Grand Opening: The Emerging Writer Reading Room

I am so glad that you stopped by for a few minutes. This is a special day. We've already had the ribbon cutting, but pick up a piece of strawberry shortcake before you go in The Emerging Writer Reading Room. On Center Stage, you will see the first book displayed.

 I chose Sharlene Martin and Anthony Flacco's book, Publish Your Nonfiction Book, for several reasons. First of all, this book rocks. Every time I pick it up, I find timely and useful information. Second, the book has wide appeal to everyone in our community. Finally, all followers of the blog (as of the end of June) are eligible to have his or her name drawn for a free copy. (Previous book winners in 2010 are not eligible.)

So, pick up a fork and a napkin and go see what you think. I'm open to all suggestions for improvements to the room.
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In case you haven't noticed, the July/August issue of Writer's Digest is on the newsstands. If your nonfiction genre' is memoir, then you really ought to buy a copy and read the feature articles. I'll give you some snippets:
On the market – "Demand for the genre' doesn't seem to be fading, so that means there's still room to break in."
On baiting the hook – "Finding your hook is about presenting your story in a marketable and interesting fashion that best displays your skill and strengths as a writer."
On floating the arc – "Back then I hadn't even heard of an arc. Now I know it's the emotional framework of a memoir.
On the rough water – "To write an effective, authentic, cohesive memoir, you'll likely need to revisit or even relive the pain you'd rather forget."
On legal torpedoes – "Your best defense is to understand – before you publish your work – the legal issues that apply when you're writing about real people: namely defamation and invasion of privacy."

 Writer's Workbook in this issue of Writer's Digest has one of the best definitions on dialogue that I've read. In Building Tension to Heighten the Stakes by Jessica Page Morrell, she states, "Dialogue is not conversation. It is conversation's greatest hits." That summarizes beautifully all the tips I've read about dialogue. Much of real world conversation revolves around mundane subjects – the weather, the traffic, a bad-hair-day - all things that can bore our readers.

My final announcement: If you plan to be in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area next month, you might want to attend the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference. This three-day conference is scheduled for July 23 – 25, 2010. The Friday night keynote address on writing memoir will be presented by Mary Karr, author of Liar's Club. Who knows, you might see me there.

 Until next time, keep writing.

Community Spotlight 7

Great news, my surprise is ready. Do you see the drawing of the man reading a big book to the cat on the end of his shoe? That is the door to our own private room, here in the coffee shop. Clicking on it will pop you into The Emerging Writer Reading Room.

I read a blog by John Smolens (director of Northern Michigan University's Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program and acclaimed writer) in which he used the term "emerging writers" about his students. The term is so descriptive of all writers that it caught my eye. We all emerge from the present level to another – aspiring writer to apprentice, apprentice to professional, professional to master of the craft.

The phrase worked well with the idea I was kicking around in my head. I decided to create a place in our community to celebrate the skillful persistence of our members to write and publish a book. It displays the nonfiction work published by the members of our community on a separate blog page.

Here's the way it works. Anyone who follows Calling All Aspiring Writers of Nonfiction Books can copy the template on The Emerging Writer Reading Room, fill it out, and send it (along with a file containing a picture of the front cover) to me at lynndaell[at]live[dot]com. Your book will have center stage for a minimum of one week. After that, the front cover will move to the column on the left. It will stay in the left column as long as the blog is active. So what are you waiting for? Send me your info ASAP!

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Now that I've got my surprise delivered, I want to introduce more new members.

Meet Debra7000. She has a flashy blog space on the internet. With five sons, a grandson and a full-time job, she still finds time to blog occasionally. We're glad you found time to join us, Debra.

Elaine Fields Smith is one of the writers who has taken the self-publishing route. You can learn something about her creative narrative nonfiction book at Ridin' Around. That's also the name of the book. I'll look for an email from you, soon, Elaine so that we can display your book in The Emerging Writer Reading Room.

Let me introduce F. B. Comito. She lives in Nebraska and has two sons. I was unable to learn more about her. Fbcomito, maybe you can tell us more about yourself in a comment.

Phoebe King (aka Bizlady08) is an accomplished freelance writer, editor, and project manager. She works in the greater Chicago area and has a web site named The Grateful Grebe™. Phoebe's passion is keeping up with the latest social media developments, online behavior and trends. Maybe you could write something for our community on the latest social media trends, Phoebe.

The only thing I know about Doris is that she has a beautiful smile. (Her picture is on the top row, second from the left.) Doris, would you please tell us something about yourself in the comments?

The last introduction for the day is Cari from Bismarck, North Dakota. She blogs at Faith's Mom's Blog where you can share her joys and other experiences of raising a special needs daughter. I really enjoyed your spa day account, Cari.

It's time for me to post this article and write up the information on my own book, Changing Me, Change the World.

Keep writing!