“Beautiful Brain” Haiku poems

by Teresa Jade LeYung

November 2020

When Brain makes mistake

with endless loop pain signals

I reply with Sooth

Oh Beautiful Brain

Storing experiences

Of pleasure and pain

Brain changes itself

Through learning or ceasing tasks

Retrainable yes

2021 February 28

When Beautiful Brain

changes, for better, for worse

that’s plasticity

2021 March 2

I am THE expert

of my memories and thoughts

Can choose soothing ones

Because I had entered the Haiku poems written in November 2020 to the Jane Underwood Poetry Prize, I couldn’t published them on my blog at the time.  On February 26, 2021, The Writing Salon’s email says that they had received nearly 350 poems. Congratulations to everyone!

The announcement from The Writing Salon says:

The final judge, David Hernandez, has selected Kelly Grace Thomas’s “Nothing Roots or Infertility” as the winning poem. Next Wednesday, March 3, 2021 The Writing Salon will publish the poem at our website. The finalists are Tony Barnstone, Twila Newey, Emily Pulfer-Terino, and Lizabeth Yandel.

The Jane Underwood Poetry Prize was established to celebrate and memorialize Jane Underwood, the founder and long-time director of The Writing Salon who passed away in 2016. Jane was a gifted poet who made The Writing Salon a prominent and respected creative writing school in the San Francisco Bay Area. She was well known for her generous spirit and her direct and encouraging teaching style. A posthumous collection of her poems, entitled When My Heart Goes Dark, I Turn the Porch Light On, was published in 2017.

Thank you to all the folks at The Writing Salon for keeping the writing community strong!

Thank you, Frances Kakugawa (beloved author /poet / teacher / speaker) and your Wordsworth, for inspiring me to compose Haiku poems.

https://franceskakugawa.wordpress.com/category/caregiving-haiku/

https://franceskakugawa.wordpress.com/2020/02/16/a-lesson-in-haiku-writing/

https://franceskakugawa.wordpress.com/category/wordsworth-the-poet/

Artist Chandra Garsson's "Jade protected by BIG Angel Wings" To see more Chandra Garsson's works of art - https://www.facebook.com/butterflybonesandhummingbirdsongs

Thank you for reading this blog post – Author and Theme Consultant Teresa Jade LeYung says: “Beautiful Brain inspires Haiku poems”

For other posts related to our Beautiful Brains and Neuroplasticity  in my blog  https://lovemadeofheart.com/blog …  If you look at right side near top of screen, you’ll see the category “Beautiful Brains Neuroplasticity”.  Please click on that category to get all my blog posts pertaining to the topic.

I wish everyone and your Beautiful Brains easy access to BLISS via SOOTHING thoughts; images,; senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch); memories,; emotions,; movement; and beliefs.

A thousand thanks to Dr. Michael Moskowitz, Dr. Marla Golden, Dr. Norman Doidge, Dusky Pierce, Dr. Danielle Rosenman, Linda A. Harris, Dr. Amy Grace Lam, Cynthia Tom and her program A PLACE OF HER OWN, Professor Lorimer Moseley, and all the precious people in my life.

Thank you, MT et MYW, for masks; Starry Night mask by Dahlynn & Ken McKowen of WoodstockAndYarn

Love Made Of Heart ®

Teresa Jade LeYung, an American naturalized citizen of Chinese ancestry, is a story/theme consultant, author of LOVE MADE OF HEART (daughter-mother novel archived at the San Francisco History Center and used by college professors), BUILD YOUR WRITER’S PLATFORM & FANBASE IN 22 DAYS (a workbook), and TALKING TO MY DEAD MOM Monologues (the first monologue received an award from Redwood Writers Ten-Minute Play Festival), an alumna of artist Cynthia Tom’s A PLACE OF HER OWN, an advocate for public libraries and public schools, creator of http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/ , and, admirer of City of Light. Composing Haiku poems is a new love for LeYung.

NARRATIVE PATHS JOURNAL Guest Column:

Wake-Up America! Part I

June 15, 2020

by Kim McMillon Ph.D.

