5 Reasons to Attend the Writers Digest Writers’ Conference

Physically spent, I’m back from the Writers Digest Writers’ Conference. It was held in New York City this past weekend. I’m still a bit tired, but mentally and emotionally, I’m on fire! The conference experience was ahh-maze-ing for me. From its professionalism and smart organization, to the wealth of information the presenters provided, it was an overall top-notch event. Writers’ Digest focused on the craft and the business of writing with a strong emphasis on the benefits of traditional publishing. If you missed #WDC15, consider attending in 2016.

Here are my top 5 reasons I recommend this writers conference:

FIVE. It’s held in New York! I can’t say for sure if the writers’ conference will be at the same venue next year but it’ll surely take place in NYC. The city is exciting and adventurous, especially if you’re not accustomed to such a high impact environment. The conference schedule lasts well into the evening. The day’s events concluded, on average, around 6:30 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday evenings. If you want to catch a Broadway show, you can essentially be dressed and on your way by 7 p.m. This year’s venue was just a 10-minute walk down 45th St. to Broadway.

FOUR. Awesome networking opportunities! The conference afforded attendees the opportunity to meet hundreds of other authors (and soon-to-be authors) who are at the same stage you are in your writing career, or where you aspire to be as a writer. I enjoyed sharing information and making connections. I took a purse full of business cards to hand out to my new contacts.

Pictured with me (left) is Award Winning Author Jacqueline Woodson (right)! Woodson was our central keynote speaker at the conference on Saturday, August 1, 2015.

THREE. The proximity to internationally known authors! The opening, central, and closing keynote addresses were some of my favorite aspects of the conference. Each of the keynote speakers was well-established and had published numerous works achieving great acclaim. I was enthralled to hear how different yet the same each of their stories was. We writers all travel similar paths, regardless of our race or ethnicity. We writers are a tenacious people and we all endure the challenges, the rejection, and eventually the sweet success of publishing; as long as we do the work and dedicate ourselves to our craft.

TWO. The annual Pitch Slam event! Attendees were offered an opportunity to sit in front of influential agents and editors to present their work. The agents gave immediate feedback, too. And even if an agent declined the option to hear more about a project, he or she would often give pointed guidance and constructive critique about how to make it better. The ability to pitch at this conference was truly a beneficial and invaluable experience. Participants had three minuets to pitch book concepts to as many agents as possible within the one-hour time slot. As it was my first experience, I only pitched to six agents. But now I’m familiar with the format so next year, it’s game on.

ONE. The information! The overwhelming amount of content about writing and publishing was informative and insightful. There is always something wise and thoughtful-provoking to learn from all of the great writers, new and experienced. Most everyone was open and honest about sharing what he or she knew.

Want to know more!? Let’s continue the conversation. I’ll dish.

Seriously, I’ll be writing more about what I learned about the craft and business of writing soon!

Write on!

Guest Post: An interview featuring ME!

This post is from Englanti Editing (www.englantiediting.com) an international online resource about writing.

Pamela Hart Vines – Interview & Insights

Pamela is US Army Veteran, PR consultant and writer who has succeeded at so many things since she her basic training in 1982 when she memorised the poem Don’t Quit. Read about her experiences and how she is still working on her book.

1. Tell us about yourself.

My background is in the US Defense Industry. I’m a retired United States Army Officer and former defense consultant. After 29 years, I recently decided to go into business for myself. Started my own public relations firm last year. It’s based in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area and I named the company, Troop Public Relations, as tribute to service members, past and present, who don’t have a voice in the media.

I’m also near finished working on my first novel. It’s been a life-time dream of mine to be a published author. Unfortunately, I’ve been writing this first book for the past 30 years. It’s a good thing I’ve written a timeless, character based story! I have a lot of stories to tell and I’m confident that once I finish my first project, it’ll break the mold for me and the rest of my books will come flooding out of me.

2. Where were you born and where do you live now?

I was born in a Western Pennsylvanian town named Aliquippa. I did my undergraduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After graduation from college, I began my military career in the U.S. Army. I go back to Pennsylvania to visit family routinely, but I don’t think I’ll ever move back there permanently. I prefer a more temperate climate.

3. Have you lived in another country or studied any languages?

As a veteran Army officer, I had many assignments but never any long term overseas tours. I spent a year Korea, and about 8 months each in Bosnia and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. I studied French in high school but since I don’t use the language enough, I’ve only retained a few words and phrases over the years.

