Q&A With Author Sally Ooms

Title: Finding Home
Author: Sally Ooms
Publisher: Home Free Publishing
Genre: Nonfiction

Sally Ooms has been a print journalist for 30 years—a reporter, correspondent and editor for publications in Oregon, California, New Mexico, Colorado, Missouri and Kansas. She has covered spot news, government, education issues, the arts, mental and other health concerns, business, sports and local crises during times of war, and has written hundreds of feature articles and investigative reports. Among the publications she has worked for are: the Sacramento Bee, the Las Vegas Daily Optic, the Albuquerque Journal, the Santa Fe New Mexican, New Mexico Business Weekly, Springs Magazine (Colorado Springs), the Kansas City Star and The Sun newspaper (Johnson County, KS).
In this Q&A Sally candidly talks about her book and her personal engagement with the stories.

H: Talk about your book, “Finding Home.”
SO: I have been a print journalist most of my adult life. I spent four years interviewing people around the country about displacement from the place they called home and hearing how they recreated or regained them. I talked to them about what home means to them as well, and discovered a wealth of meanings in that word or concept.
H: Does the book follow a pattern, regional or otherwise? And why?
SO: The book is divided into about 10 types of displacement—from foster kids to veterans, immigrants to Native Americans, victims of natural disasters to homeless men and women. They all tell in their own voices how they climbed out of their adversities and “found home.” That often meant how they regained their center. Witnessing their determination and grit is what makes the book upbeat in general and downright inspirational at times.
H: How has your personal life experience shaped the way you wrote “Finding Home?”
Throughout my journalism career, displacement has arisen and been a huge issue for me. I gravitated toward, and received assignments, of that nature. For example, I have interviewed farmers who have been relocated from their land and written articles about mental hospital outpatients who were being taken advantage of by boarding house landlords.
At one point, I went to Oklahoma and interviewed Wilma Mankiller who was then chief of the Cherokee Nation. She, of course, talked about the Trail of Tears and this led me to do research into forced relocations of other Native Americans.
As a Midwestern child, I spent time cowering in the basement wondering if my home would be ripped away. And, I was raised by a father who had lost his parents at an early age and had been tossed from family member to extended family member several times in his upbringing. I sympathized with his early-years predicament and learned the importance of family as home.
H: What was the writing process? Did you do it story by story or gather bunches of stories and then put them together?
SO: I began the book after I watched Katrina’s sad aftermath and a tornado destroyed the entire Central Kansas town of Greensburg. I had first-hand knowledge of Greensburg because I traveled through it and sometimes stayed in it on my trip from New Mexico to see my mother in Kansas City.
So, I began investigation of my topic with people who were rebuilding their physical houses and communities. I discovered then that the word home contains a wealth of meanings, from the structure we inhabit to a place strictly in the heart. I decided that was what I wanted to talk to people about. Furthermore, I wanted to hear from people who are on in the fringes of society and have felt isolated or alienated from mainstream America. I saw so many groups of people that we dismiss, either because we do not understand their plights or, if we do, we are clueless as to how we might do anything to uplift them.
I found people who have been dislodged from their core, if you will, and regained their identify and the “place” where they can be their authentic selves.
I did all the things reporters are supposed to do in terms of researching my material. I read newspaper accounts, mined the Internet, read books on the issues related to various types of displacement. I told everyone I came into contact with what I was doing, always carrying my trusty pad with me. People would ask me what I was writing down. That is how I got a tip from a man in a Missouri motel breakfast room, a suggestion from a waiter in a Chicago hotel restaurant and a helpful comment from a fellow subway rider in San Francisco. I talked to people at the head of agencies that are helping people climb out of their difficulties. I heard from friends, relatives of friend and friends of friends.
I set up interviews and traveled to towns, cities and regions around the West, Southwest and Midwest and to Washington, D.C. More often than not, I would arrive at an appointment with a person I thought was crucial to be a part of the book and that person would say, “Sorry, I’m busy today,” or “I just don’t have the time.” They would then lead me to another person who actually turned out to be the perfect person to interview. So, there was a lot of serendipity in the process.
For example, the coordinator of the Youth Empowerment Project in New Orleans, turned me over to the man who really rolls up his sleeves and creates a home atmosphere for young people who have been incarcerated and have troubled homes. In addition, he had walked the walk himself, having experienced similar troubles in his own youth. He then interested one of the young people in talking with me about her experiences.
Another example would be when, after quite of few days of pursuing the head of a Navajo organization called Forgotten People, (he kindly took me around to chapter house meetings on the reservation to meet people but they only spoke Navajo), he introduced me to his mother and said she was the right person for me to interview. Her story is incredible—a tale that spanned her life as an adolescent sheepherder in remote New Mexico mountains, to her hard-won education and election to the Coconino County (Arizona) Board of Supervisors where she served for 30 years.
Putting together the book was quite a journey. I began to see that it was best not to try and rule the material with an iron fist. There began to be a natural flow as to the people who were “right” to tell their stories. I gained confidence that they understood what contribution they were making to others in relating them.
I also recognized that there is a healing power for people when they tell their stories. I would see them move from the memories of devastation or hardship to pride in overcoming the problems. Pride in what they had accomplished. Gratitude for those who had assisted them.
H: In the process of writing the book, what resonated most with you?
SO: People ask me what I learned in creating the book. I think one of the things I learned is something that I perhaps already suspected: there is increasing connection between and among people, and this connecting is a powerful thing. It particularly comes to the fore when there are hard times or collective predicaments to be tackled.
I have heard people read some accounts in the book and compare themselves to them. “I would never had been so brave,” or “I could never have overcome those circumstances.” But, I think they don’t understand the reserves that they—that we all— have to draw upon. If you have never been tested, as it were, you don’t know what enormous strengths you possess. Or recognize the value of partnering with others toward a common goal until a desperate need arises.
That is why I included the word “prevail” in the subtitle: How Americans Prevail. I saw, and hope others see, how Americans of all shapes, colors and persuasions are discovering what is meaningful to them and taking charge of their lives. They would all agree, I believe, that divisiveness is not the answer. They are living, breathing examples of how we cope, and then go beyond simply coping.
H: What kinds of reception are you getting from people who read the book?
SO: Readers have told me a variety of things in reaction to “Finding Home.”
One woman said she was going to be more patient with her adult son who had a learning disability. Another person said she wanted to start a scholarship organization to help former foster kids get their college degrees. An ex-combat veteran told me the book was important. A retired boat captain says he will tell everyone he knows to read it because these are stories people will want to hear. An investment manager bought 10 copies, saying simply that he loved it. The formerly battered woman who was interviewed in the book came to a reading in Taos and publicly thanked me for writing the  

