Please click on the title bar of this post to see the comment box so that you can tell me, all my fans and your fans what “tags” you came up with for yourself and your literary works.

Day 5 of 22 – Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days

What tags (keywords and phrases) would help your fans find you and your writings?

Cheers from Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan

Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW

http://writingcoachteresa.com

Coach Teresa’s YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/teresaleyung

Writing Conference and Workshops for Writers in California in February 2011

San Francisco Writers Conference February 18-20, 2011

http://sfwriters.org/

I, Teresa LeYung Ryan, will be presenting with Elisa Southard at this exciting conference. On Friday, February 18, 2011, 9:00am we’ll kick off the conference with our signature session (interactive too) “Get a Grip: Be Your Own Best Promoter”

Talking Tagline Coach Elisa Southard & Writing Career Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan

Also, I will be offering one-on-one consultation as a manuscript consultant / book doctor and writing career coach.

See you there!

Teresa LeYung Ryan uses her workbook BUILD YOUR WRITER’S PLATFORM & FANBASE IN 22 DAYS: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW to help writers gain a competitive edge.  She uses her novelLOVE MADE OF HEART to inspire adult-children of mentally-ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas that their parents suffer. Also, Teresa is a manuscript consultant; she likes quirky and feisty protagonists. Resources at her website & blog http://writingcoachteresa.com

February 17 and 21, 2011 Check out the pre-conference and post-conference workshops too!  http://sfwriters.org/

What Are Some Simple Yet Big Things Parents & Guardians Can Do For Children and Teens?

In the lead story of the Opinion Column in Tracy Press on January 28, 2011, Yolande Barial (a great mom, a fabulous poet, a dear friend) has this to say about how she drops off her children at parties:

Her Voice: Children are a parental responsibility

New Year’s Day, my 15-year-old son and his girlfriend were invited to a party at the home of one of their school friends in Lathrop. I had never been to the home before, and neither had my son or his girlfriend.

The closer we got to the area . . .

To read more from “Modern Wise Mom Yolande Barial” please visit Yolande’s blog  http://yolandebarial.wordpress.com She calls herself “Just A Mom”

“Ah, there’s no place like Mom,” says Teresa LeYung Ryan, author of Love Made of Heart.

Another Magical Week for Writing Career Coach Teresa Part II

Chandra Garsson wrote:
“Thank you Dearest Teresa, for your kind words before you even saw the film below. I hope hope hope you like it.  I loved the process start to finish! You are a marvelous subject, to me the result is pure magic. It is up on Youtube, too— I posted it to facebook and it should be on your homepage.”

My reply:

Also I need to thank dear friend Kim McMillon (playwright, literacy advocate, teacher, producer). It was at a” Kim McMillon Production” at Swans Marketplace in Oakland where I met Chandra Garsson. Kim had given me (a newbie then) stage time to read a scene from pre-published Love Made of Heart. I ended my presentation with “NO to domestic violence and child abuse!!” and when I got off the stage, Chandra introduced herself… Kim, you are a hero in the writing community. I’ve met so many big-hearted do-ers through you; MamaCoAtl I’m talking about you    Kim, thank you for being a beautiful friend. I see how busy you are by looking at your blog http://artsinthevalley.wordpress.com

I thank my friends and Chandra’s friends for being so supportive.

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan, writing career coach

http://WritingCoachTeresa.com

Another Magical Week for Writing Career Coach Teresa

Today is Tuesday, February 1, 2011

I received the proof of my workbook BUILD YOUR WRITER’S PLATFORM & FANBASE IN 22 DAYS: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW from CreateSpace and it looks beautiful!  As soon as I review the proof closely, I will authorize CreateSpace to start distributions of the physical book and make the ebook available through Kindle, iPad, iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Mac, and PC. Thank you, CreateSpace staff and CreateSpace “Community” !  Thank you, graphic designer Gail Cao Mazhari, for making the front cover, back cover, and spine so beautiful !!!!

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After attending Mary E. Knippel‘s remarkably motivating workshop (creating my 2011 vision board/collage) on Sunday and spending time with the other women (learning something from each one of them), I started mapping out my next workbook BUILD YOUR WRITING LIFE IN 22 DAYS:  For Fiction & Narrative Non-Fiction Writers. Thank you so much, Creativity Coach Mary!

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My dear friend Chandra Garsson, the exquisite artist/filmmaker, has been announcing on facebook:

Jan. 31, 2011, 2:22pm  “Less is definitely more. It takes hours to whittle down a minute to a few seconds toward a three minute film about my friend Teresa LeYung Ryan. I am now at 6 minutes, 39 seconds and I’m thinking maaaaaybe 4-5 minutes.”

Jan. 31, 2011, 6:06pm  “I’ve got the film down to 5 minutes, 17 seconds, and because I have a tendency yo love any creative work I do, I’m SO tempted not to edit any more. But I know it should be shorter.”

