Posts Tagged ‘and Media Attention’

A Weekend In the Life of this Writing-Career Coach

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan here, wishing all writers new vitality to write and promote your work.

On the evening of May 2nd, 2012, I received my sister’s text-message “Nayati is home!” (kidnapped boy had been released, thank God!) I text’ed back “Get some rest” because I knew she must be  exhausted (joining forces and taking action to help find Nayati, conducting class, and comforting her own students).

That evening I got onto facebook to broadcast the news of Nayati’s safe return, called friends who don’t use facebook, and updated my webpage and blog posts. Thank you, Everyone, for your powerful prayers.

The next day (after a long sleep), I went about my day with a lighter heart.

So, I wrote cards (created by Rosemary C.) to Elaine M. (retired teacher), Luisa Adams (author of Woven of Water), Vicki Weiland (developmental editor of nonfiction books) and Lori Hope (author of Help Me Live)

I sent Bardi Rosman Koodrin scoring sheets for the “Immigrant Experience Writing Contest” which I created and sponsored. I understand that winners from all the writing contests through the San Mateo County Fair Literary Arts Division will be published in Carry the Light San Mateo County Fair Literary Anthology 2012.

And, I continue to read Mary Jo McConahay‘s mesmerizing memoir Maya Roads: One Woman’s Journey Among the People of the Rainforest.

**

Linda Joy Myers made it possible for me (Teresa LeYung-Ryan) to attend Lynn Cook Henriksen's book launch at Joyce Turley's, and, when we arrived, I was tickled to see Patricia Morin and my dear friend Lynn Scott (right)!

**

Another dear friend to me and my sister!  Jonathan was able to go to Norway Day Festival to cheer for my client Carla Danziger too.

Jonathan and Teresa LeYung-Ryan at Fort Mason Center for Norway Day in San Francisco. Cheers to Carla Danziger!

**

authors Irene Berman and Carla Danziger talk to fans at Norway Day Festival--photo by Coach Teresa

Carla Danziger, Julie K. Rose, Astrid Karlsen Scott, Norman Ronneberg at Norway Day Festival

Karin Stahl with Carla Danziger author of Hidden Falls

**    **    **   **

**

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan with featured author Carla Danziger and journalist Cindy Warner at Norway Day Festival

**

Jonathan and Teresa LeYung-Ryan cheer for authors Irene Levin Berman and Carla Danziger at Norway Day

**

Italian French Baking Company in North Beach, San Francisco

**

Teresa LeYung-Ryan and pal Michelle enjoy dining at North Beach San Francisco

**

**

   I emailed my publicity sheet to colleague Laurel Anne Hill who is helping Bardi Rosman Koodrin.  “Teresa LeYung-Ryan and California Writers Club colleagues will be at Author Day June 16, 2012 at the San Mateo County Fair“

**

My pal Elisa Sasa Southard (travel writer and certified tour director) called to schedule our next work session. Our conversation reminded me to post these links:

http://valerieleeworks.wordpress.com Valerie Lee is the author of Jade Rubies. Here’s a book review of The Jade Rubies by Robert A. Garfinkle.

Jonathan Fung‘s film Hark is a powerful story that will raise awareness of human trafficking and change lives.

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/index.html Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery. Victims of human trafficking are subjected to force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of commercial sex or forced labor. They are young children, teenagers, men and women. Trafficking in persons occurs throughout the world, including in the United States.

http://www.polarisproject.org   Polaris Project’s client services department has been providing survivors of human trafficking with the support necessary to rebuild lives and regain hope for the future.

NPR’s Talk of the Nation

Polaris Project’s Executive Director Bradley Myles discusses human trafficking in the United States, the NHTRC and what you can do if you suspect some one is being trafficked.

Here’s my webpage with links to The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Stamp Out Stigma, and BringChange2Mind.org

Sincerely,

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan says:
“Reach out, not stress out, to materialize your dearest dreams.”
http://writingcoachteresa.com
Coach Teresa has helped over 1,000 writers.

