Countdown of favorite posts of 2020: day 3

Countdown of readers' favorite posts of 2020 continues with the sixth most-popular:

Should books last forever? On writing in a 'cancel culture'

Writers think a lot about how to write but, surprisingly, not always about why they write in the first place. The Writer’s League of Texas’ Becka Oliver cornered a disparate trio of writers – Sarah Bird, Varian Johnson, and Joe R.Lansdale, one Black, two white, at the WLT’s recent virtual “unconference” and bumped into a debate about the life span of books in today’s “cancel culture.”

 

Why write? “That is a hard and complicated question,” Johnson acknowledged. “I write because I’m trying to work something else (out) in the world.”

 

“I would call (writing) a happy compulsion,” Lansdale said. “I write for me. I write like everybody I know is dead and hope readers like it.”

 

“It’s a defense against all the nonbelievers who surround you,” Bird said, noting that when she first began selling stories she was still reluctant to award herself the title of “author,” and would have answered the question by saying, “I write for money.” Later, during harder times, “I wrote to cheer myself up. . . (and) to memorialize my family.” Later, she termed the writing of her most recent book, Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen, a fictionalized narrative of the only woman among the 19^th-century’s all-Black Buffalo Soldiers, “a calling.”

 

Then, having reached the point at which she could retire from writing, she found she no longer could abandon that calling. “I would be mentally ill if I didn’t.”

 

Nice word, that, “calling.” “Can you talk about what the calling of writing to kids,” Oliver asked Johnson, whose primarily for young readers books include The Great Greene Heist, The Parker League, and more.

 

Turns out, writing for kids is more complicated than a reader might think.

 

“Middle grade (literature) has to be written for years 8-12ish, while remembering that adults will read it too. . . The first draft is for only me, before putting the words out for an audience,” Johnson said.

 

Image: Pixabay

Later drafts are about “sculpting for that (i.e. middle grade) audience,” including dealing with such difficult issues as racial slurs. “I think my only responsibility is to be true to the story, including some of the larger themes. The characters have to be true.”

 

And there it was again. The word in the room. Race.

 

Lansdale, whose dark tales are definitely not written for school age audiences, agreed with Johnson on the need for discretion when writing for the young. But for himself, “If you’re going to address race in the past, it may be uncomfortable. If I’m going to write about racism I have to write about the ugly aspects of it.”

 

So, how do classic books about those “ugly aspects” – the Huckleberry Finns and To Kill a Mockingbirds – with their plentiful racial epithets and violence, stand up in today’s audience? Is it time, the group debated, to “cancel” books written about race by White writers for primarily White audiences?

 

Lansdale was adamant about defending Mockingbird, which he opened his eyes as a youngster brought up in deep East Texas. (Some of his own writings, such as the thriller The Bottoms have been compared to Harper Lee’s story, and his comic duo Hap and Leonard features Black and white oddball investigators.)

 

“The thing about books like To Kill a Mockingbird, which I read as a kid,” Johnson said, “(is) when people say that defines racism for the South, no, it (defines) racism for white people.”

 

But although, as Lansdale noted, “some of those books make white readers see what we don’t see,” Johnson didn't find that sufficient. 

"Why," he asked, "should a book be expected to last forever?” 

Should books last forever? On writing in a 'cancel culture'

Writers think a lot about how to write but, surprisingly, not always about why they write in the first place. The Writer’s League of Texas’ Becka Oliver cornered a disparate trio of writers – Sarah Bird, Varian Johnson, and Joe R. Lansdale, one Black, two White -- at the WLT’s recent virtual “unconference” and bumped into a debate about the life span of books in today’s “cancel culture.”

Why write? Oliver asked.

“That is a hard and complicated question,” Johnson acknowledged. “I write because I’m trying to work something else (out) in the world.”  

From top left: Oliver, Bird, Lansdale, Johnson

“I would call (writing) a happy compulsion,” Lansdale said. “I write for me. I write like everybody I know is dead and hope readers like it.”

“It’s a defense against all the nonbelievers who surround you,” Bird said, noting that when she first began selling stories she was still reluctant to award herself the title of “author,” and would have answered the question by saying, “I write for money.” Later, during harder times, “I wrote to cheer myself up. . . (and) to memorialize my family.” Later, she termed the writing of her most recent book, Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen, a fictionalized narrative of the only woman among the 19^th-century’s all-Black Buffalo Soldiers, “a calling.”

