Volume 9

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By Sara Halleman

As a literary buff, I must admit that I sometimes find poetry a bit of a struggle. Perhaps it’s the lack of poetic material in my education or my "Just say what you mean!" mentality. Either way I have to say that I was drawn to Plum Stuff by Rolli. The colorful cover work and delicious title drew me in like Alice chasing a white rabbit and the collection itself was nothing short of Wonderland.

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Genre Reflections By Jessica Quillin

In what ways does your choice of genre shape and support your identity and reputation as a writer? In what ways does this public identity then affect and reinforce what you write and how you write it?

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Manifest By L.L. McKinney
Last week we touched on being our own cheerleaders for writing, getting ourselves fired up in the face of the negativity that the world will throw at us, if it hasn’t already. Always remember that no one wants this more than we do, so we have to be the catalyst for any excitement that could spread to others. One thing I recently discovered adds a ton of fuel that fire. It’s a simple concept with a fancy name, but it only takes one step to complete: manifest....

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WNW talks with David Delaney about his upcoming book, Out of Australia, which comprises one hundred of his Australian poems.

By Meghan Morrow

It seems to me lately, that we have been growing a bit sloppy with our writing. I don’t mean that our grammar is slipping or that our characters are unbelievable; just that we don't appear to be paying as much attention to the details as we once did. One of the largest mistakes that seems to be showing itself more and more is the complete lack of research being done for our stories. We cannot claim to know everything there is to know out in the world, but we still write stories involving areas that we do not fully understand. Since the first person put pen to paper and wrote, "Once upon a time..." people have been writing books, short stories and any other forms of writing you can think of that stray from what is known to them. Whats more, is that readers believe the author has actually been to the places he writes about or experienced the world he describes. These authors have put the effort into creating a “real world” for their readers and some have even been able to convince us of a not-so-real world. But these authors have done their research. They know what and how the world must be described. They have traveled to the places they hope to describe, spent countless hours on Google, read book after book after book on the subject. These writers are dedicated to providing a realistic experience for their readers.

So why, now, have we been growing lazy when writing about places or people we have little to no knowledge of? Are we hoping no one will notice if a few colloquialisms are wrong or the setting is unrealistic? In truth, readers know when the writer is full of it, so we shouldn't hope to fool anyone with a lack of knowledge. The anachronisms may start out being few and far between, but the moment the reader spots the first one, they become mistrustful of the author and their eyes open to the possibility of other errors. The entire point of writing a story is to go somewhere, even if it is your own backyard, an create a new world. We are not going to achieve this goal by filling our stories with mistakes. The only way for us as writers to create is to thoroughly research the subject we are trying to write about.

Some topics will be easier than others. Writing a story about your neighbor will be infinitely less difficult than writing about a woman from the seventeen hundreds. Each of these settings can lead the readers to get lost in the writing, but one slip and the reader will notice. None of us can be absolutely sure how people spoke in the seventeen hundreds even with the proof of written documents from the time period, so how are we supposed to ensure there are no discrepancies? Honestly, there is no way--aside from time travel--but with enough research we can describe the world and the people in it with enough detail to create a believable atmosphere. Even writers who make up there own world do research. They cannot just write out that all of the world is made of pudding and be done with it; they would have to learn more about the properties of pudding.

I leave you with this piece of advice; Research. Read books, check the Internet, ask your friends. Whatever approach you choose, the research must be done. Writing a story isn’t just about writing down a string of words and ensuring there is a beginning, a middle and an end; it is the attempt to create a place of wonder and share it with the world.

Sonnet no. 5

Why

New morning sun brings forth her warming rays
while dying leaves drift gently to the ground.
Approaching winter soon will dampen days,
when ice will hang from barren trees abound.
Korea’s changing beauty I have seen,
penned every scene for all the world to read.
I miss so much your sparkling eyes of green,
while for your love, my heart again will bleed.
The freezing snow will cover all that lives
I hope I will survive this daily fight.
A priest once said that Jesus Christ forgives,
though what I do, he could not see as right.
My helmet sits upon my weary head ─
My rifle, now replaces pencil lead.

David J Delaney
27/12/2009 ©

For my Uncle, Lawrence George Delaney, 1st Battalion RAR, who served in Korea.

In the Shadow of Ghosts

To all and sundry I hereby attest
when writing stories, I will pen my best
to literary heights I will aspire
and write like poets, those that I admire.

To stroll with Lawson under silver moon
and sit with Dennis in the early noon
ride with Morant along the Condamine
inspired by Parkes, my rhyme I will refine.

