Dawn Compton - BIW Member Interview

Moe: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Dawn Compton: I have always wanted to be a writer. As a youngster, I remember scraps of paper with scribbles on them. But in January 2004, I made a New Year’s resolution to submit something to a publisher. I was lucky enough to find a publisher to self publish my two children's books in November 2004 and September 2005 respectively. The greatest blessing was finding an illustrator that was a friend of a friend who did an awesome job.

Moe: Describe three lessons you have learned about writing?

Dawn Compton: You can't be a writer only in your mind. You have to practice the art. I don't do this enough and it shows. Making the time is as important as eating in some cases.

Find inspiration in groups. Friends and family that know what you do can be proud of you but groups of people with 'the goal' will inspire you to find the time and get the words down. I have grown so much by surrounding myself with writer's groups and learning from them.

Be ready for ideas when they hit you. I find I am most inspired during busy times at stock shows and rodeos. Why? Because this most often is the setting for my stories. Why be ready? I am usually hit with a unique and wonderful idea but it is when my hands are full of buckets, feed or the halter of a 1200 pound steer that needs to be walked. I am considering a voice recorder! I have called and left myself a voice mail but sometimes you lose the moment.

Moe: What are you working on now?

Dawn Compton: Well, working on is the operative word. I have several children's stories kicking around and am hoping to get them on paper in the next two months. I have about three weeks of travel to stock shows with animals and quite a bit of downtime once I am there so I am optimistic I can be productive. The novel that I submitted to 3daynovel.com was not picked. I wasn't 'dark' enough for the picks so I am finishing and editing it because as God as my witness I will submit that to a publisher by May! Or I may self publish because I think (and the few readers that have seen it as well) it is worth it.

Moe: Do you have a favorite writing related book?

Dawn Compton: Actually I don't have a favorite because I am still reading thru all of them. Anytime someone mentions a book, I have to try it out. I'm currently reading The Complete Idiot's Guide to Self-Publishing by Jennifer Basye Sander.

Moe: What is your favorite writing website?

Dawn Compton: I get information from several websites regarding writing and children's writing. But you know, I love Children Come First. They have a monthly contest that is free to enter. The contest gives you the first line and you have to come up with a story within 200 words. Winners are posted on their website but I try to do it monthly because it challenges me.

Moe: Do you have an important BIW tip you'd like to pass along?

Dawn Compton: My tip is none other than to find a way to BIC HOK TAM. Find some way to get that done. Oh, and remember to post your totals ‘cause Moe doesn't let you slide!

***
Dawn Compton, from Bellville, TX, writes that, "Living in Texas on a ranch is my best motivation to write. My family is kept busy with many animals that my son shows at all the major state livestock shows. Since I do the hauling and dead time before the shows, my favorite place to people watch for inspiration is at the stalls. Inspiration is everywhere, we just have to slow down and see it." Dawn lives with her husband, college junior daughter and freshman son on the ranch with numerous assorted animals.

Shelly Hines - BIW Member Interview

Moe: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Shelly Hines: I'd like to say I am one of those people who "knew" since a very young age that I wanted to be a writer. But, I don't think I was that self-aware growing up. Sure, as a kid I loved books and reading, and I had a strange passion for both book stores and office supply stores. I even started writing poetry and little stories by the time I was six, but it wasn't until right out of high school that I realized I was going to be a writer. I literally woke up one morning and decided I was going to write a novel. I felt guided to do this. Of course, that novel was never finished, but I still have the dream of completing one and I am still following this life path, writing every day. I guess writing always came natural to me, so it was just a natural flow to go in that direction.

Moe: Describe three lessons you have learned about writing.

Shelly Hines: Geez, only three? I've been writing for over twenty years and I am continuously learning new things about this crazy, wonderful pursuit! But, if I have to stick with three, I'd say the lessons learned are:

1. While there are plenty of rules to writing and publishing, don't ever let those rules override your heart and passion for your writing and your own way of seeing things. Sure, you should consider what your editor, critic, colleague, or friend says about your writing project, but in the end listen to your heart and do what you feel is right for the writing. Remain true to it and your vision.

2. Don't talk about your project before it is in draft form at least! When you talk about it before you put it on paper you lose your passion for the idea. The idea no longer needs to be expressed in the written form because it has been expressed verbally. It's the release of the energy, I guess. I just know I've made this mistake often enough to see that this really does happen!

3. Everything becomes so much more interesting when you should be writing! Chores that you hate doing can no longer wait! Cleaning the bathroom, reorganizing the closets, changing the cat litter – even the nastiest and most time consuming chores can seem so much more fun! It really is a weird phenomenon. Do your best to not give into it until after you've done your writing!

Moe: What are you working on now?

Shelly Hines: A lot of things! Seems like I'm always working on three or four projects all at once. Since my regular, full-time job is writing, and I have several clients on the side, I am usually working on several grant applications or other copy at any given time. I also recently started a blog for my freelance writing business. I am in the process of editing my newest e-book, "102 Ways to Inspire Your Muse," that is full of different tricks and exercises for the "resistant writer." Once I've completed that project I hope to start back up on one of my numerous in-process novels, or maybe work on a picture book idea or two I have been toying with, or maybe another e-book…

Moe: Do you have a favorite writing related book?

Shelly Hines: No, I don't really. Since I do a lot of different types of writing, I don't have one straight across the board. I have several favorites for fiction writing (covering at least two genres), a couple for non-fiction writing, and several more for copywriting and marketing. I guess for the "process" of writing as a whole, it would have to be Stephen King's, On Writing.

Moe: Do you have a favorite writing website?

Shelly Hines: There are so many really good websites out there for writers. I guess I would have to pick the one that comes to my mind first, which is the most obvious one: Writer's Digest. I still receive the paper magazine, but I find their website to be very useful with writing-related tips and articles that cover all types and genres of writing.

Moe: Do you have an important BIW tip you'd like to pass along?

Shelly Hines: When I started BIW numerous years ago, I set fairly modest goals and still couldn't seem to make them. While it probably took me a good year or so to reach it, one month I did. And then that was it. Once I had met that, say 25 page goal, I broke the barrier and I consistently got beyond that each time after. Now I can typically write at least 75 pages in a BIW week. So, while it may take a while, you will eventually reach your goal if you stick with it! Then each goal after that will be easier to achieve.

