Teresa LeYung-Ryan

Posts Tagged ‘and Me’

Lynn Scott, the author of the memoir A Joyful Encounter: My Mother, My Alzheimer Clients, and Me, says: “My book is not about the disease, but about the spirit that exists in us all as long as we live. I led my clients in singing the old familiar songs (“Take Me Out to The Ballgame,” “As Time Goes By,” “I Love You Truly”), and I reveled in the love I received and gave.”

I met Lynn Scott over ten years ago when she received writing awards from the California Writers Club and the Jack London Writers Conference. Her fiction and nonfiction are most engaging.  When she asked me to join her critique group, I said “Yes!” Judith Marshall and Marcia Naomi Berger were the other members. More about those two authors in future posts.

What is Lynn up to these days? She’s being an inspiration as always!

Visit Lynn Scott’s website to find out how [singing the old familiar American songs; turning grief and loss into catalysts for the next creative step; Boston Women’s Health Collective; a unique set of unlikely healers] all relate to this wise author/editor.

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung-Ryan, writing career coach, manuscript consultant, and

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

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

Thanks to Teresa’s book I learned to contact a star. The famous Carol Channing wrote a review for my latest book YOU and THE ARTS–Why Art Matters. Teresa’s book is a wonderful help in learing how to get good publicity.

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This book taught me a lot. It’s packed with information, and the presentations and exercises build upon what came before. It’s direct and clear and has plenty of instructive examples that plainly show the way, and how to get there. It’s like having your very own writing career coach with you at every step. This extremely helpful workbook has given me great preparation for building a platform. I enthusiastically recommend it.

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This book is written as a set of specific tasks. And I think that is what is so great about it. The author doesn’t spend 200 pages waffling and trying to convince you of something you’re already dying to do, but just don’t know how to execute. All you have to do is follow the directions. No analyzing too many options, no trying to out-think the huge behemoth that is publishing industry. It’s like having a friend take you by the hand, set you down on the right path, and then walk right along side you. The added benefit is that on the way, you’ll find out some pretty interesting things about yourself and what your platform (so essential these days for getting published) is really all about.

For me, having clear cut steps and directions is invaluable when it comes figuring out what I really want to communicate to potential readers and how to get my platform established.

I know. I’m a writer, newly finished my first work (okay, here I’m going to plug it) “Over the Edge,” a fictionalized memoir, told in nine episodes, which tells what it’s really like to live, run, and be a part of the street life.

Kudos and Thanks, Teresa

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Much has been written in the past year or two about the importance to writers of having a “platform.” Writers without a platform, we are told, find it difficult if not impossible to be taken seriously by agents and publishers. This ambitious book takes a new approach to building a platform. Instead of the usual pep talks, it consists of a series of exercises–22 minutes for 22 days– to build the reader’s self-knowledge and skill. The exercises are often thought-provoking, and always fun. For all writers who find themselves “stuck” when it comes to building a platform, this is a most worthwhile tool.
Margaret Davis, author of Straight Down the Middle

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Although I had already published my novel, “Husbands May Come and Go but Friends are Forever,” and set up my website when I purchased this playbook, I found lots of information and tips I hadn’t known. I especially liked the exercises which helped me identify where to spend my time and energy. A great road map to building your writer platform.

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Ms. Ryan gives us a huge building block toward getting our gems into print. I tried her original draft of this book, doing the exercises, and being amazed how much i could put into a platform. Now she has expanded this workbook richly. She is a whiz in the ways a writer can get noticed.
in all the confusing technology around these days, this book takes a novice carefully through the process to this end.

It is quite a bargain at $22.

Lynn Scott, Memorist,  A Joyous Encounter: My Mother, My Alzheimer Clients, and Me

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Is There a Book to Help Writers Build Platform and Fanbase?

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

Sincerely,

22-Day Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan
http://writingcoachteresa.com

What are some of the rewards being a writing career coach?

Author Francine Thomas Howard emailed me with marvelous news about her second novel.  I went to her blog to see if she has broadcast her news and found her post about me!  Thank you, Francine!  I cheer for you.

Francine wrote:

“In the mentor department, I hit the jackpot!  I wrote Page From a Tennessee Journal in four months at the end of 2002.  No eyes, other than my own had ever seen a word of it until I spotted a sign inviting wanna-be writers to a group discussion led by  Teresa LeYung Ryan.

“Teresa had just published her wonderful book, Love Made of Heart, in the Fall of ’02.  Despite her busy schedule, she made time to give back to a group of struggling writers.

http://francinethomashoward.wordpress.com/2010/10/25/the-importance-of-a-mentor/

Coach Teresa here.  I love my work because I get to work with writers.  Acknowledgment from them is the biggest reward.