Then, having reached the point at which she could retire from writing, she found she no longer could abandon that calling. “I would be mentally ill if I didn’t.”

Nice word, that, “calling.” “Can you talk about what the calling of writing to kids,” Oliver asked Johnson, whose primarily for young readers books include The Great Greene Heist, The Parker League, and more.

Turns out, writing for kids is more complicated than a reader might think.

“Middle grade (literature) has to be written for years 8-12ish, while remembering that adults will read it too. . . The first draft is for only me, before putting the words out for an audience,” Johnson said.

Later drafts are about “sculpting for that (i.e. middle grade) audience,” including dealing with such difficult issues as racial slurs. “I think my only responsibility is to be true to the story, including some of the larger themes. The characters have to be true.”

And there it was again. The word in the room. Race.

Lansdale, whose dark tales are definitely not written for school age audiences, agreed with Johnson on the need for discretion when writing for the young. But for himself, “If you’re going to address race in the past, it may be uncomfortable. If I’m going to write about racism I have to write about the ugly aspects of it.”

So, how do classic books about those “ugly aspects” – the Huckleberry Finns and To Kill a Mockingbirds – with their plentiful racial epithets and violence, stand up in today’s audience? Is it time, the group debated, to “cancel” books written about race by White writers for primarily White audiences?

Lansdale was adamant about defending Mockingbird, which he opened his eyes as a youngster brought up in deep East Texas. (Some of his own writings, such as the thriller The Bottoms have been compared to Harper Lee’s story, and his comic duo Hap and Leonard features Black and White oddball investigators.)

“The thing about books like To Kill a Mockingbird, which I read as a kid,” Johnson said, “(is) when people say that defines racism for the South, no, it (defines) racism for White people.”

And if, as Lansdale noted, “some of those books make White readers see what we don’t see,” Johnson replied, “Why should a book be expected to last forever?”

***

I notice that in an earlier post I promised to provide guidance on some of the “tools” writers use in their work. But I admit, I’m now digging deeply into the virtual Thrillerfest, with its dozens of author conversations, so I’ll end here. Stay tuned for words from Virginia, Wyoming, South Carolina, and more!

The world in your hands – 2020’s virtual literary events

It started when an ad flashed across my screen for a literary event on the other side of the country. An event I never have the funds to attend, much less the nerve to travel to during a pandemic. Then, as I was about to scroll past, the magic words appeared – now online!

I dashed to the website, checked the cost – less than half of what the in-person event would have been, plus no travel or lodging fees, pulled out a credit card, and then wondered what else is there that I’d love to go to if only I could afford it. And wasn’t scared of catching my death of COV-19 to attend.

Usually, this blog concentrates on event in Texas, especially in my region of the state. But with online events, no place is too far!

image: cocoparisienne from Pixabay

June 26-28: Writers’ League of Texas bills the 2020 version of its annual Austin, Texas, event as an “unconference.” Sad to report, this one doesn’t include the list of agents and editors that are usual sweeteners, but there’s still plenty of craft information as well as other goodies such as genre meetups for writers and the popular “yoga for writers.” And it’s free! See the site for details, but hurry, this one’s coming up fast. The final schedule should be available June 23. See the site for details.

June 27: 2020 Austin African American Book Festival has also gone virtual. It's free but attendees must register on Eventbrite (see the site for links). The festival includes four Zoom sessions from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with New York Times bestselling authors Isabel Wilkerson and Dr. Damon Tweedy, American Library Association-recognized librarian and archivist kYmberly Keeton, and a tribute to poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. The festival's theme -- "We Wear the Mask: Surviving Oppression in the 21st Century," pays homage to one of Dunbar's most famous works. 

July 6-14: Thrillerfest is the New York conference whose announcement first ignited my attention, with package prices starting at $149. At that price, writers get the basic Mega CraftFest, which includes videos with more than 120 of the best thriller authors in the world. Or upgrade to Master Class for $399 with a maximum of 10 attendees per instructor in a private Zoom room. Pitch sessions with agents and consulting sessions with editors are available for additional fees, although most are already sold out.

CareerFest is a free add-on with both CraftFest and Master Class and includes discussions of what agents want in a pitch, social media use, book reviews, and more. See the site  for details.