4. How has that influenced you?

Traveling and living overseas; as well as serving over 20 years in the US military has been the best part of my life. I wouldn’t change a thing about my decision to go into the Army and serve my country. It’s exposed me to different cultures and a wide array of wonderful individuals.

It’s reinforced my understanding that people are good beings. We all have the same basic needs: to love, to be loved, and the yearning to do something great or leave something worthwhile behind.

5. Can you remember a learning experience or instructor that inspired you?

When I was in basic training back in 1982, my mother sent me cards and letters every day. They encouraged me more than she ever knew.

One of the cards contained a little pocket card with a poem called “Don’t Quit.” I memorized all three stanzas right away and I still recite the poem whenever I need to encourage and inspire myself.

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but do not quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out,
Dont’ give up though the pace seems slow,
You will succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
You may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

6. Who do you think are great demonstrators of the English language?

I’m a huge fan of Tana French. I just read her book The Secret Place (Dublin Murder Squad Series), as well as all her previous works. I think her storytelling and use of the language is pure brilliance. I also admire Sting, who I think is a great lyricist.

7. Name 3 books you would keep if all others were taken from you.

The Bible foremost because I’m a devoted Christian. As for the other two–, this is such a hard question. I love ALL my books in total. I’ve always said that if I had to relinquish all my possessions and start over, the only “thing” I’d want to keep are my books.

8. How do you use written English in your job or in life?

I use the written English every day all day. I’m a communicator. As a public relations professional, I’m either writing, planning, blogging, or preparing notes for speaking all the time.

9. How is your English different from others?

As an American, and as an American Soldier overseas, I have to admit that I’ve been a bit cloistered in my studies of country’s styles of English. I can say that I appreciate Great Britain’s turn of phrases and also the idioms that other countries use.

10. Do you have any tips for those learning English or wanting to improve their writing?

The best way to improve is to read a lot and write a lot. Repetition with practice and study of the craft are the only ways to improve.

11. How do you think English is evolving in the modern age? Is quality still important?

I believe English is changing a lot and I’m not sure I like the way it’s going. I just discovered that penmanship; teaching cursive writing, isn’t taught in school much at all. We abbreviate words (for brevity, convenience or laziness) and those shortened words become the norm. New words are added to the dictionary every year, reflecting our changing, modern society. We’re stepping away from quality and I think it’s a travesty.

12. What are your plans for the next 12 months?

I intend to grow my business, Troop Public Relations, seeking contracts with the federal and county government. I also intend to finish, publish and promote my novel, Born of Sin, on all the book seller sites like Amazon.com. It will be available for sale on my author site: http://www.pamelahartvines.com

13. How can people contact you if they want to know more?

I’m extremely active on social media and my blog sites. People can continueconversations with me on Twitter @The_Write_Won, and @Trooppr. People can also subscribe to one (or all) of my three blogs: http://www.trooppr.com/blog, http://www.pamelahartvines.com/blog and naturalhairconsult.wordpress.com.

—

What do you think?

Write on!

The Best Writer He Knows.

What a boost I got today! My husband said to me, “You’re the best writer I know.” Not only did he say those amazing words, but it was how he said them that made me feel so great.  He bestowed his unsolicited compliment on me with a breathless excitement, a deep sincerity and a smidgen of awe. Well, that’s how I perceived it. He could have been breathless from running up the stairs for all I know.

Be that as it may, it was fantastic to hear such praise.

My soon-to-be-complete first novel is coming along nicely. I just wrapped Chapter 20 and let him read it. He was excited about it but gave me a few suggestions.

I’m so fortunate to have his input. The slightest suggestion he gave me for what one of the characters does when he enters a room has made all the difference in the outcome of the chapter. My husband’s input is invaluable to me. [I hope he’s reading this so he can see my appreciation carved into the cloud.]

Every time he gives me a suggestion, I’m reminded of that Tyler Perry’s movie, Why Did I Get Married, Too.  In it, Janet Jackson’s character Patricia and her husband are negotiating terms for their divorce.  When he says he wants half of her book money, she says to him, “What page did you write, Gavin?” I love that line.  It always makes me laugh and it’s kind of a running joke between us when he tries to give me too much advice. I used to reject his suggestions but now I listen a bit…

Although it’s my story and I’m writing every word, my husband’s suggestions have great merit.  When I finish, I look forward to proudly giving my beloved husband his due on the dedication page as my sounding board, my counselor and my check and balance for what a male character, written by a female writer, would or would not do and say.