SALLY OOMS

book and for including her in it. (That, of course, touched me deeply.) I have just completed a six and a half week book tour and will resume it this week. As I travel, I hear how timely the book is and how people have renewed hope in their countrymen and women as they read “Finding Home.” I feel very gratified to hear their comments.
I feel very privileged to have made the acquaintance of my interviewees as well. You can’t hear people’s struggles and follow their accounts through to their triumphs, both large and small, without developing a sense of intimacy with them.
This I think is one of the things I hope people take away, that they “meet” people they might never have come into contact with, that they find some commonality with them. They might say, “Gee, I never thought I would have anything in common with that person, but I might have done the same thing in their circumstances. I might have found that same solution or taken a creative approach like that.”
So, I always hope for a reaction that is more than “There but for the grace of God go I.” Not that there is anything wrong with feeling that. I just want readers to move one step forward toward considering what home means to them and realizing that hopelessness is not really stitched into our consciousness. I believe that hope is.
H: The image on the cover is interesting. Talk about what that means to you.
SO: Jerry Uelsmann is the creator of the photomontage on the cover. He is famous for this technique and taught it in the ‘70s and ‘80s at various schools and universities. His website is really worth checking out. Lots of interesting images. This one was on a postcard that I had sitting on my desk in front of me the whole time I was working on the book.
Once I decided that the issue of home was where I was going with the book, the image became even more linked in my mind with my topic. A huge root system arises from the ground supporting a house. The strength of the support system is symbolic for me of the wellspring within us that grows our sense of home.
I silently kept wishing that I could use the image for the cover. When I moved to San Francisco to get the book published, I found my terrific editor. I told him about my long-time desire to include it in the cover. He said, “Why don’t you e-mail the guy?”
Oh, hmm, now that seemed too simple a solution. However, I did e-mail him immediately, explaining the concept of the book. The next day I heard back that I could definitely use it. It’s funny how we get these, “Oh that could never happen” thoughts in our heads and cling to them.
The overall design is by Stewart Cauley, a New York cover designer who suffered the loss of his own home and business because of Hurricane Sandy. The cover was held up several months because of his circumstances. The publicist and I found it ironic and sad that he had been working on the cover for “Finding Home” when he lost his own. He has now recovered. Perhaps fodder for a second book?
Along that line, I would very much like to travel back east and hear what creative things people are doing to rebuild their lives after the hurricane hit such a populous area. Also, I neglected the east and most of the south in this book except for Louisiana and Mississippi, strictly because I had more familiarity with the areas I went to. I lived and worked in most of the regions in the book, but I’d like to take up other home-related issues with people back east. I’ve done loads of phone radio interviews with stations in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and more, so I’d like to follow up.
H: In the course of writing “Finding Home” did you learn something about yourself you didn’t know before?
SO: That I possess that same resilience that I admire in so many others. I just access it differently than I once did, partly because I have taken to heart the examples of the people I had the good fortune to listen to.
It is good that I am half stubborn German and half pig-headed Scot. These traits carry me through when I need them to. But only up to a certain point were these attributes useful in gathering the people for the book and during the process of putting it all together. I had to abandon the “this-is-how-I want-it-to-be” approach to the project and give it over to the universe, in a sense. I had to trust that things unfold as they are supposed to and make room to allow for that in my psyche and my heart. Oh yeh, in my mind too. Did I mention the doubt demons? I think for any author a book is a battle over preconceptions and what is expected.
I guess the short answer is: I learned more about who I am, and I feel more capable of living my calling.
H: When you asked people if they would share their stories through your book, what was the most consistent reaction?
SO: Most understood what I wanted. I would just ask a few questions about their lives and they would start talking. I didn’t have to prompt them much. As I say, I think most were glad to tell their stories.
They were sometimes reassured by the agencies I found them through. It was always a matter of trust but I told each one that they would be able to review their stories (a horrifying pursuit for a journalist, believe me. But necessary.)
Some Native Americans were concerned they would not be able to use their own stories after I published them, that I would have some right to them. I signed things saying that this would not be the case.
I solicited all the stories. The exception was one man who came up to me at a friend’s party in Colorado Springs and said to me, “You have to interview me. I’ve never felt at home anywhere.” Incidentally, he reverses himself in the telling of his story, but it was an interesting account because for him, like so many of us, what home means to us has evolved as we go along in life.

