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What to pack for a writers’ conference
Posted by doggonedmysteries
It’s a good idea to have a supply of business cards on hand. I usually print up several business card stock pages worth and pack them in my suitcase. Pens, a writer can never have too many pens. I always carry several notebooks of varying sizes. You never know when you’ll need one.
If you have a finished book, bring along a synopsis and the first two chapters. You might get a chance to pitch it. Speaking of pitching your book, make sure you have your ‘elevator pitch’ perfected. You use that one when someone asks what your book is about, if you can crunch your synopsis down to one sentence, you have it.
Comfortable shoes to wear because you’ll do a lot of walking between sessions. Good clothes, you do want to make a good impression on people.
My roommate and I make sure we have snacks and bottled water because bringing our own saves us big bucks. I print out envelopes marked ‘housekeeping’ to put the housekeeping tips in each day. Do remember to tip, skimp somewhere else, but don’t skimp on tips. Remember these people work for minimum wage and they work hard. Don’t forget the wait staff, bartenders, and bellhops too. They remember those who tip them well.
Posted in My blog
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pennwriters, Pennwriters conference, Writer, Writers conference, Writing, Writing conferences
Before the conference…
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Before I leave for what I call ‘my annual four-day working vacation’ I have to prepare the home front. DH is no longer capable of cooking meals other than heating things in the microwave. Therefore, I’ll be making and putting up frozen dinners for him.
The dogs are sometimes too much for DH to handle alone. I’ve arranged for friends to stop in and take them for walks so they are good and tired. That way they won’t be their normal handfuls. I’ll make certain that their food is in good supply and they have plenty of cookies.
Then I need to print out my works in progress so that, if I find time, I can work on them at the conference. I will do the writing on my Alphasmart and can transfer everything to my computer when I get home. However, I need to have the printouts to work from since the Alphasmart doesn’t hold the book files. Yes, this is where a laptop would be a very handy thing and would save my aching back from schlepping a lot of paper. I dream of having a nice one, one of these days…
Posted in My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pennwriters, Pennwriters conference, Writer, Writers conference, Writing, Writing conferences
What to do at the conference
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I was looking at the PW conference schedule in the last newsletter. It seems I won’t have a problem with conflicting sessions. I’ll have trouble finding a challenging session for each hour. I’m not complaining mind you. The sessions look great and I highly recommend them.
However, I’ve been to many similar ones. Therefore, I see six sessions that I will attend and several others that are debatable. The newsletter states that the schedule is subject to change. I am hoping for a few surprises (No, Dave not that kind.)
Then again, if I’m not in a session, I am free to socialize with others. This is how I met my agent long before she became my agent. Actually, I met her husband first and then he introduced me to her. We were friends for a few years before I had a ‘writers’ conference’ interview with her. Whereupon in the allotted ten minutes, I pitched my book to her. She told me to send her my manuscript t, cover letter, and synopsis. I did and she called me and asked if I wanted to sign with her. I signed.
Take advantage of free time at a conference to meet people. You never know what will come of it.
Posted in My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: agents, Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pennwriters, Writer, Writers conference, Writing, Writing conferences
It’s almost time for the Pennwriters conference
Posted by doggonedmysteries
The May 14th-16th date is fast approaching. Now I’m beginning to think about what clothes I will wear. I go through this every year. I spend most of my time in jeans, t-shirts and flip-flops. This isn’t what you wear when you’re trying to make a good impression on an editor or when you’re networking with other writers.
I’ve been digging around in my closets hoping I can find appropriate clothing. We’ll be at a resort hotel with fancy restaurants. My dog tattered t-shirts and raggedy jeans won’t work. I’ll have to wear shoes too and dang it I hate shoes.
I also need to brush up on my French for Marie and Pierre. We met at the conference two years ago and became fast friends. I can understand more than I can speak it and I think it would be nice if I practiced a bit.
