Here's another reason to write, my friends. Click on the link.
The subject of the article (I hope you read it) is close to me at the moment. I was wondering what keeps me writing, every day, in my blog? My reasons are not so devastating, but even thinking about issues that are bleak without letting them out in some form is a dangerous game. I'd love to hear from someone, anyone, who reads this; what do you think?
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Congratulations to Millie Lancaster!
Congratulations to our very own Millie Lancaster for winning second place (and a $250 prize) for the WOW (Women on Writing) summer 2015 Flash Fiction Contest. Millie won for her story entitled "An Adventuresome Sort of Person." You can read her story at: You can read her story at http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/67-FE1-Summer15Contest.html
Saturday, November 7, 2015
A Place to Write
Between the two homes that form WCDH, eight suites are available to give writers a place to clear their heads, focus on their writing projects, and spend time in the creative process. Each suite is unique, but shares a few commonalities with the others: a well-lit writing area with a beautiful view of the trees and birds and wildlife out the window; a comfortable bed; a coffee maker; and a bathroom. Most suites (and perhaps all) have a small refrigerator; at least a few are equipped with microwave and/or cook-top. WiFi is available in every room, as well as the public areas; both houses have large living areas with comfortable seating for group gatherings, as well as a kitchen. The main house has a large commercial kitchen, where a wonderful gourmet evening meal (included for all writers in residence) is provided at 6:00 pm, Monday through Friday.
Writers who neede dedicated, undisturbed quiet time find all they need at WCDH. But the venue is well-suited to collaborative endeavors, as well. Some suites have very large writing areas in which two or more writers can gather. Public spaces can accommodate even more collaboration, provided the collaborators keep their interactions low-key and quiet.
Images of Eureka Springs should be included in the dictionary alongside the definition of "funky." The town is a haven for the arts. The town is full of writers, painters, sculptors, potters, and musicians. Small shops fill the small downtown area, offering visitors opportunities to spent hours viewing and experiencing art, food, entertainment, and relaxation.
The Village Writers' Club group, though, spent only a couple of hours downtown during their three-day visit to WCDH. Most of our time was spent in our individual rooms, writing, or in discussion about the projects on which we were working. Myra engaged in discussions about writing and revising some of her poetry. Mary Lou spent time getting feedback about writing and revising a piece about real crime and another project, the latter a non-fiction piece on which she and Jerry are collaborating. Jerry focused his time on outlining and writing that non-fiction piece. I wrote and revised some short stories and one of my poems, and fiddled with chapter one of a novel.
Over dinners, our group got to know a couple of other writers in residence, Laura Van Prooyen, an established poet who is working on a collection of her poems and Yermiyahu Ahron Taub, another acclaimed poet who is using his WCDH residency to work on short stories. Both of them were in the midst of a much longer stay than the short period our group sampled.
Our brief visit gave us just a taste of what's possible at a residential writing destination. There's little doubt all four of us will do it again; next time around, I am confident VWC members will fill all eight suites.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
GETTING OUT OF YOUR BOOK CONTRACT (MAYBE)
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware
Writer Beware often hears from authors who've signed up with bad or inexperienced or dishonest publishers, and are desperate to get free. They write to us wanting to know how they can break their contracts and regain their rights. Unfortunately, there's usually no easy answer to this question, even where the publisher has clearly breached its contractual obligations. Too often, I have to tell people that they are probably stuck.
That said, here are some general suggestions, which may or may not be applicable to your situation, and may or may not work for you (obligatory disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer, so what follows should not be construed as legal advice).
1. First and most obvious, check your contract for a termination clause. If there is one, invoke it per the instructions. Beware, though, of termination fees, which some publishers use as a way to make a quick buck off the back end.
2. If there's no termination clause, try approaching the publisher and simply asking to be released. A publisher may refuse or ignore such a request--but sometimes it will recognize that an unhappy author isn't an asset, and may be willing to let him or her go.
If you take this approach, don't dwell on the problems you've had with the publisher. Try to keep your explanations as neutral as possible--such as saying that you don't feel you have the time or resources to help promote your book, or pointing to falling sales. If you feel you must mention problems, do so in a factual, businesslike manner, without recriminations or accusations. Especially, don't mention any negative information you may have found online or heard from other authors. As large a part as this may play in your desire to be free, your request is about you and your book, not other authors and their books. Bringing others' complaints into the picture is likely to alienate or anger the publisher, in which case it may be much less disposed to pay attention to your request. (In some cases, it may become twice as determined to hold on to you.)
