum-Hyclak at kim.blumhyclak@gmail.com

Good luck!

South Carolina Writers' Workshop: ALMOST HEAVEN AND, IF YOURE 50 OR OVER, AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY

2012-01-29T07:11:00.000-08:00

South Carolina Writers' Workshop: ALMOST HEAVEN AND, IF YOURE 50 OR OVER, AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY

ALMOST HEAVEN AND, IF YOURE 50 OR OVER, AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY

2012-01-29T06:50:00.000-08:00

No, the title of this blog isn’t referring to the Rockies, I’m referring to the Writing Workshop that is held at Wildacres in the Blue Ridge Mountains every summer the second week in July.

A first glance at their website, might entice you to go for the setting, for the faculty, for the view off the huge stone porch, and yes, for the food, which is wonderful. But I went there looking for a getaway, and a week long workshop with writer folks just like me.

While it seemed wildly decadent (the time away, not the price,) it was just like the ticket I needed to kick start my commitment to my craft. And I got permission to do just that during Director, Judi Hill’s welcome speech, in which she said one of the most amazing things I've ever heard as a writer.

EVERY WRITER SHOULD, WHETHER THEY COME HERE OR NOT, DEDICATE AT LEAST ONE WEEK SOLELY TO THEIR CRAFT.

Wow. That thought had never occurred to me. While I spent a lot of time writing and stealing blocks of time from other responsibilities, I’d never done that before. Even when I registered for the workshop, I didn’t think of the week in those terms. But Wildacres Writing Workshop made a huge difference in my life.

During that week I started rewriting a novel I finished several years ago about a mountain girl, thinking it was appropriate and some mountain magic just might rub off on me. I’m not sure if it was the mountain or my re commitment to my craft, but the magic happened and I sold that book to Penguin last year, just in time for Christmas.

Granted the title of this blog might be a little misleading if your 49 or younger, so let me be clear, Wildacres Writing Workshop IS FOR EVERYONE.

But if you’re 50 or over, here’s where YOU come in. An anonymous donor is offering a WILDACRES WRITING WORKSHOP SCHOLARSHIP to a current SCWW member in honor of former Wildacres faculty member at--Scott Lax.

Why 50 and over? In Scott’s words:

I was a decent writer in high school. Yet I allowed a few rude comments about my writing in college and a few years after to throw me way off course. It took me twenty years to get back to it, at 39, when I wrote published essays and columns on a weekly basis. At 41 I began my first novel; when I startedit I didn’t even know what an MFA was. I only knew I had to write. My novel was published when I was 46; we made it into a feature film, which was released when I was 50; I wrote my first produced play when I was 51. I’m 59 now, and I have just completed producing my first TV show (actually two of them) and co-written them. Most importantly, I became a father for the first time at 58 . . .

So here’s my point. It’s never too late. Writers 50 and older have so much to offer. Yes, we have some aches and pains and losses. But we have the experience and patience and love of life to offer readers, whether one reader or millions.”

I’ve pasted the eligibility requirements below and hope that you will take advantage of this amazing opportunity. If you’re under 50, let me reinterrate, that your investment, which is modest for a Saturday to Saturday stay in the mountains, all meals included, is well worth the trip to this little piece of heaven.

Eligibility for the Scott Lax Wildacres Writers’ Workshop

Open to SCWW Members 50 years or older

Applicant must not have previously attended a Wildacres Writers’ Workshop

Application process

Applicants for the Scott Lax Scholarship will submit one of the following to SCWW:

Poetry – 3 poems

Creative Nonfiction – up to but no more than 10 pages

Novel – up to but no more than 10 pages

Short story – up to but no more than 10 pages

Contemporary Commercial Fiction – up to but no more than 10 pages

Along with the materials, include a cover sheet with the following information

All contact information – name, address, phone number, email address

Chapter affiliation, if one

The class you intend to register for at Wildacres Writers Workshop (note, Ron Rash’s novel class is full)

Title of your entry

A brief essay, 250 words or less, on ‘Why I Want to Attend Wildacres Writers’ Workshop’

Material submitted to SCWW for the Scott Lax Scholarship must be the same material the scholarship recipient will then submit to Wildacres Writers’ Workshop as part of its registration process

Applications are now open and the in-hand deadline for submitting is March 10, 2012.

Send to Kim Blum-Hyclak

1315 Treetop Dr.

Lancaster, SC 29720

There is no application fee. Any submissions received after March 10 will not be eligible.

Award selection process

Finalists will be selected by a panel of SCWW Chapter Members

SCWW Board will determine the SCWW Scott Lax Wildacres Scholarship recipient

Recipient will be notified no later than March 24^th

Scholarship recipient agrees to:

apply to and attend the Wildacres Writers Workshop, July 7-14^th

submit to the SCWW Board a brief summary/report on the Wildacres Writers’ Workshop experience no later than August 31^st. Specifics about this will be given to the scholarship winner.

Recipient is responsible for transportation to and from the Wildacres Writers Workshop and any expenses outside the cost of tuition.

Questions? Contact Kim Blum-Hyclak at kim.blumhyclak@gmail.com

Some words from Scott:

“I wish all the entrants well. And I hope those who do not win are never discouraged: just by entering the scholarship award means that one has written something that he or she is proud of. That’s the important thing. As for the winner this year and in the future, I hope it moves them towards both humility and increased determination to make a difference through writing, through language, through the beauty of words.”

2012 SCWW Officers and Committee Chairs Elected

2012-01-22T13:01:00.000-08:00

The new SCWW Board of Directors met yesterday (January 21) for the first time this year. Among lots of business, new officers and committee chairs were elected.

SCWW Board of Directors Officers
President – Ginny Padgett
Vice-President – Kia Goins
Secretary – Monet Jones
Treasurer – Jim McFarlane

Standing Committee Chairs
Chapter Liaison – Kim Boykin
Conference Chair – Ginny Padgett
Contests – Virginia Schafer
Grants – Linda Cookingham and Virginia Schafer
Membership – Jim McFarlane
Petigru Review Editor – Tibby Plants
Publicity – Belise Butler
Quill Editor – Kim Boykin

All email addresses remain the same for each office and committee chair. Those addresses are listed in the Quill and on the website. Please don’t hesitate to contact your board members with questions, suggestions, or concerns. Because we are all volunteers, please allow a response time of no more than one week. If you have a pressing issue, email me at ginnypadgett@sc.rr.com. I’ll respond in 24 hours or less.

We have an enthusiastic, energetic vibe to the Board this year. I think there will be many new opportunities for the members of SCWW during 2012, and your board is dedicated to building on our proven successes. Here’s to a great new year!

The Past as Prologue

2012-01-15T12:42:00.000-08:00

The past eight months of my life have been busy with my 90-year-old mother. Some days are good, some not so. We have a caregiver for a period of time almost every day, but I've taken on the majority of her care. Going to a doctor's appointment takes up most of a day and wears both of us out. Just getting her to the car to get her out of the house for a while is a challenge. There are good days and not so good days.

Although Mom's short term memory is bad, she can still tell the best family stories, especially the silly things I did when I was younger. Those memories are phenomenal. She repeats conversations from 75 years ago in a manner I suspect is verbatim. She listened to the original War of the Worlds broadcast in its entirety and had no idea it terrified so many people. She didn't want for much during the Great Depression because her mother raised chickens and had a garden. She ran a boarding house and cooked for as many as 100. My mother's six older siblings and their husbands always helped out.

When our neighborhood trees were T-Ped one Halloween my Mom never gave me away: the tissue was pink and she knew it had come from our home.

I have more time to listen. I'm jotting down her revelations in a notebook. I won't get all the stories I missed, but I'll have a record of some of them. I learned that after her father died when she was nine, she and her mother took the train from Grand Rapids, Michigan, where they lived, back to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where her mother successfully managed the food service of a country club/hotel. Quite an accomplishment for a French-Canadian who could not read or write English. When Mom was in high school her friends made stove top potatoes. They cooked thinly sliced potatoes on the wood stove lids, slid them into bowls and ate them while listening to one of the few radios in town.

These reminiscences are important memoirs I can pass on to my children. This year I plan to write up a few of Mom's stories and team them with the appropriate pictures and make little books for my family. I know they will appreciate them, as my daughter and son take great delight in stories of my youthful escapades.

I wish I had thought of this years ago, of leaving a legacy for my children and grandchildren. But perhaps we need the wisdom we gain as we age to realize how important this is.

I think I'll take a memoir writing class. An instructor in Coastal University's OLLI program has what sounds like a great approach.

Once I have all the stories, I just need a great opening line and perhaps I'll become famous. More likely my family will have a legacy to pass on to their families. Sometimes recognition from loved ones is more important then being famous.

A Letter to My Great-Grandmother

2012-01-02T13:30:00.000-08:00

I moved into the home of two great aunts over twelve years ago. While combing through the remnants of furniture that were left, I stumbled onto a trunk filled with pictures and letters they had saved. This little adventure began my research into my family history.

The house next door was built by my great-grandfather. My cousin invited me into her attic one day and together we opened a sealed barrel. This barrel contained dozens of letters wrapped in bundles and tied together with ribbons. We had hit the mother lode, letters dating back to 1827. For weeks I sat and organized the thin parchment papers by author. Each letter remained in its envelope, so that I could identify dates and the location from which it had been mailed. I read for weeks, connecting the names within the family. There were business letters, land agreements, letters of love and letters of disagreement throughout the 1800s and early 1900s. The one letter that sticks with me, however, was written by my great-great-great grandmother to her granddaughter in 1879. It begins, “My dear Maude, I am now 74 and will not be able to give dates. I forget so much now,” and then proceeds to give an eight page account of her life.

Until that moment, the only thing that any of the family members knew about this particular woman, Martha Ruberry McBride, was her name and the dates of birth and death as recorded on her stone in the church graveyard. Suddenly she became alive with a story to tell. She walked us through her life before and after the civil war, the deaths of her husband and only son, her love for her grandchildren, and her remarriage.

What fascinated me the most, however, was this record of a life for others to read. That letter sat in a barrel for 130 years. Someone had the good sense to save it and store it properly. What may have seemed like an effort to provide remembrances to a granddaughter blossomed into a treasure of history for my generation. I have since donated it to the archives of the Caroliniana Library at the University of South Carolina.

Everywhere I speak, I encourage people to write at least one personal letter to someone they care about describing their life. E-mail will not suffice. Write your personal history down on paper and either mail the letter to someone you love or place it in a safety deposit box with your will. As Roger Angell writes in The New Yorker, “If we stop writing letters, who will keep our history or dare to venture upon a biography?” You never know what great-great-great granddaughter, nephew or niece, might discover the letter 130 years from now that inspires the great American novel, or at the very least shows your family that you were a living, breathing person with a story to tell.

The Power of the Written Word

2011-12-11T06:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I attended my mother's nuclear family's Christmas get-together. There are six siblings; their parents have been gone for over 35 years. This year their number was down by one very important member - their baby brother who lost his battle with brain cancer earlier in the year.

Before the meal, my mother read a story she had written about an incident from their childhood. I enjoyed looking around the room while my mother read to see her siblings nodding in agreement and even interrupting with exclamations of veracity. They were transported to another time and place.

The conclusion of my mother's reading met with applause and thanks. When she said she had copies for everyone, delight shown on all their faces. Hers was a gift that was the right size, color, and appreciated.

We write, write, write to perfect our craft...to reach our goal of publication...to have an impact on the world. Yesterday reminded me that all writing matters, not the size of your audience.

What I Wish Writers Knew

2011-12-08T18:27:00.000-08:00

As my time on the SCWW Board comes to a close, I've thought about what my last column to the members would be about. There are a lot of options, grammar and why commas aren't just for looks, industry news, why ebooks are a Capitol Hill issue, etc. In the end, I decided to share what I wish members knew -- about SCWW and planning a writers' conference.

So, here's my Top 5 things I wish members knew. I've included stuff that's personal to me, and a couple of things to keep in mind as SCWW moves toward the 22nd annual conference and other milestones.

5. I'm not a writer. Yes, I'm a member of SCWW. But, I joined my community service to the writing community. I'm an editor/designer.

4. The SCWW Board members are volunteers who don't receive a penny from the group. Each Board member finds his or her own reward in serving, but it isn't monetary. When there's mention of a silent auction, dues, or donations to other areas of the organization, know that Board members are the first to give and never take.

3. The Board REALLY welcomes ideas and suggestions, within reason. At the end of 2008, when I read the suggestions for the 2009 conference (my first as the conference chair), I was overwhelmed. There were members who suggested dead writers as keynote. Or artists who lived in other countries and didn't speak English. Sadly, there were also a lot of surveys completed that didn't include anything other than answers to the multiple choice questions. By the time I sent out the 2011 survey, I found another category of unhelpfulness -- members who simply type the same complaints in any block they could type in, each year. Time is taken to ask for suggestions. Please, be as thoughtful in your responses.

7. Since Board members aren't paid, most of us have jobs. Like the majority of the members, Board members have jobs, families and other commitments. Please, keep that in mind before calling 10 times in a row or sending five emails a day. It wasn't my attempt to ignore anyone, but in addition to the 20 faculty members each year and more than 150 or 200 (depending on the year) attendees, I also had a company and family I was responsible for on a daily basis.

2. Members' successes are great joys. I'd like to thank each of you who shared your good news with me.

1. There's something to be said for handwritten notes. Several conference attendees sent me notes shortly after the event this year. Please know how much I appreciated these unexpected gestures.

Well, that's it for me. Now is the time for me to step back and appreciate the new ideas and methods of the 2012 Board. I'm not disappearing from SCWW or the publishing industry. If you'd like to stay in touch, send an email to me at carrieemccullough@gmail.com.

Enriching Our Taste Buds

2011-12-04T12:40:00.000-08:00

Pierogi Oplatki Kapusniak Wigilia I had no idea what those things were until I married into a Polish family and celebrated my first Christmas Eve with them. "We're having soup? And the broth consists of cream of mushroom soup, sauerkraut juice and vinegar?" I didn't know you could buy cans of just sauerkraut juice. Years later that juice is tough to find, which is disappointing because I love the soup! Oftentimes marriage offers us the opportunity to experience new cultures with their different foods and traditions. We are of course richer for them.

I thought of that yesterday while listening to fellow writers during a public reading. Eight of us read and the sampling of work included snippets from two memoirs - one about a woman growing up in Tahiti, a children's story, a suspenseful short story, two humorous pieces and excerpts from two novels - one a Sci-Fantasy.

Before I'd 'married into' my two writing groups, I would have never picked up a book of Sci-Fantasy. Now I can't wait to hear what my friend Ed's characters are doing, and I have a greater appreciation for the genre. Listening to Pat read the stories about her mom, the South Sea Islands are no longer flat dots on a map but vibrant colors, sweet tastes and sensual movements and language. It's good to be regularly fed with something other than what we typically write or read.

A friend of mine reads only romance novels. There's nothing wrong with them, and with its many sub-genres she has plenty to read. But for me, reading in just one area would be like eating nothing but potatoes. I like them and can fix them a slew of ways . . . but they're still potatoes.

The 'family' of my reading group also tempts my taste buds. Because we actually read and discuss books, (I know of book clubs that don't do either!), I'm led to read books outside my normal reach on the bookshelves. I've grown as a writer, a reader and a person because of it.

As we look toward the New Year, I issue two challenges:
1. If you don't share your writing or reading with anyone, either a group or even just a friend or two, give that a shot this year. See what new worlds open to you.
2. Grab a book either in a genre or on a topic you've never thought to explore. You might be surprised where it leads you.

Oh, those words at the beginning? The sauerkraut soup is kapusniak. Oplatki is a wafer we share when exchanging blessings for the coming year. The wigilia is the meal and traditions of Christmas Eve. And pierogi are pockets of dough . . . stuffed with potatoes.

THE WRITER, THE QUILL, AND THE FLOWER

2011-11-29T07:35:00.000-08:00

Even though winter is almost here, I still have flowers. The roses are on their way out, but mums and viola and snapdragons have taken their places. By spring, the roses will take over again and the cycle will continue as long as all things that bloom get what they need.

Writers are a lot like flowers. They produce under the right conditions, they need creative sustenance to thrive, and they grow best surrounded by other writers who offer good honest critique and encouragement.

In an effort to offer our membership those same amenities, The Quill will undergo some changes. While our monthly newsletter will continue to promote your successes in “Member Chatter” and provide timely information about our annual conference, as of January 2012, The Quill will no longer be strictly conference oriented.

But in order to make those changes, I need to hear your ideas on what you’d like to see in The Quill. What kinds of craft issues would you like to see addressed? What kinds of contests are you interested in? Do you know someone who is a contest hound who would make a great resource for The Quill? Do you know of someone who would be a great columnist but might need a little arm-twisting? Or would you be interested in writing a monthly column?

If you’re a gardener, you know there are always to-do-lists, and, for many of us, the holiday season is no different. After talking to several SCWW members, the general consensus is they’d love to see more Quill articles on ways to sell yourself and your manuscript, on craft and contests.

As you make your lists over the next few weeks, think about what you’d like to see in The Quill. How would you make it better? What could we add to The Quill that would help you blossom artistically and publish? Most importantly, what do you need to grow?

Please Email your ideas to scwwquill@gmail.com.

Many thanks, and have a wonderful writing season.

Kim Boykin

Quill Editor

2011-11-22T05:46:00.001-08:00

New Board of Directors

2011-11-21T06:18:00.000-08:00

The election of a new B of D was accomplished at the November 19 SCWW Board Meeting. Your new Board takes effect January 1, 2012.

BELISE BUTLER, Columbia II Chapter

LINDA COOKINGHAM, Surfside Chapter

MONET JONES, Columbia III Chapter

JIM MCFARLANE, Greenville Chapter

VIRGINIA SCHAFER, Columbia III Chapter

KIM BOYKIN, Rock Hill Chapter - second year of two-year term

MARTHA GREENWAY, Camden Chapter - second year of two-year term

KIA GOINS, unaffiliated - returning for a two-year term

TIBBY PLANTS, Surfside Chapter - returning for a two-year term

GINNY PADGETT, Columbia II Chapter - returning for a two-year term

Puff the Magic Dragon

2011-11-14T13:34:00.000-08:00

Lots of people believe in magic of some sort: ghosts (check the statistics on this), the supernatural, aliens (maybe not the same as magic), the magic of sleight-of-hand—even as adults we often can't figure out how a trick is done. I always believed that we humans are more than we appear, that hidden inside us are wondrous abilities, indeed, magical abilities.

We all have the power to view the world in magical ways. Artists create images, sculpture, performance, music, and stories through which they share their magical vision with others.

Perhaps we have forgotten the power of believing. Sometimes reminders of our own magic come from unexpected places.

My daughter and three-year-old granddaughter stayed with my husband and me for six weeks while my daughter, an actor, performed for Atlantic Stage here in Myrtle Beach. While they were here, I learned something about magic.

Since my daughter worked most nights I put granddaughter to bed. t so, and two bedtime songs. Needless to say, I quickly ran out of songs.

One song became her favorite: “Puff the Magic Dragon.” I printed out the lyrics because I didn't remember them. But something was missing from the story. Remember: Jackie Paper stopped believing in Puff, so Puff didn't come play with him. It was too sad. Children believe in magical things. So I added another verse:

If you believe in magic and miss that rascal Puff

Then he will come visit you if you believe enough.

Just say his name out loud and he'll come out his cave

And be your friend forever and never, ever leave.

After I had sung the song a thousand times, I discovered something. I found truth, which could also be called magic.

We writers must believe in our own magic: our ability to tell stories. The magic only happens when we believe we can do it, and we take time to pursue the dream.

My wish for all you writers: let the dragon into your lives. Believe in yourselves and your power to create. Learn your craft, network, write, revise and submit.

There are many magical moments in this year's Petigru Review. Thanks to all who submitted and shared their magic with the world. It is available on Amazon.

Seeing Things Differently

2011-11-06T08:14:00.000-08:00

I heard a radio interview with Steve Jobs on the day after his death. No doubt you will ask, “What does being an aspiring writer have to do with talk from a celebrated entrepreneur?” I suggest that any writer who wants to make an impact in the publishing world has to help people do what Steve Jobs did – see things differently.

In January, 1986, the association where I was working provided IBM desktop computers for all operating departments. I found that it made many of my routine tasks go faster, but it didn’t do much to liberate my imagination. Remember this was back in the days of clunky, bulky machines using MS-DOS, which even at its best was not a helpful tool for the inexperienced user.

About three years later, I moved on to a job elsewhere. On my first day at work, I found an odd-looking box on my desktop. When I started using it, I learned that the Macintosh was indeed a different way of doing things. I learned over time to start visualizing my work tasks differently, thinking in terms of text, graphs, and images as an integrated whole. In other words, the aforementioned Mr. Jobs, was right: If a computer helped you see things differently, it might change the way you did things, not just the speed with which you did them.

That’s what’s creative about “creative writing.” There aren’t that many great original plots around. I mentioned to my students that The Odyssey is a tale that has been retold many times. When I mentioned O Brother, Where Art Thou? (perhaps the most recent example), the looks of surprise on their faces was a reward of the kind that teachers live for.

Different singers sing the same song in unique ways. That’s something even those of us who aren’t particularly original can do: we can make a song our own anthem and by doing that help others to hear it differently. While I conceded that there’s been much great sci-fi writing over the years, and while I find it sometimes to read Harry Turtledove, I don’t have the skill to create an entirely new world. I find it’s enough of a challenge to my writing skills to take an old story and express it in a new way.

Find a familiar song and make it your own. That’s one of the greatest rewards of any creative endeavor.

Thank you from Sorche Fairbank, Fairbank Literary Representation

2011-10-31T07:55:00.000-07:00

I want to extend a quick and heartfelt thanks once again for inviting me to be a part of your conference. I participate in six to eight conferences each year, and while I almost always enjoy them and find them worthwhile, it's been a long time since I've been to one that left this much of an impression on me. It was top notch all around, both for presenters and for attendees. Truly, not many conferences have such heart and and soul, professionalism, and value. Your selection of speakers / agents/ faculty was fabulous (even I left energized!), the attendees were open to suggestions and very eager to learn, there was a feeling of respect and excitement over being in the world of books and writing -- and none or very little of the doom and gloom that is present at so many conferences. And of course the meals were excellent, and the location was as well. I only wish we could have stuck to our original plan to stay for an extra few days.

PS: And I should add that I loved the Real Time Query appointments. A great way for attendees to pitch, but to also leave there with hopefully a more effective query.

Deadline Extended for Board Candidates

2011-10-30T07:01:00.000-07:00

The deadline for completed applications for nominations to our Board of Directors has been extended another week until Monday, November 7, 6:00 p.m. To request applications or send completed ones, please use my personal email address: ginnypadgett@sc.rr.com.

Elections will take place at the November 19th Board Meeting.

SCWW Members' Books Accepted on Consignment

2011-10-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

Jill Hendrix of Fiction Addiction is willing to extend the conference deal regarding book consignment to all SCWW members (http://www.fiction-addiction.com/). For details email Jill at info@fiction-addiction.com. Thanks, Jill.

It's in the Bag!