As editor/story consultant, Teresa LeYung-Ryan identifies themes, universal archetypes, front-story & back-story in clients’ manuscripts.

• As author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW, she says: “Whether you are writing fiction or nonfiction, make your name synonymous with the issues you write about.”
  

• Teresa has built her own platform happily. Her first novel Love Made of Heart is used in college composition classes; recommended by the California School Library Association and the California Reading Association; and archived at the San Francisco History Center

• Teresa’s 10-minute play Answer Me Now has been selected to be part of the 2012 Redwood Writers Play Festival. Tickets to June 29, 30 and July 1 performances will be on sale as of May 1st through the 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa, CA

Coach Teresa’s Blog is abundant resources for you.

August 24, 2011

Laura A. Novak launches her new e-book Novel on Scribd Float

I just received this wonderful news from colleague Laura A. Novak (Laura is the new co-vice president and yours truly Teresa LeYung Ryan is the secretary for the of Women’s National Book Association-San Francisco Chapter).

Laura says:

“I am thrilled to report that I launched my e-book novel on Scribd  just as they launched their new iphone app yesterday at Fortune Tech in Aspen – and made Finding Clarity: A Mom, A Dwarf and a Posh Private School in the People’s Republic of Berkeley a feature!

May is Personal History Month

AMY GORMAN – Guided Autobiography class

Saturday May 22, 2010
PORTLAND, OREGON
Elders in Action and the Geezer gallery presents:
Grand Works Northwest Art Festival
~celebrating creativity in aging~
Amy Gorman offers:
Workshop in Creative Aging with the film, “Still Kicking”
The Mark Building, 1119 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR
www.eldersinaction.org
CONTACT: Brenda Morgan

Go to Amy Gorman’s website for other programs. She is the author of book Aging Artfully — about the twelve women aged 85-105 who inspired her work. It’s also about promoting positive healthy aging for the general public, and for advocating involvement with the creative arts in retirement years.

* * * * * * * * *

Do you know about NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MEMOIR WRITERS?

Post your comment to NAMW founder Linda Joy Myers’s question: Why should I write my memoir?

* * * * * * * * *

Saturday May 21, 2011 Asian Heritage Street Celebration in San Francisco, CA

Teresa LeYung Ryan will be with fellow authors Margie Yee Webb, Dr. Patricia Tsang, Lloyd Lofthouse at the California Writers Club booth at Asian Heritage Street Celebration “AHSC” on May 21, 2011.  Teresa uses her book Love Made of Heart to honor the Chinese immigrant experience and to inspire adult-children of mentally-ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas and gain resources for their families.

As a writing career coach, Teresa uses her workbook Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days to help fiction and nonfiction authors attract agents, publishers, readers, and media attention before and after publication.

Teresa LeYung is the sponsor of “THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE: NOVEL, MEMOIR, OR SHORT STORY” Writing Contest—entries must be received by 7:00 pm, Friday, April 29, 2011 or postmarked by April 25th, 2011. Winners’ names will be displayed at the June 11-19, 2011 San Mateo County Fair Literary Arts Department.

Cheers from Writing Career Coach Teresa

Writers are asking me:  “Coach Teresa, how do I go about promoting myself, my writings/books/causes year-round and not run out of ideas?”

Let’s take this month – May

Did you know that May is:
•   National Arthritis Month
•    Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month
•    Better Hearing and Speech Month
•    National Bike Month
•    International Business Image Improvement Month
•    Creative Beginnings Month
•    Family Wellness Month
•    Fibromyalgia Education and Awareness Month
•   Get Caught Reading Month
•    Gifts From the Garden Month
•    Haitian Heritage Month
•    Heal the Children Month
•    National Hepatitis Awareness Month
•    Jewish American Heritage Month
•    Latino Books Month
•    National Meditation Month
•    Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month

•    National Mental Health Month
•    Motorcycle Safety Month
•    Older Americans Month
•    National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month
•    Personal History Month
•    National Physical Fitness and Sports Month
•    National Salsa Month
•    National Stroke Awareness Month
•    Teen Self-Esteem Month
•    International Victorious Woman Month
•    Women’s Health Care Month

Whether you’re sending out press releases or blogging or broadcasting via social media, be sure to link your name and work to these recognized dates.

