The Northwest Author Series Call for Presenters for the 2009-2010 Season

The Northwest Author Series is a literary speaker series sponsored by The Wilsonville Public Library, The Wilsonville Friends of the Library and the Wilsonville Arts & Culture Council. The series is created, publicized and hosted by Wilsonville author Christina Katz.

We are now scheduling our third season.

Our presenters last season included Elizabeth Lyon, Carmen T. Bernier Grand,  Brian Libby, Christine Fletcher, Linda Kuhlmann, Cynthia Whitcomb, and Samantha Ducloux Waltz. In our first season, we welcomed Marc Acito, Heather Sharfeddin, Cynthia Whitcomb, Shelly Lipkin, Sage Cohen, Susan Fletcher and Elizabeth Rusch.

The series takes place the third Sunday of each month during the school year (September – May) and features writing professionals who have a desire to share what they have learned in a how-to format with our growing suburban literary community. Attendance at our monthly event averages between 30-40 writers, authors and aspiring authors all eager to learn as much as they can in each author’s one-and-a-half hour presentation.

Refreshments are served. Door prizes are given to two members of the audience and a grand time is had by all. If you’d like to hear from our hostess and some of our attendees, please scroll down to the next post and watch the video about our series by Bill Johnson.

Presenters are encouraged to include as much anyone-can-try-it how-to instruction throughout their 90-minute presentations. We strongly prefer a how-to presentation rather than a how-I-did-it presentation. Writers come to our series to learn new skills that they can turn around and apply themselves.

Final selections will be made by June 30, 2009 for the 09-10 season. We will contact those selected at that time to set a presentation date.

Anyone who is interested in being considered for the upcoming season, please submit your brief course description, a short bio, and a professional-quality headshot to Christina Katz (see e-mail address in the sample presentation). Presenter pitches should follow our sample format. Pitches that do not follow the format will not be considered.

The Friends of the Wilsonville Library offers our presenters an modest honorarium. Sorry, we cannot cover travel expenses.

Interested in applying? Please closely model your pitch after NAS Sample Presentation Pitch 2009.

Submissions instructions are included in the sample. Topics that have been covered include:

• humor writing
• platform development
• children’s writing
• book proposal writing
• freelance writing
• writing fiction
• self-publishing books
• screenwriting
• playwriting
• personal essay writing
• poetry writing
• researching children’s writing and young adult fiction

We would love to offer fresh topics in 2009-2010! So if you have something else you can offer in a how-to format, please submit a proposal.

Please note that all of our presenters for the Northwest Author Series are traditionally published authors. We won’t be repeating any of  the authors from the last two seasons next year.

Thank you for your interest in the Northwest Author Series. I hope we will have a chance to enjoy your presentation.

Contact christina katz at earthlink dot net if you have any questions.

An Introduction to the Northwest Author Series

Thanks to Bill Johnson from Oregon Writers Speak for coming down to Wilsonville to kindly shoot and edit this video.

You can hear more Oregon authors speak here.

Highlights from Elizabeth Lyon’s Presentation on How to Write Nonfiction Book Proposals

Notes by Ashleigh Rousselle

A nonfiction book proposal is a business report but it needs to get people excited about your work.

Sixty pages or three chapters should be included.

Novelists have to write the entire novel before; Nonfiction authors need to see if their idea should be developed.

“About the Author” means “Why are you qualified to write this book?”

Expect to be studied personally to see how well you can sell your books. Build your platform! (Platform is self promotion.)

It’s guesswork—you need to convince them that your book will sell in one-three years. Find statistics.

Memoirs can’t just be about yourself, you need a universal/relatable theme.

“A book for everybody is a book for no one”—Define your audience: gender, age groups…  (Women buy more books).

An illusion: making money off books.  75% of books published don’t make back their advance.

Writing books for not a lot of money still allows you to reach the audience you want to reach and could still bring future opportunities.

Multiple books can build an audience.

Go to amazon.net; be clever with synonyms. Find books comparable to what you plan to write (That aren’t self published, and came out within the last five years).

Comparing your book to books that are already published pushes you to make yours different.

If you have already written your book, it probably will need to be revised (a lot), but it’ll be finished by the deadline…

Your writing has to be deemed “professional,” continue improving it

You need to write in an entertaining way, it has to be rewarding/interesting on every page.

If you’re writing a memoir, be prepared to be asked for the whole thing. (Though you could always chop it into smaller pieces and publish them wherever you can.)

Anything you’ve written is already copyrighted. (Protects writers.)

“Fast tracked books” come out six months to a year.

Books can be deemed “out of print”—located in the contract.

Children’s Writers: publishers prefer to assign illustrators for your book.

When selecting your theee sample chapters select consecutive for memoirs, and representative for “how to” books.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to our successful second season!

