Colorado Christian Writers Conference and Write His Answer

I remember finding “Write His Answer” in the bookstore at the Green Lake Conference Center in Wisconsin in the early 1990s. I was amazed. It spoke to my need as a writer. I had been freelancing about 10 years at the time.

Since then I have been through the book about once a year and given a copy to over 25 Christian writer friends. It continues to be an encouragement. My original edition is marked-up, torn and tattered as well as cherished. Marlene Bagnull is the author of “Write His Answer”. She also is the director of the Colorado Christian Writer’s Conference for over a decade.

I am excited about attending the Colorado Christian Writer’s Conference. It’s been on my bucket list for nearly a decade. If you’ve been thinking of attending, this is the year to come. It will be an amazing investment in your writing ministry.

Here is an article with 7 Reasons Why You Need To Come To The Colorado Christian Writer’s Conference.

http://writehisanswer.wordpress.com/2013/05/02/7-reasons-why-you-need-to-come-to-the-colorado-christian-writers-conference/

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Chronicles, Volume One by Bob Dylan

I received this book from my son Kristopher for Christmas way back in 2004. The book is a lot like Bob Dylan … different and genius. We start in 1961. We witness some history in him signing his first record contract.

It is an odd memoir that is as inspired, impulsive, and to a degree as eccentric as Dylan’s greatest music. He never tells us what he is about.

Biography lovers will find it wanting. You get near, but not close to Dylan. He chases “rabbits”. It reminds me of someone talking in to a tape recorder and then having it transcribed – word for word.

With a title of “Chronicles, Volume One”, when will we see Volume Two? Save your money. Borrow the book from the library, unless you are a big Bob Dylan fan. Read in January 2005.

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Bird By Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

First published in 1995, Bird By Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott is as relevant today as the day it was published. The book has become the definitive how-to guide for new and aspiring writers. I am currently rereading the book. I have read it at least five times.

Bird by Bird has been a national best seller and continues to have excellent sales. As of today (April 11, 2013 – I am writing this at 9:00 PM to be published April 12, 2013 at 00:01 hours), eighteen years after publication it still ranks high on the Amazon Best Sellers Rank at #716 in Books. More amazingly it ranks:

#1 in Books > Education & Reference > Words, Language & Grammar > Speech
#1 in Books > Education & Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Writing > Journalism & Nonfiction
#5 in Books > Education & Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Writing > Writing Skills

Below is a review I wrote about one year ago. The think the above stats are amazing and prove how impactful the book is..

An entertaining and helpful guidebook that covers every step of the writing process, the reading of Bird By Bird has become something of an initiation for hopeful writers. Anne drives home the point of the need for regular writing and facing the fact that getting published will almost certainly not make you more contented, wealthier or good-looking.

Her book’s genesis comes from the notes of the lectures Lamott delivers to her writing classes. The book begins the way all writing classes do – sit down and write. Write, write, and write and the revise and rewrite before you worry about agents, book titles, etc. She reminds us to sit at our computer, bring up our word processing program, stare at the screen and write. She gives practical advice of not looking at the size of the task, but viewing it as a series of small assignments.

Lamott investigates the depths of both the formal elements of writing such as plot, character development, dialogue, setting, point of view and the less concrete but infinitely more injurious obstacles facing a writer, that is acceptance the “shitty first draft” and killing the perfectionist inside you standing between you and your shitty first draft. She talks in practical terms about defeating writer’s block and what to do when you have crises of faith. She talks about finding a sturdy soul to read your “shitty” draft and not being devastated when the reader has more than a few suggestions. She also touches on the subject of learning to deal with professional jealousy, a bound to happen fate “because some wonderful, dazzling successes are going to happen for some of the most awful, angry, undeserving writers you know — people, who are, in other words, not you.”

Bird By Bird isn’t all that ground-breaking a book. I have read similar works providing insights on the writing life by authors Annie Dillard and Natalie Goldberg. Yet, ask anyone in the position to make a comparison and more likely than not they’ll say Bird By Bird surpasses all. “What, then, is it about Bird By Bird that strikes a chord with so many readers and writers?” to quote a question asked by reviewer Sarah Brennan.

