The Fabulist Flash

Gregory A. Kompes

Issue #235

May 2010

Hello Friends!

First, let me announce that Patricia and Gwynn are the winners of the April book giveaway. Each will receive a copy of Judy McFadden's Life with McDuff: Lessons Learned from a Therapy Dog. This month's Fabulist Flash book giveaway is…

This month's Fabulist Flash book giveaway is Maralys Wills' (see her 18Q in this month's issue) Damn the Rejections Full Speed Ahead. A treasure trove of sage advice for the new writer. Want a complimentary copy? I've got two to offer. Email your snail mail address to me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (with the subject line "Wills") by May 31, 2010 and I'll randomly select winners using the tried and true name in a hat method on June 1st.

It's been great fun hosting a radio show. Your Psychic Journey has aired a few times and I've already got a small, but growing following. If you missed my interviews with authors Debra Lynne Katz and Sara Wiseman, you can listen to the archived shows at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yourpsychicjourney. Upcoming guests in May include food expert Michelle Comeau and psychic Erin Pavlina.

Patchwork Path: Wedding Bouquet has arrived. It's always such a thrill to visit the post office and send out books. We've hit our stride with the Patchwork Path series with three different titles in motion at the same time. Wedding Bouquet has come out, Christmas Stocking is in the first round of editing, and we're making final story selections for Treasure Box.

Until next month…

Follow your dreams, follow your passion, and inspire others to do the same.

Gregory

Fabulist Flash Recommends

Ron Knight's blog, Marketing for Untraditional Authors
http://www.upauthors.com/blog

Patricia Rossi, Etiquette, Protocol, Leadership
http://patriciarossi.com/blog/

Book of the Month

A treasure trove of sage advice for the new writer packaged in easy to digest and fun to read anecdotes. Damn the Rejections, Full Speed Ahead by Maralys Wills offers real world suggestions for writing novels or non-fiction and turning them into not only saleable, but bestseller works. Chosen a USA Book News "Best Book Award Winner."

Chosen: BEST BOOK in Busines/Publishing & Writing Category USA Book News Awards

Start a Writer's Workshop
by Gregory A. Kompes

A few months ago a friend asked me to join her small, writer's workshop group. Because I really like my latest NaNoWriMo novel and want to flesh it out, I said yes. Every other week, our little group of four authors meets at a local bookstore. Each of us reads some of our work aloud and we then offer critique and suggestions about how the story might be improved.

What I like about our little group, besides the company of my fellow writers, is that we all learn from each other. We're not only helping improve our writing through the critiques we receive, but also through critiquing the other writers. I've belonged to larger groups that because of their size greatly limit the amount of reading time/critique time for each writer. In this smaller setting we can take a little longer and really delve into the language, style, and story telling. For me, this creates a very satisfying experience.

Writer's workshops aren't only for beginners and yet-to-be-published authors. When I was the conference coordinator for the Las Vegas Writer's Conference, one of our faculty members was bestselling author James Rollins. He and I had a conversation about the fact that he still enjoys participating in his local writer's workshop group. Even after dozens of novels and time on the NYTimes Bestseller List, Jim still relies on the workshop to help him improve his novel writing.

Here are my recommendations for starting your own workshop group.

1. Form a group no larger than 6 participants. (Four actually seems to be about the perfect size.) While it can be good to gather like-minded writers (i.e., all SciFi, romance, historical, nonfiction, etc.), there is also much to be gained with an eclectic group. It is important that on some level you're all friends and enjoy each other's company and respect each other's style.

2. Find a place to meet. This might be a bookstore or coffee shop, or rotated among your homes. If you meet in a public place, it should be relatively quiet and not restrain your language. (It can be difficult to critique a love scene in a crowded coffee shop!) Wherever you choose to meet, it should be comfortable.

3. Meet on a regular schedule. Whether it's every week, every two weeks, or monthly, meeting on a regular schedule establishes a rhythm. While there may be a meeting that needs to be altered because of a holiday or other circumstances, having a regular meeting time provides structure.

4. Make it a requirement that each person in the group bring something to read or workshop to each meeting. It's important that everyone participate in both the critiquing and in being critiqued. This helps create a sense of equality and also helps the procrastinators among us. At the same time, be understanding. Life happens and we can't always be perfectly prepared all the time.

5. If possible, don't set a clock or timer. When we have to play Beat the Clock we have a natural tendency to rush, and to be more concerned with the time frame than the content. You want to make sure that you have 30-40 minutes for each group member to read and receive critique without being rushed.

6. Be honest with your critiques. One of the main reasons to form a writer's workshop is to improve both your book and your writing skills. When we're not honest with our fellow workshop members, our opportunity to improve is lessened.

Patchwork Path Story Calls

Patchwork Path is always looking for heartwarming, funny, and personal essays and stories for their growing list of titles. What we're looking for: Creative original stories and essays of 250 to 2000 words. Fiction and nonfiction will be considered. Previously published material will be considered including stories, articles, and book excerpts. Author must hold reprint rights to previously published material. Authors may submit up to 2 stories per theme for consideration. There is NO Entry Fee or Reading Fee. Patchwork Path authors are paid $50 for each published story. Visit http://www.PatchworkPath.com for complete details and submission guidelines.

Upcoming Deadlines:
Mother's Life: June 30, 2010 (Stories about Mothers)
Star Spangled Banner: August 31, 2010 (The American Dream)
Star of Hope: December 31, 2010 (Stories of Hope)
Baby's Block: March 31, 2011 (Favorite Baby stories)

Upcoming Events

May 12, 2010: Writer's Pen & Grill, a social evening for writers in Las Vegas, NV. Location details at: http://www.penandgrill.com

May 13, 2010: Your Psychic Journey with Gregory A. Kompes
8pm; Guest Interview: Michelle Comeau
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yourpsychicjourney.com

May 20, 2010: Your Psychic Journey with Gregory A. Kompes
8pm; Live psychic readings
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yourpsychicjourney.com

May 27, 2010: Your Psychic Journey with Gregory A. Kompes
8pm; Guest Interview: Erin Pavlina
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yourpsychicjourney.com

June 2010: Release of Patchwork Path: Wedding Bouquet. Details at: http://www.patchworkpath.com

June 9, 2010: Celebrating Gay Pride: Meet the Author travel panel featuring Gregory A. Kompes. Clark County Library, Las Vegas, NV. 6-9PM.

June 3, 2010: Your Psychic Journey with Gregory A. Kompes
8pm; Guest Interview: TBA
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yourpsychicjourney.com

June 9, 2010: Writer's Pen & Grill, a social evening for writers in Las Vegas, NV. Location details at: http://www.penandgrill.com

June 10, 2010: Your Psychic Journey with Gregory A. Kompes
8pm; Guest Interview: TBA
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yourpsychicjourney.com

July 14, 2010: Writer's Pen & Grill, a social evening for writers in Las Vegas, NV. Location details at: http://www.penandgrill.com

September/October 2010: Release of Patchwork Path: Christmas Stocking. Details at: http://www.patchworkpath.com

In the News

Library of Congress to House Entire Twitter Archive
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100414/sc_livescience/libraryofcongresstohouseentiretwitterarchive

No More Pre-Publication Reviews by Dan Poynter
http://blog.parapublishing.com/uncategorized/no-more-pre-pub-reviews/

Apple iPad sells 1 Million in Less than a Month
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2010/0504/Apple-iPad-One-million-sold

Announcements

The Refractive Thinker™ Press is proud to present: The Refractive Thinker: Volume IV: Ethics, Leadership, and Globalization.

The Refractive Thinker™ celebrates the accomplishments of the doctoral scholars contained within the pages of their fourth volume: Ethics, Leadership, and Globalization (256 pages, $34.99 paper book, $16.95 e-book, $3.95 individual e-chapters). The intent is to provide a forum for these authors to share their thoughts and expertise as they contribute to our expanse of knowledge in pursuits of the tenets of and philosophies of higher learning. These individual contributions included a Peer Review Board.

The title of this series, The Refractive Thinker™ was chosen intentionally to describe a new way of thinking. As a society, we often find ourselves between the dichotomies of either thinking within the box (thinking) or outside of the box (critical thinking). The Refractive Thinker™ introduces the concept of refractive thinking – thinking beyond the box, perhaps even building a new box entirely. As a result, this series highlights the ability of these doctoral scholars to bend thought, to converge its very essence on the ability to obliquely pass through the perspective of another. The goal is to ask and ponder the right questions; to dare to think differently, to find new applications within unique and cutting edge dimensions, ultimately to lead where others may follow or to risk forging perhaps a new path entirely.

The goal of this series is to provide additional guidance one might need as a citizen of the world. For Volume IV, these scholars and authors provide readers with new lenses with which to explore ambiguity and to navigate turbulent waters offering new paths to success. Topics will include ethics, leadership, and various global concerns currently affecting the business landscape. Discover additional answers to consider and the many pearls of wisdom offered within these pages.

