Flop

One of my extracurricular activities when I was in high school was Track. To be honest, I didn’t actually arrive there willingly. Our schools Football coach felt it should be a requirement that all of his players run Track in the spring if you wanted to play for him in the fall. I don’t know if there was some kind of collusion going on between him and the track coach, or he just wanted his players to stay active during the offseason, or he got his giggles by seeing three hundred pound linebackers wearing those flimsy track shorts, but whatever the reason -- there I was. Fleetness of foot wasn’t part of my DNA makeup back then (or has it ever been), so I tended to gravitate towards the longer distances…the two mile becoming my specialty. But there was another event that I was inexplicably drawn to, one that made absolutely no sense and the idea of me doing it was like a Chihuahua trying to make out with a Great Dane. The activity…High Jump.

My first year in track, my junior year, I was only 5’6” tall (I’ve only grown 3 inches since). Because of my height I knew I wasn’t going to win any medals, but we were required to participate in at least one running event and one field event, and the high jump really intrigued me. And what interested me the most was watching the other kids experiment with this new style of jumping called the Fosbury Flop.

Dick Fosbury had brought fame to his new style of high-jumping just five years before then at the 1968 Summer Olympics and now jumpers all over the world were trying to emulate his technique…including myself.

What does any of this have to do with writing? Bear with me.

What’s interesting to note was that Dick Fosbury first started experimenting with a new high jumping technique at age 16, while attending high school in Medford, Oregon, but it wasn’t until his senior year in high school that he had perfected it enough to yield measurable improvements. His early efforts were nowhere near as coordinated as a well-performed straddle method jump, and one historian referred to Fosbury's early attempts as an 'airborne seizure', but during the latter part of his sophomore year and the beginning of his junior year, it began to produce results, and he gradually was able to clear higher jumps. Fosbury continued to refine his technique into college and ultimately had its coming out in the Olympics. The technique gained the name the "Fosbury Flop" after a reporter for a Medford newspaper wrote that he looked like a, "fish flopping in a boat", but it could also be argued that Fosbury’s early efforts were just that…a flop. But determination and perseverance proved otherwise.

You see my point now, don’t you? How many times have we been told that -- there aren’t any new stories, just new ways to tell them? Dick Fosbury found a new way to jump, but it didn’t happen overnight and required A LOT of experimentation before he got there. We are all searching for new ways to tell stories…with a fresh voice…but we have to be both patient and persistent.

My best jump in high school reached 5’6”, earning me 3rd place in one meet and much needed points for my team. I consider that one of the greatest physical achievements of my life. I flopped…and that was a good thing. As far as my writing goes, I am an evolving work in progress striving to perfect my technique and yield measurable results. I hope one day soon to flop again…and that will be a good thing as well. :)

In case you hadn't heard the news yet, this week we added  Diane Dalton, Managing Editor of Rhemalda Publishing as one our final round judges for WRiTE CLUB.  There are only two weeks left to send in submissions, so please help spread the word.

Presenting...Annalisa Crawford

Today I'm turning over my blog to a fellow blogging buddy and published author...Ms. Annalisa Crawford.  While she's entertaining you, I'll be off stirring up more interest for WRiTE CLUB.  Enjoy!!

Hey DL, it's great to be here today, thanks for inviting me over!

Shadows of Autumn is the story of a missing child. When a body is discovered, her mother has to wait before she knows if it's her daughter or not.

This is one of my favourite stories and I'm proud of it for two reasons:

1. I was only twenty when I wrote it, a long way from having children of my own, and certainly even further from having to deal with teenagers. But the voice of the mother was so clear to me. I could feel her anguish and pain; I could understand her point of view when actually I was much closer to her daughter's age.
2. I received some of the best comments for this story:
• QWF:  Your handling of prose is deft and light: simple words but extremely effective.
• Story Cellar:  Some telling description in what you did not say, superb sense of mood and atmosphere.
• Real Writers: Well focused, unusual because I want to know the story behind the husband. There is a lot going on beneath this seemingly simple story.

Note the progression of the title!

I hope you'll forgive me for sharing those comments, but they were the words that made me realise that maybe I could do this thing.

This was another story that needed a slight rewrite for the collection - I had to include Facebook. Nikki is a teenage girl, and has teenage friends - as soon as I read it, the omission was glaring. It's not important to the story, but it would definitely have jarred the reader a little bit, or greatly dated the story... I really need to write some new ones!

