Fellowships for Writers

A few years ago, I was awarded a four-week fellowship at the Vermont Studio Center. It was an amazing experience. I spent four weeks writing and meeting other writers and artists. All it cost me was the plane ride to and from.

My routine was to wake up and go to breakfast. Then I'd take a walk around town or up a big hill to the college where I could get cell service. Then I went back to my room or writing office and wrote. Then I went to lunch, then wrote some more, then went to dinner.  After dinner, the writers would sometimes gather to meet with and hear from a visiting author.  Or we went to a town hall reading by authors or displays by artists. Or we could join the artists in the evenings. (Artists tended to do more fun stuff than writers -- like dancing around a bonfire.) Or we could tour the artists' working rooms and see their art work in progress.

It absolutely was a fabulous experience and I would go back at the drop of a hat. Last year, VSC awarded 193 fellowships to artists and writers from the U.S. and 20 other countries.

I still hear from VSC occasionally. Since I recently received an email about upcoming fellowships, I thought I'd share with all of you.  The deadline for these fellowships is only about a month away, so if you're interested, check out the website to learn what all you have to submit to apply.

Good luck!

Vermont Studio Center Fellowships for Artists and Writers 
Applications are due June 15, 2013

Grace Paley Fiction Fellowship
One fellowship open to all fiction writers, based entirely on merit and in honor of long-time VSC friend and visiting writer Grace Paley.

Sustainable Arts Foundation Fellowships
Two fellowships for artists and writers who are raising young children: one 4-week residency award that includes a $2,000 stipend to cover lost income, travel, child care, or other costs related to taking time away from the family and one 2-week residency fellowship with a $1,000 stipend.

Henry David Thoreau Fellowship
One John Fitzpatrick/Henry David Thoreau Fellowship will be awarded to a poet whose work engages the environment and embodies the life, work, and spirit of Thoreau. 

Give A Book

This past Sunday was Mother's Day. How was that celebrated in your house? Breakfast in bed? Flowers delivered? Dinner out at a restaurant? Popcorn at the movies? Someone other than Mom washing the dishes?

 Did you call your Mom and say Happy Mother's Day? Did you add, I love you?

 Did you consider giving her a book?

Whether it's Mother's Day, Christmas or any holiday, books are easy to give. You can go to your local bookstore or shop online. Look for a book in the genre she or he likes to read. Get a paperback or an e-book or perhaps a hardcover book.

If it's by a local author, get it autographed if you can.

A book lasts a whole lot longer than flowers or candy.

Not sure what s/he likes? Check his bookshelves. See if an author she reads has a new book out. If there's not a new book out, then find a series in the genre she likes that seems similar to one she already follows, and get that.

Introduce her to someone she's never read before. Choose an author that you like and get her one of his/her books. If it's a new to him/her series, start with the first book.

Flowers wilt. Candy sits on the hips. Books take time to read. Mom, Dad, Uncle, Aunt, or friend can be transported to a new place and go along on a ride with engaging characters.

That's my recommendation ... books. 'Course, someone else washing the dishes sounds pretty good, too.

Mentoring

How many of you have been a mentor? Maybe you mentored a new employee at work. Showed them the ropes. Answered questions. Helped them advance.

Since most of you are probably writers, have you ever mentored another writer? There are different ways to do that.

You could blog how-to posts that might help a writer with grammar, or promotion, or publishing, or plotting, for example.

You could also work one-on-one with a fellow writer. Meet with her or him in person or online or via phone or Skype.

The Sisters in Crime group that I belong to does once-a-year mentoring during the month of April, leading into  May.

This year, I agreed to be a mentor. My mentee lives in San Antonio, probably a hundred miles away from me. That won't stop us from getting together, though. We can meet halfway or I can drive to San Antonio. And, of course,  there's always phone calls, email, and Skype (if I can figure out how to use mine or even where my little Skype camera is).

If you have already been a mentor, email me with advice. I would appreciate it. (Whether it's advice on mentoring or Skyping.)

I'll let y'all know how it goes.

Tomorrow, May 5, I, along with Karen Casey Fitzjerrell and Diane Fanning, will be signing at The Twig Book Shop (306 Pearl Parkway, Ste. 106, San Antonio,78215), from 1 to 3 pm. Would love to see you there! We, of course, would love it if you bought our books, but even if you can't, stop by and say "hi".

Mentoring

How many of you have been a mentor? Maybe you mentored a new employee at work. Showed them the ropes. Answered questions. Helped them advance.

Since a lot of you are probably writers, have you ever mentored another writer? There are different ways to do that.

You could blog how-to posts that might help a writer with grammar, or promotion, or publishing, or plotting, for example.

You could also work one-on-one with a fellow writer. Meet with her or him in person or online or via phone or Skype.

The Sisters in Crime group that I belong to does once-a- year mentoring during the month of April, leading into  May.

