WILD VINES

What does wine have to do with writing? Nothing. And I don't advocate drinking to become a better writer. However, I do have to toot my horn. I just discovered Wild Vines Wines. These are light, sipping wines full of fruit flavor. The Blackberry Merlot is to die for. The Raspberry Zin is great too. There's two or three others I haven't tried yet. So, if you like a nice glass of wine with dinner or after dinner or just to relax with, I'm personally crusading for Wild Vines. Try it. I guarantee you'll like it.

Back soon

I'll be back soon. Between hubby having pneumonia and me some kind of summer crud and a few computer problems, just haven't been up to keeping the blog. Be back soon.

GETTING AWAY FROM IT ALL

The kids are screaming, your teen is hounding you about not being late for soccor practice, your husband calls telling you he's bringing a client home, the phone is ringing off the hook, someone stops in "just for a minute" that turns into an hour or more and other scenarios are often mainstream living for a writer.

But today, I want you to dream a little. What would be your perfect writing spot? On the beach? A cozy lodge like the one on the right? A primitive cabin? Do you want to be totally isolated? Do you want to meet with a group of like-minded individuals after x amount of being alone? Or does the stimulation of short sessions together only to be broken up with swim time, water sports--canoeing/kayaking, horseback trail rides and the like interest you? And your evenings, want them spent by a fireplace with others sipping wine? Bonfire parties? Tours of the town/interesting sites?

Actually, you can find just about any of these if you search the Web. One thing to keep in mind about a writer's retreat is you are expected to work, if not on your WIP, something else. Some retreats are set up like workshops with time for writing, time for read-arounds/critiques, and then socializing. Others let you be as isolated as you desire.

If you truly want to get away from it, leave your cell phone at home or at least leave it off with the exception of perhaps one hour. Remember, you're trying to get away from the distractions.


So, how do you find a writer's retreat? Just Google it. Or at www.shawguides.com you can find conferences, workshops and retreats (although the latter are few).

What's a retreat cost? I hate to interrupt your dream, but most of them are rather pricey. But wouldn't you put out some bucks for a mini-vacation? Think of them that way. There's retreats starting at $100/night up to and over $1000/night. Something for everyone.

So, where do you want to go?

STRUTTING YOUR STUFF

Are you a shy writer? Would you rather write than perform? Dread having to talk about yourself? Cringe if you have to give a talk or read your poems in front of a crowd? Many of us are. But here's some tips to help you:

1. People are receptive. Relax, you're not on trial. Banish those thoughts of I'm not good enough, what will they say, everyone is looking at me, or whatever you're telling yourself to make you nervous. So what if not everyone likes your work? That's why there are so many of us--different strokes for different folks. And face it, would you really rather they looked at the walls? Of course not! If you are faced with reading your work or reciting a poem or doing a presentation, RELAX and remember there are those in the audience who do not even have your expertise/knowledge. You ARE good enough.

2.  Be prepared. Go over your presentation several times ALOUD. Better yet, if you can record yourself, do so. It will help you discover where you are talking too fast, too slow, using those pesky "and uh"s (the sign of a poor public speaker) and where you should be taking a breath. If you mumble, slur words, etc. PRACTICE beforehand. Enunciate. While it may sound strange to you to speak so precise the clarity will  be appreciated by your audience and you will sound much more sophisticated.

3. Don't be a mouse. You must speak up so you can be heard.

4. Leave time for your words to sink in. This may only be a moment or two in poetry/book readings by several poets/authors or longer in the case of a presentation.

5. Be open for questioning. Who knows your work better than you do? And it is no sin to say "I don't know" or "I'm not familiar with that". In this fast paced world we live in, we cannot expect a person to know everything.

6. Relax. Relax. Relax.  If no one wanted to hear you, they wouldn't be there in the first place.

Green Grammar 2

Is your grammar a little green? Does it need a little polishing? Did you take the quiz. If so, here's the answers:
1.  father-in-law's  Rule: For compound words, use the correct possessive form for the word closest to the noun.
2.  children's  Rule: Use apostrophe 's when showing possession for plural nouns not ending in s.
3.  Bill's and Bandy's  Rule: Make both words possessive to show individual ownership.
4.  is Rule: The phrases "as well as," "along with" and "together with" modify the noun. Because they don't make a compound subject, use the proper verb for the noun, which is the singular "third grade class".
5.  is  Rule: When used alone, "pants" requires a plural verb. In this sentence, the subject is "pair" which requires a singular verb.
6.  manufactures  Rule: Treat titles as a singular subject even when the title itself is plural.
7.  do  Rule: When using "neither/nor" or "either/or" the verb agrees with the closest subject, which is "Emily" in this sentence.
8.  English,art and three  Rule:Capitalize words derived from proper nouns.
9.  president  Governor   Rule: Capitalize titles of high-ranking govt. officials when used with or before their names. Don't capitalize the civil title if it's used instead of a name.
10.  North  Rule: Capitalize North, South, East and West when referring to regions. Use lowercase when indicating directions, i.e. The storm is moving north east.