I’m excited about nearing the final parts of this book-writing journey. This has been a long time coming but I can finally see the light of completion–in the distance.  Thank you all for your prayers!

Write On.

Eww. Seriously? That is so harsh.

My writers’ group, organized through www.meetup.com, is in its seventh month of meeting. I’m proud that it continues to gain momentum. We have 32 members with about nine active participants. The group is diverse, too, which I’m proud to see.  On average, three white males, one black man and four black women represent the composition of the group. Diverse groups give a better set of critiques because the comments come from many perspectives and mind-sets.

 

You’ve already heard me say that it’s great to be a part of a writers’ group–for a few reasons.  A writers’ group:

 

• Gives writers an assembly of like-minded people who inspire each other
• Helps improve your writing from the constructive critiques
• Makes you accountable to the craft so you write more often, and
• Exposes and helps you gain appreciation for other voices and genres.

 

Tonight, it was my turn to get critiqued. The group already read my first two chapters so we discussed my third one.  They gave me great feedback.  But many of the comments weren’t what I expected or wanted to hear.  In my defense, let me say that my characters are complex—just as people are complex.  No one person is completely good (other than Jesus), and no one is completely bad (other than Satan). We all have varying degrees of goodness and evil running through our veins.

 

That said, the group said they enjoyed reading my chapter. Really liked it, even. But they cited things about a character that wasn’t believable to them.  I’ll accept all those comments and re-write much of what they suggested to me. My book is a fictional slice of the African-American experience. But check this out: Although the black woman is part of my expected demographic to buy the book, one of the black women in my group had the most constructively critical comments from the lot.  It was the older white man who identified with my character. He loved my storytelling, he said. He’s the one who “got me.”

 

The most crushing comment of the night was, “I could tell a woman wrote [this chapter].” The comment referred to a conversation in a bar between two of my male characters.  I suppose I’ve never been privy to a conversation solely between two men. Men often temper the way they talk when women are around–. So I must have only ever heard watered down conversations, I suppose. Even still, I thought I was better at composing dialog. I thought I knew how to get into the heads of my characters, men or women, geriatric or child, to give the appropriate voice and tenor a conversation.  Obviously, I need more work.

 

Tonight’s session was humbling. Sigh. The good part is, it’s better for my group to give me a brutally honest critique than to read a harsh critique on line, right!?

 

Write On!

 

“Ghetto” Twitter

I realize there are people who don’t understand how to use Twitter. But they tweet anyway. My advice? Just stop. Stop pecking out boring, senseless phrases. And to other users, I say, stop trying to sell us your seminars, books, and other products. Neither is what the capability is for.

Here’s the thing: Twitter is a micro-blogging platform. In other words, it’s like writing a mini-blog consisting of 140 characters. That’s about a sentence and a half, maybe two. Like a web log or blog, I would prefer to see people provide useful or interesting information when they tweet.

Some will say, “Hey, Pam! Who do you think you are! It’s not that serious. I’ll Tweet what I want!” Sure. Go ahead. Continue to tweet gibberish or appear to be obnoxious because you’re trying to push a product or service. But know that I’m not going “Follow” you. And without followers, face it–, you’re not communicating with anyone. Without followers, you’ll achieve the same effect as writing down your activities in a little notebook and sliding it into your back pocket.

Let me quote a few lines from Naughty By Nature’s lyrics, Ghetto Bastard. I’m going to substitute the word “Ghetto” for the word, ”Twitter.” Okay. You ready?

“If you aint never been to the Twitter
Don’t ever come to the Twitter
‘Cause you wouldn’t understand the Twitter
So stay the eff out of the Twitter.”

Can’t you just hear Treach’s raw growl telling you to stop posting nonsense?

Twitter posts, just like any other form of communication, should entertain, inform or persuade. As Rufus and Chaka Kahn said, “Tell me something good.”

In my next entry, I’m going to provide some Twitter 101, foolproof instruction on how to tweet with a purpose; i.e. in the vernacular, “like you got some sense.”

“Training does not need to be politically correct,” Jerry Feinberg

Write on!