Author Interviews

Q&A: Alexander Valdez

 H. Please tell our audience a little about yourself.
A. I am a graduate of the University of Southern California Cinema-Television Master’s Degee program. I learned editing there and I also apprenticed under Academy Award Winner Gray Frederickson and Albert S. Ruddy as well as his business partner Andre Morgan.

H. What are ideation tools and how do you teach the concept?
A. Ideation tools are what help a seasoned writer to make well formed story tools. Examples of Story tools I give in my book are characters or scenes. Ideation tools help these to be more polished. I put forwards the following eight elements of story: The Hero, The Arena, The Spectacle, The Goals, The Opposition, The Gain, The Benefit and the Resolve. I go into more detail and I also put forward in the Screenwriter’s Notebook, Twelve Pictographs writer’s questions. These are also in my writer’s Guide which has a free electronic version at my website, www.cinema-libre.com

H. Why did you write these books?
A. I helped a group of students while I was in film school. I found so much of what we were trying to do was repetitive to processes I have learned in other places, but how was the first time writers supposed to know where to begin? I set these books out as a series of guides, one Your Story Begins: Advance your ideas to Words, functions as my guidepost to what I hope will be a growing movement in Cinema-Libre, the other is a step-by-step fill in the blank I would like to use for each of my projects, guiding each of them to a more cinematic and exciting film.

H. How is screen writing different from writing for other media?
A. In screenwriting, so much of the number of words on the page go into the structure of cinema. Dialogue is actually normally very sparse. The majority of your writing goes into describing the physical action the motion of the motion picture will show. Many times, in cinema, the more simple the action the better. Get your characters to the point they are doing something which film can represent.

H. How do you describe your books?
A. Screenwriter’s Notebook is great for young writers, new writers and writers looking for something new in their process, designed to be helpful all the way to screenplay. It expands a writer’s basic efforts in to a simple, straightforward point towards a path any writer can use to advance their ideas to words. Your Story Begins is more of a preparation book where writers can gather their goals and measures, no matter how large or small and put themselves to the mindset of the writer.

H. What do you want your readers to get from reading these books? A. The books function in a series. The main book, Your Story Begins: Advance your ideas to words, I am hoping to ignite in the readers something primal. I begin with anthropology and the essence of story. From there, I move to propaganda and social goal. I talk about goal setting and measure, and I do use examples of other writer’s successes even a first time writer can emulate. The Screenwriter’s Notebook is a fill in the blank guide to get seasoned writer’s writing and to get novice writers focused and moving the pen. They work hand-in-hand with my Writer’s Guide, which I offer a free version of with a valid email address at my website www.cinema-libre.com. I also have a paper version available at amazon.com.

H. What are the five most important things to keep in mind when you write a screenplay?
A. Where you are going with the story, what you are building towards in cinematic showmanship, what your heroes overcome, what led your characters to the point of action, and what makes your heroes unique.

H. In the description of "The Screenwriter's Notebook" it says the book is a fill-in-the-blank guide to writing a story, which is native to you. Talk about what “writing a story, which is native to you,” means.
A. I put a lot of effort into each writer getting back from the screenwriter’s notebook what they want. My structure is intentionally to the background so what they want out of the screenplay is what they get, something they as a writer felt to be a story worth telling. We as a writers are the champions for our own stories, we are the ones who move the words on the page to make the story move. I wanted to reach writers who are passionate and give them a way where they would know how to begin. Just last week I met a woman, a dental assistant, who admitted she would love to be a writer, she comes up with plots all the time, but she didn’t know where to begin. I suggested she give these books a try.

H. The notebook format is a guide. Who will most benefit from what it has to offer?
A. The notebooks were designed with a remedial audience in mind, but I tried to make them with an artist as the audience. When someone is really just starting out, this structure will help anyone to write their main characters and opponent characters as well as support characters while taking them step-by-step through 38 scenes with guidelines and goals for the overall project, as well as sending them in the right direction to go beyond the notebook. I honestly do feel, at $6.95 they are an excellent value and I genuinely believe they can help anyone.

H. In what ways is character development different when writing a screenplay?
A. Writing for film is a deft art form. A motion picture is really about showing a story. When you write characters for a screenplay, you don’t have the advantage of portraying the inner monologue of the characters, but you do have the added advantage of showing things in their life.

H. What did you learn about yourself in the course of writing these books you didn’t know before?
A. When I was a painter’s apprentice, my interest in making films was fairly unique to the work site. Now, in the film industry, the knowledge I gained as an apprentice is the unique thing. Going over these old stories and jokes, I really took interest with some sentimentality to the old days exterior painting. One of the things I learned as an apprentice is the doingness of getting things done. I am glad to have several of these lessons fresh in my memory.

H. What are you working on now?
A. I am trying to get every thing together to offer a film festival. I’ll probably have a link up at indiegogo soon. I am also trying to get more interest at my weblogs, which I would encourage your listeners to participate in at www.cinema-libre.com. The blogs are free and open. We have made a no- derision decision, so we have a very friendly and supportive atmosphere.

H. Where can people get your books?
A. My paperback books are available at amazon.com and at my website www.cinema-libre.com, which is the only place they can get the free electronic version of my Writer’s Guide. Your Story Begins is available at the iTunes store and also for kindle and the paperback is available at amazon.com; www.cinema-libre.com is the only place they can get the hardcover other than lulu.com, my printer. If they go to amazon, just do a search with my name, Alexander Valdez, and all three are there on the first page of results. I also want to let everyone know I would love any and all participation at my weblogs and in my film movement. The weblogs are free and I am also offering a free download of the electronic version of my Writer’s Guide All you need is a valid email address.
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If you are an author interested in a Q&A interview on Writers' Block, e-mail your query to sharon@vandermeerbooks.com. You will be contacted for more information. The interview will appear in Happenstance, a digital magazine, and on this blog.

Sharon Vander Meer is the author of four books. She publishes Happenstance, a bi-monthly digital magazine featuring the work of talented writers in a variety of genres. Fiction, nonfiction, memoir, essays, articles and opinion pieces will be considered. Compensation is not available at this time. The magazine is available by paid subscription. Contributing writers will be given a complimentary subscription. For more information about submitting work, contact sharon@vandermeerbooks.com

Writers and Writing: Veronica Tiller

Books Photographs Track a Proud History

Veronica E. Velarde Tiller, PhD, and Mary M. Velarde, both members of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, chronicle the 1887–2000 history of the Jicarilla Apache through this pictorial history using more than 180 photographs from government archives, libraries, and tribal and family collections. Listen to the podcast of an interview with Veronica at http://wbvandermeer.podbean.com/2012/08/31/writers-and-writing-veronica-tiller/.

Writing and Writers: Jane Friedman

 Writer’s Block airs every Tuesday, at 9 a.m. MST on KFUN/KLVF, streaming live at www.kfunonline.com

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On the subject of e-media and 

new opportunities

Jane Friedman

Jane Friedman recently left her position as an assistant professor of e-media at the University of Cincinnati. She is the former publisher of Writer’sDigest, the go-to magazine for writers, and has spoken on writing, publishing, and the future of media at more than 200 events since 2001. Her new role is that of online editor for the Virginia Quarterly Review.

In our interview Jane said she comes from a creative writing and liberal arts background. Before entering academia for a couple of years, she worked in traditional publishing, first at a mid-size publishing house, and later at Writer’s Digest.  

While her new position at VQR is publishing related, there are distinct differences. VQR is a non-profit entity rather than commercial, and has a more literary approach to content.

Jane talked about her past experience and her new opportunities. I asked her to share her thoughts on what e-media means both from a promotions point of view and from a consumer’s perspective.

She said e-media is a funny term. In the university environment – and perhaps in the thinking of most people – it means anything related to communication: radio, television, internet and other electronic transmissions. New media more specifically focuses on the internet and on-line tools like e-books, blogs, websites and the various other, and seemingly growing, number of social media sites.

She said prior to issuing an e-book, authors should be comfortable with the scope of the online community, pointing out that if you’re not active online it will be more difficult to create a presence. Jane had a few recommendations for authors who are internet novices.

First Things First

• Create your own website where you have all the information about your books, events, or anything that’s going on related to your work. 
•  If you have no publishing partner research what’s out there and select what will work for you. Your decision will be based on what you know about your readers and how they will respond to what you have to offer.
• There are a number of resources available, two of which Jane recommended. Bookbaby and Smashwords are well-run companies used by thousands of authors. Neither is better than the other, but each provides options suited to author needs.

The use of e-media tools is based on the assumption the people you want to reach are active online. Jane said social media typically works as a triangle. 

• Readers and the types of sites and tools they use.
• You the writer, and the sites and tools you’re comfortable with.
• Your work.

The sweet spot it where they all come together. Some tools may be better suited to specific types of writing. Prose, poetry, fiction and non-fiction present different and distinct challenges in creating an on-line presence.  

Market research is essential in determining what will work, beginning with finding out where readers are and what they're doing (looking at) on line. There is no one specific tactic or strategy. Jane said what you use depends on the work itself and what you enjoy doing. If you don’t enjoy it (blogging, tweeting, facebooking -- my word not Jane's) you won’t continue to do it, and that’s what counts; consistency over the long haul. “Efforts snowball based on small actions you do every day. Those actions give you visibility, which eventually translates into a growing audience and your platform.”

Blogability

What are the elements of a good blog? Jane gave three easy-to-follow tips. 

• Make it easy to read. Don’t use blog templates that have small type or use white type against a black background.
• Create headlines that work. Make sure headlines, taken out of the context of your blog home, attract readers. Make your headlines search-friendly and related to your topic.
• Make your blog outward focused. Think about your readers and what will interest them. Use the principles of good writing: get to the point quickly, break up the post with headlines, subheads and bulleted lists and keep the writing tight, generally no more than 500 words, unless you already have a loyal following.

The Future of Publishing

We talked briefly about The Future of Publishing: Enigma Variations, Jane’s free e-book about, well, the future of publishing. The book is a slight departure from what she was encouraged to do. She had no interest in writing about the future of publishing because nobody knows what the future holds, especially when it comes to the publishing world. When she decided to proceed with the project she elected to say something about the topic in a humorous way. This parody contains a dozen or so chapters riffing on predictions made by others. I have to say, it’s fun to read. In the final chapter Jane gives her honest opinion.  

On to new beginnings

Jane’s new adventure in publishing is taking her back to her roots. She said around Virginia Quarterly Review they sometime refer to the journal as eating your vegetables. I took that to mean it’s good and good for you. VQR is comprised of high-quality journalism, essays of nurture, and photo journalism not found in other journals

Predominately a print publication VQR has been around since 1925. While there have been some digital versions, and there is a website, the online presence needs attention. Jane’s role is to revive the journal's social media impact and look for ways to build an online community. Through her efforts she will be promoting the brand, building content that lives online and translating the print edition into an online experience. Plans are to generate unique content for the website not related to the print version.

VQR does take submissions, but Jane said now might not be a good time to submit work as management is preparing to hire a new editor. She recommends checking online for updates. 

Generally VQR is theme-based by issue and full of photo and international journalism. Additional content includes short fiction, poetry and a range of essays. Content may be best described as eclectic. Check out archived articles online, or order a print edition to see what VQR looks like in living color.

Jane’s final advice to writers is to be patient. The publishing process in any form takes time. Don’t expect results within weeks, she said, and remember, "...small actions, every day, over a long period of time will pay off."

My thanks to Jane, who in the initial stages of her new job, took time to call in and talk about writing and the online tools you can add to your tool box.

(Photo of Jane from her website)

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Writers and Writing: Alice Winston Carney

Writer’s Block airs every Tuesday, at 9 a.m. MST on KFUN/KLVF, streaming live at www.kfunonline.com

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On the Air with Alice Carney

Alice Carney and the Writing Life

Author and workshop facilitator Alice Carney seems more comfortable talking about everything under the sun, but herself. In our interview on Tuesday she revealed an enthusiasm for the subject of writing and kind of glazed over her own accomplishments. Below are her written responses to the questions I asked on Writer’s Block. She is an experienced writer and a wonderful communicator. Perhaps that comes from her 20-plus years as a Dale Carnegie instructor.

 

WB: Let’s begin by you telling us a little about yourself.

AWC: I grew up in Las Vegas and graduated from Robertson High School and Highlands University. I live in Sacramento, Calif., and, now that my husband Jim and I are retired, we spend part of the year at our place in Sapello. I have been a Dale Carnegie instructor for over 20 years and taught in the Communications Department at Sacramento State University. My favorite course to teach was Rhetorical Criticism because I worked deeply with the students on their writing, getting them to question the words they choose to use and the ideas they professed.

WB: Tell us about A Cowgirl in Search of a Horse.

AWC: A Cowgirl in Search of a Horse is a collection of stories about growing up in Las Vegas in the period between the end of WWII and the Vietnam War. One of my English professors at Highlands, Dr. Mallory, said one day in class, “If you don’t write down what happens to you, it will go away.” The stories in Cowgirl are a way to keep an earlier Las Vegas, as seen through my eyes, from going away.

WB: Have you always wanted to be a writer?

AWC: I have always enjoyed the idea of writing. I was lucky to have good English literature and journalism teachers from junior high through high school and college. Our seventh grade English teacher Tom Clark had us write weekly book reports that were limited to 50 words. I think that exercise taught me how to edit and get rid of all those extra words that clog up writing. Mrs. Lancaster at Robertson was a great journalism instructor, she encouraged us, but also critiqued in a way to make us better writers. I wrote for and edited my college newspapers and wrote for newspapers in New York and California. I have always kept a journal. I belong to a writers group in Sacramento.

I like to write, to work on the process of getting ideas across, playing around with words and telling stories. Does that make me a Writer? I still don’t know.

WB: What prompted you to start the Green River Writers Workshop?

AWC: I had been working on some of the stories that ended up in Cowgirl for a number of years but was not sure where to go with them. I took an on-line memoir writing course through Gothem Writers’ Workshops and that helped my skill level. I learned to be less general and to be more specific (for instance, to write about Las Vegas so that it does not come across as any small town but as a unique place with unique people living in it).

Then six years ago I attended a week-long memoir writing workshop in Taos with Natalie Goldberg, the author of Writing Down the Bones, a book I would recommend to anyone who is thinking about writing. That workshop was helpful on a general creative level, dealing with how to dig into your own experience and recreate it for the reader. There were 40 people at the workshop, most of them from out of New Mexico and no one except me from the other side of the mountains from Taos. I thought that Las Vegas would be a good place for a memoir writing workshop because there are so many stories to be told here. I literally had one of those flashes of insight: I could put on a writing workshop. My strength is in coaching and teaching and helping individuals and groups develop their ideas and skills, so I could do that part. I loved writing and had some experience, but not the deep publishing record that would be needed to give credibility to the workshop. I knew where to go for that.

I called my friends Gerry and Lorry Hausman who graduated from Highlands with me and now live in Florida. They are authors of over 75 books and have received national awards for several of those books. They are editors and publishers and gifted teachers. I asked them if they would like to come to Las Vegas the next summer and put on a memoir writing workshop with me. They did, and five years ago we held the first annual Green River Writers Workshop.

Since that first workshop we have also held workshops in Sacramento, Calif. and at the Fredericksburg Art School in Fredericksburg, Texas. We have people come from Las Vegas, Santa Fe, Silver City, New York, Colorado, Texas, Atlanta, Georgia, and this year we go international with Kenji Okuhira, a photo-journalist from Tokyo attending.

WB: Why did you select Las Vegas as the site?

AWC: Because we come here every summer, my family and friends are here, and because Las Vegas and northern New Mexico have such a rich cultural and creative history. I knew Las Vegas had an active writing and creative community from which to draw and I thought that the area would be an interesting destination point for writers from out of the area. You have a great bookstore in Tome on the Range and the Plaza Hotel has been supportive location for us.

WB: You keep it relatively small. Why is that?

AWC: We like the intimacy of a group that is 15 or less. We get to learn from each other through talking about writing and hearing each others work. Gerry and Lorry and I like the dynamic of a group this size.

WB: What do you want attendees to get out of the experience?

AWC: Our basic goal is for them to understand how to turn memory into story. In addition, our goal for beginning writers is confidence in their own voice, an awareness that their stories are interesting and should be written; the basic skills of good writing (for example, how to appeal to the reader, how to use active rather than passive verbs, what point of view works best). For experienced writers, to see them challenge themselves, take themselves to new levels. As with any creative work, with writing, there is always more to learn; when we stop leaning, we stop growing.

