Working Behind the Scenes

We’ve been very busy over here at SCWW and hope that you have noticed our work. In the last two months, we have:

 

Updated the website

Opened conference 2012 registration

Assembled the conference faculty

Found a keynote speaker

Decided on classes and seminars for the weekend

Selected volunteers to assist with the conference

 

The majority of the above has been accomplished through the tireless efforts of our organization president and conference chair, Ginny Padgett.

 What have you been up to? I hope you have been thinking about joining us in October. Or that you have been telling your friends about what a great time we have in Myrtle Beach each year. Or maybe you were getting your entry for the annual Carrie McCray award ready for submission? And let’s not forget about The Petigru Review, Tibby is excited about the project this year and we’re all looking forward to another great edition.

Whether or not you’ve been thinking about coming to the conference this year, let me tell you a bit about what we have planned: sessions on social media; sessions by some of SCWW’s own on their adventures in getting published; an interactive discussion with Patti Callahan Henry, our 2012 Keynote speaker; sessions specifically geared to non-fiction, memoir, children’s literature and a Friday intensive especially for poets or anyone seeking a new way to be inspired. There are also slushfests, which are a big hit every year; book signings by the authors on faculty; and the critiques, pitches and real-time queries we have each year. We hope you’ll be as thrilled as we are with the things on offer this year.

If you’re available the weekend of October 19 – 21, we’d love to see you there. In the meantime, send us an email or leave us a comment, let us know what you think of everything we’ve been up to. You could even let us know what you’re up to.

Building a Solid Weekend – How to Get the Most out of Your Conference Experience Part 4

This is the last entry in my series on Building a Solid Weekend. These blogs have not been meant as a strict curriculum for your conference experience. Rather, I hope I’ve provided you with some guidance on how to structure your time at the conference.

The sessions below are a combination of how to get your manuscript noticed and writing options you may not have considered.

For those of you who are looking for more choices in their writing life, this is for you. We have sessions on how what you already know might turn into a paying writing assignment.

If you’re ready to send your manuscript in to an editor or agent, we have some of the best in the industry to help guide your efforts at query letters as well as sessions on what editors and agents are looking for from new authors.

Above all, we're looking forward to seeing you in Myrtle Beach in October!

Branching Out – Something for every writer

Friday 9:00 –

(1) Know Your Audience: Writing Articles for Magazines, Newspapers and

Websites – Chuck Sambuchino

(2) The Business of Publishing – Jessica Regel

Friday 1:30 –

(1) Being An Expert Pays: Turning Your Expertise Into a Writing

Career – Matthew Frederick

(2) Avoid the Slush: Everything You Need to Know About Agents Before You

Write That Query Letter – Chuck Sambuchino

(3) Nuts and Bolts: Deadlines, Word Counts and Other Things That Drive Us Nuts and Make Us Want to Bolt – David B. Coe

Saturday 9:00 –

(1) Making it to Print (of Sorts): What Does It Take to Get a Review (And Other Media Attention)? – Bill Starr

(2) SLUSH FEST: Literary and Upmarket Fiction – Jon Sternfeld and Stephanie Sun

Saturday 10:30 –

(1) SLUSH FEST: Young Adult & Children’s Titles – Alyssa Henkin and Molly O’Neill

(2) From Employee to Expert: How to Turn Your Job Into a Book – Matthew Frederick

Saturday 1:30 –

(1) Running Away from Home for Profit: Learning the Tricks of Travel Writing – Bill Starr

(2) SLUSH FEST: Science Fiction and Fantasy – Eddie Schneider and James Frenkel

Saturday 3:00 –

(1) Imaginary Worlds: The Differences Agents Consider Between Young Adult and Adult Fiction – Sarah LaPolla

(2) What Editors Want: Professional Writing Practices – Chuck Sambuchino

(3) It’s All in Your Head: How to Get Across High Concepts in a Query – Jon Sterfeld