***
Shelly Hines is the owner/writer of All the Write Words. She has been writing for over twenty years with the past eight being on a full-time, professional basis in grant proposals and copywriting. She also writes both non-fiction and fiction projects on the side, with her most recently completed project being an e-book, The Free Money Myth: The Truth About Getting Grants. Shelly has written for small start-up and mid-sized businesses as well as several non-profit organizations. Her experience in copywriting includes brochures, newsletters, grant and business proposals, annual reports, flyers, ads, websites, and scripts. Shelly lives in the beautiful Northwest, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, with her husband and two children.

Judy Powell - BIW Member Interview

Moe: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Judy Powell: Since childhood, I've loved to read. I got my first library card at the age of 5 and have been devouring books ever since. This love for reading evolved into a love for writing. However, I did not give writing serious thought until, several years ago, a college instructor told me she thought I had a genuine talent for writing. It boosted my confidence and I finally wrote my first novel in 2003 - Coffee, Cream and Curry - which was awarded a silver medal in the 2005 National Creative Writing Competition (Jamaica).

Moe: Describe three lessons you have learned about writing?

Judy Powell: I've learned: Not to be a perfectionist when writing my first draft. I just try to get the novel done, then I go back and revise, revise, revise. This method ensures that I don't get so bogged down with perfecting the early chapters that I never finish the work.

If I genuinely want to be a writer I have to take my writing as seriously as a nine-to-five job. I have to be disciplined and stick to my writing schedule. I can't shirk off or put my writing at the bottom of my list of priorities for the day or else I will never get my novel done.

I have to hone my writing skills by taking advantage of as many classes and seminars on writing that I can, and by reading widely (books on the craft of writing, works by other writers). Constant training in the craft of writing (while being conscious to maintain my own writing "voice") should go a long way in enhancing the quality of my work.

Moe: What are you working on now?

Judy Powell: I am working on an erotic romance novel entitled Delicious and a literary critique of the works of Flannery O'Connor, a renowned American author from the South.

Moe: Do you have a favourite writing related book?

Judy Powell: One of my favourite books on writing is Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass. It contains a myriad of ideas for getting your novel to stand out from the crowd by effectively using techniques including characterization, setting, emotion and tension.

Moe: What is your favourite writing website?

Judy Powell: Outside of websites where I can get writing tips, my favourite is Thesaurus.com – so many new and fresh ways to say the same thing!

Moe: What is an important BIW Tip you would like to pass along?

Judy Powell: The first, and most important, tip in my opinion: BIC HOK TAM!! Butt in chair, hands on keyboard, typing away like mad! There is no better advice than this. This is the only way we will get our words, and our works, out and onto the printed page.

***
Judy Powell is a Jamaican Writer living in Mississauga, Canada. Judy, who loves to learn, holds a Bachelor's Degree and three Master's Degrees and is a member of the USA honour society, Phi Beta Kappa. Her novels – Hot Summer, Hot Chocolat and Coffee, Cream and Curry (two of which have received awards) – are available in bookstores across Canada, and in selected stores in the USA and the Caribbean.

Rita B. Fox - BIW Member Interview

Moe: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Rita B. Fox: When someone invited me to join a writing group, when I was with a poetry group. I said yes. Then I thought "Oh, my gawd!" what did I say. I never wrote a story in Dutch, and never in English. But it turned out very well. I did it for two and a half years (from 2002 until 2005). It improved my English and my writing, as they told me.

Moe: Describe three lessons you have learned about writing?

Rita B. Fox:

1. I just write what I like.
2. I write just for the fun of writing
3. Writing is a good way too deal with things

Moe: What are you working on now?

Rita B. Fox: I write mainly short stories. I am starting a new kid's story about a little girl and a horse. My daughter is my model.

Moe: Do you have a favourite writing related book?

Rita B. Fox: No, not really. I am a free writer. I write just what I like with as less rules as possible.

Moe: What is your favourite writing website?

Rita B. Fox: BIW and the sites of Dan Goodwin a creative coach from England.

Moe: Do you have an important BIW tip you'd like to pass along?

Rita B. Fox: Just write because you like to do it, write without thinking about what would others think. If others like what you write, yippee, otherwise too bad, but you had the fun of writing it.

***
Rita B. Fox writes short stories and children stories. She is always surprised other people like them. She is 49 years old, married and has three kids. She likes to be creative with writing, drawing, and poetry. She loves to cuddle with her 11 year old daughter, who is often her pool of ideas.

Glenys O'Connell - BIW Member Interview

Moe: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Glenys O'Connell: I've always loved the patterns words made on paper, even before I could write. I think I was four when I fell in love with words, five when I wrote my first non-fiction piece!

Moe: Describe three lessons you have learned about writing?

Glenys O'Connell: Gosh, I have to keep it down to three? I'm always learning. Let's see:

• DO keep writing, even when it seems futile, keep believing in yourself. If you're really a writer, nothing can stop you writing. If you stop, you'll be miserable.
• DO believe in yourself, share with and enjoy the generous community of writers on groups like BIW.
• DON'T have a hissy fit because an editor who wants to buy your baby suggests a few changes. A little humility can improve even the most literary piece of work.
• DO have a plan for your writing career if you want it to be more than a hobby (okay, I know, that's four).
  

Moe: What are you working on now?

Glenys O'Connell: I'm starting a new romantic suspense with the working title Dark Revenge, while waiting for an editor's decision on a previous one, Resort to Murder. In non-fiction, I'm working on an information book on depression, and hoping that a proposal for a ghostwritten autobiography will go ahead. Oh, and my first three-act play is nearing completion.

Moe: Do you have a favourite writing related book?

Glenys O'Connell: Oh, they change, all the time. Current one I think is probably Donald Maas' Writing the Breakout Novel.

Moe: What is your favourite writing website?

Glenys O'Connell: There are so many... probably Charlotte Dillon's site for romance writers...that's CharlotteDillon.com. She has lots of articles, links, etc. that are aimed at romance writers but are useful for all writers.

Moe: Do you have an important BIW tip you'd like to pass along?

Glenys O'Connell: Prepare ahead of time, even if it's only a brief outline. If you can sit down at the keyboard already knowing what the next scene is going to be about, it's easier to get back into a writing frame of mind. Even if you don't generally use an outline, I'd strongly recommend drawing up even a one page list of critical events/scenes before starting BIW.

***
Glenys O'Connell fell in love with the written word when she was four years old. She became a journalist and has been published in everything from hypnotherapy scripts, web content, and a travel guide to Ireland; to children's fiction, non-fiction and, of course, romantic suspense novels (with Red Rose Publishing). Her two one-act plays have been produced on stage to good reviews. Glenys has recently returned home to Canada after living and travelling in Europe, and now enjoys watching the wildlife from her back porch in very rural Ontario.

