The Dos and Don'ts of Pitching Your Work by Nancy M Bell

To learn more about Nancy's books please click the cover above. Dead Dogs Talk is Book 2 of The Alberta Adventures and a worthy addition to Wild Horse Rescue. Now in pre-release.



What is a Pitch?
A pitch is short, concise presentation which can be given in person, over the phone, via Zoom, other similar platform, or in an email. Very rarely are pitches sent by snail mail anymore. The content introduces your story idea, the genre and word count. If given in person in a formal situation such as a writers conference or an in person meeting with an agent or editor you should have a hard copy to leave with them. All formal pitches should include your contact information.

Why should you pitch?
If you want to sell your story, you need to have a way to get the agent or editor interested. In order to be published traditionally or be represented by an agent you need to be able to give them a quick concise bit of information that will enable them to ascertain if what you are offering fits with their current requirements.

When Should you Pitch?
Now this is the sixty-million-dollar question.
The manuscript must be complete and polished before you even consider pitching.
Your manuscript should not only be completed, it should have been read by new eyes in the form of beta readers. These fresh eyes will pick up things the author misses. For example: time line issues, consistency of names or locations and spellings of names etc.
Then, before you consider pitching, the manuscript should be edited to the nth degree. You need to hire a good editor for this. No author can edit their own work successfully.
The presence of spelling errors, words used in the wrong context, missing quotation marks etc. indicate to the agent or acquisition editor that the author is either lazy or very inexperienced. Neither impression is going to get an offer of contract if indeed the author gets far.
You need to be prepared to produce your polished manuscript upon request. Nothing will turn the agent or editor off quicker than to go through the pitch process, ask for a part or full manuscript and discover that the manuscript in question is incomplete or ‘still with the editor’.

Do you need more than one pitch format?
Yes, for sure.
What if you run into your dream agent or acquisition editor in the elevator or God forbid the bathroom? You have a very limited amount of time to say “Hi, I’m so and so, I’ve been wanting to meet you. I have a that centres around that I think will interest you. Here’s my contact info (hand them your card complete with contact info and website etc). It was nice meeting you, thanks for taking the time to chat with me. Then exit gracefully.
Your pitch in this instance should be a very short summary of what makes your book:
Unique
Striking
Fresh
Compelling
That’s the famous Elevator Pitch.
Do’s:
Write your pitch out. As many times as it takes to fine tune it.
Practice this pitch until you can recite it word perfect in 30 or 40 seconds. You will sound polished, confident and professional.
Be polite.
Be succinct and brief. Twenty words is perfect and certainly no more than fifty words.
Do remove everything from your book description except that part that most interests the reader.
Fox example: Harry Potter Orphan boy with magical powers goes to school for wizards.
Do smile.
Be pleasant- agents and editors are human- speak as you would to a casual friend. Not too familiar but not like you’re overwhelmed.
Do respect their personal space. It’s fine to be passionate about your work, but don’t get too close and invade their personal space.
Don’ts:
Don’t get wordy and longwinded - they will check out.
Don’t be pushy even a bit. It’s okay to be passionate but no one is comfortable caught in a confined space with someone who is clearly giving you the hard sell.
Don’t linger, or follow them off the elevator or out of the bathroom still pitching.
Don’t be flippant. Respect their attention and time they are giving you.
Don’t be touchy-feely. It’s fine to offer a hand shake (although not in these Covid-19 times) but no touching their arm to make a point.
You don’t need to explain all the granular aspects of your story line. You just want this Important Person to say, “Hey, that sounds interesting. Tell me more.”