Another thing not to do: informing the publisher that it's in breach, and that you're terminating the contract yourself. This doesn't work for two reasons. First, even if you're correct and the publisher has breached its obligations--and even if the contract includes a provision for termination due to the publisher's breach, which not all contracts do--you, personally, have no way to enforce a termination. The publisher can simply deny your allegations, or stick its metaphorical fingers in its metaphorical ears and go right on producing and selling your book.
Second, you may consider the contract to be null and void, and your current publisher may not have the resources to sue you if it disagrees--but if you want to re-publish, you'll have problems. Another publisher won't be interested in a book whose rights aren't unambiguously free and clear. Even self-publishing services require you to warrant that you have the right to publish.You must be able to show some kind of formal rights reversion document--which you won't be able to do unless your publisher actually consents to let you go.
Once again, watch out for demands for money. I've heard from some writers whose publishers attempted to blackmail them into paying a fee when they requested release, and from others whose publishers required a sizeable termination fee even though no fee was mentioned in the contract.
3. If you're a member of a writers' group, they may be able to help. For instance, SFWA has Griefcom, which will directly intercede in an attempt to resolve the situation for you. Similar services are provided by the National Writers Union's Grievance Assistance program. Novelists Inc. has a legal fund, which entitles members to up to two billable hours of legal consultation per year.
4. If there's no termination clause and the publisher refuses to consider a release request, you can resign yourself to waiting things out, either to the end of the contract term, if the contract is time-limited, or until the publisher declares your book out of print. Obviously this is more feasible for relatively brief terms of one to three years, and less so for longer terms, or for life-of-copyright contracts--especially since so much publishing now is digitally-based, and with digital publishing there's little incentive for publishers to take works out of print. Depending on your situation and your finances, however, it may still be preferable to the final option....
5. Consult legal counsel about your situation, and your options for taking legal action. This is where the issue of breach becomes relevant. A publisher may ignore an author's personal claims of breach, but may pay more attention if an attorney is involved.
If you choose this option, not just any lawyer will do. You want someone who practices publishing law. Publishing is a complicated business, with practices and conventions that are not well-understood by people in other fields; and publishing contracts are unique documents with terms and conditions that aren't found elsewhere. In order to provide effective representation, your lawyer needs the appropriate skill- and knowledge-set.
(This same caution, by the way, applies to hiring a lawyer to vet a publishing contract prior to signing it. I hear from any number of writers whose non-publishing-specialist lawyers gave the green light to a contract that would never have passed muster with a publishing law specialist, or a competent literary agent.)
There are a number of options for low-cost legal services, some of them specifically for people in the creative arts. For instance, many US states have Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts organizations, which provide services geared to helping people who work in the arts. The Arts Law Centre of Australia provides free- or low-cost legal advice and referrals for Australian creators and arts organizations. Artists’ Legal Advice Service helps creators who are residents of Ontario, Canada. Artists’ Legal Outreach does the same for residents of British Columbia, and similar assistance is provided in Montreal by the Montreal Artists’ Legal Clinic. There are also general referral services, such as the American Bar Association Lawyer Referral Network.
You can find more information and links on the Legal Recourse page of Writer Beware.
Writer Beware often hears from authors who've signed up with bad or inexperienced or dishonest publishers, and are desperate to get free. They write to us wanting to know how they can break their contracts and regain their rights. Unfortunately, there's usually no easy answer to this question, even where the publisher has clearly breached its contractual obligations. Too often, I have to tell people that they are probably stuck.
That said, here are some general suggestions, which may or may not be applicable to your situation, and may or may not work for you (obligatory disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer, so what follows should not be construed as legal advice).
1. First and most obvious, check your contract for a termination clause. If there is one, invoke it per the instructions. Beware, though, of termination fees, which some publishers use as a way to make a quick buck off the back end.
2. If there's no termination clause, try approaching the publisher and simply asking to be released. A publisher may refuse or ignore such a request--but sometimes it will recognize that an unhappy author isn't an asset, and may be willing to let him or her go.
If you take this approach, don't dwell on the problems you've had with the publisher. Try to keep your explanations as neutral as possible--such as saying that you don't feel you have the time or resources to help promote your book, or pointing to falling sales. If you feel you must mention problems, do so in a factual, businesslike manner, without recriminations or accusations. Especially, don't mention any negative information you may have found online or heard from other authors. As large a part as this may play in your desire to be free, your request is about you and your book, not other authors and their books. Bringing others' complaints into the picture is likely to alienate or anger the publisher, in which case it may be much less disposed to pay attention to your request. (In some cases, it may become twice as determined to hold on to you.)