July 29-August 2: WorldCon is the worldwide conference on science fiction and fantasy, originally scheduled to be held in Wellington, New Zealand, now goes virtual, with the likes of author guests of honor Mercedes Lacks and Larry Dixon and toastmaster George R.R. Martin, and more. To attend, buy memberships through the sponsoring convention, CoNZealand. Cost is $300 NZ for attending adults, with discounts for teens and children. At this writing, program details have not been confirmed. Check the site for updates and payment information.

August 28-30: Romance Writers of America are also going virtual with the annual RWA Conference. Early registration opens June 23, at 11 a.m. Central Time, starting at $139 for RWA members and $189 for nonmembers, with discounted rates available for students. Expect inspiring speakers, workshops and networking. Recorded sessions will be available to attendees for the remainder of 2020. (Wondering about the recent publicity surrounding RWA’s diversity issues? Black authors who are RWA members may attend free of charge. One hundred scholarships will be available for non-RWA member Black authors. Details available when registration opens.)

October 16-17: Bouchercon is the world mystery convention, originally scheduled for Sacramento, California, but now virtual. Details are still being worked out, with registration opening July 1-October 4. Refunds for attendees who registered for the Sacramento conference by April 16 should receive a full refund. Keep an eye on the site for details.

October 29-November 1: Not to be outdone by WorldCon, the World Fantasy Convention 2020 has also gone virtual. Cost $125. Programming details still to come, but guests include author guest of honor Stephen Gallagher, editor guest of honor Anne Groell, artist guest of honor David Cherry and author special guests Brandon Sanderson, C.J. Cherryh, Cindy Pon, and Stephen Graham Jones.

November 5-7: Writer's Digest Annual Conference also goes virtual, with a new date. Still with writing instruction--including pre-conference workshops with David Corbett and Windy Lynn Harris, plus inspiration and publishing advice in flexible viewing sessions. Registration is open. Cost for the basic conference (November 6-7) is $349. The pre-conference workshops (November 5) are available as add-ons to the basic conference for $149 each, or can be bought as stand-alones for $199. There's also a pitch-slam add-on for $149, with preparation starting August 14. See the site for details and registration. 

***

What’s not on this list?

 I’m still waiting for ArmadilloCon to respond to my request about the status of its August 7-9, Austin, Texas, sci-fi/fantasy event.

 FenCon, the Dallas-area sci-fi/fantasy convention originally scheduled for September 18-20, has been postponed until 2021. Memberships, vendor and art show space already purchased will be rolled over to 2021 or contact the convention by September 1to request refunds.

The Historical Novel Society has also cancelled its 2020 conference in Durham, England, but plans to reschedule for 2022. (Note: the HNS North American conference is still on track for June 24-26, 2021, in San Antonio, Texas.)

***

I woke up June 23 to a report of an assault at the 2019 (nonvirtual) Bouchercon. The incident was passed on to Thrillerfest which, although not associated with Bouchercon, initially published the victim's name. (This information had been deleted before I saw the post.) Although virtual conventions will eliminate the possibility of physical assault, please exercise compassion and common sense in all contacts, including virtual ones.

(This post has been updated 10:25 a.m. CDT, June 23, to note assault report at a previous year's convention and at 4:01 p.m. CDT, June 25, to include the Austin African American Book Festival. Information about the Writer's Digest conference was added June 29. I will not add more updates to this post, but will provide more details about the late summer and fall conferences in additional posts.) 

Read, write, fetch -- a summer of Texas literary events

With a break in the rain here in Dallas, temperatures are warming to almost summertime levels. Whether you’re a reader, a writer, or both, it’s time to make plans for summer’s literary events around Texas!

May 27-June 2: Writefest,  Anderson-Clarke Center on the Rice University Campus, 6100 S. Main St., Houston. Tickets available for full-week, weekend and one-day entries, $125 - $425. This partnership between the Houston Writers Guild and Writespace has grown into a fantastic event for writers and readers alike. Events include genre-based writing workshops, presentations by literary professionals, and panels on writing, publishing, and marketing. All tickets come with the option of purchasing a pitch session with one of the attending agents and editors for $50. Just want to dip a toe in the literary scene? Readings and open mics Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights are free and open to the public. See the site for details. 

