What Genre Do You Work In?

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By Bob McCrillis

I admit, I thought the question was a little silly the first time someone asked. Genre, unless you were an English Literature professor, was a euphemism for formula and no one wants their work to be viewed as something written to a formula.

Bob cropped tightIt didn’t take long to discover that the question of genre is critically important to the people who sell books. Readers tend toward books similar to the ones they’ve already read and enjoyed – hence the popularity of a series. If you’re in the business of selling books, knowledge of the preferences of the market is critically important. Continue reading “What Genre Do You Work In?” →

Writers Guild Meets May 20th

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By Linda Donaldson

The Writer’s Guild meets on Sunday, May 20th at 1 pm. Don’t forget we begin a half hour earlier this year so we can wrap up by 3 pm.

Become a follower of this blog to get immediate notification of blog posts with links. We feature helpful articles to start you on your writing projects, and to polish your poetry and prose. Look for an informative and entertaining blog on writing from Bob McCrillis tomorrow.

Want to bring a story, essay, or poem to share? Supply 10 to 15 copies, and remember to include your email address on your work so others can provide further comments. We only devote about 10-15 minutes to each selection, so please limit excerpts to 3 or 4 pages.

The Great Divide

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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” →

April Writers Guild Meeting Recap

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By Linda Donaldson

Many attendees came to share work at the April meeting of the Writers Guild. We got started right away with Melissa Triol’s short story about a widow confronting the man who possesses her dead first husband’s watch. The woman’s slow, understated unraveling of the terrible facts of this man’s betrayal make for an armchair gripping read.

Melissa’s story will be a perfect fit for what we are calling our upcoming Spring 2018 issue of the Literary Journal, the theme of which is Justice and Mercy. We expect to post this issue in the next few weeks, and to announce the theme of the Fall 2018 issue of the Literary Journal. Thanks for your patience! Continue reading “April Writers Guild Meeting Recap” →

Help From an Unexpected Place

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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

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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” →

Writers Guild Meets Sunday, April 15th

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By Linda Donaldson

Our Writers Guild will meet this Sunday, April 15th at 1pm.

Please note we are meeting a half hour earlier than last year! That allows us to wrap up by 3pm. The new times will offer safer daylight driving in the Spring and Fall months for those who travel from farther away.

We welcome all authors and poets, published or not, to listen, collaborate with each other and learn by sharing. Continue reading “Writers Guild Meets Sunday, April 15th” →

Writers Guild Begins 2018 Season

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By Linda Donaldson

Thirteen was a lucky number this Sunday. It represented the number of members who attended our first meeting of the Pearl S. Buck Writers Guild this 2018 season. Both previous and new members came with work to share.

First was an excerpt from a novel by Joe Vitella. It featured a high-action scene with a man searching for his missing girlfriend as he interrogates her former roommate. We stopped midway through Joe’s long chapter, and many wanted to read on to learn more – the best compliment we can give a writer! Continue reading “Writers Guild Begins 2018 Season” →

2018 Writers Guild Meetings Begin on Sunday, March 18th

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Welcome all writers and aspiring writers!

The Pearl S. Buck Writers Guild begins its 2018 season with the first of ten consecutive monthly meetings on the third Sunday of each month from March through October.

This Sunday afternoon, March 18th, we meet from 1:30pm through 3:30pm at the author’s famous historic home: Green Hills Farm, 520 Dublin Road, Perkasie, PA 18944.

We encourage everyone to bring a short poem or story, or excerpt from a longer piece, not to exceed 3 to 4 pages. Provide at least 15 copies for handing out and be sure to include your name and email address on your selection.

Comments are always constructive, with positive discussion and advice freely given. Attend and meet other like-minded individuals and perhaps find a new writing partner or two! See you on Sunday and please, bring something to share!

We meet in the Cultural Center (big red barn building upstairs) on the grounds of Green Hills farm. Registration is $50 for all ten meetings, or $10 per meeting.

For those whose genre is fantasy or science fiction, see me at the meeting. I have a collection of several “how-to” books that I will give away to anyone interested.

Never been before, and not sure about committing to a monthly meeting? Attendance at your first meeting is free – so try us out!

Your Editors

 

 

Ho… Ho… Ho… No Fall Journal in Your Stocking This Past Year

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By Anne K. Kaler

The first snow has fallen, the season of lights is past, the reindeer sled was not far behind, and the New Year has arrived with more snow . . .

Anne Kaler Head ShotThe Pearl S. Buck Fall 2017 Literary Journal got lost under a pile of autumn leaves, hunkering down and resting, until it can rise again when the brighter lights of early spring arrive.  We hope . . .

We could quote all sorts of cheerful holiday songs about the busyness of the season but we won’t. We could say that the editors are busily working at the Journal’s production but we won’t. We could say that our computers connived to erase all of our entries but we won’t. We can’t lie, not this close to the ears and eyes of Santa and his elves. Continue reading “Ho… Ho… Ho… No Fall Journal in Your Stocking This Past Year” →