2011-10-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

Today, the 21st annual SCWW Writers' Conference is history. As the conference ended yesterday, I heard enough feedback to say with reasonable certainty that it was a good one. Many of you told me that this year's was one of the best, citing our excellent faculty. We have Carrie McCullough, Conference Chair, to thank for that - along with just about every other detail pertaining to planning this event. Please give Carrie a round of applause for the outstanding job she performed all year.

Of course the conference couldn’t have been as successful without the efforts of Kia Goins, Conference Co-Chair, (volunteer, vendor, sponsor coordination and ace all-round problem solving) and Kim Blum-Hyclak, Silent Auction Chair. They worked like Trojans to make Conference 2011 an enjoyable, informative, seamless and financially-viable endeavor.

Then there are the 20 volunteers that gave up a good portion of their conference time to insure that attendees were comfortable and on time to their specific sessions and appointments. This was accomplished with smiles and enthusiasm. In addition, there were many behind-the-scene chores shouldered by these members. Good volunteers are the oil that makes the gears of an organization turn smoothly, and this weekend our conference machinery operated with premium-grade WD40TM.

Here’s a big thanks to each member of our faculty members who took time away from their busy lives to share their knowledge and expertise. They didn’t make a great deal of money, had to rearrange their work schedules and dealt with the annoyances of travel in order to be with us. We were fortunate to snag them.

I have a quote from an email I received this morning. “I sat beside a writer from NY Saturday night and I asked him how he discovered our conference. He found it online, a site that reviewed conferences in the USA and ours was listed as NUMBER ONE!”

Also, I spoke with an attendee an hour ago who said, “I am busy putting to work some of the things I learned this past weekend. I expect better results than I’ve had.”

On Sunday morning, an 18-year-old man stopped to pass on his thanks to SCWW and our annual conferences. He said he had been attending them since he was 15 years old and owed his writing career to SCWW.

And lastly, a lady paused at the door as she was leaving the conference when I asked her if she’d enjoyed her weekend. She placed her hand over her heart and with a blissful expression sighed, “I have been inspired.”

If you couldn’t be with us this year, start planning to attend the 22nd annual SCWW Writers' Conference, November 2-4, 2012. I’ll see you there.

Conference Update

2011-10-14T09:13:00.001-07:00

In less than a week, SCWW members will be driving and flying into Myrtle Beach for the 2011 conference. Have you registered? There's still time. Just visit www.myscww.org/conference and follow the link for credit cards (we can't accept anymore checks because the mail might not make it to us in time). Want to pay by check though? You can register at the conference.

Did you manage to shift your schedule and can attend sessions on Friday? You can add it to your previous registration by emailing scwwconference2011@gmail.com. Please, don't start a new registration. That costs the organization needless fees.

Or, did you sign up for a basic conference package and now you really want to add meal tickets? Again, don't start a new registration, just email scwwconference2011@gmail.com.

Appointment Times

You signed up for an appointment with a faculty member. You're anxious to know who and when you'll meet, right? Well, this year we'll be sending out appointment time information the week before the conference. Appointment times will be emailed out, starting Friday. Please, keep in mind we sold 100 critiques alone, so it's impossible to send out all of the emails in one day. But, everyone should have their information by Monday. If you don't, please email scwwconference2011@gmail.com.

Keep in mind that appointment times and faculty cannot be changed, unless there was an error on the part of SCWW. Also, unlike previous years, you MAY NOT swap times or appointments. Only the attendee listed on our appointment schedule will be allowed in. Reselling of appointments is prohibited.

The Notebook

No, we're not referring to the Sparks’ novel by that title. We want to tell you about our conference notebook; it will be your guide for our conference weekend, October 21-23.

The Table of Contents will help you use the information more effectively, along with a map of the Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort and the menus for our meals. The notebook features front and back pockets to hold transparencies for slush piles and handouts from sessions. Of course, you’ll want to bring your own notebook to take notes. They’ll fit together perfectly.

In the conference notebook, in addition to the schedule for sessions and activities for the entire weekend, you’ll also find bio pages of our faculty with their photos so you’ll know what they look like before you go into your appointments or be able to recognize them on the elevator and mealtimes. There are instructions for the Silent Auction and SCWW Board of Directors bios and pics. Please introduce yourself to us; we want to get to know you.

Faculty Silent Auction Donations

David Coe – 50 page critique; books
James Frenkel – 50 page critique; books
Toni Plummer – 30 page critique; books
Jessica Regel – 50 page critique
Stephanie Sun – critique of query letter + 1st three chapters of a manuscript
Jon Sternfeld – 50 page critique
Eddie Schneider – (2) critiques, 50-75 pages + 1 page synopsis
Melissa Jeglinski – 25 page critique to be submitted by the end of November
Mollie Glick – books
Matt Frederick – books
Sarah LaPolla – critique of query letter + 1st Chapter
Sorche Fairbank – books
Chuck Sambuchino – books
Andrew Gross – books
Stephen Barr – 75-page critique

Silent Auction Proxy Bidding

Have you heard the news? There’s new and exciting activity with this year’s Silent Auction. The first is what is on the auction tables. We have 3 amazing get-aways: Three Oaks in TN, The Lazy Spring Ranch in WY and The Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort in SC. We have after-conference faculty critiques ranging from 25 pages to a query + the first three chapters. See above for a complete list of bid lots.

And very new this year, we’re offering Proxy Bidding! Members unable to attend the conference may place bids on silent auction lots through a designated proxy bidder. Below are the guidelines for taking advantage of this new opportunity.

All bids must be placed by a member attending the SCWW Conference Members wishing to place bids by proxy should notify Silent Auction Chair, Kim Blum-Hyclak at kim.blumhyclak@gmail.com no later than noon on Friday, October 21, with the following information:

Name
Contact information: phone number, address, email
Name of designated proxy bidder

Members attending the conference and serving as a proxy bidder will submit a proxy bid sheet which will be in the conference notebook. All items must be paid for by 1:00 Sunday, October 23. Items won through proxy bid must be paid for through the proxy bidder and proxy bidder is responsible for taking and delivering the auction item. SCWW will not ship any auction winnings.

Vendors and Sponsors

Fiction Addiction – bookseller for the Conference
Henry Wren Publications
Postertext
Glimmer Train
USC Press
Spalding University
Finishing Line Press
Dancing Lemur Press

Drop by these sponsors tables and thank them for supporting SCWW.

Volunteers

At the conference you will meet other SCWW members, published authors, editors and agents. You will also meet conference volunteers. Volunteers are SCWW members who are help to staff the conference. You’ll see volunteers practically everywhere you go during the conference. They will check you in at the registration desk, or sell you a t-shirt or Petigru Review at the Book Nook, or they’ll check your badge at meals. Say hi, they are really nice people and they’ll be glad to meet you.

Volunteers will easily indentified by the blue and green “Volunteer” buttons they will be wearing. If you need help with anything, from directions to a particular location or the answer to a question, just ask. If that volunteer doesn’t immediately have an answer to your question, he or she will find Carrie, Ginny or Kia and get you an answer as quickly as possible.

Have any questions about the conference? Email scwwconference2011@gmail.com.

Hope to see you soon!

Thank you, Thank you and Thank you again!

2011-10-13T13:48:00.000-07:00

This year we’re celebrating our 21st Annual Writers’ Conference and we couldn’t do it without some very important people: vendors and volunteers.

We are excited to welcome several new vendors as sponsors of the South Carolina Writers’ Workshop – Postertext, Dancing Lemur Press, Finishing Line Press and Spalding University.

Personally, I’m excited about the way Postertext turns literature into art. (Click on the names of our vendors to go to their websites.)

Dancing Lemur and Finishing Line are small presses where some of our members may find their next publishing home. YA and science fiction literature are the focus at Dancing Lemur, while Finishing Line is an award-winning chapbook publisher.

Located in Louisville, Kentucky, Spalding University’s MFA program was named one of the top ten low-residency MFA programs by Poets and Writers magazine.

We’re fortunate to have several vendors returning as sponsors of our conference: Fiction Addiction, Henry Wren Publications, USC Press and Glimmer Train. Returning vendors are special to us because it tells us that we’re doing something right. When vendors or attendees join us more than once, it speaks to the reputation of our event and SCWW.

Fiction Addiction is selling our faculty and member books during the conference.

You can look forward to finding some Glimmer Train publications in your conference bag as well as a selection of Glimmer Train publications in our silent auction.

Members of USC Press and Henry Wren Publications will be on hand to answer any questions you might have about the services they offer.

Each year, SCWW depends on the time and talents of its members to plan and host the conference. We also rely on SCWW members to staff the event so that all of the attendees and faculty members have a great time.

So much of what SCWW does as an organization is the result of the volunteers, whether board members, chapter leaders or the person who runs the critique room at the conference.

I want to take a moment and say “Thank you to our vendors for believing in us enough to donate to our cause. Thank you to our Board for giving your time and talents to the business of running this non-profit. Thank you to the volunteers for spending your weekend helping host our visitors and friends at the conference.”

Conference Prep from an Illogical Mind

2011-10-11T05:04:00.000-07:00

By J.M. Kelley

Prepping for an upcoming conference can be traumatic for an author, especially one who has issues with logic. Like me.

Last year, my first SCWW conference, I hadn’t even achieved South Carolina residency yet. Sure, that’s not a requirement. But a tiny part of me felt like I was cheating on my home state of Pennsylvania when I slipped into my car in the wee hours of the morning to slink off to visit my new paramour, the SCWW.

Logic isn’t my friend.

Luckily, this time, I can attend with a clear conscience. I broke up with Pennsylvania and moved to Greenville. Nearly a year later, my relationship with The Palmetto State is as strong as ever.

But, I digress. We were about to discuss conference prep.

We all know the basic battle plan for attending a conference with an unsold manuscript in possession. Some of the more important points are:
1. Know your story. Be prepared to sell it. Have your query ready. Memorize your elevator pitch.
2. Dress comfortably but professionally.
3. Have your classroom supplies ready. Bring notepads, pens and pencils, maybe a voice-activated digital recorder.
4. Choose your courses with thought. Think about what you want to take away from the conference. What are your weaknesses? Grammar? Marketing? Clueless about formulating a professional query letter? Focus on your needs, but don’t be afraid to mix it up a little.
5. Step outside of your comfort zone. We’re authors. We understand the introvert tendencies some of us experience. Make friends. Make contacts.

**************

Pretty straightforward information, but always worth repeating, don’t you think?
Especially for a scatterbrain such as myself. I know the rules. Honest. But when it comes to applying them, logic often fails me. So let’s explore my brain in pre-conference prep mode. Consider it an exercise in how not to prepare.

Know Your Story.

I know my story. I can describe it to you. Do you have a half an hour? See, this girl, she has to come home to help out her father…

Okay, I know my story. And I’m working on the short version. I promise you that. It’s the elevator pitch that frightens me. How do you sum up a hundred thousand words in one sentence? This is the question that keeps me awake at night. And queries? Don’t even get me started on queries. My first novel went through about seven different queries before I finally found one that stuck. The first one will someday be featured on several agent sites to demonstrate what not to do when trying to entice an agent.

My biggest conference fear is that the following conversation will occur.

Random Agent: So what’s your story about?
Me: Huh? What?
R.A.: Your story. The entire point of you being in my presence. What is it about?
Me: It’s a book.
R.A.: Yes. Kinda figured that.
Me: It’s really good.
R.A.: Mm hmm. Excuse me. I have to go throw myself from the roof.
Me: Have fun?

Be Prepared To Sell It.

In my mind, that means one thing. Snazzy business cards. And when it comes to business cards, my idiocy emerges and I need the intervention of friends to return me to sanity.

Me: I think I found a business card design I like. Want to see?
Friend: Sure. (Views link to business card image) There’s a banana on this business card.
Me: Yes. It’s a very cute banana.
Friend. You hate bananas.
Me: I hate eating bananas. I like dancing bananas on business cards, though.
Friend: You’re an idiot. What does this have to do with your writing?
Me: I’m sure there’s a banana somewhere in the book.
Friend. Again, you’re an idiot.

Dress Comfortably But Professionally.

Exchanges like this are not productive when trying to decide on appropriate conference attire:

Me: What do you think of this skirt?
Friend: It looks good on you.
Me: Do you think I can wear my combat boots with it?
Friend: No. No combat boots.
Me: How about this dress? Does it make me look fat?
Friend: No. I think it’s a great choice for the Keynote Address Dinner.
Me: The skirt is longer on this. Definitely a combat boot kind of dress.
Friend: For the love of all that is holy, do not bring the combat boots.
Me: They give me an air of quirkiness.
Friend: They give you an air of Odor Eaters. Those things are ten years old and smell like death.

Have Your Classroom Supplies Ready:

My interpretation:
Go to Target and spend an hour trying to decide between a neon pink Hello Kitty theme or a notebook that looks like a tropical garden just exploded from its recycled material innards.

Feel bad about leaving behind the giant wooden pencil I’ve owned since kindergarten.

Choose Your Courses With Thought.

This means you shouldn’t accidentally wander into the conference room hosting the Morticians of America Annual Meet and Greet and Crematorium Emporium.
This also means that the crumpled course list you’ve been nervously twisting and untwisting in your hands has another, more important, use.

Step Outside of Your Comfort Zone.

Last year, I was a wall flower. An unemployed wallflower who selected the Basic Package and somehow managed to leave the conference without realizing she’d been awarded a Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Award.

This year I’m volunteering. That, my friends, is a step outside of my claustrophobic box of isolation.

**************

Okay. Clearly, I’m exaggerating my mindset as the 2011 SCWW Conference approaches. Well, a little bit. I really am logic-impaired, and really do have a Hello Kitty notebook that is trying to wriggle its way into my bag of conference supplies.
The real point I’m trying to make, all kidding aside, is this: Don’t overthink it. But don’t underthink it, either.

You’re a writer forging into territory where some pretty impressive names in the publishing industry will be lurking. It’s smart to be at the ready, just in case you manage to catch the ear of your dream agent or editor.

Don’t wander the conference rooms with three printed copies of your full manuscript, attacking editors and agents at will. But don’t be afraid to think positive. There’s nothing wrong with having a flash drive handy with samples of your work, ready to print out in the Business Center just in case you get that miracle moment where an agent begs to see the evidence of your brilliance. More than likely, if you get an invitation to submit your work from an agent, you’ll be emailing the requested material once the conference ends. But a writer can dream.

Don’t sweat the attire. But don’t wear your twenty-one year old Chuck Taylor All Star sneaks and a ratty pair of acid-washed jeans that looked great on you in 1986. Be comfortable, but be mindful of the image you project to publishing professionals.
Pick the classes that appeal to you and your particular writing niche. And be prepared to take notes. Don’t let all the free-flowing information go to waste. A year after my original SCWW Conference experience, and I still often peek at the notes I took to refresh my memory about a certain point.

Have the kind of fun that doesn’t end up with you doing the Macarena on the hotel bar with a lamp shade on your head.

The most important advice I can impart is this: Reach out. I emphasize this because I am too often compelled to blend into the scenery. Interacting with real humans is infinitely more stressful to me than creating fictional characters. Thing is, even the most introverted, shy person at a writing conference has the easiest conversation starter at their disposal. Look around you. Find a kind face. Walk up to them and say, “Hi! So what’s your book about?”

Everybody there will have an immediate answer for you.

Solidarity, brothers and sisters. Embrace the opportunity to connect with the milling crowds of people who know just what it’s like to have the one job in the world in which it’s perfectly okay to respond to the voices in your head. You won’t be sorry.

J.M. Kelley's debut novel, Drew in Blue, is a contemporary romance available from Lazy Day Publishing. Drew in Blue was nominated for Best Contemporary of 2010 by The Romance Reviews, and is a TRR and Night Owl Reviews Top Pick. Drew is available for download from Amazon, B&N, All Romance, and OmniLit. J.M. dabbles next in the paranormal realm with her short erotic romance, Laws of Attraction, included in the Lazy Day Publishing anthology, Indulgence: Tales from the Cirque Romani, available via Amazon on October 19th. For information and news, please visit www.jmkelleywrites.com.

Thank You for Your Patience!

2011-10-08T05:19:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your patience with the Members' Published Work page on our website. A complete overhaul, including a new cost-effective method for updating the information on this page, was a task we'd hoped to accomplish in August/September. However, due to the economic strictures under which we all are operating, our proposed income for the year is down by 35% or more.

When the Board meets in November and we evaluate the financial success of the conference against our annual expenses, there may be difficult decisions to be made. Rest assured that your Board of Directors works diligently to produce the best results for SCWW to serve her membership in the most advantageous way.

Thank you again...and register for the conference! I'll see you there.

Getting Ready for SCWW Conference

2011-10-05T16:00:00.001-07:00

The conference will start sooner for me than for attendees. You've still got 16 days before the event begins. I'll be Myrtle Beach bound Oct. 16.

Some of you are probably thinking, "Really? Lucky Duck. What's there to do?"

Well, I'll be reviewing the menus, meeting space and decorations. I'll take care of last-minute details concerning faculty flights, driving schedules and room reservations. With the help of volunteers, Co-chair Kia Goins and Board President Ginny Padgett, I'll put together the notebooks and the conference bags. We'll help the silent auction group, headed by Kim Blum Hyclak, with stuffing baskets and making bid sheets.

But enough about what will be going on behind the curtain, here's what you'll need to know:

1. Appointment times -- The week before the conference, we'll send emails to attendees who purchased appointments, providing the faculty name and the time and day they'll meet. Remember, critiques are on Friday and pitches and real-time queries are Saturday and Sunday.

2. Hotel reservations -- Have you made yours?

3. Meals -- Did you purchase a complete package. If so, you'll start receiving conference meals with Friday dinner and every time the meal bell rings from then until Sunday breakfast, you're covered. If you purchased the Friday morning or all-day intensive sessions, you're also covered for Friday breakfast and Friday lunch. Did you purchase a basic package? Then you're only covered for Saturday and Sunday breakfasts. Meal tickets will be checked. Please, don't try to sneak in. There's only enough for those who purchased.

Want to purchase a meal ticket for yourself or a guest/spouse? Be sure to email scwwconference2011@gmail.com. If you purchase meal tickets at the conference, there will be a fee increase (because it costs us more per meal from The Hilton).

4. Lay of the Land -- Not sure where to go once you arrive at The Hilton? As soon as you stand in front of the hotel reservation desk, look to your right. At the end of the room you'll see a big desk. That's the registration desk as of Thursday evening. Once you check in there, we'll provide you with a conference bag which includes a notebook with a map.

We'll be sending out a special mailing this weekend with other last-minute information about the conference. Remember, it isn't too late to register! We have a handful of appointment times available and there's still room at sessions and the meal tables. There will be plenty of opportunities to meet with faculty and other writers. For more information, check the conference website, www.myscww.org/conference.

The Reward of Patience Is...

2011-10-02T06:14:00.000-07:00

When I first heard the phrase “the reward of patience is . . . well, more patience” I felt a twinge of disappointment. I wasn’t expecting a medal pinned on my shirt but patience leading to more patience was tough to accept. But, acceptance is the goal and all this leads me to why I’m getting a little impatient waiting on the scoring from the judges of the Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Awards. We have four judges for each category—First Chapter Novel, Short Non-Fiction, Short Story and Poetry—which comes to twelve judges plus the two people at the South Carolina Arts Commission who tally the scores to come up with the winners. It’s a process and that takes time. We asked them to send in their scores by next week and eight of the twelve already have done so. That’s pretty good.

The winners of the Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Awards will be announced at the Friday evening banquet of the SCWW Conference, October 21-23. If you have not already done so, it’s not too late to sign up for “The Method, The Market & The Muse” which features top agents, top editors and top authors and held at the Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort.

Hope to see you at the Conference.

Martha Greenway
Contests Chair

Conference Appointment Update!

2011-09-28T20:16:00.001-07:00

Here's a short update of what appointments are still available during the 2011 conference (Oct. 21-23).

Jon Sternfeld -- 1 Pitch

Sarah LaPolla -- 1 Real-Time Query -- JUST OPENED UP

Stephen Barr -- Sold Out of all appointments

Bernadette Baker-Baughman -- Sold Out of all appointments

Sorche Fairbank -- 3 Pitches

Alyssa Henkin -- 5 Pitches

Molly O'Neill - 3 Real-Time Queries

Stephanie Sun -- 2 Real-Time Queries

Jim Frenkel -- 3 Pitches

Eddie Schneider -- 3 Pitches

Melissa Jeglinski -- 5 Pitches, 5 Real-Time Queries

Jessica Regel -- 4 Pitches

If, when you register, you notice the words SOLD OUT next to a faculty name, do not select that name. There is no way to arrange an appointment once a faculty member is SOLD OUT. There is no waiting list.

October is so, so close…

2011-09-28T11:43:00.000-07:00

Can you feel that?

It’s palpable.

The excitement is building. The thrill of discovery hanging in the air. It’s getting closer every day.

The 21st Annual South Carolina Writers’ Workshop Conference is less than four weeks away.

I’m getting excited. I can’t wait to meet our attendees. And I can’t wait for you to meet our outstanding faculty members.

We’re enthusiastic about our silent auction; did you see Kim Hyclak’s post from this past Saturday? Scroll down and check that out. There are a few terrific trips on the menu of items for this year. I hope to win one of those great getaways, so get ready for a little competition if you plan to bid. Let’s not forget to mention our faculty member’s post-conference critiques up for auction. How can you beat a top agent or editor reviewing your work and offering insight?

As you start packing your bags and planning your schedule, I have a few additional reminders to help you get the most out of your weekend.

1) Bring your questions. But try to avoid being too specific: “I’m writing a suspense, romantic epic poem and my main character May is waiting tables in Abilene, Texas, and encounters her brother Roy who died twenty years ago? What should I have her do next? Should she tell him about their mother’s kidney transplant? Or should Roy tip her big before he leaves since he finally won Powerball?”

2) Prepare ahead of time. You don’t have to read everything by or about every faculty member or review every website they’re mentioned on. I’ve mentioned this before, but I once met a conference attendee who read at least one chapter of a book by every published faculty member. I thought it was a great idea and have employed that technique ever since.

3) Practice your elevator pitch, just in case you get that frightening question we all dread but secretly can’t wait to be asked: So, what is your book about? You’ll hear it a lot over the weekend; hopefully you’ll have a great answer.

4) And have fun. Conference weekend always goes by so quickly that I never know where the time went. Relax, enjoy meeting some new friends and have a great time. The conference is always a fun and we really want you to enjoy yourself.

See you in October!

SCWW Board Nominations

2011-09-25T07:14:00.001-07:00

It's football season, Conference is fast approaching, and SCWW Board nominations are open. Elections will be held at the November Board Meeting. Two-year terms begin January 1, 2012.

SCWW needs representation on the Board from every area of our state. Steve Gordy, Chapter Liaison, has emailed all chapter leaders and asked that each chapter nominate at least one qualified member to run. I followed up that email with an application to share with those members who are interested. If you are an unaffiliated member, please email me for an application and send completed apps by October 31 to ginnypadgett@sc.rr.com. Here are some pertinent facts to keep in mind as you consider service on the Board of Directors.