The Formal In Person Pitch at a Conference.
In this instance you have a bit more time than the Elevator Pitch. Usually there is a ten or fifteen minute window scheduled for each pitch.
Create your pitch and revise it until it is clear, concise, to the point, polished and most important geared to hook the person’s interest you are pitching to. You’re fishing for that “Please tell me more” response and a request for either a part or full manuscript.
Once you’ve polished your pitch practice it. Practice in front of a mirror, practice on your friend or writers group, practice on your partner. Practice until you can recite it in your sleep. Be ready for any questions the agent or acquisition editor might ask. Be ready to sell yourself, have a concise answer in the back of your mind or questions like: Do you have anything published? If yes, be ready to answer if you are self or traditionally published. Don’t reel off along list of publications if you have them, stay succinct. “I have twelve novels published by . If they wish to know more, have a hard copy of all your bibliography ready to hand.
The agent/editor will know your name, but introduce yourself anyway when/as you sit down.
Remember to meet the agent/editor’s gaze without being too intense.
Smile.
Give your pitch- which should be short enough to allow time for the agent/editor to ask questions and for you to answer.
Exhibit an understanding of how the publishing business works, be familiar with the books and authors that the agent/editor you are pitching too and be able to mention them should the topic come up.
Be ready to discuss your marketing platform if the agent/editor is interested in asking about it. The same with your online presence and social media presence.
Regardless of the outcome of the pitch, be polite and thank the agent/editor as you take your leave. You never know when you might run across this same agent/editor in the future. Just because this pitch might not have been successful doesn’t mean a future pitch won’t be.
A point to remember: Agents/editors talk to each other. If you make a bad first impression with one agent/editor, it stands to reason they might remember that if another agent/editor mentions your name or a pitch you delivered to them in a positive light. If the first agent/editor shares their less than positive first impressions of you it will colour the second agent/editor’s opinion and might be the deciding factor in you receiving a request to submit or not.

The Formal Written Pitch- either via electronic means or snail mail.
This one is a bit less nerve wracking for the author. No face to face meeting where nerves can get the best of you. However, this also means everything you put before the agent/editor had better be letter perfect.
Your entire formal pitch or query should be one page. No longer. Agents and editors get multiple emails and hard copy pitch/queries. You need to get their attention and keep it quickly. Cardinal rule: Don’t be boring.


If you are querying different agents/editors then make sure when you copy and paste that you have the name and company right. No spelling errors, especially in a person’s name. perfect grammar and formatting.
You will need your pitch and a cover letter. You can combine the two as long as you are careful not to get too carried away.
Your cover letter should make it clear you are serious about writing and are passionate about it, that you are not seeing dollar signs flashing. If you are pitching your first novel but are working on a another that’s a good thing to include, so the agent/editor knows your not that one hit wonder ( or hope to be one hit wonder) and you’re in this for the long haul. Briefly list any contests, competitions you’ve entered, any articles published in magazines. What kind of networking you’ve done, attending writers festivals or conference, writing courses you’ve taken. Show them you are serious about writing as a business.
Make sure your pitch/query/manuscript conforms to the agent/editor’s requirements. For example if the information states TNR 12pt don’t send your manuscript in Calibri 10pt. Should it be double spaced, 1.5 or single spaced? Please don’t use hard tabs for indents, you can format your manuscript in Word to automatically indent. Failure to adhere to requested requirements is an immediate turn off to the person you are trying to impress.
Know the nuts and bolts of your work- be able to provide the basics in a few short lines- similar to the Elevator Pitch.
Exhibit an understanding of how the publishing business works, be familiar with the books and authors that the agent/editor you are pitching too and be able to mention them should the topic come up.
Your job is to sell yourself and your work.
Please don’t be flippant or attempt to be humorous. This is hopefully going to be a professional relationship, start as you mean to go forward. Don’t send pictures of your dog, or your kids, don’t send ‘presents’, no matter how innocent.
Do outline a marketing strategy and provide an overview of it. Please be sure you have one. That’s a whole other topic I’m not going to cover here.
Include information on your website, social media presence and any other information that would make you and your work more saleable. That might include education or professional contacts pertinent to the topic or genre of the work you are offering.
Be sure the work you are offering is consistent with what the agent/editor is interested in.
This is a job interview in a sense. Any sloppiness indicates to the person you are trying to impress that you are not someone who pays attention to detail, which in turn implies your work may be full of the same issues. If you display a lack of attention to detail in the all important initial contact it would follow that you are not a competent self-editor which is important. Not to say that you won’t need an editor, but as an agent or editor, you want to be confident the author is going to present you with a pretty clean and tight manuscript.
The hardest part of this pitch is the waiting. There most likely will not be a quick response. It will depend on a number of things, including how many submission emails are in the agent/editor’s inbox, along with whatever else they may be working on.
Make sure you read their website and take note of any expected response times that might be noted there. For example the agent/editor may indicate it may be 3 months, or six months for a reply. If that is the case, don’t email or contact them before that time is up. If after the specified time has elapsed, you can send a polite brief email asking for an update. Don’t nag, don’t bug, above all don’t be pushy.