For example, I use my novel Love Made of Heart to inspire adult-children of mentally-ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas and to gain resources for their families. For my press release, my headline could be:  Author Honors Her Parent & National Mental Health Month with Love Made of Heart.

Cheers from Writing Career Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan!

To find more ways to link your name to recognized dates, get Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW (paperback) $22.00

Introduce yourself and tell me about your writing project by submitting a comment to this post. To do that, click on the blue title bar of this post, fill in the boxes, then press the [ submit comment ] button.  See my examples below.

I cheer for you.

Sincerely,

Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan

http://WritingCoachTeresa.com

author / manuscript consultant / writing career coach

author of Love Made of Heart (the story that inspires adult-children of mentally-ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas and to gain resources for their families)

author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW (the workbook that helps fiction and nonfiction authors gain a competitive edge)

Are there employment opportunities at the Asian American Writers’ Workshop in New York?

22-Day Coach Teresa here, just received an email from AAWW:

“We’ve got some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that we’re sad to announce the departure of Workshop Managing Director Solmaz Sharif, the Iranian American poet and activist who read anti-war poems with us in 2009, dreamt up our speed-dating night, and generally made the Workshop awesome. The good news is we’re proud to announce that she’s won the “Discovery” / Boston Review Poetry Contest, one of the most prestigious national contests for emerging poets!

This also means we’re hiring for two positions: a Development Associate to fundraise for our socially progressive programs and a Program Director to help us put together our quirky yet curated literary events series. Click on the links and apply today!”

The Asian American Writers’ Workshop

110-112 W. 27th St
Suite 600
New York, NY 10001
P: 212-494-0061
E: desk@aaww.org

Also, the 2011 Asian American Short Story Contest will name one grand prize winner who will win a cash prize of $1000 and have the winning story published in an upcoming issue of Hyphen, one second prize winner who will win a cash prize of $350 and 8 finalists. http://www.nycharities.org/events/EventLevels.aspx?ETID=3277

Cheers to job seekers and contest registrants!

Sincerely,

22-Day Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan

Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW is available through Amazon.  Read success stories (on Amazon) from writers who have finished the 22-day workbook I created to help fiction and nonfiction authors gain a competitive edge.  Whether you want to be your own publisher or sell rights to another publisher, attract readers and more readers now!  http://writingcoachteresa.com

http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/is-there-a-book-to-help-a-writer-build-platform-and-fanbase/

To comment on any of my columns (blog posts) or to contact me, just click on the blue title bar of the post, fill in the boxes and press “submit.”

What to do before hiring an editor for your manuscript?

My advice for narrative non-fiction writers is the same for fiction writers.

“Look at Your Manuscript with an Editor’s Lens”

by Teresa LeYung Ryan–Developmental Editor/Manuscript Consultant/Writing Career Coach

Since writing a story with the intent to engage the reader is so much like meeting a stranger and wanting him/her to be interested in us, I will focus on “how to make the first quarter of your story a compelling read.”

I love working with diligent writers who want to transform their manuscripts into page-turners. However, there are things you can do before you give your work to an editor. Let me show you how you can help yourself.

Does your manuscript pass these tests?

• Planting hook(s) or story-question(s);
• Grounding the reader with the three Ws and the big C (Who?  When?  Where? Circumstances);
• Showing (not telling) what the protagonist wants;
• Paying attention to language and rules

Let’s learn from the pros.

Planting Hook or Story-Question:

In The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts, Maxine Hong Kingston hooks us with the first line: “You must not tell anyone,” my mother said, “what I am about to tell you…”   Then, Ms. Kingston transitions into her story with:  “Whenever she had to warn us about life, my mother told stories that ran like this one . . .”

Grounding the Reader with the Three Ws and the big C:

In Woven of Water, while the story timeline spans from 1957 to 2005, Californian author Luisa Adams brilliantly shows us who she was as a girl (not with a year-by-year narrative, but with a single exquisite chapter).  Because she grounded us with “who, when, where” and the “circumstances” as to why she had left her love affair with water, we eagerly follow as she takes us into her enchanted world of a “cottage in the forest.”  Another device to ground the reader is the employment of sensory details (not long descriptions).  Sensory details put the reader in the scene/story world.  Re-read one of your favorite author’s books. Study from the masters.

Showing What the Protagonist Wants:

In The Other Mother, young Carol Schaefer wants to ask questions:  “Was there any way to keep my baby?  Was there anyone who would help me find a way to do that?”

In Eat, Pray, Love, Elisabeth Gilbert says: I wish Giovanni would kiss me.

In Love Made of Heart, my protagonist Ruby Lin prays: Please don’t end up like Grandmother (while witnessing police officers escorting her own mother out of her apartment).

Paying Attention to Language and Rules:

Read the first five pages of Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt and you will see how this wordsmith plays with language and rules. (You can “bend” the rules to create flow, but you must not ignore them.)

In Bastard Out of Carolina, Dorothy Allison’s protagonist Bone is a girl.  Bone’s voice is convincing in dialogue and in internal monologue. Brilliant use of dialect.

Sentences Deserve Your Attention:

Remember Groucho Marx’s line “One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas…”? That sentence got a lot of laughs.  But, what if you didn’t want to be funny (ambiguous in this case)?

How would you rewrite these sentences?  See the misplaced modifiers?

• He likes to fish near the Farallon Islands, they jump when they’re hungry at dawn or dusk. (the islands jump?)
• She insists on knowing when I come home and leave, not to be nosy, but for safety reasons. (who is not nosy?)
• Being cautious as not to step on the dog’s tail, the children tip-toed away from him while sleeping. (who’s sleeping?)

To improve your sentence structure and other skills, I recommend these books:

• The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White
• Woe is I: Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English by Patricia T. O’Conner

More Advice:

• In all the stories I referenced above, the authors present memorable experiences by employing authentic details, unusual story-worlds though real, and poetic language. You want to do the same for your story.
• Also, these stories have another vital component–all the plotlines have what Martha Alderson, author of Blockbuster Plots Pure and Simple, calls “Cause and Effect” linked scenes.  Another must-read blog:  http://plotwhisperer.blogspot.com/search?q=first+quarter
• When you’re writing non-fiction and you do not have the luxury of rearranging the sequence of events to create a page-turning plotline, you can engage the reader by using concise expositions to leap over blocks of time in order to focus on the core themes and fast-forward to the next scene.  A helpful website for memoir writers: http://www.memoriesandmemoirs.com
• You the author must show the reader what the protagonist wants, even if the protagonist doesn’t know at first.
• We don’t have to “like” a protagonist, but, we do need to connect with him/her on an emotional level. Perhaps what he/she wants is also what we want.
• Story-telling is a skill learned, practiced, and mastered. May you practice with joy.

In the fiercely competitive arena of the publishing world, how does one stand out in a crowd?  Building relationships is one key to success in this business. Another key is to know how to translate the themes from your life to your writing and articulate those themes as community concerns.  I want to see all hardworking writers realize their dreams. My best wishes to you!

To read other posts in my blog (about writing contests, publishing opportunities, more tips on platform-building), click on [ Home ] and scroll down  OR key in words in the search box to find specific posts. Example: if you key in the words: poetry anthology 2011 into my blog’s search box and click [search], you will see my post containing info about the  Las Positas College Anthology and other contests for other genres (Thank you, Poet Laureate Deborah Grossman!) To read the entire version of a post, click on the title bar of that post.