Unfortunately, I’ve had to bag a few activities to keep my costs down this year. Even sharing a room, as I do each year, the hotel is more expensive. I had to cut expenses somewhere and it came down to the banquet, luncheon, and the costume party, which, all together, was the cost of one night at the hotel.
Posted in My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: agents, Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, editors, Family, Fiction, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, networking, Novel writing, Pennwriters, Writer, Writers conference, Writing
Pilling the dogs
Posted by doggonedmysteries
We should own stock in the OTC allergy medicine company. I take two a day, the vet has Gavin on three a day, and Patty is on two. Then there are days when the pollen count is high and even DH needs them.
Pilling a Bull Terrier isn’t easy when you have one like Gavin. You want to what? Open my mouth? I don’t think so. Our vet has collapsed in the giggles while trying to get a look inside Gavin’s mouth and he’s a big guy. Gavin will clamp his mouth shut and you can’t get in there with a crow bar. On the other hand, Patty is easy.
At least she’s easy if she hasn’t seen you give Gavin his pill. Gavin gets peanut butter on a spoon with his pill on top. He’d eat a building if you covered it in peanut butter. Patty sees him get peanut butter and she wants hers served the same way.
I don’t blame her I like peanut butter too but I like mine on crackers or in a sandwich with jelly. Have you ever tried a peanut butter and jalapeño jelly sandwich? It’s good. Yeah, I’m weird.
Posted in Dog related, Food, My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Food, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
Bullfrog flattened!
Posted by doggonedmysteries
No, it wasn’t Goliath. No, it wasn’t Bad Froggy either. It was one of the other three. How do I know? Goliath sat on the bench rock begging for worms after I found the dead frog in the alley. Bad Froggy is our only singer and I heard him later too.
The hadn’t-as-yet-been-named bullfrog was probably heading to the cemetery to hunt. After all, it was raining and the nightcrawlers were plentiful. I’d gone out there to pick up a few to feed the fish and Goliath.
I found his almost Goliath sized body in the alley near the cemetery fence. It was frogicide. It wasn’t an accidental killing. From the position of the body, you could tell that the only way someone would’ve hit him was if they’d aimed their car for it. A hit and run driver took him out. The poor frog never did anyone any harm. All he wanted was to fill his belly with worms on a rainy night.
Posted in My blog, my garden, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pond, Ponds, Writer, Writing
Dog slave
Posted by doggonedmysteries
We’ve certainly been busy around here. DH runs across town to his mother’s early every morning and stays there for a few hours. On the days that the OT and PT people are there, he stays longer. I’ve been sending along meals that she can easily microwave.
This means I have to get up earlier so the dogs can get out as often as they want. I am NOT a morning person. I never have been, never will be. No, but I am a slave to my dogs. Their needs come first even before my first cup of coffee.
Therefore, while I’m here granting the pups’ every wish, I am also doing things like pond maintenance, laundry, cleaning, and sometime next month, painting the interior of the house. I’ll be starting in the kitchen.
I have two Bull Terriers to contend with, which means painting around here isn’t an easy task. Any daytime painting has to be limited to the higher areas. Dog nose prints on freshly painted walls are not artwork. I hate ladders and ladders with nosey dogs are not secure. At night, I can paint at dog level. It’s a good thing I’m a night person.
Posted in Dog related, Misc, My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
Summer siestas here we come
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I am so pleased with Overstock.com. This was the first time I’ve ordered anything from them. I ordered a new rope hammock from them on the 10th and it arrived on the 14th. Wow, that was fast since I only got the E-mail saying they shipped it the night of the 13th.
For several years I’ve had this lovely, heavy-duty stand sitting in pieces because I hadn’t replaced my old hammock that, due to circumstances beyond my control, got wrecked by a couple of visitors.
I sure did miss that hammock. There’s nothing like relaxing in one on a hot summer’s evening or snoozing in the shade of the magnolia in the afternoon after working in the yard. A hammock beats the heck out of any lawn chair by far.
