The Writer Mama Riffs

I sat next to the lovely Lisa Lenard-Cook at the author signing (at which point it occurred to me that maybe I should have mentioned my old book a little more and instead of mostly talking about the book that was not out yet—doink) and later, she was kind enough to share with me copies of her two novels, Dissonance (such a great title) and Coyote Morning, which will make great summer reading. Thanks, Lisa!

Lisa is the author of the new Writer’s Digest Book The Mind of Your Story, Discover What Drives Your Fiction. I just love that title too. And the book design is so intriguing. Check it out if you write fiction.

We also had a lovely and illuminating discussions about the important role that university presses can play for literary novelist in a time when a literary novel can be a tough sell. Thanks for all of your insights, Lisa. I learned a lot.

Chuck Sambuchino came into the green room sniffing with a terrible cold and asked me what I’d done to my hair. (Chuck!) Because it’s Chuck, who calls me “Katz” instead of “Christina,” (Chuck!) I decided to let it slide. More about the hair some other time. It’s a bit, ahem, blond. (I am now officially done retaliating for the hair comment.)

While the pitching sessions were going on I had the distinct pleasure of chatting with several folks in the hall. Of course, if they were balking about pitching, I encouraged them to try. Even if you get a “No” or a “No thanks,” pitching is such a great learning experience. The pitching sessions in this conference are super-short. I think they were three minutes. But you know what? Three minutes is really ample time to make your pitch, receive a response, and maybe even get a question in before the timer motions you off to get in line for your next pitch.

I was very pleased to see Metropolitan Mama Stephanie Sheaffer several times throughout the day, including at my morning session. I recognized her right away from several photos I’d seen over at her blog. Sounded like she had some great success at the conference…but I’ll let her share it. I don’t want to steal her thunder.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Rebecca Laffar-Smith of Writer’s Round-About, another blogger who flew all the way to the conference from Australia. Wowee! Shout out to Rebecca! Hope the jet leg isn’t too brutal when you get back home (makes me wince just thinking about it).

By the end of the conference, my blood sugar was taking a nose-dive and I needed to find some food. So I followed a gaggle of agents, including Andrea Hurst, whom I met last summer at Whidbey Island’s MFA Residency, social butterfly Katherine Sands, and agent mama, Verna Dreisbach. I also got to see agent Lilly Gharemani, chat with agent Andrea Brown, and meet agents Michael Larsen and Elizabeth Pomada. And what a treat later to be driven back to the hotel by agent Donald Maas. He’s such an intelligent and thoughtful guy. His new book (the title escapes me at the moment) from Writer’s Digest is bound to be great.

After a lovely evening, a delicious dinner and lots of time chatting with Robin Mizell, an intern at Writer’s Digest who is also a freelance writer and copyeditor (shout out to Robin!), it was time to head back to the hotel. There are so many people to thank for such an enormous amount of work that it takes to make a great conference like this one, but I’ll do my best.

Big thanks to Greg Hatfield, Jane Friedman, Lauren Mosko, Chuck Sambuchino, Robert Brewer, Brian Klems and Scott Francis. There were many other folks from Writer’s Digest there I did not get to chat with. Thanks to everyone who helped put on such a terrific event!

P.S. I’m pretty sure I saw Kevin Costner driving by in a convertible in the shuttle on the way to the airport the next morning. But I can’t be 100% sure.

During lunch at the conference, we had a real treat. Blake Synder, author of Save the Cat, The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need, was the speaker. He was terrific. Funny, entertaining and interesting. Just what a conference attendee needs right after lunch!

I had a chance to chat with Blake later over dinner and he is just as approachable and endearing one-on-one as he is in front of a crowd of hundreds. He also gave me some great tips about how to make the transition from Writer Mama to the author of Get Known Before the Book Deal (which is for all writers).

Thanks, Blake! Be sure to check out his blog and books for screenwriters.

After lunch, I attended Jane Friedman’s talk on The Times They Are A-Changin’: Being a Successful Author Amidst Transformational Change in Book Publishing. Jane is my editor for Get Known Before the Book Deal and she is the Editorial Director of Writer’s Digest Books and many of the other F+W imprints (F+W is the parent company of Writer’s Digest Books).

I’ll tell you what that talk gave me some serious food for thought. But what I walked away with for my readers and students is the same old thing I have been focused on this past year: the future belongs to writers who have and grow a platform. That’s all there is to it.

When I think of the authors I know who are the most successful, the secret of their success is equivalent to the time, energy and money they invest in getting known and staying known. At this time, the publishing industry is changing and fast. But the way it impacts us is that we have to become more well-rounded. Not just good writers but good at everything related to a writing career.

I’m referring to writing, editing, selling, self-promotion, and long-term planning. Any one of these is simply not enough. We each have to either master them all or hire people who can do a better job for us.

