Advice for budding writers (as if)

As if I have any advice for a budding writer, still being one, I offer this lesson from SCWCLA*09.

If you are going to a conference, a workshop or anywhere that you would want your manuscript, do this first:

1. Go to the Apple Store (bear with me, this isn't an ad)
2. Buy something. Anything. Buy a headphone adapter. Y0u need one.
3. Take the BAG they give you for small stuff and use it to carry your manuscript. It's an 11" x 13" tough plastic drawstring bag, and will hold at least 600 pages of 8-1/2" x 11" paper.
4. This wrapped baby will now easily fit into a small briefcase or backpack, without worrying about the corners of a box. It sheaths your work, bends, repels water... but the manuscript won't escape, won't shuffle, and won't NOT be there if you need it. You can leave it loose leaf, you can filter through for a passage or few pages without messing with binders, boxes... or computers.

Simple, inexpensive, effective.

Back at the Real World

The SCWCLA*09 conference is done and gone, I'm back at it!

After a great meeting with Trish and Gabriel of BlueJayTech, who did Andrew Peterson's _First to Kill_ website, for our 'real world' project, I flew back home. _America Libre_ by Raul Ramos y Sanchez made the flight quick.

When I got home, I successfully shepherded the BoP 2009 conference, including getting a copy of Jacqueline Novogratz's _The Blue Sweater_ signed for Sue (and me) and spent the Sunday decompressing. I then spent some time following Raul Ramos y Sanchez's advice on setting up Facebook and Twitter. I'm still not on board with this social networking thing, but at least I'm on the pier. (I've been a MySpace member since 2004, and its ROI is zippo!) But, you reap what, later and more than you sow, so sow I will. I've begun adding p33ps from the SCWC, including MSG and Lorelei Armstrong.

I got a chance to read Alwyn's Pinnow's "whole piece", and loved it as much as I did the sample that Laura Taylor read. I think that I was the first to respond after the reading saying "...the best thing I've heard all conference." I was one of several who pressed Laura to nominate this award winning vignette.

Lacey and I have exchanged emails, and I will be reading what she sent me WHEN ITS NOT DARK OUT!

I read Jeff Michaels and Jill Q. Weiss's screenplay. Two thing are certain... 1) This would have made a great installment on Serling's Night Gallery. 2) I have no idea how to write a screenplay. Maybe I don't have to ;-)

Anyway, I've been busy pushing life around since my last post. Time to start pushing words around, again. Including on this plank of my platform.