There are six required Saturday meetings/year, about three or three-and-a-half hours in duration. Only two excused absences/year are permitted.

Each board member is expected to be a committee chair or committee member.

This is a working board. Be prepared to follow through on your commitments on your own between meetings.

Each chair has its own SCWW email account. Please monitor it closely.

Please respond to all email and phone calls pertaining to SCWW within 48 hours.

I will be returning as president again next year; we have a secretary, Quill editor, and Petigru Review editor. We'll be looking for a treasurer, membership chair, chapter liaison, grants chair, contests chair, vice president, conference committee members. If any of these positions interests you in particular, I suggest you email the board member who holds that spot now and ask them about their responsibilities and time obligation. (See the latest Quill or www.myscwww.org for board members and their email addresses.

If you have any questions, email or call me -- 802-738-9062. I look forward to working with you.

Remember our annual general membership meeting at the conference. I'm excited to see familiar faces and make new fiends.

2011-09-23T04:12:00.000-07:00

The Silent Auction is always an exciting part of the conference and this year is no exception. In fact, I think this year is going to be one of the best ever. To prove that point, here are the top items we have up for bid.

Get-Away Experiences
Three Oaks, TN: Three Oaks is a mountaintop retreat atop the Cumberland Plateau, near Sewanee, TN. It's situated in a hundred-acre wood of streams, meadows, forest trails and peace. It sleeps 2 in the queen-sized bed in the bedroom; 2 more in the pull-out bed in the great room. Three Oaks is perfect for a writer's private retreat or an intimate get-away for a couple. Offer is 5 days to be used within the year. Visit Three Oaks to see what else this cozy guest house has to offer.

The Lazy Spring Ranch, WY: The Lazy Spring Ranch is located in Shell, WY, a delightful community of 50 at the western base of the Big Horn Mountains. The house is 4200 ft. above sea level, surrounded by a working cattle ranch and majestic mountains. The house has 6 bedrooms and can sleep up to 12 or 14. The Lazy Spring Ranch is a perfect spot for a writers' workshop or mini-conference or a family get-away. The offer is for 5 days in September 2012. Visit Lazy Spring Ranch to see what else the mountains have to offer.

The Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort: 2 nights at the beautiful resort where the SCWW Annual Conference is held. Enjoy the beach, the pool, fine dining and golf.

Arcadian Shores Golf Club, associated with The Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort - a round of golf for 4

Faculty Critiques are in! I don't have their pics, but you can visit SCWW for those and the kind of work our faculty is looking for.
Melissa Jeglinski, agent, 25 pages to be submitted in November
Eddie Schneider, agent, (2) 50-75 pages + 1 page synopsis
Jon Sternfeld, agent, 50 pages
Stephanie Sun, agent, query + 1st three chapters
Jessica Regel, agent, 50 pages
Stephen Barr, agent, 75 pages
Sarah LaPolla, agent, query + 1st chapter
Toni Plummer, editor, 30 pages
James Frenkel, editor, 50 pages
David Coe, author, 50 pages

Art!
Photos Paintings Prints and Posters and Home Decor

And of course Books! Over 200 books will fill baskets, bags, boxes . . . and whatever else we can find, to satisfy every reader's interest.

So come support the 2011 Silent Auction. The money generated by the auction provides needed funds to help SCWW provide Chapter workshops, the High School Writing Competition, the Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Awards and next year's conference.

See you at the beach!

Writing Isn't a Race

2011-09-21T06:48:00.001-07:00

By David B. Coe David B. Coe - http://davidbcoe.livejournal.com
http://magicalwords.net
http://www.DavidBCoe.com

Conference Faculty Member

One of the workshops I’ll be giving during October’s SCWW conference will be on structuring story arc and pacing your novel -- the official title is “Writing Isn’t a Race: Pacing and Story Arc.” Obviously, I’m not going to cover exactly the same material in this post, because that would leave us with nothing to do in October but sit around and stare at one another. And after the first hour or so, that can get kind of weird.

But in preparation for discussing the nuts and bolts of story arc, I thought it might be helpful to define a couple of terms. I write fantasy, and like so many in my genre, much of my work is serialized. I have written two trilogies and a five book sequence. Most recently, I have written the first two books of a new historical fantasy series, and am now working of the first books of at least three other series. Part of this is the market -- in fantasy and science fiction, mystery and romance, young adult and middle reader, series are all the rage. The market is looking not just for a single book, but for the next money-making franchise. And while all of us want to be true to our creativity and write the best books we can, we also have to look at this as a business.

This is not to say that you can’t get published writing a stand-alone novel, or that you have to write a series in order to survive in the current climate. But any writer -- whether an established professional or an aspiring author still looking for that first big sale -- needs to understand where his or her work fits in the market. The answer to the question “What are editors and publishers looking for?” depends on what sort of book you’re writing. Actually, more to the point of this post, it depends on what kind of series you’re writing.

Let’s define some terms. In my genre, we call every multi-book sequence a series. But as you’ll soon see, not all “series” are created equal. Specifically, we need to distinguish between two terms: “true series” and “extended story arc.”

A true series is a sequence of connected books with recurring characters, in which each narrative pretty much stands on its own but has ramifications for the next book (or for previous ones if the author goes back and writes a prequel or two). A perfect example of this would be the Harry Dresden books by Jim Butcher. For those of you not familiar with the Dresden books, this is an urban fantasy series featuring a wizard who is also a private eye. Each book has its own mystery, its own plot, its own set of unique characters. But there are also recurring characters, chief among them Harry himself, his sidekick, and his love interest. And the subplots that revolve around these recurring characters run like threads through all the books. There are other examples, for those of you who haven’t read Butcher’s books. C.E. Murphy’s Joanne Walker series fits the definition, as do Faith Hunter’s bestselling Skinwalker novels. If you’re looking for an example from another medium, think of a TV show like BONES. Again, there are recurring characters and subplots, but each episode works on its own. A viewer could watch on any given night, and get the gist of what’s going on. The books I’m writing now, including my historical fantasy series, The Thieftaker Chronicles, which I’m writing under the name D.B. Jackson (the first book, THIEFTAKER, will be released in May 2012) are true series.

An extended story arc, which is what many big-name fantasists write -- George R.R. Martin, Terry Goodkind, Robert Jordan -- is quite different. The phrase “extended story arc” basically means that you're telling one epic-length tale (usually with several related sub-plots) over the course of several books. Not only do characters recur in these volumes, but they are working toward the same basic goal throughout the sequence. Ironically, the extended story arc became popular in fantasy after the publication of J.R.R. Tolkien’s LORD OF THE RINGS, which came out in three volumes. I say ironically, because LOTR is not a true story arc. It was originally written and intended as a single work, but was split into three volumes for marketing purposes. For this reason, the three books don’t hold together well as single volumes: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING has no satisfying ending; THE RETURN OF THE KING has no effective opening; and the middle volume, THE TWO TOWERS, has neither. But while the severity of these problems is somewhat unique to LOTR, nearly all extended story-arcs suffer from similar issues to some small degree. Since the overarching conflict is not resolved until the final volume, it can be difficult, although not impossible, to make each book truly stand alone. On the other hand, because each volume is actually part of a single larger story, the books are far more interdependent, and many readers love this aspect of the form. Again, if you’re looking for a pop culture equivalent, think of a daytime soap opera, or my daughters’ current prime-time favorite, PRETTY LITTLE LIARS. A viewer could try to watch an episode mid-season, but chances are he or she would be somewhat lost. Similarly, with extended story arcs, it can be hard to pick up readers mid-arc. Extended story arcs are what I wrote for my first three series, and they have been a staple of fantasy for several decades.

My take on the market right now is that extended story arcs are less viable than they used to be, even in fantasy, where they are so deeply rooted in the literary tradition. Publishers are wary of them when they're proposed by young authors, and they’re only slightly more receptive to them when they’re proposed by established writers. Why? Because they demand a contractual commitment of several books. If I go to an editor with an idea for a four-book extended story arc, that editor knows that she has to buy all four books or none of them. There’s no middle ground. Her publishing house can’t publish two of them and then stop if the books don’t sell well, at least not without really ticking off those readers who bought the first two books. A true series, on the other hand, gives publishers far more leeway. I can still go to that editor with a proposal for four books, but in this case each book stands alone. The editor can buy two books and see how they do before committing to two more.

I would never tell an aspiring author to write to “the market,” whatever that means. The fact is that the market is far too fluid, and book turnarounds are far too slow. Cannibalistic Troll Erotica might be all the rage right now, but who’s to say it still will be in a year, when your great new take on CTE is ready for publication? Instead, I tell aspiring writers that they need to write the books they’ve imagined, the books that they care about. Creativity is too fickle to be taken for granted. Write the book that’s inside you; follow the characters who are speaking to you.

That said, though, you should also understand that some projects are going to be easier sales than others. If you have a three or five book extended story arc burning a hole in your chest, by all means, write it. But if you can write a true series instead, that is going to be the more viable project from a commercial standpoint. Generally speaking, publishers are far less willing to offer contracts for several books at a time than they were a decade ago. That means less security for writers. Yet it can also present opportunities. Conceiving a project that can be marketed one or two books at a time might well make you a safer bet for a publisher. And in these difficult times, that might be exactly the advantage you need to break through.

In October, we’ll discuss the pacing and structure of your projects. In the meantime, think about story arcs and serialization, and figure out which one is best suited to your current work.

Another Conference Update

2011-09-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

Well, it's officially too late to purchase a critique (the deadline was Sept. 15), but there are still a handful of pitches and real-time queries available. Already registered and want to add one? Be sure to email scwwconference2011@gmail.com to add appointments, Friday intensive sessions or meal tickets.

Are you trying to make a list of what you'll need for the conference? Unsure of where you need to go once you arrive at the Hilton? Be sure to check this blog in the coming weeks for up-to-date information about where to go, what you'll need and what you might need to add.

Until then, be sure you visit the blog often to catch what faculty bloggers have to suggest, as well as points to ponder from other Board members.

What Do you Want From a Critique?

2011-09-16T07:05:00.000-07:00

If you’re scheduled for a critique for the conference, think ahead of time about what you want to learn. I emphasize the words “to learn.” Most people go into a critique hoping that the agent/editor is going to be so blown away by their stellar first chapter that they’ll have the contract ready to sign. Some people say the best you can hope for is a request to see the first fifty pages. I say, the best you want is some good solid advice on what you need to do to make your manuscript the best possible novel in town.

The first year I went to the conference I had written about 65 pages of my novel. It was nowhere near ready to sell, but I met with an agent who gave me invaluable recommendations on developing my main character and testing my voice. She told me where I had a good hold on my content and where my plot was weak. I started attending a SCWW critique group and received invaluable guidance. The second year with the same manuscript in tow and 300 pages into it, I met with an agent and did a pitch. I honestly got more from the pitch than the agent this go round. She told me flat out that my plot wasn’t marketable and what I’d have to do to develop it. “Dig deeper,” she said over and over again. “Dig deeper into your plot.” I went home, came back year three with the same manuscript, all three agents recommendations incorporated and sold the book.

I have already received in return every penny I ever put into an SCWW Conference. I think it all depends on what you’re expecting from the agents when you come to the conference. Are you expecting to sell a book or hoping to get professional insight into your strengths and weaknesses. I certainly got what I wanted out of it.

I encourage people to attend the conference and take advantage of the expertise that is all around you. Speaking first hand, it’s not just among the agents. You can gain tremendous insight from your fellow writers who are climbing similar mountain trails, some on the path ahead of you and some just beginning. Reach out and lend a helping hand. Listen and learn.

You Can’t Always Get Know What You Want

2011-09-13T07:51:00.000-07:00

By Stephen Barr - Writers House
Conference Faculty Member

Literary agents are lucky folk.

In fact, I’d say we’re spoiled. It’s our responsibility to march around, shouting into the air, telling anyone who’s willing to listen (writers, mostly) what it is that we want (Military history? Illustrated memoir? History of the armoire?), and then those listeners and writers try over and over again to give it to us.

Sweet gig!

And the questions come up especially often in shouting distance of a conference…“What are you looking for? What do you want?”

Luckily, part of me knows the answer to that question.

I know that I want memoirs from people whose voices aren’t exactly what you’d expect from their stories…humor from the downtrodden, humility from the lopsidedly gifted, etc. Weird books by and about weird people who come from places that onlyseem normal (please allow me to shamelessly plug my client Jared Dillian’s upcoming memoir of bipolar disorder on the Lehman Brothers trading floor, the wicked and wonderfulStreet Freak).

I know that I’m a sucker for unrequited love…in life, yes (alas!), but also in between the covers of a book, and I know that I’d thank my lucky stars if I could find a contemporary young adult novel with zero paranormal activity and oodles of longing, my own littlePaper Town(s).

I know that I want author/illustrators who think (or perhaps understand!?) that less is more when it comes to picture book texts and illustrations (check out Press Here if you like excellence!)

I know that I want ghost stories where the writing’s haunted, too.

I know that I want a comic novel with a dreadfully serious plot.

But I also know that last week, after 25 years of doing everything in my power to avoid math (because my brain sucks at it), an article on Gawker about scientists allegedly disproving the possibility of time travel sent me on an entirely unanticipated math binge, which led me to the text of a lecture delivered by David Hilbert to the International Congress of Mathematicians at Paris in 1900 about the 23 most pressing mathematical problems facing the 20th century, and now I’m weirdly obsessed with finding a quirky math novel…maybe something about a kid who lines up his 23 most pressingreal life problems (the bully, the unattainable girl, the increasingly distant best friend, etc.) against the 23 most pressing mathematical problems that his University Professor parents are fixated on (the compatibility of arithmetical axioms, etc.), none of which our hero understands, but all of which he’ll try to compare hisown problems to in a search for parallels.

That’s a pretty specific craving, I realize, but my point is, up until a few days ago, I most definitely didn’t know that I wanted a novel with a bunch of math in it. But now I do, and the more I think about it, the more it seems to me that what Ireally want is something that I didn’t know I wanted. For instance, I tend to clam up pretty seriously around paranormal YA, but odds are there’s a writer out there who’s taken the exhausted genre and reinvented it in a thousand ways, and that’s what I want—a writer who takes enough risks in his or her writing to give readers what we didn’t know we wanted.

Seriously, though, no jokey middle grade novels where farts play a central role in the story. I will never realize that I wanted that.

Building a Solid Weekend – How to Get the Most out of Your Conference Experience Part 4

2011-09-11T16:55:00.000-07:00

This is the last entry in my series on Building a Solid Weekend. These blogs have not been meant as a strict curriculum for your conference experience. Rather, I hope I’ve provided you with some guidance on how to structure your time at the conference.

The sessions below are a combination of how to get your manuscript noticed and writing options you may not have considered.

For those of you who are looking for more choices in their writing life, this is for you. We have sessions on how what you already know might turn into a paying writing assignment.

If you’re ready to send your manuscript in to an editor or agent, we have some of the best in the industry to help guide your efforts at query letters as well as sessions on what editors and agents are looking for from new authors.

Above all, we're looking forward to seeing you in Myrtle Beach in October!

Branching Out – Something for every writer

Friday 9:00 –

(1) Know Your Audience: Writing Articles for Magazines, Newspapers and

Websites – Chuck Sambuchino

(2) The Business of Publishing – Jessica Regel

Friday 1:30 –

(1) Being An Expert Pays: Turning Your Expertise Into a Writing

Career – Matthew Frederick

(2) Avoid the Slush: Everything You Need to Know About Agents Before You

Write That Query Letter – Chuck Sambuchino

(3) Nuts and Bolts: Deadlines, Word Counts and Other Things That Drive Us Nuts and Make Us Want to Bolt – David B. Coe

Saturday 9:00 –

(1) Making it to Print (of Sorts): What Does It Take to Get a Review (And Other Media Attention)? – Bill Starr

(2) SLUSH FEST: Literary and Upmarket Fiction – Jon Sternfeld and Stephanie Sun

Saturday 10:30 –

(1) SLUSH FEST: Young Adult & Children’s Titles – Alyssa Henkin and Molly O’Neill

(2) From Employee to Expert: How to Turn Your Job Into a Book – Matthew Frederick

Saturday 1:30 –

(1) Running Away from Home for Profit: Learning the Tricks of Travel Writing – Bill Starr

(2) SLUSH FEST: Science Fiction and Fantasy – Eddie Schneider and James Frenkel

Saturday 3:00 –

(1) Imaginary Worlds: The Differences Agents Consider Between Young Adult and Adult Fiction – Sarah LaPolla

(2) What Editors Want: Professional Writing Practices – Chuck Sambuchino

(3) It’s All in Your Head: How to Get Across High Concepts in a Query – Jon Sterfeld

(4) SLUSH FEST: Mystery and Thriller – Sorche Fairbank and Toni Plummer

(5) I’m Published – Now What? – Bill Starr

Sunday 9:30 –

(1) Out of this World: An Inside Look & Tips of What It Takes to Get a Science Fiction or Fantasy Agent – Eddie Schneider

(2) SLUSH FEST: Romance and Women’s Fiction – Melissa Jeglinski and Jessica Regel

(3) SLUSH FEST: Memoir and Narrative Non-Fiction – Stephen Barr and Bernadette Baker-Baughman

(4) Panel: Agent Vs. Writer (Who’s An Editor) – Sorche Fairbank and Chuck Sambuchino

Love Letter to Our Faculty Bloggers

2011-09-09T19:59:00.000-07:00

I want to take this opportunity to thank all our faculty members who have taken the time to share a blog on this page. As writers knocking on the door of Publishing, it's enlightening to get a glimpse of what it looks like on the inside. In addition, their tips and suggestions for making the most of our conference appointments have been varied and helpful.

However, what has impressed me most is each one's accessibility - their willingness to put us at ease before we meet with them. Reaching out to us in these congenial ways should help us relax, be ourselves, and present our work and concepts to their best advantage. Think having a cup of coffee with a new friend as opposed to waiting for an appointment to have a root canal.

So THANKS, Faculty Bloggers, for welcoming us into and preparing us for our critiques, pitches, and real-time queries. We look forward to meeting you too.

Choosing a Conference – an Agent’s Perspective

2011-09-07T06:15:00.001-07:00

By Sorche Fairbank - Fairbank Literary Representation
Conference Faculty Member

Whenever I am invited to a writers conference, a familiar internal dialog kicks in. Do I really want to travel again? Where to? Will being gone for three or four or five days put me too far behind?

I, and most agents, get far more requests and invitations for conferences than we could possibly manage in a given year. I have to choose carefully. The downside to attending conferences is that they take time away from the office, or from what little free, non-publishing time I have. Add to that the fact that flying has become more and more a hassle, especially now that we moved to New York’s Hudson Valley. And what about the cost to my signed authors? Am I giving up a weekend that could or should be spent helping them with their projects?

But the upside, oh, the upside. . . When I say yes to a conference, I know the rewards will be many. Still, a number of considerations factor into my decision to accept.

Location - A selfish reason, perhaps, but location matters. Coastal South Carolina in late October – perfect! Kudos to SCWW organizers for knowing just how tempting that sounds. I love nubby, cozy sweaters and suede boots, but I’m all too aware that it will only get colder and bleaker for the next four months. A bit of sunshine and warm breeze will be exactly what’s needed come late October.

Sometimes a conference invite appeals to me because it’s a chance to see one of my own authors. Because so much of book business is conducted over phone and email, it’s a rare treat to get to sit down with an author of ours to share food and drink, meet some of their family, toast to their continued success, and plan for the next, even better thing. While I don’t *yet* have a South Carolina writer on board, two of my authors will be at the conference with me. I also contacted my beloved Georgia authors right away to let them know I’d be attending SCWW.

The Faculty / Speaker Roster - One of the first things I look at is who else is attending. Of course I look for agent and editor friends and acquaintances, but I also look at the keynoter and authors who are presenting as well. Keep in mind, we agents have our rock stars too. In the past twelve months or so I got to hang with Alice Hoffman (swoon!) as she knitted something green and lovely for a gift; I learned from Chuck Palahniuk why one should never slice off the point of a wedge of Brie cheese (at least not while in France); and I, the fabulous Meg Tilley, and a handful of others exchanged our shoes and any shyness for a low Japanese table, chopsticks all around, and a heaping pile of sushi while in the Pacific Northwest. I have no doubt that MJ Rose and others at SCWW will also rock my world in some fine way.

Reputation - Nothing is worse for an agent than a poorly organized conference, and word of sub-par organization easily and quickly spreads among agents and editors. Before accepting a conference invite, I ask past attending faculty what they thought of the conference, from accommodation to schedule to quality of attendees to ease of travel to and from the local airport. SCWW’s stellar reputation won me over in an instant.

Number and Focus of Attendees - I know you’ve been waiting for it, so yes, agents who go to conferences are hoping to find new clients there, and the size and focus of the conference matters. I am no exception; I’m hoping and indeed looking for that next great connection with a potential new author. It doesn’t happen every conference or even every year, but those times it does, the magic can be is immediate. The book is right, timing is right, it’s near ready to go; I bond with the author instantly. However, more often than not, when I sign a conference author, it happens months or even years after the conference ends. Sometimes it is the same book they pitched, but substantially polished or reworked (hopefully you’ll leave the conference full of ideas and advice for needed edits), other times I sign on a completely different book altogether. Sometimes I hear from an author I didn’t meet directly; they were in the back of the room, learning, listening, and when finally ready, they contacted me. And occasionally it’s not an attendee I sign on, but a referral from an attendee. Conferences have long shelf-life benefits for everyone.

There is one more reason I accept conference invites, but it’s far more subjective, and rather internal. I take the time to go to conferences because people trump electrons or pieces of paper any day. I spend untold hours every month sending out rejections; during busier times it’s a Dear Author form rejection. With 8,000 - 10,000 queries a year, I often do not have time for anything else. So it’s incredibly humbling and gratifying to be reminded at conferences that behind all the story ideas, behind all the pitches, proposals, and book ideas, are people. Enthusiastic, talented, interesting people. It keeps the humanity in what I do, and even if I don’t find / sign a single attendee at a conference, I return to the office refreshed and recharged, having been witness to so much collective creative energy. I’m reminded that I wouldn’t have this awesome job if it weren’t for writers like you. So a heartfelt thanks to you all for showing up, for giving me a chance to help, to acquire, and to remember that people are at the heart of any story.

See you in the South!

Mollie Glick offers more extended critiques

2011-09-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

Mollie Glick has agreed to offer FIVE more extended critiques. If you would like an extended critique with Ms. Glick, please let me know as soon as possible via email, scwwconference2011@gmail.com.

2011 Conference Countdown Update

2011-09-04T18:54:00.001-07:00

It happens every year that I've worked with the SCWW conference. Just when I thought things couldn't get any better, it does. Here's a list of what we're working on and what you have to look forward to this year!

