Good Memoir Books:

The Art of Time in Memoir: Then, Again by Sven Birkerts. If you think a memoir must be written in chronological fashion, think again. This book delves into just how memoir writers can juggle events in time — which often results in more drama and a much better memoir.

Fearless Confessions: A Writer’s Guide to Memoir by Sue Silverman. One of the best overall books on the subject. Sue demystifies memoir writing with her down-to-earth and knowledgable approach. Great exercises at the end of each chapter, many that helped me work through issues in my own writing, and she even includes pieces throughout the book, plus a terrific reading list at the end. A must have for anyone in the genre.

I’ve also heard good things about Zinsser’s Writing About Your Life, but haven’t read it yet. I am a huge fan of his On Writing Well, an indispensable guide for any nonfiction writer.

UPDATE: Also don’t forget a copy of Self-Editing for Fiction Writers – no matter what genre you write,  this book will teach you how to strengthen your own writing and stay away from mistakes that will mark your manuscript as “amateur.” Keep in mind, too, that memoir draws on the same techniques as fiction, and this will offer insight into using those fiction techniques to your advantage.

On Blogging:

There are a lot of free resources out there on the Internet — I could spend hours listing them (do a search on “how to start blogging”). But if you truly struggle with the subject or feel lost, they may not provide much help. So do yourself a favor and get your hands on one of these books.

Blogging for Dummies. This is the 2012 version, and by the looks of the Amazon reviews, should be a fantastic guide on the subject.

Blogging Like a Pro. Also looks like a great resource based on the reviews.

UPDATE: Cheryl Lyda mentioned you can see how she moved her book into a blog form at: http://walkingpocatello.blogspot.com,

Quick message to give you a heads up for our meeting this weekend, Saturday January 21 from 4 to 6pm at the Marshall Public Library.

In the first hour, I’d like to open up the floor first to any writers who might be struggling with something and want some feedback/suggestions from others. For the rest of the hour, we can talk about how to start your writing off (for those of you who made a new year’s resolution) and how to get re-inspired or back into the swing of things in 2012. What tips or tricks work for you? No need to get formal about it, just bring your best ideas and a desire to talk.

In the second hour, we’ll have readings and critiques, as always (see our About page for more info). If you’re interested in being one of our three readers (we have no one signed up yet), just leave a comment to this post.

See you Saturday!

There is much to celebrate in this New Year, since we are approaching our third anniversary for the Minnie Howard Writers! In addition, the past year has been so successful that we have requests to add another week per month to accommodate the interest of our many dedicated writers. 

The third Saturday of each month (from 4-6 p.m., in the Minnie Howard Room of the Marshall Public Library) will continue to be our main meetings. However, we have added the first Saturday of each month, which will be dedicated to those who wish to meet, read and critique. This meeting will also be in the Minnie Howard Room, from 4-6 p.m.
We sincerely hope this additional meeting day and time will be helpful to our many writing friends. Pass this information along to any and all who are interested, and remind them: we have no fees, and we are a group which provides a nurturing environment in which to share and grow as writers.
We look forward to seeing you all in 2012!

In case you missed November 19, we talked about critiquing and put our skills to work. Judy Minshall graciously shared some fantastic notes on how to critique, and I brought in examples for critiquing from a book (it’s called Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, and it is a fantastic book for any writer, fiction or nonfiction). In the second hour, Larry Ferro read from his story — thanks Larry!

Our next meeting is December 10 — this is different from our usual practice of meeting on the 3rd Saturday, but that’s when we could get the room. So what’s happening? The plan is to make this an all-readings meeting, where people just come together to share what they’ve written. In the past, some people have brought holiday goodies to share as well. You don’t have to bring anything, but you’re welcome to do so if the season and the spirit strikes you. If you would like to read. leave a comment on this post, so we can make sure we leave time for everyone. I will not make this meeting, but look forward to seeing everyone in January.

Hope you’re having a great holiday season and, as always, happy writing.

Missed out Oct 15 meeting? We discussed the future of publishing, including a fantastic handout from Sherrie Goff on e-books (thanks Sherrie!). We also had readers in the second hour, including Donna Jordahl, Judy Minshall and Ralph Norton. Thanks for sharing your work!

What’s coming up on Nov 19? We’re going to talk about critiquing. Judy Minshall has offered to share her notes on how to critique. I’d also like to invite you to bring in examples to critique — not your own, but someone else’s work. (I’m bringing examples from a book I have on editing).