Another thing not to do: informing the publisher that it's in breach, and that you're terminating the contract yourself. This doesn't work for two reasons. First, even if you're correct and the publisher has breached its obligations--and even if the contract includes a provision for termination due to the publisher's breach, which not all contracts do--you, personally, have no way to enforce a termination. The publisher can simply deny your allegations, or stick its metaphorical fingers in its metaphorical ears and go right on producing and selling your book.
Second, you may consider the contract to be null and void, and your current publisher may not have the resources to sue you if it disagrees--but if you want to re-publish, you'll have problems. Another publisher won't be interested in a book whose rights aren't unambiguously free and clear. Even self-publishing services require you to warrant that you have the right to publish.You must be able to show some kind of formal rights reversion document--which you won't be able to do unless your publisher actually consents to let you go.
Once again, watch out for demands for money. I've heard from some writers whose publishers attempted to blackmail them into paying a fee when they requested release, and from others whose publishers required a sizeable termination fee even though no fee was mentioned in the contract.
3. If you're a member of a writers' group, they may be able to help. For instance, SFWA has Griefcom, which will directly intercede in an attempt to resolve the situation for you. Similar services are provided by the National Writers Union's Grievance Assistance program. Novelists Inc. has a legal fund, which entitles members to up to two billable hours of legal consultation per year.
4. If there's no termination clause and the publisher refuses to consider a release request, you can resign yourself to waiting things out, either to the end of the contract term, if the contract is time-limited, or until the publisher declares your book out of print. Obviously this is more feasible for relatively brief terms of one to three years, and less so for longer terms, or for life-of-copyright contracts--especially since so much publishing now is digitally-based, and with digital publishing there's little incentive for publishers to take works out of print. Depending on your situation and your finances, however, it may still be preferable to the final option....
5. Consult legal counsel about your situation, and your options for taking legal action. This is where the issue of breach becomes relevant. A publisher may ignore an author's personal claims of breach, but may pay more attention if an attorney is involved.
If you choose this option, not just any lawyer will do. You want someone who practices publishing law. Publishing is a complicated business, with practices and conventions that are not well-understood by people in other fields; and publishing contracts are unique documents with terms and conditions that aren't found elsewhere. In order to provide effective representation, your lawyer needs the appropriate skill- and knowledge-set.
(This same caution, by the way, applies to hiring a lawyer to vet a publishing contract prior to signing it. I hear from any number of writers whose non-publishing-specialist lawyers gave the green light to a contract that would never have passed muster with a publishing law specialist, or a competent literary agent.)
There are a number of options for low-cost legal services, some of them specifically for people in the creative arts. For instance, many US states have Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts organizations, which provide services geared to helping people who work in the arts. The Arts Law Centre of Australia provides free- or low-cost legal advice and referrals for Australian creators and arts organizations. Artists’ Legal Advice Service helps creators who are residents of Ontario, Canada. Artists’ Legal Outreach does the same for residents of British Columbia, and similar assistance is provided in Montreal by the Montreal Artists’ Legal Clinic. There are also general referral services, such as the American Bar Association Lawyer Referral Network.
You can find more information and links on the Legal Recourse page of Writer Beware.
Monday, September 28, 2015
Why Write?
Do you write to tell stories? Is that what it's about, telling stories? Or is it something utterly different, something more than presenting ideas? Do you write, instead, to find answers to questions you've never before asked? Perhaps it's not that at all, though; maybe writing is simply a way to sort out the jumbled thoughts that fill your head, a means to bring order to chaos.
Every writer's reasons for writing are valid and every writer's reasons for writing change from day to day and hour to hour. Our writing is symptomatic of who we are at any given moment; it does tell stories, but not necessarily stories in the traditional sense.
That's what's on my mind this Monday morning. I wish someone else would read this and respond with thoughts my words might trigger.
Every writer's reasons for writing are valid and every writer's reasons for writing change from day to day and hour to hour. Our writing is symptomatic of who we are at any given moment; it does tell stories, but not necessarily stories in the traditional sense.
That's what's on my mind this Monday morning. I wish someone else would read this and respond with thoughts my words might trigger.
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Writers Versus People Who Write
Writers are, by nature, curious. They want to know more by day's end than they knew upon waking. They devour trivia the way sponges absorb water; yet they tend to turn trivia into treasures, thanks to their imaginations.
So, what of those people who write, but who do not have sufficient curiosity to explore new things? What about writers who think they are too old to learn new ideas, new technologies, new ways of thinking?
They are people who write, not writers. There's a difference. People who write can, with enough practice, produce tolerable work; at least they can produce work that does not instantly offend all readers. Writers, though, produce wonderful and horrible work, pieces of literature that serve as sandpaper or salve; they tend to offend everyone in some small way.
