September Newsletter

Authors Incognito
Newsletter
September 2010

This Month's Theme:

The Importance of Education



FROM THE MODERATOR
- Nichole Giles(aka Queen of Awesome) 

As much as it pains me to admit, the school-year version of summer is over. No more spontaneous trips to the pool, no more vacationing, no more daily water-fights in the yard. I should be sad. Summer is my very favorite season. But this year I'm relieved. It's time for my kids to go back to school again.


I'm anxious to see them learn, excited to see them working with new teachers that will help their minds grow in new and different directions. They'll make new friends, discover interests, likes, dislikes, what makes them happy, what stimulates their minds, what bores them to tears, and what kind of physical exertion it takes to make them sweat.

Learning is a part of growing up, and while the idea that they will someday do just that makes me sad, I get to watch the whole process unfold. Lucky me! But I'm not the only one. The educators and teachers who contribute to their learning process will also get to reap the benefits of the children they have taught. These dedicated people will assist in the process of helping our children learn who they will someday become and what contribution they will make to the world. For some of us, there is no greater joy than seeing the results of our efforts reflected in the eyes, heart, and soul of a child.

As writers, we have a similar power and ability to affect our readers. The written word, if handled with care, can change people, individually and collectively. We have the power to teach, to inform, to entertain, to enrich and best of all, to love. So educate yourself, learn all you can, and just about when you think you know it all, learn more. Because the truth is, there's always, always room for more.

  
IN THE NEWS

Michelle Jefferies had her baby!  

 Elias Teancum Porter Jefferies,
born on August 4th at 5:27 pm.
He weighed 7# 8 oz. and was 20" long.
Warmest congratulations to the Jefferies family.

* * *
Tamara Heiner had her baby, too!!

Lasady Raquel Heiner

born on August 10, 10:49am. 

6 lbs. 12 oz, 19 1/2 inches long

Warmest Congratulations to the Heiner Family! 

NEW BOOKS BEING RELEASED 

Daron D. Fraley is pleased to announce that THE THORN is now available as an ebook on smashwords.com in the following formats:

HTML, Kindle (.mobi), Epub (open standard), PDF, RTF, LRF, PDB (palm doc), and plain text.

Smashwords is the only site at the moment which carries the ebook, but other sites such as Apple, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc., will have the iPAD, Kindle, and Nook versions soon. They have been submitted for approval. The Smashwords website indicates that the process takes several weeks. I will post an update here on the blog once I see them start to show up.

In celebration of this milestone, I am offering for a limited time, a coupon for 50% off the listed price of $3.99. In order to qualify for the promotional $1.99 price (and with that single purchase you can download ANY of the formats you wish), all you have to do is join my mail list on the sidebar of my blog. Click on the link next to the mail icon, fill out the fields, and you will be given a $2.00 coupon which is good through the end of the month.

Order your ebook copy of The Thorn here.

PLEA FOR WHITNEY NOMINATIONS

from Josi Kilpack

We would love to get some more official nominees for the Whitney awards so
as to overwhelm our judges with books to read--if you have an eligible book,
or love someone who does, feel free to drum up some votes! If you've read
some great books by LDS authors, don't be stingy--tell us about it!

Nominations can be sent via the website www.whitneyawards.com
or to
whitneyawards@gmail.com

Thanks much,
Josi


TEACHING KIDS HOW TO WRITE
By Ted Finch

    I am a fifth grade teacher.  School just started.  I am excited.  The kids are excited.  I wanted to get students writing early, so  I assigned a five page paper where students explain each of our five classroom rules and why the rules are important. It seemed like a reasonable assignment, to me. In fact, I stole the idea from a fellow teacher. 

I was wrong.  I talked to three parents and the principal about the level of homework (mostly centered on the amount of writing) the class had been given. I should mention that students are also required to write a one page journal entry every day.This all happened before the first week of school was over.

You might ask yourself why I assigned a five page paper during the first week of school.  Do I like to terrorize the kids?  I won’t answer that. Do I want to work them to death so they hate school and writing? No. I believe that each student can be a writer, they just need to do a lot of writing in order to develop the skills they need to be good writers.  