Then walk with Kendall, hear the bell birds song
stand with Ogilvie, view the rushing throng
watch Evans write his women of the west
read Boake, great poet and one of our best.

There’s Esson’s tribute to the shearer’s wife.
the convicts who sang their rum song of life
then Song of Australia was Carleton’s view
I hear Paterson, and that Geebung crew.

Verse caught the time, the man rode Snowys side
viewed Sydney town when ships moved with the tide
rode Cobb and Co. along a dusty track
traveled the bush, where some never came back.

All master poets, experts in this craft
read so many, I smiled, I cried, I laughed
published in many a books well read pages
their words are still resounding through the ages.

I’ll keep on writing well into the night
knowing one day, I’ll pen the metre right
the flow of my rhythm will be like a song
the beat will sound its perfect soft and strong.

With help from writers, present or the past
my writings' true perfection, I will grasp
when all’s left are my poems and my rhyme
I would love them remembered for all time.

By L.L. McKinney

Before we jump into this week’s topic, I want to take a moment to shine the spotlight on one of my Tweeps (Gotta love Twitter jargon). Carrie Bailey, @PeevishPenman ((Link http://twitter.com/PeevishPenman to @PeevishPenman)) , will soon be launching a podcast geared towards aspiring writers. Sound familiar? The show will cover information meant to help the ‘underpublished’ along on their journey. Follow along on Twitter for updates on the countdown to the first launch! I’ll be sharing a bit about what’s going on with that over the next few weeks as well.

Now then, on to some serious business. Gimme a W! Gimme an I! Gimme a P! What does it spell? Well, it doesn’t spell anything, but it stands for Work In Progress, and it’s a very good reason to get excited. Last week we touched on being our own cheerleaders for writing, getting ourselves fired up in the face of the negativity that the world will throw at us, if it hasn’t already. Always remember that no one wants this more than we do, so we have to be the catalyst for any excitement that could spread to others. One thing I recently discovered adds a ton of fuel that fire. It’s a simple concept with a fancy name, but it only takes one step to complete: manifest.

Webster says (I get advice from him quite often) that manifest, as a verb, means to display or show by one’s acts or appearance. To demonstrate or be evidence of. To prove. I’m going to take that a step further and say to prove to yourself. Where we are in the writing process, revising and rewriting our WIPS, is a pretty delicate place. We’ve come so very far, but it is here that we can clearly see—maybe for the first times—that we still have a long way to go. That realization is a daunting one, and if we don’t want to lose focus, we have to prove to ourselves that we can do this by manifesting our dream as reality.

What a mouthful, but it’s a lot easier than it sounds. I did it just last week. How? One step: print out your manuscript. Before your rewrite it, before you start editing it, before you change a single word or sentence, print it off. The whole thing, every last page. Not just a few pages here and there to take to your group or give to your friends, I mean page 1 – page whatever you ended on. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

While you’ve got the printer running, take a moment to fully grasp what you’re doing. I can say, from my own experience, that you are in for a treat. The elation that all of us felt when we typed out those last words, maybe THE END, pales in comparison to what’s in store. At least it was that way for me. I knew my first draft was finished over two months ago, but it’s just now registering. There’s a difference between knowing and knowing, as they say (No idea who They are, but I assume it’s the same Them that says everything else). You know you got an A on a test, but when you get it back you show it off anyway. You know you got what you wanted for your birthday, but when you open it you still do a happy dance. You knew those things, but they hadn’t settled in until you had proof. It’s the same thing with printing out your manuscript.

Looking at words on the screen does not even begin compare to holding your story in your hands. When I pull up my folder for Swayed all I can see is 23 icons staring at me, one for each chapter and the epilogue. Even if I combined it all into one document, I can still only look at a few pages at a time. That is a very limited view on something that’s taken up the better part of a year of my life. It’s the same with all of us, which is why I say print it out. And if you can, sit there while it happens. Watch as letter-by-letter, line-by-line, and page-by-page your hard work comes to life. When it’s done, take it in with every sense you possess. Feel the dying warmth in the pages from having been churned out by a machine. Pick it up and measure the weight of it against your palms, test the thickness between your fingers. Flip through the pages and listen to them flutter. Take in the scent of the fresh ink and the metallic aroma that accompanies newly printed documents. Don’t lick the paper or anything, but taste the sense of accomplishment and pride that lumps at the back of your throat. Swallow it and let it rest in your stomach. That proof I spoke on earlier? This is it, your dream manifested in the physical, not the virtual or the mental.