Your Bio
Something else I should mention is the importance of a good author bio. You want to highlight your writing cred, past publications, awards won, competitions entered. You can include a bit of personal info, but don’t dwell on it. We don’t need to know your dog(s)’ names, or kids names. Keep it short and to the point and then you can include a bibliography below the short bio if needed or asked for.

I’ve whittled mine down over time. I was recently asked for one that was 50 words MAX.
This one was targeted for the editor of a poetry anthology in answer to a call for submission, so I removed anything that wasn’t pertinent to this particular instance.
Nancy lives near Balzac, Alberta. She has publishing credits in poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Her work is included in Tamaracks Canadian Poetry for the 21st Century, Vistas of the West Anthology and by the University of Holguin Cuba in their Canada Cuba Literary Alliance (CCLA) program.

The earlier version was a bit longer and covers more info, but the anthology editor probably doesn’t care that I also facilitate workshops. And he specified a bio of 50 words or under, so you have to be able to cut to the quick without losing the information pertinent to this situation.
Nancy lives near Balzac, Alberta with her husband and various critters. She is a member of the Writers Guild of Alberta. Nancy has presented at the Surrey International Writers Conference, at the Writers Guild of Alberta Conference, When Words Collide and Word on the Lake. She has publishing credits in poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Recently her work has been included in Tamaracks Canadian Poetry for the 21st Century and Vistas of the West Anthology of Poetry. Her poetry is also being included by the University of Holguin Cuba in their Canada Cuba Literary Alliance (CCLA) program. Her latest book Dead Dogs Talk will release in September 2020.


A Good Pitch
If in person- arrives on time-
Is targeted to the requirements of the agent/editor being pitched to
Is practiced and delivered confidently and professionally- if delivered in person
If by electronic means- copy sent to agent/editor is clean. Addressed to the correct person who’s name is spelled right. Copy is clear of spelling and grammatical errors and adheres to all submission guidelines.
Provides contact info clearly and easily found- you’d think this should be obvious, but you’d be surprised.
Gives a concise and succinct idea of what the work being pitched is about- the essence of your work, no long convoluted explanations-
Know what genre your work is- pick the ONE that most fits your work even if there are sub-genres involved
Gives an overview of your experience as a writer/author- publishing history- speaks intelligently about the publishing industry as a whole
Very brief overview of your marketing plans for the work at hand- social media/online presence
Wraps up in a timely and professional manner. Pitcher thanks the agent/editor for their attention etc
If in person- hand over your business card just before you leave.
A Bad Pitch
If in person- arrives late
Is not targeted to the requirements of the agent/editor- genre, word count, formatting
Is clearly not polished or practiced- fumbling for words- inability to answer questions
Inability to answer simple questions- i.e. What genre is your book? What is your word count?
Answers not straight and to the point, rambling on off topic or becoming too involved and convoluted to follow easily.
Uses unprofessional language and/or body language
Pitcher is abrupt or offhand or worse- defensive if hearing something they’d rather not
Going over the allotted time
Forgetting to say thank you and leaving gracefully
Failure to leave contact info- business card is best
Rudeness even if unintended- be aware of your body language and the tone of your words and how they are delivered.

If delivered by electronic means:
Addressed to wrong agent/editor OR name spelled wrong
Copy is not formatted to submission guidelines
Not carefully proof read- spelling and grammatical errors
Does not provide contact information OR it is hard to find
Does not provide some idea of author’s experience
No mention of any marketing strategy or social media/online presence
Rudeness- even if not intended- be aware of the tone of your words.
Incorrectly formatted
Genre not stated or clear


Until next month, stay well and happy.
Nancy www.nancymbell.ca

Mad Dogs, Englishmen and Me -- Janet Lane Walters #BWLAuthor #Exercise #Dieting

 

Mad Dogs, Englishmen and Me

Everyone probably knows the rest of that quote. Why me, you ask. It happened about a week ago. In the last eight months I’ve lost fifteen pounds. Well for the past two, I have remained at the same level. I would like to lose a bit more. What to do? The only way to achieve this is to exercise and walk.