(4) SLUSH FEST: Mystery and Thriller – Sorche Fairbank and Toni Plummer

(5) I’m Published – Now What? – Bill Starr

Sunday 9:30 –

(1) Out of this World: An Inside Look & Tips of What It Takes to Get a Science Fiction or Fantasy Agent – Eddie Schneider

(2) SLUSH FEST: Romance and Women’s Fiction – Melissa Jeglinski and Jessica Regel

(3) SLUSH FEST: Memoir and Narrative Non-Fiction – Stephen Barr and Bernadette Baker-Baughman

(4) Panel: Agent Vs. Writer (Who’s An Editor) – Sorche Fairbank and Chuck Sambuchino

What a Concept!

By Kim Boykin

I envy young writers. Their craft isn’t necessarily their lives, although for some it is, but their lives are less cluttered than a seasoned writer like myself. "Seasoned" meaning old enough to have too much “stuff” that keeps me from parking my butt in the chair. Or having too much on my plate and my mind so that when I do sit down, nothing comes out.

Last year, I took a week off from four dogs, one husband, a son who was home for the summer, and elderly parents to go to Wildacres, an artist’s retreat in the mountains run by the incomparable Judi Hill. During her address to the 100-plus campers, Judi said, “Whether you come to Wildacres or not, every writer should dedicate at least one week to their craft. It’s your time to write, to think, to read, to eat, and of course drink. And then you write some more.”

I’d called myself a writer for years, carving out time in between raising kids and a gazillion other responsibilities, waking up in the middle of the night to write something down because I knew I wouldn’t have time the next day. So as a caretaker, this concept of giving myself a week off was foreign and monumental. What would happen if all I did was tend to my craft, eat good food, and listen to bluegrass music?

Well, my husband and son didn’t kill each other, my parents missed me but did just fine, and the world as I knew it didn’t end. After a week in an almost holy place, with a bunch of creatives I was reborn, refueled, revived, whatever you want to call it, and my writing was all the better for it.

Sometimes, life is so crazy it’s hard to remember what happened between the time you woke up and the time your head hit the pillow. And in this economy, not everybody has the resources to give themselves a week or even a day to dedicate to their craft. So start with an hour. Carve 60 precious minutes out of the 168 hours you have this week and give it wholly to your process.

If you’re willing to give yourself more, come to the free workshop the Rock Hill SCWW is offering Saturday, June 11 9a.m.-5p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church. The workshop is entitled "From The Mind and The Heart To the Page." A session called, "Write Your Story," is lead by award-winning author and poet, Judy Goldman and author/Charlotte Observer reporter, Rich Rothacher. Contact Kim Blum-Hyclak at rhyclak@comporium.net to register, but do it fast because it will fill up.

Whatever you choose to do for your craft, unplug anything that is a distraction, and tell the ones who can’t be unplugged you’re giving yourself completely to your writing. Even if it’s just for an hour. What a concept!

What's In It For Me?

Every so often, people ask me what membership in South Carolina Writers' Workshop will do for them. Having recently answered that question, I decided to devote this post to those benefits. Some of this information came from the Join Us link on our web site, http://www.myscww.org/. I've expanded on that information, so please don't check out on me here.

Benefits of membership include:

Local (or remote) SCWW Chapter meetings

I always find that I write better after meeting with my local chapter. Membership allows you to attend ANY chapter meeting within SCWW, so you can get that shot of energy even while on vacation or out of town on business. I did that last year while vacationing in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Practical advice from other writers

Sources for advice abound. You can locate them in the SCWW blog, from SCWW members, and through free workshops presented by our chapters. A member-only yahoo group is in the works, and it will connect all of our members.

If you read ANY serious writing magazine, you will read that membership in a writing group is extremely important to your success. I've learned so much about my writing style just by tapping into SCWW's available avenues of advice.

Interesting conversation (not necessarily restricted to writing).

Shoulders to cry on in celebration of your first (or hundredth) rejection letter.

Friends to invite to the champagne party celebrating your first (or fifth) bestseller.

