We’ve sniffed out another free education opportunity, this time presented by Scriptscene RWA.

Instructor Sheila Clover English--the woman who coined the word “book trailer”--will discuss their merit on a marketing level.  She’ll also talk about making your own book trailer, and once you have one, how to wield its power.  And she would know, because she’s been responsible for producing over 1000 of them for the likes of Random House and similar.

The course takes place on September 17 at 6:00 p.m. via a LIVE 60-minute Blog Radio Talk session.  This means in addition to being free, you can attend class in your pajamas.

For more information and registration, click here:  http://www.scriptscene.org/fasttrack-classes/

 

A horde of DFWWW science fiction and fantasy authors attended the World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon) held in San Antonio from Thursday, August 29, through Monday, September 2.

Just a few of the exciting happenings:

Member Gabe Guerrero debuted his orc cosplay character, Tarbuz, which was the hit of the con. His picture may appear in Locus Magazine, the leading trade publication for SF&F. He was also photographed by local television stations, and won a Hall Costume award.

During the Hugo's, the biggest SF&F award, member Alley Hauldren sat in the press section representing her many blogs and other endeavors.

And that's not all.  Member Tex Thompson shined as a panelist as she rubbed elbows with her editor and fellow writers from Solaris.

 

Many of the top tier SF&F publishers were present, as well as several major editors, literary agents, and best-selling authors. There were participants from around the world (Japan, Finland, and United Kingdom seemed to be the most numerous). The variety of panels and topics were infinitesimal. The parties went until the wee hours of the morning (the candy and snacks at the Japanese party were life altering).

Needless to say, a good time was had by all.

Can't wait for DFWCon?  How's about another one in the meantime?

SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators) is hosting its regional conference here in the Dallas Metroplex.  If you write YA, middle grade, or children’s books, look no further than Arlington (first they get the Cowboys stadium, now this…) to get some top tier education.

What:  SCBWI North Texas 2013 Regional Conference

When:  September 21, 2013

Cost: Early Registration (by Aug.  24) $165 for nonmembers

The day is full of breakout sessions and great classes.  There’s even a cocktail reception in the evening which will allow you to rub shoulders with YA author Jill Alexander, Delacort Press executive editor Krista Marion, children’s book author Lin Oliver, and a Nancy Gallt Literary Agent, Marietta Zacker.  Enjoy.

For readers who enjoy their fiction on the speculative side, member Kyle White's short story "Harmony, Chaos, and the Reign Thereof" is available in the August issue of Perihelion Science Fiction magazine.

Perihelion’s editor says, “This is very different. The entire interplay among the various non-human entities aboard ship is fascinating."

Fascinating, indeed.  Dead bodies, archnids, ants, and space.  Need we say more?  And as an extra bonus, it's free to read and love.

I dialed in the local college radio station the other day as I made my way down a Texas country road. A singer with a twang crooned Baby I’m your man.  For a few beats I sang along, and even allowed for the audacious fantasy of repeating those words in a honky-tonk to a big-haired, big-eyed blonde, then leading her to the dance floor. One hour of boot scooting and then five years later, we’d look back on that night with fond memories, eternally blissful in our newfound relationship.

The reality, of course, is that she’d be much more likely to empty her drink in my face or, worse yet, simply laugh and saunter away. Which is why I don’t generally go around strutting my stuff and puffing out my feathers. But as writers, this is what we need to do. We need to shout Baby I’m your writer from every mountaintop.

For some of us, this comes easy. For others, and I suspect it’s a majority of us, this is not a natural thing to do. It’s important, though. If a novel falls in the woods and nobody is there to catch it, to read it, to dig their feet in the sand, and put the book down because they don’t want it to end just yet, was it ever actually written?

Well, yes, it was written. That’s a stupid question. Of course it was written. Somebody, maybe you, spent months, maybe years, throwing words on paper, taking them off, then putting them back. Crafting a work of art. Moving characters in and out of trouble. But if nobody is ever going to know about it, why bother?

So, write, then write some more, then a little more and once you have something worth reading, get out there, on every street corner, and shout your message. Send out queries. Join a writer’s group, tell people what you’ve written, make contacts, attend conferences, hobnob with agents and editors. Talk to other writers, the ones who’ve made it and those who are still running up that hill. Use social media. Get the word out.

You’ll get knocked down. Many times. But dust yourself off, slip your spurs back on, hop back on that horse of yours, and head off into the woods, shouting Baby I’m your writer. Perseverance, my friend. It will pay off. Just make sure people have heard of you, and what you’ve written.

-- John Bartell, DFWWW Member since 2009

photo credit: alphadesigner