Anne Lamott’s advice is all harvested from personal experience. Her guidance is so caring and keen and so good-naturedly explained it’s easily employable. I agree again with Sarah Brennan that “ultimately, it’s her uncanny and self-effacing humor, natural, unaffected tone and anecdote-as-life-lesson adeptness that make Bird By Bird such an effective teaching device. Hers is a refreshingly conversational, approachable, enjoyable didacticism that leaves you with the feeling that 1) if you were to meet Lamott, you’re pretty sure you would be instantaneous best friends 2) however far you descend into the pits of frustration, self-loathing and despair, the writing life is worth it.”

Anne Lamott gives us all hope as she shares, “Even if you only show the people in your writing group your memoirs or stories or novels, even if you only wrote your story so that one day your children would know what life was like when you were a child and you knew the name of every dog in town — still, to have written your version is an honorable thing.” It would be fun to sit down for a day and talk and laugh with Anne Lamott.

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I Am a Writer

I belong to the Dallas Writing Practice Group. A recent assignment was to write why “I am a writer”. Here’s what I wrote …

I’m a writer because I enjoy writing.

I get my ideas from the world around me as well as the fantasies within me.

I try to write for a regular period each day.

I believe in using adjectives and adverbs frugally.

I structure my work-in-progress by writing according to how the story seems to be telling itself instead of writing to a prepared plot outline though I know my major plot points.

I realize writing self-discipline by making myself work whether I’m in the mood or not.

I handle the difficult, ‘writer’s block’ or ‘dry’ times by working on something else to keep good writing habits.

I attempt to make my work as good as it can be by editing, rewriting and polishing.

In seeking an agent or publisher I research the market thoroughly and learn how to make a professional submission. I also read books by writer’s the potential agent represent or by the publisher where I believe I’m a good fit.

I receive rejection slips with a twinge, and then move to the next submission. It’s not personal.

I see myself in the future finding satisfaction in writing novels and narrative nonfiction my readers enjoy.

I want to write because I have characters and stories bursting to come to life. I have voices in my head that need to escape to paper or keyboard.

If you a writer how would you explain why you are a writer?

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Electric Dylan

Electric Dylan

Our music choice back then was known as folk
the surgeon general told us not to smoke
Acoustic was our favorite sound
In Washington, D.C. The Beatles played in the round

We cried when JFK was assassinated that November day
and why the Vietnam War we asked LBJ
The Newport Folk Festival was going strong
And Bob Dylan wrote our favorite song

On television we all got Lost in Space
And Ryan O’Neil made hearts throb on Payton Place
Back in ’65 three girls sang with a sound which was Supreme
And played the greatest poet – lyricist ever seen

And the times were a changing because of him
Playboy Playmate Sara Lownds was his wife, young and trim
She gave him three sons and a beautiful little girl
Some before, some after the tour that rocked the world

His acoustic half-set sounded the same
the electric-half critics called a shame
and his music still changed the world
Even as shouts of Judas started to swirl

They hated him at the Royal Albert Hall
and were glad when he took that horrible fall
some thought after his motorcycle accident
That his life and career were totally spent.

Eight years before he toured the world again,
He wouldn’t let the critic boss him with their poison pen
And his music never really would change
Though his voice now shows age’s strain

To the arenas, stadiums, and theaters we still all come
and he sings putting sunshine in our lives glum
Just Like a Woman, Mr. Tambourine Man and Desolation Row
Then with Like a Rolling Stone he closes the show.

© 2011 by Jimmie A. Kepler

Originally published in:
WORDS..RHYMES..POETRY & PROSE!

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Writer’s Groups: What to Look For and Costs

I wrote this about eighteen months ago. The points are still relevant. Tonight I got off work at 6:00 PM. I drove through twenty-five miles of rush hour traffic to get to my writer’s workshop. Dinner was missed to attend the meeting. While the meeting started exactly at 7:00 PM, it was 7:20 before I arrived at the meeting.