Want to read? We also have three 15-minute slots available in the 2nd hour for anyone who wants to read to the group. You can ask for oral feedback from the group, or discretely written on copy handouts, or not. To sign up to read, just leave a comment to this post here.

Look forward to seeing you on November 19! And as always, happy writing.

While my website has since become the hub of everything I have accomplished as an author, it took me years to understand its utility, and I only began blogging a few months ago. Clearly, I am a slow learner. But many other authors are still pretending that the Internet doesn’t exist. Some will surely see their careers suffer as a result. One fact now seems undeniable: The future of the written word is (mostly or entirely) digital.

…Vanity Fair has a print circulation of around 1 million copies; the current issue has a fresh photo of Angelina Jolie on its cover; and Hitch is one of the best writers to ever draw breath. However, I’m reasonably sure that this blog post, or the next one, will reach more readers than his latest gem. For bloggers like Ferriss and Godin, the future arrived long ago: Publishing in Vanity Fair would be tantamount to burying their work. This is astounding. Given its range of content, and the costs of acquiring this content, a magazine like Vanity Fair should get much more traffic than any one person’s blog. And this brings us back to the problem of money: Apart from my occasional use of a webmaster and a graphic designer, my blog employs no one—not even me. Where is all this heading?  I can count on one finger the number of places where it is still obviously better for me to publish than on my own blog—the opinion page of The New York Times. But it’s not so much better that I’ve been tempted to send them an article in the last few months. Is this just the hubris of the blogosphere? Maybe—but not for everyone and not for long.

…I’ve started to think that most books are too long, and I now hesitate before buying the next big one. When shopping for books, I’ve suddenly become acutely sensitive to the opportunity costs of reading any one of them. If your book is 600-pages-long, you are demanding more of my time than I feel free to give.

…One thing is certain: writers and public intellectuals must find a way to get paid for what they do—and the opportunities to do this are changing quickly. My current solution is to write longer books for a traditional press and publish short ebooks myself on Amazon. If anyone has any better ideas, please publish them somewhere—perhaps on a blog—and then send me a link. And I hope you get paid.

New Ways to Sell Short Stories. Alan Rinzler shares some new ways to get published for people with shorter works:

Both established authors and self-publishing newcomers with short-form pieces that once appeared only in places like literary and news magazines are finding brand new markets with Kindle Singles and other digital venues like Byliner and Atavist.

His tips include pricing flexibly, making sure you’re not signing away your IP, good marketing, and — most importantly — good writing.

Good Day Sunshine for Writers. Rinzler injects hope into the future by reminding writers of the great opportunities we have now:

Authors today can reach their market without an intermediary. Not through the publisher, not through advertising or the mass media. Authors now have the technology to connect directly with interest groups, book bloggers, websites, to use Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other social networking channels to reach precisely the readers who might be interested in knowing about their work, whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, whether it’s an ambitious literary novel or genre romance, sci-fi and mystery, paranormal or super-wholesome faith-based inspirational stories.

You can connect with these readers through the new art of self-marketing which has its own etiquette and best practices, which does require time and effort, but which can be done powerfully and effectively without every leaving the house, while still in your pajamas.

For years publishers have preached “platform, platform, platform” but now they realize that this platform is not built only on media or celebrity status, but most importantly on the author’s ability to reach readers and create visibility and connection online.

But while he mentions how self-published authors now get picked up by agents/commercial publishers, he does remind us of one important reality:

[Myth] #3 It’s easy to succeed as a self-published author

Absolutely not. Here’s why:

You still have to write a good book. No mean feat. Successful writers I know – whether they’re published commercially or self-published – need to write and rewrite their books many times, usually with the support of a developmental editor, not someone who does spelling and punctuation but a creative partner who is able to identify and solve problems with the story, structure, characterization, dialogue, visual description, literary style, pacing, the narrative arc – with a first, second, and third act that engages the reader and reaches some kind of epiphany or denouement that entertains, illuminates and provides emotional satisfaction for the reader.

But he’s overall upbeat and the message is encouraging — writers have more opportunities than ever.

The Future of Publishing. Jane Friedman wrote a book on this, and here’s a thought-provoking excerpt:

You can’t be just a writer of stories or books anymore. You have to be a creator of entire, immersive, interactive, multimedia realms of experience—at least four per concept, but half a dozen is ideal.