Walk to me is boring. But I know I must. Now they say the early bird… You know the rest. I am not a morning oerson. I am awake and my brain works but my body refuses to exercise at that time. I spend the hours from seven AM until around twp PM convincing my self “I can do that.” Therefore, I have cone to grips with the midday sun. But I set forth, increasing the distance every day. My goal is to reach the hook and that’s three miles from my house. I figure in a year or two I will reach that goal. Then the problem will be walking back.

One good thing about doing this walk is I can think about my WIP. That is moving forward. Since the first of July, I’ve planned and now have about finished the rough draft. The total will be 40,000 words and I write tight in the beginning. I figure when I’m finished the book will be somewhere between 50,000 and 90,000 words. So every day, I hit the pavement while the midday sun is high and push myself another hundred steps forward.

My Places

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Buy Mark

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2020 woes - throw in Shad fly swarm and Gypsy moth infestation, by J.C. Kavanagh

Book 2 of the Award-winning Twisted Climb series

Bugs. They're everywhere in Ontario, Canada.

In June, it started with the shad fly. A swarm of millions. We encountered the swarm near our home in south-central Ontario, and travelled several kilometres until we were clear of them. EW.

Driving into a swarm of shad flies

Smushed shad flies on my truck

... and on the antenna. What the heck?

Shad flies, also called May flies or fish flies (cuz they smell like fish when they're dead),
on the grill of my truck.

The next day, it took me a solid three hours of brush scrubbing and rinsing before the last of the critters were washed off my truck. Again I say - EW!

And then came the gypsy moth caterpillars...

First, they were crawling over trees, eating leaves, decimating forests.

Then, after 'hatching' from the pupae stage, the moths fly in your face, body-slam your back (can they see?), and lay eggs everywhere. Everywhere!

Mating moths (white-coloured female, brown-coloured male) beside tear-shaped pupae

The female gypsy moth and their egg patches

In Canada, duct tape is used for just about anything...
though this property owner forgot to put the 'sticky' side, out.

The gypsy moths (Latin name Lymantria dispar dispar), originated in Europe and were first detected in Ontario, Canada, in 1969. There have been multiple outbreaks over the years and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources staff agree that this infestation is the worst one since 1990. Gypsy moth caterpillars are voracious eaters and prefer oak, maple, basswood, beech and white pine. They will eat the leaves/needles of these trees, stripping them to bare branches. While defoliation won't kill the tree, the damage will cause a significant decrease in the tree's natural growth. Surprising fact: only the caterpillars eat - the adult moths survive for about two weeks with the sole purpose of mating / laying eggs. I was recently camping at Killbear Provincial Park near Parry Sound and I can say first-hand the infestation there is horrible. Gypsy moths were everywhere. EW!

Personally, moths, caterpillars and shad flies don't bother me. But spiders... oh they bother me a lot. So it was with great goose-bumps and shudders that I included big, black, hairy, hand-sized spiders in Book 2 of The Twisted Climb series, Darkness Descends. Uncovering a spiders' nest is just one of many adventures encountered by Jayden, Connor and Max. If you love action / adventure / suspense / drama and a hint of the paranormal, you'll love The Twisted Climb books. No EWs involved. Well, maybe a few. Enjoy!

J.C. Kavanagh, author of

The Twisted Climb - Darkness Descends (Book 2)

voted BEST Young Adult Book 2018, Critters Readers Poll and Best YA Book FINALIST at The Word Guild, Canada

AND

The Twisted Climb,

voted BEST Young Adult Book 2016, P&E Readers Poll

Novels for teens, young adults and adults young at heart

Email: author.j.c.kavanagh@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/J.C.Kavanagh

www.amazon.com/author/jckavanagh

Twitter @JCKavanagh1 (Author J.C. Kavanagh)

The Society of Happy People

 

I do the usual things when considering a blog topic: review some of the lessons learned about my writing; explore the lives of important or interesting people and analyse the momentous events of the day. I also check the calendar for important dates. To my surprise, I learned that August is ‘Admit You’re Happy Month.’

I discovered some intriguing facts about this important occasion. Its roots go back to the founding of the Society of Happy People on August 8, 1999, by a lady named Pamela Gail Johnson, from the Dallas area in Texas.

In 1998, it occurred to her that many happy people exist, but keep their happiness to themselves and wondered where all these happy people are.