I thought I’d post an official thank you to everyone who helped make the second season of the Northwest Author Series such a wonderful success.

Big thanks to Pat Duke from the Wilsonville Public Library for generously providing the space, the books, and “thumb’s up” for our series to happen.

While I’m thanking people from the library, I’d like to especially thank Malia, Burton, Andrea and Greg for their contributions.

Malia and Greg cheerfully set up our space and provide back-up support for our numerous requests. Burton creates our great poster and graphics. And Andrea handles publicity.

Pat also acts as liason with the Friends of the Library, who offer our speakers a generous honorarium. On behalf of all the authors, thanks!

I want to thank Theonie Gilmore, who is the Executive Director of the Wilsonville Arts and Culture Council, for articulating the idea for the series and inviting me to join the WACC board. Theonie attends the NAS regularly and is always ready to jump in and help when needed.

Special thanks to Ashleigh Rousselle, our student intern for the 2008-2009 season. Ashleigh was in charge of transporting the cookies and coffee from our sponsors. She also wrote up notes after each event for our blog and was an all-around big help. I know that she has benefited a great deal from attending all eight talks and I hope the information she’s heard serves her and her writing career in the long run.

I want to thank our presenters this season: Samantha Ducloux Waltz, Cynthia Whitcomb, Linda Kuhlmann, Christine Fletcher, Brian Libby, Carmen T. Berneir Grand, and Elizabeth Lyon.

Thanks to Jane Friedman at Writer’s Digest Books for providing our door prizes, which never fail to bring a smile to winners’ faces.

And thanks to Lamb’s Thriftway Bakery and Starbucks in the Wilsonville Town Center for supplying our refreshments.

Thanks for a great season, everyone. It would not have been nearly as successful without everyone’s contributions.

I am looking forward to steady improvement in 2009-2010. Speaking of, now would be a great time to make suggestions for speakers for 2009-2010. Please e-mail them to me (christina katz at earthlink dot net) before the end of the month.

I’ll post the application guides for the 2009-2010 season by May 31st and select the line-up by June 30th.

Hope everyone has a lovely summer!

Warmly,

Christina Katz

***
CHRISTINA KATZ
The Northwest Author Series
http://northwestauthorseries.wordpress.com/
Sponsored by the Wilsonville Public Library, The Friends of the Wilsonville Public Library & the Wilsonville Arts and Culture Council
Created  and hosted by Christina Katz

Highlights from Carmen T. Berneir Grand’s Presentation on Writing Children’s Books

Notes By Ashleigh Rousselle

Preliminary Research is important no matter what you’re writing; just make sure your research doesn’t take up your actual writing time.

Get as much information as you can. You’ll never know what you can use.  Check and keep track of all your sources.

Remember how children think (not liking someone because they don’t comb their hair).

Let publisher decide the appropriate age of people who would read your book.

Not everything should go into a children’s book (ie. if it follows history, skip the cannibalism)

Write with 3H’s: Head—ideas, Heart—feeling, and Hand—(hand-written first)

We all have a scary editor inside our heads who says, “This is garbage.”  Blindfold them.

When editing, read out loud

Writing groups—cool down for a few days and then re-look at comments

Don’t follow editors and attempt to tell them your story orally

Surprisingly, children’s stories can take years, especially if your illustrator gets sick and no one tells you.

Watch out for skin color of characters—it’s easy to accidentally insult people.

Information doesn’t have to be for just one book, you can take advantage of everything you write.

You need three-dimensional characters; you need to know what’s bad about your character.

Your book can become complete with illustrations without you even seeing sketches. Writers don’t handle that.

Editors often change where they work.  Keep on good terms with all of them—someday they might be in a position where they can help you.

It’s good to call and check up on your manuscript after you’ve submitted it for consideration, they may have lost it.

Don’t worry about illustrations unless there’s something that’s not clear from the text.  (Like gender of a character.)  Don’t send instructions. Try recommending an illustrator by letter instead.

Keep in mind if you partner with an illustrator—they may like your work and not the illustrators or vice-versa.

They nearly always include things you don’t expect—just let it be.

Self-published books can be picked up by publishing companies

When you have passion or talent, you should share it with the world.

Send your submissions to multiple places, otherwise it will take forever.

Keep writing—don’t wait on your mailbox.

Try writing folk stories in the way you would tell them today.  Though be careful—are they in the public domain or not?

Advances for children’s books are very small.

A good agent should be your cheerleader, and not constantly putting you down.  They should also be attending a lot of conferences, know the industry, and be a member of AAR—Association of Authors’ Representatives.

Keep your brain going—put it all down as quickly as possible.  Keep a little notebook with you at all times.

Writing is also thinking.

In cover letters don’t say, “The kids in my library love it”—they’ll decide.