Andrea Buginsky - BIW Member Interview

Moe: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Andrea Buginsky: During college. I suddenly realized I wasn't going to be able to enter the field of study I intended on going into. I was at a loss of what to do until my sister said "you like writing, why don't you do that?"

Moe: Describe three lessons you have learned about writing?

Andrea Buginsky: It's hard, it's tedious, and it's rewarding.

Moe: What are you working on now?

Andrea Buginsky: I'm working on several articles, children's short stories and an autobiography.

Moe: Do you have a favourite writing related book?

Andrea Buginsky: I am interested in writing children's books, and How to Write a Children's Book and Get it Published by Barbara Seuling is helping me learn the craft.

Moe: What is your favourite writing website?

Andrea Buginsky: I enjoy the Writer's Digest website.

Moe: Do you have an important BIW tip you'd like to pass along?

Andrea Buginsky: Don't quit. Even if you can't reach your goal, keep trying, and never give up.

***
Andrea Buginsky is a 33-year-old freelance writer. She graduated from the University of S. Florida in May 2007 with a BA in Mass Communications-Journalism. She is disabled, and enjoys writing articles and short stories from the comfort of home.

Edie Dykeman - BIW Member Interview

Moe: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Edie Dykeman: I kept journals for years and edited several newsletters, but did not consider myself a writer until the late 1990's when I started writing essays and articles. I eased into fiction writing around 2004.

Moe: Describe three lessons you have learned about writing.

Edie Dykeman: First, allow my mind and pen to flow as they will, and worry about editing later.

Next, no matter what I am writing, it always takes longer than I think it will. Always!

Third, in the overall scheme of whatever I am writing, it helps to have an outline or a good idea of what my objective is for the piece. Once I get the general idea in mind, then the pen flows more freely within that framework.

Moe: What are you working on now?

Edie Dykeman: Right now, I am concentrating on my blogs and writing web content. I have written two novels and have almost finished the third, but they all need major editing.

Moe: Do you have a favorite writing related book?

Edie Dykeman: My favorite has to be The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. This book moved me to write beyond the journal by opening my mind to realize what I could accomplish.

Moe: What is your favorite writing website?

Edie Dykeman: There are so many writing sites I enjoy, but my favorite probably is Gather.com. I write under an alias, and really enjoy the groups in which I am involved. There are many contests that are great fun.

Moe: Do you have an important BIW tip you'd like to pass along?

Edie Dykeman: Yes. I have found I write the most pages when I have set up some kind of outline ahead of time. Usually I jot down ideas on index cards, one for each day of BIW week. That still leaves me open to go with the flow, but gives me inspiration each day when I begin to write. I also find the BIW writing prompts helpful when I need a nudge.

***
Edie Dykeman is a freelance writer, blogger, caregiver, and newly anointed grandmother. She loves to read and write, and has combined the two by creating a wonderful home-based business. In her spare time, she enjoys keeping in touch with family and friends.

Janice Wiley-Dorn - BIW Member Interview

Moe: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Janice Wiley-Dorn: I always knew I'd do something creative. In grammar school, I drew, wrote awful poetry, and briefly considered stand-up comic as a career. A prolific letter writer from childhood on into my twenties, back in the dino days before computers, I also freelanced book reviews for a major southern newspaper and collected rejections on my short stories. My older brother, a newspaper and magazine editor and the recipient of many of my letters, told me I needed a bit of training to shape my talent. In my forties, I finally studied creative writing at a local university, stopped wanting to be a writer and became one. Writers write.

Moe: Describe three lessons you have learned about writing?

Janice Wiley-Dorn:

1. Read, read, read--particularly writers who are still alive--and not just in your own genre.

2. Write consistently. It doesn't matter if it is seven days a week, a half-hour at dawn or midnight Monday through Friday, or two hours on Saturday or Sunday. Just carve out as much time as you can this week. Repeat next week and the next.

3. Never compare the quantity or quality of your work to anyone else's. Look at where you're at today, compared to last week, month, year. What actions will move you forward? At different stages of your career you may need to take classes, attend workshops, join an organization for writers, become an active participant in a critique group, enter contests, learn how to write query letters, set-up one-on-one interviews with agents and/or editors at a conference, read how-to books on publicity and marketing. However, never let the business of writing consume your creative writing time.

Moe: What are you working on now?

Janice Wiley-Dorn: While waiting to hear the results from a couple of contests and grant applications, I'm querying agents on my first novel, Me and You, Billy, and working on a new one, Kin Keeper, as well as a few short stories and a narrative nonfiction project, Living with Invisible Illness.

Moe: Do you have a favourite writing related book?

Janice Wiley-Dorn: How to Write a Damn Good Novel, II: Advance Techniques for Dramatic Storytelling by James N. Frey.

Moe: What is your favourite writing website?

Janice Wiley-Dorn: Funds for Writers, maintained by C. Hope Clark. You can browse the website and/or blog whenever or sign up for weekly emailed newsletters, available in free or paid versions. The Funds for Writers Newsletter contains new articles each week on a variety of topics, plus a list of upcoming grant and contest deadlines, most with low entry fees. The other two newsletters are called Small Markets and WritingKid.

Moe: Do you have an important BIW tip you'd like to pass along?

Janice Wiley-Dorn: Prepare and be aware.

Spend at least two weeks prior to a BIW running errands, cooking and freezing quick-fix meals. Also, do favors for family and friends to gain their support and cooperation. Adjust chair height and work area for optimum comfort.

During BIW, pay attention to your body. Wear fingerless gloves to keep finger joints & wrists warm and flexed. Set computer, cell phone or alarm clock to remind you to take five or ten-minute breaks to stretch, walk around, drink water and put lubrication drops in your eyes (they don't blink when you stare at the screen for long periods).

***
Janice Wiley-Dorn has won the Greater Augusta (GA) Arts Council's Porter Fleming Competition twice and many other awards. Her short stories have appeared in literary periodicals, including The Rambler. She teaches creative writing online and leads two critique groups in Alabama.

John Young - BIW Member Interview

Moe: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

John Young: I read To Kill a Mockingbird as a sixth grader from the "censored" section of my school library. I didn't know what censored meant but noticed when others tried checking it out, they were told no. (I guess one was to read it under a watchful librarian’s eye). So, I stuck it in my pocket when the librarian wasn't looking. I read it every night in my room when my parents slept, thinking I was doing something taboo (My folks didn’t read for pleasure). I remember the night I finished it. I closed the book. Studied the cover, especially the mockingbird in the upper corner, then opened it and proceeded to read it again. In all, I read it five consecutive times. It became an obsession. I started writing stories shortly after that and never really stopped.