1. We're offering a specific batch of critiques attendees (already registered and those who haven't registered yet) through Sept. 15. If you already purchased a critique, those materials were due Sept. 1. If you haven't submitted your required electronic and hard copies, do so immediately. When you sent in your materials, sent you an email confirming the faculty for your appointment (unless you emailed or mailed a couple of days before Sept. 1. I'm still processing those!). Here's a list of the new critiques we're offering, in random order:

* Sorche Fairbank -- extended and standard critiques

* Jon Sternfeld -- extended and standard critiques

* Melissa Jeglinski -- standard critiques

* Jim Frenkel -- standard critiques

* Molly O'Neill -- extended critiques

* Alyssa Henkin -- standard critiques

* Eddie Schneider -- extended critiques

* Bernadette Baker-Baughman -- one extended critique

* Sarah LaPolla -- standard and extended critiques

* Stephanie Sun --standard and extended critiques

* Jessica Regel -- standard and extended critiques

* Stepehn Barr -- standard critiques

If you've already registered and want to add a critique, email scwwconference2011@gmail.com.

2. We really want to hear from our members! Tell us what you think about what's posted on the SCWW blog. To put our enthusiasm where our typing is, we're having a blog chapter challenge. For the month of September (all posts in September), the chapter with the most comments on the SCWW blog will win a free pitch to be given to the chapter member of its choice. Remember, for your chapter to get credit, you need to mention your chapter in your post. If it catches on, we'll give away something else for October, right before the conference.

3. I'm not sure if you've heard the news, but we have a new keynote for the 2011 conference -- Andrew Gross! The New York Times bestselling author will not only provide a keynote address Saturday night, he's teaching a session Saturday. For more on Mr. Gross, be sure to visit his faculty profile on the conference site, www.myscww.org/conference.

4. And one of our late faculty additions, Mollie Glick is hard at work this weekend helping me iron out a few details on her three sessions. Be sure to check the class descriptions next week for updated titles, but here's a hint -- her Friday session will guide you from putting together your list of who to query all the way to working with an agent to get your book into publication. Her appointment times are sold out, so you'll really want to add her Friday session to your schedule. Already signed up for the conference, but haven't added Friday? Email scwwconference2011@gmail.com and I'll walk you through the process.

5. When it comes to submitting critique materials, you've got to follow the SCWW guidelines. Not sure what that means or where to find the guidelines? Check out the following blog: http://scwwblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/2011-crituque-guidelines-reminder.html. It's incredibly important to follow these rules so everyone gets the most of their appointments. Also, if you registered for a specific faculty member who doesn't accept your genre, we try to catch that and let you know there's a problem. However, be advised that we've got a small group of volunteers and a lot of critique appointments. Do your homework BEFORE you request an appointment.

6. Have you reserved your room for the conference? Part of the way we're able to keep down the cost of the SCWW conference is by agreeing our members will use a specific number of Hilton and Royal Palms rooms. In exchange we get free meeting space and great room rates. So please, keep that in mind when reserving a room. Also, we've gotten a couple more two-bedroom and three-bedroom condos at Royal Palms. With a gaggle of beds, these are great for chapter folks heading down as a group. For rates and our discount code, visit http://myscww.org/conference/accommodations.php.

7. Finally, did you know we don't have a cut-off date on Pitch and Real-Time Query appointment purchases? We'll sell those until we can't sell anymore! So, if you missed your critique faculty dream, you might want to snag one of these. Here's a list of folks what's sold out and what's available:

* Bernadette Baker- Baughman -- Sold out Real-Time Query, One Pitch left!

* Sarah LaPolla -- Sold out Real-Time Query, One Pitch left!

* Toni Plummer -- Sold out Real-Time Query, Pitches available

* Stephen Barr -- Sold out Pitch, no Real-Time Query (check critiques above)

* Stephanie Sun -- Sold out Pitch, Two Real-Time Queries

* Jim Frenkel -- Sold out Real-Time Query, Four Pitches available

* Eddie Schneider -- Sold out Real-Time Query, Five Pitches available

* Alyssa Henkin -- Sold out Real-Time Query, Three Pitches left

* Sorche Fairbank -- Sold out Real-Time Query, Five Pitches left

* Jon Sternfeld -- One Real-Time Query, Two Pitches left!

* Melissa Jeglinski -- Four Real-Time Queries, Four Pitches

* Molly O'Neill -- Three Real-Time Queries, no Pitch

* Jessica Regel -- Three Pitches, No Real-Time Query

* Mollie Glick -- Sold Out of all appointments

Have any questions about the conference? Email scwwconference2011@gmail.com.

Sit Down and Relax: The Agent Meeting

2011-08-31T07:07:00.000-07:00

Melissa Jeglinski - The Knight Agency
Conference Faculty Member

So you’ll be attending the South Carolina Writers' Workshop in October. And you want to make the most of your experience. You’ve looked over the program and decided which workshops to attend. But the list of agents is confusing. Who do you meet with and what do you do when you sit down face to face?

First, remember that the agent is there to find quality material. As much as I love the idea of Myrtle Beach in October, I’m still giving away my weekend of free time to work. (Though an ocean view can make anything sweeter.) We all want to come out of this with something positive to show for our time. I would love nothing more than to find my dream project and sign a client right on the spot.

You need to decide whether you want to work with an agent. If so, which agent or agents? Why meet with one you have no interest in? Time is a valuable commodity for everyone so don’t waste it just because you’re curious. If that’s the case, come to one of our sessions and ask questions there. But save the one on one times for those who are really interested in that agent; the opportunity for such a face to face meet does not often occur. And remember, you can always chat us up over a meal or in the hall between sessions--as long as we’re not looking like a frazzled mess.

Be sure you’re meeting with an agent who represents the type of project you are working on. For example, I don’t do non-fiction or illustrated books or short story collections; not because I don’t enjoy those works, I’m simply concentrating on other areas. Take a look at the agent’s website and see who they represent and what types of projects they are currently selling. If you think you may be a good match, try to get an appointment.

When you have the chance to sit down with the agent, be prepared. When pitching your project, be succinct but complete. I like to know the title, word length and genre. Most importantly, is the manuscript complete because I can’t shop an unfinished project by and unpublished author. As for synopsizing the plot; I prefer to just hear about the main conflicts, set up and resolution. I don’t need to know every little plot point. Tell me if it is a planned series or a standalone novel. I’d also like to know about your writing credentials or background, something that tells me you are serious about your craft. I’m using this introduction to see if this is a project I could be excited about and not every project will be the right fit. However, if I’m intrigued I will ask you to send me your work as nothing can tell me as much about your writing as actually reading it.

Then it’s time for you to ask questions.

There’s a time limit for these appointments and it’s usually pretty tight. So really plan out what you want to know about the agent. If you’re the type to get nervous, have your questions in front of you. It’s okay to read from a piece of paper or jot down notes. You can ask about the agent’s current client list, most recent sales, subjects or genres they are particularly interested in. Question them about their agency agreement, commission percentages and the like. Feel free to ask them how they prefer to work with clients; are they very hands-on, do they send revisions, give detailed notes, etc. Any question is fair as long as it has to do with publishing.

When your meeting is over and you go back to the conference and then return home, don’t forget to follow up with the agent. If they requested material...send it. If it’s not quite ready, update the agent on when you expect to submit the project. Or, if you’ve decided that you wouldn’t be a good fit, let them know that as well. Acting in a professional manner is always key.

Hopefully the conference will prove a wonderful experience for you and provide an opportunity for us all to make some terrific connections.

Looking forward to seeing you in October!

Building a Solid Weekend - Part 3

2011-08-29T19:44:00.000-07:00

Today I spent a few hours rethinking a plot point of my current project. I should confess that I’ve actually been working on things for this manuscript for several months. Come to think of it, I’ve been reconsidering portions of a book I wrote six years ago.

Maybe you have some of the same issues. You’re almost done and yet you aren’t because there’s one more thing you want to fix. That one more thing turns into two, then three, then … Well you get the idea.

What to do? What to do? Rewrite, rewrite and rewrite again. Then? Edit, edit and edit some more.

But you protest, "I was done with it. I even wrote THE END."

That's fine, and you did write it in all caps so we'd know you really were done. There is one point I would make though, it can't hurt to go over your manuscript with a fine-toothed comb.

"No one goes through all of that!" You grumble. "I catch mistakes in printed books all the time."

So do I, but then again, we all make mistakes. That's why pencils have erasers and computers have a DELETE key.

A writer friend told me about a published author she’d recently heard interviewed. The author confessed that she edited her manuscripts more than fifty times before she was satisfied that they were as polished as they could be.

My friend and I chuckled at the thought of going through our manuscripts that many times before we submitted them. Then we both realized that that author had something neither of us had: published books.

I don’t know if a manuscript requires more than fifty edits, but every manuscript could use some rewriting and perhaps a little editing even when you’re convinced it’s finished.

Most of the sessions I highlight here are designed to give you the tools necessary to get your manuscript into its best form. And once it's in tip-top shape, the rest of these sessions are all about submitting your project to an editor or agent for potential representation.

Look these over and plan on showing up to at least one of them, your manuscript and writing career will benefit.

You’re Done (at least with the 1^st draft)! Now What?

Friday 9:00 –

(1) Editing Isn’t for Kids: The Young Adult/Children’s Markets from an Editing Point of View – Molly O’Neill

(2) Am I Done Now?: Editing from the First Paragraph to the Last Period – Carrie McCullough

Friday 1:30 –

(1) That’s Different … Get Positive Attention from Editors and What Will

Hurt! – James Frenkel

Saturday 9:00 –

(1) Courting a Query: Tips to Catch an Agent – Melissa Jeglinski

Saturday 10:30 –

(1) Case Solved: Finding Ways to Grab a Mystery Editor’s Eye – Toni Plummer

Saturday 1:30 –

(1) Not Kids’ Games: Making Your Young Adult and Children’s Manuscripts Editor-Ready Works – Molly O’Neill

(2) A Little Verb, A Little Noun: Creating A Synposis That Sells – Stephanie Sun

Sold Out Appointments

2011-08-26T19:47:00.000-07:00

Appointments are really selling this week, especially with the critiques deadline less than a week away. Here's a quick list of faculty who are sold out of specific types of appointments. We're attempting to update the registration system as quickly as possible.

Bernadette Baker-Baughman -- SOLD OUT of Real-Time Query

Sarah LaPolla -- SOLD OUT of Real-Time Query

Toni Plummer -- SOLD OUT of Real-Time Query, Standard Critique

Stephen Barr -- SOLD OUT of Pitch

Stephanie Sun -- SOLD OUT of Pitch

Jim Frenkel -- SOLD OUT of Extended Critique

Also, if you register for more than three of a specific appointment type, be sure to send an email to scwwconference2011@gmail.com with the complete list of your top choices, providing one more choice than the number you purchased (in case one of the choices is sold out).

Please, don't attempt to request someone who was not a choice during the registration process. It will be impossible to fill the request.

Finally, if you would like to add an appointment to your registration, please email scwwconference2011@gmail.com. Do not start a new online registration.

"Handle Me with Care"

2011-08-26T07:44:00.000-07:00

Where do writers get their ideas? That's perhaps the most important question about writing that has no single right answer. Each writer is an individual who has individual ideas that capture the writer's fancy. It's less the uniqueness of an idea than the way it's expressed and packaged that gives each of us our writing approach and style.

We sometimes seek inspiration from those around us. This is a fruitful source, as long as we remember that the Hippocratic Oath adjuration to "first do no harm" applies to writers as well as doctors. I heard on the radio last week that a newly-released movie about life in the Deep South fifty years ago has led to a blowup between a writer and a person who claims that the writer, in essence, committed theft in using the real-life person as a character without permission. Without making a judgment on this case, it's a reminder that we have the power to destroy a good name or reputation by careless words or characterizations.

I teach history for a living. Part of what I do is to discuss with my students the canons of historical research and writing and the historian's obligation to do justice to the dead. In graduate school, I suffered several professorial bludgeonings until I display an adequate grasp of this key point. One who seeks to live by the credo of doing justice to others may want to consider exercising caution in harvesting grist for their writer's mill.

My wife and I recently spent ten days in Russia, cruising the waterways from Moscow to St. Petersburg. I crammed a notebook full of ideas about characters to populate the landscapes we saw. One thing we noticed in talking with Russians is the apprehensiveness many of them show about discussing their nation's past. Faulkner was right: their past isn't even past. It may not be for generations to come. I assume that all of us who love the craft of writing share a commitment to the truth, even expressed in fictional or poetic forms. I'm wrestling with the question of how to write about consequential things and tell the truth without doing injustice to my characters. I have no easy answers; I doubt anyone does.

A popular song from some years ago had the frequently-repeated line, "Handle me with care." Nonfiction writers already know the importance of doing this. We who write fiction and poetry need to keep it in mind as well.

A little more about some conference sessions (Frederick and Glick)

2011-08-24T20:35:00.000-07:00

Are you a non-fiction writer? Excited about Matthew Frederick's three sessions, but not really sure what to expect? The author provided these teasers to his upcoming sessions:

TheFour P’s of Nonfiction

This workshop will help you assess thestatus of your nonfiction work and identify the next steps you need to take to improveyour chances of publication. You will read aloud a brief statement ordescription of your work—a pitch, synopsis, first page, or similarlyinformative piece of 250 words or less. The instructor and class participantswill assess your project in terms of the Four P’s: Platform (can you convince a publisher youhave the expertise, reach, or name recognition to attract an audience ofreaders?); Prose (are your writingand narrative skills suited to your project?); Proposal (what is this peculiar document required by agentsand publishers for nonfiction projects, and what makes it most effective?); andPurpose (is the concept or formatyou have chosen for your book appropriate to the needs of readers as well asyour own goals?). From there, the instructor will guide you as you work on yourweaker area(s). Bring to the session the first chapter of your manuscript, achapter outline, and any related documents you have been working on (query,proposal, etc.).

Small Steps, Big Books

Unpublished writers make a frequent mistake:investing too much energy in producing one "great" work instead ofcreating more works. Certainly, thedesire to publish a great book is understandable and even commendable, but amore useful goal for the unpublished writer is simply to become more publishedthan he or she currently is. For most, this means momentarily scaling backone’s ambitions and pursuing lesser but more immediate writingopportunities: community newspaper articles, letters to the editor, newsletteressays, PR copy, book and movie reviews, blogs, books-for-hire, and so on.Small writing projects can help the overly ambitious writer clarify his or her thinking,improve narrative skills, build an audience, make contacts in the publishingindustry, overcome creative blocks, and perhaps even generate an income streamthat will fund your work on your Big Book. Join Matthew Frederick, author offive bestselling small books and one forever-in-progress Big Book, as he helpsyou identify some effective small steps you can take toward becoming morepublished.

Being an Expert Can Pay

Everyone is perhaps expert at something;can your expertise be turned into a book? For that matter, are you certain whatyour area of expertise is? Is it your professional knowledge, yourchild-rearing skills, your winning way with cats, or your ability to avoid hardwork? In this session, bestselling nonfiction author Matthew Frederick willhelp you explore possibilities great and small, serious and silly, for nonfictionbook projects. Bring to the seminar some raw ideas, a sense of humor, and adesire to explore in unexpected directions.

As you can see from Sunday's blog, all appointments with Glick are sold out. However, here's a little more about the three sessions she'll offer during the conference:

From Research to the Dotted Line: What a Writer Should know about Finding, Signing with an Agent

You've written your manuscript or you've outlined a great non-fiction idea. But what do you do next? Agent Mollie Glick will walk attendees through the steps to finding agents in your area, how to send a query, what types of projects need proposals and then move to communicating with agents and what to keep in mind when considering an agent contract.

To Whom it May Concern: Tips on Writing Dynamic Query Letters

You know you've got a gold mine of a manuscript in your hands or in your head. What's the best way to get the project across to an agent? Mollie Glick will share what she looks for when she's reading query letters and tips on how to get yours polished.

Let's Talk About Genres: Learning How to Categorize Your Work and Other Names Agents Might Call It

Literary? Commercial? Upmarket? Young Adult? Middle Reader? Independent Reader? Memoir? Narrative Non-fiction? Let Agent Mollie Glick help you discover what your genre might be called by agents. Bring all your genre/category questions to this one!

There's still time to purchase a critique

2011-08-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

September 1 is just around the corner, but there's still time to buy a critique. The following faculty (in random order) still have slots available:

1. Sorche Fairbank

2. Sarah LaPolla

3. Molly O'Neill

4. Bernadette Baker-Baughman

5. Alyssa Henkin

6. Jon Sternfeld

7. Jim Frenkel

8. Jessica Regel

9. Stephanie Sun

10. Melissa Jeglinski

11. Stephen Barr

12. Eddie Schneider

Already registered and want to add an appointment? Email scwwconference2011@gmail.com.

10 Smart Questions About the Query Process

2011-08-23T07:06:00.000-07:00

By Chuck Sambuchino - Writer's Digest Books
Conference Faculty Member

When contacting agents, the query process isn’t as simple as “Just keep e-mailing until you make a connection.” There are ins, outs, strange situations, unclear scenarios, and plenty of what-have-you that block the road to signing with a rep. It’s with that in mind that I have collected 10 of the more interesting questions submitted to me by readers regarding protocol during the query process.

1. Can you query multiple agents at the same agency?

Generally, no. A rejection from one usually means a rejection from the entire agency. If you query one agent and she thinks the work isn’t right for her but still has promise, she will pass it on to fellow agents in the office who can review it themselves. Agents work together like that.

2. Can you re-query an agent after she rejects you?

You can, though I’d say you have about a 50/50 shot of getting your work read. Some agents seem to be more than open to reviewing a work if it’s been overhauled or undergone serious edits. Other agents, meanwhile, believe that a no is a no—period. So, in other words, you really don’t know, so you might as well just query away and hope for the best.

3. Do you need a conservative agent for a conservative book? A liberal agent for a liberal book?

I asked a few agents this question and some said they were willing to take on any political slant if the book was well written and the author had platform. A few agents, on the other hand, said they needed to be on the same page politically with the author for a political/religious book, and would only take on books they agreed with. Bottom line: Some will be open-minded; some won’t. Look for reps who have taken on books similar to yours, and feel free to query other agents, too. The worst any agent can say is no.

4. Should you mention your age in a query? Will agents take on an older client?

I’m not sure any good can come from mentioning your age in a query. Usually the people who ask this question are younger than 20 or older than 70. Concerning an age bias, I would say some agents may be hesitant to sign older writers because reps are looking for career clients, not simply individuals with one memoir/book to sell. If you’re older, write multiple books to convince an agent that you have several projects in you … and don’t mention your age in the query to be safe.

5. Can I query an agent for a short story collection?

I’d say 95 percent of agents do not accept short story collection queries. The reason? Collections just don’t sell well. If you have a collection of short stories, you can do one of three things: 1) Repurpose some/all of the stories into a novel, which is much easier to sell. 2) Write a new book—a novel—and sell that first to establish a reader base. That way, you can have a base that will purchase your next project—the collection—ensuring the publisher makes money on your short stories. 3) Query the few agents who do take collections and hope for the best. If you choose this third route, I suggest you get some of the stories published to help the project gain some momentum.

6. When should you query? When is your project ready?

There is no definitive answer, but here’s what I suggest. You want to get other eyes on the material—what are called “beta readers”—people who can give you feedback that is both honest and helpful. These beta readers (usually critique group buddies) will give you feedback and you can take what you want then ditch the rest. What you’re aiming for is no more major concerns. So let’s say you give the book to three friends and they come back with some major concerns, such as “It starts too slow” or “This character is not believable.” Through revisions, you can address these problems. After rewrites, give it to three more beta readers. If they come back with no major concerns, the book is ready, or at least very close.

7. Should I mention that my work is copyrighted or has had professional editing?

No. All work is copyrighted the moment you write it down in any medium, so saying something that’s obvious only comes off as amateurish. On the same note, all work should be edited, so saying that the work is edited (even by a professional editor) also comes off as amateurish.

8. How should I start my query? Should I begin with a paragraph from the book?

I would not include a paragraph from the book nor would I write the letter in the “voice” of one your characters—those are gimmicks. You can just jump right into the pitch—there’s nothing wrong with that. But you can also try to establish a connection with an agent (i.e., try to explain why you’ve picked this agent out of the whole bunch). Ways to make a connection include 1) a referral, 2) citing an interview with them you read online, 3) mentioning a prior book they repped, 4) revealing that you met in person at a writers’ conference.

9. Should I mention that the query is a simultaneous submission?

You can, but you don’t have to. If you say it’s exclusive, they understand no other eyes are on the material, but if you say nothing, they will assume multiple agents must be considering it. Keep in mind to always check each agent’s submission guidelines; a few rare agents will specifically request to be informed if it’s a simultaneous submission.

10. Should I query all my “target” agents at once?

No, and let me tell you why. You don’t want to send out 50 queries all at once, because if the query doesn’t hook readers or your first chapter needs tweaking, then you’ve sent out sub-par work to all reps. You’ll get rejected across the board and blow lots of chances with agents. My recommendation is to send out 5-7 queries and see what you hear back. If everyone is saying no and you don’t get requests for pages, you have to start examining where you’re going wrong. Make some adjustments before querying again.

SCWW conference manners 101

2011-08-21T19:42:00.000-07:00

First, please, let me remind you the early bird registration discount rates end Sept. 1. Also, all critique materials must be sent by Sept. 1. That’s also the last date you can purchase a critique.

Now that we’ve got business out of the way, let’s talk about something that might seem simple, but can be a tricky, but vital, ingredient to a great conference experience – industry manners.
The majority of the attendees will have the same goal of getting published. With hundreds of people struggling for time with only 20 faculty members, it’ tempting to do whatever it takes. Here are some suggestions of the good, the bad and the “it depends.”

The Good

1. Be friendly. Think of it like the Sam Walton rule at Walmart: if a faculty member is within 10 feet, smile and say hello.

2. Be professional. Presentation is a subtle part of manners. Make sure to keep your comments, conversation and clothes in the same condition – clean and in good taste.

3. Be helpful. If a faculty member, or even another attendee, looks lost or in need of a little help, offer.

4. Be prepared. Nothing distracts a session or appointment time like someone wrestling a purse, conference tote or briefcase for pen, paper and business cards.

5. Be rested. It’s amazing the difference in your attitude when you’ve had a restful night.

6. Be kind. Sure, you’ll see errors in others work that look obvious. But remember, we’re all human and have room to learn. If asked for feedback, try to provide it in a manner you would want returned.

7. Be respectful. Though only 20 people, it will seem like there’s so many faculty, especially should they congregate after the dinner session in the hotel bar. While it’s tempting to join their crowd, only do so when there’s some type of invite. No matter how long our days are – theirs have been a little longer. Not only are they in sessions and appointments, they’re had loads of prep work, too.

The Bad

1. Don’t lurk. True, it’s a fine line. You want to catch your dream agent’s eye. But you don’t want a restraining order. How do you know if you’ve gone too far – when you’re trying to pass a business card under the bathroom stalls. Seriously folks, faculty members need down time – after dinner, a little time by the pool, a bathroom break – so they can provide great sessions, and find great clients.

2. Don’t be a wallflower. This is your time to shine in the sun, not be bashful and your own worst critique. If an agent or editor says he/she LOVES your use of dialogue or your creative choices of adjectives, don’t argue that you could do better.

