Problems on That Crucial First Page

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Many agents and editors receive so many manuscripts that they reject most without reading all of the first page. We have to grab them fast. Three small publishers—Linda Fisher of Mozark Press, Lou Turner of High Hill Press, and Yolanda Ciolli of AKA-Publishing—offered off-the-cuff evaluations of eleven anonymous first pages at the 2012 conference of the Columbia Chapter of the Missouri Writers’ Guild. Although they expressed personal preferences, they agreed on the strengths and weaknesses of the manuscripts. Here’s how we conducted our one-hour First Page session. Interested conference participants emailed their submissions to me, each double-spaced page labeled fiction … Continue reading →

Milking When the Power Went Off

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Hurricane Sandy brought death and destruction to the East Coast last week. Millions who came through the storm unscathed still face an ongoing problem, the loss of electrical power. After a day or two, the lack of power went from an inconvenience to a hardship. Thinking back to the loss of power on our farm, I remembered that we got along pretty well. We had fresh vegetables in the garden and canned ones in the storm cave, chickens to provide eggs and fresh meat, a kerosene stove for summer cooking, and a good supply of lanterns. After all, we didn’t … Continue reading →

Starting and Maintaining a Critique Group

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Loved ones usually can’t give us objective feedback. For that we need a good critique group, one made up of four to six writers who share our interests and goals. How do you find them? The best bet is to recruit them from a writers’ organization or a writing class. If neither is available, post a notice at the library or bookstore. If that fails, look for an online group. Turning several writers into a useful (possibly inspiring) critique group takes time and patience. Once established, many groups continue for years. In my experience, you improve your chances of having … Continue reading →

Missouri Writers Gather to Take the Next Step Nov. 10

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Whether you’ve been published for years or want to expand beyond Twitter, the Columbia Chapter of the Missouri Writers’ Guild’s annual conference offers tips and tactics to help you improve your writing. The conference, The Write Direction: Taking the Next Step, meets 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.  November 10 at the Unity Center, 1600 West Broadway, Columbia. Award-winning writers will share their special skills and small publishers will tell how and why they select manuscripts. The sessions include * Novelist Bridget Bufford on creating characters through archetypes, * Nonfiction children’s author Matthew Murrie on finding your perfect pitch, * Missouri … Continue reading →

Finding Overused Words Helps Us Rewrite

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In a first draft, most of us fall back on tip-of-the-tongue words rather than rummage through our brains or the thesaurus for the best ones. Those overused words attract our attention when we polish a short piece—a poem, an article, a short story. In a long manuscript, one we write and rewrite for months, our favorite crutches may not stand out. The computer’s Find can help us check an entire manuscript, but we need to tell it what words to search for. These searches not only guide us in improving our word choice but also show us where we need … Continue reading →

The Coming, and Going, of Egg-sucking Dogs

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Recently a TV commercial included a line from an old country song about an egg-suckin’ dog. It reminded me of what trouble egg-sucking dogs caused when most farmers, and some town dwellers, had a flock of hens. Our farmhouse stood an eighth of a mile from a crossroads hidden by a small hill, a choice location for dumping off an unwanted dog. It would show up at our back steps, where we put out scraps for our dog and cats, or down at the barn, where my father poured milk into the cats’ pan after milking each evening. Over the … Continue reading →

The Publishing Process Nears the Final Stage

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The Publishing Process Nears the Final Stage My heart rate jumped last week when I received two boxes of advance readers’ copies, uncorrected page proofs of Show Me the Murder. Nine years after a news story sparked the idea for my protagonist and thirteen months after I submitted the manuscript to the publisher, the final product is only four more months away. I will read (aloud) one last time for typos and begin sending out copies to local, regional, and special-interest reviewers. The publisher will send out review copies to national publications, correct any typos, and print books for release … Continue reading →

Ten Reasons for Attending Your High School Reunion

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The older I get, the more important and pleasant I find reunions. Asked to speak (briefly) at my Kirksville, Missouri, High School reunion, I listed our top ten reasons for coming. 10. Because we can.  We’re still walking, even if it’s with a knee or hip replacement.  We’re still social, even if we don’t know to whom we’re talking.  We’re still able to find our way here, once we find our car keys. 9. Because we enjoy talking to people for whom history begins  before WW II rather than before 9/11.  People for whom fast food used to mean a bologna sandwich. … Continue reading →

How Elizabeth Peters Found Amelia Peabody’s Voice

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A group of mystery writers celebrated Elizabeth Peters by playing the major characters in her beloved Amelia Peabody series during a skit at the 2012 Malice Domestic Convention. Ms. Peters (Egyptologist Barbara Mertz, aka Barbara Michaels) played straight woman but occasionally demonstrated her distinctive wit. Twenty years ago I interviewed her about how she created the strong-willed Victorian archaeologist and found her distinctive voice. A shortened version of the article follows. It appeared in the January 1992 issue of Writing Concepts. Mastering the writing style of another era requires care, Mertz says. “When the heroine was speaking, I had to … Continue reading →

An Interview with Elizabeth (the Great) Peters

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Mystery fans are honoring Egyptologist Barbara Mertz, best known to them as Elizabeth Peters, author of the beloved Amelia Peabody mystery series featuring a strong-minded early archaeologist. Fellow authors will interview Barbara April 28 at the annual Malice Domestic Convention. That reminded me that I interviewed her 20 years ago on how she made the transition from academic to accessible and entertaining nonfiction (look for Red Land, Black Land) and from nonfiction to genre fiction, first Gothics as Barbara Michaels and then mysteries as Elizabeth Peters. At that time (1991) she already had 50 books to her credit. What she … Continue reading →

An Opportunity to Promote Reading

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The Missouri Center for the Book (MCB) board of directors elected me to a three-year term at the March meeting. Librarians and college professors dominate the 18-member board, so part of my function will be to work with the writing community. MCB is an affiliate of the National Center for the Book, Library of Congress. In Missouri, the mission is to bring together authors, publishers, librarians, scholars, teachers and readers; promote the state’s literary heritage and community of the book; promote public interest in books, reading and libraries; strengthen and celebrate the role of books in the human endeavor; recognize … Continue reading →

New Madrid Earthquakes Remain a Mystery

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New Madrid Earthquakes Remain a Mystery No one knows what caused a series of major earthquakes centered near New Madrid, Missouri, and felt in much of the eastern United States 200 years ago, according to geologists at the “It’s Your Fault” conference, University of Missouri, February 18, 2012. I attended to hear whether any new information would affect my Thunder Beneath My Feet manuscript (nothing did) and when to expect the next big ones (no one knows). Experts can tell big earthquakes occurred in the state’s southeast corner about 1450 and 900 and at similar intervals for 5,000 or so … Continue reading →