Moe: Describe three lessons you have learned about writing?

John Young: 1. Be habitual. Even if nothing much comes from a day of writing, continue the habit. It's like you are panning for gold, right? What if today's the day something peculiarly shiny appears in your pan?

2. Find a method for editing/revising and stick with it. For revising, I always rewrite stories from beginning to end after one rereading of what I wrote previously. They get better each time, and the story flows faster each time. For editing, I like Ken Rand’s 10% method. It's pragmatic like me.

3. Don't write completely alone. Find a group. While I belong to online groups, I also have one group I meet with in person. I think physically interacting with others like ourselves is important. Writers are an odd bunch (I mean this in a good way). An in-person social network may give you a place where you feel like you fit in.

Moe: What are you working on now?

John Young: I have outlined my first novel. I’ve attempted novels in the past. I'm not impressed with any of them. But this one came to me so clearly, that I felt like I had a good opportunity to map it out. It is a novel about a teacher who believes in a child that others have given up on, and the lengths people will go to make sure that others have an opportunity to dream of a better life. Grandiose, I know, but I am a teacher in my real-life work and am continually amazed by the examples of selflessness of the profession. I guess it will be a homage.

Moe: Do you have a favourite writing related book?

John Young: I mentioned it earlier, Ken Rand’s 10% Solution. I think everyone should own it.

Moe: What is your favourite writing website?
John Young: I use Writing Fix’s right-brain writing prompts when I need a warm-up or just a new idea to explore. My favorite is the "Serendipitous Plots". I even have my student's use it. (I believe the site is primarily geared toward education, but give it a try anyway).

Moe: Do you have an important BIW tip you'd like to pass along?

John Young: Beware comparing your output to others.

***
John Young lives and writes in Bellflower, California. He is an elementary school teacher who hopes to guide children in the direction of their dreams while also pursuing his own writing dreams.

Christine Hammar - BIW Member Interview

Moe: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Christine Hammar: I didn't. I've just loved to write from an early age. Writing stories is what I enjoy doing. Beats cleaning, cooking and ironing.

Moe: Describe three lessons you have learned about writing?

Christine Hammar:
1. Read a lot. Read various genres: romance, fiction, suspense, non-fiction. Read anything and everything, even if you don't consider yourself to be "the target group" of this or that book or story. All literature has something to give to a writer!

2. One thing about reading I've learned is rather funny. No, it's actually more on the odd side. I've read a lot in my life and the oddest thing is, that when I read a good story, it sort of flows, like music. But when I read a bad story, it feels like someone in the orchestra isn't playing right. I've tried to analyze the dang thing and have come to the conclusion that it's has to do with the rhythm of the story, the words and the sound they and the sentences make, as I listen to the story while reading it. Listen to the story and learn from it!

3. Write, write and especially write about the things you don't like to write about. Things that make you shiver in disgust. Writing Prompts for example: write the thing prompted, whether it's interesting or not, whether you feel you know how to write about it, whether it doesn't interest you one bit.

I skipped prompts I didn't think I related to, until I realized: everything must interest a writer! Writing is about being humble, about learning. Not about being pompous and a "besserwisser", a know-it-all. Write LOTS of pastiches to learn the craft.

Moe: What are you working on now?

Christine Hammar: I'm editing the texts for The One and Same Story, a book of 9 different stories with the same theme. I'm also learning how to write a good cozy mystery, the Samuel Becketian way: "No matter, try again, fail again, fail better!" I dream of a series! The working title of the series is called Mrs. Rask Solves, and the first story I'm writing... learning to write, is called The Horoscope Writer.

Moe: Do you have a favourite writing related book?

Christine Hammar: Roberts McKee's Story struck a chord; although it's written for film writing. Writing for film is a very visual thing and I've found myself to be more visual than anything, where writing is concerned. I always see the things happening in the scene. Even hear the voices, words uttered. Maybe I'm audiovisual or something more, who knows?

Like all writing related books, Story is filled with useful information. The good thing about these books is that whenever you read them again, you find new nuggets of gold. Maybe because you've evolved as a writer, they seem to address the very problem you have at the moment and you are able to see more clearly.

Moe: What is your favourite writing website?

Christine Hammar: Writer's Digest Books: I've indulged (read too) in so many books bought from Writer's Digest Books! All of them about writing, of course. All of them have gold nuggets, some more, some less. Some to be used, some to be disregarded as plain stones.

Moe: Do you have an important BIW tip you'd like to pass along?

Christine Hammar: Yes, and it's from my own experience (surprise!). When BIW is over, start thinking about the next one and also about the next step in your story. By thinking I mean think in writing! Ponder and wonder; what if this was like that, that like this? What is he going to do, if this happens? What if that happens? What if she kisses him?

Read all your ponderings with thought. Also when writing your thoughts down, do NOT forget the powerful Cause and Effect factor! Do a bit of outlining: write the name of the scene. Write what will happen in the scene in short sentences. It's so much more helpful, than plunging into the dark! Of course I can only speak for myself. It's probably a thing about keeping things in order. If one's life is in a less orderly state (like mine), it gives great satisfaction to at least have a couple of things in order.

Ernst Hemingway has said, "Prose is architecture, not interior decoration, and the Baroque is over." Well put! I believe he likened the excess usage of adjectives with Baroque.

Also, if your family is used to service, do yourself a favour -- clean the house, wash the laundry and prepare food in advance! If not for the sake of your family, do it for yourself! That way you won't be feeling guilty, nor will you have to listen to all sorts of demands and whimpers in the midst of your writing.

***
Christine Hammar is a mother of 4 grown up children and a happy Grandmother of one grand child. After suffering a severe writing lapse during the years her children were small, she is now catching up, writing and learning the craft. She currently works in a Finnish Transport company, writing in her free time. Being Chair Woman of a Finnish Writer's Association, Uudenmaan Kirjoittajat ry, also gulps up time from her writing, but she's determined to write and that's what she does, no matter what!