Feb. 1, 2011, am  “4 minutes 56 seconds, and well worth the watch. Long on time, but very lively. It had to be both, it’s Teresa, she’s worth it. Soon in a theater near you— well— in your computer anyway.”

Feb. 1, 2011, pm  “Film is just under five minutes, I’m happy. I can’t imagine what Teresa will think, seeing herself presented through my eyes.”

Here’s my response:

Dear Chandra, I thought I was going to be “water boy” schlepping stuff while you film people in The City. Your wanting to make me the subject of one of your films is already the best gift. Everything else is icing on the cake. You add “magic” to all you do. You had painted my Love Made of Heart bookcase . . . and now a film about goofy me–I can’t wait to see it. I thank you. Humbly, Teresa

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Teresa LeYung Ryan uses her workbook BUILD YOUR WRITER’S PLATFORM & FANBASE IN 22 DAYS: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW to help writers gain a competitive edge.  She uses her novel LOVE MADE OF HEART to inspire adult-children of mentally-ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas that their parents suffer. Also, Teresa is a manuscript consultant; she likes quirky and feisty protagonists. Resources at her website & blog http://writingcoachteresa.com

What Does a Writer’s Life Look Like this Week?

Monday, author Elisa Southard and I took BART and Muni to meet with San Francisco Writers Conference co-founder Michael Larsen at the coffee shop in Grace Cathedral. Michael gave me lots of ideas for the new edition of my workbook BUILD  YOUR WRITER’S PLATFORM & FANBASE IN 22 DAYS: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers and Media Attention NOW.

Elisa Southard is building her fanbase for her new book BIG CITY  TRAVEL SKILLS –for young, first-time travelers.

Elisa & I will be presenting at the exciting San Francisco Writers Conference again, so, please look for us Feb. 18-20, 2011.

Tuesday I went to my part-time day-job (what a blessing to have a second source of income and work with gracious folks); also, answered emails from writers (including one from Chris Wachlin about how to get Kepler’s Books & Magazine to stock the wonderful anthology Fault Zone that members of California Writers Club-San Francisco Peninsula Branch have published).

Today, I met author Margaret Davis and her husband at the Oakland Museum of California.  I was mesmerized by
the Gallery of California History;  the new gallery is based on the theme of Coming to California.  The exhibit will be there until December 2, 2013.  Check it out.

Margaret, thank you for “word shifting” my workbook title and telling me what Dan Poynter said.

What a treat it was to see Margaret & Ray!  Then I hopped on BART and landed in San Francisco again.  Lora Baldwin (Frank Baldwin is working on another script) and their 2 boys were in town; I had a chance to catch up with Lora (doing the 2 biggest jobs on this planet–being a mom and home schooling her children) and get a dose of joyful energy from her and those beautiful kids.

Connections?  Frank Baldwin is one my mentors ( I refer to him as Obewan); he was one of Margaret Davis’s advisors when she was writing Straight Down the Middle.

Everyone mentioned in this post are or were involved with California Writers Club and the Jack London Writers Conference.   I had met Michael Larsen & Elizabeth Pomada and Frank Baldwin at that conference in the last 1990s. Margaret Davis and I are members of the San Francisco/Peninsula Branch of CWC; Elisa Southard was with the Marin Branch.

I come home and see that Jane Glendinning has emailed me photos of my presentation in October 2010 at CWC  Berkeley Branch (they meet at Oakland Main Library).

Thank you, Michael & Elizabeth, Elisa, Chris, Margaret & Ray, Jane, Lora & Frank, and the Baldwin children for making my week, and it’s only Wednesday!

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan

Manuscript Consultant / Writing Career Coach / Author / Publisher

http://WritingCoachTeresa.com

What’s Happening with Borders Books & Music?

Literary agent Andy Ross, former owner of Cody’s Books, has written an informative blog post about Borders Books & Music and consequences on publishers and authors.

http://andyrossagency.wordpress.com/2011/01/17/whats-the-matter-with-borders/

In Andy’s post, he refers to Peter Osnos’s article in the Atlantic January 11, 2011

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/01/what-went-wrong-at-borders/69310/

I am sad for everyone, especially for employees who have lost or will lose their jobs.

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan

Manuscript Consultant / Writing Career Coach / Author / Publisher

http://WritingCoachTeresa.com

Are There Publishing-Writing Opportunities for Students-Young Writers-Children?

The Capitol City Young Writers have opened submissions for a literary journal by writers aged 10-18. Deadline is March 15, 2011. Check it out and help spread the word. Thank you, Linda McCabe and Margie Yee Webb, for telling me.

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On January 22nd Elisa Southard will be co-chairing the judging for the Bay Area Travel Writers Student Contest Submission deadline was January 1, 2011.  Keep them in mind later in the year so that you can get in on their next contest.  How perfect for Elisa Southard, the travel writer, to co-chair this event. Elisa is working on a new book—Big City Travel Skills–for young, first-time travelers.

