Visual Writing Prompt: 7-5-09

Back in March, my husband and I went to Florida, part business, part vacation. The business part took place up in Orlando. Then we drove to Miami. A friend of mine, an author who shall remain nameless - Mark Troy - asked me to take on a quest for him. This unnamed author - Mark Troy - asked me to stop in Fort Lauderdale and visit Bahia Mar, go to Slip F-18 and take a picture.

And so I did.

Driving the road that follows close to the coastline of Florida is a pain in the patootie. First of all, there are so many houses, hotels and condos you only get occasional glances of water. Second of all, the traffic is bumper to bumper for miles and miles. But we drove south. Got into Ft. Lauderdale and couldn’t find Bahia Mar. So we called information and then Bahia Mar and got directions. Got back on the oh-so-fun road of endless traffic and drove past Bahia Mar. Managed to turn around. Got back to the entrance and waited forever until someone took pity on us and let us cut across. Paid to get in and park. Here is the sign at the entrance. I got my husband to stop, let me out, then circle around and come back for me so I could take this.


Let me take a break, while my husband is parking and finding his sunglasses, to tell you why that anonymous friend of mine - Mark Troy - wanted me to find this place. Bahia Mar, Slip F-18, is where Travis McGee docks his boat, the Busted Flush. And you-don’t-know-who - Mark Troy - wanted a picture.

So, we found the F Dock:


Next, we began walking the dock looking for Slip 18. Some boats were empty. On some, people lounged in the aft area (notice how I can speak boat), talking, drinking, and eyeing the strange Texans.

As we walk up and down the dock, avoiding staring at the strange Floridians sitting in boats going nowhere, let me tell you a bit more about Travis McGee. He’s fictional. He’s the protagonist created by John D. MacDonald. In the very first McGee book, MacDonald introduced McGee and the Busted Flush in the opening lines of the book:

"It was to have been a quiet evening at home.
"Home is the Busted Flush, 52-foot barge-type houseboat, Slip F-18, Bahia Mar, Florida.
"Home is where the privacy is. Draw all the opaque curtains, button the hatches, and with the whispering drone of the air conditioning masking all the sounds of the outside world, you are no longer cheek to jowl with the random activities of the neighbor craft. You could be in a rocket beyond Venus, or under the icecap."

I knew that, but he-whose-name-shall-not-be-spoken - Mark Troy - asked for a picture. So here it is:

Which one is it, you ask. None of them. There is no Slip F-18. Not that we found. But that is a picture of the area where it should have been.

So there it is. The pictures I said I would take for you’ll-not-hear-his-name-from-me, author-of-the-Val-Lyon-series (Mark Troy). This is the first time these shots have come to light. Not even he knows I took them. I’ve been waiting to surprise him. So now, your writing assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to link over to his blog and leave him a message letting him know his pictures of Bahia Mar, Slip F-18, that he requested are here for him to see.

Office Pet Peeve

I’ve written before about my office. Most of the time I just mention it in various posts. I actually did one post about its movability.

Today, I thought I’d bring up something my office needs. It needs sound proofing.

Now you may be thinking that I want it sound proofed so no one in the house or outside can hear me screaming. You’d be wrong. The neighbors are used to my angst at characters who won’t do what I tell them or bits of research that cannot be tracked down.

No, I want it sound proofed so I cannot hear my husband on the phone upstairs in his office (the loft). And yesterday, since it was a holiday for him, so I could block out the movie he was watching. He wants the full experience with surround sound that vibrates the paintings and can’t be blocked with mere walls, closed doors, and headphones. And it would be pointless to yell for him to turn the TV down. He wouldn’t hear me - or the neighbors yelling in agreement with me.

I can’t concentrate even when there are fairly quiet sounds just at the edge of my hearing, not even my own music. I end up singing along. Certainly not when there’s a war movie raging in the living room.

That’s my office pet peeve. Now that it’s off my chest…What’s yours? And, also, have a wonderfully loud Independence Day!

