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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170212T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170212T160000
DTSTAMP:20260515T010357
CREATED:20170106T025008Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220306T164426Z
UID:5890-1486909800-1486915200@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Work Experience As Writing Resource
DESCRIPTION:“Write what you know\,” Fiordalisi said. Accurate details of the business or industry in which your book is set will increase your book’s credibility. You may think your work experience unworthy of a story\, but others will disagree. Secretaries\, for example\, have a wealth of knowledge they can base a story on. All professions have inside experiences—“seed nuggets” for stories. \nStart your story after the phone rings\, after a knock on the door. After that is when the action happens. A death notification might make a good starting point. \nFiordalisi\, who had a career in law enforcement\, told of police officers going to notify a man about the death of his wife. Normally\, the officers would say they had come to deliver some bad news. But when this man answered the door and began yelling at them—“Why are you here again! You’re always coming ’round!”—the officers dispensed with their normal courtesies and said\, “Your wife’s dead.” \nFiordalisi went on to provide a host of pointers for writers: \n\nUse inside knowledge gained from your profession in your writing; rules govern most professions.\nKeep a journal of the things you see and hear; your notes can provide a wealth of resource material.\nTake writing classes and attend workshops.\nParticipate in a critique pod.\nDo your research.\nWhen writing fiction\, stick to the facts; with factual information\, you can write a believable story.\nDon’t introduce errors that will make your reader say\, “This doesn’t ring true.”\nCreate situations with emotions that will bring your reader into the story.\nPay attention to voice—mood and delivery.\nKnow and use work vocabulary and jargon. “Cops don’t say ‘handcuffs\,’” Fiordalisi said. “They say cuffs.” Use the jargon of the industry you are writing about.\nUnderstand that jargon may be different in California than it is in Florida; learn the jargon of the region you’re writing about.\nAdd small actions to a story to show how people feel. Fiordalisi mentioned what John Gardner\, author of On Becoming a Novelist and other books on writing\, tells writers\, “You can tell a reader anything but you have to show feelings”— white knuckles\, red faces\, clenched hands.\n\nFiordalisi mentioned again the importance of critique and said\, “If you have difficulty writing about a character of the opposite sex as I do\, get a good beta reader of the same sex as the character to read your material and provide feedback.” \nFiordalisi’s talk was summarized by Roz Miller. If you would like to summarize a future program\, email Roz at programs@writersalliance.org.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/work-experience-writing-resource/
LOCATION:Millhopper Library\, Meeting Room A\, 3145 NW 43rd St\,\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32606\, United States
CATEGORIES:Book Sale,Book Signing,Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Fiordalisi-e1537365421624.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170108T144000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170108T160000
DTSTAMP:20260515T010357
CREATED:20161019T175050Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220306T164426Z
UID:5573-1483886400-1483891200@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Five Common Mistakes Writers Make
DESCRIPTION:From looking at thousands of manuscripts over the last decade\, Belea Keeney has identified the five most common mistakes writers make. \n1. Problems with point of view (POV). The writer must establish with the reader which character’s head the writer is in. The omniscient narrator is out of fashion with publishers. Gone with the Wind would not get published today; publishers want only one point of view per scene. \nKeeney provided handouts with examples. She explained that if Alice is describing the scene in a restaurant (we’re in Alice’s head)\, then Alice can’t say “a guy at the table became furious” because Alice does not know what is in that guy’s head. Instead\, Alice can say\, “The guy’s face turned red as fire.” Alice can see the red face\, and when she tells the reader this\, the reader can make the assumption that the guy is furious. \nAnother example illustrated how the writer can show different points of view for the same scene through well-chosen words and emphasis. Keeney’s two examples described Patty who was watching movies on a Valentine’s weekend. Members of the WAG audience gave their opinions of Patty\, saying that in the first version she was a “hopeless romantic\,” whereas in the second version of the same scene\, she had a “real attitude!” Words that may have made the difference? First scene: “sighing\, fabulous costumes\, envying\,  happy\, dance\, romantic\, perfect.” Second scene: “binge watching\, rolling her eyes\, damn people\, constantly\, a six-pack\, headache.”