About Annalisa
I live in Cornwall, with a good supply of beaches and moorland right on my doorstep. I live with my husband, two boys, a dog and a cat. Despite my location. I neither surf nor sail, and have never had any inclination to try. I much prefer walking along the beach and listening to the waves crashing over rocks. For this reason, I really love the beach in the winter!

Buy That Sadie Thing here (this link should take you direct to your local Amazon)
Follow Annalisa here, or Like her here
Read her blog here

Classic

I graduated high school in 1975 and my college years stretched into the 1980’s. During that span of time my stereo constantly blared the likes of The Who, Led Zepplin, Rolling Stones, Queen, The Eagles, REO Speedwagon, Lynard Skynard, Boston, Aerosmith, The Kinks, Pink Floyd, Bob Seger, BTO, Yes, Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton, Foreigner, Kansas, Steve Miller Band, The Doobie Brothers, The Allman Brothers, Jackson Browne, Jethro Tull, Little River Band, and many, many more! And when I wasn’t lying on my bed at home or in my dorm room listening to this wonderful music, I was screaming at the top of my lungs in front of a stage where artists like ZZ Top, Heart, Van Halen, The Moody Blues, Kiss, Journey, and Bruce Springsteen were doing their best to rupture my ear drums.

It should come as no surprise that the radio station I listen to in my car (94.1 The Point) plays music exclusively from that era. It’s not that I don’t like the music from the four decades since then, I have quite a lot of it in my collection as a matter of fact, but my independence was forged during that period and the soundtrack of its birth will always be special to me.

Something that struck me the other day as I was driving down the highway with Foghat keeping me company, was that 94.1 is deemed a CLASSIC rock & roll station. Sometime between when I was experiencing rock & roll first hand…and now…it transformed into being classic, and I liked that. It got me thinking about my own life, and the life of all of us approaching what is called the golden years, or the autumn of life. When I peek forward into the future I see labels such as aged, decrepit, elderly, feeble, geriatric, retirement age, senility, and senior, being forced upon on all of us. I can tell you right now, I reject all of them.

In a few years when the Social Security checks start coming and the number of daily pills I consume become a meal of its own…don’t brand me as old…instead you can call me…Classic!  :)

Insecure? Come out WRiTING!

I’ve missed the last couple meetings of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group, brain-child of Alex J. Cavanaugh, and it feels good to finally get back into the rotation. Let’s get to it…shall we?

Here’s what I’ve come to realize over the course of my 5+ years of seeking publication – my insecurity…your insecurity…our insecurity, isn’t going anywhere. Face it, there is no cure. It is our constant companion, one with its own agenda, its own timetable, and little regard for feelings. You can try reasoning with it, bargaining with it, or even ignoring it, but in the end it will always return…like a blackmailer coming back for another piece of your pride, time and time again.

So what do we do if we can’t beat it? We can do two things, 1) treat the symptoms and force it into remission, 2) understand that it is never really gone and the power it has over you -- is provided by you. Insecurity comes from within and that is where the battle takes place, with you. Treating the symptoms only provides you with the ammunition you need to successfully fight that battle. It just so happens that I have a way to treat the most prevalent of these symptoms, the “Catch-22” syndrome.

Most of us toil away with our writing with little or no knowledge of how good we really are, but the fear of negative feedback prevents us from sending our work anywhere to find that out. We need feedback…but the fear of it holds us back. Classic Catch-22. My solution – WRiTE CLUB. It is an annual contest going on its third year that pits anonymous 500 word writing samples against each other in weekly bouts. The other club members vote for the one that resonates with them the most and also offer brief critiques. Feedback without the fear of other people knowing it’s your work! Just the ammunition you need to combat that pesky insecurity.

Whether you decide to participate in WRiTE CLUB, or dither in some other activity to help untie that knot in your stomach, remember...insecurity is here to stay.  The sooner you learn to cope with it, the better off you'll be.

WRiTE CLUB 2013 - Submissions Open

WRiTE CLUB is back!

The modest writing competition whose inspiration was derived from the movie FIGHT CLUB is ready to go another round, and this year it’s leaner and meaner than ever! You may have seen numerous versions of this same concept pop up around the internet, but nothing like we do it here. This unique approach, combined with your participation, continues to set it apart from the other writing competitions and is responsible for its phenomenal growth.