3. Don’t carry a lot of baggage. I’m being literal and figurative. Maybe you were led on by an agent in the past. That doesn’t mean you’ll need interrogation lights for your critique or pitch appointments with new agents. And from a literal side, Don’t carry printed copies of your manuscript. In this digital age, make sure you have a copy in your email, laptop or on a flash drive.

4. Don’t be too eager, or play too hard-to-get. If an agent or editor says “send me a query,” “send me the first 10 pages,” or “send me your manuscript,” don’t light up his/her email from your Blackberry the second you walk away from the table. With appointments and sessions for most of the day, they won’t have time to read it. Also, you’re adding to pile of email that’s growing every minute they’re out of the office. But, don’t wait too long. A week or two of using conference suggestions to improve your work is great. Waiting any longer than a month, unless you’re in communications with the requester, is risky.

5. Don’t expect superhero powers or strength. You’ll never be able to go to every single session, hear every single panel or remember every great tip. And you can’t attend the early-bird breakfast groups and the night owl mingles without a little downtime somewhere.

It Depends

1. Avoid being “a fan.” It has happened to all of us. With so much social media at our fingertips, you may be a fan on Facebook of your dream agent, but at the conference you want to be a student and potential client. However, during the reception and dinners, feel free to let the faculty know how much you enjoy their work and how creative their Tweets are.

2. Elevator pitching, dinner pitching, bar pitch, bathroom pitching, poolside pitching. If you follow the Be Friendly rule and an agent asks, “What are you working on?” feel free to answer. However, if Agent X has on a pair of shades and a Harlequin at the pool, please, don’t pop up and pitch. Never, ever pitch in a bathroom, dark alley or airport.

Do you have a great conference etiquette item I missed? A specific question about conference manners? Comment below.

Faculty Update - Breaking News!

2011-08-17T20:52:00.000-07:00

New York Times best-selling author, ANDREW GROSS, has just been added to the faculty for this year’s conference. Mr. Gross replaces suspense author M.J. Rose as our key note speaker. Ms. Rose had a conflicting family matter and cannot be with us. M.J. was instrumental in securing Andrew to be our Saturday evening key note speaker. I want to thank M.J. for helping us with this and thank Andrew for agreeing to take over for her.

You may know Andrew best because of his writing relationship with mystery/thriller/suspense author, James Patterson. Together they had six number one thrillers, including two of the Women’s Murder Club books.

Andrew is the author of five novels, three featuring fictional detective Ty Hauck of Greenwich, Connecticut. His most recent novel, Eyes Wide Shut, came out in July of this year.

We look forward to having Andrew with us and hearing his words of inspiration during dinner on Saturday, October 22.

Early registration ends on at 11:59 p.m. Thursday, September 1, 2011, when the clock strikes midnight, rates will go up $50.

We’re excited about the conference and hope that you are as well. See you in October!

10 Dos and Do Not’s for Pitching Agents at a Conference

2011-08-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

By Bernadette Baker-Baughman - Victoria Sanders & Associates
Conference Faculty Member

10 Dos and Do Not’s for Pitching Agents at a Conference:

Do: Hone your pitch. Practice it on friends, family, in the mirror, on your pet. Practice it until it makes perfect sense and until you feel very comfortable and confidant repeating it.

Do not: plan on leaving a lot of material behind. If you leave anything, leave a one sheet or a business card.

Do: have a few “plan B” questions in case you have an extra moment more than anticipated with an editor or agent. There is nothing worse than a three minute conversation stalling out.

Do not: be nervous. This may be easier said than done. But agents are excited to meet you! We go to conferences because we are hungry for talent.

Do: send your materials right away if an agent requests it at a conference. If you are not going to send the material right away, let the agent know why. You have a higher chance of being remembered if you submit your material right away.

Do not: let it hurt your feelings if an agent/editor declines to review your material. We all have different sensibilities. Instead, focus on the agents who do request your work. Try and figure out what those agents found appealing or what stood out to them, then hone that for your next pitch.

Do: toot your own horn. We only learn what you tell us, so tell us as much as you can (the relevant stuff, of course).

Do not: be aggressive or pushy. Think of this like a first date. You have a better chance at a second date if you are on your best behavior. Agents want relationships that are friendly and mutually beneficial. So keep the smile on.

Do: speak up. You’ll be in a busy room with lots of noise. So eye contact, enunciation, and projection will go a long way.

Do not: forget which agent requested what material from you. Take notes. A dedicated notebook is a good idea for any conference. Be diligent about staying organized. And send only what is requested.

Do: have fun! This is the work of being a writer. We look forward to seeing you in the Fall!

Hello, Writers!

2011-08-12T10:04:00.000-07:00

By Jessica Regel - Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency
Conference Faculty Member

At the critique sessions, you and I will sit down and talk about your book-- not only the pages that I've read, but also the market for the project, and the general publishing process. Bring any questions you have with you to the session.

Here's a list of what I look for in new clients:

1) I want to be captivated by your writing from the first page. As far as genres go, I represent the following:

Young Adult & Middle Grade: Traditionally, I prefer books that are grounded in reality, but have elements of Romance, Science Fiction, Mystery, Horror or Paranormal. For instance, the WONDROUS STRANGE series, by my author Lesley Livingston, is brimming with fantasy, history, adventure and romance, but the story remains grounded in a realistic context. It is set in Central Park and revolves around a teen actress. I also represent contemporary children's books, such as THE SUMMER OF MAY by Cecilia Galante.

General Adult Fiction and Women's Fiction: I'm not a big fan of character driven stories. Plot is important to me. Books of this genre that I love include: Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee, What I Loved by Siri Husvedt, Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, and The Story of A Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer. THE TRANSFORMATION OF THINGS by Jillian Cantor is one of the books in this genre that I represent.

Fun Adult Nonfiction: I enjoy lifestyle, memoir, humor, fashion, music and pop culture books. HOW TO BOOZE by Jordan Kaye and Marshall Altier is an example of a non-fiction book that I represent.

I don't handle: Practical Non-fiction (such as Self-Help, How-To, or Textbooks), Religion or Spirituality, Adult Genre Fiction (such as Sci-fi, Fantasy, Cozy mysteries, Romance), Political Thrillers or Crime, Picture Books, Misery Memoirs, Screenplays (while I do handle the film rights for JVNLA books, I do not represent screenwriters), Animal books (Children's and Adult), Children's books that are message or lesson oriented

2) A writer who can talk about their book in a way that gets me excited about it. If you can do this, then I know you'll be able to talk to your editor, your publicist, and, finally, your readers in an engaging way. Being a writer is no longer just about writing the book, it's about selling that book to the public.

3) A writer who knows the market for their book-- and reads their own genre! You need to know (and love) your genre.

I look forward to meeting you at the South Carolina Writers Workshop!

There’s Still Time!

2011-08-10T16:07:00.000-07:00

By Martha Greenway
SCWW Contests Chair

The deadline for the Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Awards is August 20 and is open only to those writers registered for the SCWW Conference. You must be a current member of SCWW and remain in good standing through October 23.

For a complete listing of the guidelines, go to www.scww.org and click on McCray Literary Awards. Next, click on the link to the guidelines in the first paragraph. There are four categories: Poetry, Short Fiction, Novel/first chapter and Nonfiction. The following prizes will be awarded for each category: $200 for 1st place, $100 for 2nd and a Certificate for Honorable Mention.

Carrie Allen McCray was an African-American writer born in Lynchburg, Virginia and was only seven years old when she and her family moved north during the black exodus out of the South. Her mom, Mary Rice Hayes Allen, was an early leader in the fight against segregation so Carrie grew up surrounded by the founders and leaders of the NAACP, writers and poets of the Harlem Renaissance and people like W.B. DuBois, Sterling Brown and Walter White. Carrie earned her Bachelors of Arts from Talladega College and a Masters in Social Work from New York University. She lived her later years in Columbia, South Carolina and was one of the founders and first board members of the South Carolina Writers Workshop.

Her published works include Ajös Means Goodbye (1966), The Black Woman and Family Roles (1980), and her first-person memoir, Freedom’s Child: The Life of a Confederate General’s Black Daughter (1998) while about her mom, it is also Carrie’s story. Her poetry has appeared in such magazines as Ms. and The River Styx. She died on July 25, 2008, aged 94.

The follow quote by Carrie was taken from a newspaper article and is very appropriate going into our conference: “. . . write for the joy of writing. Don’t be anxious about publishing, that will come. Accept constructive criticism from seasoned authors. It helped me develop my writing. Don’t let anyone discourage you.”

Building a Solid Weekend – How to Get the Most out of Your Conference Experience Part 2

2011-08-07T15:15:00.000-07:00

In my writing room at home I keep a copy of a Peanuts strip on the wall for inspiration. Snoopy is sitting on top of his dog house typing a series of opening lines. You know the ones about a dark and stormy night, a gun shot ringing out, a hospital intern making a discovery and a little boy growing up in Kansas. At the end of the strip he realizes he’s written himself into a corner. It happens to all of us at one time or another: we start a new project with lots of vigor and excitement only to realize we haven’t hammered out all of the details and we’re stuck.

As writers, we spend a lot of our time staring at computer screens or blank sheets of paper ready to create our masterpiece. When that computer screen is taunting us because we can’t get our story going it’s frustrating. So we turn to the experts: blogs, books on writing and the members of our critique circle, if we’re lucky enough to have a critique circle.

We think and plan then rewrite and tweak until inspiration hits and we know exactly what to do. The thing that helps move our story along comes to us in something like a blaze then we’re on fire again, the words fly from our fingertips fueled by mercury.

But what if you’ve been stuck for a long time? What if you’re still trying to get your character to admit that she’s frightened to talk to the guy in the booth because he bears an uncanny resemblance to her long dead brother? What do you do? The sessions listed below may not spark exactly the motivation you need, but they may point you in the right direction.

My Project is Underway, What Next?

Friday 9:00 –

Seeing and Hearing is Creating: Character and Plot Development Using Point of View and Voice – David B. Coe

Saturday 10:30 –

(1) Writing Isn’t A Race: Pacing and Story Arc – David B. Coe

(2) Using Your Head to Touch Hearts: Crafting Gripping Scenes – Lisa Tucker

These courses, along with the rest of the weekend's offerings, will help get you moving and keep you motivated as you work through your own dark and stormy nights as great discoveries are being made in your writing.

I look forward to seeing you in October.

On Twitter...

2011-08-07T07:33:00.000-07:00

By Stephanie Sun - Weed Literary
2011 Conference Faculty

I would like to preface this post by saying that in no way, shape, or form, do I (nor can I) declare myself an authority on Twitter, as I am still very much new to this and have less than 500 "tweets" under my belt. With that being said...

I love Twitter, and I think it can do wonders for prospective authors. At almost every book-event I attend, Twitter comes up as a conversation topic amongst editors, agents, and authors-alike, and the benefits of having this social-connection to the publishing world can be amazing for writers who want to be published. Questions about publishing, the querying process, etiquette, anything - answers are only a #-tag away and this is invaluable material for those willing to take the plunge into the world of tweeting.

I have to admit, I had no idea what I was doing when I first signed up for a Twitter account, and quite often mistook the "search", "find people", and "post" boxes for each other and would consequently post extremely odd, piecemeal material. But soon thereafter, I started "following" our agency's authors, other favorite writers, journalists, editors, and industry-people and quickly picked up the lingo and trending #-tags. It is always helpful to write a personalized note about an agency's author or even better, specific book one has read when querying an agent, and most published authors are extremely gracious and helpful when answering insightful questions on the process- many times because they have been in the same position themselves! A little research and quality time investment goes a long way in simply getting a query read, and makes the material highly more probable to be requested.

If you plan to attend SCWW, give me a shout @sooheesun and I will try my best to @-you back! (Still working on how to navigate and nail down that Twitter-language because I am pretty sure "@-you back" is highly incorrect...but I promise to learn more and be a better Tweeter.)

There’re Going Like Hot Cakes!

2011-08-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

By Carrie McCullough

The deadline for submitting work for a critique from a conference faculty member is September 1, and appointments are going fast. And yes, you do have to be registered for the conference to purchase critique, pitch, and query appointments. Here’s what is and is not still available.

SOLD OUT:
Frenkel – extended critique
Plummer – standard (didn't offer extended)

NEARLY SOLD OUT:
2 Baker - Baughman standard critiques
3 LaPolla - Real-Time Queries
1 Barr - Pitch
4 Barr – Extended critiques
2 Jeglinski – Extended critiques
2 Henkin – Standard critiques
3 O'Neil – Standard critiques
3 Sun - Pitches
4 Sun – Real-Time Queries

For the most up-to-date and accurate answers to your appointment questions, read the September issue of the Quill. We'll tell you what to bring, what you shouldn't bring and tips to make your appointments productive. If you have a question you'd like answered in the September issue, be sure to email it to scwwconference2011@gmail.com.

I'm so Excited!

2011-08-03T04:07:00.000-07:00

It's only August, but I'm already excited about and looking forward to the 21st SCWW Conference in October. I think some of the excitement comes from being a member of the Board of Directors. We are a working Board and for us the work on the conference began in January, so by now the plans on paper are becoming a reality. Registrations are coming in and critique, pitch and real-time query appointments are filling up. If you've been following our blog, you've seen the faculty has started their posts with advice on how to make your conference experience a great one - they're just teasers for the good writing advice they'll pass along at the conference.

I'm also looking forward to being a volunteer at the conference again this year. I'm tackling the job of heading up this year's Silent Auction, a daunting task and an important part of the conference. The money generated by the Auction helps significantly with the following year's conference expenses. But I have a great committee and some big Auction items are already in. We have our 5 day stay at The Oaks and we have our first faculty offering. I anticipate more faculty items, as well as some other interesting pieces in the next two months. Chapters have let me know they are getting their baskets together. It's always a fun surprise to see what the Chapters have chosen as their themes and the items they used for it. I'll include a list of Silent Auction items in my September post.

This is my third time volunteering for the SCWW Conference. The last two years I worked the registration desk and the critique room, giving me the opportunity to meet so many of the attendees over the weekend and some of the faculty I didn't hear in sessions. This year I'm moderating a Slushfest. Slushfests are a great way to see and hear how agents and editors initially react to our manuscripts. What an eye-opener!

I'm also excited and a bit curious about what this year's 'take-away' will be. This is my 6th or 7th SCWW Conference and every year I come away with pages of notes and hand-outs, but there's always been that one specific nugget that was just the right thing I needed that particular year. One year it was finding out the short story I had critiqued was really a novel in the making - which I've since finished. Another year it was hearing how three different faculty members read the same piece of my work . . . and came up with three different opinions! But each had valuable information. Who knows what this year will bring, but I know I'll come home with just the right tidbit.

And I'm also looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new writers in October.

There's a lot to be excited about with the upcoming SCWW Annual Conference, from the outside in. If you haven't registered yet, there's still plenty of time to do so. If you want an appointment with a specific faculty member, the time is getting a little tighter for you. And if you want to be part of what makes all this happen, think about becoming a volunteer. See you at the beach!

I'm Counting the Days...

2011-07-30T06:03:00.000-07:00

By Mollie Glick - Foundry Literary & Media
2011 Conference Faculty Member

I'm counting the days to the SCWW because having spent summers in Kiawa Island as a child, South Carolina holds a special place in my heart! And I'm dying to fall in love with some new novels.

I've been selling a lot of high concept literary fiction lately, from Ronda Rhiley's ADAM HOPE to Ecco (the same publisher as EDGAR SAWTELLE), to Carol Brunt's TELL THE WOLVES I'M HOME, which sold to Dial, to Elizabeth Garrett's THE DROWNING HOUSE, which sold to Nan Talese, but I haven't been swept off my feet for a while and I am always looking for the next TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE, THE NIGHT CIRCUS or THE SPARROW.

I've also been selling a lot of great YA projects like Gennifer Albin's CREWEL to FSG Kids, and Josie Angelini's STARCROSSED series to Harper, and can't wait to find my next YA crush. And as always, I adore popular science, memoir and narrative nonfiction of all stripes. I just read an article about a blind man who taught himself to navigate by a form of sonar, that absolutely fascinated me, and I'd love to find a great one of a kid story like that.

The publishing market is tough these days, but I firmly believe that cream rises to the top, and if you're passionate about a project, you can make it work. One of the best things about being an agent is the close collaborative relationship you form with your authors, so I very much look forward to meeting all of you this October. And if you've got a novel I won't be able to out down, send it my way!

Warmest wishes,
Mollie Glick

New Faculty Member & Other Updates

2011-07-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

We’ve added our final faculty member for the 2011 conference – Mollie Glick of Foundry Media. For more information on Mollie, please be sure to visit the SCWW website, www.myscww.org/conference. You’ll also find updated pages on many of the faculty members, as well as more information on critiques.

Speaking of critiques and other faculty appointments, we've got several faculty members selling out or close to selling out. Here's a quick udate:

SOLD OUT:
Frenkel Extended Critiques
Plummer Standard Critiques

NEARLY SOLD OUT:
Baker-Baughman Standard Critiques
LaPolla Real-Time Queries
Barr Pitches
Barr Extended Critiques
Jeglinski Extended Critiques
Henkin Standard Critiques
O'Neil Standard Critiques
Sun Pitches
Sun Real-Time Queries

If you haven't registered yet, be sure to do so soon if you want the best chance to grab an appointment with your dream faculty member. All appointments are scheduled on a first-come, first served basis. And, to clarify some confusion from last year, that means first-to-register-online basis. Do not lose the chance to get one-on-one time with a faculty member because you think you can sign up for time when you get to the conference. All appointments must be purchased before the conference. In addition, to lessen confusion at the appointment rooms, you may not change, transfer or swap appointment times. This way, all attendees will be able to make the most of every second of their appointment times.

As mentioned before, attendees who register for critiques will be notified within five business days of receipt of critique materials who their appointments will be with in October. Shortly before the conference, attendees with appointments will receive emails with their times.

Should you have any questions about other faculty appointments, please wait until at least five business days after you register and then email scwwconference2011@gmail.com.

Finally, if you've already registered and would like to add an appointment, please email scwwconference2011@gmail for more information.

Why You Should Enter the Carrie McCray Contest…WHY NOT?

2011-07-25T06:29:00.000-07:00

If you check out the Carrie McCray Contest, you will see that there are four first place prizes. One for poetry, one for first chapter novel, one for short fiction and one for non-fiction. There’s a two hundred dollar first prize in each event. Win one of them and you’ve paid for half of your conference registration. Win two, and well…you can do the math. Win all four and you can walk away with money in your pocket. I’m beginning to sound like a carnival vendor.

Writing contests flourish across the country. You are often competing against a thousand or more other entries. In the Carrie McCray Contest you are only competing against other writers who are attending the SCWW Conference with you. Do the math.

Entering contests is a good discipline to incorporate to polish your skills. It forces you to lock into a due date, limit yourself to a specific word count and re-write that feature article you’ve had sitting on the shelf for ..how long has it been? Plus it doesn’t look half-bad on your bio. You’re a writer, right? It never hurts to get your work evaluated by judges who make their living as wordsmiths. Keep in mind, this is not a critique. You are not going to get your entry back with red ink on it. You will only know whether you won or not.

Here’s how it works. Read the requirements for submission at www.myscww.org/conference/mccray. Choose one or more forums to submit your work. Give it your best shot. Mail us four copies…that’s right, FOUR COPIES, no later than AUGUST 20TH. That’s a biggie. We have to have them in by August 20th to mail out to the three judges in each category. (hence the need for four copies – see our previous blog to get information on the judges) and to give them adequate time to evaluate and return.

Three judges will read your submission and score it based on a thirty point scale: ten points for content, i.e. originality and creativity; ten points for structure, i.e. grammar and mechanics; and ten points on style, i.e. cohesiveness, story arch, and success in fulfilling your objective. After these three judges have each separately scored the entries, the scores will be sent back for a cumulative score between all three judges.

That’s it. We want to see your best stuff and we want to give you credit, along with $100, for your hard work.

Overcoming Your Fears

2011-07-21T05:17:00.000-07:00

By Sarah LaPolla - Associate Agent at Curtis Brown, Ltd.
2011 Conference Faculty Member

I attended my first conference about a year ago. At the time, I was a shiny new agent with only one client to my name. I was very, very nervous, but in that excited way, like the first day of school. Will the other agents accept me? Will I make friends? Will the writers respect me? What if they don’t want to pitch to me? As a life-long introvert, I was terrified at what might be expected of me.

Turns out, everything was fine. Both colleagues and writers were professional, welcoming, and pleasant. I’ve since attended many other conferences, and even served on panels with only minimal anxiety. At these other conferences, I’ve encountered many different types of writers, many of whom were suffering from their own forms of anxiety that manifested in ways that sometimes effected their pitch sessions. There were five common afflictions.

The Overachiever: This writer is ALL business. To them, a handshake wastes precious "getting out my binder and carefully typed notes" time and “hello” is just another word for "I will read you my query letter, credentials, and bio in under three minutes." An agent will respond positively to this approach only if they are interested in the project. Otherwise, it is a bit daunting and scary.

The BFF: This writer so excited and is such a fan of [something agent's done]. He or she might use the phrase "I feel like I know you!" and the agent will be forced to think of a game plan lest the writer attempts to hug them. It’s always good to be personable, especially if you follow an agent on Twitter, read their blog, or have met them before. But you do not want to appear so familiar that you lose your sense of professional boundaries.

The Lost Puppy: This writer is adorably nervous, but also slightly exhausting. They will stammer and stare until, finally, they're able to get out their one-sentence pitch just as their time is up. All they need is a little love, encouragement, and a gentle shove to keep moving, but sometimes it’s very hard not to lose patience with them.

The Fast Talker: As someone who fears public speaking more than death, I can relate to The Fast Talker. I know what it's like to think oh god if I just get through this as quickly as possible it'll all be over and I'll never have to speak again! In the rare instances I was unable to feign illness to get out of speaking, remembering these two things helped me: 1) Be an expert. No one knows your book better than you do, so don’t be afraid to talk about with confidence and authority. 2) Breathe. Before you sit down with an agent, count to three and exhale. It's pretty textbook, but it tends to work.

The Mumbler: What if the agent doesn’t think it’s good? What if I’m pitching it all wrong? What if I die in here?? When these thoughts run through a writer’s head, their words come out too jumbled and quiet to understand. All they want to do is disappear.

Hopefully none of you suffer from these nervous side effects, but if you do, know that you are not alone. You can overcome them! Just remember that conferences aren’t mandatory. We’re all here by choice and both agents and writers attend conferences for the same reason – to get your amazing book published. A good project will always shine through, so don’t worry about presentation or appropriate amount of eye contact. Just trust that you wrote the story you wanted to tell, and share it with confidence.

A New Resource for Chapters

2011-07-19T13:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a generous monetary donation from an anonymous source specifically ear-marked, we have printed 3,500 membership brochures. This updated pamphlet is generic in nature so it has universal appeal for prospective SCWW members. If your chapter or community would like a supply to encourage new membership (there’s even an application inside), please email Membership Chair Steve Gordy (scwwmembership@gmail.com) or Ginny Padgett (scwwpresident@gmail.com). We will get them to you right away.