\n \nBooks Kenney recommends for learning POV: \nWorld War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War\, by Max Brooks; the main character interviews a large number of diverse people (doctor\, Buddhist monk\, etc.) \nHarmony: A Novel\, by Carolyn Parkhurst—has shifting points of view. The story is told from three perspectives. \nHorse Heaven\, by Jane Smiley. The horses become characters with human qualities\, so they have their own points of view. \n“Allison Lurie is also good writer\,” Keeney said. “She has complete mastery of POV\, pacing\, and a good voice. Others are Thomas Harris\, Stephen King . . . ” \n2. Too much narrative. “We live in our heads a lot\,” Keeney said\, “but there needs to be interaction going on. Give your character a friend and have them interact.” Keeney’s handout illustrated the difference: The TV news anchor in the studio tells you the news\, but the reporter on the scene shows you. \n3. Too much backstory. Be careful with information\, facts\, and flashbacks. Ask yourself if a particular fact is needed. Is the flashback relevant? Is it important the aunt died in a certain year? Avoid flashbacks within the first 25% of your book\, and if you use them later in the book\, be sure to transition clearly. \n4. Not understanding types of editing. Developmental editing looks at the big picture—at the structure\, the forest—to see how scenes fit together. Copy editing looks at grammar\, punctuation\, spelling—the leaves on the trees; some publishers call it line editing. Proofreading comes last\, technically\, in galleys. \nBefore sending your work to an editor\, make sure it’s as good as you can make it—work with it to improve it until you’re sick of it. And understand that voice-to-text systems such as Dragon don’t always get homonyms right (petal/peddle\, bridal/bridle). \nTrust your editor\, and don’t argue about whether the spelling should be tee-shirt or T-shirt. That’s just a house-style thing. Sometimes\, style questions come up that are not easy to answer. For example\, if Merge refers to an important concept and is capitalized\, should unmerge be capitalized? Each manuscript should have a style sheet showing the style preferred throughout. \nIf you feel strongly about some element on which you and the editor disagree\, discuss it.  For example\, the editor might wish to take out your comma splices\, but if they are important to the story\, discuss it. If you have problems with an editor you can’t resolve\, though\, find another editor. \nBooks recommended to answer editing questions: \nThe Chicago Manual of Style—the one used by most publishers \nThe Elements of Style\, by Strunk & White \nWoe Is I\, by Patricia T. O’Conner \n5. Not knowing if you want to be a writer. Ask yourself if you really want to be a writer or just tell one story (e.g.\, write your memoir). If you want to be a vet\, you go to school before you stick your arm up a cow’s butt. To be a good writer\, you’re going to have to read\, study\, and write\, write\, write. \nQ & A\nQ:  “How do you find a good editor?” \nA:  “Check the website of Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA).  It shows specialties—medical\, for example. I’m a member of EFA.” \nQ:  What do editors charge? \nA:  Some charge by the job\, some by the page\, some by the word. I charge 2 to 3 cents a word—or 4 to 5 cents a word if I’m working with a writer whose manuscript takes a lot more work. Most editors will edit a 3- to 5-page sample for you. I can tell in a page and a half if the person can write. By the way\, you need to know how to use Microsoft Word’s “Track Changes.” \nEditor’s Secret Bits of Advice \n \nTip 1: Start out by writing short. Don’t jump into a 400-page novel. Get rejections. Get published. “I wrote 35 short stories before writing a novel\,” Keeney said. “Don’t start with a dream sequence. And don’t start with the character waking up in the morning. Don’t have the character look in a mirror to analyze appearance.” (Upon hearing these don’ts\, an audience member commented that she’d have to toss out her entire manuscript and start over!) \nTip 2: Write what you know. Don’t get bogged down with research. While research is a good way to learn about a topic you’re interested in\, it can bog down your writing. If you must look something up\, make a note of it and keep writing. \n“If you want to write for magazines or journals\, study them before you submit. And try contests. This gives you a deadline for completing the manuscript. Look in Poets and Writers magazine—it lists contests in the back.” \nBooks on writing that Keeney recommends: \nSelf-editing for Fiction Writers\, by Renni Browne \nFiction First Aid\, by Raymond Obstfeld \nThe Weekend Novelist\, by Robert J. Ray \nManuscript Makeover\, by Elizabeth Lyon \nBookLife\, by Jeff VanderMeer \n\nBelea T. Keeney’s novel\, The Tiger Whisperer\, won the 2014 Cat Writers Association Best Book Award\, and she has sold three short story collections. Her stories have placed in the Writers in Paradise Short Story competition\, the 2010 Florida Review Editor’s Choice Award\, the 2007 Left Coast Writing Contest\, and the 2011 Saints & Sinners Literary Festival Short Story contest. \nKeeney works as an editor for Samhain Publishing\, JMS Books\, and for a variety of private freelance clients. She especially enjoys working on paranormal\, horror\, romances\, memoirs\, and most anything written about animals. Find out more about her editing services and books at www.beleatkeeney.com. \n\nKeeney’s talk was summarized by Susie Baxter and copy edited by Joan Carter. If you would like to summarize a future program\, email roz57@cox.net.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/five-common-editing-mistakes/
LOCATION:Millhopper Library\, Meeting Room A\, 3145 NW 43rd St\,\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32606\, United States
CATEGORIES:Book Sale,Book Signing,Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/speaker-e1484002626144.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20161113T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20161113T160000
DTSTAMP:20260515T010357
CREATED:20160904T145039Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220306T164426Z
UID:5361-1479047400-1479052800@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:How Do You Prepare for a Successful “Grit Lit Book Launch”?