Kim McMillon, Ph.D.

https://www.narrativepathsjournal.com/guest-column-wake-up-america-part-i-by-kim-mcmillon/

1.  Why do you believe the issue of racism is important?

2. Do you believe the individual can make a difference in a racist society?

3.  Have you ever been confronted with racism and how did you handle it?

4.  What do you tell your children about racism in the United States today?

5.  Do you believe it is possible to understand racial oppression if you are not a person of color?

6.  The title of the Poetathon is “Wake-Up America.”  What do you see America needing to Wake-Up from?

Have you ever been confronted with racism and how did you handle it?

Author Teresa Jade LeYung says:

“I am a sixty-something-year-old female American naturalized citizen, of Chinese ancestry, who has been sleeping a lot since March 16, 2020 (hours before our county was to adhere to COVID-19 ‘Shelter-In-Place’ order) when I experienced racial harassment at the local supermarket.  What happened? A fifty-something-year-old Caucasian man pushed his shopping cart into the right side of my body, and then walked away with his head held high.  When I told friends, they gave support through resources… including www.asianpacificpolicyandplanningcouncil.org/stop-aapi-hate/  to report the incident, and, www.ihollaback.org  to sign-up for Bystander Intervention Training to STOP anti-Asian/American and Xenophobic Harassment.  I kept sleeping. Until I followed through with both resources. Gaining knowledge and skills woke up my brain.

“I didn’t know that I had to stay awake. While heroes from all walks of life were helping communities cope with daily needs during this pandemic, others continued to commit racial injustices. Details of the murders of three Americans – Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd – woke up people from all parts of the world.

In Part II  of Guest Column: Wake-Up America!  by Kim McMillon,  we shall answer:

7.       How do you become an ally to those experiencing racial oppression?

8.       The public has not protested the atrocities that have been taking place in our country, but yet during a pandemic, people are taking to the streets to protest the death of George Floyd, why?

9.       How do you believe we can change the world for the better?

10.   As a poet, how would you like to be remembered?

11.   What line or stanza of poetry best describes you?

“Thank you, Dr. Kim McMillon, for giving us this forum to wake up in unity.”

author Teresa Jade LeYung, mask by Emily O., June 2020 COVID-19 pandemic

Bio:  Teresa Jade LeYung, American naturalized citizen of Chinese ancestry, is a manuscript-theme consultant, author of Love Made Of Heart (archived at the San Francisco History Center), Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days, and Talking To My Dead Mom monologues, and, an advocate for public libraries and public schools. http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/

Teresa Jade LeYung

Friday November 29, 2013

Author and 22-Day Writing Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan thanks Stacey Glick, John Scognamiglio and the Folks associated with Kensington Publishing Corp.

I thank powerhouse agent Stacey Glick

Stacey Glick, VP at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management

who found insightful acquisition editor John Scognamiglio

John Scognamiglio of Kensington Publishing Corp.

at Kensington Publishing Corp. 

who guided my mother-daughter novel Love Made of Heart to the Sales Team, good-energy publisher Laurie Perkin, president Steven Zacharius, Debbie Tobias was Sales Director, Lou Malcangi was art director, by the way . . . booksellers do judge a book by its cover, Libba Bray, who is now a New York Times bestselling author of young adult books, for book jacket copy, Jacquie Edwards for copy editing, marketing team, production team, Jessica in Sales, Michelle who was Webmaster,and EVERYONE at Kensington and their associates, especially Nancy Suib & Anne Shulenberger, and Kensington Publishing Corp.’s superstars Lydia Kwa, Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, Mary B. Morrison, Mary Monroe, Carl Weber . . .

If not for these people, I would not have had the opportunity to experience the publishing industry from the author’s perspective . . .  which then gave me the credentials to talk about “who” really is the most qualified person to build the author’s platform and fanbase.

I thank you all!