 The last day we focus on the rapidly changing and complex world of publishing. In addition to Gerry and Lorry’s and my experience, we will be bringing in Mina Yamashita, a writer,  book designer, and publisher to talk about  writing, designing and illustrating books in the digital age. 

Since our first workshop, several of the attendees have published books or are in the process of publishing. Joseph Baca (KFUN/KLVF owner) is one example.

Publication is not necessarily a goal for all members of the workshops, but for those who are looking in that direction, we offer expertise and guidance. We do believe that it is good to get your work out of your desk drawer (or off your computer) and into the light.

WB: There is an anthology of work by previous attendees. Let’s talk about that.

AWC: Green River Anthology, is a collection of the work of many of the workshop attendees over the past four years. We have had such good writing come out of the workshops, and we wanted that writing to be shared with a larger public. You will see a wide variety of writing styles and world views, poems as well as prose. We are proud of the level of writing in this anthology.

Several Las Vegans are included in the anthology: Petey Salman (my cousin), Maggie Romigh, Carol Ganyor, and Joseph Baca.

On Friday, July 20, from 5 to 6 we will be holding a reading and book signing of the anthology. It will be an enjoyable evening and a good way to learn more about your local writing community and support your local writers.

WB: What do you get from being a presenter?

AWC: Years ago, when I first started teaching, coaching, and running workshops, I thought about how lucky I was, because each time I work with a group of people and get to see them grow and develop their talents, I feel like I have fallen in love again. How many people get to fall in love several times a year?

WB: What is the one thing writers can do to improve their writing?

AWC: Write. As John McPhee said, "A writer writes." Read. You can’t be a good writer if you don’t read good writers. Develop the reading habit. Hang around with writers. Join a writing group. Take a workshop. Write.

WB: Anything last thoughts?

AWC: Whatever your creative urge is, writing, painting, drawing, music, photography, just walking in the woods, honor it. Remember your stories and find a way to share them before they go away. By sharing your story, you could make a difference in another person’s life.

The book signing for the Green River Anthology will be Friday, July 20, 5 p.m. at Tome on the Range.

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Writer's and Writing: Sally Jadlow

Writer’s Block airs every Tuesday, at 9 a.m. MST on KFUN/KLVF, streaming live at www.kfunonline.com 

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Prompt winner writes uplifting books

SALLY JADLOW

Sally Jadlow came into her own as a writer 25 years after her first attempt to get published. In our Tuesday, June 5 interview she said she learned through experience that you don’t send more than 300 pages of poetry unsolicited to a publisher. “I got the box back with a kind note suggesting that in the future I select three or four poems to send in.”

She laughs about it now, but the experience was sufficiently daunting that she filed the box of poems under the bed and got on with the rest of her life, which included a husband and over time four children and a growing extended family.

“I didn’t discover writing groups and other writing resources that could help newbies like me until years later.”

Sally is the winner of the April 10 Writer’s Block writing prompt contest. The following is her winning entry. Her reward for winning included this interview on Writer’s Block, a copy of my e-book, Tiger Lilly and being featured on the WB blog.

A Fishy Tale

By Sally Jadlow

I opened the door

and was surprised to find

a cookie tin,

with note attached which read,

“Just for you. Enjoy.”

“Mom, look what I got!”

We carefully opened the lid

to discover

a pile of dirt

with fat worms inside.

“Ewwwwuuuu!”

Mom laughed

as I shoved on the lid.

Then I felt the note

on the bottom of the tin.

It read,

“Meet me at the fishing hole.

Bring the worms.

Love, Don.”

When I got there,

he baited my hook

with a worm from the box,

then dumped the dirt.

On top, sat a ring.

Don said, “Will you marry me?”

We’ve been fishing for fifty years.

I thought the poem was a hoot. It just goes to show you that good writers can tackle anything!

I enjoyed our Tuesday interview. Sally is a highly motivated woman whose areas of expertise include spiritual counseling, conducting Bible studies and teaching writing. She is dedicated to reaching out and helping others. Her work as a chaplain for corporations in the greater Kansas City area takes her into workplaces across the city where she visits with employees, “… at their desks, in grease pits and in warehouses.”

 

She said writing is one means by which she copes with the often difficult conversations she has with people. “It’s hard to hear these stories. Writing is a bit of an escape.“

It has been said of her work that she writes “… stories that encourage us to view prayer as one might view breathing. Her affirming and delightful vignettes cause the reader to conclude that prayer should be our natural and immediate response to all of life circumstances no matter how seemingly mundane or dramatic.” 