In my homework conversations with the principal we talked about how that is a lot of writing for a kid. She mentioned that  it didn’t seem like much to me because I am a writer and writing comes easy to me. But for others like her, writing isn’t easy and it takes a long time and a ton of stress.  I can understand this, but I still think that everyone can write well if they have practiced and know use their skills.

As a teacher and writer, I wonder what causes such stress over writing assignments. Is it the act of writing? The deadlines? What about coming up with ideas? Writing can be hard, but so is running a 5k race. Both events are possible through skills and practice.I believe everyone, if they are in decent physical shape, can run a 5k race. The same is true about writing. Everyone can learn to write well with the right amount of motivation and effort.

The best things we can do to help our children and students overcome the fear of writing is to help them believe they can write. It will just take study of the writing craft and perfect practice.

Another important part of teaching writing is to get students to read.  They more they read, the better their writing gets. The more students read, the more exposure they get to published prose and good examples of what works, and what doesn't. Read! Read! Read!

It's also important that kids share what they've written.When they read aloud they will notice how their writing really flows.It's also is nice for students to get feedback from their peers rather than only from the teacher. 

Parents and family can help as well. Ask to hear about your kid’s writing. If they ask what you think, point out three things that work for you and the give one thing that could improve. Most importantly, listen, and encourage them. Even if a student will never write for pleasure or to be an author, being able to write well will help them be successful after they leave school.

I asked my fifth grade class why we write.  One of the boys said, “We write so we can express our thoughts and feelings to lift others.”  He was right.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHTS

Shanna Blythe

Shanna Blythe is a writer and an educator. She has been writing ever since she can remember--but not seriously until about ten years ago. She has attended LDStorymaker's for the past four years. She's written two novels, both Young Adult--Fantasy. The first one is still in the revision stages, but her second is almost ready to send out. As an educator she's been teaching for two years and has just started her third year. Teaching is in her blood as both her parents were teachers and her grandmother. She has naturally gravitated toward Language Arts and now has classes she teaches in creative writing and runs an after school club with friend and author Karen Hoover. She loves the club, and her job . . . most days!

Shanna's Blog: http://writing4me2.blogspot.com/ 

Elana Johnson

Elana Johnson’s debut novel, Possession, will be published by Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster) in Summer 2011. Her popular ebook, From the Query to the Call, is also available for download. School teacher by day, Query Ninja by night, you can find her online at her personal blog or her website. She is a co-organzier of the popular online children's writer's conference, WriteOnCon, a founding author of the Query Tracker blog, and a contributing author to the League of Extraordinary Writers. Elana is represented by Michelle Andelman of Regal Literary.

UPCOMING CONFERENCES and WRITING CLASSES

The First EVER official Authors Incognito Writers Retreat
Held in conjunction with NaNoWriMo
Nov 4, 11:00 am-Nov 6th, 4:00 pm
We're renting a beautiful cabin in Heber, UT and will host classes, contests, and write-ins.
Email Danyelle or Nichole for registration information.

League of Utah Writers presents

“Diamonds in the Rough”
Airport Hilton and Convention Center
5151 Wiley Post Way – Salt Lake City, Utah
September 17 - 18, 2010

Mark you calendars and we'll let you know as soon as registration opens. To find out more about the League of Utah Writers, click here.

The Book Academy
September 30, 8:30 am - 4:00 pm
UVU campus in Orem, UT
Keynote: Brandon Mull, author of the Fablehaven series 

Mistake-Free Grammar and Proofreading
workshops, various summer dates in UT, AZ, NM, OK, and TX.
More info at www.careertrack.com or 1-800-556-3009 

Back by popular demand, Dave will also host 2 Writer’s Death Camp sessions in Saint George, Utah from November 1-6, and 15-20 at the Ramada Inn, 1440 East Saint George Boulevard Saint George, UT 84790 (435) 628-2828 . The price will be $500. This is the ultimate self-challenge for someone serious about writing. See www.DavidFarland.net for details.

CONTESTS YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS

Keep an eye on the Querytracker blog.
They have agent / editor judged writing contests sometimes once a month. This is a great resource for researching agents and publishers and what they're looking for in a client.