People have a variety of viewpoints when it comes to belonging to a writer’s workshop. Some authors like Dean Koontz abhor them. Many writers cannot stand them. Some say they will cause you to quit writing or destroy your writing style. Other’s say they couldn’t write without them.

I belong to the DFW Writer’s Workshop. The group has been around since 1977. Over the years members have had over 300 traditionally published books. The workshop also sponsors an annual writer’s conference (DFWCon). The group charges $100 per year to be a member. That is only $2.00 a week.

I had published over two dozen magazine articles before joining the group. I credit the group with keeping me motivated and moving to completing my first novel. The group caused me to look at my writing at a level I didn’t know existed. I provided encouragement in seeing fellow members get published.

Here are some thoughts on selecting, joining, and attending a writers group.

1. Does the writer’s workshop have  in writing clearly defined goals?

• Does the group know where it is going?
• Does it meet regularly?

2. Does the group start on time and stay on mission?

• My group starts on time. It begins with a large group session.
• We recognize guests, ask them what they write, and how they found out about the workshop.
• We next ask for rejection followed by asking for submissions.
• We then ask about acceptances.
• After the large group session we break into small critique groups where member read and get critiqued.
• The reading is generally about 10 minutes and the critique about 5 minutes.
• We have a monitor for the group who times and moderates the reading/critique.

3. Does the group have an interest in your type of writing or is it just a niche group?

• Is it a first amendment group allowing freedom of expression?
• Does it require you to filter your writing through the scope of the group? For example, you would not want to attend a Christian writer’s group if you write erotica.

4. Are there any rules for people whose work is being criticized to follow?

• Again, this is essential.
• People get very defensive when others are telling them what they did wrong.
• Their first impulse is to be defensive.
• The critique-ee needs to have rules to follow.
• We have them listen with no response or rebuttal.
• You need to listen to what people have to say about your writing and learn from it. 

5. Does the group allow you time to network and develop relationships with others in the group?

• Do the group members like each other?
• Are they happy to see you and urge you to take part?
• Does the group assimilate new members?
• Does everyone get to read?
• If the group members spend more time telling you how great they are or what they hope to do instead of staying on schedule and mission, find a different group.

6. Should I pay to attend a writer’s group?

• Most writer’s groups in the USA are free and run by volunteers. Fee based groups are also common.
• One of the most expensive writer’s groups in the USA is the The Original Los Angeles Writers Group™. The cost for new members is $475 a year while returning members get a break at $450. The is about $9.00 per week.
• The Kansas City Writer’s Critique Group meets in ten week sessions with each session costing $65.00 ($5.50 per week).
• I mentioned before the DFW Writer Group at $100 per year ($2 per week).
• The Burlington Vermont Writer’s Group cost $12.00 per month.
• I have attended pay and free groups. Most pay groups are very polished, professional, stay on task honoring the attendee’s time by starting and stopping on time plus having a set break. They are connected to educational institutions or a legal nonprofits with a constitution by-laws and elected leadership from the paid membership that manage / lead the group. They are not social in nature and have had an evaluation element. The leader in the pay group many ties receives your writing assignment in advance. They check your style, grammar, transitions, etc. as a proofreader / outside editor. They may lead you in structured activities within the group as well. Most paid groups last only 60 to 120 minutes with 90 minutes being the average. Again, select the group to meet your need.

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Your Best Friend

Your Best Friend

If ever you find yourself being broken apart,
Because the one you trusted has broken your heart,
And all the time you find yourself crying,
While on the inside you feel like you’re dying,

Call on me if you feel lonely,
Come to me when your life needs to mend,
From time to time you need only,
Someone with love unconditional – your best friend.

One time life gave you a fright,
Existence was as black as a moonless midnight,
You were feeling so out of place,
With no one to hug or embrace,

Then you saw the light,
You came to me in the middle of the night,
And you ran to me to give your heart,
And that’s when your new life did start

Call on me if you feel lonely,
Come to me when your life needs to mend,
From time to time you need only,
Someone with love unconditional – your best friend,
Love, Jesus.

Copyright © 2008 by Jimmie A. Kepler

Originally published in:
WORDS..RHYMES..POETRY & PROSE!

