Jessica Ferguson

Author, Writing Coach, Speaker

Interview with Pulitzer Winner in Swamp Lily Review

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How’s that for a headline? You may have read my post about being co-owner/co-editor of Swamp Lily Review. It’s HERE. Really, co-anything is an exaggerated stretch since we’ve moved to Oklahoma. You know the old saying, absence makes the heart grow fonder? I never did believe it and now I’m proving it’s not true.

Regardless of my absence, the Swamp Lily Review is thriving under my partner’s fine hand. The May issue is live. And many kudos to Jan for taking the initiative with this issue. Not only did she score an interview with Pulitzer winner Tony Kushner but she transcribed 78 minutes of dialogue with him. Do you have any idea how tedious it is to transcribe from a tape? That’s a dedicated woman/writer/editor/publisher. Read Swamp Lily Review HERE . Just click on May 2012 issue and you can peruse the poetry, photography and the interview.

One thing Tony said in his interview that really spoke to me was:

“I think it’s imperative for a writer to develop a group of people who will know how to tell the truth while being supportive. I mean, if you’re a lousy writer, and you’re wasting your life trying to be a professional writer, somebody should tell you. But I don’t even know what that means, being a lousy writer, so I don’t think I should even say that. It’s very, very, very hard to write. And I’m more thin-skinned than a lot of people.”


If you’re not familiar with playwright Tony Kushner, read more about him HERE and HERE.

Visit and Follow Jan HERE. She is also creator of the Bayou Writers Group website. Click HERE  to read her article on websites.

Childhood Memories

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I’ve been reading Unlocking The Secrets of Your Childhood Memories by Dr. Kevin Leman & Randy Carlson, copyright 1989. I picked it up at the Yukon Friends of the Library Sale. I bought it for a couple of reasons: First, my main character in Peace of Heart has no recollection of her childhood (for good reason, I might add) and I thought I might learn something from this book. I’ve learned a lot. In fact, it’s helping me understand her character, as well as the questions she might ask.

Secondly, my own childhood memories are spotty.

The flap of Unlocking The Secrets states, “Childhood memories are even more reliable than birth order as an indicator of why you are the way you are. The authors say these early memories are the “tapes” you play in your head which determine your response to everyday living.”  I find that very interesting. My mother is famous for saying, we can’t get away from those genes but when it comes to our memories and the experiences of childhood, she squirms a little. She says she’s a product of her childhood. I’ve had to laugh a little at that admission because several times she’s let me know that I’m not a product of my childhood. Now figure that one out!

Family stories that we’ve heard over and over again don’t count. The memories have to be ours alone. You can separate the two by closing your eyes and asking yourself: what did I feel? What did I see? Be specific. The authors say that on a subconscious level, we all decide what memories to remember and what memories to block out.

What’s your earliest memory? Do you think your childhood experiences and memories have anything to do with your personality and who you are today? Do you ever use your childhood experiences/memories in your writing?

H. O. P. E.

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At this moment I’m at 5,279 words on my novella. I hope to  write a little every day. Anyone interested can pop in and check my progress HERE.

Today I’m meeting friends who are driving in from Texas and other parts of Oklahoma to attend the Oklahoma Writers Federation Conference.  This year it isn’t possible for me to attend. I’m disappointed. I’d really hoped to meet and talk with Chuck Sambuchino about my nonfiction book. I have so many questions. You might remember that I participated in Chuck’s blog tour when his book, How To Survive a Garden Gnome Attack came out.

Sometimes I feel I have way too many irons in the fire. I get tired, run down and sometimes feel overwhelmed. If it wasn’t for writer friends and writer groups, it would be easy to get interested in something other than writing–something that doesn’t drain the emotions on a continuous basis. Yesterday I visited an online group called the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. You can check it out HERE.  I read a few of the blogposts and actually felt myself getting a little depressed.  Some of these writer’s were really reaching out, bearing their soul about their insecurities. That seemed to feed my own insecurities so I had to quit reading. The point of this group is for bloggers, on the first Wednesday of each month, to blog about some problem, or need or insecurity or question they have, and comments are left to encourage. One person blogged about hope. She said she knew her present novel wouldn’t get her there and that her hope and belief are fading. Her post spoke to me and actually brought tears to my eyes. I’ve reached the point where I’m trying not to think about whether anything I write will get me there. In fact, I’m probably reaching the age that it’s a little too late to get there. But, her post made me look hard at the word hope. That’s when I saw a message to ME. 

H – Have
O – Options
P – Print

 (and/or)
E – Epub

We do have options: print publishing or Epublishing. There is always, always hope.

 Do you ever find yourself dragging emotionally and losing hope in some of your favorite writing projects? How do you keep yourself pumped and positive?

Writing At The Library

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I’m working on a novella for a specific market. In my mind the book is about ten chapters, 2500 words in each, for a total of something like 25,000 words. Last week I wrote 740 words. That doesn’t count all those blog posts for the A to Z Challenge.

The smartest thing I did before sitting down to write was to list all my characters and their part in the story, then create a detailed synopsis.  Then I broke down my synopsis into a detailed chapter by chapter outline. Granted, I know my story better than I’ve known any story. