July 7th, 2009 by Ami
Let me introduce you to Kathryn Magendie. She’s funny, talented and oh-so-literary. And she recently sold her first novel! Hoping to learn from her experience, I asked Kathryn to share with us a bit about her writing and the process of getting her book published.
Write Out Loud: You recently published a book, Tender Graces. Could you tell us a little about it?
Kathryn Magendie: The death of her troubled mother and memories of her isolated grandmother lure a woman back to the Appalachian hollow where she was born. Virginia Kate Carey, the daughter of a beautiful mountain wild-child and a slick, Shakespeare-quoting salesman, relives her turbulent childhood and the pain of her mother’s betrayals. Haunted by ghosts and buried family secrets, Virginia Kate struggles to reconcile three generations of her family’s lost innocence.
WOL: Where did the idea for your book come from?
KM: Since I never think in plot, only in character, ideas always come from a character. I did use an event from my own life to support the character I had in my head. The event was my biological mother in West Virginia giving up her three children by my father one by one. We all ended up with my father and stepmother—who adopted us (thank you, Mother—Ruth). But, the rest is made up other than a few little things that may have slipped in there, and some reading between the lines where I sneaked in some things, some secrets embedded, some tidbits I hope readers “get” when they read Tender Graces and think, “Did she mean to do that?” and I hope I did and in some instances I know I did.
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July 3rd, 2009 by Ami
It’s a 3-day weekend for me, and I’m looking forward to some writing time as well as some outdoor time. I’m sure you’ll be doing the same, but when you’re not out barbecuing or sun bathing, check out some great writing articles from this week.
The Biz
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July 2nd, 2009 by Ami
Earlier this week, you were introduced to (or reminded of) SMART goals. I covered the first three criteria of a SMART goal and today I’m going to cover the last two.
First, let’s review what a SMART goal is:
- Specific - The goal should be as specific and well-defined as possible.
- Measurable - You should have some way of measuring progress toward and completion of your goal.
- Attainable - There should be some reasonable expectation that you can achieve the goal.
- Relevant - The goal should apply to your own life, dreams, and objectives.
- Time-based - The goal should have a clear deadline.
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June 30th, 2009 by Ami
Is it just me or has June flown by like Auntie Em’s house in a tornado? In fact, it’s just occurring to me that we’re only a few hours away from this year’s half-way mark. I started this year with a lot of goals for my writing, and it looks like now is a great time to take stock of where I’m at, adjust my objectives and get focused for another six months.
In reviewing my writing goals for 2009, I realized they may not have been as well-thought-out or specific as they could have been. I decided to re-work some of them, which brings me to the real focus of this post: SMART goals. This week, I’ll be expanding on the SMART criteria for goal creation to help you create effective and attainable objectives that get you closer and closer to meeting your writing goals.
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June 26th, 2009 by Ami
There’s a lot going on out there and I’ve rounded up some great posts again this week. Check them out for great tips, helpful information and even a little humor.
Enjoy your last June weekend!
The Biz
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June 22nd, 2009 by Ami
Our writing VIP here at Write Out Loud this month is Greg Logsted. Greg is a novelist and currently lives in Danbury, CT with his wife and fellow author, Lauren Baratz-Logsted and their daughter Jackie. He is the author of Something Happened and coauthor of “Fred,” the lead story in the Johnny Cash-theme anthology, Literary Cash.
Write Out Loud: Welcome, Greg. You have a book coming out tomorrow (June 23). Congratulations! Can you tell us a bit about it?
Greg Logsted: Thanks for inviting me, Ami!
In my second novel ALIBI JUNIOR HIGH, thirteen-year-old Cody Saron has never lived in one place longer than a few weeks, and has never attended a regular school. He’s grown up on the run with his father, an undercover agent for the CIA. Cody has traveled the entire globe, speaks five languages, and has two black belts. What Cody isn’t prepared for is…junior high.
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June 19th, 2009 by Ami
It’s the end of another week and here we are again. I’ve collected some great articles for your weekend reading pleasure. I hope you enjoy them, learn from them and relate to them. As always, any comments, questions or discussion is welcome.
Have a wonderful weekend!
The Biz
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June 18th, 2009 by Ami
Books have always been a guilty pleasure of mine. I grew up spending my allowance and babysitting money on books, pens and notebooks. (I should have seen the signs…) Now that I’m a writer, books are even more important to me. My shelves are packed not only with my favorite pleasure reads, but with plenty of resources.
Of all the books on my shelves, I find a few to be extremely important to my writing career. Here are my top five picks for books every writer should own (and refer to regularly):
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June 12th, 2009 by Ami
This week has gotten away from me, but I have my weekend reading list ready for us all. I’m still sifting through my feed reader (you people just keep posting…) and finding great stuff to share. Hope you have a wonderful weekend and enjoy some of these fantastic articles. And don’t forget to spend some time writing something (anything) that makes you smile with joy!
The Biz
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June 5th, 2009 by Ami
I hope you all had a wonderful week. I’m back from vacation and way behind in many things, one of which is my blog, newsletter and online magazine reading. That means this issue of Weekend Reading will be a little shorter than usual. Check out what I dug from the 1000+ new posts in my reader. Hopefully you’ll find something useful in there.
Enjoy your weekend!
The Biz
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