Marie Sultana Robinson - BIW Member Interview

Moe: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Marie Sultana Robinson: I grew up in a family of voracious readers. In my family there were several kinds of professions: (Patented Loom) Inventor, Lawyer, Chemist and Writer. I grew up reading lots of books including my family's work - Alice Davis Crompton, Mrs. Chetwood Smith, Ethel Cook Eliot, Anne Eliot Crompton, and Alexander Eliot. From my elders I heard about the writer's process, both good and bad. Uncle Alexander was senior art editor at Time Magazine, so I also heard about the business end and crazy writers. Remember, I was child with large ears, so the info was a bit skewed.

I spent a couple of summer's stomping around America's Stonehedge and other prehistoric sites around New England, while my Aunt Patience was researching her book, The Sorcerer. I read the work-in-progress as well, and saw the changes, subtle and large. On my wedding day I had the standard reception line, word whispered that my Aunt Patience (who wrote as Anne Eliot Crompton) was attending. Her book A Woman's Place had been featured on the cover of Redbook the year before. Various members of the wedding vanished only to reappear with the old copy to have her sign. People in the restaurant did the same.

A few years passed. And my birthday came around and I got several copies of a book with the title "Marie" (a name thing). At the time I was living in Florida, a long way from my New England home. Something about that book made me say. "I could write something like this."
And I started writing. I moved back to Cape Cod, and joined a writers group with writers who were far more advanced and published than I was, Pulitzer and Pushcart winners. It was the original Twelve O'clock Scholars. Petronelle would sit and talk with me about writing and encourage me, give me suggestions. We shared a fascination with ancient cultures. After two years of being at Scholars, she talked one day about a possible movie deal about her book Marie. I didn't know she wrote under the name Margot Arnold. She had written the book that gave me that nudge to learn to write.

For me, wanting to write wasn't a moment, but a life long series of things that pushed me and nudged me. I wrote journals and letters much of my life, but there's a quantum leap between those and writing a novel or an article. Then there's a quantum leap to publish and then another quantum leap to 'career'.

Moe: Describe three lessons you have learned about writing?

Marie Sultana Robinson:
1. Writing is a process. It is never easy, because as soon as you master one element, something else comes up. It is however, challenging, and fulfilling. You need to learn how others do it, but adapt it to your own life, situation and project. Learning the craft is vital. There are so many pieces to writing, it's like pebbles on a beach. A suggestion: Stop once a week, once a month at least and ask yourself the question. "What do I need to learn now, to improve my writing, or my ability to write?" Be honest with yourself about the answer. Ask it enough and magic starts to happens.

2. My writing mentor Gary Provost often said "Writers write. Published writers rewrite."

3. BIC HOK TAM it's not just a cute anagram. It's the short hand of number two. Every once and while, I've gotten 200 plus pages on a BIW and I get off list emails whispering "how did you do it?" My behind in the chair, brain engaged, hands on the keys, typing away madly. Life gets rough and I chant BIC HOK TAM (which can be embarrassing in a public place and worse when I'm at a stop light in traffic with the windows rolled down).

Moe: What are you working on now?

Marie Sultana Robinson: I never have just one WIP. My brain doesn't work that way. Once one goes stale, I move to something else. But I do have a sort of writing dance I do.
1. Monday - Friday: I do a 10 - 20 minute prompt. I belong to a group and the energy is wonderful. The prompts make me stretch as a writer and deal with stuff I wouldn't.
2. Blogging Postcards: I have finally figure out how to create my website and decided on the branding of the writing for the blog/postcards. It's astrology/astronomy/nature/gardening. And starting May 1st 2008 will be daily. I'm hoping the click-thrus will keep me in coffee and muffins.
3. I have several articles and article/series I'm writing for a variety of places.
4. Novel-in-progress: Sea Glass Dreams. Premise: Mary Tattersall loses her creativity and her family. Her life is forever shattered when she breaks a jar of sea glass and releases a bottled fairy who was part of her childhood. Sometimes when we lose all that we love, we get to do it better the second time around, like sea glass. It's a story of loss and redemption.
5. Novels in the line up: Since I live near Mystic Seaport, I've found some amazing resources for researching some of the history of the area. I'm collecting a banker's box of info. For now it's a few scribbles and stuff I toss in the box.

Moe: Do you have a favorite writing related book?

Marie Sultana Robinson: The Complete Notebooks of Henry James give great insight into how a great writer's mind works. Tedious but interesting.

Moe: What's the hardest thing about writing?

Marie Sultana Robinson: Getting everything else done. I suffer dreadfully from housework block.

Moe: What is your favourite writing website?

Marie Sultana Robinson: Well aside from Book-in-a-week, Informed Ideas, for writing related news.

Moe: Do you have an important BIW tip you'd like to pass along?

Marie Sultana Robinson: Write. Read. Communicate with other writers. Ask. Don't show your work too early to anyone who isn't a writer. Always carry a notebook and scribble. First, you write. Period. Write. Later you figure out marketing, editing, and selling to a publisher. First and foremost, you always write. Or as we say here in war cry mode -- BIC HOK TAM!

***
Marie Sultana Robinson is a former creativity and business coach among many other professions including running an electrical contracting company, insurance agent, baker, and model. She never ever buys a purse, unless a notebook can fit in it. And she tends to buy skirts that have pockets for the same reasons. She enjoys quilting, sailing, gardening, nature watching, bellydancing, mermaid swimming and eavesdropping on conversations in public. She is formally owned by five cats, who think writing is great as long as cat treats are near by. She has a husband who is a Master Electrician and professional cat treat server.

Rita Lorraine Hubbard - BIW Member Interview

Moe: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Rita Lorraine Hubbard: I knew I wanted to be a writer at a young age, after I read Charlotte's Web and discovered (quite surprisingly) that I could be reduced to tears over something as hairy and disgusting as a spindly-legged spider. Soon after, I discovered Pearl S. Buck's book, Peony, and was head-over-heels in love with reading and writing from then on. My brain and my fingers just wouldn't be still. Oh, the notebook paper I went through in those days!

Moe: Describe three lessons you have learned about writing?

Rita Lorraine Hubbard: 1. You're probably better than you think... but you'll never know if you don't get your work out there.

2. You have to be deadly serious about your writing, but you must not forget to have lots of fun with it, too.

3. Writing is not for the lazy or faint of heart. If you're looking for something easy or guaranteed to bring in fast money, your best bet is to go out and get a job.

Moe: What are you working on now?

Rita Lorraine Hubbard: I'm working on a middle grade historical fiction (based on true fact) set in 1943, in which a teenager stumbles upon an isolated cabin in the Chickamauga Battlefield.

Moe: Do you have a favorite writing related book?

