Sep 1, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Five Things Friday
True story. I’m on the phone with SuperGirl ~ our weekly two-hour catch-up call ~ and she says . . . Wait for it. Get this.
She says, “I don’t know if I’m going to Blue Ridge next year.”
MoJoWriterGirlsays “Say, whhaaat?!”
Of course, Blue Ridge isn’t Blue Ridge without my posse. And I’m super happy because during the interview for my now-you-know-about-it new career, I told them straight up, I need a week in May. I’m already committed to being out of state. They nodded. They approved.
So. Girlfriend. If I’m going, you’re going. You got that?
However, I understand that sometimes, as you so patiently pointed out, conferences may be out of reach financially. What’s a writer to do? I’m so glad you asked . . .
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Instead of a Writers Conference
For you, and for so many others, here are five ways y’all can grow your writing skills if you can’t attend a conference.
- Online podcasts. Oh, please. Like y’all didn’t see this one coming. In particular, I’m fond of Aaron Gansky’s Firsts in Fiction (and I don’t even get paid to say so!). Another good choice is Novel Marketing with Thomas Umstattd and James L. Rubart. You can Google whatever keywords you’re looking for and “podcast” and a plethora of choices pop up. Try audio only so you can listen in your car, or video so you don’t miss our pretty faces. Just sayin.
Firsts in Fiction cohosts and their photobombing producer
- Local writers club. These are great places to meet like-minded people. Let’s face it: When you’re a writer, the only time you fit in is with other creatives. Why wouldn’t you want to join the club? You can trade tips and tricks, hire guest speakers, and reach into the community for sales and marketing. If there isn’t a local club where you’re at, or one that suits your style, create your own.
Frankly, My Dear . . . Make Your Own Meeting
- Critique groups are another great source of feedback. Members commit to share their writing in progress and give honest opinions. Think of it as your pre-edit edit. While you’re writing your novel, your team can tell you what works and what doesn’t, which characters need more development, and what scenes are spot on. They can help you hone your first draft into a fine, and sometimes final, draft.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Critique Groups draw out the best in your manuscript.
- Learn online. You can find answers to almost everything online. From blogs on how to write better (The Write Conversation) to writing seminars to college courses and everything in between. And, bonus, you can do it any time, and in your PJs. How’s that for sweet in your tea?
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Learn Online.
- Magazines. For realz. What’s a writer without stacks of papers around her? [Note to self: Clear the sofa before next week’s dinner party.] Magazines can be everything from the craft of writing to a collection of stories in your genre to generic use as tear sheets to put in your story bible for reference. You can almost hear it, can’t you? Okay, I’m gonna say it. “There’s no wrong way to use a magazine.”
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Learn through magazines.
And there ya have it, all. So, I’m curious: How do you learn without breaking the bank?
TWEET THIS: When you can’t attend a #writers #conference, try these. @RealMojo68 #amwriting
With cozy sweats, a working pen, and a large coffee,
Happy Writing!
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!
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Aug 31, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Firsts in Fiction cohosts and their photobombing producer
Hey, peeps. We’re gearing up for another great podcast next Tuesday.
And since I’m starting a new career swing this week and a little scattered, today’s blog post is just to encourage you to give us a watch.
Every other Tuesday, 6:30 pm, live at AaronGansky.com/firsts-in-fiction-live.
Next week our topic is The Care and Feeding of Your Idea.
What questions do you have about maintaining a healthy work in progress? Leave a comment and we’ll do our best to answer. You can also leave non-topic Ask The Author questions, too.
Now ain’t that a refreshing gulp of sweet tea?
TWEET THIS: How do you maintain the health of your work in progress? @RealMojo68 @adgansky @altongansky #podcast #amwriting #WIP
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Aug 30, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Have we all lost our heads?!
I think I might catch some flack for this post. But you know, I’m writing a novel set in New Orleans. And I have friends in the South. I’ve steeped myself in the history and heritage of the area. I welcome it with all its bumps and bruises.
It’s so rich with culture and inheritance–bad and good.
And I just have to raise my glass of sweet tea and ask,
HAVE Y’ALL LOST YOUR HEADS OR SOMETHING?!
What is with the impetuous tearing down of monuments all over? Banning flags? Erasing history?
We are defining hate upon hate upon hate, and saying it’s okay because one belief is better than the other which we should have not believed in the first place. Folks, I just don’t understand.
We are raising a culture of “My way is the only way so get out of it” mentality. Did I say raising? Forget that. We’re there.
We are a people of Me. Courtesy is a thing of the past. Understanding and compassion are good so long as they’re reciprocated.
The world is going to heck in a black-of-night, flag-draped, history-erasing basket. And we’re holding the handles!
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Have we all lost our heads?!
How are we, as a people, as a country, allowing these things to happen under the guise of political correctness? And if we continue to do so, shouldn’t we demand equal banning across the board?
Where is the Common Sense Party?
How are neo-Nazis still allowed to march with their flag, when the Dukes of Hazzard is being pulled from television stations for driving the General Lee? Why are the Ten Commandments being forced out of schools but wiccan symbols are allowed?
It doesn’t make sense to me.
I don’t endorse or embrace much of what happened during the Civil War Era. I’m not a fan of the German Occupation or Hitler’s genocide. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t exist. It doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be used as a lesson. We can’t–nor should we–erase it from the history books, or from our minds.
Our culture seems so embroiled with the “act now, think later” mentality that we are endangering ourselves.
And protestors? Don’t even get me started on those paid-for, bussed-in, rabble-rousers. You have a legitimate complaint? Bring it on. But don’t add fuel to the fire by including for-profit bullying.
Todd Starnes tweeted yesterday, “Should Hamilton the Musical, beloved by liberals, be banished from Broadway because features slaveholding characters like George Washington?” and an overwhelming majority said yes. How disappointing.
A theatre in Memphis is going to stop showing Gone With the Wind because it depicts slavery.
Folks, this is us. This is our past.
Can we please not brush it outside and burn it in effigy?
I’m afraid the next generation will be born not out of love, but for financial gain.
“Hey, let’s have a kid so he or she can sue the pants of the government
or win a class-action settlement.”
I’ve a friend whose parents–Americans, mind you–were interred during the Second World War because they were also Japanese. I don’t see him jumping up and down and fighting for restitution from the states. Is he happy about it? Of course not. But he’s a source of learning, of understanding, of growth. He doesn’t want this information to disappear.
And neither do I.
Folks, can we just take a breath?
Let me say this to all y’all who have been trampled throughout history:
I’m sorry. I am. I truly, deeply, honestly am sorry for all your ancestors went through. I’m sorry some of those attitudes have continued through the generations. But you are not alone. You are not special. Every ethnicity, every gender, every culture, had, has, or will have these same struggles.
I know y’all are angry. But we can’t let this hatred consume our days. We can’t keep doing only what’s right for the individual without a perspective of the world at large.
So please. Stop for a minute. Share your story. Instead of trying to close our eyes and make it disappear, tell us what went wrong and how we can make things better.
I’m not asking y’all to raise monuments for the heck of it. But let’s consider that the monuments we do have are historic. They tell a story. Good and bad. So let’s not hide it.
Tell the rest of the story.
Let this be your monument.
And let history live.
TWEET THIS: Have We All Lost Our Heads?! @RealMojo68 #Southern #History #franklymydear
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