The intent of her books, “God’s Little Miracle Books I and II,” is to bring comfort. She wanted to provide brief stories about how people overcome hardship through prayer and faith. She is gratified to know that her work makes a difference. “I don’t have to know them (her readers). They can be reading my book at 3 a.m. a world away and be helped.” Some of the stories are from personal experiences, while others are about people she has encountered through her work.

She said the most difficult part of writing is choosing stories that will bless people in those tight spots that happen in the lives of all. When she hears from readers about how the books have helped she is grateful and humbled.   

Sally has also written what she calls a book of “faction” blending diary entries from her great grandfather with family lore. The Late Sooner, recounts the Oklahoma land rush and the life and times of pioneer families.

Sally’s books are available at on her website. For information about the author go to www.sallyjadlow.com.

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Reading to Become a Better Writer

Image: clipart.com

Reading: Your Brain’s Barbell

Epiphany. I’ve had one. I’ll probably have another one tomorrow. Startling things come to me and I’m so excited I can hardly stand myself. This particular epiphany hit me in the midst of signing up to follow one more blog. It occurred to me that I’m not writing; I’m reading. While there is nothing wrong with reading, it does begin to get in the way of writing. Or does it? 

Writer’s Block, the weekly radio program I do each Tuesday, requires an incredible amount of reading. In the interest of not asking dumb questions, I try to read the work of every writer I interview. That means in addition to my leisure reading, I’m reading two other books a week, plus the blogs I keep up with (Jane Friedman, Robert Lee Brewer, Carol Tice, writetodone.com, Shelf Awareness to name a few). In April I also took an online workshop with Kelly James-Enger, an online class with Dan Blank, the My Name is Not Bob platform challenge, and the Poem a Day challenge. Not to mention checking in at the Writer’s Digest website where there is a wealth of information for writers. There’s more, but my point has been made. Where in all of that is there time to write? Oh, and by the way, can anyone say social networking?

Writing Challenges Build Writing Skills

The platform and poetry challenges helped to put some of this in perspective. I am making time to participate in both challenges and have not missed a lick, although I am still working on the interview-an-expert thing. The poet has climbed its way out of the abyss of my fear of rejection and blossomed. I’ve made an incredible number of contacts and awakened to the value of twitter, Facebook and Google+ (although I have yet to figure out what the URL is for that one).

 Writing has been set aside in this quest to be more, learn more, try more, experiment, expand, connect. Or has it? All those people I mentioned did a lot for me over the last month. They helped me find reasons to write, focus, prioritize and grow. So thank you Jane, Robert, Dan, Kelly and everyone else who took the time to write, so I could read, so when I write, I’m better at it.

Who helped and how:

Platform Challenge: Prior to participating in this challenge I was unclear what building a platform meant. I was clueless when it came to social networking, didn’t know I could ask someone to guest blog on my site, or ask to guest blog on some other writer's blog, felt reluctant to create or join networks of writers, and never considered that by doing so I would become more connected.

Poem a Day Challenge: I’ve always enjoyed writing poetry, but it was my silly little secret. Well, not really. I’ve published my poetry in a book of daily devotionals I wrote and on my Joy in the Morning blog, but until the challenge, I didn’t have much confidence in my work. Now I see its value and appreciate its worth as a way to kick start creative thinking.

Blogging 101, Dan Blank: After more than two years of blogging I finally get it that there is more to it than banging away at a keyboard and praying someone happens upon my site. His helpful comments in response to the assignments forced me to grasp the fact that I have NO GRASP at all of things like SEO and keywords. I have a ways to go, but I’ll get there… someday.

Kelly James-Enger: My background is in print media and producing words by the buckets is no problem for me. As a reporter and editor my work was paid for with no problem. When I turned to freelance work I put the emphasis on FREE. While I have been paid for my writing over the years it has been spotty at best. Kelly reminded me in her workshop that there is a huge demand for good writing. It’s up to the writer to find a way to reach that market and provide what the market is looking for. The business side of writing is as important as creating that outstanding article, book, or blog.

Jane Friedman: Where do I begin? Both Jane and Robert Lee Brewer have a wealth of great content on their blogs and their guest bloggers have tons of must-read tips. Jane also posts discussions about the publishing industry in all its current dysfunctional glory, as well as outstanding advice about the craft of writing. Please check out the slide deck of Jane’s presentation at the Missouri Writers Conference about evaluating the first page of your novel.

If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that,” Stephen King wrote. What was my epiphany? All that reading I do? It’s getting me ready for the next thing I’m going to write. It’s my brain’s barbell building my writing muscle.

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