 

Educating Yourself Outside the Formal Classroom Setting

By Canda Mortensen

I’m usually on the other side of this argument—you know—go to school, do your homework, get good grades. However, I don’t mind switching teams today. Buuuuut, this topic is too large so I’m just going to pluck out one niche to dwell on: Home Schooling Our Vision as Writers. We do this by employing our craft in a purposeful way. 1) We write. 2) We revise. That’s it—class dismissed.

Okay, I’ll elaborate. It (writing bliss, motivation and success) all hinges on vision. Here are two ideas and two tools that might be useful.

(Imagine I’m writing on an old backboard with screeching chalk…eeeeeeeeeech…great, I have you’re attention.)

vi·sion [vizh-uhn] The act or power of seeing.

1) The Vision to Write.

In terms familiar to “seeing” this is like our range of vision. We school this by honing our observation skills, pushing past the obvious to detect patterns (that keep the universe in alignment) and quirks (that make watching that much order bearable.

A writer’s range of vision includes the physical, emotional, social, plausible, possible, probable, or paranormal. (I was going to include psychic but that word would only be visually alliterative. Well, we’ll keep it anyway.) To stretch our observational skills we could demand that we find one more way to view a situation/scene after deciding we have expended all options. Pressing ourselves harder to be a different writer than we were five minutes ago.

            A Writer’s Notebook is a simple tool for capturing these writing exertions before we assign them to a home in a story. Whenever you’ve got a moment pull it out and notice. Grab bits of conversation. Wander down tangents. Make lists. Sketch. Capture phrases. This relentless practice will improve your vision to write.

2) The Vision to Revise.

This is similar to our perspective or angle of view. Consider the word we use for this writing action: REVISION = Re + Vision. It literally means to see again your work in progress, to refresh the vision you have for a piece. Ask questions. Is there another word that carries the meaning with more cadence? How would a different POV work? Where in the story would this scene be stronger? How could I tweak this to fit a different genre?

 My writing go-to is physical description then I often forget to explore scenes through other windows. I’ve devised a tool (Canda’s Beat Sheet—posted in AI documents) that forces me to change my perspective during revision. It is a page with twelve boxes that prompt different perspectives for me to look through. I push myself to fill in every box with as much detail as I can imagine. Then I combine bits from different boxes to write new beats to include the other angles of vision to deepen the reader’s experience.

In sum: Outside the formal classroom setting you are both teacher and student. You plan the curriculum, design the tools, give the assignments and take the tests.

Now, class is dismissed. Go do your homework.

Bookish Sites to Follow

Star Crossed Book Reviews--Different than an author blog, and the brainchild of Nichole Giles, this is a hot place to learn more about books, contests, and authors in general. If you're a reader (and what author isn't) stop by and follow. You'll be glad you did.


LDS Women's Book Review--run by our own Shanda, Sheila, and Hillary where they talk about all things bookish or authorish.They also have contests and do podcasts, which are way, way fun. Check them out.


LDS Publisher--run by an anonymous publisher of LDS works. This is a great place for advice and other bookish things. Plus, they have regular contests.


LDS Fiction--also run by the mysterious LDS publisher, with many of the same promotions and contests as the other site, and many fun book reviews.

Clean Books for LDS Families--Separate from an author blog, run by Heather Justesen. This is another great place to read about all the latest and greatest LDS books available to fans. 

 

The Benefits of a Formal Education
By Janice LeFevre 

Early in our relationship, my husband Steve said, “If you ever want to return to college, I’ll support you one hundred percent.” 

Honestly, going back to school wasn’t even on my radarscope. I was relieved to leave its pressures behind—the deadlines, the competition for grades, and the menacing final exams. Now married, I was grateful I no longer needed to plan for a career. “Thanks,” I said to him, “but I’m never going back to school. I can learn without being in a classroom.” And I did. Over the next few years I dovetailed education into nearly every aspect of my life. (Read my story and education ideas at http://www.ldsliving.com/magazine/article/573/State-of-Mind.) Through reading and study, I strove to improve my writing skills. 

The year my youngest began kindergarten, a series of small events and spiritual nudges led me to ponder whether I should return to school. When I finally prayed about it, the answer was clear: I needed a college degree to help me meet my writing goals and to prepare me for my “empty nest” season of life when I hoped to serve a church service mission in the LDS Magazines, Curriculum, or History departments. 