The Party’s Over

You’re home. The conference was exhilarating and you were running from seven in the morning when you hit the breakfast buffet to midnight when you closed up the bar.

But now, the party’s over and you’re home. Done. Kaput. Back to writing.

Hold on. Not yet.

You got a few things to clean up from the party.

First thing: Get out the program that listed the agents and any cards you picked up from agents and all notes you made. Start a list of who you pitched, met, listened to, sat at the table with, smiled at in the elevator, or bought a drink for at the bar. Write down all information that comes to mind. Remember to put the date and conference. You can make a master list and also individual docs for each agent. Save it all to the folder on your computer called Agents.

Second thing: Dig out those collected business cards and notes you made on writers, speakers, conference staff, vendors, and others at the conference. Now, organize those. Pull out the most important contacts and give them their own document. The rest can go on a master document for the conference. As you did for the agents, put down all the information you can remember. These are people who might help you in the future. These are people who could blurb your book or have the say about whether you get to speak at a future conference. They might be the bookseller who later on will decide whether to carry your book and the editor you email to help you with your manuscript. All those email, twitter, blog, FaceBook, YouTube addresses you got? Within the first two weeks home, follow them, visit their blog and comment and leave a link to your blog. For those you really connected with, email them.

Third thing: Gather all your receipts. On the back write what the expense was for. If it was coffee or food, note who you were talking with and about what. If you bought writing related things, keep the receipt. If you bought a kewpie key ring, you can probably toss it - unless you somehow fit it into your book, then check with your CPA. Definitely keep the receipt for your conference registration. Unless you’re really, really, organized and have a spread sheet set up, get an envelope, label it and stuff your receipts in there.

Fourth thing: Create a list of emails you gathered. Put the date and conference after each listing. Some day, when your book comes out (or your next book) send each one an individual email, reminding them of your connection, and let them know your book is out. Do NOT add them to a master list of subscribers to your newsletter or to any mass mailing or e-mailing. They did not sign up for that.

Last thing: Put your feet up. Relax. Have a cup of tea or a glass of wine. The party’s over.

Now the work begins. Are you ready to query those agents you liked and who are taking submissions? Have you written a blog post about the conference and what you learned? At the conference, did you find out your query is all discombobulated? Your first chapter boring and too complicated? Your climax slow?

Put down that wine bottle and get to work. Like I said, the party’s over. Oh. Don’t forget to start planning the next conference strategy.

There’s More to Schmoozing than Schmooze

We’re continuing today with our discussion of conferences. We began with Why Conferences Cost So Much, then moved to Learn Without Going, then, yesterday, talked about How To Choose A Conference. Today, we’re talking schmoozing - or Networking.

No matter what your reason for going to a conference, be it to find an agent, learn about writing, meet authors, or sell books, you’re going to be meeting people. I certainly hope no one reading this would go to a conference and be a total wallflower.

Step away from the wall, people!

Even if you’re the most shy person in the world, pretend you’re gregarious. Never hide at a conference. Walk right up to someone, stick out your hand (unless your hand holds a margarita, in which case, use the other hand or someone will snatch your drink), and say “Hi, my name is…” Especially do this to the person you see looking uncomfortable and sitting or standing by him or her self. If they look at you like you’re crazy, lean in close and whisper, “Helen Ginger told me you were very interesting and I should introduce myself.” They’ll either smile and offer their name or they’ll run screaming. In which case, move quickly onto the next person.

Each time you meet a new person, give them your card. You have cards, don’t you? If not, order them before you go. They don’t have to be expensive or custom made. Keep them on you in a place easy to reach and hand out. Ask if that person has a card. If they don’t, ask, at some point in the conversation, if they Twitter or blog or have email. Get some kind of contact for them. Write it down in your little notepad you’re keeping handy. Make sure you put their name down, as well. If they have nothing to give you and they don’t tweet, post or have a site, after you leave them, take out your notepad and at least note their name.

If they did give you a card, when you have a quiet moment, on the back make a note of when and where you met and the things you want to remember about that person. You may not have time to do this for every person you meet right after you talk to them, but do it in the evening before you fall into bed.