She originally thought that her idea made for a good essay, but with a little encouragement from friends, started the Society of Happy People. She still manages the Society, and her official title is “Chief Happiness Officer.” Despite describing herself as an introvert—she enjoys cooking, yoga, chatting with friends and her book club—she keeps busy as a Keynote and Motivational Speaker. For over two decades, she has inspired and motivated thousands of people to find and keep more happiness, optimism and positivity.

Adults typically smile twenty times a day, compared to children, who smile four hundred times a day. However, she states, “no matter how often you smile, the more you smile, the better.” Smiling is contagious; one smile starts another. It has definitive cognitive effects: smiling retrains the brain to think more positive thoughts.

For "Admit You're Happy Month,' Johnson has organized a “31 Day ~ 31 Happiness” Challenge. The goal is to make people take stock of their lives and to do things that make them and others happy. The Society presents a “Happy Challenge” each day which is posted on social media—Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. 

Smile, and be Happy!!

Mohan Ashtakala (www.mohanashtakala.com) is the author of "The Yoga Zapper," a fantasy, and "Karma Nation," a literary romance. He is published by Books We Love (www.bookswelove.com)

Serendipity or Fate? ... by Sheila Claydon

Click here to find my books at Books We Love

The characters in my books always have problems and, as is the nature of romantic fiction, they always overcome them...eventually! Their problems are varied and, because I've written quite a few books now, there are many of them. Often the book description will point the reader towards what to expect and the beginning of the blurb in Saving Katy Gray is a good example of this.

Katy was used to losing things. First she'd lost her childhood home, then her career and reputation, and finally, and most dreadfully, her identity, so she knew she should be used to it....

Katy has more problems to overcome than most of my characters but, eventually, she finds a way, as do the characters in books 1 and 2 of the trilogy. What had never occurred to me until recently, however, is that when characters find a solution to their problems this can often help the reader. It was my daughter who prompted this thought with two books she has recently read.

In the past 2 years she and her family have lost a loved one following a long illness, coped with the resultant mental health issues, helped a friend who was in an abusive relationship and then, finally,  had to completely reorganise their lives due to the demands of Coronavirus. This has included children being upset about having to miss important exams, training programmes being cancelled, reduced income and, to top it all, my daughter having to leave home and family every day and put herself at risk as a frontline worker. Yet, despite all of these drawn out problems she has remained unbelievably resilient while all the issues she has been dealing with have slowly resolved themselves, and we are so proud of her.

That is not the issue, however. We know that many, many people face similar and even worse problems, but what we don't know is how often they read about themselves in a work of fiction.  Entirely serendipitously my daughter, looking for some escapism from her stressful life, recently picked up two novels entirely at random. Unknown to her one was about an abusive relationship and how the heroine began to recognise and then deal with her problems, while the second was about the loss of a loved one and how the resultant grief was played out across 3 generations.  When she started reading she had no idea that the stories were about the issues that had affected her own family but the more she read, the more everything resonated. By the end she had not only totally identified with all the characters, she also felt much better about herself, how she had handled things, and perhaps even more importantly, why other family members and friends had acted as they did.

It made me wonder if fictional characters sometimes help readers to resolve their own problems more effectively than non-fiction help books. There is, of course, an important place for these, but when someone is dealing with trauma they often don't have the emotional energy to read the factual stuff and instead turn to the escapism of fiction. This thought has made me look again at the dilemmas my various characters have faced and solved in order to check that I dealt with them realistically. I do, of course, like all writers, always do my research, but the moment of serendipity (or fate) experienced by my daughter, has made me realise anew how very important this is. We writers have a responsibility towards our readers. It goes without saying that they want us to entertain, to make them want to keep the pages turning, even perhaps to teach them something new, but now I've added 'help them to resolve their problems' to the list of things I must think about before I start a new story. The responsibility is really quite daunting!

WWC Online Writers Festival - Free This Weekend

                            Please click this link for author, book and purchase information

Every August for the past nine years, I've attended Calgary's When Words Collide Festival for Readers and Writers. I've loved the festival's energy, learned about the writing craft and book promotion, and acquired new readers and writing connections. When this year's in-person event was cancelled due to COVID-19, the organizers decided to go online. The festival happens this weekend. It's free and open to everyone.