In January 2000, I began taking one BYU Independent Study course a year. In 2004, I enrolled at Weber State University as a part-time student. Last April, I graduated from WSU with bachelor’s degrees in English/Creative Writing and History. 

What did I gain by pursuing a formal education? First, I enjoyed organized classroom instruction and directed readings by well-qualified professors who also became my mentors and friends. Most of my professors were successful authors of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Their instruction filled in the many gaps in my understanding and provided a strong framework from which to build my writing abilities and portfolio. I learned the interplay between art and craft and how to weave them in a way to reach readers. 

Second, I gained an opportunity to practice and hone my writing skills in an environment where I received almost continuous feedback, not only from my professors, but also from my peers. Each of my upper-division courses and workshops was like attending a semester-long writer’s conference! By having the opportunity to critique and evaluate others’ writing, I learned how to spot what worked and what did not. Receiving their feedback helped me to clarify my own thinking, reasoning, and writing. 

Third, I learned professional researching skills critical to producing quality non-fiction works. I received student-only research grants and served as a student fellow so I could be mentored and trained by well-respected Utah and Mormon historians. My senior project prepared me for my next large writing project—a comprehensive biography. 

Fourth, I received many publishing opportunities in student magazines and journals. More importantly, my professors opened doors for me to become published in professional and academic journals—opportunities that would have come much more slowly without their assistance. In addition, I did readings and presentations at several national English, history, and research conferences that enabled me to make further connections. 

Finally, my education prepared me for employment by giving me a bachelor’s degree while simultaneously building my resume (with many of the things listed above). When I returned to college, I did not intend to join the workforce. However, our family now faces crushing medical expenses, and I must supplement my husband’s income. Through my university education, I became qualified to become an LDS Church employee, doing what I love-—writing and editing materials that can make a difference in people’s lives.

SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS
~submitted by Elizabeth Mueller
Happy Birthday to all the Author's Incognito members who were born in September.
If we missed you, please let one of us know.

1st - Cheri Chesley
10th - Angie Lofthouse
11th - Karen Mittan
22nd - Kathleen Brebes

QUOTE ON WRITING

~submitted by Taffy Lovell


If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.

Toni Morrison

WRITING TIP
by Kathleen Brebes

Parallel Structure

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. ---Joseph Addison

            Addison's memorable phrase is an introductory example of parallelism.  Parallelism is writing a grammatical pattern where two or more words, phrases, clauses, or ideas are grammatically matched.  For example, the first phrase, “reading is to the mind”, matches the grammatical structure of the second phrase, “exercise is to the body”.

            The following paragraph is a sophisticated example of the effective use of parallelism.  It is taken from an editorial by Maureen Dowd preceding a speech given by President George W. Bush on September 7, 2003.  Underlining guides the eye:

                        Tonight will be a stomach-churning moment for Mr. Bush, and he must be puzzling over   how he got snarled in this nightmare, with Old Europe making him beg, North Korea making him wince, the deficit making him cringe, the lost manufacturing jobs making him gulp; with    the hawks caving in to the U.N. and to old Saddam Baath army members who want to rebuild a security force; with Representative David Obey demanding the unilateral heads of Rummy and          Wolfie, so that “Uncle Sam doesn't become Uncle Sucker”; with the FBI warning that more       Islamic terrorists who know how to fly planes may be burrowing into our neighborhoods.

            First, the underlined words add clarity and rhythm to the paragraph.  Second, they make two or more ideas equal in importance. 

            Parallel patterns make it easier for the reader to follow the writer's lead.  A command pattern, such as the simple list below, is one method of keeping the reader's attention:

Get Up

Get Dressed

Wash Your Face

Eat Breakfast

            However, if  Wash Your Face changes to Washing Your Face is Required for Clear Skin, that signals a pattern change to the reader.  This shift in structure could distract the reader and cause a misunderstanding in meaning.

            Another example, written by an author whose name I could not locate, occurs when some sentences end with a set of prepositional phrases or phrases:

                        I see it now – the wide sweep of the bay, the glittering sands, the wealth of green infinite             and varied, the sea blue like the sea of a dream, the crowd of attentive faces, the blaze of vivid           colour – the water reflecting it all, the curve of the shore, the jetty, the high-sterned outlandish           craft floating still, and the three boats with the tired men from the West sleeping, unconscious of     the land and the people and of the violence of sunshine.