May 28 - June 1: Speaking of growing – the Dallas Book Festival has outgrown its original library space and morphed into the Dallas Festival of Books & Ideas, at multiple locations. Opening with The Physical City May 28, at UT Dallas Center for BrainHealth Brain Performance Institute (possibly a good starting place for literary types!), it moves to The Dallas Institute; UT Southwestern Medical Center; Interabang Books; Summer in the City (at the Dallas Public Library's Central Branch, 1515 Young Street); and the Dallas Museum of Art.


Summer in the City is the closest match to the former stand-alone book festival. From 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. June 1, the Central Branch of the Dallas Public Library hosts a celebration of books, authors, and reading on every floor. Summer in the City, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Central Branch, address. Featured authors include Laura Numeroff (If You Give a Mouse a Cookie); Melanie Benjamin (The Girls in the Picture); Steven L. Davis and Bill Minutaglio (The Most Dangerous Man in America); Melissa Lenhardt (Heresy); and Joe Lansdale (The Elephant of Surprise). 


While you’re there, readers of all ages can sign up for the Mayor’s Summer Reading Challenge. Teens can stick around after the fest to watch the first Teen Rap Battle. And yes, there’s more! All Festival of Books & Ideas events are free, but space is limited, so please register ASAP! 

June 5 – July 31: The Rejebian summer series of books reviews returns Wednesdays beginning June 5, at Highland Park United Methodist Church. Speakers include authors Mark Lamster, Anne Keene, Jeff Guinn, and Leila Meacham, and reviewers Lurline Morrow, Nancy Ashley, Dana Harkey, Colleen Boudreaux, and Rose-Mary Rumbley. All presentations at 7 p.m. in the church’s Wesley Hall auditorium, 3300 E. Mockingbird Lane, Dallas. Or attend pre-event dinner with each night’s speaker at 5:30 p.m. for $13, payable at the door with cash or check. Please make dinner reservations by the Tuesday preceding the event by calling 214-523-4420.

June 7-8: Of course, the father of the sword-and-sorcery literary genre, creator of Conan the Barbarian (or Cimmerian, to purists), Robert E. Howard, had to be a Texan! Robert E. Howard Days celebrates his all-too-short life and writings with events throughout Cross Plains, Texas, where Howard churned out stories in a variety of genres from his family’s home, now a museum, located at the intersection of Texas State Highway 36 and Avenue J. Attendance at Friday night’s banquet requires a $15 registration fee, but all other events are free. This year’s guest of honor is David C. Smith, author of Robert E. Howard – A Literary Biography, but several more Howardian scholars will also be in attendance. The Cross Plains Library’s collection of Howard publications is a must-see.

June 7-July 26: If you want to write and illustrate your own picture book, the Young Authors program of the Richardson Public Library is the place to be! Open to Richardson residents only, entering grades 5-9. Fridays at noon beginning June 7. Free, but registration required, May 20-June 14. Sessions in the basement of the library at 900 Civic Center Dr., Richardson. Weekly sessions inspire and guide youngsters through the process of writing and illustration, culminating in the publication of two copies of each child's book – one to keep, one for library patrons to check out! Nothing beats seeing readers check out your own book!

June 22-23: DFWCon: Dallas-Fort Worth Writers Conference, voted a favorite Texas writing conference, returns to Hurst Conference Center, 1601 Campus Dr., Hurst. Regular registration through June 14, $399; $429 June 15-June 22; one-day passes also available for Saturday (June 22) and Sunday (June 23). Discussions, workshops, networking – and the delightfully wonky Gong Show, which gives anonymous participants a peek at how real literary agents react to their queries. Other highlights include the announcement of the winner of this year's WRiTE CLUB contest, and keynote speaker Chuck Wendig. All registrations include one pitch session with a visiting literary agent or editor. 

June 28-30: The Writer’s League of Texas Agents & Editors Conference brings together more than 20 nationally-known literary agents and editors with award-winning and bestselling authors for conversations on the craft of writing and practical steps toward publication. Hyatt Regency Austin, 208 Barton Springs Road, Austin. Registration $459 for members, $519 for nonmembers, as long as space is available. 

July 19-21: Just for writers, readers and lovers of literary nonfiction is the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Writing Conference, Hilton DFW Lakes Executive Conference Center, at 1800 State Highway 26, in Grapevine. General admission is $475, with one-day tickets and tickets for optional events, including a manuscript contest and agent pitches, also available.  