I'd rather be a writer than a person who writes. I wonder how many writers live in the Village; the number is far, far smaller than the number of people who write.
So, what of those people who write, but who do not have sufficient curiosity to explore new things? What about writers who think they are too old to learn new ideas, new technologies, new ways of thinking?
They are people who write, not writers. There's a difference. People who write can, with enough practice, produce tolerable work; at least they can produce work that does not instantly offend all readers. Writers, though, produce wonderful and horrible work, pieces of literature that serve as sandpaper or salve; they tend to offend everyone in some small way.
I'd rather be a writer than a person who writes. I wonder how many writers live in the Village; the number is far, far smaller than the number of people who write.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Eight Things: Advice from Kurt Vonnegut
Pay close attention to Kurt Vonnegut, my friends. Consider what he said, heed what he said, and others will be more likely to read what you say. Click on the link. You will learn things you might already know; but you will understand them a bit more deeply.
Sunday, September 6, 2015
VWC Winners at 20th Anniversary White County Creative Writers' Conference
VWC members Marlene Kloack and Millie Lancaster each were double winners at the White County Creative Writers' Conference, held September 5, 2015 in Searcy, Arkansas.
Marlene won 2nd Place (out of 21 entries) in Contest 11 for her essay about a humorous childhood memory, "White Sailboats on Blue Background."
She also won 2nd Place (out of 28 entries) in Contest 14 for her 6-word story in the tradition of Hemingway, "Safari Accident."
Millie won 2nd Place (out of 19 entries) in Contest 1 for her children's story for ages 6 to 12, "Opera Mouse."
She also earned a 1st Honorable Mention (out of 24 entries) in Contest 24, for her short story based on a true account or fact, disguised or transformed into fiction, "Old Dog."
While neither Marlene nor Millie were able to attend the Conference, their awards were picked up for them by Madelyn Young. Other VWC members in attendance at the Conference were John Achor, Jerry Davis, Mary Lou Moran, Myra Rustin, and John Swinburn.
The winners of the contest we sponsored at the White County Creative Writers' Conference, the Village Writers' Club Award (we asked for a humorous short story, 1500 word maximum, open only to Arkansas Writers), were:
1st Place-- Ellen Withers, "Elevator Dreams"
2nd Place-- Peggy Sanders, "What Comes Around, Goes Around"
3rd Place--Geneva Emerson, "Short and Sweet"
1st honorable mention-- Jason Glass, "Tax Dollars at Work"
2nd honorable mention-- Rita Dortch, "Speech Class"
The three VWC contest winners present at the Conference, Ellen Withers, Peggy Sanders, and Jason Glass, are pictured below:
Marlene won 2nd Place (out of 21 entries) in Contest 11 for her essay about a humorous childhood memory, "White Sailboats on Blue Background."
She also won 2nd Place (out of 28 entries) in Contest 14 for her 6-word story in the tradition of Hemingway, "Safari Accident."
Millie won 2nd Place (out of 19 entries) in Contest 1 for her children's story for ages 6 to 12, "Opera Mouse."
She also earned a 1st Honorable Mention (out of 24 entries) in Contest 24, for her short story based on a true account or fact, disguised or transformed into fiction, "Old Dog."
While neither Marlene nor Millie were able to attend the Conference, their awards were picked up for them by Madelyn Young. Other VWC members in attendance at the Conference were John Achor, Jerry Davis, Mary Lou Moran, Myra Rustin, and John Swinburn.
The winners of the contest we sponsored at the White County Creative Writers' Conference, the Village Writers' Club Award (we asked for a humorous short story, 1500 word maximum, open only to Arkansas Writers), were:
1st Place-- Ellen Withers, "Elevator Dreams"
2nd Place-- Peggy Sanders, "What Comes Around, Goes Around"
3rd Place--Geneva Emerson, "Short and Sweet"
1st honorable mention-- Jason Glass, "Tax Dollars at Work"
2nd honorable mention-- Rita Dortch, "Speech Class"
The three VWC contest winners present at the Conference, Ellen Withers, Peggy Sanders, and Jason Glass, are pictured below:
 |
| Ellen Winters, Jason Glass, and Peggy Sanders |
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Social Media Snake Oil
Let me suggest authors who aren't certain what to do about, or with, social media should read the post linked below:
http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2015/08/beware-social-media-snake-oil.html
I'm looking forward to Chris Syme's book, scheduled to come out this fall: SMART Social Media For Authors.
http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2015/08/beware-social-media-snake-oil.html
I'm looking forward to Chris Syme's book, scheduled to come out this fall: SMART Social Media For Authors.
Sunday, August 2, 2015
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