To see my website for all my books, go to:  http://writingcoachteresa.com

Reach out, not stress out!

Sincerely,

Build-Your-Writer’s-Platform Coach Teresa

Teresa LeYung Ryan–Developmental Editor/Manuscript Consultant, Writing Career Coach, Author, Publisher

Teresa specializes in editing fiction and narrative non-fiction with themes on the human condition.

She likes spunky protagonists in thrillers, women’s novels, memoirs, and children’s literature.

Love Made of Heart is:
• recommended by the California School Library Association and the California Reading Association

• read by students at Stanford University, U.C. Berkeley, CCSF, and many other colleges and high schools.

• used in Advanced Composition English-as-a-Second-Language classes
• archived at the San Francisco History Center

Teresa says: “The more you read, the more your own writing will flow.”  
Please click here for my blog’s home page  http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/

My fun workbook is now available through Amazon!

BUILD YOUR WRITER’S PLATFORM & FANBASE IN 22 DAYS: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW

http://www.amazon.com/Build-Your-Writers-Platform-Fanbase/dp/0983010005/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297630400&sr=1-1

http://lovemadeofheart.com/BUILD-YOUR-WRITER%27S-PLATFORM-&-FANBASE-IN-22-DAYS.html

When & Where Is Pen Oakland Josephine Miles 2010 Literary Awards?
Thanks to Bookman Beattie's blog, here's the answer:

The 20th Annual PEN Oakland-Josephine Miles National Literary Awards will take place on Saturday, December 11, 2010, at the Oakland Public Library, Rockridge Branch, 5366 College Avenue–from 2 to 5 p.m.

I, Teresa LeYung Ryan (manuscript consultant & writing career coach), will be there with my pal Kim McMillon (playwright and radio show producer).

The ceremony, which will be followed by a reception and book signings, is free and open to the public. Former state Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata will be the keynote speaker.

PEN Oakland, founded in 1989, is a chapter of PEN International, founded in 1921.
Dubbed “the blue collar PEN” by the New York Times, PEN Oakland annually sponsors the PEN Oakland-Josephine Miles Book Awards, named for the late poet and faculty member of U.C. Berkeley’s English Department. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the awards.
Each year PEN Oakland presents an award to outstanding book titles published in the previous year.

For names and book titles of the 2010 PEN Oakland-Josephine Miles Literary Award winners:

http://beattiesbookblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/pen-oakland-20th-annual-2010-literary.html

See you there!

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan

GraceArt Publishing is the publisher of Build My Name, Beat the Game: 22 Days to Identify & Develop My Writer’s Platform to Attract Agents, Acquisition Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention. Paypal is available http://writingcoachteresa.com

Teresa says: “Reach out, not stress out, when building your writer’s name/platform.”  

My pal Elisa Southard, author/travel writer/marketing coach, got me a ticket to the  Diablo Actors Ensemble’s production of Twelve Angry Men (by Reginald Rose, the teleplay was first broadcast live on CBS’s show Studio One in 1954).   Seasoned actor Will Southard (Elisa’s husband) portrays Juror #8 (the role played by Robert Cummings in the teleplay and then by Henry Fonda in the film).

I went to Diablo Actors Ensemble with  Elisa’s father-in-law and sister-in-law Kaer Soutthard of Executive Support Solutions and CardkinArts.

http://executivesupportsolutions.biz/

Twelve Angry Men is one of the plays I would watch again and again.  Reginald Rose’s lines/expressions of prejudices are raw and timeless.  Every moment in the play is layered with dramatic tension.

What is the play Twelve Angry Men about?

Twelve jurors in deliberation.   A sixteen-year-old Latino is charged with murder/stabbing his father in the chest with a switchblade. Will the jurors find him “not guilty”?  Or will they vote “guilty”?   The verdict of guilty will mean the death penalty for the boy. One juror stands alone to say: “I have reasonable doubt.”

