And Another Thing I Love About Conferences...

Metro Atlanta is a BIG place. And I love living in my little corner of this big place. But it's not always easy to get together with writing friends who may be in a little corner way on the other side of this big place. Sometimes, writing friends are a state or two over. Thank goodness for writing conferences where we can all get together.

We laugh, we cry, we toast our successes, drown our sorrows, then start all over again. Is it just me or could that be a country song? Anyway, the point is that we share our journeys, and learn from each other. Sometimes, we learn a lot.

Take my friend, Janice Hardy. I knew she'd written a middle grade fantasy series, but I did not know that she had an entire blog FULL of writing information. I mean, seriously helpful writing articles and resources. Having a problem with finding your voice? There's an article for that. Conflicted over your conflict? There's an article for that. Confused about word counts? There's an article for that, too.

In fact, there are over 500 articles! Great googly-moogly, that's a lotta info. And it's all in one place, over at The Other Side of the Story.

The best part is, you don't have to go to a conference and get chummy with Janice to find out more. Oh, dear. That didn't come out quite right. Janice is completely charming and you'd really like her. So, um, the point here is, you don't have to wait for the next conference. All you have to do is click.

Finding Something Friday: Packing Your Pitch!

Yikes! I don't have time to find something this Friday--I'm busy packing and whatnot for an SCBWI conference!

Fortunately, I found something earlier this week that's been quite helpful in the packing department. I found a blog post from Bubble Cow on "How to Clearly Communicate the Essence of Your Book to Agents and Publishers."

You may or may not like the idea of piggy-backing your pitch onto a well-known construct, but it can help you squeeeze out the essence of your book, and get you started. Because packing a short, well-thought out pitch is just as important as comfy shoes and your toothbrush.

Which reminds me. I need toothpaste!

P.S. That's Juniorest Hall, getting ready to throw a pitch. He's WAY bigger than that now. But he's still pretty cute!

Tooting My Horn Tuesday: I WON! I WON! I WON!

So. You know I zipped over to the Southern Breeze SCBWI Conference in Alabama this weekend, just to hobnob, chitchat and any other compound word that fits.

But Southern Breeze also sponsors writing contests and an illustration contest in conjunction with this conference. And one of the categories in the writing contests is "Fiction for Middle Grade and Teen." Which just happens to be the category that my current work-in-progress fits. Which I just happened to send in for the contest...

AND I WON! I WON FIRST PLACE! I SQUEALED LIKE A LITTLE GIRL 'CAUSE I WON!

I almost didn't share the news because then there would be all this pressure. Like to finish the polishing up on the last two or three chapters. And to start doing more than the writing of the manuscript. Like to actually send it out in the world.

But then I thought, Shoot, Cathy, this is HUGE. (When I called my mom with the news, she said a writer should be able to come up with a better word than "Huge." Oh, that mom of mine.)

Yep, it's been a super fantastical, ginormous time here at my little desk in the world. But it's also nose to the grindstone time. Or in my case, fingers to the keyboard, brain to the scathingly brilliant thinking time. I have a manuscript to finish and submit to an editor. 'Cause, you know, I WON!

Finding Something Friday: Off to a Conference!

I'm in a bit of hurry this Friday, what with a SCBWI conference on my schedule! But I had to drop in and check on the October Things Baseball Giveaway. I sorta, kinda forgot when the giveaway closed and the winner was supposed to be drawn.

So I took a few minutes to read all those swell writing tips. How serendipitous! A tip or two was just what I needed to pack for the conference.

From Donna over at Donna's Book Pub: "Sometimes you have to "play ball" with editors and agents to get published.

From Barb Hodges at God Whispers in My Ear: When we network, someone else may go to bat for us.

From Jodi (who's doing a conference, too!): Baseball is like writing because we're both wacky superstitious!

Which reminded me that I need my lucky boots on the trip with me. Along with Cathy-on-a-Stick, my business cards, and my courage.

Perhaps courage is what I need to find the most this Friday. When I attend big conferences, that little, shy girl who never opened her mouth all through first grade seems to grab a hold of my hand once again. But since I go to conferences to network and make new friends, speaking is required.

So, I'll be packing my smile, my Southern charm, and a few prayers, too. And then I'll start introducing myself.

(P.S. Since I'll be conferencing, I'm extending comments on the Baseball Giveaway till Sunday. Drop in here this weekend for a chance to win -or maybe read the swell writing tips yourself!)