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The Value of a Liberal Arts Education

Albert Einstein said, “The value of an education in a liberal arts college is not the learning of many facts, but the training of the mind to think something that cannot be learned from textbooks.”

My undergraduate education is a liberal arts education. My major was history and my minors were English and military science. My Master of Arts degree is in Christian education. My broad-based liberal arts education did more than prepare me for a job. It provided the foundation that allows me to compete in the marketplace of ideas. I also completed the core curriculum for a computer science degree.

It has been 38 years since I heard then University of Texas at Arlington President Dr. Wendell Nedderman say I had met the requirements for my bachelor’s degree. Within minutes of his pronouncement I raised my right hand and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the US Army through Army ROTC.

I did not make the military a career. Three years later I headed to graduate school. I was amazed at how ready I was. I knew how to read, write, study, do research, write research papers, and think and make decisions.

My UT Arlington liberal arts education taught me how to think independently and make sound judgments. I learned how to expand my horizons, discover new perspectives, and acquire the tools to defend my point of view. My education helped me learn to reflect on life, have a moral and historic compass where I can distinguish good from evil, justice from injustice, and what is noble and beautiful from what is useful.

I have been employed over the years as an officer in the US Army, a minister, educator, corporate trainer, Internet Coordinator, IT Support Analyst, and IT Systems Administrator. These have been my day jobs that has supported my 30 plus years of freelance writing. Working in Information Technology it is interesting to see how many persons have undergraduate degrees in the liberal art disciplines. Most of our tech writers were English majors. Many of our business analysts and business intelligence types also have liberal arts undergrad degrees. These are the people who know how to think outside the box. These are the people with excellent critical thinking skills. These are the persons that embrace change and know how to successfully deal with it. These are people who know how to communicate ideas.

What have I done with my history degree? All the above plus I have published nearly fifty magazine and trade journal articles in over a dozen publications though the years. I have published poetry through the years. I have written hundreds of book reviews. I have a website “Kepler’s Military History Book Reviews”. The site was named a 100 best websites for history buffs. I read and review military history books published under more than a dozen different imprints. I am finishing the manuscript for my historical fiction novel I’m working one as well.

I get asked often by younger coworkers how I know so much about so much. They say I am a modern renaissance man. My answer: I have a liberal arts education from the University of Texas at Arlington.

How committed am I to liberal arts education? I have three grown children – all have liberal arts degrees. One is employed in a senior business management position, one is a teacher, and the third has worked in customer service and information technology fields before starting her own business.

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Is Johnny Crawford from “The Rifleman” in Your Company?

Today is Friday March 22, 2013. I wrote this poem a number a years ago. Many baby-boomers and their parents relate to the words.

“Is Johnny Crawford from ‘The Rifleman’ in Your Company?”

We pressed our faces up against the chain linked fence.
We were supposed to be playing soccer during physical education class.
But we ran to the chained linked fence that separated our school yard from the dirt road.
We stared at the young soldiers marching to training.
They looked so army soldier in their fatigues, helmets and carrying their rifles at right shoulder arms.
They looked like a scene out of “Combat” that we watched each week on our televisions.
While barely just four or five years older than us, they looked all grown up.
A pretty seventh grade girl got up he courage and yelled,
“Is Johnny Crawford from “The Rifleman” in your company?”
There had been a news story of Johnny Crawford’s arrival at Fort Bliss for his basic training.
A kind three stripe sergeant responded,
“No miss, he’s in a different training company.”
“You boys going to Viet-Nam after basic?” asked the P.E. coach who had walked over and joined us.
“Maybe so, but first we got to survive this!” said a smiling boyish faced trainee.
“Quiet in the ranks!” screamed the drill sergeant.
The dust was getting thicker as the soldiers continued marching by.
Most of the seventeen and eighteen year old troopers were looking at the pretty thirteen year old blonde girl.
Some were thinking of their younger sisters back home,
Some were thinking the thoughts seventeen and eighteen years old young men have when seeing a pretty, young teenage girl, and
Some were wondering if they would live long enough to fall in love, marry, and ever have a daughter of their own.