The thing is (and this came up during my presentation), you can always hire help AFTER you become an author but no one can discover your best platform but you. You have to do that work (I pretty much lay out how in Get Known). After that, everything that follows is a lot easier.

More about the conference to come…

On Wednesday, I attended the Writer’s Digest/BEA Writers Conference, which was excellent. I highly recommend this conference to anyone who has never interacted with agents before and wants a chance to pitch agents verbally. Whether your idea is fully developed or still brewing, you can assess whether or not you are on track by paying attention to how interested agents are about your idea.

Several people asked me if they should pitch and my response was always, “Yes, you should definitely pitch.” If nothing else, once you’ve pitched once, it’s a lot easier next time. And on the other end of the spectrum, one attendee told me she had nine requests for her proposal.

After the keynote with Jacquelyn Mitchard, I gave my breakout session on Get Known While You Sleep—A Platform Primer. Attendance was great and even though I really hammered home the message that writers must produce themselves every step of the way on the path to authorhood, everyone seemed to get and accept this reality and no one wanted to argue with me. (Darn.)

(Of course, I was preaching to the choir because by the time writers show up at a writers conference they tend to be pretty motivated. But bring on anyone who wants to argue the point, because I’ve got 80,000 words of preparation behind me!)

Many people came up to me throughout the day and thanked me for the presentation. (And this is my chance to thank them. Thank you! Your feedback is extremely valuable.)

Next, I attended Bill O’Hanlon’s session on Effective Use of the Internet for Authors, which was very inspiring and informative. Talk about an author who is making the most that the Internet has to offer and that is Bill O’Hanlon. His latest book is Write is a Verb, Sit Down. Start writing. No Excuses., which comes with an hour-long motivational DVD. You can download an excerpt here.

Stay tuned…my day at the Writer’s Digest/BEA Writers Conference to be continued. I’m still catching up from being gone in the middle of the week last week.

I had a wonderful, though swift, trip to Los Angeles this week in the midst of wrapping up two classes, starting a new class (Craft a Saleable Nonfiction Book Proposal starts Wednesday), finishing my rewrite of Get Known Before the Book Deal and juggling a lot of personal/home details.

Here’s the abrreviated recap:

Getting on the road: This is always the hardest part for me (see my earlier post on the speed bumps of leaving home). But typically, once I get dropped off at the airport, assuming I didn’t forget anything, I can finally relax and enjoy my trip. This trip was no exception. And may I take this opportunity to say that Portland, Oregon has one of the nicest airports you will ever see.

Flying: I adore flying. Some of my best ideas come to me on airplanes. Once air-bound, I can thoroughly relax and enjoy myself. I can’t address the pile of laundry or dishes in the sink from thousands of feet in the air, so I get to chill out instead. (I typically peruse People magazine, a treat reserved for visits to the chiropractor at home.)

Arriving in LA: When LA photographer Mark Bennington was here, I teased him about living in LA. But after my trip, I feel contrite. My LA experience was so wonderful and so thoroughly enjoyable that I want to shout from the rooftops: “Don’t judge LA by the traffic jams!” (However, a few locals did comment on the stress related to bad traffic and congestion, something that is easier to forgive when you are just there for a few days.)

Bad Habit: When I am presenting I absolutely need peace and quiet to prepare myself the night before. On other trips with my family along, this has proven difficult. I am a presentation tweaker. I will stay up way too late the night before tweaking and re-tweaking my presentation. Usually with positive results…which is why this has become a “bad” habit. I’m tired the next day but I can’t sleep well in hotels by myself anyway, no matter how wonderful they are. My hotel on this trip was brand new and the nicest I’ve seen. We’re talkin’ gorgeous! And right on Sunset Boulevard, where yes, I did indeed bump into a celebrity. To respect her privacy, I won’t say where.

Rolling computer bag ideas? I need a rolling bag for my computer that is compact enough to use as a carry-on and hold my other plane items. Does anyone have any suggestions? I hurt my shoulder dragging around my Mac laptop every time I speak. Surely there’s got to be a better way…anyone?

Stay tuned…more to come!

For writer mamas, as for moms who travel for work, the leaving/coming home transition can be an emotional one. I’ve always been sensitive to my daughter’s need for smooth transitions. So we always talk things through well in advance of the actual event. When she was younger this was as simple as saying, “Samantha, first we’re going to put our coats on, then we’re going to get in the car, then we’re going to go shopping at the store.” Just the rhythm of the plan seemed to soothe her. Whereas if I had just suddenly said, “Let’s go.” She would resist and become easily upset.

The same parenting strategy works, I’ve found for just about anything with my daughter. It’s always best to keep her in the loop in an age-appropriate way.

So I wasn’t surprised last night at bedtime when my daughter began to cry because I would be leaving for two nights. She’d seemed agitated all evening, the same way our cats get agitated when all the suitcases come out.

She knew it wasn’t just the hypothetical “mommy is going on a trip” any longer but time for the actual departure. So I felt good about letting her cry. I didn’t try to stop her or chastise her not to cry. I remember when my mom went away when I was kid. I didn’t like it at all!