August 2-4: ArmadilloCon is a science fiction & fantasy convention with a writing workshop! (Note: deadline for manuscript submission to attend the workshop is June14!) Omni Southpark, Austin. Memberships: $45 for adults, $30 for children (ages 7-12); $30 for students (current ID required); $90 for writing workshop (includes full membership). See the site for details. 

Writers find our community – now what to do with it?

Last Friday’s post at this site reprised the discussion about the need for community among writers from a panel of North Texas authors. But panel members didn’t stop at convincing their audience at Interabang Books in Dallas that they needed a community. They offered suggestions on where to find those communities – and what to do after saying “I do” to them.

Internet searches will turn up possibilities such as the DFW Writers Workshop, whose alumni include panelists Melissa Lenhardt and Arianne “Tex” Thompson. And creative writing classes such as those that launched panelist Blake Kimzey’s career in short fiction. 

Lenhardt used community to hone her Stillwater mystery series and award-winning historical fiction series. Panelist Kathleen Kent, author of historical fiction and more recently, the Edgar-nominated crime novel, The Dime, has lent her aura to a number of literary venues. Kimzey even went from taking classes in creative writing to founding his own group of writing classes, Writing Workshops Dallas. 

But leave it to fantasy writer Tex Thompson to bring North Texas’ abundance of literary communities into a single tent. Well, nearly a single tent. At last count, WORD (Writers Organizations ‘Round Dallas) included at least 30 groups, many immortalized on the tray of cupcakes provided for the audience gathered at Interabang.

Lenhardt (l) and Kent

Like Lenhardt, Thompson initially discovered the DFW Writers Workshop, and through it discovered introductions to still more writing groups. 

“People would stand up and make announcements about other groups, and I started to wonder, how many (writing) groups are there?. . . People want that community, it’s scary to drive somewhere in the dark to an unknown organization,” Thompson said.

And to alleviate the “driving in the dark” fear, WORD last spring brought together more than 300 group members to sample what each has to offer. WORDfest – the 2.0 version – repeats this year, Saturday, March 24, on the Tarrant County College Northeast Campus in Hurst, Texas. 

In the meantime, all the discussion of “writing communities” at the Interabang meeting no doubt left some audience members uncertain exactly what those communities have to offer. And what might be expected of them if they join one. 

Will they get to – or have to – read their own writing out loud? (No small concern considering that writing is one of the most introspective of human activities.) Will they be expected to judge other people’s writings? (See above concern again.) And what are the rules, if any, for either of these?

The good news is, as Lenhardt said, the DFW Writers Workshop group she picked, “‘got’ me in a way my family didn’t.” 

Still, how does a newcomer, a writer in a group of writers, “know when to show your work to someone else?” discussion moderator Jordan Smith of the Writer's League of Texas asked.

“I don’t think anyone should show anybody your first draft,” Lenhardt said, “because it’s terrible! Send it as polished as you can. That’s basic courtesy.”

Except, of course, when that writing rule, like many others, needs to be broken. Which she confessed once to doing when hard-pressed by a deadline. Still, it’s an exception she tries to keep as exceptional as possible.

On the other hand, Kimzey noted that he had been forced to show first drafts when he first started attending creative writing classes. With no more than a set of story vignettes in hand, the pressure of completing complete narratives before showing them to readers would have felt overwhelming. “If I hadn’t been sharing my first drafts, I’d never have finished anything.”

Whether first draft or third – or later – panelists still emphasized the value of having more than one set of eyes on their work before attempting publication, or approaching literary agents.

“You’re so close to your work that you don’t even know your own soft spots,” Kimzey said. 

And speaking about feedback, “Do you have any tips for it?” Smith asked.

“When I accept another writer’s manuscript, I owe a responsibility for honesty, offering my advice and being open about it,” said Kent. “(But) more than anything else, I try to be kind. As you become comfortable in your writing, the dime will drop. . .” (pause for laughter) “. . . and something will resonate. I take everything seriously, but you are the final arbiter of your work.”

Thompson also came in on the side of kindness from one writer to another. When talking to another writer one on one, her first rule is to say, “Thank you for much for entrusting me with this.”

A statement soon followed by, “What are you excited about? (Because) if you can’t get excited about their work, you probably shouldn’t be critiquing.”

“How important is genre when showing someone your work?” Smith asked.