Will Southard as Juror 8 in what I'd call symbolism in stage direction of "looking out" and "thinking outside the box"

Fine performances by Will Southard and his fellow cast members.  Bravo, Will !

This engagement is pretty much sold-out.  Contact the Diablo Actors Ensemble (a 50-seat theater) in Walnut Creek, CA

If I were given the opportunity to audition for a part in this play, I would want to be Juror #5 (portrayed by Eddie Peabody for Diablo Actors Ensemble, by Jack Klugman in the film, and by Lee Philips in the teleplay.)

I applaud the cast, director Vince Faso, the crew, Artistic Director Scott Fryer (who was also Foreman in the cast), Managing Director Samantha Fryer, and DAE board members and volunteers.

Elisa Southard, recent-keynote speaker at the Redwood Writers Conference, I thank you again for inviting me to this powerful performance.   My party afterward (stimulating conversations with playwright/director Kathryn McCarty, Elisa’s and Will’s siblings, their in-laws and friends) was icing on the cake!

http://www.enotes.com/twelve-angry-men

In the teleplay, Robert Cummings was Juror #8,  Franchot Tone Juror #3, and Edward Arnold Juror #10. I’m going to look for a copy of teleplay.

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan

Book Doctor/Manuscript Consultant, Writing Career Coach, Author, Publisher

Teresa specializes in editing fiction with universal themes; women’s memoirs; novels for young adults; short stories.  She likes spunky protagonists.

Love Made of Heart is:
• recommended by the California School Library Association and the California Reading Association

• read by students at Stanford University, U.C. Berkeley, CCSF, and many other colleges and high schools.

• used in Advanced Composition English-as-a-Second-Language classes
• archived at the San Francisco History Center

GraceArt Publishing is the publisher of Build My Name, Beat the Game: 22 Days to Identify & Develop My Writer’s Platform to Attract Agents, Acquisition Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention.

Teresa says: “Reach out, not stress out, when building your writer’s name/platform.”  

To comment on any of my columns (blog posts), just click on the blue title bar of the post, fill in the boxes and press “submit.”  Please click here for my blog http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/

What Should I Do Before I Hire an Editor to Review My Manuscript?

The question is answered by Teresa LeYung Ryan–Book Doctor/Manuscript Consultant, Career Coach, Author

Nina Amir, creator of Write Nonfiction in November http://writenonfictioninnovember.com/ had invited me to be her guest-blogger in 2008, to help answer that question.  My advice for narrative non-fiction writers is the same for fiction writers.

“How to Look at Your Manuscript with an Editor’s Lens”

Since writing a story with the intent to engage the reader is so much like meeting a stranger and wanting him/her to be interested in you, I will focus on how to make the first quarter of your story a compelling read.

I love working with diligent writers who want to transform their manuscripts into page-turners. However, there are things you can do before you give your work to an editor. Let me show you how you can help yourself.

As an editor, the four biggest mistakes I encounter are manuscripts that are weak in these elements:

• Planting hook(s) or story-question(s);
• Grounding the reader with the three Ws (Who?  When?  Where?);
• Showing (not telling) what the protagonist wants;
• Paying attention to language and rules

Let’s learn from the pros.

Planting Hook or Story-Question:

In The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts, Maxine Hong Kingston hooks us with the first line: “You must not tell anyone,” my mother said, “what I am about to tell you…”   Then, Ms. Kingston transitions into her story with:  “Whenever she had to warn us about life, my mother told stories that ran like this one . . .”

Grounding the Reader with the Three Ws:

In Woven of Water, while the story timeline spans from 1957 to 2005, Californian author Luisa Adams brilliantly shows us who she was as a girl (not with a year-by-year narrative, but with a single exquisite chapter).  Because she grounded us with “who, when, where,” we eagerly follow as she takes us into her enchanted world of a “cottage in the forest.”  Another device to ground the reader is the employment of sensory details (not long descriptions).  Sensory details put the reader in the scene/story world.  Re-read one of your favorite author’s books. Study from the masters.