While I’m here, I want to thank, in advance, our conference faculty members for their blogs. From now until October 21, we’ll have a blog from one of them at least once a week. Be sure to keep visiting here at the SCWW blog page for their tips for getting the most out of your conference experience and other helpful tidbits.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, we are poised on the brink of one of our best writers’ conferences in 21 years. The structure is a bit different this year which we hope will better accommodate more attendees. Our sessions will address a greater variety of topics. Be sure to register as soon as possible to ensure your first-choice appointments for critiques, pitches, and queries. Early-bird rates end September 1. Also, your work for critique must be received by Carrie by September 1.

Meeting an Agent

2011-07-16T05:57:00.000-07:00

By Jon Sternfeld – The Irene Goodman Agency
2011 SCWW Conference Faculty Member

There is always an awkward power dynamic at work when a writer first sits down to meet an agent. Maybe it’s fear, maybe it’s the chaotic environment of conferences, or maybe it’s the magical feeling writers have, the misconception really, that an agent is the gateway to a writing career of fame and fortune. It’s true that agents have the knowledge and contacts to help start a writing career, but we are not the issue. The book in your hand (or head) is the issue. That and how you come across when you pitch it to us.

When I go to conferences, I immediately try to disarm the writers who sit down with me for one on ones. I give them a smile, tell them to relax, make a light joke or just anything to ease the tension – the reason is that I want them to lower their expectations that I am anything but a listener for the moment. It’s like a helpful boost to start things off - I want myself to be lowered so there’s room for them to feel a bit raised. A committed, disciplined writer is confident and agents know this and respond to this. Agents don’t travel weekends and miss time with their family to chat with uncommitted amateurs. We do it because we truly believe that out there are professional (though as of yet unpublished) writers that are just golden and waiting to be discovered.

If you’re shy, just fake the confidence, because often it’s the deciding factor as to whether or not an agent takes you seriously when you first sit down. Your passion, conviction, and sometimes, even your ego, will help get the agent to really see you as a writer, which I think is as important as the ‘pitch’ sometimes. I can’t do any reading in front of you, so whether or not I ask for you to send me your pages will often be based on how well you seem to know your story, how much time and work you’ve put into it, and how articulate you can be when discussing it. All of these are easier with confidence.

It’s an irony that at conferences the agents don’t read the writer’s work, but it’s the nature of the environment. Since they won’t be reading in front of you, the best you can do is get them to want to read more. Then, they’ll be rushing home to check their email to see what you sent in and the power dynamic is back as it should be – with the writers in control.

2011 Crituque Guidelines Reminder

2011-07-15T23:37:00.000-07:00

Although the SCWW standard and extended critique guidelines are pretty much the same as it was in 2009 and 2010, please, read this before submitting your critique materials!

Before I cover some FAQs I want to make one thing totally clear. If you purchase a standard critique, send ONLY ten (10) pages of the material. You may send an optional one (1) page synopsis. I will not send any more than tweleve (12) pages to the faculty member: cover, synopsis, manuscript. The same goes for extendeds. Send only thirty (30) pages, the cover and the optional synopsis, bringing the total to thirty-two pages. If you send more, I will return the electronic copy to you and you'll have one chance to delete the extra pages. Beyond that I will destroy the copy and it will not be sent to the faculty member and you will not get a refund. Send ONLY what's asked for and included in the purchase price. Please, do not "force fit" all the information you want to get in for those pages. The material should be double spaced and with 1-inch margins. Do not change it to an 8-point font.

1.How should I format the hard copies I send to you?
Although some agents and editors have particular instructions for submissions, for the conference, it's best to stick with standard formatting. All critiques should be in Times New Roman or Courier 12pt font. They should be printed on regular printer paper (20lb., 92 brightness). Make sure all your margins are 1". For the header, place your name and the working title of your manuscript in the upper left hand corner. In the upper right, insert the page number and the estimated word count (if you know it). Send a title page, for each of the two copies, with the title of the manuscript and your contact information. You may send a one-page synopsis if you'd like--standard format. Bind each copy together with a binder clip, rubber band or paper clip. Now for the DON'T part: no report covers, no staples and please, PLEASE no cardstock weight paper.

2.How about the formatting for the electronic copy?Save the electronic copy as a .DOC or .RTF. Name the file like this:

2011manuscriptyourlastname.
For example, if my manuscript was named The Devil and Hotdog Smith, here's how the file would look once I save it.

2011TheDevilandHotdogSmithMcCullough.rtf

Include all three elements, manuscript, synopsis, and cover page, in ONE file. If I get your manuscript and it's not in the right format, I will return it to you and ask that you save it in the right format. To select the format, To do this, open your document, go to SAVE AS. Name your document (see instructions above) and then in the drop down, below the name, select one of the above formats.I hate to be a stickler for this but it's imperative, for all sorts of compatibility issues, that I get the files in this format. While I would like to be able to just fix it for you, I neither cannot nor will not do that. I do not want to alter your work, intentionally or otherwise, in any way.

3. How will I know you got my stuff?
When I get your materials, I will send you an email confirming they arrived safe and sound. In the case of hard copies, I will stamp them with the date and file them alphabetically. In the case of electronic copies, I will open them and check for any file corruption issues. If you have emailed or mailed your materials and you have not heard from me in a reasonable time frame, feel free to email. Please give the Post Office (and me) ample time to process your materials before you email.

4. Where do I send my stuff?
For the hard copies, mail them to the address below. Please copy this address EXACTLY to avoid any snags in delivery.
Carrie McCullough
SCWW Critique
2240 Cadden Road
Augusta, GA 30906

For the electronic copies, attach your file and email them to:
scwwconference2011@gmail.com

5. Can I revise my manuscript once I send it to you?
No. I will only accept the first version you send, unless of course there is some major disaster like my computer crashes or your file is corrupt. There's a lot of planning behind this aspect of the conference and to be fair to everyone, I cannot accept revisions. Make sure you send the best, most polished version to me. If you attempt to send a revision, the email will be returned with the attachement unopened and any hard copies will be shredded.

6. Can I change my faculty choices after you get my materials?
No. Once the manuscript has been received and assigned, there will be no changes -- unless the faculty member is for some reason unable to accomodate your manuscript.

7. What if I query my faculty member before the conference and receive a rejection letter after I've chosen that person to critique my work?
Still, NO. My advice would be to refrain from querying the person(s) you select for critique. It can make for a very awkward meeting. Save the query letter until after you've met at the conference.

8. If my book sells before the conference, can I get a refund for my critique?Once your materials have been received, logged in and confirmed, there will be NO refunds for critiques. Check out our policy for conference attendance refunds on the registration grid.

9. Will you call me if you see something terribly wrong with my manuscript so I can change it before it's sent to a faculty member?
If there is a problem with the file--corruption, weird characters, in another language---I will contact you and offer you the opportunity to resend. However, I will not, in any way, edit or read-though your submission for content or for copy-editing purposes. I will occassionally read the first couple of paragraphs to make sure your manuscript matches the requests of the faculty member. It is your sole responsibility to be comfortable and confident with your work before you send it to me.

Email me at scwwconference2011@gmail.com with any questions you have--or post to comments--and I'll answer them. It's best to get the questions out of the way before the rush of materials in late summer.

If at First....

2011-07-12T19:59:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Michigan. People here are complaining about the heat. Compared to South Carolina, it's delightful. Humidity at 50% here is very different from 80% or more. In South Carolina in the summertime I step out the door to get the morning paper and I need another shower. As Michigan writer, Jim Harrison, says: “Summer in Michigan is just three months of bad sledding.”

I began in the middle of the story. Traveling provides moments that make stories. There are snippets that might turn into poetry. I found ancestors' graves on the Internet. Across more than a century the silence of the forest around their graves spoke to me of those who plowed unturned earth with only horse or mule power and a child who died before he took his first step. A driver cut me off somewhere in Ohio. A police car right behind me put a swift end to that driver's fun. There's a story there.

But for now I must set aside the stories and put on my editor's cap. The judges have made their decisions on submissions to The Petigru Review. Acceptances and rejections will be going out shortly. Some storytellers and poets will be thrilled, and some will be disappointed. I've been on both sides—receiving rejections and sending them—I understand how difficult judging and editing are.

Rejection is part of the process that makes us better writers. Really. I know no matter what the outcome, all of you will continue telling your stories. If your work is rejected by TPR send it to another market. Keep submitting.

I think a great way to hone your craft and learn about the business of writing is to attend the SCWW conference: The Method, the Market & the Muse.

You can find information at http://myscww.org/conference/

The first conference I attended a few years ago was eye-opening. I felt I was given private lessons on how professional authors and editors and agents work. I made connections with local writers, and from there I found the SCWW. The critique process still makes me nervous, but I have learned how to be a better writer and editor. The conference slush-fests are amazing. I saw how important it is to grab a reader with the first line. Since the slush-fest manuscripts are evaluated anonymously, writers can sit back and pretend aloofness.

Members of the faculty are approachable and willing to engage with conference attendees. At one conference an editor sat down with me and worked with my manuscript. I learned important self editing skills and gained insight into editing TPR anthology.

The moral: If we want to be published storytellers, we must learn the craft and the business of writing. A great way to do that is attend the conference.

I'll see you all at the conference.

Are all compliments equal?

2011-07-10T19:10:00.000-07:00

I was joking with someone recently that my father appreciated me, but never complimented me. Then, I mentioned it was a problem many people have, including my friend.

“I don’t. I say ‘thank you’ all the time,” my friend quickly replied.

And he does. Most of us do. But a compliment is different. “Thank you” is a bit empty. In some cases, we say those two words, but really mean, “it took forever, that wasn’t the way I would have done it, but you did finally get it done.”

Praise takes effort to exhibit appreciation of someone else’s effort. It’s about making note of something specific that improves our lives. But there’s another side of the coin. It’s one that, in my opinion is worse than no compliment at all – the tongue-in-cheek compliment.

“I can’t stand this choice, but I really like this option, so great.”

“She’s got such a pretty face… but those ears!”

“He’s fairly smart, for a (pick the religion, race, sex, sexual preference different from that of the speaker).”

“You’re not a bad writer, but I can’t stand your subject matter!”

Why do I bring it up here, on the SCWW blog? Aren’t my posts usually aimed at letting members know about the conference, grammar peeves and the financial bottom line of SCWW? Well, yes, but I write about those things because those are what I know and it’s my way of helping writers put their best feet forward. And that’s what this is about, too.

As a non-profit writing organization, SCWW was started for writers to help writers. The Board members don’t get paid and volunteer their time and efforts for the betterment of that goal. Think of it the way you would the ASPCA, the Salvation Army, AARP or even your church or other religious refuge. The people who make decisions for the organization are doing it for the benefit of the members. And it’s only as strong as its weakest member.

Genuine, heartfelt statements of appreciation concerning the organization and the opportunities it offers bolster the reputation of you as a writer and the organization within the writing community. Agents, editors, best-selling authors all have their eyes on social media (blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc.). And, by the same token, slights about the organization, specific members of the group or guest speakers and faculty involved in SCWW events tarnishes not only the image of SCWW, but yours, too.

Want proof? Read the Twitter, blog and Facebook posts of some of the leading agents, editors and authors. I don’t think a week goes by that I don’t see a post by one some of the most prominent in the industry, many former or current SCWW faculty, concerning writers shooting themselves in the feet with trite comments. And, wonderfully, they also post when writers do some quite clever and thoughtful things, too.

I’m certainly not demanding praise for SCWW. But I do challenge us all to think before we type.

Interested in learning how to make the most out of your words and social media? Be sure to register for the 2011 conference and consider the sessions by best-selling author M.J. Rose (our keynote) and Georgia Center for the Book Director Bill Starr.

Building a Solid Weekend – How to Get the Most out of Your Conference Experience - Part 1

2011-07-07T19:30:00.000-07:00

These days I find that I’m often thinking about the conference. And lately I’ve been thinking about what some of our attendees will be doing all weekend. Conference veterans will be reconnecting with old friends, waiting impatiently for their critique or pitch and hoping to find a bit of inspiration along the shore of the Atlantic. You’re also likely to be looking for a bit of wisdom from one or several of our faculty members. This series of articles is for you.

If you’re new to writing and even conferences you may be feeling overwhelmed by all the options in front of you. You’re weekend may be a blur of information and opportunities. It’ll be over before you know it and you’re going to wish you’d planned the time a little better. This series of articles is also for you.

I’m here to help. No, really I am. It can be a bit overwhelming and I would hate for you to miss out on something because you’re not sure what to expect from a particular class. Of course, we want you to have a great time and learn as much as you can.

This is the first blog I’ll post on the topic of how to get the most out of your weekend in Myrtle Beach. The list below is all about the beginning. Facing down that blank screen or blank page may be a little less scary after you’ve sat in on one of the following sessions:

Just Getting Started

Friday 9:00 –

Seeing and Hearing is Creating: Character and Plot Development Using Point of View and Voice – David B. Coe

Saturday 9:00 –

(1) It’s Not Just the Story: Learning Ways to Tell the Backstory to Your Characters – Lisa Tucker

(2) It Really Happened: What Agents Expect in Your Non-Fiction Proposal – Stephen Barr

Saturday 1:30 –

Using Your Head to Touch Hearts: Crafting Gripping Scenes – Lisa Tucker

Saturday 3:00 –

Don’t Forget the Details: Developing Fantasy Settings and Magic Systems – David B. Coe

Sunday 9:30 –

Narrative Strategy: How Important is the Opening of a Manuscript? – James Frenkel

What Does Membership Matter?

2011-07-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

We sometimes get questions from our members regarding our policy that individuals who have attended three chapter meetings must join SCWW or cease attending meetings. In hard economic times, this may seem harsh.

There are at least three ways in which we can look at this issue:

Are we asking people to pay too much money?
Are potential members aware of what SCWW's done for them?
Why does it seem that we're always focused on money?

Let me try to address these questions, in reverse order. SCWW must operate in a fiscally responsible manner. The past few years have been tough ones for many people; we understand that. That doesn't change the fact that our suppliers still expect to be paid. It still costs up-front money to plan each year's conference. We can't provide financial support to chapter workshops unless we have adequate funds in our treasury. We have to develop a publication plan for the anthology on the assumption that membership funds will be forthcoming for the projected print run. Running a nonprofit association is a business, albeit one different in some ways from other businesses. In fact, SCWW typically ends the year "in the black," but not by much. Membership dues provide the greatest component of that net income. This is a fact that will not change.

The annual cost of an SCWW membership includes a monthly newsletter (The Quill). It also includes the right to submit entries for the annual anthology judging (at no extra cost) and for the Carrie McCray awards (at a small extra fee). A one-year individual membership costs less than the submission fees for some fiction competitions. We wish we could get more of our members to attend our annual conference. A one-year membership comes as part of the deal, for non-members. If I may be permitted to encroach on the territory of one of my fellow Board members, if you want to know why it's a good deal to join SCWW, attend the annual conference. You'll find that there are few occasions in the writing business where you can make as many useful contacts within a short amount of time.

The cost of a year's individual membership does pose a barrier to some potential members. On the other hand, there's no rule against the members of a chapter "passing the hat" to help out a potential member who's in dire financial straits. An individual membership costs less than I paid twenty-five years ago to belong to my major professional association. It's about equal to the cost of one Venti Capuccino per month for a year at Starbucks. We all make our individual decisions about the value of things and conduct ourselves accordingly. If you think it over and decide that SCWW is worth the money, thank you. If not, please let us know why not; we need that information to guide us in planning the Workshop's programs.

FAQs for Conference Registration

2011-06-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

Registration for the 2011 SCWW conference opened June 15. If you haven’t had a chance already, please take a moment and give the sessions, faculty and other offerings a gander. The website, www.myscww.org/conference, has been updated, as has the SCWW blog, www.scwwblog.blogspot.com. To help with the registration process, here’s a couple of frequently asked questions. If you have any other questions not covered here, send an email to scwwconference2011@gmail.com or call me, Carrie McCullough, at 706-564-7998.

Q: I want to register for the conference. How do I do it?
A: Registration for the conference is done online, via a conference planning site called eventville.com. There are two links. You’ll need to choose that one that meets your payment choice – credit/debit or check. Those links can be found here: http://myscww.org/conference/.

Q: If I sign up for a critique, when will my appointment be held?
A: This year, we’re moving critique appointment times to Friday. This is to allow more time for attendees to go to sessions, and to offer as many sessions during the conference as possible.

Q: When do I need to get critique materials in by?
A: Attendees who register for a standard or extended critique must mail AND email their materials by September 1, 2011.

Q: Who is offering critiques this year? What about pitches and real-time queries?
A: For a cheat sheet of appointment times, by faculty member, visit this blog post: http://scwwblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/conference-alert-looking-for-some-one.html.

Q: I’m trying to reserve my room at The Hilton. What’s the discount code to get the SCWW block rate?
A: To get our special rate, be sure you use the code SWF.

Q: On the Hilton reservations site, I’m not sure where to put the code. There are several spots for those. Where does our code go?
A: Be sure to use the code in the convention code area. It should be the third box. If you have any trouble doing this online, you can always call the reservations desk at The Hilton. The number and our hotel rates are listed here: http://myscww.org/conference/accommodations.php.

Q: I just talked myself into adding an appointment time or meal ticket. How do I do this?
A: If you’ve already registered, please, don’t go through the registration system again. Instead, please email scwwconference2011@gmail.com. It’s better to email, rather than call, so that we’ll both have a written record of what’s being added.

Q: I know someone who wants to register, but doesn’t have Internet access. How can they register?
A: For registrations that can’t be taken care of online, please print out this page: http://myscww.org/conference/registration-fees.php. Instructions for mailing it in are included at the bottom of the page. You’ll need to mail it to the SCWW general mailbox:
SCWW
4840 Forest Drive, Suite 6B: PMB 189
Columbia, SC 29206

Q: Speaking of addresses, where do I mail my check, if I’m paying that way?
A: If you’re paying via check, please mail it to the following address, within THREE business day of your registration. Your registration is not complete until we receive payment:
SCWW
4840 Forest Drive, Suite 6B: PMB 189
Columbia, SC 29206

Q: Where do I mail my critique materials?
A: Please mail your critiques to:
Carrie McCullough
2240 Cadden Road
Augusta, GA 30906

Q: I noticed there’s two rates for each registration item. Why?
A: Attendees who register by September 1, 2011, received a discounted, early bird rate. For a full list of the prices, please visit: http://myscww.org/conference/registration-fees.php.

Q: Are there any changes to the Carrie McCray contest this year?
A: Yes, there are some changes. Please visit the Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Awards page for more information: http://myscww.org/conference/mccray/.

See you in October!

More Good News

2011-06-21T10:31:00.001-07:00

More Good News

After reading some of the comments from the judges of the SCWW High School Writing Competition, it should not have come as a surprise to learn that many of the winners/entrants were also winners elsewhere.

Kathryn Lovatt (fiction) surmised “...there is a great teacher out there who works works, works with his/her students”; Tom Dabbs (nonfiction) in his appraisal of his top-winning selection said, “Should you accept the charge of the talents you have, should you become the writer you can and should be, you will have the exquisite privilege and damnable burden of being one who brings light to the world.” Gene Fehler (poetry) had these encouraging words, “Each . . . seemed to be written by someone well beyond the years of these poets. These students, along with many others whose poems were not selected among the top five, have fine careers ahead of them as poets.” Pretty powerful statements and true as we shall see.

Of the First Place, Second Place and Honorable Mention awards given to the twelve winning students, eight of these students went on to win silver and gold medals in the Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards.

Luke Hodges was awarded the highest level of recognition - Writing Portfolio Gold Medal - which carries a $10,000 cash scholarship. Other SCWW winners who also won gold and/or silver medals in the Scholastic Arts & Writing competition are Victoria Sharp, Megan Gallagher, Emilea Wright, Anna Faison, Eric Steifel, Lukas Hadstein and Katherine Carter.

Victoria Ford, a 2010 SCWW winner, was a $10,000 gold medal winner for her Creative Nonfiction Portfolio.

Luke and Victoria won two of only seven portfolio awards given nationally by the Scholastic Arts & Writing and were the only portfolio winners in South Carolina and the Southeast.

This prestigious awards competition began in 1923 by Maurice R. Robinson who said he wanted artists and writers to receive medals and recognition like athletes. The presentation was held in Carnegie Hall and their names were placed on a list of past prominent winners . . . Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Robert Redford, Joyce Carol Oates.

Imagine! Two out of seven nationally selected winners for writing are from South Carolina.

For a complete listing of the 2011 SCWW winners go to the website listed below.

Now, it’s time to turn to the SCWW October Conference. Registration opened June 15 and can be completed at www.myscww.org.The Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Awards, named in honor of one of SCWW’s founding members, are open to all registered attendees of the SCWW Annual Conference. Entrants must be current members of SCWW and must remain currant through the date of the Annual Conference. The categories are poetry, short fiction, novel/first chapter and nonfiction. Entries must be postmarked on or before August 20, 2011. Click on SCWW Contests for complete details of the competition.

Martha Greenway
SCWW Contests Co-Chair

The Take Away

2011-06-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

I listen to a show on National Public Radio called the Take Away. And these days I’m always thinking about the conference, so I started wondering about the Take Away for conference attendees.

What should you take away from our conference? That depends on you. What are you looking for by attending?

Are you just getting started as a writer and you’re looking for guidance? You’ve got a great idea, great plot and great settings, but now you’re stuck in the middle of your work? Have you finished your manuscript and now you want to know what to do next? Are you trying to sell your manuscript and you’d like to find out exactly how to approach your dream agent?

We’ve got classes to cover all of these subjects and more. For the beginning writer, I suggest courses on character and plot development. There is much to learn and a good place to start is any of the sessions David Coe is presenting. You will also have opportunities to meet and talk to other attendees, many of whom are new to writing as well as conferences. I hope you will find inspiration and encouragement in your interactions with other attendees.

If you’re in the middle of your manuscript, try the sessions on pace, craft or strategy. Lisa Tucker, David Coe and James Frenkel are offering a variety of sessions on these topics. It’s a good place to go if you’re stuck or you need some motivation to keep going.

And if you’re done, first congratulations, I suggest sessions on editing and crafting the perfect query letter or synopsis. All of those topics will be covered by Melissa Jeglinski, Stephanie Sun, Chuck Sambuchino and Conference Chair Carrie McCullough throughout the weekend.

There are also seminars on the business of writing and publishing as well as social media presented by Keynote Speaker M.J. Rose, Jessica Regel and Bill Starr.

Our faculty members were selected based on their ability to offer information and relevant industry information to our attendees. I’ve covered only a sample of the faculty members and courses we’re offering this year, please visit http://www.myscww.org/.

No matter your needs, any session is a great learning opportunity. I hope that you will take a little time to decide what you hope to gain from the conference, and then plan your time accordingly.

What’s your take away? It depends on you.

A Volunteer’s POV at SCWW Conference

2011-06-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

Last year I was a full-time volunteer at our annual writing conference in Myrtle Beach. It was quite an experience. I knew SCWW put on a strong writers’ conference, but what I saw from my vantage point of the check-in/answer desk was a real wake-up message.

On Friday of last year’s conference, a very tire couple trudged up to the check-in desk. The lady said, “Can I still register?”

