Susan Wiggs's Blog, page 52
February 8, 2011
February 5, 2011
wisdom in today's e-mail
These came to me with no attribution. But they are well worth passing along.
ZEN LIFE TEACHINGS
1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me for the path is narrow. In fact, just piss off and leave me alone.
2. Sex is like air. It's not that important unless you aren't getting any.
3. No one is listening until you fart.
4. Always remember you're unique. Just like everyone else.
5. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
6. If you think nobody cares whether you're alive or dead, try missing a couple of mortgage payments.
7. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.
8. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
9. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day.. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
10. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably well worth it.
11. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
12. Some days you are the dog, some days you are the tree.
13. Don't worry; it only seems kinky the first time.
14. Good judgment comes from bad experience and most of that comes from bad judgment.
15. A closed mouth gathers no foot.
16. There are two excellent theories for arguing with women. Neither one works.
17. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.
18. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
19. We are born naked, wet and hungry, and get slapped on our ass. Then things just keep getting worse.
February 3, 2011
4 good women
My grandmother, my mom, Elizabeth and me. Who could guess she would grow up and write a book of her own???
February 2, 2011
I (heart) readers
Thank you Ashley! She won a $100 gift card for sending this pic: file:///C:/Users/Susan/Pictures/Ashley%20reading%20our%20book.htm
February 1, 2011
be in the studio audience
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writer's paradise
This is one of the most writer-friendly conferences there is and–bonus–the peerless GAIL TSUKIYAMA is coming for a return visit. What's not to like? Also, scroll down for some intriguing writing classes you can't afford to miss.
News from Field's End
Field's End serves the writers' community and nurtures the written word through lectures, workshops, and instruction in the art, craft, and profession of writing.
February 2011 – Vol 6, Issue 2
In This Issue
Writing Notes
Calendar
Writers' Conference
This Month's Roundtable
Writing Classes
Field's End News
WRITING NOTES
"Writing may be a solitary endeavor, but a writer's life shouldn't be. Playing an active role in the literary community will introduce you to new people and opportunities, and it will add an overall sense of quality to your writing life."
Lori A. May
The Writer Magazine
CALENDAR
February 1: Early registration for the Field's End Writers' Conference begins.
February 5 and 6: Marketing Your Book to Agents or Publishers with Alice B. Acheson.
February 15: Writers' Roundtable with Brenda Peterson: From Life to Story: The Art of Memoir.
February 17: Registration for Writing the Teen Novel with Suzanne Selfors closes.
February 24: Writing the Teen Novel class begins.
February 28: Last day of early registration for the Conference. Price increases March 1.
Visit our website Field's End for future events.
ANNOUNCING THE SIXTH ANNUAL FIELD'S END WRITERS' CONFERENCE
REGISTER NOW AND SAVE!
Field's End is pleased to announce its sixth annual Writers' Conference, to be held at beautiful Kiana Lodge on the shores of Agate Passage, on Saturday, April 16, 2011.
You won't want to miss this conference, with an amazing line-up of authors and presenters. New this year are three sessions on publishing. In addition to An Agent in Your Future and Publishing Alternatives, the session on Traditional Publishing: Evolution or Revolution in Process discusses the good, the bad, and the ugly of publishing today.
Best-selling novelist Gail Tsukiyama, author of The Street of a Thousand Blossoms, provides the keynote address. An inspirational talk by poet and prose writer Tess Gallagher opens the conference.
Gail Tsukiyama
From award-winning author Craig Lesley to new-on-the-scene Urban Waite, from favorites Carol Cassella and Priscilla Long to debut novelist Naseem Rakha, the Field's End conference offers writers at all levels numerous ways to discover and enhance their writing skills.
Voice, dialogue, memoir, poetry, and travel writing are just some of the sixteen break-out sessions designed to inspire and provide practical information to take away. Also new this year is a session on Internet research with our own Kitsap Regional Librarians.
Tess Gallagher
Continental breakfast, a delicious salmon lunch, and a wine and cheese reception add to the day's enjoyment.
Please join us to meet other writers, find encouragement, and take home knowledge from our great line-up of distinguished writers and savvy industry professionals.