Copyright © 2008 by Jimmie A. Kepler
Originally published in http://www.johnnycrawford.com, February 2008.

Encourage your friends, keep reading and write.
Jimmie A. Kepler

Photo credits:

Top photo: Photo of Chuck Connors as Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son, Mark, from the television program The Rifleman. This work is in the public domain in that it was published in the United States between 1923 and 1977 and without a copyright notice.

Bottom photo: Copyright Renewed 1998 John Longenecker “The Super8Guy”. This work has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder – John Longenecker. This applies worldwide. The copyright holder grants any entity the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. The photo is from The Resurrection of Broncho Billy.

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New Orleans Review

Today is Sunday, March 17, 2013. The Poetry Site of the Week is the New Orleans Review.

New Orleans Review is a journal of contemporary literature and culture, publishing new poetry, fiction, nonfiction, art, photography, film and book reviews. The journal was founded in 1968 and has since published an eclectic variety of work by established and emerging writers including Walker Percy, Pablo Neruda, Ellen Gilchrist, Nelson Algren, Hunter S. Thompson, John Kennedy Toole, Richard Brautigan, Barry Spacks, James Sallis, Jack Gilbert, Paul Hoover, Rodney Jones, Annie Dillard, Everette Maddox, Julio Cortazar, Gordon Lish, Robert Walser, Mark Halliday, Jack Butler, Robert Olen Butler, Michael Harper, Angela Ball, Joyce Carol Oates, Diane Wakoski, Dermot Bolger, Roddy Doyle, William Kotzwinkle, Alain Robbe-Grillet, Arnost Lustig, Raymond Queneau, Yusef Komunyakaa, Michael Martone, Tess Gallagher, Matthea Harvey, D. A. Powell, Rikki Ducornet, and Ed Skoog. Work published in the New Orleans Review has been reprinted in the Pushcart Prize, Best American Nonrequired Reading, New Stories From the South, Utne Reader, Poetry Daily, Verse Daily, and O. Henry Prize Stories anthologies. New Orleans Review is published twice a year, perfect bound, around 200 pages, black & white art and photography, with four-color cover. Distributed nationally and internationally by Ingram Periodicals.
New Orleans Review

How to Submit: PRINT ISSUE

Fiction
For our next print issue, we are looking for “long” short stories or even “short” novellas. Send pieces up to 12,000 words. No previously published work. Simultaneous submissions are okay.

Nonfiction
For our next print issue, we are looking for longer-form nonfiction pieces (essay, memoir, experimental). Send pieces up to 12,000 words. No previously published work. Simultaneous submissions are okay.

Poetry
For our next print issue, we are looking for a set or series of poems totaling 16-32 pages. No previously published work. Simultaneous submissions are okay.

WEB FEATURES

Fiction
Submit fiction pieces up to 5,000 words. Flash fiction welcome. No previously published work (online or in print). Simultaneous submissions are okay.

Nonfiction
Submit nonfiction pieces up to 5,000 words. Flash nonfiction welcome. No previously published work (online or in print). Simultaneous submissions are okay.

Poetry
Submit up to five pages of poems. No previously published work (online or in print). Simultaneous submissions are okay.

Book Reviews
We are looking for reviews of books (all genres) forthcoming or published in the last year. We are also interested in reviews of books that have been largely neglected (often publications from small/independent presses) in the past 5, 10, 15, or even 20 years. Reviews should be between 500 and 1500 words. We publish book reviews online and prefer to keep them anonymous.

Interviews
Query us (noreview at loyno dot edu) if you’d like to submit or propose an interview.

 CLICK HERE TO ACCESS OUR SUBMISSIONS SYSTEM

NOTE

We use an online submission system exclusively. This system reduces our carbon footprint, decreases our response time, and makes tracking submissions for you and for us most accurate and efficient. Submissions require a $3 fee (except for book reviews): $1 is split between the credit card company and the submissions manager service; and, $2 goes toward New Orleans Review, helping us to publish both online and in print.

PAYMENT

For print issues, contributors receive two copies of the issue in which their work appears.

Encourage your friends, keep reading and write.
Jimmie A. Kepler

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