This one is wide enough that DH and I can easily snuggle on it and watch the stars. I can’t wait for the summer meteor showers now. They call it ‘The Presidential’ size. It’s so wide that if I’m in the center and stretch out my arms I don’t touch either side.
My only problem will be trying to figure out where to store it when it’s not hanging on the stand.
Posted in Misc, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, online shopping, Writer, Writing
Toot toot tootsie goodbye
Posted by doggonedmysteries
What is with people and the need to lean on their car horns? No one gets out of their car and politely knocks on a person’s door these days. No, they have to sit out in their cars and honk the horn until whoever it is they are looking for comes outside.
Then there are the idiots who honk their car horns to make noise and irritate people for no reason other than the idiots are obnoxious.
On our street, we have three people who work nights (and no I’m not including me in that), there’s another person, an invalid, who is stuck in a bed all the time. Then we have my next-door neighbor who I know works two jobs and sleeps only a few hours at a time. Do the horn honkers consider that they might wake someone up? Nope.
Whatever happened to consideration for others? Long gone I’m sorry to say, tossed away with that other all-important thing, called common sense. It’s no wonder people’s tempers are shorter fused these days.
Is it because personal interaction is outdated? Has the electronic age brought us to this? What do you think?
Posted in Misc, My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
April 13th again RIP Mary
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Dearest Sister,
Although years have gone by, your passing feels like yesterday. It wrenches my heart.
At times, I still reach for the phone to share something exciting, joyous, sad, or what has angered me. Then I remember you aren’t there. I miss that sharing.
No one knows me as you knew me. We shared our deepest and darkest secrets. We didn’t judge. We accepted and loved each other warts and all.
We cried together. We laughed together. We shared joys and sorrows.
I will always miss the sound of your voice, your laughter, and your wonderful humor.
A part of me died with you and yet, a part of you stayed with me.
All my love…
Me
Posted in In memory of...
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
A weakness for plants
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Saturday I received one of my favorite spring treats—the flyer from a local farm and greenhouse operation. ‘They offer thousands of healthy bedding plants, annuals, and perennials. Vegetables including over 75 tomato varieties and 68 pepper varieties and large selection of herbs and scented geraniums. They have blueberry and raspberry bushes along with 52 hosta cultivars and 48 different hemerocallis.’ In other words, they are a gardener’s paradise.
G and I will pay a call there after the Pennwriters conference next month. By then, we can safely plant tomatoes, peppers, watermelons, and the many other floras we’ll buy that day. We will load the rear of her hubby’s SUV to overflowing.
Last year I spent more than she did. We’ll see who gets off cheapest this year and I’m betting it won’t be me. I have a weakness for plants, an addiction if you will and not unlike my addiction for books.
I’ve perused their lists and marked what I want. This year the gardens will have, vegetable plants intermixed with flowers. The tomatoes I tried that way last year grew well. I’d sure like a nice variety of vegetables this year.
Posted in hobbies, Misc, My blog, my garden, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
When words fail
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I have days where I spend more time deleting what I’ve written than writing. It may be pure, unadulterated crap but it is my crap and I’m allowed to mess with it. At least I’m writing. The best advice I ever got was ‘write every day, no matter how poor the writing is, at the very least, you are exercising that part of your brain.’
Poor writing, sort of what I’m doing here tonight. It has been one of those days. Nevertheless, I am writing—a good thing. Am I writing well? That’s another question.
Tim Esaias says to keep moving forward don’t stop until you hit the end. I wish he were sitting on my shoulder at times if only to slap me in the head when I go back and re-read things. I have a devil of a friend who constantly sends me back over what I’ve written. I re-read chapters I shouldn’t. All of which leads to deleting words, sentences, dialogue, and sometimes scenes.
That’s when words fail. They fail to mesh, they fail to make sense, and they fail to move forward. I need to stop re-reading.
Posted in My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
Doggonedmysteries 