Once you’re holding the proof, it doesn’t stop there. Okay, I lied, there are one and a half steps. I know I’ve said this before and I’m saying it again, celebrate! What you’ve done in finishing your first draft is a significant marker in your life and in your career. You did it. We did it. We set a goal and we accomplished it, and writing a book is by no means a simple or easy endeavor. After I printed off Swayed, all 393 pages of it, I… well I stood there and marveled for a moment. I think I even cried a little (So I’m something of a sap, big deal). Then I called my mothers, I updated my status on Facebook, I Tweeted, I e-mailed people, I poked at friends on my instant messengers, I shared the news with anyone and everyone who would sit still long enough to listen, and even a few who wouldn’t. I jumped up and down, a few folks jumped up and down with me—excitement is infectious, remember—then I went and got the biggest Chipotle burrito ever made.

"It is time for us all to stand and cheer for the doer, the achiever - the one who recognizes the challenge and does something about it." - 
Vince Lombardi

L.L. McKinney is a freelance writer, a published poet and a playwright. As an active member of First Tuesdays and YA Lit Chat, she is currently seeking representation for her young adult paranormal urban fantasy, Swayed.

By Jessica Quillin

In what ways does your choice of genre shape and support your identity and reputation as a writer? In what ways does this public identity then affect and reinforce what you write and how you write it?

All of the controversy in the past few weeks over Jonathan Franzen and the question as to whether or not book critics and indeed the core of the literary establishment favors white male writers over other writers has got me thinking more broadly about genres and the expectations that readers have for certain types of writing in comparison with other types of writing.

I just wonder if we’d see this level and depth of public and academic discussion about gender and criticism if Franzen was prolific in poetry or a combination of genres, rather than fiction. Any time discussion tends towards the subject of the elusive Great Novel (American or otherwise), the ears of literary critics everywhere perk up and take notice.

To be fair, writers and critics might fall into a similar debate about literary gender equity if Franzen were touted as the next Shakespeare. Yet, it is my opinion that poetry as a genre is already more democratic and diverse because it has been forced into a rather marginalized position.
Without getting into value statements about the decline of poetry and the rise of fiction in the popular imagination since the 19th century, it is sufficient to observe that fiction is generally king among literary genres insofar as the public is concerned.

Fiction is generally considered to be real, accessible. From a certain point of view, it is seen as even more revelatory and truth-telling about the human condition than other genres because it allows readers to lift themselves into a different world in order to observe the faults of their own world. Poetry and nonfiction do this as well, of course, but they are not as center stage in the public mind as fiction.

As a writer, the genre you choose indeed affects what your readers think of you, what you write, and what you plan to write in the future. Whether you write fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or informational web articles, genres have their own respective guidelines, stereotypes, and characteristics that define them. Some of these defining qualities were handed down via a shared literary inheritance; but, some of them exist in the minds of readers based on their own unique experiences in reading or encountering these genres.

Each piece that you write in a particular genre establishes expectations in the mind of your readers, however deliberate or unplanned, that influence their sense of your narrative voice, your motivations, your values, and your interests—in short, your writerly identity.

But, what happens if you work across genres? Or what if you only ever write in one genre? Are you dooming yourself to a permanent identity crisis (either unfixed or too fixed) insofar as establishing your persona as a writer and gaining readership? In this context, the often quoted statement by E.L. Doctorow that writing is “a socially-acceptable form of schizophrenia” arguably becomes a matter of branding, marketing, and public relations more than of the craft of writing itself.

What does it say about me as a writer that I am in the midst of authoring an educational policy paper at the same time that I’m doing freelance communications and marketing content work? Am I confusing and therefore turning away readers and hence business with this wide-ranging approach, particularly if you add in my newly re-launched blog, which is now a purposefully eclectic, though tailored mix of posts on fashion, the arts, literature, and culture?
Since I thrive on dynamism and a multi-faceted portfolio, I obviously am biased towards a diverse approach when it comes to genres. But, like all writers, this works for me because it is how I work best. Everyone excels in his or her own way and thus must approach the topic of genre from a unique perspective.
That’s the beauty of writing: it’s individual.

Jessica Quillin owns Quillin Consulting, LLC, a consultancy in Washington, DC, focused on content development, research, and strategy for the public and private sectors. She holds a Ph.D. in English literature from the University of Cambridge.

Meghan Morrow

WritersNewsWeekly recently interviewed David Delaney about his upcoming book, Out of Australia, which comprises one hundred of his Australian poems.

WNW How do you hope to distinguish yourself from other poets?
Delaney I’m not all that interested in distinguishing myself from other poets, I would rather be accepted by other poets, as a poet, and be known for what and how I write. I would also like to ignite the interests of school aged children and those not normally involved with poetry with my poems.

