The Value of A Good Writer Support Group

Tonight was our twice-monthly meeting of the "West Side Gang," the local writer support group. I can't say enough good things about this experience.

I'm not a joiner. Generally, I hate organized group activities and don't feel as if I fit in well. Yet, despite a huge diversity in backgrounds, worldviews, and genres, this group really "works."

There are generally about ten of us, and usually most everyone brings something to read. We take turns at this, and then offer suggestions... what we like, what we think could be improved, technical writing tips, etc. Sometimes, the facilitator begins with some tips from an expert on mechanics or style.

Tonight, four people brought poems, two people had essays, and I took the first two chapters of Paddy Plays in Dead Mule Swamp. I'd already trashed most of chapter 1 once, but even so, there were lots of suggestions to make it better. The spirit of "criticism" is always so important, and this group does that well. There is lots of encouragement.

Even I can accept critique if my work is characterized as having value (even if it's entertainment value). And believe me, the suggestions are good ones. I'm well through the period of an author's evolution when she/he thinks that what they wrote captures perfectly their every thought. Knowing how others "hear" what I am thinking is important, and helps me make my ideas more clear.

The group is diverse in experiences, so they often have comments about how to correctly describe things I may not be familiar enough with.

And best of all, they seem to just plain like my story, always seeming eager for the next chapter. They've done this long enough now that they can't possibly be faking the enthusiasm.

If you are a writer with dreams of real publication, I urge you to search out a group that will help you polish your work and provide encouragement.

Paddy Plays in Dead Mule Swamp - Chapters 3,4

I've made time to write two afternoons this week and have two more chapters of Paddy Plays in Dead Mule Swamp done.

At this point, I'm still getting the characters and situation set up, so the writing is easy.

(By the way, I didn't take the picture; it's from an Irish Setter Rescue. Actually, if anyone lives in Michigan and has a young Irish Setter, I'd be interested in setting up a photo shoot in the spring for a cover image. Leave a comment.)

Here's an excerpt from Chapter 4:

    “We called the Sheriff, it was Stan Portman back then, and he said we couldn’t even file a missing person’s report until she’d been gone twenty-four hours. The next day, she still hadn’t come home. I picked up DuWayne and the kids and we all went to the Sheriff’s Office, but they kept putting us off.
    “We tried to tell him that she wouldn’t leave the girls, but folks from this part of the county don’t get much respect anyway, and Portman wasn’t known for feeling gracious toward people like DuWayne, if you get my drift.
    “I do,” I said. My stomach was tight. Even though Forest County wasn’t very diverse, I hated to hear that outright prejudice still existed.

You can buy book 1, News from Dead Mule Swamp, for only 99¢ at Smashwords, Amazon, or iWriteReadRate.

Entered the Escape Into Life Literary Contest

Escape Into Life is excited to announce its First Annual Fiction Contest, judged by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Olen Butler. The contest features $500 in cash prizes and a cornucopia of goodies for its finalists. In short, this is one you’ll want to enter.

In addition to cash, five finalists will receive works by Escape Into Life artists and have their stories nominated for at least one nationally recognized award in 2012 (Best American, O’Henry, Pushcart, StorySouth, or Sundress). All finalists will have their stories published in upcoming issues of Escape Into Life. If that’s not enough, we’re throwing in some super-cool EIL t-shirts and our eternal gratitude. That’s a pretty good deal.

The story that I entered in the Star City Blog Contest doesn't fit well into any of the potential collections I'm working on. That contest didn't award any of the prizes, saying there were too few entries. So... I sent it off on a new journey!

There is a $5 entry fee, and the deadline is tomorrow! (Jan 7, 2012)

If you have a good story all ready to go, you can see more about entering at Escape into Life

I found out about this contest at the Accentuate Writer's Forum. Come join!

Entering Writers Weekly 24-Hour Short Story Contest

I've decided to enter the 24-hour short story contest sponsored by Writers Weekly.

It could be fun and the prizes are good. The entry fee is only $5.00.

Basically, they publish a theme and a length on a specific date. This year, that is Jan 21, 2012. Then you have 24 hours to write a story and get it back to them on time.

I think they get quite a few entries, so the competition can be stiff. Nevertheless, I've read the top three winners from last year (Writers Weekly Summer 2011 Contest Winners), and I think I can compete.

I especially like the first one. I would have written a different ending for the third one! (There's my ego again.)

At any rate, I'm entered. You can too, at Writers Weekly Winter 2012 Contest

Reviews by Nellie likes News from Dead Mule Swamp

Nellie, of Reviews by Nellie has read and commented on News from Dead Mule Swamp.