Love Made of Heart (mother-daughter love story) by Teresa LeYung-Ryan

Love Made of Heart  is:

• a 2002 nominee of the Asian American Literary Award
• recommended by the California School Library Association and the California Reading Association
• used in college composition, women’s studies, and advanced composition English-as-a-Second-Language classes
• read by students at Stanford University, U.C. Berkeley, San Francisco State University, City College of San Francisco, City College of Sacramento, Lowell High School, and many other wonderful institutions
• archived at the San Francisco History Center

Teresa LeYung Ryan  uses her novel Love Made of Heart to:

• celebrate the immigrant experience
• inspire adult children of mentally ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas and find resources for their loved ones
• help survivors of family violence find their own voices

author & 22-Day Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan cheers for dear friend/colleague Margie Yee Webb (producer of FEMME: Women Healing the World) at the movie screening in Sacramento, CA

Reach out, not stress out.

Sincerely,

Author & 22-Day Writing & Fanbase-Building Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan

• author of Love Made of Heart
• author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days
  
• author of the “Talking to My Dead Mom” monologues
• author of http://LoveMadeofHeart.com/blog

To celebrate my novel’s anniversary . . .

Last Thursday I was at San Francisco Public Library for a Women’s National Book Association meeting to shoot one-minute videos of WNBA members and guests so that they can use them to promote themselves. So, there I was, Writing Career Coach Teresa, demonstrating how to create a short video, express yourself, and not have to be in front of the camera.

I am still overjoyed that my novel Love Made of Heart is in public libraries and also archived at the San Francisco History Center.

In this video, I re-declared that I use Love Made of Heart to inspire adult children of mentally ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas and find resources for their families. Also, I encourage everyone to get a library card.

***********************************************

Look what I received in the mail !

card to Teresa LeYung-Ryan from Teacher Sheryl Fairchild and her delightful students

**

sweet messages to Teresa LeYung-Ryan from Sheryl Fairchild's wonderful students

**

Bette Davis stamps used on envelope sent to Teresa LeYung-Ryan from Ms. Sheryl Fairchild of San Francisco State University. Protagonist Ruby Lin in Love Made of Heart had found her role models in characters portrayed by Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. So sweet of Ms. Fairchild and her students to think about the details! Thank you from the bottom of my heart, and that's no pun.

Ms. Sheryl Fairchild’s wonderful students in First Year Composition at San Francisco State University had asked me these questions when I visited them last month.

Our Conversation with Teresa LeYung Ryan

Nicole:  I would like to ask her why she wanted to share her story to the world?

Erin:  I’d like to ask why she used Hollywood movie starts as Ruby’s “voice”  . . .   why she wrote certain characters like Mrs. Nussbaum or Emily into the story and if they represent someone she knows in her life.

Allison:  I would like to ask her if the events that she described in the novel are synonymous with her real life or if they just represent different things that have happened to her.

Stephen:  Was the story of her mother having mental illness true or was it completely made up?

Rozlynn:  I would like to know more about Ruby’s brother John, he’s a very mysterious character in the novel.

Heather:  I would like to ask her if she wrote her story to help people dealing with similar domestic violence issues or people that have someone with mental illness in their life, feel like they aren’t alone, or if she wrote the story for therapeutic reasons of her own.

Kerri:  How long did it take for her to be comfortable with writing this story?

James:  I would like to know if she overcame her past through therapy or was it a different source that was able to help her like a friend or lover?

Jonathan:  If Teresa’s view on men has changed when going from a traditional Chinese man . . . to her new marriage of 7 years that she talks about on the back cover.

Ashley:  What challenges did you face writing the book? What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Kyndal:  Did she ever find out more information about her grandmother?

Reyanna:  I would like to ask about Ruby’s grandmother. We never really know what happened to her and why she left America. Was it because of the harsh trials immigrants suffered? Also, I would like to know about Ruby’s brother as well. She never mentioned much about him or the grandmother.

Questions for Teresa from our worksheets:
o    Why did you want to share your story?
o    Have you gotten in contact with your brother?
o    Why did you choose not to use any Chinese language in the novel?
o    Why did you use a paper that Emily wrote to tell Ruby’s story at the end of the novel, rather than having Ruby tell the story herself?
o    Why did you choose that specific ending?
o    What did you find out about your culture as you were writing this novel?
o    Is your husband Chinese?
o    Did you ever talk to Vincent again?
o    How did your family react to your writing the book?