This year, I was asked and agreed to be a mentor. My mentee lives in San Antonio, probably a hundred miles away from me. That won't stop us from getting together, though. We can meet halfway or I can drive to San Antonio. And, of course,  there's always phone calls, email, and Skype (if I can figure out how to use mine or even where my little Skype camera is).

If you have already been a mentor, email me with advice. I would appreciate it. (Whether it's advice on mentoring or Skyping.)

I'll let y'all know how it goes.

Writer's Challenge: Stepping out of Your Comfort Zone

Please welcome Author Pam Johnson, who is a creative writing instructor. She's here to tell authors how to get out of their comfort zone.

Welcome.

For some time now, you have been a writer. Perhaps you are producing publications for a magazine, or maybe you write for yourself in a journal at home. Whatever the case may be, you've really been wanting to challenge yourself. How can you get out of your comfort zone?

Play with Forms
If you went to high school in the United States, you were probably introduced to that typical five paragraph form at some point during your course of study. However, now is the time to start breaking away from this traditional. Of course, the five paragraph structure is a really helpful way to get started with writing. Still though, once you have a solid grasp on the rules, you can start to break them. 

Different Writing Styles
While you are working on letting go of that traditional format, you should also look into different styles of writing. For example, if you are a person who traditionally writes prose, then it is time to give poetry a try. Of course, you might find that you do not like that style, but at least you will have given it a try. The other possibility is that you will really love it, and you will now have a new avenue through which to express your thoughts, hopes, dreams and wonderful stories.

Various Subjects
At the current time, you might write strictly on only one or two subjects. In order to know if you have an appreciation for other fields, you have to at least give them a try. Right now, start working on a project that covers a topic in which you have some moderate sort of interest. Through researching information for the project, you may find a whole new fascinating world of which you never before knew. By trying out different subjects, you are certainly opening the door for your imagination. On top of that, you are broadening your field of expertise and making yourself more marketable as a professional writer. 

Professional Writer
When you read the words "professional writer," you had to stop and pause for a moment. Perhaps you have never delved into the field of writing as a side job or even a career. If you have not, then you really need to give it a try. You can find out if any of the local newspapers are hiring, and you can start to work on producing some online content. While you are engaging in these endeavors, you still want to explore your personal pursuits. By gaining a sense of what the professional writing world wants, you might be one step closer to finally completing that novel you've been working on for years. Writers should always be challenging themselves. In the world of writing, so many possibilities and creative outlets exist, and you do not want to wind up missing any of them. Today is the day to start breaking away from your comfort zone and exploring all of the excellent opportunities that await you in this vast world.

Author Pam Johnson is a professor of creative writing who tries to help her students combat writers block on a regular basis. She is a contributing writer for the Master of Arts in Teaching Guide.

Book Review: Christian Bale

 Christian Bale: The Inside Story of the Darkest Batman is an intimate look at the actor, Christian Bale, by his assistant and former publicist, Harrison Cheung, along with reporter Nicola Pittam. According to Cheung, he's the one who rocketed Bale to stardom.

Cheung began an online fan site for Bale long before such sites were the norm. The Internet was still pretty much in its infancy. For years, he focused on Bale and was the driving force behind Bale's rise to stardom. So much so, that Bale eventually hired him. Cheung ended up living and working with Bale for almost ten years.

The book doesn’t focus on Cheung, though. It's a tale of Bale, who doesn’t come across as a particularly likable person. Cheung does, however, show how committed and driven he is. Bale throws himself completely into characters. Doing whatever it took to become that character, including losing incredible amounts of weight when the role called for it. He would change himself into that character. At times, Bale is unable to control his anger, either with his family or on set. He does, also, come across as an actor totally immersed in the characters he played and dedicated to stepping into their skin, no matter the cost to himself.

We are taken from when Christian Bale was a child actor to years later when he took on his most known role as Batman in the movie, The Dark Knight. And I admit that as soon as I finished reading Christian Bale: The Inside Story of the Darkest Batman, I loaded my copy of The Dark Knight and watched it. Having a new understanding of the actor, I saw the movie and the role differently. Knowing how completely Christian Bale becomes the character he's playing makes you worry about what kind of toll it takes on him. This book isn't a fan book. Christian doesn't always come across as likable. But in ways, it helps the reader understand Christian. Cheung shows the sad childhood of Bale. Keeping the family afloat and housed fell on Bale's shoulders, even as a child.

This is an interesting book, whether you're in the movie industry or not. For those who are entering the field, it can be a cautionary tale. For those of us who are not, it's a look behind the red curtain and into obsession.

Amazon 

Barnes & Noble 

The Twig Book Shop 

BookWoman 

BooksAMillion 

Powell's 

I give Christian Bale: The Inside Story of the Darkest Batman a rating of Hel-of-a-Story.

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Disclaimer: I do not know Christian Bale. I do not know Harrison Cheung, although I did meet him when we were both doing readings at Central Market. It was at that event that he gave me a copy of his book. After reading Christian Bale: The Inside Story of the Darkest Batman, I wish I had the money to hire Cheung to promote me and my books. He took Bale from an unknown to a huge star.