Rita Lorraine Hubbard: The Romance Writer's Phrase Book, by Jean S. Kent, is definitely my favorite. I'm more aware of details because of it; I've learned to really see facial expressions, body movements, hair and eye color, and so forth. It taught me (and is still teaching me) the power of a well turned phrase. Best of all, I've found that its lessons are not confined to adult romances, but can be used in young adults's, middle grade's and even picture book's. No writer should be without it, no matter the age of his/her audience.

Moe: What is your favourite writing website?

Rita Lorraine Hubbard: SCBWI is my favorite writing website. Not only does it keep me abreast of what's going on in the world of children's book writers, it also connects me with other writers, offers some pretty wonderful grants, and even has discussion boards where I can ask questions and get answers to specific queries, or lurk in the shadows and read what other writers have to say.

Moe: Do you have an important BIW tip you'd like to pass along?

Rita Lorraine Hubbard: "Just Do It" isn't just a Nike(tm) phrase. It applies to writing, too.

***
Rita Lorraine Hubbard is a former teacher living in Tennessee. Rita's first nonfiction trade book, African Americans of Chattanooga: A History of Unsung Heroes, debuted in December 2007. Currently, she writes full-time and produces a line of historical calendars called Shades of Greatness.

Greta Browne - BIW Member Interview

Moe When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Greta Browne: As a young teenager I thought of myself as a writer, and secretly named myself Inky because of the smudges from the fountain pen that I loved to use. Living in the boondocks of Brazil as the daughter of missionaries, I avidly consumed books that came in boxes and barrels from the churches that supported missionary families. Lorna Doone, Girl of the Limberlost, The Book of Knowledge A - Z, these helped create my mental universe, and somehow I was aware of the authors that nurtured my imagination. Wasn't writing the noblest of occupations!

Moe: Describe three lessons you have learned about writing?

Greta Browne: One of the first things I learned about writing was that for me real life trumps writing, as long as life is engaging and rewarding. A second learning was that wonderful things happen when I make myself spend the time it takes to write an idea or story all the way to the end. I learn so much; my imagination leaps to new places; I understand myself better. My third lesson would have to be that I'm not as great a writer as I thought when I was 14, but I don't have to be great to make it worthwhile, and I can work at honing my skills and developing my art.

Moe: What are you working on now?

Greta Browne: I am working on my life record as a basis for memoirs I hope to write, and on a novel that allows me to travel with my characters on their futuristic sailboat, between the U.S. and my beloved Brazil, without increasing my carbon footprint.

Moe: What is your favorite writing related book?

Greta Browne: I love to read about writers and am often inspired by their stories and lives. For a couple of years, long ago, I read from The Letters of Virginia Woolf. I learned about her loneliness as well as the importance of the friendships she was able to maintain.

Moe: What is your favorite writing website?

Greta Browne: Other than BIW, I don't use the internet much for my writing tips. I suppose I could access writing magazines online instead of reading them at the library.

Moe: Do you have an important BIW tip to pass along?

Greta Browne: I found that at first I was shy about sending in comments and sharing my observations with the listserv, especially when no one acknowledged them. But I persevered and now I feel entitled to welcome people, congratulate them, and tell them (briefly) what's going on in my writing life.

***
Greta Browne, mother of three and grandmother of three, lives in Bethlehem, PA, with her husband and two cats. She is a therapist, a chaplain, a peace and justice activist, and a writer in a line of writing women. She lived in China and Brazil as a child and in Niger as well as the United States as an adult.

Cristina A. Montes - BIW Member Interview

Moe: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Cristina A. Montes: When I was in grade school, the system for joining after-school clubs was that you list your three choices, and then the teachers and the guidance counsellor will put you in the club they think is best for you. In sixth grade, I wrote the science club as my first choice and the writing club as my second choice. The guidance counsellor then had a talk with me and told me to consider being placed in the writing club instead of the science club. I agreed.

Moe: Describe three lessons you have learned about writing?

Cristina A. Montes:

1. Just keep on writing. Even your worst pieces are worth the effort because they give you a chance to experiment with language. And sometimes, it takes several bad pieces before you come up with a good one.

2. Anything can be a potential subject for a story/poem/article/essay.

3. A writer should observe a lot and read a lot.

Moe: What are you working on now?

Cristina A. Montes: Having written non-fiction and poetry all my life, I'm trying to venture into fiction. I'm taking down notes, making sketches of characters, settings, etc. Hopefully, by the end of this year, I will have enough material to start writing a draft of a novel.

I still write occasional short non-fiction articles whenever I get an idea for an article worth writing. And I might write a few poems this week because it's Holy Week, and the Holy Week religious devotions always inspire me. I also aim to have a scholarly article published by the end of the year.

Moe: Do you have a favorite writing related book?

Cristina A. Montes: I just bought this book, The Writer's Workshop by Gregory Roper. The subtitle is "Imitating your way to good writing". It has writing exercises which encourage you to imitate excerpts from the great books, and in the process develop your own voice.

Moe: What is your favorite writing website?

Cristina A. Montes: I like the Writer's Digest website.

Moe: Do you have an important BIW tip you'd like to pass along?

Cristina A. Montes: I found that spending the rest of the month planning helps me do the BIW better.

***
Cristina A. Montes is from the Philippines. She works as a Court Attorney at her country's Supreme Court and loves writing in her spare time.

Montgomery Sword - BIW Member Interview

Moe: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Montgomery Sword: As soon as I learned to read -- at an early age -- I've devoured books and tried to write since early childhood. Reading (and writing) has long been the salvation of my sanity.

Moe: Describe three lessons you have learned about writing?

Montgomery Sword: I CAN write. I finished Nanowrimo for the first time in 2007, on my second try. I write short stories, poetry, and have at least 4 more novels-in-progress.

I'm not happy when I’m not writing (and reading). My mental and emotional stability depends on attention to expressing my Creative Muse.

WRITE-WRITE-WRITE. Leave the Internal Editor behind: there’ll be plenty of time for her later! In the meantime, let that creativity flow from mind and spirit to page or monitor screen.

Moe: What are you working on now?

Montgomery Sword: I’m deeply invested in a collection of poetry, short stories, and novels entitled The Standwood Station GA Chronicles. Standwood Station GA is a “mythical” tiny Georgia farm and railway community where the supernatural, the spooky, and the evil are prominent. Although fictionalized, almost everything I’m writing is based on either historical hearsay or personal experiences. (Yes, Virginia: there really is a community and regional area on which I’ve based Standwood Station.) Other than that, I have two historical novels which are awaiting completion. Both are historical horror-dark fantasy; and my 2007 Nanowrimo novel, a historical YA supernatural, is awaiting my editing touch.