DESCRIPTION:Hartley Stevens\, author of the Tales of the Cable Counties Thriller series\, presented the nuts and bolts of launching his first two books\, Buck Wild and Absolute Bull. His April 2016 launch party\, attended by more than 300 people\, resulted in the sale of over 200 books. \nHis book-launch event was designed to introduce attendees to his Cable series and to engage them with the series’ themes—a fictional cohort of thirteen actual north central Florida counties where down-home residents “pool their resources to protect themselves from Florida’s panhandle Yankee tourists and the liberal sinners to the south.” \nStevens’ launch party goal was to help build his author platform and generate media interest beyond the event itself. After selecting a local brewery for the location\, he solicited local and regional businesses and groups to participate\, such as restaurants and musicians\, in exchange for offering exposure to their products and services. \nStevens discussed the ingredients for his large-scale launch—including advance publicity and invitations as well as the value of book cover visuals\, original music and games\, and book-related food and drink. He also offered concrete ideas for small-scale\, inexpensive book launch parties with suggestions such as book-related free or low cost locations—parks\, churches\, libraries\, and retail sites. \nHe uses and highly recommends the website www.fiverr.com  for a myriad of low-cost\, customized promotional materials. He also suggested three books—Story Grid by Shawn Coyne\, You Are A Writer by Jeff Goins\, and The War of Art by Steven Pressfield—as motivating resources for writers to approach their craft as they would any other job: show up\, work hard\, don’t give up. And prepare to launch! \nStevens’  talk was summarized by Jani N. Sherrard. \n 
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/plan-hold-book-launch-party/
LOCATION:Millhopper Library\, Meeting Room A\, 3145 NW 43rd St\,\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32606\, United States
CATEGORIES:Book Sale,Book Signing,Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Hartley-Stevens-.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20160910T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20160910T163000
DTSTAMP:20260515T010357
CREATED:20160831T174320Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220306T164426Z
UID:5320-1473501600-1473525000@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Local Author Showcase
DESCRIPTION:The Alachua County Library invited WAG authors to participate in their “Local Author Showcase” held at the Headquarters Library in downtown Gainesville. WAG members Stephen Smitherman and Sandra Gail Lambert were among the five authors who spoke about their books during in the morning session\, 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM. WAG members Hugh E. (Eddie) Suggs\, Susie Baxter\, Terri Depue\, Sandra “Lee” Phillips\, and Richard Gartee made up most of the roster in the afternoon session\, 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM. A book signing followed each session.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/local-author-showcase/
LOCATION:FL
CATEGORIES:Book Sale,Book Signing,Panel Discussion
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/LASflier-768x994-cropped.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20160519T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20160519T200000
DTSTAMP:20260515T010357
CREATED:20160426T033115Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160627T030812Z
UID:4213-1463680800-1463688000@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Scribes of the Sunshine State
DESCRIPTION:The Matheson History Museum and the Writers Alliance of Gainesville (WAG) teamed up to present the second “Scribes of the Sunshine State” program. Four distinguished authors — Mary Wood Bridgman\, Jack E. Davis\, Kate Dupes Hawk\, and Darlene Marshall — shared how Florida inspired their writing. See their bios below. \nThis program was held in conjunction with the museum’s April – June\, 2016\, exhibition: “Liquid Gold: The Rise and Fall of Florida Citrus.” \nWAG furnished refreshments\, and a book signing followed the program. \nMary Wood Bridgman\, a lawyer and former corporate executive\, resides on the shores of Kingsley Lake in Clay County. Her professional writing has appeared in national\, regional\, and local publications\, from Chicken Soup for the Soul to The Bradford County Telegraph. Mary has won honors from Writer’s Digest\, the Florida Writers’ Association\, and the Sandhills Writers’ Conference. She has taught writing courses at the University of North Florida and has frequently contributed to public radio (WJCT 89.9 FM in Jacksonville). She currently contributes to Our Town magazine and serves as Managing Editor for Bacopa Literary Review\, published annually by WAG. \nJack E. Davis has taught history at the university level for nearly two decades. In 2002-2003\, he taught on a Fulbright award at the University of Jordan in Amman. He is now a professor of history at the University of Florida\, where his work focuses on U.S. environmental history. Davis prefers to write for an intellectually curious reader rather than an academic audience. His Race Against Time: Culture and Separation in Natchez Since 1930 won the Charles S. Sydnor Prize for the outstanding book in southern history for 2001. An Everglades Providence: Marjory Stoneman Douglas and the American Environmental Century\, Davis’s latest