WNW Are there any poets/authors that you admire? If so, who?
Delaney There are so many and it is hard to choose just a few. Being Australian I adore the likes of ‘Banjo’ Paterson, Henry Lawson, Barcroft Henry Boake, C J Dennis, Dorothea MacKellar, and later poets like Les Murray, Glenny Palmer, Kym Eitel, etc. My poem ‘In the Shadow of Ghosts’ is my tribute to quite a few Australian ‘great’ poets.

WNW There are so many of us out in the world who are not quite sure what poets are trying to say, but your writing is so clear. Was this your intention?
Delaney No..it was not my intention, but, this is how I write. I think a lot of today’s poets and their poetry is to ‘sterile’ or ‘academic,’ using words, phrases or metaphors that average people do not understand. I believe this is one of the reasons poetry has lost some of its appeal. I try to keep my writing simple and clear so everyone can understand them.

WNW You’ve mentioned that you have had no formal education in writing; do you feel this has dampened your poetry in any way?
Delaney No..I don’t feel it has dampened my poetry and do not believe lack of education should stop anyone from ‘going for’ their dream. While my love is Australian bush poetry, I am actually enjoying my exploration into the many different forms and styles of poetry, including; free verse, Sonnets, Haiku, Tanka & traditional rhyme. But it is frustrating at times, because of my lack of education, trying to understand the rules of punctuation and grammar.

WNW What do you use for inspiration, if anything?
Delaney Inspiration can come in many forms and from anywhere, most of my poems are ‘jotted’ down at work, in-between answering phones and picking orders to dealing with customers and transport drivers. Also inspiration could be a smell, incident or song that ‘jogs’ my memory. My wife, children, grandchildren, talking to veterans & friends, other poems or story’s inspire. I also receive a lot of inspiration from reading my friends poems on Australian Bush Poets Association http://www.abpa.org.au/ and the wonderful support and coaching they can offer.

WNW Have you ever thought of stepping away from poetry and moving into novels?
Delaney I don’t think I could ‘tackle’ a novel yet. Once I start writing something I like to get it done, finished, out of the way, ready for the next piece, though in saying that, I have recently started writing a short memoire/story. One of my memoires was selected for publication by a panel of academics at James Cook University for their journal LiNQ.

WNW Poetry, and writing in general, can bring up a lot of emotion; do you ever feel unable to write due to painful memories?
Delaney I don’t seem to have trouble writing my ‘emotional’ poems, though there are a number I can not perform or have trouble performing.

WNW Your writing seems to involve much of your family; how do they feeling about your poems?
Delaney My family enjoy my writing, and the support I receive from them all is wonderful.

WNW What are some of your favorite poems?
Delaney There are so many, I always enjoy reading my poems, “In the Shadow of Ghosts’, ‘New Generation Veterans’, ‘A Drovers Lament’, ‘My Mate’ etc. I also love to read, ‘Where the Dead Men Lie’ by Barcroft Henry Boake, the beautiful ‘Bell Birds’ by Henry Kendall, the timeless ‘The Man from Snowy River’ and ’The Man from Ironbark’ by Andrew Barton 'Banjo' Paterson, and so many, many more.

WNW How would you describe the experience of writing your first poem?
Delaney Shock followed by pride. My 1st poem ‘The Outback Track’ was intended to be a short story but when I started writing, I wrote in what I thought to be rhyme. It was not until some time later, when learning more about writing poetry, that I re-worked the poem.

By Sara Halleman

As a literary buff, I must admit that I sometimes find poetry a bit of a struggle. Perhaps it’s the lack of poetic material in my education or my "Just say what you mean!" mentality. Either way I have to say that I was drawn to Plum Stuff by Rolli. The colorful cover work and delicious title drew me in like Alice chasing a white rabbit and the collection itself was nothing short of Wonderland.

There is a lot to admire with Rolli’s debut work. The 116 pages of poetic wonder are broken up into nine sections. Each section is categorized by the subject matter. These subjects range from the bewitching to the philosophical, the literate to the illiterate, the English to the Egyptian. All of these sections offer something different to admire and explore. My personal favorite was the section "Things Pathological." Here, Rolli’s work matches the sections title, in a good way.

Rolli brought something to this collection that I hadn’t seen before. Every once in a while there was a break from the traditional poetry and a short dialogue would be included. Some were as short as two lines while others went on several pages. Whatever the length, these dialogues added a unique and often humorous touch, to the collection.

Another interesting addition was the author’s original artwork. Rolli spices up his poetry with sketches that coincide with his words. The drawings give the reader a chance to connect more with Rolli and his imaginative mind.

Rolli’s creativity shines in this debut work. His content is witty and bizarre and will leave readers entertained. There is a lot to digest in Plum Stuff, but there is no doubt, after reading it, you'll walk away full and satisfied.

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Submit Your Questions to: dearlee@writersnewsweekly.com.

By Amanda Linsmeier

How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life (Little, Brown and Company, 2006) by Kaavya Viswanathan is a fun and funny look at a young woman who will do anything to make her dreams come true. Opal Mehta is not your average 17-year old. Besides speaking several languages, being student council vice-president and founder of the Science Bowl Team, she’s got a perfect GPA and her test scores are out of this world. And it’s all been with one goal in mind: Getting into Harvard. Opal and her parents will do anything to make sure she gets into the prestigious school. There’s just one problem: Harvard isn’t sure about her. She is at a loss for words when the Dean of Admissions asks the question, “What do you like to do for fun?” For fun? Everything in her life has been in preparation for Harvard, to make her a better candidate, more successful, so they could not reject her. And now? Opal doesn’t know what to do. She and her parents launch HOWGAL (How Opal Will Get A Life); a strategic plan to make her the most popular girl in school and surely turn her into a more well-rounded teenager, someone Harvard couldn’t possibly say no to. The Mehtas apply their determination to this new idea. They learn teenage slang, watch MTV round the clock, get Opal a new wardrobe and study Vogue. Opal starts her senior year of high school with a fresh perspective and an array of miniskirts and designer shoes. How can the popular kids resist her? More importantly, how can Harvard?

How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life is a great novel. I thought Opal’s parents were hilarious. A little bit unrealistic perhaps, when they left her alone to have a party, but still charming. It was fun to see the transformation of Opal from total geek to one of the most popular girls in school. I don’t remember girls’ being that catty when I was in high school, so this story is either an extreme case or life really is right out of the movie "Mean Girls". Either way, this novel was an interesting character study,and all in all, a lot of fun. I wish Opal would have gotten a little revenge on the snotty cliquey girls or at least told them what was what, but I still liked it. There’s romance, humor and some deep questions for Opal. What is really important in life? Is it possible to be smart and pretty? Who is she? What does she want? You’ll find yourself rooting for Opal the way I did. If you’re past that stage in your life, you’ll recollect high school with fond memories, a bit of disgust, sheer relief that it’s over or even sadness that it’s over. And quite possibly, a combination of them all.

William P. Young, self-published author of the novel The Shack was raised among a stone-age tribe by his missionary parents in what was New Guinea. He worked as a former office manager and hotel night clerk in OR. His book debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times trade paperback fiction best-seller list.

Q: What accounts for the popularity of your book?

A: It is a little outside the box like a parable. It’s the truth inside a story. It appeals to the heart as well as the brain. There is a lot of sadness out there and people have questions and want to have them discussed in the open. People speak out of pain, and this is a positive message that grace extends to anybody.

A lot of the success has come from word of mouth. And what has surprised me are the people who send e-mails describing its transformational impact. The people it helps are those who are hurt and broken. I’ve seen it help those in prisons and those in grief counseling.

Q: You have succeeded in creating a marketing success by self publishing. What was that like?

I am an accidental writer. I wrote this for my children as a gift. There is a huge group of readers not being written to. We tried twenty-six major publishing houses. The answers were either ‘too much Jesus’ or ‘we don’t’ have a niche for it; its too edgy.’ No one wanted us. There is an unspoken rule in publishing; if nobody else is doing it we can’t do it and if everybody else does it, we can’t.

So we printed fifteen copies at a local printer and gave some to people we loved and asked them to give it to people they don’t know. We learned a lot from the feedback. In sixteen months, there were four major revisions. I was very open to conversation about the book. The response was great, and we formed Windblown. Without intending to we shook up the publishing industry in a good way.

Q: You have said the shack is a metaphor for the house you build out of your own pain. Explain.

A: The shack is a metaphor representing the heart and soul of a human. We all build the inner house where we hide our secrets, shame and addictions; lot of us don’t let anybody in and fake the house on the outside. We live in two worlds; the world of shame in the shack and the other world of façade.

Q: How do you respond to the criticism of some Christian leaders?

A: This is a work of fiction. There are people who try to turn it into a theological conversation and they are missing the point. They see what they are looking for and it supports their own baggage. The interesting thing is that some of the angriest people who are against the book haven’t even read it.

Carlotta Holton is the author of Salem Pact and Touching The Dead, and is a member of the National Federation of Press Women and an affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association.

Carlotta Holton has just received her second award for Touching the Dead from the National Federation of Press Women Communications Contest. Click here to purchase the book.