Moe: Do you have a favorite writing related book?

Montgomery Sword: At this point, Jack Bickham’s Scene and Structure.

Moe: What is your favorite writing website?

Montgomery Sword: Writing.com. I've been a member here for almost ten months, and I literally spend almost all my online time at this site, reviewing, reading, critiquing, and teaching online writing classes at A-1 Writing Academy.

Moe: Do you have an important BIW tip you'd like to pass along?

Montgomery Sword: As is encouraged in Nanowrimo, FORGET your Internal Editor and just WRITE-WRITE-WRITE. Live off the microwave and the coffeepot, ignore socialization. Just get those words on the page. You can worry later whether you've written part of the great American novel or something atrocious. Just the act of writing and persisting in writing frees up your muse.

***
Montgomery Sword is a first-time NANOWRIMO winner for 2007. My current concentration is Standwood Station GA Chronicles, a milieu collection of poetry, novels, and short stories set in a tiny but essentially spooky Georgia railroad & farming community. She's proud to be a part of the A-1 Writing Academy on WDC--almost two years strong!

Alice Berger - BIW Member Interview

Moe: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Alice Berger: I first attempted to write a novel in 1995. I had no idea what I was doing, and after a miserable first few chapters, I abandoned the attempt. Then I discovered The Artist's Way in 2004. When I got to the part about creative U-turns, that abandoned novel kept calling me. I eventually finished it, and even though it's not a masterpiece, it was my first completed draft. From that moment on, I was hooked.

Moe: Describe three lessons you have learned about writing.

Alice Berger: Journaling is a great way to start the creative juices flowing. I love to use my morning pages to ask questions about my story. What would happen if my main character did…? Why would he do it? And what would happen then? The morning pages help me find the answers.

I don't always have to be adding pages to my novels every day. I have weeks where I do nothing but mull over ideas in my morning pages, and that's okay. Or sometimes I'll write a short story or article, if the idea inspires me. My ideas come in bursts, and I know that even when I'm in a lull, I can expect a new idea to come soon, so I don't panic.

It's okay to write boring sentences and passive voice in a first draft. I can always change them to active, vibrant sentences in revision. In a first draft, I am setting the stage. In revision, I can add the color and make it sparkle.

Moe: What are you working on now?

Alice Berger: I have two novels in progress. The Pyramid Problem (working title) is a middle-grade mystery novel set on a Caribbean Island, and involves a treasure map, two pre-teen boys, and bad guys who want to steal the map and the treasure from them. It's currently in revision, and I hope to be able to start submitting it for publication early next year. The other middle-grade mystery is still in its infancy. As of now it has no title, but the plot is starting to take shape, as are the eccentric main characters.

Moe: Do you have a favorite writing related book?

Alice Berger: Definitely The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. It's the book that got me started as a writer, and I turn to it over and over again for inspiration and ideas.

Moe: What is your favorite writing related website?

Alice Berger: I enjoy reading Kristi Holl's blog, Writer's First Aid. She offers some great ideas there.

Moe: Do you have an important BIW tip you'd like to pass along?

Alice Berger: While it's great to push yourself, it's also important to keep in mind that we're all human, and we all have different amounts of time available every month. I work full-time and some weeks all I do are my morning pages. It is okay to set reasonable goals based on your own individual schedule, and not worry that you're not keeping pace with those who can write 100 pages in a week.

***
Alice Berger lives on a 26-acre farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, Gene, three cats and a dog. Her first book, "Who's Taking a Bath?" was released in December, 2007.

Carol Williams - BIW Member Interview

Moe: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Carol Williams: I think I began to dream of being a writer shortly after I learned to read. Over the years, I was encouraged to write by teachers and professors and way back there, when my kids were babies, I took the Famous Writers Course. I had no real confidence though and my life took off in other directions. I only recently started to take it seriously again.

Moe: Describe three lessons you have learned about writing so far?

Carol Williams: Write every day – something, no matter how trite it may seem. Write from the heart and edit later. Tell your inner critic to shut up because you're too busy writing to listen.

Moe: What are you working on now?

Carol Williams: I started a memoir group a couple years ago and am always working on a memoir project. I have a blog and try to post something a couple times a month. This month I'm working very hard on my personal essay for admissions to graduate school because the deadline is in February. Yikes!

Moe: Do you have a favorite writing related book?

Carol Williams: There are several but I really like Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg.

Moe: What is your favorite writing website?

Carol Williams: I LOVE BIW. This group has helped me more than I can say – the discipline of writing intensely for a whole week each month and the encouragement I've received has given me the heart to continue. I haven't used any other writers sites really except The Writers View 2 - which is "For beginning to intermediate writers who write (or desire to write) for the Christian market." I signed up but didn't have the time to really participate but I know it's a highly recommended group by Christian authors. I'm just really getting started with seriously writing and seeking publication. I find that if I try to participate in too many things, I can't concentrate on writing! That's why I love BIW.

Moe: Do you have an important BIW tip you'd like to pass along?

Carol Williams: I've found that I need to take some time before the week commences to organize my thoughts and have some particular projects ready to work on. Also, I need to get as much done as possible early in the week because by Thursday my life starts to unravel and the weekends are usually too busy to accomplish much.

***
Carol Williams lives in upstate New York, she's now single, has three grown children and six amazing grandchildren to whom she is affectionately known as their "hip-hop Nanny" because she doesn't sit still much – dancing, hiking, traveling -- a regular social butterfly. She has a BA in Human Development and is applying to grad school for an MSW program. She presently works in a Library and has an online bookstore on Amazon.

Heidi Hood - BIW Member Interview

Moe: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Heidi Hood: I don't know if there was ever a defining moment I knew I wanted to be a writer. I always wrote, I have examples from early elementary years, but the actual process sort of just happened. I liked the writing classes in high school and college so I took them; thought keeping a journal was neat so I did; and eventually it became an intricate part of everything in my life. So, really, by the time I actually allowed myself the label "writer," I had been one for quite some time.

Moe: Describe three lessons you have learned about writing so far?

Heidi Hood: Biggest, best, hardest lesson I ever learned was to write, all the time, even when you don't want to... write, write, write. I think that is the advice I have heard more than any other.

Second lesson; read, read, read... first lesson practice, second lesson study. And don't just stick to one genre or one type, read everything and anything. It is amazing what I have learned by picking up something I would never consider reading.