Writers Who Have Completed the Exercises in my 22-Day workbook:

“Thank you, CoachTeresa! This is a treasure full of insightful information delivered in manageable segments culminating in a masterpiece.” Mary E. Knippel, Creativity Mentor who helps busy women embrace simple shifts and celebrate change with grace and gratitude.  http://openuptoyourcreativity.com

“Coach Teresa, my brain has been on fire since our meeting. There is so much I want to do with my blog and the ideas keep on coming. Thank you!” Yolande Barial, a sensually spiritual writer who knows that with God all things are possible!  A contributing author in If Women Ruled the World. http://yolandebarial.wordpress.com

“Coach Teresa, you are such a bodhisattva! You have always been available for help, and now you are finally putting all you know into your new manual. Gratitude!” Lynn Scott, author of A Joyful Encounter: My Mother, My Alzheimer Clients, and Me; Oldham Street http://LynnScottbooks.com

Thank you, Mary, Yolande, Lynn!!!

“How do I build my platform as a writer?”

If you wish to order the workbook for yourself or for a writer-friend:

http://lovemadeofheart.com/Build-Your-Name-Beat-the-Game-Be-Happily-Published.html

Happy Holidays, Everyone!

Sincerely,

Writing Career Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan

“Make Every Word Count When Pitching to Agents or Acquisition Editors”
by Writing Career Coach Teresa

You have spent months, perhaps years, writing and rewriting your project/work.  And, you’ve decided to pursue either an agent (who earns his/her commission when he/she sells a client’s work to a publishing house) or an acquisition editor (whose job is to buy authors’ works for the publishing house he/she works for). Let’s say you’ve done your homework and have compiled a list of agents or acquisition editors who specialize in the kind of project (commodity) you wish to sell.

An agent or acquisition editor receives hundreds of pitches/query letters each week.  What can you do to catch these folks’ attention?  Use the right bait.  Make every word count.

Whether you’re pitching in person, over the telephone, through an E-Mail, or by old-fashion mail, keep this in mind—the pitch (bait) has three components:
•    who needs your project
•    the unique qualities about your commodity
•    why you are the perfect author for this work

Here are 4 examples:

Genre: Self Help / Relationship / Marriage

The 50% and 60% divorce rates, for first and second marriages respectively, are a wake-up call for the United States 55.2 million married couples.

Through my book, I empower couples to get the marriage they’ve always wanted.

The Marriage Meeting Program: 45 Minutes a Week to Guarantee the Long Term Relationship You’ve Always Wanted shows how to conduct a weekly meeting that increases intimacy, romance, teamwork, and smoother conflict resolution.

A proactive, preventive approach is crucial. Regardless of how good a relationship is, there is always a need to keep it on track and room for it to grow. The Marriage Meeting Program’s step-by-step approach makes it easy to conduct the meetings. Follow-up studies show a 20 to 80 percent increase in marital happiness for couples who implement the program.

I am Marcia Naomi Berger, a psychotherapist, writer, speaker, workshop leader, and instructor of a class for therapists and counselors at the University of California Berkeley Extension. http://www.marriagemaven.com

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Genre: Memoir

There are more than 38-million boom-generation women in this country.  Through my book, I show middle-aged women how to cope with family and social pressures while dealing with their own mortality issues.

My memoir, Oldham Street, is about my journey from east coast to west bearing the pain of a son in prison, the long slow death of my father, the end of my counseling career and a ten-year relationship.  I knocked on a lemon-colored door on a short block in San Francisco.  In the next twelve years, the woman who opened that door, along with the other quirky characters in the neighborhood, inadvertently joined me in a process that brought me home to myself and into a comfortable role as the matriarch of my tribe.

I am Lynn Scott:

• author of A Joyful Encounter: My Mother, My Alzheimer Clients, and Me (a memoir about the abundance of spirit that I found among my Alzheimer clients).

• contributor to eight anthologies of fiction, memoir, and poetry.

• a guest on OPRAH and other talk shows .

http://lynnscottbooks.com

http://lynnscott.wordpress.com

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Genre: Women’s Fiction

Recent survey data indicates that 22% of the 55,000,000+ married women admit to having an extramarital affair. STAYING AFLOAT is the story of one of these women –although she wouldn’t have admitted it if she hadn’t gotten caught.

Crystal Scott is a stable and stalwart, stay-at-home wife and mother, aiming only to run an efficient home, care for her children and avoid confrontation.  Whatever her private thoughts are, she keeps them to herself.  But when her husband loses his job and shows no signs of looking for another, fault lines in their marriage are exposed.  She’s forced to re-enter the workforce, and when her dazzling, dynamic boss takes a personal interest in her, she slips into territory that most women have fantasized about, even if they don’t want to admit it — she morphs into a sex-starved adulteress.

I am Judith Marshall, author of the award-winning novel, HUSBANDS MAY COME AND GO BUT FRIENDS ARE FOREVER. I’ve been writing for thirteen years and am a member of the California Writers Club and the Women’s National Book Association. In addition, I am the President of Human Resources Consulting Services and a member of the faculty of the Council on Education in Management, for whom I teach a number of public seminars on a variety of HR-relates topics. I’m currently working on my third novel, BITTER ACRES.
http://judithmarshall.net/

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Genre: Women’s Fiction / Humor

39%  of the 68 million women employed in the U.S. work in management, professional, and related occupations. Through my book Katie Carlisle, I show women how to hold onto their integrity, humor, and vision . . . in spite of having to fight sexism in the corporate world.