                        And we all nodded at him; the man of finance, the man of accounts, the man of law, we   all nodded at him over the polished table that like a still sheet of brown water reflected our     faces, lined, wrinkled; our faces marked by toil, by deceptions, by success, by love; our weary          eyes looking still, looking always, looking anxiously for something out of life, that while it is    expected is already gone—has passed unseen, in a sigh, in a flash—together with the youth,          with the strength, with the romance of illusions.

The following examples show parallel and non parellel structuring.  Underlining guides:

Parallel:

Nichole drives her car skillfully, safely, and defensively.

Not Parallel:

Nichole drives her car skillfully, safely, and in a defensive manner.

Parallel (Clauses):

Christine expected that she would present her manuscript to her agent, that she would have time to show her trailer, and that the agent would answer her questions.

Not Parallel:

Christine expected that she would present her manuscript to her agent, that she would have time to show her trailer, and that all her questions would be answered by her agent.

Parallel (After a colon):

AI can be useful for the following reasons: to gain information, voice preferences, make announcements, and build friendships.

Not Parallel:

AI can be useful for the following reasons: to gain information, voice preferences, make announcements, and for building new friendships.

            Graceful writing is a goal worth pursuing.  Parallelism can help.  As noted in the following sentence, parallelism can make writing memorable:

                        Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. 

                        --John F. Kennedy

 Kathleen's Blog: http://asuccorforwriting.blogspot.com/

RECIPE
~submitted by Don Carey

Every Friday night, with very few exceptions, our family makes homemade
 
pizza and watches a movie. It's a tradition we've had for years, and 
there are no plans to change. After all, is there ever such a thing as 
too much pizza?
 
The following recipe is for the dough we use, and comes (slightly 
modified) from the KitchenAid recipe book. 

1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105-115 F)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil
1 c whole wheat flour
1 1/2-2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
cornmeal
 
Dissolve the yeast in warm water. add olive oil, salt, 1 c whole wheat 
flour and 1 1/2 c white flour. Don't skip the whole wheat flour - the 
recipe just doesn't come out right with only white flour.
 
Once the dough is kneaded, put it in a bowl to raise until doubled.
 
While the dough doubles, mix 8 oz of tomato sauce with garlic powder, 
onion powder, basil, and oregano. I put the sauce in a bowl and then 
sprinkle a thin layer of each herb over the top, and then mix them 
together. Estimating adds a little mystery to the sauce.
 
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Sprinkle cornmeal on the counter and then 
roll out the dough. We have a 16" pizza pan, and I think the crust is 
just right. A smaller pan will yield a thicker pizza. Place the dough on 
the pizza pan and spread the sauce onto the dough, and cover with meats 
and fruits and veggies of your choice. (Ham and pineapple are our 
favorites.)
 
Notice there is no cheese yet? That's by design. Bake the pizza for 18 
minutes on 425 F. While the crust is in the oven, you can now grate the 
cheese. I've found a blend of mozzarella, sharp cheddar, and Parmesan 
makes for a tasty topping. Once the crust has baked for 18 minutes, 
remove the pizza from the oven and sprinkle on cheese. Then sprinkle on 
more cheese - no extra charge.
 
Bake for an additional 5 minutes until cheese is melted.. Doing the 
cheese this way ensures that the crust is nice and crisp without 
overcooking the cheese.
 
That's it. Cool, cut, share, and enjoy.
 
Variations:
 
1. Stuffed Crust: Roll the dough so it overlaps the pan by an inch all 
the way around. Slice 5 cheese sticks in half longways, and lay these 10 
pieces around the edge of the pizza. Wrap the dough over the top and 
seal for a cheesy crust.
 
2. Calzones: Divide the dough in half. Roll into a circle and stuff with 
meat and cheese. Fold over and bake. Repeat. Yields 2 calzones. Serve 
with sauce on the side.
 
3. Chicago Stuffed: Divide dough in half. Roll out a circle and set in a 
10" pie pan. Fill with meat and cheese. Roll out another circle and lay 
over the top, crimping the edges of the two dough pieces together. Top 
with sauce.