Fact is when moms leave home, it’s never “easy.” There’s all the planning and preparation to make sure everyone’s needs will be met and then there’s trying to take care of and prepare yourself. Just like everything else, I just do the best I can.

When Jason and Samantha dropped me off today, there were no tears. Just lots of hugs and kisses. Of course, I’ll miss them.

I’m jut so grateful that we’re all on the same page, even if tears are part of the picture.

This fall, RACC will award one $20,000 Fellowship to a Literary Artist in the Portland tri-county region.”

“Literary Arts” include poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction and playwriting.

Intent to apply is due on July 9th.

Full application due by 5 pm on July 16th.

All the details available at RACC grants online.

Be sure to check the guidelines and good luck!

You can still register for next week’s 2008 BookExpo America/Writer’s Digest Books Writers Conference. This is the country’s leading writing conference featuring a keynote by Jacquelyn Mitchard, motivating workshops and the largest gathering of agents and editors of any conference who want to help you GET PUBLISHED!

When: Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Where: The Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 S Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015.

The conference is an all-day affair, with workshops and panels throughout the morning and afternoon. Here are a few highlights:

• The keynote speaker: best-selling author Jacquelyn Mitchard.
• Guests include: superstar agent Donald Maass, The editors of Writer’s Digest Books, Writer’s Digest magazine and Writer’s Market
• Plus dozens of agents taking part in our famous Pitch Slam session

Register Now!

For up-to-the-minute information, and a list of attending agents, visit www.writersdigest.com/bea.

Admission to this all-day conference is $199, which includes a copy of the 2008 edition of Writer’s Market!

8:30 a.m. Keynote by Jacquelyn Mitchard
Keynote address by New York Times best-selling author Jacquelyn Mitchard

9:30 Morning Breakout Sessions

• Fire in Fiction (literary agent Donald Maass)
• Putting Thrills in Your Mystery Novel (author Hallie Ephron)
• Book in a Month (author Victoria Schmidt)
• Finding a Home for Your Personal Essay (author Victoria Zackheim)
• Get Known While You Sleep—A Platform Primer (author Christina Katz)
• Screenwriting: Exploring Genres (screenwriter-author John Truby)
• Getting Started in Writing for Television (Richard Hatem)

10:30 Mid-Morning Breakout Sessions

• Plotting a Novel They Can’t Put Down (author James Scott Bell)
• Fictional Seeds (author Lisa Lenard-Cook)
• Panel: Creating and Contributing to Anthologies (Victoria Zackheim, Jane Ganahl, Aimee Liu, Aviva Layton)
• Effective Use of the Internet for Authors (author Bill O’Hanlon)
• Panel: Ask the Editors: A publishing Q&A with WD experts
• Panel: Meet the Script Agents and Managers

LUNCH

Speaker: Blake Snyder, screenwriter, producer, and best-selling author of two books on screenwriting (Save the Cat!)
1:30 Afternoon Breakout Sessions

• Revising a Novel They Can’t Put Down (author James Scott Bell)
• Panel: Ask the Literary Agents (moderated by GLA’s Chuck Sambuchino)
• The Times They Are A-Changin’: Being a Successful Author Amidst Transformational Change in Book Publishing  (WDB Editorial Director Jane Friedman)
• Panel: From Book to Film/TV: How Your Work Comes Alive
• Practice Your Pitch (WD’s Lauren Mosko, attendance limited to room capacity)

Pitch Slam Session
The BEA/Writer’s Digest Books Writers Conference once again presents the original Pitch Slam session, featuring the largest gathering of agents and editors who want to hear your story ideas and give you immediate feedback!

This line says it all:

“The thing is, I have Canyon Ranch taste, but a YMCA budget.”

Read the entire essay, “You Look Tired,” over at Diary of a New Mom.

Abigail Green is teaching an essay writing class for Writers on the Rise. (Not that I’ve updated the info yet…but I will soon, I promise!)

And from what I can tell, it’s not a train. It’s a long weekend!

Thank goodness for that.

I leave you to yours with the cover design of my forthcoming book, Get Known Before the Book Deal:

Have a great holiday weekend, mamas!

Gigi Rosenberg reads “Signora” her essay from the Seal Press anthology “The Maternal is Political.” Powell’s Book on Hawthorne. Thursday, May 29, 7:30 pm. This book features 30 powerful, hard-hitting literary essays by women who are striving to make the world a better place for children and families - both their own and other women’s - in this country and globally. Editor Shari MacDonald Strong appears with contributors Jennifer Margulis, Alisa Gordaneer, Gigi Rosenberg, and Margaret McConnell.

Two things:

1. I’d say this is great timing for this title, wouldn’t you?

2. Go, Gigi!

Gigi is a former student who is doing fabulous things. Check out her site, if you have a chance.