The Refractive Thinker™ Press presents this collection of the works of thirteen scholarly authors affiliated with various institutions of higher learning to include topics such as: Ethics in Educational Leadership (Dr. Neysa T. Sensenig); Have We Tipped: Are We Ready to Demand Ethical Behavior From Our Leaders? (Dr. Sheila Embry); Physician Cultural Attitudes Towards Hospice Services (Dr. Karleen Yapp); Behavioral Integrity: The Precursor to Ethical Leadership (Dr. Cynthia Ann Roundy); How Understanding Impacts Ethics and Privacy (Dr. Tim Brueggemann); The Power of the River of Character in Organizations (Dr. Ramon Benedetto); The Impact That Ethics and Values Have on Leader-Follower Relationships (Dr. Susan K. Fan); Exploring the Transactional and Transformational Leadership Characteristics of Social Networking Communications (Dr. Gail Ferreira); Globalization of Body Language (Dr. Judy Fisher-Blando) (Dr. T.G. Robinson) (Dr. Cheryl A. Lentz); Maximizing Debt Collection Performance Through Organizational Design Changes (Dr. Kaja Kroll); and Systems Theory: Changing the Hegemonic Impact on Leadership Advancement for Women (Dr. Beverley Carter). The Foreword is written by Cam Caldwell PhD with the conclusion written by Dr. Thomas M.Woodruff.

http://www.refractivethinker.com
ISBN:   978-0-9823036-8-9
E-book:   978-0-9823036-9-6

Poetry Contest

Sage Cohen is hosting a poetry contest. She'll be choosing 365 poems to appear in "The Life Poetic" iPhone app. And will be giving away a class, manuscript review, and many books to a few of the top contest winners.

Deadline for submission is July 4. You can get all the details here:

http://writingthelifepoetic.typepad.com/writing_the_life_poetic/2010/04/youre-invited-to-submit-to-the-life-poetic-iphone-poetry-contest-.html

Anthology Submission Call for How Am I Normal?

The book’s working title is How Am I Normal? This project will be a humorous collection of first-person accounts of surviving a crazy childhood or family life and somehow managing to turn out just fine. No mean-spirited rants or depressing tales of survival, please. Tell us about eccentric parents, unusual living situations, and quirky circumstances that somehow helped mold you into the well-balanced person you are today. Think Chicken Soup but ironic, hip, and edgy.

First-time authors are encouraged to submit. There’s no entry fee, reading fee, or cost for copyediting—all you have to do is tell a funny story and tell it well.

Deadline: 12:01 a.m. August 1, 2010

More details at: http://agingnymphsmedia.blogspot.com/p/call-for-entries.html


Have an announcement? Email me: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Eighteen Questions

Maralys Wills' 18Q

Bibliography
Damn the Rejections Full Speed Ahead
A Clown in the Trunk
A Circus Without Elephants
Higher Than Eagles
Scatterpath
Fun Games For Great Parties

URLs
Maralys.com or  DamnTheRejections.com

1. Did you choose the writing profession or did it choose you?
I chose it. From my first fascination with books, about age eight, I could see myself as a writer. Living on an isolated ranch in Mount Shasta, California, a mile from our nearest neighbor, I discovered that books were the magic carpet that could transport you anywhere--and did. With Heidi I went to Switzerland, with Bambi I leaped through the meadows and forests, with my mother’s books I found countries I’d never known before. It soon became obvious that writing books would put me, as well, on the printed page.

2. What is your background? (education, work, etc)
I attended both Stanford and UCLA, getting both a BA from UCLA, and then a teaching credential. My educational years were liberally mixed with my mothering years; I was pregnant with my fourth boy when I began teaching Fifth Grade. Eventually, as the mother of five boys and a girl, I stayed home to play Cook, Taxi driver, and Referee. They were good, rambunctious years, raised to a new level of excitement when our flying-mad second son introduced the family to hang gliding. For five years I worked in the family’s hang gliding company, a role that faltered when our third son was killed in the sport, and terminated forever when we lost our oldest son—also to hang gliding.

Once my remaining children were grown and gone, I became a (mostly) full-time writer. I’ve published 12 books, including a book on writing: “Damn the Rejections, Full Speed Ahead.” For the last 25 years I’ve also been teaching a weekly class in novel-writing and memoirs. My working days are roughly divided between teaching, writing new books, and promoting the books I’ve already written.

3. When did you ‘know’ you were a writer?
Long before I sold my first article, (about our sons’ adventures in hang gliding), I saw myself as a writer. As I collected 129 rejection slips for poems, essays, stories, and first-hand accounts, I wondered how many rejection slips it would take to sell something. In my mind it was always “when,” never “if.” Still, writing for money altered my title. Now I was an author. Before, I’d been a mother with a typewriter.

4. How would you describe your style of writing?
Straightforward. Vivid. Full of scenes and vignettes. Often humorous. A story-teller’s quest for the unusual, the humorous, the dramatic, the ironic. But securely anchored in the real world.

5. What is your writing process?
Except for publicity chores (which are all too time-consuming), I write whenever I can find the time. Sometimes I push things away to “make” time. When I’m deeply involved in a project, I let ordinary “living” go by the board. Laundry, shopping, cooking—they all wait. I have no schedule. Every stolen hour in front of the computer becomes my “schedule.”

6. What was your path to publication?
No special path. At first I simply sent things out (129 things), until United Airlines Mainliner magazine “bit.” From then on, every published book was achieved a different way. I was agented for my first nine books, yet for five of them the sale would not have occurred except for something I did myself. Even with an agent, you have to be part of the process.

7. What is your favorite self-marketing idea?
Speeches. There is no second choice. I have searched high and low for something that works as well as giving speeches, but have yet to find it.

8. What are the biggest surprises you’ve encountered as a writer?
How much a book—the same exact material—can be changed over time by endless, dogged polishing. I would not have believed that the same story could go from wholly unsaleable to a much-revered memoir simply by re-visiting it over and over, and finding new ways to “upgrade” the telling.

9. How do you inspire yourself? What are your sources of creativity?
A hundred events in my life can suggest themselves as topics for books—or stories within books. But I am most “inspired” when I sit down at the computer and begin writing. Inspiration grows as the page fills, until by the end of a session of writing, the material is almost writing itself. The only magical source of inspiration is a warm shower. Sometimes a “shower” becomes the final solution for a stubborn writing problem.

10. What is your proudest writer moment?
Easily, the night I found in my mailbox an editor’s offer to buy my book, “Higher Than Eagles.” After 14 years of writing, re-writing, and sending it out, I wondered if it would ever happen. By then I knew it was good (and a major editor had refused it with words of praise that could have been on the book jacket) —but when would an editor commit to publish it? Still, I was elated, but not terribly surprised, that the published book drew five movie options, an article in the Los Angeles Times (reprinted in 56 newspapers), and a visit from the newsmagazine 20/20. And I’m currently pleased, but not exactly astonished, that a Hollywood producer read it and has since guided me through the creation of a screen play. If this book is destined to become a movie, I hope it happens soon. 

11. What’s the best advice you were given about writing?
That you must be able to summarize your book in one sentence. A book can’t be about “this and that.” If you can’t summarize it yourself, you won’t know where you’re going, and your book will constantly wander off track.

12. What is your most embarrassing (make that infuriating), writer moment?
The time an agent encouraged me, with rapt listening and intent expression to tell her about my unpublished memoir. Just as I thought she was mesmerized, she suddenly surprised me by saying, “You’ll never sell that book.” We got into a semi-polite argument, as I maintained my book was exactly the kind of book I, and others, always chose to read. She ended the discussion by saying, “People are sick of those disease-of-the-month books.” I stared at her, and inside my head I was screaming, “You’re wrong!” Her snippy words gave me fourteen years of the world’s strongest motivation. I can only fully get back at her if the book becomes a movie.

13. What business challenges have you faced as a writer?
The constant search for ways to sell books. I can’t be everywhere in the country, giving speeches and hand selling my books. I yearn to be famous enough so the outside world COMES TO ME for speeches instead of my squandering priceless writing time in the endless effort to nail them down. Everyone tells me the internet is a good way to sell. But when I pursue this resource further, I find it’s mainly another great sponge, soaking up the hours.

14. What is your writer life philosophy?
Getting published is a two-track effort. You can never stop making your material better. You can never stop sending it out. Most determined writers who stay on those two tracks will eventually get published.

15. When you’re not writing, what do you do for fun?
I used to play a lot of tennis. Now I spend time with my husband, my friends, my kids, and grandkids. I love to play word games. My most entertaining hours are spent doing Crosswords, playing Boggle, Taboo, and Scrabble. 

16. Who do you like to read?
I’m an eclectic reader, eager to devour all the books my trusted friends like—everything except science fiction, fantasy, and romance. My favorite books are the well-crafted memoirs: Loved “Angela’s Ashes,” Betty McDonald’s books, “The Glass Castle,” “The Color of Water.” Even the best authors are inconsistent; none of them are good all the time. The greatest authors fall below the line when they’re pushed by publishers to churn out too many books too fast. The best books are usually first books—works that have been lovingly, painstakingly polished over time.

17. What’s your advice for new writers?
Learn the craft from a writing class—and then from a critique group. Read all the books you can in the genre in which you hope to write. Don’t ever expect to get meaningful beginner’s help from agents or editors; they’re all too busy. They only help when you’re already a great writer.

18. What are you currently working on?
A marketing book for published writers. But I’ve found my huge variety of efforts at marketing so discouraging that I may take a humorous slant. It’s hard to be serious about a topic which has only one solution.

Within a year, I plan to start a fourth memoir—about my earliest years, when I was the daughter of a mother who married 7 times, a doctor famous in the world of pharmaceuticals, and the granddaughter of a silently mysterious man who became a multi-millionaire trading on the curb (literally) of the New York stock exchange.