Tuesday Tip: A Promise is a Promise is Springmingle

I know that I said I'd share what I learned from the conference I just attended. So, if you zip over to Finders & Keepers here, you'll get the skinny on Springmingle '10.

But here's what I read in this week's Horoscope section of TV Guide, just this morning:

Libra (It just so happens that I'm a Libra)
Jenna Elfman, 9/30/71 (So is Jenna Elfman! I liked Jenna Elfman in Dharma and Greg. Or I liked thinking that's the kind of kooky, carefree spirit I could be, if in fact I were the kooky and carefree type. I'm not.)

"Not everyone shares your sense of humor, so be careful what you say over the next seven days-because some people, maybe important ones, won't take kindly to your jokes and quips, especially if they're the target. Choose your words carefully and you'll have a great week."

Sheesh. Now I'm a nervous wreck. Because I've written about all kinds of important conference folks over at Finders and Keepers, and Cathy-on-a-Stick was at the conference, too.

But a promise is a promise. So enjoy. (All in all, I think I'd rather be a Taurus this week.)

What Not To Do Wednesday - If I Were The Queen of the Conference

So, I just returned from a weekend writer's conference. And for once, I'm not going to share my gaffes and foibles. That doesn't mean there weren't plenty of my what-not-to-do's running around. But today, I'm taking a look at the gaffes and foibles of the conference planners. If I were Queen of the Conference (and wearing a Doric column crown)...

A.) What's with all the food that's served at these conferences? I mean, I like food as much as the next writer, but I don't need to eat every hour. Of course, if there's food around, even if I'm stuffed, I'll belly up to the trough with everyone else. I guess the theory is that if I don't fill up on words of wisdom, I can at least fill up on Danish and cookies and fruit. Oh, and nuts. And juice, water, and cokes. And that trail mix stuff. Mmmmmm.

Queen Cathy would cut out half the food and take 20 bucks off the conference price.

B.) Ever notice how repetitive these conference sessions can be? The names of the sessions may change, but the content stays the same. For example, let's say you're a children's writer and you attend the sessions having to do with children's writing. Do you really need 4 people to tell you 1. join SCBWI? Or 2. read lots and lots of books in your genre? Or 3. no, Cathy, I will not read your manuscript? Okay, maybe some of us do need four people to reiterate a point.

Queen Cathy would work with similar-subject presenters to ensure that conference attendees get a variety of information. (Gosh, that sounded impressive, didn't it?)

C.) Raise your hand if you've sat in a session and wondered how that presenter managed to get booked. You know the folks I'm talking about...they wander around all kinds of topics, except the topic on the name of the session. You listen carefully at first, thinking any minute, you'll glean some earth-shattering gem. But then your eyes glaze over when he or she dives into the next long-winded story about, well, you have no idea 'cause you've stopped listening.

Queen Cathy would ask for an outline, a proposal, heck, even a sticky note, with the information that a presenter intends to present. And send volunteers to each session to keep an eye on things. And report back. With a detailed account of the presentation. (Um, like a spy. But not a spy, 'cause that's kinda tacky.)

D.) Every time I attend a conference, some poor presenter can't get the computer hook-up to work- and the complete presentation is on power point. Audio-visuals usually keep me awake. Waiting for the AV presentation to start? Not so much.

Queen Cathy would have the baddest techno geek in the world at the conference. Just in case.

Yes, indeed, if I were Queen of the Conference, things would be a lot different. Starting with my identity. I wouldn't want crazy writers coming after Cathy C. Hall with a list of what-not-to-do's.

Free to a Good Writer: Advice

I love a good deal. Nothing makes me happier than to find a bargain worth bragging about. So, I'm pretty much busting with joy right now, 'cause I've got such a deal for you writers!

The Virtual Writer's Conference begins today! Posts are going up as I type, and I can tell you they're packed with great writing advice. I just read the opening post by Leslea Harmon. She shared her thoughts about standing up for your work (she writes an opinion column) and I loved what she had to say. And I saw that Margo Dill was up next with some advice about revising and editing your children's works. Margo is an editor and has a middle-grade book due for publication this year, so I think you'll appreciate her pearls of writing wisdom.

Sometime during the day, my Top Ten Reasons You Should Have a Blog will be posted. So, zip over there and see if I've left anything out. And share your comments on the Virtual Writer's Conference blog so that all the attendees can benefit from your pearls of writerly wisdom.

New posts will be added through the 21st, and since this is a virtual conference, you don't have to worry about missing a single session! Seriously. Is this a deal or what?