I wasn't sure I'd get involved with the online version of WWC until I saw the first draft of the 3-day program. The organizers invited past presenters to fill vacant spaces on the proposed panels. Several topics grabbed my interest and I was given spots on these two panels:

Ten Things I Wish I’d Known  

When you started writing, what assumptions blocked your progress, lead you down dead ends, or limited your opportunities and experiences? Panelists share their initial faulty thoughts that slowed their journey into the writing world. 

After almost 30 years of writing, I wish I knew a few more things and hope to learn them from my fellow panelists. I'm familiar with all three from past WWC festivals and they've achieved success in their widely-varied directions. Our panel will take place on Zoom, Friday, August 14, 3:00 pm. All you need to do to attend is go to the WWC website and click on the event link in the program PDF. No registration or payment required. 

Me (right hand side) on a panel at last year's WWC

My second Zoom appearance will be on Saturday, 1:00 pm, Access Denied: A panel for writers on how to handle rejections and critiques, and communicate with editors/agents/publishers,

The agent on this panel will have a lot to share. I've become an expert on this subject during the past 30 years -- but I'm still standing!

When I'm not on a panel, I'll be cruising the WWC program for other panels, presentations and activities to attend. There will be up to five choices every hour from 1:00 pm Friday, August 14th, to 5:00 pm Sunday, August 16th. A number have already caught my eye:

Meet the Mesdames of Mayhem: Fresh from their award-nominated CBC Gem documentary, meet the writers with a century of combined killing time and learn how they freshen up their crime sprees for the 21st century (Sat, 2:00 pm).

Medical Errors and Tropes: A bullet in the shoulder that doesn't hit anything important? Knock-outs without actual damage? Induced comas? What is realistic and what is not? A discussion of common medical mistakes and questions in fiction (Sat, 3:00 pm).

Plus a couple of panels on editing, which I'm in the midst of doing now for my novel-in-progress. In addition, I've requested a one-on-one Zoom meeting about developing my social media strategy.  

Two fellow BWL authors will also be involved this year.  

Nancy M Bell: Blue Pencil Café
                         Pitch Sessions
                         Editors: When Can They Help and How? (Sat 12:00:00 pm)
                         The Dos and Don’ts of Successful Pitching, (Sun 3:00:00 pm)

David Poulsen: Crime Thru Time (Sat 4:00:00 pm)
                          From the Mean Streets to the Deadly Wilderness (Sun 1:00:00 pm) 

At last year's WWC festival, David and I participated in a fun panel with two other Calgary area crime writers.  For a (virtual) taste of what you'll get this weekend, you can listen to the podcast of High Crimes in Your Own Backyard.   

Partying at a previous When Words Collide festival. This year, WWC is hosting a Virtual Pool Party

 
 

 
   

  

Don't Dis the Duc by Karla Stover

      

murder on Hood Canal   murder in Tacoma, WA.       old-fashioned Gothic

In my book, Murder, When One Isn't Enough I sent my characters on a boat trip to the Skokomish Indian Reservation. It's located in what is called Hood Canal's Great Bend, more or less across the water from Tahuya and near Potlatch State Park. In front of the reservation is Annas Bay and in the bay is the Indian Hole. When the tide goes out, boaters can let their craft float over the hole and toss their anchors up on the beach. I can't find out how deep the hole is but the beach is where I went with my family to dig geoducks.

A geoduck is a type of very large clam (the shell is 6 to 8 inches and the neck can be up to 3 feet long) native to primarily Washington State and British Columbia. According to "Wikipedia", part of the name refers to genitals. Pealing the skin off the neck is like removing a condom. When we got one--and digging them isn't easy because the neck sticks out of the sand but the body is deep down--Mom ground the meat and made chowder.

A few years ago, my niece, who worked in Washington D.C. was asked by her boss to cater a typical Puget Sound dinner. When the geoduck was delivered, the chef didn't know what to do with it and she had to call her mother and have her mom tell him how and what to do with it.

For those people who remember the TV show Dirty Jobs, Mike Rowe dug one (what the Chinese call Elephant Trunk Clams) but broke the shell--a no-no and sign of a novice. He took it to Shelton and had a restaurant chef cook it for him. Another place they showed up was in Betty McDonald's book and movie, The Egg and I. According to her biography, she was on the set when the movie was made and I don't why she let them be called gee-o-ducks when she knew the proper pronunciation is gooey ducks.