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The Mt. Diablo Branch of California Writers Club
Young Writers Workshops and Contest “Honoring a New Generation of California Writers”
6th – 7th – 8th Grades,  Contra Costa County, California

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Check out Stone Soup for young writers and artists

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Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan–creator of “Heroes, Tricksters & Villains” workshop for young writers

Manuscript Consultant / Writing Career Coach / Author / Publisher

http://WritingCoachTeresa.com and click on “Writers’ Resources”

Every day I am reminded of the power of literacy.  This week, a colleague (thanks, Kate) through Women’s National Book Association emailed me about something I knew little about.  She asked me to sign an online petition, but, before I proceeded, I asked a dear friend (thanks, Sue), a wizard at researching and summarizing key points, what she  knew about the subject.

What is the problem? Billions of bees are being killed off across the country, threatening our crops and food.

The villain? The use of neonicotinoid pesticides.

This is how I took action and exercised the power of literacy:

I could have signed a petition at:

www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_bees_usa/96.php

but I chose to write to EPA via:

http://publicaccess.supportportal.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=23012

Dear EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson:

I am asking that use of neonicotinoid pesticide be outlawed until the registration review is completed. Michael Pollan points out that 1 out of every 3 bites of food we eat are dependent on bee pollination.  If 1 in 8 Americans already go hungry, why are we killing off pollinators?

Thank you for taking my comment and vote to outlaw neonicotinoid pesticides.

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan

Me, a manuscript consultant and writing-career coach, writing to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and asking my fellow writers to exercise their power of literacy? Oh yes!

I’m speaking as an editor/manuscript consultant. Whether you are writing fiction or narrative non-fiction, employing dialogue that not only represents each character’s personality but also gives clues  in an entertaining way will move your story forward.

How important is dialogue in a memoir or novel? Re-read your favorite story and study the author’s techniques.

When I’m not editing for my wonderful clients, I study dialogue in movies.
Since a script usually doesn’t offer narrative or internal monologue to supplement “words” the way a book does, dialogue (and how the lines are delivered) is an essential component in story-telling.  I love smart dialogue.

In the movie Woman Chases Man (1937), protagonist Virginia Travis, a starving architect (Miriam Hopkins) sees three portraits in the living room of B.J. Nolan (Charles Winninger).

Virginia:  (She sees a portrait of a little boy holding  Pilgram’s Progress)  “Who’s that?”

BJ:  “My son Kenneth.”

Virginia:  (She’s looking at the second portrait–a teenage boy holding the same book) “ Another son?”

BJ:  “Same one. Age sixteen.”

Virginia:  “Must be a slow reader.”

Virginia:   (She looks at third portrait–a young man in his cap and gown, holding diploma)  “I see he finished the book.”

BJ:  “Yeah, he has the checkbook now.”

Virginia:  “I had a checkbook once.”

The story is launched, with B. J. and Virginia scheming to get  Kenneth (Joel McCrae) to sign a check.  By the way, young Broderick Crawford’s portrayal of Hunk (friend of Virginia, disguising as B.J.’s butler) is hilarious.

Screen play by Joseph Anthony, Mannie Seff and David Hertz

Original story by Lynn Root and Frank Fenton

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In Cold Comfort Farm (1995) screenplay by Malcolm Bradbury, from the novel by Stella Gibbons (1930s), protagonist Flora Poste (recently orphaned) moves to the country to live with her relatives so that she can live on her modest 100 pounds a year and be a novelist.  Flora’s relations are odd in deed.  The mysterious matriarch, Flora’s Great Aunt Ada, doesn’t leave her room because she suffers from a terrifying memory of an event. As a girl, Ada had seen “something nasty in the wood shed” and now decades later she still has recurring nightmares.  Flora is the first person to ask Aunt Ada questions, which serves as the turning point in the story.  As it turns out, Aunt Ada doesn’t remember what she saw. But she won’t let go of her suffering (or let her family leave the farm either).

Toward the end of the story when a movie Czar Mr. Neck comes to the farm to take her grandson Seth to Hollywood . . . Great Aunt Ada comes running out of the house . . .
Great Aunt Ada : “I saw something nasty in the wood shed.”

Mr. Neck:  “Sure you did, but did they see you Baby?”

Coach Teresa here.  I emailed my friend Margaret Davis (author of Straight Down the Middle) to ask her if she has seen the movie and Margaret replied:
“My mother had a selection of novels in our house when I was growing up.  I was an avid reader, and I read, and reread, many of them over and over.  I knew Cold Comfort Farm by heart!  I also enjoyed Stella Gibbons’s book Nightingale Wood (also knew it by heart as a child!), and I know my own writing is definitely influenced by her.”

Happy New Year & New Writing Energy to Everyone!

Remember to employ dialogue that not only represents each character’s personality but also gives clues  in an entertaining way to move your story forward.

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan

Manuscript Consultant / Writing Career Coach / Author / Publisher

http://WritingCoachTeresa.com