THIS MONTH'S ROUNDTABLE
February 15: Brenda Peterson: From Life to Story: The Art of Memoir
Writing memoir makes meaning of our lives as we discover patterns, major themes, and turning points – just like in any drama. What makes a life story compelling is how we tell it. Acclaimed author and memoirist Brenda Peterson will lead the Roundtable in learning strategies of the Self, finding the fond detachment of the mature narrator, and leaving a legacy of one's life story.
Brenda Peterson is a novelist and nature writer and the author of 15 books, including the memoir I Want to Be Left Behind: Finding Rapture Here on Earth (2010). Fundamentalism meets deep ecology in this account of her childhood in the High Sierra with her forest ranger father, who led her to embrace the entire natural world, told alongside the influence of her Southern Baptist relatives busily preparing for the Rapture. Recently named #6 in a list of the "Top Nonfiction Books of 2010″ by the prestigious Christian Science Monitor, the book was chosen by independent booksellers nationwide as an Indie Next selection. Her novel Duck and Cover
photo courtesy Chris Stuvek
was named a New York Times "Notable Book of the Year" for its "wicked, black comedy." Her new memoir has been universally welcomed for its "lovely, irreverent humor" and called "unusually affecting and radiant…a witty, enrapturing account of a spiritual journey of great relevance to us all." www.IWantToBeLeftBehind.com
The monthly Field's End Roundtable, free and open to writers of all levels and interests, takes place from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at the Bainbridge Public Library, 1270 Madison N. The guest author introduces the topic, and then participants join in a Q&A period followed by a large group discussion. The evening closes with coffee and cookies, providing an opportunity to network with other writers. Support comes from the City of Bainbridge Island Arts and Humanities Fund.
WRITING CLASSES
Winter Classes 2011
Registration Now Open at Field's End Classes
Class: Writing the Teen Novel
Instructor: Suzanne Selfors
Description: Walk into any bookstore and you'll notice that the young adult section has doubled. Teenagers are reading! And there's a variety of styles and subjects – it's not just about vampires.
While stories vary, at the heart of every teen novel is the coming-of-age theme. Using popular YA novels as examples, this class will explore the unique aspects of writing for teens. We'll discuss concerns such as "Do I have to sound like a teenager?" "Should I worry about trends?" and "How do I get in touch with my inner teen?" Each class will be a blend of lecture and workshop. Writers of all levels are welcome, but a first chapter of a work-in-progress is required. The instructor and class members will read the chapters before discussion in the workshop sessions. Students will receive a written critique from the instructor.
Students should mail up to 12 double-spaced pages from their first chapters along with their application. Before class begins, students will be notified as to how many copies to bring to their first class. For individualized attention, the class is limited to 12 students.
Biography: Suzanne Selfors, a Bainbridge native, began her writing career in 2002 when her daughter started full-time school. Since then she's published five novels for kids and teens, with two more scheduled for release in 2011. Her teen novel Coffeehouse Angel was a Scholastic Book Club bestseller and will soon make its debut in France, and Saving Juliet was an Indie Pick, a Bank Street Best Book, an ALA Popular Paperback, and was optioned by Disney Films. Her newest teen novel, Mad Love, was released on January 4. www.suzanneselfors.com
Number of sessions: 4
Dates: Thursday, February 24 and March 3, 10, and 17
Time: 7-9:00 p.m.
Tuition: $160
Location: Library Meeting Room, Bainbridge Public Library, 1270 Madison Avenue N., Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
FIELD'S END NEWS
Congrat
ulations to Jonathan Evison on the launch of his highly-acclaimed new novel,
West of Here. A launch party will be held at Eagle Harbor Book Company on Bainbridge Island, Fe
bruary 15 at 7:00 p.m.
Named "Best Writing Community 2006″ by Seattle Weekly, Field's End is an affiliate of the nonprofit Bainbridge Public Library. Its programs in the art, craft, and profession of writing are supported by the Bainbridge Island Arts and Humanities Council.
January 26, 2011
today's sunrise took my breath away
7:31am 26 Jan.
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