30 Articles in Just 30 Days Tele-Follow-Up Notes

Posted on December 1st, 2009, by Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D.

Notes from the call-in, November 16, 2009

If you missed the call on 11/16/09, Gini was taking notes as the call went along (while also leading the call) and I am posting them here. Take a look and see how many ideas for writing you pick up (or are reminded of). This is a great time for writing!! And the next 30 Articles in Just 30 Days tele-coaching event is coming up on Dec 11, 2009.

Here are the notes from the call-in on 11/16/09 or you can click here for the notes in a Word file: 30ArticlesOct09Notes from the call on 11-09. Last evening’s call-in was one of the greatest. There is so much power in visiting with enthusiastic writers. To give you an update:

Brenda has written a workbook to go along with her presentation on marketing, fundraising, and curriculum design (did I get all of the right, Brenda?). She used her new material at a national convention recently with a standing room only crowd. In fact, she ran out of her workbooks and had attendees hunting her down to get copies via mail or email.

Beverley always has many writing projects rolling. For November she is taking part in National Novel Writing Month. From writing approximately 700 words at a sitting, her words have doubled and tripled. November 30 is her vision date for completing her novel. She also bumped into a publisher who prints books on communication. Guess who has a proposal and communication book ready to go??

Dominique has been perfecting the art of writing using the steps in the book by Heather Sellers. Each chapter has added inspiration and imagination to her work as writing becomes an automatic part of her daily routine. She recently emailes us with this comment:

“It was AWESOME to get today’s e-mail. I loved seeing my story in your promotional e-mail for the upcoming 30 articles in 30 days session. I’m so glad that you felt it was worth sharing with others. And yes, I’m still writing away.

Sorry, I won’t be able to sign up for the December 30 Articles in 30 Days session. But I have a great excuse for missing out on it…I was named one of this year’s feminist scholars by Ms. Magazine and chosen to participate in a series of writing workshops and seminars. We’ve been meeting online weekly, and that week we have our capstone meeting in Los Angeles at the Ms. offices. We’ll all be sharing and critiquing our articles with the folks from Ms. Truly exciting! Well, take care and thank you again for all that you do.”

Susan has been busy gathering information for creating a book/workbook to match her presentations on bullying. Bullying is the subject but her design runs in three ways: a guide for adults, for teachers, and for children. With two notebooks packed with information, it is time to write. I picked the number 10 for Susan. Jot down 10 definite points to make on bullying and begin sorting the information. It is time to get this project into print.

Book recommendations:

The Heather Seller series, for example Page after Page
How to Write a Lot by Paul J. Sylvia
How to Write a Book Proposal by Michael Larsen
A cookbook entitled Vibration Cooking - for the words and ideas as well as the recipes

Forming a writing group:

Beverley has been a member of a writing group for 6 years. Their accomplishments include publication of the member’s pieces. She has now joined a poetry writers group as well. Some of the ground rules include:

Set up a regular meeting schedule
Send copies of work to be reviewed in advance so work is pre-read and discussion time is not spent reading.
Member must be people you can trust completely; admiring them adds to the might of the interaction
Examine 3-4 works per gathering if the group is large
6, 8, 10 members works well
Be ready to hear critiques of your work

In the writing group:

During the first 15 minutes, all group members discuss and share while the author listens. These might be suggestions, correcting spelling/grammar errors, clearing up confusion. Then the author has time to share her vision.

In the poetry group:

There is a less rigid structure. Everyone pitches in with ideas.

Maybe it is the genre, perhaps it is the group, but each structure works well in its particular setting. The interactive atmosphere works with poetry as does the individual approach with the other group. Productivity is the goal and it is reached by each group.

Members are held accountable to get their writing complete written and sent out ahead of the meeting. This keeps everyone working and writing.

Writing groups are available in several different forms:

Create your own
Attend workshops at the public library etc.
Barnes and Noble offers writing groups
Meggin – what about an on-line version of a writing group? We thought you would be the ideal source for creating this!

Getting published:

Being at the right place at the right time is perfect but if that does not pan out check out:

http://lulu.com – on demand printing at a reasonable price. Lulu will print 1 copy so that you can edit and revise before more copies are created. This outfit guides you through copyright laws and gets you an ISBN number. You set the price, the number of prints; they send you the copies you request plus market for you as well.

http://authorhouse.com – a bit pricier but you end up with a fine product. An editor works you through the process; you pick a package that works for you. They market for you including the big places like Barnes and Noble.

My first work was a year in the writing and I was fortunate to mail it to the right editor/publisher on the right day. I re-wrote, deleted, added, edited some more and ultimately I begged her before 6 months later a contract arrived. 14 months after that (November 2009!), it is out in print. While I have several other works “out there” nothing has produced results yet but I remain hopeful. For the 2 additional teacher books I have plenty of reworking to do; for my sister Carole’s story and early onset Alzheimer’s disease I have set January 1, 2010 as my next action date.

If a publisher does not show interest by then I will enter the self-publishing process. Two rejections have kept me going strong – “No audience” with more than 20 million people closely touched by the disease in this country alone I find these 2 words amazingly wrong; “Too personal” The people I visit with have had enough doctor talk. They want to know if the journey they are now taking relates to anyone else in the world. Carole’s story does.

Additional advice from our callers:

Set arbitrary (or not-so-arbitrary) deadlines to keep you on track
Write every dayezine.com is a fine way to get your work out in view
Sign up for the next 30 Articles in Just 30 Days – Friday, December 11, 2009, 8-noon PST.
Find a way to have no interruptions
Gather information, organize ideas but above all – WRITE!
Share your works with others to clarify your thinking.