Each year I listen to the club's suggestions and tweak the process to improve the experience for everyone, but before we discuss what’s different for 2013, let’s talk about what WRiTE CLUB is for anyone new to the experience. Its essence embodies simple, good-natured competition, with lots and lots of fun sprinkled on top. Over the course of eight weeks we’ll be holding twice-weekly bouts in which the winners will

advance to the play-offs, which will ultimately lead to a single champion. Bouts between who…or what…you ask. Anonymous 500 word writing samples, submitted under a pen name by anyone who wishes to take part, that’s who. The writing can be any genre, any style (even poetry) with the word count being the only restriction. It’s a way to get your writing in front of a lot of readers, without having to suffer the agony of exposure.


And the winners are determined by fellow WRiTE CLUB members alone!

Are you bouncing up and down with excitement, wondering how to submit your sample? First let’s discuss what new for 2013. I received so many submissions last year that the contest became unmanageable and it ran WAY to long in order to try and accommodate as many as I could. This year the submissions will be cut-off on June 30th. A panel of ten judges will read all of the entries we receive during that time and pre-select 32 of the best writing samples to climb into the ring. Those 32 participants will then be randomly matched to compete over the next eight weeks, each of them hoping to make it into the play-off rounds and moving towards the ultimate goal – WRiTE CLUB Champion.

Again this year, the most exciting part is the winner of the final round will be chosen by a panel of publishing industry professionals! Agents, Editors, Publishers, Marketers, and published authors! Check out their bios below (in alphabetical order by last name).

There’s another added wrinkle this year. Each club member who casts a vote in a bout (within the allotted time period) will have their name thrown in a hat. Including the play-offs, there will be a total of 36 bouts, which means possibly putting your name in the hat 36 times. Why is that important? Because just before the finals I will draw one name out of that hat and that person will receive a $75 Amazon Gift Card…just for voting.

How do I sign up? It’s simple, first you need to sign up to be a member of WRiTE CLUB on the Linky Tool at the very bottom of this post, then follow the format below and send your submission to klhtravel@gmail.com. My wife will be the only one monitoring that email address and she will log in and assign every entry a number. None of the judges being used to pre-select the 32 contestants will see who authored any sample, other than by pen-name.

On July 5th I will announce which 32 participants will be continuing on. On July 8th I will randomly select the first pair of these 32 anonymous entries and post the first head to head competition. The winner will be selected by our members via their votes left in the comments. Ties will be decided by me (if necessary). The victor will automatically be eligible for the playoffs – slated to begin September 9, 2013 -- and the loser will be eliminated.

Here are the general rules of WRiTE CLUB (with explanation) that guide the competition, loosely based on the Fight Club rules.

1st RULE: You MUST talk about WRiTE CLUB - Spread the word far and wide so we can involve as many writers as possible. Display the WRiTE CLUB banner prominently on your own blog. Write a post about it. Tweet it. Mention it on Facebook. Heck, send up smoke signals if you can.

2nd RULE: You DO NOT talk about WRiTE CLUB – Once the competition begins you are not allowed to solicit votes. All of the writing entries are anonymous, and we want it to stay that way. This is not a popularity contest!

3rd RULE: If someone taps out, WRiTING is over - Tapping out means a WRiTER can decide at any time during the 8 week competition to withdraw their name from the pool. If that happens the next writer from the open pool with the most votes will move into that spot.

4th RULE: Only two people to a WRiTE - This is a head-to head competition, no ganging up allowed.

5th RULE: Two WRiTE’s per week - No matter how many submissions I receive this year, there will only be two WRiTE’s per week.

6th RULE: No shirts, no shoes - Come on, tell me you didn't giggle at that one.

7th RULE: WRiTES will go on until Sept 9th - On that date the 16 winners will be matched up against one another on daily posts until the ultimate WRiTER is chosen. At some point the WRiTER will be asked to submit a new 500 word sample.
8th RULE: Anyone can WRiTE, but you have to have your submission in by June30th. – No late entries will be accepted this year. 


We started accepting your 500 word submissions today…the cut-off date is midnight on June30th…and then July 8th the first bout will be held. Your submission can not have been published anywhere else before!

Want to see who will be judging the final round this year? Here are the bios of the partial list I have so far. I'm waiting to hear back from at least 4 additional agents, and I will update everyone as they are confirmed.