“DFWWW is all-genre, so anything goes,” Lenhardt said. “I have found that having a real breadth of experience is a help. Personally, I think the best thing about a feedback partner is that they’re a good writer.”

Once writers have found a community, and received their own help, what can they do to pay that support forward? Smith asked.

“Buy their books,” Kimzey said. “Send them a kind note. Tell them how much a book meant to you. If it’s a peer, read their work and give them honest feedback.”

And don’t underestimate the power of little things, Thompson said. “If you’re (socially) awkward, volunteer to put the chairs up after a meeting. People will love you!” 

What is a writing community and why be part of one?

There was a full house at Interabang Books this week as Dallas’s newest independent bookstore and the Writer’s League of Texas hosted a panel discussion about community building for writers. And we hadn’t even known there would be cupcakes! (Those arrived courtesy of irrepressible panel member, author and community organizer, Arianne “Tex” Thompson, decorated with the names and logos of local writers’ communities.)

No, we were there because, despite the Hemingwayesque stereotype of writers as antisocial loners – possibly hard drinking ones at that – the local authors on the panel –

l-r, Lenhardt, Kent, Kimzey

Thompson, Kathleen Kent, Melissa Lenhardt, and Blake Kimzey – extolled the necessity of connections.

“It is so important for every industry to own its issues,” Thompson said. “For football, it’s brain injury. For ballet dancers, it’s eating disorders. For us it’s –”

“Hemorrhoids,” an audience member shouted.

Well, at least anxiety, Thompson acknowledged, when the laughter had died down. “You writers, there’s something seriously wrong with you!” (More laughter, some slightly self-conscious.) “It’s important that we need a counterbalance to the word hamsters running around in our heads. You need a writing community if you’re going to stay healthy and stay in the game.”

And that, if in more chaste language, was the tone of the discussion, was the tone of the discussion moderated by the League’s member services manager, Jordan Smith. 

“Why is it important for writers to be in a community?” Smith asked. “And how do you find a community?”

Kimzey agreed. Now a prolific short story author and founder/director of Writing Workshops Dallas, he confessed to starting his writing career as an alternative to his day job.

“I was nodding off in a cubicle 10 years ago,” the author of “a lot of vignettes,” but no completed stories until he found a creative writing workshop at Brookhaven Community College. 

“It was transforming for me. There I was, getting feedback for the first time.”

He and the other students – mostly college freshmen and sophomores years younger than he was – took a second course together because they formed such strong bonds. (Kimzie would even take the course a third time, and end with nine completed stories.) “Now I have my gang of four, all at different stages. It’s important to have a cohort.”

“I started by going to the DFW Writers Workshop,” Lenhardt said, where she was able to grow her Stillwater mystery series and award winning historical novels. “They ‘got’ me in a way my family didn’t.”

The stay-at-home mom went to her first workshop meeting and thought, “Oh, my God, nobody asked about my kids.” It wasn’t that workshop members didn’t care about her kids, she said, but that her relationship with them was being built as a comrade, not on the family connections which had previously dominated her life.

Kent, on the other hand, already completed the manuscript that would become her New York Times bestseller, The Heretic’s Daughter, on her own. She has said in other contexts that she kept her writing a secret from almost everyone except her mother, fearing the eyeball rolls if she confessed to it, with another career and well into middle age. “I wish I’d had a group like that.”

Which doesn’t mean it’s ever too late to start, either with writing or finding a community.

“Unlike, for instance, downhill skiing, writing is something you can begin at 50,” she quipped.

(Next time – tune in for suggestions on where to find that community of fellow writers we dream about, and an intriguing offer from the ever-cheerful Tex Thompson.)

A Texas literary perspective on late, crazy year of 2017

Hallowed writers thronged North Texas venues, a beloved writing haven found its forever home, and book festivals abounded during 2017. To commemorate those brighter points in a wild and crazy year, I’ve compiled excerpts of favorite posts from the first half of this year. Tomorrow -- stay tuned for the second half.

1/20/17: Writing tips from a quartet of Texas greats

Considering how many books, magazine articles, television scripts they’ve written, listeners at the recent Authors LIVE! “Four Great Texas Writers” program featuring Texas writers H.W. Brands, S.C. Gwynne, Stephen Harrigan and Lawrence Wright understandably wondered how the foursome kept track of everything. What ultra-sophisticated program did they use? And by the way, can it help the rest of us as well?