In my fiction reading, I love learning things. Author Mary Stewart did that really well--taught things, that is. I like to do the same--introduce readers to the Pacific Northwest.

Geoducks can live to be over one hundred. I like them and think they're special So did Evergreen Community College in Olympia, Washington when they became the school's mascot.

"Life's too short..."

Download Charlie's story at BWL

            Our world is made up of words. We write them, speak them, hear them, read them. We use them to describe our world, express our feelings, share experiences and expand our imaginations. How we put words together gives people some indication of our intelligence or our education; our current state of mind; our intentions.

            But because our world is made up of so many different ethnic groups and nationalities, words are distinct and certainly subject to interpretation. Whether you write or read or watch television programs, you might come across a word or phrase which is unfamiliar. A simple example: what do you call the rather long, cushioned piece of furniture in your living room? A sofa; a couch; a divan? And to add another dimension to our confusion, in what century are we talking? Is it a settee? What about that cast iron cooking pan? Did you grow up calling it a frying pan or a skillet? Have you ever known it as a spider?

            I work only in the English language. I took French in high school and Spanish in college but am fluent in neither. I spent a week in Paris one summer and after perhaps half that time, I began to understand some of the signs and words I came across but I could never begin to understand the spoken language as it is rapid and lyrical and far beyond my high school experience. I envy people who know more than one language. I enjoy reading books set in different countries because although they are written in English, there are words unique to the country of origin. Words like a lift (elevator), a boot (trunk of a car), a jumper (sweater) are so fun to read.

            What are some of your favorite words? Are they part of your culture or unique to the part of the country or world where you live? Do they have to do with your ancestors? Is it a word your grandparent always said? Are they favorites because of their definition, their spelling or their sound?

            We put words together to form sentences, thoughts or messages to impart information. From our earliest introduction to language, we learn to use words to express ourselves and to ask and answer questions about our world. We write answers to test questions and conduct serious social debates.

I want you to think about very short groups of words put together to form what we call sayings or idioms. You can find these everywhere from bumper stickers to jingles and commercial trademarks. Many of the more famous sayings can be found in Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations. From childhood we began attributing sayings such as “Honesty is the Best policy” to Abraham Lincoln or the famous “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” to President John Kennedy. Wonderful people like Maya Angelou, Gandhi and Mother Theresa have left us a treasure trove of inspirational sayings. Even though you might not recognize its author, quite often you know and understand the saying.

Many words and sayings are used so much they become clichés. While there is nothing wrong with clichés (it’s raining cats and dogs), it is much more fun to use words that are fresh and unique.

One of my favorites is “Not all who wander are lost” which originated with J.R.R. Tolkien in The Fellowship of the Ring. Another is on the back of a tee-shirt. In a vertical row it has the days of the week – “Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday,” then across the bottom – “See, there is no Someday.” Think about it. Does it speak to you as it did me?

The same questions can be asked about sayings as we asked about words. Where did the saying come from; does it have multiple meanings depending on your ethnicity? Is there deeper meaning than what you might first read into the words?

Years ago I began using a saying on my website which I like to attribute to my new insight into my world at a time when things didn’t make sense. At that time, I wasn’t always in a good frame of mind. Two years after ending a forty year marriage, I was diagnosed with cancer and began another arduous journey. Some days I had a very hard time living this mantra, and yet most days they were the most important words I could say to myself:

“Life is too short to go through it in a bad mood.”

Think about idioms. Write down some of your favorites. Is there a pattern in what you relate to? What would your expression be based on something from your life or something you are working toward in the future? Are your sayings funny or are they related to growing and reaching new levels? Maybe they are about how to live life or something about feelings, emotions and believing.

Above my door where I read it every time I leave the house is another of my favorites:

“It’s never too late to live happily ever after.”

Barb Baldwin

http://www.authorsden.com/barbarajbaldwin

http://www.bookswelove.com/romance-authors/baldwin-barbara/

            

Did you say READ? But WHY? by J. S. Marlo

J. S. Marlo's BWL Books

I love reading. During those precious hours when I'm alone with a good book, I lose myself into the story and escape reality. It's a wonderful feeling to step into a make-believe world, and it's sad when it ends, but

some of these stories stay with you for the rest of your life.

