A Slice of Orange

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending a comedy workshop run by Hollywood comedy guru Steve Kaplan. You’d think that nothing robs a joke of its power so much as analyzing it, but actually there were laughs aplenty as we watched clips from Seinfeld, Groundhog Day, Liar Liar and others.

It was a brilliant workshop…I learned a lot. It was especially useful to understand how to maintain a comic sense in scenes where bad stuff is happening. I’m back working on my young adult manuscript with renewed enthusiasm, determined not only to finish it, but to enjoy doing so.

Because while writing can be agony, there’s also nothing more fun. And just maybe it’s my attitude that determines where on the pleasure scale a day’s writing will fall.

In my downtime, I’m reading and watching some funny stuff, both for inspiration and relaxation. On the book front, I’m just about to start Carl Hiaasen’s Skinny Dip, but I could do with some recommendations on the movie front.

Have you seen anything funny lately? The movies that jump out at me from recent viewing are Ghost Town, Sunshine Cleaning, In Bruges (very dark but funny), Groundhog Day (watched for probably the tenth time). Haven’t seen Date Night, but I hear it’s good. My husband loved the The Hangover, but I didn’t so much. I’m going to Toy Story 3 tomorrow, and have expectations of a high laugh quotient.

Let me know if you can recommend a book or a movie that’ll keep me laughing!

Happy 4th of July!!


On Saturday, July 10th, OCC’s Morning Workshop will feature CHARLOTTE LOBB (w/a Charlotte Carter) who will tell us how to PITCH YOUR NOVEL and SUSAN SQUIRES will present WRITING GREAT QUERY LETTERS. Whether you are planning to attend RWA’s National Conference this year—or not—your writing career will benefit by this very helpful information.


In the afternoon, OCC will present NETWORKING WITH OCC PUBLISHED AUTHORS. Several of your favorite OCC authors will be on hand for roundtable discussions on writing, publishing, craft, or whatever questions you’d like to ask! Charlotte and Susan will also be available for some one-on-one “pitching practice.”


And, on Saturday, Lynn Nissen, contest coordinator, will announce the 2011 Orange Rose Contest finalists.


Hope to see you there!

This morning a friend sent me a link to a blog post that stated that the secret to getting published is not persistence, as I always thought, but believing in yourself. My friend’s purpose in sending this to me was to remind me to have belief in myself–not to get published, but to remain published.

I remember being an unpublished author, striving to improve my craft, going to the conferences and the writers’ group meetings, submitting my work and getting rejected. For six years I kept at it until finally, on January 26, 1998 I got the call. Suddenly I was a published author.

I had never thought beyond that moment. My goal was to get published, and I accomplished that. Now, twelve years later, my goal is to stay published. And that is not as easy as it seems, especially in this shaky economy where New York is tightening their belts and not giving out offers to established authors as often as they used to.

If you think becoming published means you know everything there is to know about writing, think again. The stakes are raised every time you submit a proposal to a publisher. Submission does not get any easier once you have sold a book. Each book has to be better than the one before it, so you need to keep learning and growing. Getting published the first time is no guarantee you will continue to publish.

So, you say, how do you stay published then?

Before today I would have said persistence. I would have told you to stick to it until you made it happen. But then I read the email from my friend, and I realized that persistence is only half the battle. The other half is believing in yourself.

Persistence is easy. You can do the work and the research; you can write the book. But how is that persistence going to help you get the attention of an editor or agent? That is where believing in yourself comes in.

Opportunities will arise in your journey toward success, and your job is to recognize those opportunities and have the confidence to grab them when they come your way. Go to a conference and meet that editor you are interested in. If you can’t get an appointment, then attend her workshop and maybe speak to her afterwards. Believe in yourself enough to pitch your book to your dream editor (or agent).

Persistence is a necessary evil if you want to become published or if you want to stay published. But believing in yourself will always put you on the right path, where luck and opportunity will be able to find you.

Online Class

July 12 – July 24, 2010

Enrollment Information at http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclassJuly10.html

This is only a 2-week class.

COST: $10 for OCC members, $15 for non-members

If you have specific questions, email occrwaonlineclass@yahoo.com

ABOUT THE CLASS:

Join award-winning medical suspense author CJ Lyons as she explains the secrets to successful pitching, tips to engage an editor or agent through your query letter, and reveals the creation of a high concept.

CJ has received requests for manuscripts every time she pitched. She’ll help you feel more comfortable during your pitch session and more confident with your pitch. This workshop will help you polish your query letter, create a pitch, and prepare you for meeting an agent or editor.

About the Instructor:

As a pediatric ER doctor, CJ Lyons has lived the life she writes about. In addition to being an award-winning medical suspense author, CJ is a nationally known presenter and keynote speaker. She has been invited all over the country to present her workshops and speak to audiences ranging from physicians to first responders to romance and thriller authors including: Colorado Fiction Writers, Oklahoma Writers Federation, the University of South Carolina at Beaufort, RWA National, MWA’s Sleuthfest, Lowcountry RWA’s Master Class, Left Coast Crime, and PennWriters, among others.

CJ’s award-winning, critically acclaimed Angels of Mercy series (LIFELINES, WARNING SIGNS, and URGENT CARE) is available in stores now with the fourth, CRITICAL CONDITION, due out December, 2010. Her newest project is as co-author of a new suspense series with Erin Brockovich. To learn more about CJ and her work, go to http://www.cjlyons.net/

Enrollment Information at http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclassJuly10.html

COST: $15 for OCC members, $20 for non-members

Coming in August 2010–
“Understanding Men”with Dr. Debra Holland

Do you wish you had a better understanding of men? Now is your chance to improve your real-life relationships with men and enhance your male characters all through taking the same course. This will be a five-week session with new material that this award-wining romance writer, who also is a noted psychotherapist and consultant, has developed on how male sexuality affects responses, attitudes and behaviors.

http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclasses.html.

 Check out our full list of workshops.

Want to be notified personally two weeks before each class? Be sure you’re signed up for our Online Class Notices Yahoo Group! Sign up at the bottom of http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclasses.html  or send a blank email to OCCRWAOnlineClassNotices-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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