For some, the answer is something as simple as . . . notecards.

OK, Brands admitted that after decades of teaching, he knows enough about most of his subjects (presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Reagan and Eisenhower, General Douglas McArthur, et al) to keep many of his notes in an even more low-tech system – his brain.

***

2/7/17 Writer’s Garret back and better than ever 

Dallas literary institution, the Writer’s Garret, welcomed a standing-room crowd to its new quarters at Metropolitan Press, 1250 Majesty Dr., with an open house, readings, and discounts on new classes. The Garret’s new space at Metropolitan Press includes office, reception, and supply space, as well as a common room where the open house was help, and other spaces shared with Metropolitan Press’s other tenants. In addition to printing services, Metropolitan Press provides office space for a number of nonprofit organizations, and a rotating gallery of work by local artists. 

***

2/21/17 Barnstorming small libraries with Texas Writes 

There were maybe a dozen of us along the sides of the long tables at Lindale’s Lillie Russell Memorial Library, with eager pens and notebooks at the ready. There were two of them on the other side of the tables – Jeramey Kraatz (author of The Cloaked Society trilogy and the upcoming Space Runners series) and Liz Garton Scanlon (author of Caldecott Honor book All the World, as well as Bob, not Bob!, A Sock is a Pocket for Your Toes, and more). Make that three, counting Jo Virgil, in Lindale to represent Texas Writes, a program of The Writers’ League of Texas that brings accomplished authors to rural Texas libraries for a series of free presentations and discussions. 

Kraatz writes middle grade fiction and Scanlon writes picture books, but in many ways their discussions have broader implications for all genres. Starting with that impetus for all stories, conflict. Or as Kraatz terms it, “Trouble Talk.” 

No matter how much we try to avoid it in our lives, “trouble is interesting in story,” Kraatz told our audience. Conflict is a way to guide readers through a story. And for writers, it provides a means for working through a project when we’re stuck, and as a key to self-assessing our writing. 

“How do you look at your writing objectively? How do you tell if it’s working?” One way to answer both questions is to ask: “how is the overall conflict of the story being addressed in this particular section.”

***

3/7/17 North Texas Teen Book Festival: laughing at what scares us 

It was billed as a middle-grade panel entitled Guys Read: Terrifying Tales. But the crowd packing into the auditorium at Saturday’s North Texas Teen Book Festival boasted plenty of female attendees, and plenty more obviously older than the term “middle-grade reader” (generally, 8-12 year-olds) would indicate.  

Even I, significantly past the age of middle grade readers, recognized the major-name panelist – R.L. Stine, author of the long-running Goosebumps series of kid-version horror that has been sending shivers up the spines of young readers for 25 years. He was joined by fellow horror writer Adam Gidwitz and moderator Jon Scieszka (rhymes with “Fresca). 

Gidwitz’s writings include both a Star Wars book and fractured versions of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales. His latest, The Inquisitor’s Tale, features three kids on a quest, facing enemies such as a dragon whose plentiful farts are not only smelly but deadly, and aided by dog, “recently brought back from the dead,” its jaws clenched around a Newbery Honor award, one of the accolades given by the American Library Association for outstanding children’s literature.  

Stine insisted that he was too shy as a youngster to interact with others, so he dragged a typewriter into his room and spent all his time writing. “My mother stood outside the door and told me to go out and play. Good thing I didn’t listen to her.” 

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5/9/17 Tragedy + Time = Comedy: The essential Stephanie Klein 

How had I lived so long and gone to so many writing conferences without running into blogger/memoirist/TV script writer Stephanie Klein, the petite New Yorker with a head of wild copper-colored curls who was the keynote speaker at the 2017 DFW Writers Conference in Dallas.

The popularity of her original blog, Greek Tragedy, focused on life after her divorce. Its popularity gained her the title “Internet Queen of Manhattan,” and led to the publication of her first book, Straight Up and Dirty: A Memoir, about moving on after divorce. 

So, how does a magna cum laude graduate of Barnard College, who married the “mensch-next door” move on after her perfect marriage came to a bitter end? Wildly. Detailed on her blog with the bone-deep honesty that she recommends for memoirists. Well, that and what she called “the observational stuff. . . what the artist notices that makes the good story. Not the expected, not the cliché."