Purely text stories are two-dimensional and déclassé. Neither kids nor adults will be satisfied or engaged unless you create movies, TV series, and online interactive games to flesh out alternative or supplemental story lines. You should also be thinking about developing theme parks, and buying islands (near Dubai), and developing theme parks on islands (near Dubai) to give your audience the real experience of your story world.

So, if you want to simply write books, limiting yourself to flat words trapped on a page, go ahead, but you’ll be the lowest of the low. That is, you’ll be a mere writer. The big money goes to the transmedia specialists, and MFA programs now offer transmedia degrees. Most English and creative writing departments were subsumed, quite some time ago, by Colleges of Informatics.

This is, however, one of fourteen possible future scenarios Friedman postulates.

What do you think? What have you found about the future of publishing? Are you upbeat or worried?

Just a quick note about our October 15 meeting, 4-6pm at the Marshall Public Library. We’ll be talking about publishing trends, per Sherrie’s fantastic comment:

I volunteer to lead/share/discuss the topic of publishing trends, specifically the revolutionary phenomenon of e-publishing in today’s world (along with the help of anyone who wants to join in). Time does not permit for a full “how-to” workshop, but I can describe the various opportunities out there and show how authors now have more power to be seen and heard in a digitalized, connected world than ever.

Bring in anything you have to share on the future of publishing. What’s changing? What interesting trends have you discovered?

Additionally, please bring topics you would like to see discussed in future meetings.

We still have three empty slots for readers in our second hour. Have something you need feedback on? Sign up to read by leaving a comment to this post (see “Critiquing” section of our About page for details on how critiquing works, if you’re not familiar).

Look forward to seeing you this Saturday and, as always, happy writing!

Missed our meeting on September 17? We talked about creating a synopsis for your book, with examples from Sherrie Goff and LaRaine Larsen. We also had several readers, including Louise, Charity and myself. Thanks to everyone for the great discussion and the readings!

So what’s coming up next? That’s up to YOU. We’ve talked about a lot of writing topics over the years, and your opinion really matters. What are you interested in talking about? What would you like us to cover?

Look forward to hearing from you and, as always, happy writing!

It may be labor day, but I’m sure the “labor” that’s on your mind is the labor of love we call writing.

For those of you new to the group, this is Jocelyn, the organizer (who has been away this summer in China). I’m looking forward to meeting you. Our meeting will be September 17, 4-6pm at the Marshall Public Library.

I’d also like to give a huge round of virtual applause for the people who helped keep this group going while I was away: Sherrie Goff and Larry Ferro. Thanks to both of you for your support.

Here’s what’s coming up next (thanks to Sherrie for the writeup):

Thanks to LaRaine, Donna, Judy, Sherrie, Janice and Larry who shared their mini-essays or excerpts from their current work at our last meeting.

Tammie Godfrey expressed her interest in getting feedback and pointers from the group on her efforts to write a good book SYNOPSIS for her publisher. Several people agreed synopsis writing would be a useful meeting topic. So, on Sept 17th please bring your expertise and any helpful hints you can gather or share on that topic. Join us to give Tammie some tips on her effort to summarize her young-adult vampire novel.

Sherrie had originally suggested setting aside time to hear all about my “adventures” abroad during our reading hour — but I think if you want to hear from me, I owe you a story. So I’ll sign up for a slot and, at the very least, share an article I’ve written up with a China connection.

That leaves at least two more time slots for anyone who wants to read to the group. You can ask for oral feedback from the group, or discretely written on copy handouts, or not. To sign up to read, just leave a comment to this post here.

Can’t wait to see everyone on Sept 17 and, as always, happy writing!

To get program details, costs, and registration form, visit the league’s website at http://www.idahowritersleague.com. They have special fees for partial attendees, with or without meals.

The writers conference will start off at 9am Friday morning with some good motivational speakers. You will be able to choose among several workshops to attend throughout the rest of Friday and Saturday. This is a great chance to meet a visiting publisher and other experts, as well as chat with fellow writers of all genres over luncheon and the banquet.

They mentioned having a bookstore, if you want to bring your published books to sell.  If you need more info about that, or have questions beyond the website info, contact the IWL Pocatello Chapter coordinators: LaDean Messenger at 237-9289, email ladeanm@cableone.net or Alice Dunn at 238-7547, email delphicden@aol.com.

A good turnout will look good for the writing community in Pocatello.