When I said she was most certainly welcome to do so, her face flooded with relief.

“My husband and I have driven from Phoenix, Arizona just so I could attend this conference.”

Dumbstruck I pushed the registration forms toward her. “How did you learn about us,” I asked her.

“There is a writers’ conference in Tempe and before I registered for it, I decided to Google writers’ conferences, and I found yours is the most comprehensive and best value. It was worth it to me to drive nearly across the country to attend. And the faculty you have put together is very impressive.”

I was impressed too! As she finished with the registration process and we continued to chat, she became so comfortable that she and her husband decided that he should take the opportunity to go visit friends in a near-by state and return on Sunday to get her.

I saw her again on Sunday morning, face beaming. I asked her if she had had a good experience at the conference, did she feel she had made a good decision to spend her weekend with SCWW. Enthusiastically she said yes and that she was planning to come back next time and bring a carload from her writing group. It was a highlight of my volunteer experience.

On Saturday I checked in a writer, physician by profession, who had flown in…again from Arizona…to get A critique ONLY from editor, Caitlain Alexander. I was awed that someone with a writer’s passion and very limited free time would fly cross country for a 20-minute appointment. Again I was struck by the quality of our faculty.

I ran into a friend from my home chapter on Saturday evening. She was as mad as a wet hen. “I am never coming to this conference again,” she said. It turns out the agent she thought would be her soul mate and would understand her writing esthetic was not a good fit. I tried consoling her, but it didn’t work…she was on her way home!

The next time I saw her was on Sunday morning after another critique with a different faulty member (who asked to see more of her work) and a pitch appointment (with a third faculty member who wanted to see the first 50 pages of another of her works). She was smiling and skipping to the tune of “Zippidy-Do-Da,” complete with the animated bluebirds from Song of the South.

“Aren’t you glad you stayed,” I asked, even though the answer was written on her face.

“We’re writers,” she said. “We’re opinionated and volatile. The agent I thought was so like me and would ‘get me’ was not who I needed to see.” And off she skipped, still smiling. I smiled too, happy to be associated with a writing conference that offers a wide variety of professionals so well versed in their fields of expertise.

I’m looking forward to volunteering at the SCWW 21st annual writers’ conference again this year. I hope I’ll hear a success story from you.

And the First Item Up for Bid . . .

2011-06-15T04:31:00.000-07:00

Registration for the 21st Annual SCWW Writers' Conference opened at 12:01 this morning and now it's time for the Silent Auction! Well, not exactly right this minute, but things are underway and it's not too early to be thinking about it.

The Silent Auction tables will be crowded with baskets. Some will be spilling over with books in assorted genres, usually at least one for everyone's taste. Some will be stuffed with things only writers appreciate - how-to-books, items for inspiration, reference books. A new Chapter Challenge, Town Proud, will bring baskets filled with books, food, artwork, etc. that will introduce the winners to places throughout South Carolina. Our Chapters dot the state from the coast to the foothills.

And then there are those Silent Auction items that don't fit into baskets. There is usually artwork - sculptures, photography and paintings. In the past we've had special items donated by the Conference faculty, including critiques and signed books. Be watching for the lists of special auction items as we receive them.

We're making some changes this year, including opening the bids earlier and closing them earlier. You'll need to keep an eye on the tables if you want to keep the highest bid on your selection. Look for information about the time changes on our website www.myscww.org

The Silent Auction is an important source of income for the SCWW. All items are donated so 100% of the money generated goes directly to our programs - the contests we sponsor, our literary journal, the annual Conference. With arts funding diminishing, the Silent Auction and your support become even more important.

Oh, that first item up for bid? It's a 5 night stay in a beautiful guest house situated on the Cumberland Plateau near Sewanee, TN. Writers have been known to 'get away and write' in the idyllic setting of Three Oaks. Take a virtual tour, then come early and stay late at the Silent Auction. I think this item will be popular.

It's Finally Time to Register!

2011-06-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

Are you ready to pick you sessions, critique preferences and pitch, query appointment choices? At 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, June 15, 2011, you can use these links.

For credit and debit cards, go to: Sign-Up Now

To pay via checks, go to: Sign-Up Now

Hot For the Presses

2011-06-14T06:56:00.000-07:00

For Immediate Release to Sunday Arts Section
South Carolina Writers’ Workshop 2010 Writers’ Conference
October 21-23, 2010
Myrtle Beach, SC
Contact: Carrie McCullough
706-564-7998
scwwconference2011@gmail.com

Registration Opens for 21st Annual
South Carolina Writers’ Workshop Conference
Registration opens for the 21st annual South Carolina Writers’ Workshop on Wednesday, June 15 at 12:01 AM at their web site: www.myscww.org. This year’s conference, “The Method, the Market, the Muse,” will be held October 21-23, 2011, at the Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The faculty will consist of more than 20 nationally-renowned agents, editors, and authors who will present workshops, panels, slush-pile sessions, and real-time queries. Faculty critiques by appointment will be conducted only on Friday, October 21, and are available to all registrants.

M.J. Rose, international best selling author of 11 books, will be the keynote speaker on Saturday night. Faculty-hosted dinner tables are a highlight of each evening. See a complete faculty list and their credits at www.myscww.org.

Carrie McCullough, conference co-chair of SCWW 2010 Writers’ Conference, was quoted in an article, “Make the Most of Any Writing Event,” (Writer’s Digest, Writing Basics, 2011) as one of ten top writers’ conference organizers. These are her suggestions to conference goers to “Get in the Right Mindset” before participating in a writers’ conference. “Writers make two big mistakes at conferences. The first is taking it all too seriously. Some folks are so overwhelmed with being at the conference [that] they forget to enjoy, learn and laugh. On the last day I see some [attendees] close to tears because they missed the trees for the forest. However, the other big mistake is being too laid back and too comfortable and forgetting the goal of getting published. While there are cocktail times and plenty of opportunities to mingle, publishing is a business.”

For details visit www.myscww.org, send emails to scwwconference2011@gmail.com, or call Carrie McCullough at 706-564-7998.

###

Conference Alert! Looking for some one-on-one faculty time?

2011-06-12T23:49:00.000-07:00

As I pause from conference registration prep a few minutes ago, I pinched myself. No, it wasn't just to make a new bruise... I just can't believe it's the third time I've been behind the scenes of the SCWW conference registration launch. Each time I'm amazed all of the time the faculty gives SCWW to help members reach their writing goals.

Which brings me to a very popular part of the conference, one-on-one appointments. There are three types again this year -- critiques (standard and extended), pitches and real-time queries. Here's a cheat sheet of which faculty members are offering each type of appointment. In the coming days, we'll also have a cheat sheet on the faculty members -- what they're looking for and what they're teaching.

Agents

Bernadette Baker-Baughman: Standard and Extended Critiques, Pitches and Real-Time Queries

Stephen Barr: Standard and Extended Critiques and Pitches

Sorche Fairbank: Standard and Extended Critiques, Pitches and Real-Time Queries

Alyssa Eisner Henkin: Standard and Extended Critiques, Pitches and Real-Time Queries

Melissa Jeglinski: Standard and Extended Critiques, Pitches and Real-Time Queries

Sarah LaPolla: Standard and Extended Critiques, Pitches and Real-Time Queries

Jessica Regel: Standard and Extended Critiques and Pitches

Eddie Schneider: Extended Critiques, Pitches and Real-Time Queries

Jon Sternfeld: Standard and Extended Critiques, Pitches and Real-Time Queries

Stephanie Sun: Standard and Extended Critiques, Pitches and Real-Time Queries

Editors

James Frenkel: Standard and Extended Critiques, Pitches and Real-Time Queries

Molly O'Neill: Standard and Extended Critiques and Real-Time Queries

Toni Plummer: Standard Critiques, Pitches and Real-Time Queries

Authors

David B. Coe: Standard and Extended Critiques, Pitches and Real-Time Queries

Lisa Tucker: Pitches and Real-Time Queries

Editor Chuck Sambuchino and writers MJ Rose, Matthew Frederick and Bill Starr are also on faculty, but won't have any one-on-one appointment times.

So, now you know who you could meet with, but what do you need to do to make it happen? Register early! Conference registration will open at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, June 15, 2011. You must be registered for the conference in order to make an appointment. Also, please note that critiques will be held on Friday this year.

Judges for the Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Awards

2011-06-05T06:43:00.000-07:00

We are proud to present the judges for this year's Carrie McCray Literary Awards.

Poetry

Ken Autrey, a native of Alabama, is an Emeritus Professor of English at
Francis Marion University in Florence, SC. Previously, he served as a Peace
Corps teacher in Ghana, a writing teacher at Tougaloo College in
Mississippi, and a visiting professor at Hiroshima University in Japan. He
earned a B.A. degree from Davidson College and graduate degrees from Auburn
University and the University of South Carolina. His poems have appeared in
Atlanta Review, Chattahoochee Review, Cimarron Review, Poetry Northwest,
South Carolina Review, Southern Poetry Review, and elsewhere. His work is
included in various anthologies, such as The Southern Poetry Anthology:
South Carolina. His chapbook, Pilgrims, was published in 2010 by Main Street
Rag. He and his wife Janne live in Columbia. He has two daughters and five
grandchildren.

Phebe Davidson, long recognized as a leading South Carolina poet, is the author of twenty-three published collections of poems including Seven Mile (Main Street Rag Publishing Co., 20110), The Surface of Things (David Robert Books, 2009), Fat Moon Rising (Main Street Rag Publishing Co., 200) and now the long awaited Plasma Justice (Main Street Rag Publishing Col, 2011). Whether her subject matter is late night cop shows, the mysterious joys of family life, or the strangely compelling substrate of fairy tales, Davidson consistently delivers people that sizzle and snap in the readers mind. A Contributing Editor at Tar River Poetry and a staff writer for The Asheville Poetry Review, Davidson has received multiple nominations for a Push Cart Prize and holds several national awards Her work has been featured on the web at The Cortland Review, Verse Daily, and Town Creek Poetry and in print in The Kenyon Review, the South Carolina Review and Kakalak.

Maureen Sherbondy resides in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her short stories have appeared in numerous publications, including Southeast Review, Stone Canoe, The Chapel Hill News, and the North Carolina Literary Review. One of Maureen’s stories was selected as a runner-up in the William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition; another story won the Piccolo Spoleto Fiction Open. Her poems have won first place in: The Deane Ritch Lomax Poetry Prize (Charlotte Writers’ Club), The Lyricist Statewide Poetry Contest, and the Hart Crane Memorial Poetry Award from Kent State University. Main Street Rag Publishing Company published her first chapbook, After the Fairy Tale, in 2007. Praying at Coffee Shops was published in February, 2008. The Slow Vanishing, a short story collection, was released this past fall. Maureen teaches writing workshops and also leads an open mike night.

Short Fiction

Marti Healy is a professional writer, published author, and newspaper columnist. The majority of her career was with an Indianapolis communications firm, serving as vice president and senior writer. She moved to Aiken, SC, in 2004. Healy has authored three books: The Secret Child, a novel that was a 2010 SIBA Okra Pick; The Rhythm of Selby, a novel that received a 2009 IPPY Awards Bronze Medal for popular fiction and two Indie Awards for writing and design; and The God-Dog Connection, a faith-based, animal-oriented book that garnered a warm endorsement by well-known actress and animal advocate, Betty White.

Dennis McDonald retired as an English Professor at Iowa Lakes Community
College in 2009. He continues to teach online short fiction. Prior to
teaching, McDonald worked as a freelance writer. His writing appeared in
Newsweek and other national publications, earned two national awards, and
resulted in a speaking engagement at Harvard University. He is currently at
work on a book of poetry about plants and vegetables, and a memoir about
childhood experiences growing up on a farm in Northwest Iowa.

Dr. Mark Sibley-Jones is a professor at the University of South Carolina where he has taught for fifteen years, including five years within the Honors College. Although his area of expertise is in contemporary fiction and Renaissance English Literature, his interests are wide and varied. As in most of his literature courses, Sibley-Jones emphasizes discussion as the catalyst of learning and the exploration of ideas. His Fall 2011 focus on Civil War literature was in part inspired by his research for a novel he is writing which takes place in that era. Outside of the classroom, Dr. Sibley-Jones serves as editor-in-chief of the Association of Honors Alumni Magazine, AHA!. In 2007 the Honor Students presented him with the Michael A. Hill Award.

Short Non Fiction

Joanna Biggar is a teacher, writer, and traveler whose special places of the heart include the California coast and the South of France. A professional writer for more than 25 years, her poetry, fiction, personal essays, feature, news and travel articles have appeared in hundreds of publications, including The Washington Post Magazine, Psychology Today, The International Herald Tribune, The People’s Daily, and The Wall Street Journal.
She has taught writing and journalism for over twenty-five years, both in greater Washington, D.C., at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and in California. In recent years, she has taught travel writing workshops in France, Greece, Ireland, and Italy, served as a judge for journalism awards for the Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and as a co-chair of the Bay Area Group of the Society of Woman Geographers.

Barbara Outland is a publishing consultant and writer living in Rich Square, North Carolina. She is the former marketing manager for Louisiana State University Press, where she served on the press’s project review committee and spent 15 years promoting scholarly and trade books, including two winners of the Pulitzer Prize, several National Book Award and National Book Critics Circle Award finalists, and numerous other prizewinners. She holds a master’s degree in American history from LSU.

Rose Solari is a poet, novelist, playwright and cofounder of Alan Squire Publishing (ASP), a literary publishing house (a small press … with big ideas) in Washington DC. She is the author of two full-length collections of poems, Orpheus in the Park and Difficult Weather, as well as two chapbooks of poems, Selections from Myths & Elegies and The Stolen World. Rose wrote and performed in the multi-media play Looking for Guenevere, an Arthurian retelling, and is currently at work on a historical novel. In 2010, she made her third consecutive appearance at the Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival in Oxford, England. Rose is a longtime faculty member of the Writer's Center, in Bethesda, Maryland, and serves on the Board of Directors.

Novel, First Chapter

Mary Glickman is a writer, public relations professional, and fundraiser. Born on the south shore of Boston, Glickman studied at the Université de Lyon and Boston University. After living in Boston for twenty years, she and her husband traveled to South Carolina and discovered a love for all things Southern. Glickman's first novel, Home in the Morning, was published as an E-riginal by Open Road Integrated Media in 2010. The bestselling novel tells the story of a Jewish family confronting the tumult of the 1960s—exploring the transition from the Old South to the New South. Home in the Morning has been optioned for film by Sundance director Jim Kohlberg. Glickman's second novel is forthcoming. She currently lives in Seabrook Island, South Carolina, with her husband, cat, and beloved horse, King of Harts.

Linda Watanabe McFerrin, poet, travel writer, and novelist, is a contributor to numerous newspapers, magazines and anthologies. She is the author of two poetry collections, past editor of a popular Northern California guidebook and a winner of the Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction. Her novel, Namako: Sea Cucumber, was named Best Book for the Teen-Age by the New York Public Library. In addition to authoring an award-winning short story collection, The Hand of Buddha, she has co-edited several anthologies, including the Hot Flashes: sexy little stories & poems series. Her latest novel, Dead Love (2010, Stone Bridge Press) was short-listed as a William Faulkner-William Wisdom Finalist and is a finalist for a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Novel. Linda has judged the San Francisco Literary Awards, the Josephine Miles Award for Literary Excellence and the Kiriyama Prize, served as a visiting mentor for the Loft Mentor Series and been guest faculty at the Oklahoma Arts Institute. A past NEA Panelist and juror for the Marin Literary Arts Council and the founder of Left Coast Writers®, she has led workshops in Greece, France, Italy, Ireland, Central America and the United States and has mentored a long list of accomplished writers toward publication.

Lise Saffran grew up in Marin County, California in the shadow of Mt. Tamalpais and attended college in Eugene, Oregon. She earned her MFA at the prestigious Iowa Writers’ Workshop in Iowa City, after she had already pursued an advanced degree and career in public health. While at Iowa she was an Iowa Arts Fellow and has also received fellowships from the MacDowell Colony and Hedgebrook. She is currently Associate Director of the Master of Public Health Program at the University of Missouri. Still, between job and family she finds time to write. Her first novel, Juno’s Daughters, which is set in the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington State has been hailed as "wonderfully immersive" (Publisher's Weekly) and "a heartwarming tale of the mother-daughter relationship" (Booklist). Her stories and essays have been published in a variety of literary magazines and her story “Men and Fish” is part of the Granta anthology of adoption stories called Family Wanted.

SCWW Writer's Conference in National Writer's Publication

2011-06-03T14:07:00.000-07:00

Writer's Digest has used the article, "10 Secrets for Making the Most of Any Writing Event," in their annual Writing Basics issue, p. 56. Carrie McCullough, SCWW Conference Chair, was interviewed for this article last year, (It appeared in a regular issue of WD in 2010.) and hers is the lead quote.

See our ad on page 44.

2011-05-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

The registration for the SCWW 2011 conference is just around the corner. We’ll be posting links (one for those who pay via check and one for those who pay via credit card) on the SCWW website shortly. Also, in the coming days we’ll be adding more faculty bios and other tidbits you’ll want to read about how to make the most of your annual conference experience.

In the meantime, here’s a crash course to make your critique materials submissions go as smoothly as possible.

1. Please make sure you send an email copy to scwwconference2011@gmail.com, as well as mailing TWO physical copies to:
Carrie McCullough
2240 Cadden Road
Augusta, GA 30906
You’ll receive a confirmation, via email, when we receive each piece. As a new feature this year, you’ll receive the name of the faculty member doing your critique and your appointment time before the conference. For more information on this, be sure to visit the website.

2. Please, do not send your physical copies with a request for signature/delivery confirmation, etc. As the planners of this conference are volunteers with traditional jobs, we are not always available to sign for deliveries. Sending your materials with these requirements might result in the packages being returned to you by the post office. Again, we promise to send you an email confirming that we received your package.

3. Please be sure to follow standard formatting for your critique materials. Do not alter your margins to get more of your writing in for the critique. Do not alter from the standard paragraphing/spacing, etc. The faculty members will be reading a lot of work and we want everything to presented in the most professional manner possible.

4. Please mark your genre during the registration process. If you aren’t sure, get in touch with a member of the Board, who should be able to help.

5. If you do not pay for a critique during the registration process, you will not be given an appointment time. In the past, there has been some confusion about registering for appointments (critiques, pitches and queries). The portion to register for the payment part of an appointment is in the first section of the registration process. The selection of your genre and faculty preferences will appear later in the process. To get a critique appointment, you’ll need to fill both sections out properly. Should you select faculty members and not select a critique line item ($50 for standard and $100 for extended), someone will contact you. If you select a critique line item and not include faculty preferences, we’ll also contact you.

6. We cannot confirm your faculty member until we receive your materials. This is just to make sure the faculty member you requested accepts the genre you’ve submitted.

7. Appointment times are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. This means you’ll want to register for the conference early to get your first preferences.

8. Critiques are non-fundable once we receive your materials.

9. No changes to faculty appointments may be made after we receive your materials.

10. Critique appointments will be Friday. This will allow the faculty to provide the one-on-one appointment times, while still being able to teach sessions Saturday and Sunday and accommodate pitch and real-time query appointments.

If you have any questions, please check the Critiques page on the SCWW conference site, or contact Carrie McCullough at 706-564-7998 or scwwconference2011@gmail.com.

Conference Volunteers

2011-05-22T06:17:00.000-07:00

By Kia Goins

Thank you to everyone who offered to volunteer at this year’s conference. We had a great number of people to select from and it was a difficult choice. If you weren’t selected this year, I hope you will offer again next year, we can’t do it without you.
Our volunteers come from South Carolina, North Carolina and beyond. We are indeed a national organization.
The volunteers are:

J. Michael Robertson - Mt. Pleasant
Joann Kelley - Greenville
Christina Ruotolo, Greenville
Jayne Bowers - Camden
Kathryn Lovatt - Camden
Shelby Adams Lloyd - Southport, NC
Stephanie E. Reed - Moncks Corner
Beth Browne
Teresa Burgher - Mexico, Missouri
Susan Jeffers
Brooke Buffington - Anderson
Shane Stewart - Myrtle Beach
Lauren Allen - Lugoff

Thank you again to all who offered to help, I hope to see you in Myrtle Beach this October!

What's in a chapter name?

2011-05-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

Membership in a voluntary association, unlike a marriage, requires no vow of fidelity "for better, for worse." If SCWW is to thrive, it must strive to earn the loyalty of its members against the clamor from other organizations and causes that contend for our time and attention.

Having strong local groups is one of the ties that bind us. Not all our members belong to a chapter. Many of our "unaffiliated" members reside outside South Carolina, but there are some within this state. Perhaps we should look at why we have chapters and what we expect from them.

It seems reasonable to expect three primary things from the state-chapter relationship. First, a local chapter should provide a safe environment in which to meet with fellow writers to share experiences and learning. Second, a local chapter should endeavor to advance the craft of writing in their communities. Third, a local chapter should seek out ways to improve our organization at the state level; conversely, the state should do the same for local chapters. In other words, a strong state association and strong local groups should operate by Covey's ryke if "Win-win or no deal." This brings three questions to mind.

My first question to our membership is: What should SCWW do to help our local chapters function effectively? If we have members who don't feel at home in any local chapter, why do they feel this way?

Second question: Are there ways in which we can extend the best parts of the "chapter experience" to those who live outside South Carolina?

Third, do we have the right kind of chapters? Presently, all our chapters are geographically based. Is our present chapter structure the right one for our membership? Do we need to create virtual groups or interest groups for those who write in genres such as steam punk, sci-fi, and historical fiction, which may have not have much interest at the local level?

I'd be interested in knowing how our members would answer these questions. If you think there's something we can do to strengthen both our chapters and the state organization, please get in touch with me.

Steve Gordy
Chapter Liaison

The Company We Keep

2011-05-09T18:09:00.000-07:00

I imagine my life is like many writers'. My family and friends think it's great that I write - but ask if I've 'hired an agent yet.' As much as I try to protect my writing space, my writing time gets chopped by phone calls, appointments, and other interruptions since I 'don't have a job and I'm home all day anyway.'

I crave the company of those who understand that it's ok to spend more than eight hours crafting a poem. That deleting a whole chapter is not a waste of time or words but a way to tighten the story. That pulling at my hair when just the right word eludes me is not crazy behavior - and neither is conversing with my characters to make sure I'm getting the dialogue right.

So I'm a member of several critique groups, I attend author and poet readings, and I slip away to workshops and conferences every chance I get.

The upcoming SCBookFest is another chance. The SCBookFest is not a workshop or conference on craft, but a two-day celebration of books and authors held at the Columbia Convention Center. It's this weekend, the 14th and 15th, and if you enjoy books and/or writing this is a great place to spend some time. And it's free!

Throughout each day you can hear author panels discuss their books and genre and you'll have the opportunity to ask questions about their work. Here's a spattering if this year's topics:
Judging a Book by it's Cover
Southern Women Writers:Heartfelt and Humorous
Modern Technology and the Future of the Book
Exploring Historical Fiction: Conflicts and Perspectives
Writing with Faith: Christian Writers
An Unfinished Conversation: Connecting with Readers through Social Media

Keynote presenters expected are Steve and Cokie Roberts, Roy Blount, Jr., Mary Alice Monroe,
Nikky Finney, C.J. Box, Susan Vreeland, and Marshall Chapman.