Don’t send it out until 2 or 3 people have read it and until YOU are satisfied.

The Northwest Author Series Presents Elizabeth Lyon on The Successful Nonfiction Book Proposal

Presented by Elizabeth Lyon

Date: 5/17/2009 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Cost: $5 at the door

Location: Oak Room – Wilsonville Public Library
8200 SW Wilsonville Road
Wilsonville, Oregon 97070

The Northwest Author Series is a literary speaker series sponsored by the Wilsonville Public Library, the Wilsonville Friends of the Library, and the Wilsonville Arts & Culture Council. The series is organized and hosted by Wilsonville author Christina Katz.

Sunday, May 17, The Successful Nonfiction Book Proposal with Elizabeth Lyon

The glitz, glamour, and money-obsessed publishing industry requires writers to have the wits of Roadrunner and the cunning of Wiley Coyote. Based on her book, Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write, Elizabeth Lyon will reveal the 4 questions and right answers all agents and editors must have to give you a go-ahead. You’ll learn about the 11 parts of a complete proposal and what will give you the competitive edge for ideas related to how-to, self-help, inspiration, information, biography, and memoir books (and others).

Bio:
Elizabeth Lyon is the author of six books for writers of fiction and nonfiction. They include Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write, Manuscript Makeover (on revising fiction and creative nonfiction), A Writer’s Guide to Nonfiction, The Sell Your Novel Tool Kit, A Writer’s Guide to Fiction, and National Directory of Editors & Writers.

Refreshments and door prizes will be provided.

To sign up for our e-newsletter, please visit http://northwestauthorseries.wordpress.com/

For more information, please contact Christina Katz at christinakatz@earthlink.net or 503-582-0259.

Christina Katz is the author of Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids (Writer’s Digest Books 2007) and Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Strengths to Grow an Author Platform (Writer’s Digest Books 2008).

Highlights From Brian Libby’s Presentation: Flex Your Freelance Potential

By Ashleigh Rousselle

You don’t have to wake up to an alarm; it’s not 9 to 5.

There’s a freelancer identity: freedom, and hard work.

There’s not much of an education requirement, not often asked for resume.

Anybody can write—there are lots of avenues to write in (like when he used to review movies).

Know that you aren’t going to get rich.

When in doubt use quotes!  Interview people.

Your opinions can turn into articles.

Consider using an outline—it’s different for every writer.

Your job:
1) Tell ‘em what you’re gonna tell ‘em
2) Tell ‘em
3) Tell ‘em what you told ‘em

Always know what you’re writing about and put main points in the first paragraph.

“Nutgraph”—a nut is what you hang your story on.

Make a contract with yourself about how much you’re going to write.

You might be gathering information for a book subconsciously.

Sometimes you might do something for nothing (or for little) because it leads you to something else.

Be aware: publishers can go bankrupt and not pay you.

Sometimes you make your own luck.

Usually you get a contract or assignment before writing.

Know your reason for writing.

Go to publishers with ideas, after a while they might come to you.

Blogging—you never have to wait to get published, you get your foot in the door, and have something to put on your resume.

Be honest with the editors; impress them by being persistent—work with options.

Be humble—write for anyone; get your portfolio started.

Have some attitude—don’t take no for an answer.

Don’t hold yourself to standards—find your voice.

Persuade editors, then readers.

You don’t want to write for someone just once; try to form a relationship.

Find an accountant who deals with writers—tax write offs.

NAS Presents: Carmen T Bernier Grand on Writing Children’s Books

Sunday, April 19 at the Wilsonville Public Library in the Oak Room from 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.

Three words that start with sounds of the letter R—write, read, revise—will be the topics of this presentation. Carmen T.  Bernier-Grand will share and have group discussion on how she revised her published books. Participants are encouraged to bring short pieces to revise.

Carmen T. Bernier-Grand is the author of six books for children and young adults. Her books include two biographies in poems, one in prose, two anthologies of Puerto Rican folklore, and a novel. Her César: ¡Sí, se puede! Yes, We Can! and her Frida: ¡Viva la vida! Long Live Life. Frida received Pura Belpré honors. is a Booklist Best Ten Biographies. Diego: Bigger than Life, illustrated by David Diaz, will be out in 2009.

Highlights from Christine Fletcher’s Presentation: Essential Skills for Every Fiction Writer

By Ashleigh Rousselle

If you’re going to write fiction; you’re going to have to read fiction.

If you plan to write romance, read romance; read in your genre.

The most important parts of novels are: character, action/conflict, and details.  These are “rock-bottom essentials.”

Fiction begins with characters—the people on the pages. Your character shouldn’t be a puppet; a good character lives and breathes on the page—they have morals, flaws, things that are unique to them. When the book is over readers should be able to understand the characters enough so that they keep thinking about them for years.