She says (in part), "Young has been successful in fulfilling several of the things I look for in a book. The story was entertaining, interesting and made me want to keep reading until I completed the story. When I was finished, I wanted to read more about Anastasia Raven and her swamp."

And that is music to an author's ears... to hear that someone wants to read MORE. I'm working on book two of the series, Paddy Plays in Dead Mule Swamp. Click the link above to see the entire review.

You can purchase News from Dead Mule Swamp for only 99¢ at Smashwords, Amazon, or iWriteReadRate.

Ludington Daily News Column- December 2011

This past month, for my Get off the Couch column in the Ludington Daily News, I wrote about "Outdoor Women Who Inspire Me."

I quickly discovered that my list is way longer than the 500-600 words I get to share with readers each time. Here's a sample:

Outdoor Women Who Inspire Me

Of course I had a Dale Evans cowgirl outfit, a red skirt and vest with long white fringe, complete with six-shooters and a holster belt. What self-respecting tomboy in the early 1950s didn’t? When I became the owner of an air rifle in my tenth year (I guess Dad trusted his extensive instructions to guard me against shooting my eye out), Annie Oakley became my new hero.

At about that same age I learned of Sacajawea and Mary Jemison. Many fine hours were spent stalking the banks of our unnamed creek in my hand-laced moccasins from a kit, pretending I was leading explorers up the Missouri.

These columns are not available on-line, unless you subscribe to the Ludington Daily News. One collection of columns is currently available as an e-book, called Get Off the Couch with Joan, at Smashwords. I recently reduced the price to $1.89. It's really difficult to price e-books- they range is all over the map.

I'm formatting a second volume of humorous essays entitled Fall Off the Couch Laughing. It will be available soon.

Paddy Plays in Dead Mule Swamp- 2 Chapters Done

Thanks to so many of you who have told me you are already awaiting the second book in the Anastasia Raven mystery series. It's begun! The name is Paddy Plays in Dead Mule Swamp, and I've finished two chapters.

The plot is going to be more complex than that of News from Dead Mule Swamp, so there will be more to read. The most serious flaw of the first book is that it's just to short to be a full novel. I don't think I'll have that problem with "Paddy."

Here's the opening:

    “Knick-knack, Paddy- WHACK, give your dog a bone,” I sang, thumping the rubber bone on the rug. The large Irish setter named Patrick, Paddy for short, lunged for his toy, but I pulled it out of his range, and sang the line again, this time thumping the bone on the other side of the overgrown puppy. Paddy wasn’t my dog. He belongs to my cousin Vic, who was on a month-long trip to Egypt, doing research for the University of Chicago. Since I was the one family member with lots of space, and a house that could stand the dirt, I agreed to keep Paddy for all of July, and part of August.
    My name is Anastasia Joy Raven, and I live at the end of East South River Road, at the edge of Dead Mule Swamp. I’ve been here in Forest County since early spring. Most of my time has been spent trying to revitalize an old house that I bought with money from the divorce settlement. My ex, Roger, and his new friend, Brian, now occupy my former home in the Chicago suburbs, so I moved north and moved on. At least, I’m trying to move on. Some parts of that are going well, renovating the house, for instance.
    The house is a basic L-shaped farmstead with a two-story section at right angles to a single-story. I finished the living room project in June, and the result is a large cheerful space. I painted the walls in two shades of blue with white board-and-bead wainscoting and trim. Then I sanded and varnished the wide pine flooring. The result was clean and inviting. So far, the furnishings consist of a few secondhand pieces from the thrift store, set on a cheap area rug, but I have dreams of a country-comfortable look. When July began, I was still hunting for the right fabric to make curtains, but without near neighbors, having the windows covered didn’t matter very much.
    I stood up and tried to convince Paddy that his play time was over. He was just over a year old, full of energy, and large. He shed hair like a yak and shook mud balls from the swamp all over the house, including on my new wainscoting. But I couldn’t resist his cheerful disposition. Paddy-WHACK seemed to be his favorite game, but he’d only been here a few days. I suspected that he’d find pastimes a lot more mischievous before our six weeks together were over.
    That morning I faced the first problem that Paddy brought to my life. I didn’t really know what to do with him when I needed to go out, and I had a commitment today. I had to drive out to Hammer Bridge Town and spend an hour with a man named Corliss Leonard.

You can buy book 1, News from Dead Mule Swamp, for only 99¢ at Smashwords, Amazon, or iWriteReadRate.