Waiting for Another Storm

by Marsha Ward

It looks like another big storm will hit the High Country of Arizona this weekend. That could be bad news for me, so I'm going to schedule this blog post early, in case my electricity goes off again.

I'll take the opportunity to welcome a new blogger to our team. Rebecca Irvine will begin posting on Monday, December 21. Rebecca has published a couple of books, but I'll let her tell all that.

I've been working on web pages again this week, hoping to get a few Internet-based things out of the way before the big storm. That means, of course, that I haven't been writing. I'm going to have a couple of pads of paper at hand if I lose power again. I have flashlights and candles ready, so I can write if that happens.

Wish me luck!

My New Years Resolutions

by Cindy R. Williams

My New Year's Resolutions, illustrated by cats and a dragon.

The look on this red tabby's face and tilt of its' head hit home to how I feel about my New Years Resolutions. That is; curious, ready to take on what ever comes my way, and looking at things from a different angle.

My #1 Goal is Writing. Here's my plan.

1. Write at least one hour a day, but shoot for three. (I hate guilt, and am tired of being a master guilter. No, make that the Queen of the Master's of Guilt. I can usually squeeze in at least an hour. If not, then I don't have my priorities straight.)

2. Make an agenda of WIP including which is first in line, and attainable deadlines.

3. Get my middle grade novel about a boy and a dragon edited, research agents, send queries to said agents, and give some publishing houses a go.

4. Create my ebook with one of my WIP's.
5. Have the courage to let my work go and put it on the line.

6. Continue to support my fellow writers.
7. Continue to be active and supportive in ANWA.

8. Change my answering machine message to something creative about writing like, "Sorry, work in progress, or creativity is happening, or, we are visiting another reality, so no one is available. You are welcome to leave a message. Calls will be returned in late afternoon if possible the residents of this home return to this realm." Then turn off the ringer until I complete my writing for the day.

9. Leave all email, etc. until after my writing is done.
10. New Years Goals for me must include the old standby to lose a few pounds along the way. I hope to be so involved in my writing world, that I will lose my sweet tooth, hunger, and even fasination with food, and chocolate in general. Who knows. It's a new year afterall, and good things are going to happen. Hummm, hang on, chocolate is a good thing too. I hear dark chocolate is actually good for you. Anyone out there heard a rumor about icecream being good for you too? Even just a hint of a rumor? If so, I will take your word for it ;o). Yummy food is really one of the great Wonders of the World.

Thoughts on Semester's End

by Sarah Albrecht

It's the end of the semester, and my house is messy, my kids are cooking dinner, and my blog isn't written. Neither are my Christmas cards.

That's okay, though. The house will get cleaned, the kids know a little more about cooking sausages (breakfast for dinner, you know), the blog's getting done now, short, and I just may resort to e-mailing Christmas greetings this year. I like getting things done in a more orderly manner, but sometimes it doesn't work that way. Adaptability doesn't always seem like the fit I want, but it's a lot easier than to struggle with what isn't working.

And I have to say I loved what I've learned in school. It's a Master's in Secondary Ed., just two classes so far, but it's so exciting; as a bonus, everything applies to where I am in my family life right now. With regret I've put my non-school writing projects on hold in exchange for a different type of learning. Adaptability doesn't always seem like the fit I want, but it's a lot easier than to struggle with what isn't working.

Just one more paper to submit, after posting this blog--then I can face holiday preparation. I might not get all the cookies baked, but...we'll adapt.

Don't Apologize

by Marielle Carlisle

I just received two rejection letters from publishers this week, and was feeling a bit down, when suddenly in my inbox I got my weekly letter from Hope Clark. She provides free emails with quotes and info on the Writing and Publishing world. Her words of inspiration touched me so much that I knew I had to spread them to my ANWA ladies.

DON'T APOLOGIZE

Do you catch yourself apologizing for being a writer?
Ever downplayed what you do, where you've published,
what you've written?

"I just write for a few small magazines, nothing big."

"I write a little, nothing special."

That lack of self-respect does nothing for your writing.
It can impact it, frankly. If you tell yourself you're
not much you become just that.

Besides, you've invested in your writing. You've penned
stories, whether they were published or not. Consider
the time spent struggling with flow and active voice,
finding markets or the right character name. There was
that time you spend half the night fixing a scene, or
excused yourself from a social event to stay home and
struggle with your plot.

Did all that go to waste? Never apologize for all the
tears you've cried, time you've spent, or passion you've
poured into your work. Don't apologize for being
dedicated, smart, creative, expressive. Don't apologize
for wanting to be alone with your words.

Be assertive, comfortable, and positive about being a
writer. I'm not a big one to brag about being a writer.
However, I'll tell someone in a heartbeat that I have
to go home and work on the novel. It's more exact, more
sure, more assertive. It commands more respect than
simply saying "I'm a writer" which only leads to more
questions you don't care to answer like "what have you
written" and "where have you published?"

Don't be proud of the writer label. Many people profess
to be a writer who aren't. Be proud of your duties,
your deadlines, your responsibilities as a writer.
Not only will your career choice sound more tangible,
but you'll feel obligated to work.


Hope Clark



Included in her email was this quote from Eleanor Roosevelt:

"No one can make you feel inferior without your
permission."

