Category: Resources

The Great Divide

Published on by Pearl S. Buck Writing Center2 Comments

By Bob McCrillis

Leaving the cloistered world of writing a novel to take a few baby steps into the arena of publishing has been as sudden and sharp a change as stepping out of a spruce thicket to find myself standing on the head of the Old Man In The Mountain with the whole state of New Hampshire spread out under my feet. For many, that would be awe inspiring. For me, it was terrifying.

Bob cropped tight

Terrifying and, at first exposure, insurmountable. The numbers speak for themselves according to UNESCO in 2013, there were a little over three-hundred thousand new titles published in the United States. If we assume that those that were published were a small percent of the manuscripts submitted, I think it’s fair to say that my novel is competing for attention with ten or fifteen million other works. The experts say there are around one thousand literary agencies in the United States so…well, you can do the arithmetic. Even if all of my assumptions are off by fifty percent, there’s a huge number of manuscripts fighting for attention. Continue reading “The Great Divide” →

Help From an Unexpected Place

Published on by Pearl S. Buck Writing CenterLeave a comment

By Bob McCrillis

Sometimes, agents are as nutty as writers, or so it seemed.

On his submissions requirements was ‘if you haven’t read and absorbed all of the Query Shark archives, you’re not ready to query’. Query Shark? What the heck was that? And why would I need to review its archives?

Bob cropped tightBeing a compulsive rule-follower, I dutifully Googled Query Shark and found the blog. Okay, a blog about queries might have some good information before the pitch for an online tutorial course for the low, low price of only …

I clicked on and discovered a treasure trove that I would have hoarded for myself, if I could – why help the competition? My good angel prevailed. Continue reading “Help From an Unexpected Place” →

One Writer’s Secret Weapon

Published on by Pearl S. Buck Writing Center2 Comments

By Bob McCrillis

I’m a terrible editor.

It’s an affliction that has cost me at least one potential agent. At a book signing for one of his clients, I started chatting with him about doing yet another complete rewrite of my novel. My elevator speech interested him and he encouraged me to bring a query package to a conference at one of the local colleges scheduled for a few months in the future.

Man, I knew I had this one locked. I had a great story, an inside track for an agent, and a couple of months to finish the rewrite. Imagine my humiliation when, after proudly handing him my query, he started through it then took out his pen and began circling things. Not editorial issues or voice possibilities, but obviously missing or duplicated words, “he” where I meant “the”, and even inconsistent spelling of a name between the first paragraph and the fourth on the same page! Continue reading “One Writer’s Secret Weapon” →

Finding Your Market

Published on by Pearl S. Buck Writing CenterLeave a comment

by Sandy Cody

Editor’s Note: This message, shared with permission, is from Sandy Cody to her writing class at the end of this year’s classes.Sandy Cody

This will be our last meeting, but I hope you’ll find time in your busy schedules to keep writing. I’m in awe of what you’ve all come up with when given just a hint – and time. I think that’s what this class has been about – providing time and space for you to write.

If you want to send your “babies” out into the world, here’s something to get you started. Mainly, I suggest you just play around on the computer until you find something that looks interesting. Continue reading “Finding Your Market” →

Bits, Pieces, Kids

Published on by Pearl S. Buck Writing Center2 Comments

By Susan Wagner

What happens to those small bits of writing you do that don’t seem to fit easily into a category? You know what I mean — comments on __ (fill in the blank), poems you started but never finished, novel ideas – you get the picture.

Maybe these pieces sit and wait on your desk, in a file or journal, or even on the computer. They languish until the day you remember them again. If you ever do. Continue reading “Bits, Pieces, Kids” →

July Guild Meeting Highlights

Published on by Pearl S. Buck Writing Center1 Comment

By Linda Donaldson

Eight Writers Guild members came together this past Sunday for our July meeting. For the benefit of our new member, Holly Odell, we went around the table and introduced ourselves and told about our current writing projects.