Envious is when you want something that belongs to someone else.
Jealous is used to describe the fear of losing something you possess;suspicion of rivalry or unfaithfulness; an intense effort to hold on to what you possess.

Allusion is an indirect reference.
Illusion is a deceptive appearance, mirage, hallucination, trick.
Delusion is false, often perilous belief.

Honed is to sharpen.
Homed is to move toward a destination with accuracy.

I know two or three tricked me. I think part of the reason we have trouble with grammar is because of the way we talk. We don't use proper English when we speak. Often we don't enunciate. Sometimes regional dialects make it difficult to know whether the word is being used correctly. But that doesn't excuse us as writers from not using proper grammar.

GREEN GRAMMAR

Grammar and punctuation, the bane of many writers.
Just how important is correct grammar? Spelling? Punctuation? I just finished a book by a fairly well known writer and found it rather appalling to find the word spelt.  Since it was a western, I assume he wanted spelled as in "He spelled me for awhile."  Spelt is a grain. I also found some other errors, but I'm not going to elaborate. Let's face it, when we've looked at our ms for the twentieth time, sometimes the words just blur through our glazed-over eyes.

However it is our duty as writers to--sigh,yes, one more thing to consume our precious time--review the rules of grammar and punctuation. Spelling is simply a matter of taking a moment to either look it up or use spell check And realize that spell-check is not the end-all. You certainly wouldn't want to read "Witch is it?" Readability depends on our getting things right.

That said, here's a little quiz. See how you do.

Choose which word (in bold) is correct.

1. My father's-in-law/father-in-law's tenth reunion is next weekend.
2. The children's/childrens' Sunday School class will present a play next Sunday.
3. Bill's and Bandy's/Bill and Bandy's projects were the same.
4. The fourth grade class, along with their parents, are/is on a field trip today.
5. Nate's favorite pair of pants are/is in the wash.
6. General Motors manufactures/manufacture Chevrolets, Pontiacs and other brands.
7. Neither Clayton or/nor Emily does/do the laundry.
8. Emily signed up for english/English, art/Art and three electives.
9. The president/President stayed with governor/Governor Huckabee during his fishing trip.
10. Candy was eager to leave the north/North due to its long, cold winter.


Know the difference between Envious and Jealous?

Know the difference between Allusion, Illusion and Delusion?

Here's one I see  misused a lot. Home and Hone. Which is correct?
Ron honed/homed in on his gardening skills.
The police honed/homed in on the perpetrator.

I'll be back in a day or two with the correct answers. Meanwhile, if you got every one right, go to the head of the class. Miss a couple? A little review might be needed. Miss more than four? Hit the books!

Contests--Pro or Con?

 Do you enter writing contests? Many writers do. And yet, unbelieveably, I know a couple writers who refuse to enter contests. I fail to understand their rationale--they think it is a waste of time as contests are subjectively judged (if the judge likes a certain form and you write in rhymed couplets you'll probably be disqualified or it's just a matter of what the judge likes). This is true up to a point. But most judges are open to all forms of poetry or writing styles; it is the skill that is exhibited in the ms that counts. The naysayers also say why write for a pittance, I'm holding out for the big bucks with my novel.

So are they worth it? This is just my take, but I find contests vital. Not only are you competing to win a few bucks (sometimes very substantial bucks!) but judges become familiar with your name. If the contest publishes the winning contents, that's another feather in your cap. The more your name becomes familiar, the better chance of eventual fame.

That said there are a couple GOLDEN RULES you should never break. Follow the rules! If they ask for a max of 2000 words, don't think you can squeak by with 2005 words. Some contests want your personal info in the left hand corner of one copy, with nothing on your ms. copy. Others want the info on the right hand corner. Others want your personal info on a cover letter. Follow the directions explicitly or you may be disqualified and you have only yourself to blame. And don't forget your SASE!

That said I thought I'd list a few current contests that welcome beginners to pros. Good luck!
http://sevenhillsreview.submishmash.com/submit

http://www.wordharvest.com/contest.php

http://www.shadetreecreations.com/ArtAffair_Announcements.htm

http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/fiction-contest

http://www.diversevoicesquarterly.com/submissions