The Essence or Meaning of the Novel:
In Our Own Words

*     Do not dwell on the past, if you do, you cannot move forward with the future.

*     Forgive, but do not forget what you’ve learned from that experience.

*      Cannot judge people right away (such with Vincent)

*     Tradition vs. modern

*      Substituting fictional characters’ lives for Ruby’s – the life she wished she had

*     “Different kinds of love”

*     Culture – Culture’s clashing

*      Childhood – How the things you see as a child sculpt your life and views: violence at home,
family values/traditions, family relationships

*      Communication – If it exists or doesn’t

*     Family ties – Loyalty vs. independence

*      The book Love Made of Heart shows how someone’s troubled past affects their present life.

What a lovely way to celebrate the birthday of Love Made of Heart !  I’m overjoyed. I’d like to believe that my mom is giggling on Cloud Nine. Thank you, Ms. Fairchild, Allison, Ashley, Chris, Colin, Erin, Heather, Henriikka, James, Joelle, Jonathan, Kerri, Kyndal, Luis, Niki, Reyanna, Roxanne, Rozlynn, Stephen, Teja, Zenia for reading Love Made of Heart and asking thoughtful questions. YOU all are love made of heart!

***********************************

Because of Martha Alderson’s plot coaching, my novel Love Made of Heart was transformed into a page-turner. The story grabbed Stacey Glick‘s attention, then Kensington Publishing’s John Scognamiglio‘s [ Thank you to Stacey and all the folks at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management!  Thank you to John and all the folks at and associated with Kensington Publishing NY ].  Fast forward… Love Made of Heart is:

• used as required reading in colleges and universities
• available in libraries
• archived at the San Francisco History Center
• attracting a steady flow of readers/fans
• being my passport to speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves.
• linking my mission statement to Glenn Close’s BringChange2Mind and NAMI‘s.  I use Love Made of Heart to inspire other adult children of mentally ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas and find resources for their families.

None of this would have happened if Martha had not taught me how to plot the front-story.

Thank you, Everyone (starting with first Critique Group members Cat, Theresa Stephenson, Evelyn Miche, Olga Malyj . . .) who have played a role in sending Love Made of Heart into the world. You all have my deepest gratitude.

Martha’s new book The Plot Whisperer is inspiring me to write another novel.

Sincerely,

Coach Teresa

Teresa LeYung-Ryan says: “Reach out, not stress out, when pursuing your dreams!”

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

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/

archived in the San Francisco History Center

• Everyone recognized on the acknowledgment page of Love Made of Heart
• My agent Stacey Glick and all her colleagues at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management
• Editor John Scognamiglio, president Steven Zacharius, publisher Laurie Perkin, art director Lou Malcangi, sales director Debbie Tobias then, sales director Doug Mendini, author Libba Bray, copy-editor Jacquie Edwards, and Everyone who were at (or associated with) Kensington Publishing Corp. NY (so many talented folks).
• Nancy Suib, Anne Shulenberger and all independent sales reps;
• Folk who are associated with booksellers, libraries, schools, book groups.
• My darling husband, sister & brother-in-law, family members, friends, mentors and colleagues
• Folks related to Women’s National Book Association, California Writers Club, California Reading Association, California School Library Association, San Francisco History Center
• Teachers & students in Advanced Composition/English-as-a-Second-Language classes
• Readers
• Everyone who helped me quietly (the secret angels)

I wish you all a healthful & prosperous New Year!

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan
http://WritingCoachTeresa.com
http://LoveMadeOfHeart.com

As an author and a community member, I use my novel Love Made of Heart to:
• help mothers and daughters speak from the heart
• shed light on stigmas suffered by immigrants
• advocate compassion for mental illness
• help survivors of family violence find their own voices
http://LoveMadeOfHeart.com

Love Made of Heart is the story of Ruby Lin, a Chinese-immigrant-daughter, and her journey to self-forgiveness.