There, self-pity party over. Thanks Hope.

How Brutal Can You Be?

by Terri Wagner

Lately, I've noticed several people pleading for brutality when it comes to critiquing. No offense to anyone, but have you determined beforehand just how brutal you want someone to be? One of the destroying facets of my local writers' group in Baldwin County is that people weren't specific on their concept of brutality.

For example, I-don't-like-it doesn't really help and adds to a sense of despair. If you say, well this part seemed a bit confusing to me, and I didn't quite grasp your meaning at this paragraph, you're being brutal but helpful.

Another example is when someone says well I don't like poetry (fill in the blank) so I just won't bother with it. That hurts, because poetry is not just for fellow poets. I couldn't write a poem if I tried, but I love the classics like Sir Alexander Pope, Alfred Lord Tennyson and my personal American favorite Robert Frost, not to mention Edgar Allen Poe. So even though I can't write poetry, I can certainly give a few helpful pieces of advice.

Now let's all hmmm a chorus from "Turn it Around" from "My Turn on Earth." As a critiquier, don't be hurt if your advice isn't taken. Especially when you know you're not an expert. When I was in this writers' club. I gave advice to a poet who got purple in the face and stuttered something about wanting rhyme and rhythm advice. Fair enough. Not my skill level. Another one was a fantasy writer, I edited her entire 3-book series. It was terrific. I only helped with odd places, odd phrases and odd small plot lines. We worked well together. She was grateful. So was I. I got an advance copy so to speak.

When you want a critique, tell me what you want. It helps. And I promise not to be offended if you don't take my advice. After all, I'm not the writer here.

Christmas games and trivia

By Joyce DiPastena

Did you know that Good King Wenceslas, of the Christmas carol, is the patron saint of the Czech Republic? That Away In a Manger is the first Christmas carol usually taught to children? That Mozart used the tune to Deck the Halls for a violin and piano duet?

Well, you would if you knew about this cool website, called simply, Christmas Carols. Check it out for some fun Christmas carol trivia to share with your families.

And here’s a fun Christmas quiz you and your family can play, too.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

(If you get an annoying voice telling you you’ve won a Walmart gift card, just ignore it.)

ANWA Has Been a Great Support to Me

This is the first appearance of a new member of our blog team, charter ANWA member Sarah Hinze.

by Sarah Hinze

I am a charter member of ANWA—in fact, I would like to think that because of one phone call, Marsha was impressed, I will say inspired, to start ANWA. But had it not been me, it would have been someone else because I believe that ANWA is one of Marsha’s callings on this earth.

Our family, consisting of my husband Brent and our seven children (two more daughters were born in Mesa, making that nine) moved here from Washington D.C. 22 years ago. I was being bombarded with strong impressions to write and I needed an LDS female author to talk to. One evening while our family was visiting the Mesa Temple Visitor’s Center, I saw my first Beehive Magazine, our LDS newspaper here in Arizona. On the front cover was a by-line of an author, Marsha Ward. I contacted Marsha and shared my story. She told me that she had felt impressed to start a group for LDS women writers. A few months later we had our first meeting. Of course, need I say—the rest is history!

ANWA was a major positive catalyst for me after that. One evening dear Gayla Wise challenged me to bring an outline of my book to the next meeting. In those days our meetings were somewhat like the old Relief Society meetings with Eliza R. Snow and her friends. We would often go into the wee hours of the evening--the clock was not our guide. We stayed and shared ideas of the heart as the spirit impressed us to do.

I left that meeting literally crying with fear and apprehension, because I knew that I needed to accept that challenge and not just talk about a book that I might write, but to actually write it.

I came back the following month with an outline and, because of the encouragement of the ladies in ANWA, I completed my first book less than a year later. I called it Life Before Life—A Collection of Mothers Stories of their Unborn Children.

After that I was on a roll and have written three more books (others have been republished with new covers and titles), one an unpublished manuscript. I will share parts of that manuscript with you over the next few weeks. I would enjoy your feedback. With the publishing of my new book, The Memory of Angels : Remembering Who We Are and What We Came Here to Do, I hope that I have fulfilled that calling.

My mission as a writer is probably different than yours. My calling has been non-fiction up to this point. Through a collection and analysis of anecdotal evidence, I developed a new area of research-–the pre-birth studies. For a definition of the pre-birth experience and additional information, please check out my website at www.sarahhinze.com and my blog, Sarah’s Pearls and Daisies.

In almost 20 years of this work, I have worked with several PH.D. candidates who have used our research (my husband Brent, a PH.D. himself, makes many contributions to my research) in their theses. Many others have taken our research and developed it. So far I have found over 25 other books, several documentaries, and other media forms that have included our work. I had a prompting when I began so many years ago that others would pick up this information and do their own research. This has been a thrill for me because our research and our findings have held strong and been recognized as solid information.

I recently spoke at a division of NAU in Phoenix, the fifth Arizona campus where I have been invited to guest lecture. I give a run down of that meeting on my own blog.

My point is not to pontificate but to encourage you. It takes courage to fulfill our dreams as writers, no matter how unusual they may be, but the benefits can be rewarding and far reaching for good.