Christine Fletcher swears she knows some characters in novels better than she knows members of her own family. And that’s good!

Readers shouldn’t just identify with characters; writers want them to become emotionally invested. It’ll keep them reading the book, and make them tell others about the book…

You need to be able to visualize/see your character. Not just physical, but motivations—why they do what they do.

Basic wants: love, money, power. Figure out what your character wants more than anything. You also need to know why.

Fear—what’s  at stake?  What happens if the character doesn’t get what they want?  Has to be huge—has to really matter—for that character.

One main want, and one main fear, should run through the entire book. Keeps the book together, introduced at the very beginning.

People in real life can be as out of character and unexplainable as they want but your characters cannot.  They can’t suddenly change, everything they do has to be reasonable for the character you’ve introduced the readers to—which is why the basic wants help. If you don’t know why your character is doing something, neither will your readers. You can surprise readers, but the decisions your characters make can’t come out of left field with no real reasoning behind them.

We can use fiction to explore the things that drive us insane. Things we want to know but never will. In fiction we can figure it out. You can make it all make sense in your head

Know your characters better than you know yourself.

Experiment with 1st person versus 3rd person—how does it sound in your head?  If the main character seems to be talking directly to you then write in 1st.  What’s the easiest way to tell the story?

Characters have to be compelling; readers have to be on their side. It’s the main character that’s taking the readers through the story. Characters must feel intensely, and take action. Characters have to do something.

Reading a novel is an investment of energy and emotion—make it worth it.

Stories usually begin with an inciting incident, which cause the protagonist to take action. It’s the incident, which set the story in motion. Something that jars the protagonist out of usual routine and sets them down a certain path.  Must be something that plays off characters great want or great fear.  Also: why now—what’s happening to make you chose that moment to start the story.

Readers should feel like they’ve been dropped into characters lives.  Meaning they should have had a life before the novel started.

Don’t procrastinate writing your novel in order to figure out every detail of your characters lives—some things can only be revealed while you’re writing the novel.

Conflict drives the story. No conflict, no story. Anything that opposes your characters. Internal or external. Something your character has to overcome.

Characters who have no internal conflict and are perfect are called “Mary Sue” or “Mary Stu,” they should not exist. Everyone has internal conflict, so characters with internal conflicts are extremely relate-able. They have to be clear on the page for the reader.

External conflicts can be situations or people, minor to major. Time could even be a conflict. Creates tension.

Remember the weather!

The antagonist has to be as compelling as the protagonist. Don’t rely on clichés.

Readers often judge by the first page—so make it interesting!

Antagonist has all own (dis)likes, wants, and fears—just like protagonist.  Well-rounded person.  Antagonist needs to be worthy of protagonist, need to be evenly matched.

There must be conflict of some kind on every page.  Keeps tension going and readers attentive. No matter how small, doesn’t have to be explosions, and car chases, more like a knock at the door, or a strained silence between mother and daughter-in-law.

You must torture your characters. (Make bad things happen to them.) Making your characters miserable doesn’t guarantee that your readers will keep reading. you can’t make random bad things happen. Conflict has to be meaningful; has to be related to the story question (the question around which your story is based—enough to make the reader read to the end to get the answer.)

Toward the end: bigger conflicts, and the more it should play against your characters flaws, wants, weaknesses…etc.

End can’t be predictable—why would you read till the end?

Conflicts can occur directly because of main characters actions.  It’s their fault.

Never resolve all the conflicts, (until the end).

Don’t protect your protagonist, something really needs to be at stake. If you’re avoiding a scene you need to write it and let it play out.

Fictional dream—getting immersed in novel. Not being aware that you’re reading, being in the book.  You start visualizing the world the writer wrote.

Don’t jar your reader out of the world you create. Be careful with the language.

Details bring the world alive, they leave cues, let senses take over.

Don’t describe everything, describe the right details.

The writing shouldn’t call attention to itself, the story is the main focus.

Details show emotion, that emotion must match the rest of the story.

Use all five senses, don’t always rely on sight.

The Northwest Author Series Presents: Brian Libby on Flex Your Freelance Potential

Freelance journalism is an opportunity to write for a variety of different publications on myriad different topics, either padding your portfolio for an eventual staff job at a magazine/newspaper or allowing a freedom to work for yourself—without an alarm clock!

Brian Libby is a freelance journalist and author living in Portland. He has previously written for The New York Times, The Oregonian, The Christian Science Monitor, Premiere, Metropolitan Home, and several other publications about diverse topics such as architecture, film, art, sports, business, food, science and travel. He is also the author of two histories of University of Oregon football Tales From the Oregon Ducks Sideline, a published in 2007, and The University of Oregon Football Vault, published in fall 2008. He is also an award-winning experimental filmmaker and photographer.