It was announced that Sandy Cody, a presenter at PSB Writing Center workshops, and Guild member, sent two links from Authors Publish magazine: First Eleven Literary Journals that Read Submissions Blind (without regard to the author’s identity or previous publishing history). Second, a free PDF  The 2017 Guide to Manuscript Publishers.

Anne Kaler congratulated Bob McCrillis on the paperback proof copy he brought of his new collection of short stories published through CreateSpace. Entitled Puckerbrush: Stories of the Journey to Manhood. Bob had just finished rereading and marking the editing changes he plans to make before correcting them and releasing the book for publication. Continue reading “July Guild Meeting Highlights” →

March Guild Meeting Sunday the 19th

Published on by Pearl S. Buck Writing CenterLeave a comment

By Linda Donaldson

 

We look forward to welcoming our current Writers Guild members and new Guild participants for our March meeting on Sunday, May 19th at 1:30pm in the Cultural Center [big red barn] at Green Hills Farm, 520 Dublin Road, Perkasie, PA.

Only one more snowstorm this winter – hopefully – stands in the way of Spring. On that note, don’t forget to send in submissions to our Literary Journal – Issue 3, Spring 2017. You’ll find a link to the Submission Guidelines here. The deadline has been extended to May 15th.

Our April meeting, originally scheduled for the 3rd Sunday has been moved to the 4th Sunday, April 23rd, thus avoiding Easter Sunday. Be sure to mark your calendars with this one-time scheduling change. May’s meeting returns to the 3rd Sunday on the 21st.

The Writing Center has many classes and workshops beginning this month and in early April. Visit our Writing Center program listings on the PSBI website to register online.

Our complimentary book discussion groups occur once a month on the 3rd Monday. Read and discuss books by and about our award-winning author Pearl S. Buck.

Concerning stories and poems for our Guild’s critique segment: If you plan to bring copies of your latest writing to share for comments, please limit excerpts to 3 or 4 pages and bring 10 to 15 copies to hand out.

Since we only devote about 10-15 minutes to each selection, remember to put your email address on your work to invite further comments after our meetings.

Become a follower on this blog and get immediate notification of blog posts with links. We feature helpful articles to get you started on your writing projects, and to polish your poetry and prose.

The Hook, The Body and The Twist

Published on by Pearl S. Buck Writing CenterLeave a comment

By Linda Donaldson

July’s Writers Guild meeting this past Sunday was full of shared work and spirited discussion. Anne introduced a guest, Lonnie Barone, author, lecturer and editorial writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, who spoke about blogs and opinion editorials or op-eds.

On Sunday, Lonnie told us his simple 3-step formula: a hook, followed by the body or thesis, and the twist. Start by capturing the reader’s interest, tell the story, and end with something unexpected that will make the reader think. You can find Lonnie’s blog under our Resources heading entitled On Blogs and Op-eds. Continue reading “The Hook, The Body and The Twist” →

On Blogs and Op-Eds

Published on by Pearl S. Buck Writing Center1 Comment

This is a blog about blogs. I blog, I’m doing it now. I also write op-eds, short essays suitable for publication on the opinion pages of newspapers or news sites. The forms are similar but distinct.

IMG_lonnie barone
Lonnie Barone

Op-eds must conform to a set of standards established by the editors of the site or paper to which it is submitted. Typical standards may include a word limit, often 500-700 words, stylistic norms, and attribution requirements. An Op-ed usually has a thesis or central idea driving the piece. The thesis usually derives from current news or events (though not always). Continue reading “On Blogs and Op-Eds” →

On the Al Fun Bit (Alphabet)

Published on by Pearl S. Buck Writing Center2 Comments

By Anne K. Kaler

One of the first bits of knowledge a child must learn is the alphabet. In English there are 26 letters to remember and often they are sung in an easy-to-remember rhyme.

Did you know that there were several more letters than the familiar 26 that you committed to memory? Yep, there are at least three retirees from the alphabet hall of fame that I would like to introduce you to today. Meet THORN, WYNN, and &. Continue reading “On the Al Fun Bit (Alphabet)” →