Third lesson is that you will write horrible stuff, there will be ideas that are stupid, there will be days and sometimes weeks that nothing of worth will pour forth, but always on the other side of those valleys are great highs... and sometimes the lowest point means the highest point is soon coming. Cliché sounding perhaps, but true, at least for me.

Moe: What are you working on now?

Heidi Hood: I am in the midst of a project that I have carried around for years but I have always been hesitant to begin because I want it to be good, really, really good. I have finally started it, a fictional, novel length piece that is simply about growing up, but growing up with a darkness, a perception of pessimism and disjointed reality. Dark, depressing, and not at all what I usual tackle... we'll see.

Moe: Do you have a favorite writing related book?

Heidi Hood: One? Yeah, probably my favorite is Deena Metzger, Writing for Your Life. It is interesting and insightful and there were parts that really made me think.

Moe: What is your favorite writing website?

Heidi Hood: The BIW Web site, of course but for fictional writing I really enjoy BBC Get Writing.

Moe: Do you have an important BIW tip you'd like to pass along?

Heidi Hood: Warn your entire family that you will be writing for the week, and if possible, plan out the entire week so you can fit in all those little chores, but writing as well... and really, those dishes can wait just a couple more hours, can't they? Oh, and always put your number with your daily check-in to Admin.

***
Heidi Hood lives an hour southwest of San Antonio with her husband Floyd, their "kid," a German Shepherd named Penny and two cats. She works as a staff writer for the local newspaper and spends too much time reading.

Marlene Castricato - BIW Member Interview

Moe: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Marlene Castricato: When I was seven years old I won the NYC school poetry contest. The words tumbled out of me. Each word felt right and I knew the poem was good. I knew then I wanted to be a writer.

Moe: Describe three lessons you have learned about writing?

Marlene Castricato: I've learned writing is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. You need to sit down at the keyboard every day. That is why programs like BIW are so important for developing professional habits.

I've learned to let go and allow the characters to tell me their story. When I give the character free reign, the story often soars, though perhaps not in the direction I intended.

Show don't tell. I attended a workshop given by Margie Lawson on Show Don't Tell about two years ago. As a psychologist, Margie broke down every conceivable emotion into physical tells. It was equivalent to an advanced class in psychology. I went home and rewrote everything.

Moe: What are you working on now?

Marlene Castricato: I am currently working on a paranormal time-travel that deals in absolution. The story is filled with strong scenes that leave me exhausted or totally pumped. I never know which way till I'm there.

Moe: Do you have a favorite writing related book?

Marlene Castricato: One of my favorite writing books is… The Writer's Journey by Christopher Volger.

Moe: What is your favorite writing website?

Marlene Castricato: One my favorite writing websites is Deb's Historical Research Page.

Moe: Do you have an important BIW tip you'd like to pass along?

Marlene Castricato: BIC HOK TAM! Several weeks ago Moe asked us to define BIC HOK TAM! I think of it as a Call To Arms in a community of warriors who will watch your back. The final word is that the only way to get published is to write.

***
Marlene Castricato is tenacious by definition. She backpacked around the world for three years and worked on a cruse ship as a senior officer for seven years. At forty-five, Marlene is a stay at home mom, nurturing her five year old daughter, ten year old son; ageless, but childlike husband and their assorted transient playmates and pets. When Marlene isn't busy arguing with the voices in her head, she is designing websites and launching a publishing company, running a real estate business with her husband, and a travel business with her brother. Did we mention PTA and Soccer mom? Life is very full.

Kathy Priebe - BIW Member Interview

Moe: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Kathy Priebe: I've always written. It was my place to escape to, but I rarely shared what I wrote. I finally started to look at it as more than a hobby when I ended up back in college. I had the luck to have a great English professor who was able to instill in me, a belief in myself and my own abilities.

Moe: Describe three lessons you have learned about writing?

Kathy Priebe:
1. Research your market. Research the publications you want to submit to. Research the facts surrounding your plot and characters. If everything your writing is completely made up, edit what you made up! I'm in the middle of developing my own small section of coast line and even that needs research. From climate to roadways. By the time I'm done, I will know this fictional area better than my own neighborhood! Research: Besides the aforementioned, it's a great way to learn new things and you might find more stories screaming out to be written.

2. Back story and characters' histories. Your research will lay the ground work for the people, places and things in your book. Separate the back story and/or history of those people, places and things from the rest of your book. If you have to add some of that info into the story, do so wisely. Too much history or back story can make even the most exciting plot, boring.

3. Edit and edit some more! At least once a year thumb through your favorite grammar book (okay, I'm fairly certain there's an oxymoron in there somewhere). And before submitting, give your piece of work a rest and work on something else for at least a week, especially if you don't have anyone else to look over your work. Invest in a read-out-loud program, freeware or shareware. When you read your own work, your mind 'sees' what you meant to write, whether it is there or not. A read out loud program reads what you wrote. Run-on sentences and all.

I had a story that was accepted for serial publication. I was quite proud of that. The story was my first published. It ran for 81 issues, had an assigned ISSN and everything. That was a couple of years ago. I had to wait until the rights reverted back to me. When I re-read the story to start putting it into book form, I cringed! I was able to change some things with the second edition but boy was that a wake up call. Edit. What's that saying that you see plastered all over the place: "When in doubt, leave it out!"

Moe: What are you working on now?

Kathy Priebe: What am I working on now? About 80 thousand things! Seriously, about ten different stories. Half novel length and the other half are shorts. I find I have less trouble with writer's block if I can work on something else. It keeps the creativity flowing. Besides, remember that fictional coastline I mentioned? Though the stories themselves are unrelated, the locations are general to each other.

What is your favorite writing website?

Kathy Priebe: I don’t have just one. There are many, upon many good sites dedicated to the art of writing and publishing. Though I have to admit those I visit most are writer's groups. Individuals sharing their pains and triumphs and sharing what works and what doesn’t. One of my favorites is the Muse Conference Board.

Moe: Do you have an important BIW tip you'd like to pass along?

Kathy Priebe: Turn off the editor! Words flow much easier when you are not worrying about the where, what, and when of grammar. If you decide after BIW to continue or try to sell your piece, then go back and start your rewrite and editing.

***
Kathy Priebe is the author of "Stones of Iris" serial, "The Stones of Iris" book edition and "The Littlest Mermaid" available at LuLu.com. Her non-fiction piece "What Does A Grandma Do?" was printed in Lakeland's Write On 2000 issue and reprinted in the 2001 issue.