There's an old proverb which says fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.

If you can relate as an author, then you need to check out the Nov/Dec issue of The Writer magazine.  In it, you’ll find DFWWW member Kyle White’s clever adaption of Frank Herbert’s "Litany Against Fear".  Kyle has spun the famous Dune petition into a mantra worthy of memorizing.

Our advice:  Pick up a copy, and tame the beast.

We don’t like to brag.

But, Jennie Goloboy from Red Sofa Literary Agency, who currently represents DFWWW member Tex Thompson, has been kind enough to do it for us.  It seems imprudent not to share what an industry agent thinks of our group.  And anyway, is it really bragging if you’re bragging about someone else’s bragging?

We say no.

Read what she has to say about us on her latest blog post,  Day #19 - Writing Groups.

A. Lee Martinez has a lot to celebrate overseas.

His book,  Divine Misfortune , has recently hit #2 on the Kingstone Book Bestseller List.

Kingstone is one of the largest chain bookstores in Taiwan, and though we cannot make the trip to confirm it, it's safe to assume Divine Misfortune is resting comfortably on an end cap or its own table display.

Congrats to him, or rather, 祝贺您.

 The Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival is open to submissions for their annual fiction contest.

The cliff notes are as follows:

Deadline:  Nov. 15, 2012

Grand Prize:  $1500, VIP Pass to festival, airfare, accomodations AND PUBLICATION.

Guidelines:  You cannot have a published novel, your submission has to be under a mere 7000 words, and you have to have $25 to your name.

Get crackin'.  Hopefully it's THE BIG EASY for you.

(Click the picture to enter...)

Writing is hard for a lot of reasons, and most of those reasons aren't what non-writers think.  It's not hard coming up with ideas.  It's not hard learning how to write well.  Ideas are overrated, and if you can't figure out how to write a decent sentence, well, you've got bigger problems than writing a book.  Writing is hard because of the time it takes and because, for most aspiring writers, they're working in the dark, groping blindly for any chance to find their audience, earn a little money in the process.

This is where a good writer's group can be helpful.  While not all groups are created equal, there's something comforting about meeting with a group of folks who are all trying for the same dream.  It stops being weird.  It starts seeming more plausible, stops being a pipe dream.  Even if you're surrounded by nothing but aspiring writers, it still seems like something worth doing.

In my experience, most writers are scared of writer's groups.  I know I was.  They picture a room full of pipe-smoking mustachioed gents discussing metaphor and theme and other dry and dull topics.  And I'm sure those groups exist.  But there are also groups dedicated to making writing easier, to taking what is otherwise a lonely aspiration and making it appear not so mysterious.

Not everyone likes that.  Some people want writing to be mysterious.  They like it to be some magical artistic gift from the heavens and to wallow happily in their genius while dismissing the rest.  They look at other writers as competition, not support.  They love the idea of being a writer for what it says about them, not for what they have to say.

Real writers write.  Real writers always want to learn how to write better.  And a good writer's group can help us do that.  If you want to write and you have the time, check one or two out.  I know my group has been a tremendous support, even now as I make a living doing this.  And I'm certain they're plenty of groups out there ready to help aspiring and established writers get better.

Writing is lonely.  Don't make it lonelier just because you're frightened of men with pipes.

-- A. Lee Martinez, DFWWW Member since 1995