Excitement is in the air. Hundreds of writers and hopeful authors are buzzing around the Double Tree Hotel in Mission Valley, California eager to improve their writing and their chances for publication. We drove out of the rain south toward sunny San Diego County yesterday. I mingled with the writers who had arrived by evening to attend the SD State University Writers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Conference. It wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a full house in the grand ballroom and I heard this was because storms across the country had grounded many planes and made land travel difficult. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m hoping for 20 to 30 in my workshops today so I can hand out all of the handouts I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve prepared. <\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m thankful to learn that they have scheduled my 5 workshops with nice breaks in between. Except for the last two sessions, I have an hour or more between them. <\/p>\n
This means I can take advantage of the wisdom of Dan Poynter (on self-publishing), Penny Sansevieri (on marketing), Jeniffer Thompson (on web design for authors) and maybe attend a panel of agents.<\/p>\n
So far I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve learned from attendees that they are doing multiple writing projects. One husband and wife team from Arizona have 9 manuscripts ready to go and no idea what to do next. They write in several genres\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthriller, romance, historical fiction\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 They came here for direction, guidance and probably a large dose of encouragement. <\/p>\n
Another woman told me about the nonfiction manuscript she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s working on and the many articles she writes for free. She hopes to discover how to earn a living through her writing.<\/p>\n
One woman came by to show me her newly published book. She said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I had an email conversation with you last year. We talked about my book. Well, here it is.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d It is a POD publishing company produced book. At first glance, I was put off by the margin space. I tell people to get over their obsession with concerns over margin size, etc. But I also advise that they keep the reader (whether a publisher or consumer) in mind when they put their manuscript or book together. We like to see space around the text on a page, but not too much space. Please, especially when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re preparing your book for publication, know what you are doing. Learn how to work in an appropriate page layout program or hire someone who can use Adobe Page Maker, Quarks Press, etc. Look at the layout of other books. Think about the reader.<\/p>\n
And I met a man who told me about his fiction thriller story. I questioned the term \u00e2\u20ac\u0153thriller\u00e2\u20ac\u009d for the story he described. He said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh yes, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a thriller. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not sure I would have been thrilled while reading it. One description of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153thriller\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is whether or not it \u00e2\u20ac\u0153thrills.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
The definition between genres has muddied so much in recent years, that it seems one element included in the book can make the difference\u00e2\u20ac\u201done reference or scene. Choosing your book\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s genre appropriately can be quite a challenge in today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s crazy publishing industry.<\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m looking forward to a busy and satisfying day with folks who want to know more about article writing. I hope to provide just what they want and need\u00e2\u20ac\u201dguidance, a little hand-holding, a reality check, but also lots of encouragement.<\/p>\n
If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d like to talk to me about your writing project, contact me at plfry620@yahoo.com. Sign up for one of my courses at http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/courses.htm<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Excitement is in the air. Hundreds of writers and hopeful authors are buzzing around the Double Tree Hotel in Mission Valley, California eager to improve their writing and their chances for publication. We drove out of the rain south toward sunny San Diego County yesterday. I mingled with the writers who had arrived by evening […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t