Katie Carlisle has been lucky enough to have a mentor (her boss) who has taken her to a point where her promotion is pretty well guaranteed.  Only then everything goes wrong.  Her beloved mentor leaves the company under a cloud; his successor is a man whom Katie hates and fears; and a downward spiral in her fortunes starts.  This is the story of a smart woman’s struggle to hold onto her integrity, humor and vision in spite of the tumult around her—and her eventual triumph.

I am Margaret Davis.  I have a doctorate from Stanford University in Sociology, with a specialization in the structure and behavior of formal organizations.  I have had two non-fiction books published in my field.  Katie Carlisle, a humorous spoof on everyday life in a large corporation, is a work of fiction.  Yet, as many of my readers have commented, “Everyone who has ever worked in a big company will relate to and love this book.”

I am also the author of Straight Down the Middle, a family drama involving a young mother’s efforts to do what is best for her child while trying to come to terms with her own sexuality.
http://margaretdavisbooks.com/

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Writing Career Coach Teresa will help you practice your pitch
at WNBA’s  “Meet the Agents, Editors, & Publishers”
on March 27, 2010   http://wnba-sfchapter.org

Teresa LeYung Ryan is:
*   Board member at WNBA-SF Chapter since 2004
*    Author with agent and NY publisher
*   Writing career coach
*    Past president of California Writers Club-SF Peninsula Branch
*    Library advocate

Writing Career Coach Teresa is the author of  Build Your Name, Beat the Game: Be Happily Published (a 22-day workbook for writers to build their names and attract attention and fans before and after publication).   http://WritingCoachTeresa.com

As a community spirit, Teresa LeYung Ryan uses her novel Love Made of Heart to:
• shed light on stigmas suffered by immigrant women, men, and children
• advocate understanding of mental illness/traumas to the mind
• help survivors of violence find their own voices through writing
www.LoveMadeOfHeart.com

Friday, December 4, 2009

If you’re looking for Fringe of Marin Dominican Unversity Community Players (as of January 2010, they do not have a website), contact House/Stage Manager and Director David Kester (his email address is:  DavidK (at) riverpointenapa.com

Playwright Carol Sheldon (in lavender jacket, sitting) cheered by Teresa LeYung Ryan, Diane, Flo, Marisa.

Fringe of Marin.  Memorable one-act plays.

Playwright Carol Sheldon is a fellow member of Women’s National Book Association. Tonight I got to see one of her plays. My friends Diane and Marisa and Marisa’s friend Flo went too. 7  one-act plays were on Program II. One play didn’t get to be performed due to food poison–poor actors. Of the 6 plays, I particularly enjoyed L’Amour or Less (a Timely Comedy written and directed by Carol Sheldon) about how the economic slump impacts a brothel and  Eros and Mors (a Dramedy of Love written by Micheline Birger and directed by David Kester) about 2 gay friends running into each other after 20 years and discovering how they could live out their remaining days together.

Diner Memories (a Family Drama, written by Jim Fazackerley and directed by Naomi Glixman) was poignant. Two grown children grapple with decisions as Alzheimer’s disease ravages their mother. My sitting there, moved by the authenticity of the lines and performances, I thought about Lynn Scott’s memoir A Joyful Encounter: My Mother, My Alzheimer Clients, and Me.  http://lynnscottbooks.com

Fine acting and direction in all six plays.

In the Artistic Director’s Notes on the program, Dr. Annette Lust ended with:  “Many thanks to our audiences and to the courageous playwrights, directors, actors, and production crew participating in this season’s festival who, despite current financial and other problems facing little theatres, have made the show go on.”

Artistic Director Annette Lust and author Teresa LeYung Ryan

Annette Lust and my friend Diane encouraged me to pull scenes from my novel Love Made of Heart and turn them into an one-act play. That would be a huge project for yours truly who has no experience in play-writing.

Annette also encouraged me to sign up for auditions on January 20, 2010. I have been wanting to observe the process. So much to look forward to.  Aah, the life of a writer and having fun with friends.

Two more performances.  Program II on Saturday Dec.5 at 7:30pm and Program I on Sunday Dec. 6 at 2:00pm (awards follow performance).

Actors Donna Andrews & Stuart Chappell with playwright Carol Sheldon & Teresa LeYung Ryan

Fringe of Marin dedicates its Fall 2009 season to the memory of Mary Walker, a Dominican University English teacher and author who died this fall.

At Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University, San Rafael.  For information, call (415) 673-3131.

Carol Sheldon said she’s looking for the right producer for her 90-minute play Last Call (about the right to die).  I’d go see any and all plays written by Carol. What a gutsy writer!

http://www.fringeofmarin.com

Sincerely,

Teresa

Writing Career Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan helps writers & authors build their platforms and fanbases and polish their manuscripts by identifying their themes and archetypes.  Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW Coach Teresa says: “Reach out not stress out when pursuing your dreams!”

Novelist Teresa LeYung-Ryan uses Love Made of Heart to inspire adult children of mentally ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas and find resources for their families.

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

http://writingcoachteresa.com