Showing What the Protagonist Wants:

In The Other Mother, young Carol Schaefer wants to ask questions:  “Was there any way to keep my baby?  Was there anyone who would help me find a way to do that?”

Paying Attention to Language and Rules:

Read the first five pages of Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt and you will see how this wordsmith plays with language and rules. (You can “bend” the rules to create flow, but you must not ignore them.)

Sentences Deserve Your Attention:

Nina Amir’s post on her blog  http://writenonfictioninnovember.wordpress.com/2007/11/ is a must-read.

Remember Groucho Marx’s line “One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas…”? That sentence got a lot of laughs.  But, what if you didn’t want to be funny (ambiguous in this case)?

How would you rewrite these poorly constructed sentences?

• He likes to fish near the Farallon Islands and they jump when they’re hungry at dawn or dusk.
• She insists on knowing when I come home and leave, not to be nosy, but for safety reasons.
• Being cautious as not to step on the dog’s tail, the children tip-toed away from him while sleeping.
• My husband still in bed snoring, I have always enjoyed rising before dawn and I eat my toast and drink my green tea on the terrace.

To improve your sentence structure and other skills, I recommend these books:

• The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White
• Woe is I: Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English by Patricia T. O’Conner

More Advice:

• In all four stories (The Woman Warrior, Woven of Water, The Other Mother, Angela’s Ashes), the authors present memorable experiences by employing authentic details, unusual story-worlds though real, and poetic language. You want to do the same for your story.
• Also, these stories have another vital component-all four plotlines have what Martha Alderson, author of Blockbuster Plots, Pure and Simple, calls “Cause and Effect” linked scenes.  Another must-read blog:  http://plotwhisperer.blogspot.com/search?q=first+quarter
• When you’re writing non-fiction and do not have the luxury of rearranging the sequence of events to create a page-turning plotline, you can engage the reader by using concise expositions to leap over blocks of time in order to focus on the core themes and fast-forward the story. A helpful website: http://www.memoriesandmemoirs.com
• You the author must show the reader what the protagonist wants, even if the protagonist doesn’t know at first.
• We don’t have to “like” a protagonist, but, we do need to connect with him/her on an emotional level.

In the fiercely competitive arena of the publishing world, how does one stand out in a crowd?  Building relationships is one key to success in this business. Another key is to know how to translate the themes from your life to your writing and articulate those themes as community concerns.  I want to see all hardworking writers realize their dreams. My best wishes to you!

Do you know a writer who wants to go to a writers’ conference but can’t afford it? Encourage her/him to ask family and friends to chip in (what better Christmas gift or birthday gift!).

For non-fiction authors: Writing for Change Conference http://www.sfwritingforchange.org/

For both fiction and non-fiction authors:  San Francisco Writers Conference http://sfwriters.org

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan

Book Doctor/Manuscript Consultant, Career Coach, Author, Publisher

Coach Teresa edits manuscripts for authors who want to attract agents  & publishers  OR  want to be their own publishers. She specializes in contemporary novels, thrillers, children’s & YA novels, memoirs, short stories, and anthologies. She likes spunky protagonists.

Love Made of Heart is:
• recommended by the California School Library Association and the California Reading Association

• read by students at Stanford University, U.C. Berkeley, CCSF, and many other colleges and high schools.

• used in Advanced Composition English-as-a-Second-Language classes
• archived at the San Francisco History Center

GraceArt Publishing is the publisher of Build My Name, Beat the Game: 22 Days to Identify & Develop My Writer’s Platform to Attract Agents, Acquisition Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention.

Teresa says: “Reach out, not stress out, when building your writer’s name/platform.”  

To comment on any of my columns (blog posts), just click on the blue title bar of the post, fill in the boxes and press “submit.”  Please click here for my blog http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/