Reading isn't just a passion I enjoy by myself, it's also a passion I share with my children and granddaughter. I read to my children when they were little, and now I read to my five-year old granddaughter. I make funny voices and it's delightful to see the expressions on her face as the story progresses. She's even started reading to me, and I can see she's enjoying the story at a new level.

We've all heard that reading was good, but what are the real benefits of reading? Well, as it turns out, they are plenty.

- Stimulate brain: reading is a good workout for your brain, it jogs your memory and helps make you smarter.

- Expand vocabulary: books teach new words, broadening your spoken and written vocabulary.

- Increase empathy: reading fiction helps readers understand what other’s are thinking by reading people’s emotions.

- Improve concentration: when you're reading, you're concentrating on one thing, so you're training your body to avoid distraction.

- Reduce stress: when you lose yourself in a story, you distance yourself from the stress of everyday life.

- Help sleep: when your mind is racing and busy worrying about a variety of things, reading for ten minutes can help push whatever is keeping you awake out of your mind.

And my favorite reason:

- It entertains! You're never alone when you're with a book.

So, what should you read? Anything you can get your hands on. There's no accounting for taste. What someone loves to read is as personal as what someone loves to eat.

But BEWARE: reading is contagious. Make sure you transmit the passion to your kids.

Happy Reading & Stay safe. Many hugs!
JS

 

J. S. Marlo's Website

Clearly Working by Eileen O'Finlan

Click here for purchase information

Click here to visit Eileen O'Finlan's website

My friend and fellow author, Jane Willan, has been renting office space at a place called Clearly Coworking to get away from all distractions so she could finish her lastest cozy mystery. Clearly Coworking offers multiple shared desk space as well as private offices and conference rooms. Mostly rented by people who would otherwise work from home, but who want to get away from distractions, it's a perfect space for professionals who need an office away from home. As it turns out, it's also a great place for writers to find a place of their own.

Jane became so enamored of the place that she got me a day pass, so I spent one Friday with her. It's only a few minutes from my house so I loved the convenience of it. When she told me the address, I also realized that it was formerly a funeral home so, of course I had to ask if it was haunted. Apparently, not. Oh well.

Interior of Clearly Coworking in Worcester, Massachusetts

We had the place mostly to ourselves as Covid has returned most of the renters to their homes. In fact, so many have pulled out that the owner has had to sell. It closed for good as Clearly Coworking on July 31st. Because it was closing, the owner generously allowed Jane to invite me to come write with her every day of the final week of July for free. It was fantastic! We spent the first part of the day writing, then around 2:00 we'd email what we'd written to each other. After reading, we'd go into one of the small conference rooms and critique each other's work. Lunch was another fun part of the day as we spent it chatting about various aspects of writing, marketing, and publishing. We also helped each other work out unruly plot lines or come up with that one missing piece that would make the story work.

I was there just long enough to fall in love with the place as well as the concept. With a full-time job, renting office space is neither affordable nor sensible for me since I wouldn't get much time to use it. However, I did come to find out a couple of very important facts:

 

1.) I could easily spend eight hours a day, every day writing and be quite happy. I am more convinced than ever that writing is my calling and that working towards becoming a full-time writer is my main goal.

2.) Having another writer as critique partner and brainstorming mate is immensely helpful.

I had already sensed both of those things to be true, but this experience cemented them for me.

Now that Clearly Coworking has closed, what will we do? Well, Jane has found another place in downtown Worcester called Idealab. She's already secured her spot. As for me, I decided to make my den/guest room into a home office/writing room. It took nearly two full days to get it set up to my liking, but now that it's done, I am enjoying the heck out of it. I used to write where ever I found a spot to set up my laptop. Now that I have a dedicated space, I've got that "room of one's own" feel and I am loving it.

As for mutual critiquing and brainstorming, Jane and I continuing to email our work to each other and meet on Zoom. Once the pandemic is finally a memory, we'll get together in person often for the same purposes. Best of all, we'll be able to reschedule the half vacation - half writing retreat trip to Vermont we were planning for this summer. Only the end of COVID-19 will dictate when that will happen, but when it does, I'll be sure to chronicle it in this blog.