Earlier
this year an attendee at a workshop dubbed me and my two colleagues “Uppity
Women.” I have been accused of that before, but Lois Gerber, a retired nurse and
highly published author of articles, stories, and books on nursing can only be
described as caring and nurturing. Our other colleague, Joan King, says she’s never
been called uppity, but has been called a hick because she comes from a farming
family in Oklahoma. She is a retired high school music teacher and I would
refer to her as talented, kind and generous.
This
Sunday, this “Uppity Woman” is meant to give a “solo” speaking performance at
our public library—a first of its kind author event. Newspaper notices and
flyers state I will talk about 1. NANO, 2. The Florida Writers Association, and
3. Publishing. Each notice is different. As is my name on the notices. I am
Hart or Hunt, depending on which you read.
With that
in mind, I pondered on what to write for the Vineyard, I also considered how I
want to be treated by my publishers. Three things stood out: 1. Respect, 2.
Appreciation, 3. Praise, attitudes we all want wherever we work. Fortunately I get
all three from the editors and publishers at both companies with whom I have
contracts.
Sometimes
the communication wanes and I don’t hear from one of them for a while. I begin
to chew fingernails. Did they not like my most recent submission? Are my books
not selling well enough? Should I be doing something differently?
No matter
the exterior packaging of a writer, I believe that underneath we are all
jellyfish, quivering on the inside, insecure and needing our hands held.
So this
Uppity Woman will speak on Sunday using the following as a guide:
National
Novel Writing Month inspired me to write a complete novel in 2002. It’s
still sitting on an antique disk. Since then I have written the minimum 50,000
words at least eight times. In 2008 I wrote The
Prince of Keegan Bay, edited it with the help of two critique groups over
the next four months, and then submitted it to The Florida Writers Association
Royal Palm Literary Awards. It won first place for humor in 2009. I subsequently
submitted it to Champagne Books, who published it. Champagne now has four of my
books under contract and I have at least one more in progress to send to them.
I also have a second in progress I might self-publish, just for the experience.
Since the
publication of The Prince of Keegan Bay,
I have had had two more books, begun as NANO projects, published by Double Edge
Press: Elena-the Girl with the Piano
and The Reluctant Daughters, both
historical novels. All my work is passed through the FWA writing groups.
So, for my
talk I shall explain 1. NANO, and how writing at a rapid pace without stopping
to edit can help your writing, 2. The Florida Writers Association, and how its
writing groups, magazine, conferences and competitions can help your writing,
and 3. Publishing, which feeds the ego and allows you to share your work with
the world.
By the
way, Joan, Lois, and I now bill ourselves as The Three Uppity Women, Writing
Workshops.
Veronica Helen Hart (aka Ronnie) lives and works in Ormond
Beach, Florida. You can read more about her and her books at www.veronicahhart.com.
1 comments:
Uppity woman. Lordy, Lordy could I be a smart butt with that one. Like being offered a gift.
Michael Davis (Davisstories.com)
Author of the Year (2008 and 2009)
Award of Excellence (2012)
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