Networking is more than just meeting people and listening to them. It's keeping track of all those encounters. All right, I admit, it can be a pain and time-consuming, but it could also pay off big in the future. You meet not only experts, but authors who might provide cover blurbs, other writers looking for critique partners, business people who might give you personal attention when it comes to printing your business cards because they know you, people who can give you the inside scoop on upcoming workshops or up-and-coming agents, and more. All these people are out there. You just have to meet them.

How To Choose a Conference

So far, we've talked about Why Conferences Cost So Much and Learn Without Going. Let's talk about How to Choose a Conference.

If you’re looking to attend one or two conferences this year, then this is the time to start your research. You have to decide how many you hope to attend, how much money is in your budget, how far you’re willing to travel, and, especially, exactly what your goals are.

If you know you want to stay within driving distance, then google for conferences in your area or search in Shaw Guides. But maybe the subject matter of the conference is most important to you. Then search using keywords that fit your requirements, like romance or mystery or agents.

Let’s say you want a conference that specializes in the genre sci-fi. So you google that and come up with seven conferences that sound interesting and are within your budget. Now, go deeper. What kind of track record does this conference have? Who is listed as being on the panels or teaching classes? What authors will be there? Do you know anyone who has attended the conference and what do they have to say about their experience? Is the conference all one-way communication or are there opportunities for you to get involved in readings or Q&A or meet-and-greets or hospitality suites? What is the primary focus of the conference – fans getting to meet authors, authors discussing their books, experts teaching about writing?

Or maybe you’re looking for conferences specializing in agents and/or editors. Once again, you find some that you can afford and seem promising. It’s imperative that you know which agents and editors will be coming to the conference. How many of them represent your kind of writing? Will there be opportunities for one-on-one meetings? Do you only get one face-to-face or can you sign up for more? Are their social opportunities to meet the agents? Will the agents and editors be leading workshops or on panels?

Decide now what you want from a conference. That way you have time to do research and find the perfect match. Then you have time to sign up in order to get what you want from the experience. Then you can look around in your circle of friends to see if anyone else is going to the conference, especially someone who has been before and can show you the ropes.

Don’t wait until the last moment to sign up. Be prepared. Do your research. Spend your time and money wisely and you’ll make the most out of attending.

Learn Without Going

Last week on my post about Why Conferences Cost So Much, I said I’d post more this week about conferences. Today, I’m blogging about how to learn from a conference without even going.

Why do writers go to conferences? Of course, there can be a lot of reasons, but the two top ones are: to meet agents and to learn about writing.

Let’s start with Learning About Writing. If that’s your goal, you’ll be hitting as many of the workshops, panels, and classes as you can. If you go. But if you don’t, there are ways to learn. First off, check the schedule and mark the events you would love to attend if you could go. Then find out if the conference will be selling tapes. You can pick up one or two tapes for a whole lot less than paying for the full conference. Another idea is to check out the instructor or workshop leader. It won’t cost you anything to visit their website. They may be teaching in your area in the future. They may have a page or more of free articles you can read. They may have a blog where you could get daily information.

Now, how about if you would be going to the conference in order to Meet Agents. You can find out about them without being there. Go to the conference website. More than likely, the site lists the agents and editors who are scheduled to attend. Most sites will do more than that. They’ll have bio of each person, along with a link to the agent’s website and what genres they are looking for. Score! Check out this page which lists the agents who came to last weekend’s Writers’ League of Texas conference. Conferences do that, especially if they’ll be offering one-on-ones with the agents. They do it so attendees will know who they want to sign up with for a pitch session. But you, even if you’re not going to the conference, can have access to this information.

Sure, there are other reasons to go to a conference - networking, meeting the big name authors, getting autographs, and on and on. But there’s a lot to gain even not going to a conference.

What? Me Lie?

Alan W. Davidson of Conversations from Land’s Edge tagged me with the I Never Tell a Lie meme. Problem is, Alan, I actually don’t lie. Never. I get caught ‘cause I’m no good at it.

