Groundwaters

What’s Been Happenin’?

August 28, 2008 on 6:33 pm | In This 'n That | No Comments

I have begun my Groundwaters contributor profiles but because of the logistics, I will try to post one every month… weekly would be too much of a stretch for me, I’m afraid.

We are busily preparing the Fall issue of GW for its October release date. I’m struck by the fact that it doesn’t have as many submitters as usual, but the quality is excellent, I think. Summer is a hard time for people to sit down and get much work done at their computers. It’s a time to get outside during what little free time most of us have and enjoy Oregon’s wonderful sunshine and summer breezes. It’s a busy time for other things, too.

The month of August was especially busy for our Groundwaters staff. We started it off with our monthly meeting on August 8. The next day, I met 23 descendants of the Jost and Jerusha Petrie family at King Estates Winery in Lorane to show them around the area where their great great grandparents had settled in the late 1800s. It was a fun day for not only them, but for me and their “tour guide,” Walt Hayes, as well. You may have read my story about the Petries in the September 4, 2008 edition of the West Lane News, but if you missed it, I am including it in the October issue of Groundwaters. It’s an interesting one.

Then, on Sunday, August 10, I opened the doors to the Dew Drop Inn, future home of Groundwaters, for another garage sale. My granddaughter, Hayley, “manned” the sale while I attended the Lorane Old Timers’ Picnic held at the Grange. That afternoon, Lorane celebrated its annual Ice Cream Social at the Fire Hall. It was such a busy day at the two events that Hayley didn’t have any traffic at the garage sale at all, but she was placated by having a great lunch at the picnic with dessert following at the ice cream social. We finally closed up early and went home around 4:00 p.m.

On Wednesday and Friday, August 13 and 15, I was invited to sit at the Oregon Author’s Table at the Lane County Fair. It was a very enjoyable experience for me. On Wednesday, I sat between Register-Guard columnists Bob Welch and Dorcas Smucker – both writers that I respect and admire. On Friday, I got to spend the day next to Jo-Brew, author and columnist for the Creswell Chronicle and Jane Lindaman, author of wonderful children’s books. I handed out a lot of Groundwaters magazines to fair-goers and authors alike and even sold a few of my books, so those two days were very enjoyable and successful for me, as well.

Jo-Brew and Herbie Medlin posed together for this picture at the 2008 Lane County Fair’s Oregon Authors Table.

Jen Chambers was busy in her own right. She attended the Willamette Writers Conference in Portland on August 15 and not only promoted Groundwaters there, but also picked up a lot of interest from literary agents for her first novel dealing with traumatic brain injuries. Congratulations, Jen! I’m attaching her report on the conference below.

Then, Jen, Pat Broome and I attended the Fern Ridge Library’s FRIENDfest on Saturday, August 23. Pat is the newly-elected chairman of the Library Board and was busy in that capacity at their table. Jen and I spent the 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. time slot reading from our respective books. We had an audience the whole time and I know that it was as much fun for the two of us as it was for those we were reading to.

I’m looking forward to Fall. The few days of rain we’ve had lately have been refreshing and I can feel the season beginning its gradual change. I just hope it doesn’t change too swiftly.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Willamette Writers Conference
By Jennifer Chambers

I just returned from the annual Willamette Writers Conference in Portland, Oregon, a weekend devoted to the craft and fellowship with other writers. I had a wonderful time. I generally do when I indulge in the habit of further education. Plus, I was hoping to promote Groundwaters while I was there.

Such conferences are made up of mini-seminars from which to choose, in any given time slot. Since you have limited time, and the rooms generally have limited space, it’s prudent to plan well and know what you want to see going in. This was especially true for me, as I would only be able to attend one day.

I was most looking forward to a session by writer and editor Elizabeth Lyon, with whom I have had an e-mail dialogue about the magazine, and who I’ve just missed meeting on several occasions. I came into the session fueled up on endless cups of very good coffee (one of the perks at seminars in the NW) and intended to write down furiously all the bits of wisdom the veteran could brew up. I was also amped and coming off the adrenaline from a pitch session with an agent, to be honest, but it was one of those sessions that happened in my life at just the right time, the perfect doppio to my double-shot.

Ms. Lyon’s session was called, “Writing and Revising Your Novel’s Query, Synopsis, and Two Pages.” Her talk was informative, well organized and concise, but left room for questions and answers both during and afterwards. The initial focus was on the dreaded Query. Use the five paragraph format, Lyon explained: pitch, synopsis of no more than two paragraphs, short biography, and communication information. Lyon went on to illustrate with actual queries taken anonymously from her estimated 200 queries floating around her office. The anonymity was nice; I’m sure my query letters from the past could have been on her “bad examples” list. The sum of her seminar was that you should spend time crafting the query, not just the manuscript. The information was presented concisely, was well organized, and Lyon gave us a worksheet for further interest. It was a fantastic way for me to salivate over what more I could find in her book.

Another helpful session was given by Marilyn Allen; “How to Query and Pitch to Get Agents’ and Editors’ Attention.” Can you sense a theme in my class choices? Allen, too, used a handout to recap the information contained in the seminar. Her alliterative advice was fun: The Hook, The Book and the Cook. The “Hook,” is the pitch, the concisely-put teaser to make an agent want to know more. The “Cook,” is the writers’ credentials. For instance, if you want to write a cookbook, it helps if you’re Emeril—or at least that you’re a chef, a licensed nutritionist, etc. Cook credentials are your B.A., your professional experience, or the thing that makes you informed on your subject. The “Book.” of course, is your special material, condensed.

I was able to spread the word about Groundwaters, too. In fact, the person who sat next to me at lunch is going to submit her story of an alternative publishing experience. I was able to glean so much workable advice from the day. Each session was useful, and the speakers nationally recognized as masters of their craft. I recommend that anyone who wants to be a serious writer attend conferences regularly. Ms. Lyon was kind enough to sign my copy of her new book, and I’m using it right now to revise the manuscript the agents were interested in at the conference. Commitment to the craft. That’s what I want for my writing. That, and another cup of coffee, to stay up to revise the darn thing.