Kendare Blake – is the author of the highly acclaimed Anna Dressed in Blood and Girl of Nightmares teen horror series.  She is an import from South Korea who was raised in the United States by Caucasian parents. She received a Bachelor's degree in Business from Ithaca College and a Master's degree in Writing from Middlesex University in London. She brakes for animals, the largest of which was a deer, which sadly didn't make it, and the smallest of which was a mouse, which did, but it took forever. Amongst her likes are Greek Mythology, rare red meat and veganism. She also enjoys girls who can think with the boys like Ayn Rand, and boys who scare the morality into people, like Bret Easton Ellis. Her first novel, Sleepwalk Society is a college story which she says falls into that no man's land they call, "New Adult". She has a new novel, Antigoddess (Goddess War #1), slated to be released this fall.

Katie Grimm –  Katie joined Don Congdon Associates in 2007, where in addition to maintaining her own client list she also acts as business manager.  She focuses on vivid literary fiction, transportive historical fiction, up-market women’s fiction, cohesive short story collections, and lurid mysteries & thrillers with exotic or historical settings.  In young adult, she is actively seeking both contemporary and fantastical high-concepts with a touch of romance.  In middle grade, she looks for heart and humor with a strange or creepy twist.  Most importantly, she is hooked by fiction with emotional resonance and longevity, and in her opinion, this requires an authentic voice, relatable characters, and a twisting plot that keeps her intrigued.  For non-fiction, she is looking for narrative non-fiction about history, popular science, off-beat topics, and counter-culture.  She is also a member of SCBWI.

Alice Speilburg -- Alice formed Speilburg Literary Agency in December 2012. She launched her publishing career in 2008 at John Wiley & Sons, where she worked primarily on narrative non-fiction and consumer health books. From there she transitioned to the agency side, working at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency on a broad spectrum of fiction and non-fiction, before branching out on her own. The agency is currently building its client list and is interested in character-driven novels in historical fiction, mystery, fantasy, and literary genres. She will take a look at anything middle-grade, YA, or adult. Also of interest are non-fiction authors with established platforms who are writing books on relationships, women’s issues, music and the arts, health, cooking, travel or history. 

Diane Dalton -- Diane has been a freelance editor since 1999. She has been the managing editor and acquisitions editor at Rhemalda Publishing since 2012. She has edited and critiqued novels, letters, web pages, and press releases for various authors and companies.

Diane has worked with small presses evaluating unsolicited manuscripts for potential publication. She has also coached authors in composition and editing.

Diane's expertise is in developmental editing, coordinating and editing projects from proposal through final manuscript, incorporating input from authors and reviewers. She also is an expert in stylistic editing, being able to clarify the author's meaning/intent, eliminating jargon and polishing language. She is proficient in web-based research and has experience using The Chicago Manual of Style.

 

Alex J. Cavanaugh – Alex is a science fiction writer on a journey of discovery...and blogger extraordinaire!  Online he is known as Captain Ninja Alex! He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design and graphics. He minored in music and plays several instruments, including guitar. Alex is experienced in technical editing and worked with an adult literacy program for several years. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games, and those passions are reflected on his blog. He is the founder of the Insecure Writer's Support Group and co-host of the A to Z Challenge. His first book, CassaStar, was released October 19, 2010, and is an Amazon Best Seller. The sequel, CassaFire, was released on February 28, 2012. His third book in the series, CassaStorm, is scheduled for release later this year.

Tiana Smith – Tiana was the first ever WRiTE CLUB champion back in 2011! She grew up in Montana where she learned how to build a fire better than her husband, though she’s never ridden a horse. She graduated with an English degree with a creative writing focus from Westminster College and writes YA/MG books.  Tiana is currently querying her YA Fantasy novel – Dungeon Duty.  She also likes to design blogs, so if you're interested in getting one of her premade designs, please visit her shop @ The Blog Decorator.

Mark Hough – Mark was last years the 2012 WRiTE CLUB champion. Mark and his wife Faith live and work in Southern Connecticut, a short drive away from the music centers of New York City and Yale School of Music in New Haven. Mark is not only a talented writer, but he has been making violins, violas and cellos for 13 years, since he completing his 3-year apprenticeship with Lawrence Wilke in 1998. He is a member of the Violin Society of America, which has awarded Mark's violins two Certificates of Merit for workmanship

The Linky Tool is below, which allows you to become an official member of the WRiTE CLUB.  Not on the list…no voting or submitting allowed.   I know they'll be questions, so go ahead and leave them in the comments section and I'll post the answers in a follow-up post. 

Are you game?  Are you willing to WRiTE for what you want?  Then crack those knuckles and get ready to flex that imagination.  And whatever you do, tell your friends!

WRiTE CLUB – The contest where the audience is knocked for a loop!