Here’s the “rules” of the meme:

Sometimes you can learn more about a person by what they don’t tell you. Sometimes you can learn a lot from the things they just make up. If you are tagged with this Meme, lie to me. Then tag 7 other folks (one for each deadly sin) and hope they can lie.

But since I don’t lie, I’m going to answer the questions truthfully, then pass it on to people I know who could lie with a straight face and never get caught. Here goes:

Pride: What is your biggest contribution to the world?
My Master’s degree is in Speech Communication with a specialization in Oral Interpretation. Just after graduation I was hired by Columbia University to teach. While there, I took on, as a special project, a young man who had many problems talking in public. He stuttered, raced through his speeches, was too shy to look at his audience and spoke in a monotone. A political science major who hoped to advance in international relations, he desperately needed my help. I sacrificed hours of free time I could have spent at my favorite pub, The Mighty Ivy. But it was worth it to see him grow. It was with complete delight that I read this man’s acknowledgment of my efforts in his book, Yes We Can.

Envy: What do your coworkers wish they had which is yours?
My ability to drink an entire Coke in one swallow. I can open the bottle, gulp it down, and have the empty bottle back on the table in 14 seconds. Comes from my years as a mermaid doing underwater picnics.

Gluttony: What did you eat last night?
Jalapeños. Although that’s really not all that unusual. In Texas, jalapenos are a staple in everyone’s diet. I love to add them (seeded) on top of my cereal, but last night I made Jalapeno Poppers -- jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese, piquin pepper seeds and wrapped in bacon, then baked in the oven - 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Lust: What really lights your fire?
Chickens. I’m not lying. Chickens. Have you seen that chicken at football games? He can dance - and he has a trigger you don’t want to mess with. He will attack players, fans, other mascots, anyone who looks at him wrong. Yeah. Chickens.

Anger: What is the last thing that really pissed you off?
My next door neighbor. She went all holier-than-thou on me. Wagging her finger, tsk-tsking, carrying on like she was some kinda saint. Excuuuse me! Who hasn’t slipped their left-over chicken skin and fat and dog poop in someone else’s garbage can? I mean, come on, that stuff can really smell up your own can. It wasn’t like it was gonna stink up the whole neighborhood; she keeps her can inside. Jimminee, if you don’t want my trash, put a better lock on the church’s back door.

Greed: Name something you keep from others.
Water. Here in central Texas we’re in a major drought. Huge. No rain in forever. Hotter than hell (I should know, I think I’m going there after my Anger answer). The lakes around here are way low - Lake Travis is down so low, islands have appeared. Truth is, I’ve been hording water. I built an underground tunnel from my house to Lake Travis and have been siphoning water. I have my own lake in my backyard. I call it Lake MeMeMe.

Sloth: What's the laziest thing you've ever done?
I once went 32 days without bathing. Seriously. Bathing is so time consuming. Plus, there was a month-long marathon of Dennis the Menace on TMZ, non-stop, 24/7. Could not miss any of that! I was pretty crusty after that (cheetos, jalapeños and Coke are not the best diet), so when the marathon was over, I went down to the local car wash and walked through. Man, that big blow dryer at the end is fast! Plus, by carrying my clothes over my head, I got the washing done at the same time.

I’m going to tag 4 people (too lazy to do 7 -- see my Sloth answer). I’m tagging Marvin Wilson of The Old Silly’s Free Spirit Blog (yes, I tagged him last week with the Friendship meme, but I think he would be especially good with this one), Mary Gordon Spence of Finding Magic in the Mundane, Maryann Miller of It’s Not All Gravy, and Carol Kilgore of Under the Tiki Hut.

Make sure you visit their blogs and tell them they’ve been tagged. They’ll probably lie and deny they know me when in fact we’re first cousins, twice removed. And while you're zipping around, stop by The Blood-Red Pencil. I'm blogging over there today about things you can do to avoid writer's block.