There will be readings by authors and poets.

In addition to the speakers, the exhibit hall will be filled with small press representatives, authors, book collectors and appraisers, the book store and much more.

And of course the SCWW will be there. Volunteers will be on hand to answer your questions about the organization and tell you the latest goings-on, especially about the annual conference that is shaping up. Past issues of our literary journal, The Petigru Review, will be available for purchase so you can read a sampling of our members' writing.

So come to the SCBookFest, www.scbookfestival.org, and stop by and see us. You'll be in good company.

Let's Bake Writers

2011-05-01T08:33:00.001-07:00

Creating is a solitary pursuit. All artists and artisans—whatever their medium—create in a vacuum. Unless you believe in the cosmic consciousness and everything we can create is out there somewhere waiting to be snagged.

(Don't envision a large factory, please.) Think of a baker who makes a loaf of bread. Ditch the image of an electric bread maker. I mean the real, made-from-scratch kind with nothing artificial. The kind of bread that tastes heavenly warm from the oven and slathered with butter.

When the baker mixes and kneads the dough, she hopes the outcome will taste good. The only feedback she gets is when someone eats a slice of her bread. The best feedback is when someone eats the whole loaf in one sitting.

Our warm bread—whether by profession or hobby—is our writing. (No real butter, please. Just pretend the heart healthy spread is the real thing.) If we are passionate about the craft of writing we want to share what we've written. Most of us belong to critique groups of some sort. While we often reject negative comments as if they were overdone bread crusts, we willingly subject ourselves to the experience of being critiqued so we can improve our craft.

Then, when the final draft is finished and polished, like a loaf of bread that's put in the oven, we send our creations to the world. We submit. Some writers try small markets, some try large ones. Even a rejection is validation. Rejections mean we have tried.

Only a writer knows what it feels like to receive four rejections in a single day. Tip: If you do get more than on response—snail mail or email—from a publisher, don't open them all at once. Savor them. Open one a day. At least spread the news—whether bad or good—over a few hours.

We all want that response or phone call to be “Congratulations, we are publishing your (poem, story, book).” Caveat: could it be the cosmic consciousness or karma that the publications that published several of my poems and a short story are no longer with us? But that's another story.

We write because we have stories to tell. We may want to leave our memoirs as a family legacy. Some of us have a burning desire to become published authors/poets. The stories that rattle around our minds begging for release on the page/monitor (I still compose poems on paper first) should be read by others. Perhaps our families. If we aim for publication we must go beyond our critique groups. We must submit. In our quest to become published authors we keep writing and submitting to as many markets as we can find.

As the editor of The Petigru Review, the annual anthology of SCWW, I want your submissions. TPR exists because of our SCWW members. We haven't received nearly as many manuscripts as last year. The deadline for entering was April 30. I will make a decision by Wednesday if the deadline will be extended.

TPR receives submissions from well-published writers to newbies. We hope to see emerging authors as well as professionals on our pages. We aspire to Pushcart Prize winners.

Writers become published authors only if they bake the bread (submit). Editors exist to taste (publish). As the editor of The Petigru Review, I hope to see all of you in print so that many others can enjoy our stories. I hope for Pushcart Prizes.

We check recipes to be sure we haven't missed an ingredient. Before you submit anywhere, pay homage to Grammaticus, the little-known god of punctuation, and labor over the final draft. Proofread. Check every apostrophe, quotation mark, period and comma. I'm not much of a fan of semicolons or exclamation points, but if you use them, make sure they're used correctly.

I leave you with this little fable:

A panda walks into a restaurant and orders a sandwich. After he eats it, he pulls out a pistol, fires it into the air, and moves to walk out the door without paying his bill.
The waiter exclaims, "Hey Panda! What the heck was that all about?"
The panda tosses him a dictionary, and says, "Look me up."
The waiter flips through the dictionary and finds the word Panda:

“Panda: furry mammal who eats, shoots and leaves.”

Check out Lynn Truss's book: Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation.

Ah, the power of creating. And misplacing one lousy comma. The title should read: Let's Bake, Writers.

New 2011 Conference Teaser

2011-04-24T14:38:00.000-07:00

First, I'd like to thank all of the SCWW Board members who are working on all of the non-conference aspects of SCWW, as well as many of the sub-areas of the conference. As soon as Spring begins, my mind, time and calendar seem to get tunnel vision, concentrating on October. But, that's not the only thing SCWW is concentrating on right now.

Tibby Plants is checking mail daily, organizing The Petigru Review submissions. Kim Boykin is constantly working on ways to spice up The Quill. Martha Greenway and Brenda Remmes are getting confirmations from Carrie McCray contest judges. Our new treasurer Mike Long is making sure all of us stay within our budget. Steve Gordy answers questions from any chaper leaders and sends out membership renewal notices. Kim Blum-Hyclak just rejoined us and she's gearing up to mastermind a new silent auction system, while Kia Goins is accepting applications from members who want to volunteer at the conference. Lateia Sandifer is serving as a resource of her years of experience. And Ginny Padgett -- she's keeping us all in the loop and on the straight-and-narrow!

So rest assured that SCWW is more than just an annual conference. The other pieces of the puzzle are just as vital for an oranized, well-maintained writing organization.

And now, on to my piece this year -- the conference.

On the right, you'll find a list of the faculty members who have kindly agreed to share their time and experience with us this October. Want to know more about them? Make sure you visit our website, www.myscww.org/conference, often for the latest facuty bios. We've included links to their websites, blogs and Twitter accounts. Take a moment and visit these areas. It's time well spent in finding out the best match for your critiques, pitches, real-time queries, etc., and will help you in picking sessions when we open registration June 15.

While you're on the conference site, www.myscww.org/conference, be sure to look at all of the other tabs, too. We have new details on appointment times and a new pricing list. While there is a small increase in registration fees this year, SCWW is still one of the most affordable conferences in the United States. We would have loved to keep the fees at the same rate we've had for two years, but inflation and a loss of state grant funds required that we have a slight increase. But, we're also offering more features. For example, you no longer must choose between signing up for multiple critiques or attending Saturday and Sunday sessions. Critique appointment times will be Friday, so you may enjoy every moment of the weekend sessions.

Finally, have you considered being a volunteer at the conference? Kia Goins is still accepting applications from members in good standing who would like to assist at the conference this year. There are full-time and part-time slots available. Volunteers are eligible for a discounted rate for the conference, plus, the joy in knowing they're making a difference in the writing community!

For more information on the conference, or if you have a question, feel free to email me at scwwconference2011@gmail.com.

What a Concept!

2011-04-18T06:55:00.000-07:00

By Kim Boykin

I envy young writers. Their craft isn’t necessarily their lives, although for some it is, but their lives are less cluttered than a seasoned writer like myself. "Seasoned" meaning old enough to have too much “stuff” that keeps me from parking my butt in the chair. Or having too much on my plate and my mind so that when I do sit down, nothing comes out.

Last year, I took a week off from four dogs, one husband, a son who was home for the summer, and elderly parents to go to Wildacres, an artist’s retreat in the mountains run by the incomparable Judi Hill. During her address to the 100-plus campers, Judi said, “Whether you come to Wildacres or not, every writer should dedicate at least one week to their craft. It’s your time to write, to think, to read, to eat, and of course drink. And then you write some more.”

I’d called myself a writer for years, carving out time in between raising kids and a gazillion other responsibilities, waking up in the middle of the night to write something down because I knew I wouldn’t have time the next day. So as a caretaker, this concept of giving myself a week off was foreign and monumental. What would happen if all I did was tend to my craft, eat good food, and listen to bluegrass music?

Well, my husband and son didn’t kill each other, my parents missed me but did just fine, and the world as I knew it didn’t end. After a week in an almost holy place, with a bunch of creatives I was reborn, refueled, revived, whatever you want to call it, and my writing was all the better for it.

Sometimes, life is so crazy it’s hard to remember what happened between the time you woke up and the time your head hit the pillow. And in this economy, not everybody has the resources to give themselves a week or even a day to dedicate to their craft. So start with an hour. Carve 60 precious minutes out of the 168 hours you have this week and give it wholly to your process.

If you’re willing to give yourself more, come to the free workshop the Rock Hill SCWW is offering Saturday, June 11 9a.m.-5p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church. The workshop is entitled "From The Mind and The Heart To the Page." A session called, "Write Your Story," is lead by award-winning author and poet, Judy Goldman and author/Charlotte Observer reporter, Rich Rothacher. Contact Kim Blum-Hyclak at rhyclak@comporium.net to register, but do it fast because it will fill up.

Whatever you choose to do for your craft, unplug anything that is a distraction, and tell the ones who can’t be unplugged you’re giving yourself completely to your writing. Even if it’s just for an hour. What a concept!

Carrie McCray Contest

2011-04-10T08:25:00.000-07:00

By Brenda Remmes

We will begin accepting submissions for the Carrie McCray Contests on May 1, 2011. For specifics on submission requirements, go to the SCWW website, http://www.myscww.org and click on the Contests sidebar. Keep in mind that you must be attending the SCWW 2011 conference to enter the contest. At the close of the contest, we will cross reference your entry with registrations for the conference before submitting it to the judges.

All submissions are a blind entry: no names are included on the pages. As in the past, none of the judges are Board Members of SCWW. In fact, most of the judges aren’t even members of SCWW.

Submissions are accepted in four categories: Poetry, Short non-Fiction, Short Fiction, and First Chapter Novels. Poetry is to be no more than forty lines and a limit of 4,000 words apply to the other three categories. Further details are on the web site.

We have almost completed selecting our judges for this competition. Their names and backgrounds will be forthcoming. Each judge is either a published author, an editor, or a teacher of creative writing at the college level. There will be three judges for each category who will score each entry based on a 30 point scale: 10 points for CONTENT (originality and creativity), 10 points for STRUCTURE (grammar and mechanics), and 10 points for STYLE (sentence cohesion, story arc, aesthetics success). The scores from the three judges will be added to determine the winner.

We encourage conference attendees to take advantage of this contest. There is a $200 first prize and a $100 second prize in each category. Winners will be announced at the conference.

Deadline for Conference Volunteer Applications

2011-04-04T06:12:00.000-07:00

If you are interested in volunteering for either a full- or part-time slot at the 2011 Conference, please contact Kia Goins at scwwveep@gmail.com for an application. Include 'Volunteer' in your subject line.

Applications will be accepted through May 7.

See this month's Quill for other Conference updates. Don't get the Quill? Join SCWW. The monthly newsletter is only one of the benefits of membership in SCWW.

Annual High School Writing Contest

2011-03-27T07:04:00.000-07:00

By Brenda Remmes

Immediately with the beginning of the new year, SCWW was off and running with their annual high school writing competition established for eleventh and twelfth graders throughout South Carolina. Four hundred letters went out to all public high schools, private high schools, and home schools on our list. If your school did not receive an announcement and wants to be included, please notify us so that we add your name to our mailing list.

The categories for submission include fiction, non-fiction and poetry. The deadline for entries was March 1st and our three judges are in the process now of evaluating each piece of writing. We were delighted to have the following judges agree to evaluate submissions:

Gene Fehler for poetry: Gene is a widely published poet and the author of over eighteen hundred published poems, stories and article. His work has been anthologized in college textbooks and in books published by Boyds Mill Press, Addison Wesley Longman, Hyperion Books for Children, Doubleday, St. Martin’s Press, Houghton Mifflin, Meadowbrook Press, Avon Books, Pocket Books and others. His young adult free verse novel, Beanball, was named 2008 Best Book in the Grades 7-12 Novel. Gene spends several weeks a year with students as a visiting poet in South Carolina’s Artist-in-Education Program.

Thomas Dabbs for non-fiction. Tom is currently Professor of Shakespeare and Renaissance studies at Aoyama Gakuin University in central Tokyo, where he has taught since 2003. He is a graduate of Furman University, with a degree in English. He completed an M.A. in English at Claremont Graduate School and earned a Ph.D. in English, from the University of South Carolina. His publications include a book on Christopher Marlowe (Bucknell UP) and various other articles and presentations in the fields of Shakespearean studies, reception studies, and general literature. Tom is currently on sabbatical and residing in Columbia, SC, where he is conducting research at the Hollings Special Collections Library at the University of South Carolina.

Kathryn Lovatt for fiction. Kathryn completed her MFA at Hollins University in Virginia and taught classes in creative writing at universities in Hong Kong and Indonesia. Kathryn has worked as both a journalist and a corporate editor. She has received fellowships at both The Weymouth Center and Virginia Center for Creative Arts. She is twice winner of the Carrie McCray Awards, once in fiction and once in poetry, and has also received the Doris Betts Prize for short fiction and the Robert Rourke Fiction Award. In addition, she has been nominated twice for the Pushcart Awards.

Winners will be announced by Martha Greenway, our contest chair, at the end of April. Members of SCWW plan to work with each school to find an appropriate time to recognize students and present awards to the winners. In our minds, however, every student who entered is a winner. As every writer knows, you can’t get published without first submitting.

Our next writing contest will be the Carrie McCray Awards which are sponsored in coordination with our annual conference in October. Look for more information on that coming soon.

First Conference Teaser of 2011!

2011-03-20T13:19:00.000-07:00

Am I the only person who can't believe it's nearly April? This year seems to be blowing right past me, along with the fresh pollen.

So, since it is nearly April, it's time to start letting members know what they can expect at the 2011 conference. It's seven months away, but I know you'll want to start planning now once you hear about some of our faculty.

First, our Saturday night keynote will be M.J. Rose. She's the internationally best-selling author of 11 novels. She's also a founding member of the International Thriller Writers.

We have several other publishing experts joining Ms. Rose at the conference. Here's just a sample:

David B. Coe, fantasy author
Sarah LaPolla, agent wth Curtis Brown
Eddie Schneider, agent with JABberwocky Literary Agency
Chuck Sambuchino, editor with Writers Digest Books
Alyssa Eisner, agent with Trident Media
Melissa Jeglinski, agent with the Knight Agency
Bill Starr, author and director of the Georgia Center for the Book
Stephen Barr, agent at Writers House

For more updates and information about a couple of changes to the conference, be sure to read the Conference Corner in the upcoming Quill.

Have a question about the conference or want to help? Email me at scwwconference2011@gmail.com.

In the meantime, keep an eye on the blog for new posts from other SCWW Board members.

Behind the Scenes

2011-03-13T12:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks for stopping by to visit the SCWW Blog! I’m glad you’re here and I hope you find this blog entertaining and informative. If you ever have a question about SCWW, our annual October conference or anything else related to SCWW, please stop by here or go to our website: http://www.myscww.org. If you can’t find the answer to your question, please feel free to email any board member. Our email addresses are on the website.

As you know, we are an all-volunteer board. Most of us spend the majority of our time either working to pay the bills or writing to feed our souls. The hours we spend doing the business of SCWW are those “extra” hours that come at the end of a 40-hour work week or at the end of a day spent writing. We volunteer the hours we do because we are devoted to making this the best organization for writers that we can.

So, right now there is a lot going on behind the scenes; the new and improving website, the conference, tracking down grants to help with SCWW costs in a tough economic year and trying to build membership to name just a few.

The conference is high on my list of things to do. We’re working hard to line up faculty members and vendors. We’ve talked with the nice people at the Hilton. There are so many things that go into planning this three-day event and we are trying to get everything just right.

Last year we made some adjustments to our exhibitor area and I think the changes worked quite well. Traffic flowed much better and the vendors who joined us had front-row seats where they got to see and interact with the attendees.

We’re excited about some new additions to our vendor/exhibitor list and hope to continue to add to that list. If you’re interested in getting an author table or a vendor area, get in touch vial email at kiagoins@yahoo.com.

Stay tuned here for more hints and suggestions about the conference and all things related to SCWW, the art and craft of writing as well as the business of writing. And as always, if you have a question or concern about SCWW, please feel free to contact me: scwwveep@gmail.com.

It's a New Day

2011-03-06T11:17:00.000-08:00

I am pleased to inform you that we have a new webmaster that has brought our site current and will be working closely with the board all during the year to keep you abreast of conference activities and everything else that is of interest to our membership.

The award-winning firm is Net Studios, Inc. Their website is www.netstudiosinc.com if you want to check out their work. And I’m just as happy to let you know their cost is less than we’ve paid in at least three years. Net Studios, Inc. is a good deal for us all the way around.

We learned from our conference exit survey that most conference goers found us through our website and other internet searches. Thus it is most important to have a webmaster that can accommodate our specific needs, especially during conference-planning season.

In addition, NSI is finding ways to heighten our cyber profile to bring us new members and increase the size of our conference and our financial viability…a must in these economic conditions. They’ve even put forth great suggestions, like making members’ works available for purchase with a link to Amazon from our website, while SCWW makes a few dollars on the transactions.

After we catch up on all the housekeeping duties that are a priority at www.myscww.org, NSI will begin to make changes on the backside of our website. Streamlining the process required to make changes and add information so that eventually board members can handles these duties, eliminating the webmaster charges associated with these services.

Patience is a virtue, and your patience surely paid off. Thank you for bearing with the Board as we went through the processes of requesting quotes and bidding that resulted in finding the right webmaster for SCWW.

And the Winners are...

2010-10-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe the SCWW conference is over already! What a great weekend. One of the highlights for me was presenting the 2010 Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Awards. The scores this year were really close so, instead of my being able to figure out which entries were rising to the top, I had to wait until Monday to actually see the results. What a perfect way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the organization and one of its founders, whom the award is named after.
Congratulations to the 2010 Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Award winners

Poetry
First Place - Joan Reavis Holcomb, Tobacco Settin'/Spring 1950
Second Place - Christina L. Ruotolo, Bayou Bay
Honorable Mention - Alex Raley, Choices

Nonfiction
First Place - Lisa Glisson, Divine Secrets of the Ta-Ta Sisterhood
Second Place - Joann M. Kelley, Anniversary
Honorable Mention - S. Jane Gari, Archeology

Short Fiction
First Place - Teresa L. Burgher, Slayer
Second Place - Connie Hullander, If Something Happens to Him
Honorable Mention - Johnny R. Beavers, Band Candy - Lessons for Life

Novel/First Chapter
First Place - Craig Faris, The Spectrum Conspiracy
Second Place - Anne Creed, Folly Beach
Honorable Mention - Joan Reavis Holcomb, Hunt House Murder

The Method, The Market & The Muse: Part V - And of course . . . Mix & Mingle!

2010-10-13T13:48:00.000-07:00

I know, Mix and Mingle aren't part of the official 'Ms' of the slogan, but they are definitely an essential part of the conference weekend. My final conference post offers suggestions on making the most of those times outside the general sessions. These are times designed for you to interact more directly with the faculty and other attendees. For some that can be a bit intimidating. I hope by explaining a little about each one, you'll have an idea what to expect before you arrive and that will make your conference experience more enjoyable.

SlushFests: While these are part of the general sessions, I've found them to be more interactive than the other sessions. Even if you don't have a synopsis or two pages of manuscript to share, SlushFests are worth attending. You get to witness how agents and editors read submissions, and see what grabs them and what misses. During the SlushFest I attended last year, the agent not only gave her opinion and discussed the pieces, she also asked the participants what they thought worked, what might work better, their sense of the characters and story, etc. It was more a dialogue than a class. I think anyone sitting in a SlushFest will come away with something.

Faculty Tables: During each meal, faculty members will be seated at tables with the attendees. Their names will be on the tables so you can choose to sit at the table with someone you're interested in or want to hear more from. This is not the time to pitch your work! unless you are specifically asked. So why would you want to sit with a particular agent, editor or author? Sometimes the conversation does cover the world of writing and publishing. Remember in a previous post I suggested you come with a couple of questions? This is the time to ask them if they've not been answered. You may get extra pointers, advice, insights that might not come out during the general sessions.

Faculty Tables offer the opportunity to get to know the faculty as real people! They have lives, families and interests outside of their work, just like the rest of us. One year a table mate and the faculty member found they grew up in the same general vicinity. Wouldn't it be interesting to learn that you and one of the presenters shared the same hobby or alma mater? The conversations might not lead to a contract, but you may realize it's easier than you thought to talk with people in the business. And that knowledge can go a long way when you are ready to make that pitch or send that query letter.

Night Owl Sessions: It can be tempting to go back to your room and decompress after a long day of information input. And that's fine. But there are opportunities to extend the learning after the dinners both Friday and Saturday evening. Other than setting the rooms aside, these are not organized by the Conference Chair/Co-Chairs. There is always an attendee or conference volunteer willing to lead the way and sessions turn out well. The Night Owl Sessions include . . .

Mix & Mingle: This is time to relax and visit with faculty and other attendees. A cash bar is available if you choose to enjoy conversation over drinks. If you don't see yourself being part of the hob-knobbing, maybe you're a good listener and observer - two skills important to every writer.

Open Mics: Open Mics are open to anyone interested in reading so bring your work to the conference. There is no judging, no critiquing, just encouragement. The poets who read at the Open Mic I attended last year had poems ranging from the very sweet to the very bawdy. We cried from empathy and laughter.

If you've never read in front of an audience, this is a safe environment in which to read for the first time. The crowds are small and you'll no doubt discover you write better than some and not as well as others. That's not a bad thing. You'll hear what others are writing and how people react to it and that's a good thing. You are of course welcome to come and just listen. Readers are always grateful for an appreciative audience. Open Mics can be a fun way to end the evening - whether you read or not.

Some additional ideas for making the most of your conference weekend . .
Get in the Loop: A friend of mine attended last year's conference and saw something that really stuck with her. She was a newbie writer and a bit nervous. She watched a group of people talking and noticed another person standing off to the side, alone like she was. A member of the group also noticed the other person, moved away from the circle and without saying a word looped her arm through his and drew him in. Claire thought that was one of the most generous gestures she'd ever witnessed. Recently she attended another workshop and made the effort to be the person bringing another into the group. She said by the week's end, she'd noticed almost everyone else had done the same thing. If you're at the conference solo, or just happen to be solo at a certain moment, don't be afraid to link arms and enter a group together, and don't hesitate if someone offers you an arm.

Table Hop: Even if you have a conference buddy to eat with, make a point to eat with a different grouping for each meal and don't always sit next to each other. This might sound goofy, but it's interesting how changing that little dynamic changes the flow and content of conversations.

Dance: No, we don't provide dancing opportunities, though that could be interesting! I'm talking about the stepping back and forth so you have a full but not overloaded weekend. You know your own writing needs and you own body rhythms. Listen to both and balance your time at the conference between The Method, The Market & The Muse. And if your Muse shows up and tugs you to the beach to write, to gather inspiration or to retreat, it's ok to listen to her and slip away.

Conferences are there for us to learn, network, and return home ready to write. We all get out of them what we put into them. I hope these posts have been helpful in getting you ready for the weekend. I'm heading to a writers' retreat Friday so I'll be putting into practice what I've put into print these last couple of weeks. And I look forward to meeting many of you at The South Carolina Writers' Workshop 20th Annual Writers' Conference. See you then.