book\, received the gold medal for best nonfiction in the Florida Book Awards. Two Charlie Awards — first place for best feature writing and for best in-depth reporting — from the Florida Magazine Association recognized his 2011 article on the Gulf of Mexico\, the subject of his next book. \nKate Dupes Hawk wrote Florida and the Mariel Boatlift of 1980\, which won the 2015 Stetson Kennedy Award from the Florida Historical Society. The 1980 Mariel Boatlift was a profound episode in twentieth-century American history\, impacting not just Florida\, but the entire country. During the first twenty days of the boatlift\, with little support from the federal government\, the state of Florida coordinated and responded to the sudden arrival in Key West of more than thirty thousand Cuban refugees\, the first wave of immigrants who became known as “Marielitos.” Hawk has also developed three museums for the Florida National Guard Historical Foundation and was awarded the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service medal for her work on the Camp Blanding\, Florida\, Museum of World War II. \nDarlene Marshall writes award-winning stories of romance and adventure\, featuring pirates\, privateers\, smugglers and the occasional possum. She lives in North Florida and loves being a writer because her work wardrobe is shorts\, sandals and tropical shirts with flamingos. The best days are when she puts the convertible top down and cruises over to the beach to do research.The Pirate’s Secret Baby won the Award of Excellence from Colorado Romance Writers and the Readers’ Choice Award from New England Chapter of Romance Writers of America (RWA). Castaway Dreams won the Aspen Gold Reader’s Choice Award\, and Florida-set The Bride and The Buccaneer received the First Coast Romance Writers Beacon Award for best historical. Her books are available in print\, ebook format\, Kindle editions\, and also in German and Estonian editions.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/scribes-of-the-sunshine-state/
LOCATION:Matheson History Museum\, 513 E University Avenue\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32601\, United States
CATEGORIES:Book Signing,Panel Discussion
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/matheson-history-museum.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20160515T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20160515T160000
DTSTAMP:20260515T010357
CREATED:20160426T041320Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160627T110108Z
UID:4217-1463322600-1463328000@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Outlining the Book or Novel You Want to Write
DESCRIPTION:Three published authors\, Darlene Marshall\, Wendy Thornton\, and Larry Brasington\, discussed their outlining and writing styles. A book signing followed the program and Q&A. \n\nDarlene Marshall writes award-winning stories of romance and adventure\, featuring pirates\, privateers\, smugglers and the occasional possum. She lives in North Florida and loves being a writer because her work wardrobe is shorts\, sandals and tropical shirts with flamingos. The best days are when she puts the convertible top down and cruises over to the beach to do research. The Pirate’s Secret Baby won the Award of Excellence from Colorado Romance Writers and the Readers’ Choice Award from New England Chapter of Romance Writers of America (RWA). Castaway Dreams won the Aspen Gold Reader’s Choice Award\, and Florida-set The Bride and The Buccaneer received the First Coast Romance Writers Beacon Award for best historical. Her books are available in print\, ebook format\, Kindle editions\, and in German and Estonian editions. \n\nWendy Thornton is a freelance writer and editor who has been published inRiverteeth\, Epiphany\, MacGuffin and many other literary journals and books. Her memoir\, Dear Oprah Or How I Beat Cancer and Learned to Love Daytime TV\, was published in July 2013 and is available on Amazon and Kindle. Her mystery\,Bear-Trapped: In a Trashy Hollywood Novel\, was published in February 2015 and is available on Amazon and Kindle. She has won many awards for her work including most recently\, second prize in New York’s Literal Latte essay contest. She was nominated for a Pushcart Prize\, and has been Editor’s Pick on Salon.com multiple times. Her work is published in England\, Scotland\, Australia\, and India. \n\nLarry Brasington likes to write stories with lots of action and strong story line. He most enjoys his Shane Ireland\, Elf Detective series set in a world in which a quarter of the human race has mutated. He first published stories in 1972: “Temple in the Swamp” and “The Valley\,” an H. P. Lovecraft-like tale. Many of his short stories have been featured in www.powdermonkey.biz\, an online magazine for gamers. His latest book is Saving Sonya\, a fantasy novel. Among his other novels are Alien Madness\, Brandenburgers: Invasion of Russia (alternative history of World War 2)\, Nell’s Tavern (an alien invasion on a backwater planet)\, and Beyond the Wall (historical novel 169 AD); all are available on Amazon\, Barnes and Noble online\, or Smashwords.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/outlining-the-book-or-novel-you-want-to-write/
LOCATION:Millhopper Library\, Meeting Room A\, 3145 NW 43rd St\,\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32606\, United States
CATEGORIES:Book Signing,Panel Discussion
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/notepad-771599_640.jpg
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