Your chapter friends can help you decide where to submit your work and how to word your query, synopsis, etc.

Fun (and inexpensive) entertainment for a few hours a month.

Some of my closest friends are members of SCWW and not just in the Greenville area. We have over 500 members throughout the US and a few international members.

Discount rate for SCWW conference attendance

Members have the opportunity to sign up for the conference at a reduced rate, plus you can renew your membership at a discount if you do so while registering for the conference. My membership doesn't expire until late August, but I take advantage of the reduced rate rather than wait.

Our conference rates are incredible when you compare them to other conferences. Many conferences offer 1/3 the number of faculty or workshop offerings that we do, and often cost upwards of $600. We strive to keep our rates low so our members can enjoy this benefit.

Our Conference Committee negotiates a fantastic hotel sleeping room rate for our members. We've considered moving to other resorts, but we can't beat what we have at the Myrtle Beach Hilton. In fact, other groups using the same resort are paying much higher room rates.

Our conference has grown from attendance of 150 people to 500+. It offers multiple opportunities for conversations with agents and editors, and last year, Writer's Digest featured the conference in one of their issues. This exposure means that New York publishing is well aware of SCWW, and membership in our organization carries a positive reputation. Last year's faculty kept commenting on the high caliber of writers within our organization. And, if you've somehow missed this fact, agents and editors requested over 50 manuscripts during last year's conference. We know of at least one that has already been published.

Eligible to Compete in Anthology Contest

The Petigru Review gives our members an opportunity to be published. Some of last year's authors were nominated for the Pushcart Prize.

Eligible to Compete in the Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Awards

This contest is named after one of our founding members, Carrie McCray. It comes with a $500 first place prize and $100 second place prize. Members must attend the conference to enter. One of last year's judges (an agent) requested the full manuscript from one of the First Chapter entries.

The Quill - SCWW's monthly newsletter

The Quill provides up-to-date information on occurrences within SCWW. Also, we have contests, giving members another way to build their publishing resume.

Now that I've covered the website's benefits list, let me add a few:

Website (myscww.org)

If you haven't visited the web site lately, you should. We have a great new look. Any member who has a website, blog, or published book can have a link, along with the picture of your book, on our site. The site also provides information on contests and other opportunities for writers.

Our Chapter page helps writers locate the local chapter meetings. Plus, you can create a chapter web site through the SCWW site. Our webmaster, can help you with this.

The SCWW Board is exploring the idea of a members only sign-in that provides access to information. One feature will be access to our membership, allowing you to look up CURRENT member listings at any time.

Thanks to several enthusiastic members, you can join our Facebook or LinkedIn groups.

Connections

You get out of SCWW what you are willing to put in. In 2007, I jumped in feet first and gained wonderful connections with several publishing professionals. It's the old adage of networking: What matters is who you know. This week, I sent a partial of my manuscript to an agent who performed my critique last October. Two other publishing professionals have expressed an interest in reading my manuscript. Several published authors, who I met through the conference, have given me valuable assistance and feedback in the past two years. I would never experience these milestones of success if it wasn't for SCWW.

Broader Visibility

Besides the publishing options, you have the opportunity to run for open positions on our Board of Directors or volunteer for a committee position. Volunteering will make you more visible to the publishing world. I co-chaired the conference last year, and the experience opened several doors for me.

Free Workshops

SCWW provides financial support and guidance to local chapters that want to provide a one-day seminar. The chapter provides a service to the community while increasing its contacts and visibility. We have members of the Board who know the ropes and are willing to help you with this process. Because of our grant from SC Arts Council, we must offer a few free workshops each year. The Greenville chapter has one scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 8 from 1 - 3 at the Greenville Main Library. Ray Blackston, author of Flabbergasted and 5 other books, is speaking on "The Twisted Road to Publishing".

Whew! That's a lot! All of this for a $50 membership fee. It's like that credit card commercial:

Membership in SCWW - $50
Contacts with other writers - Priceless
Visibility and Connection with Publishing Professionals - Priceless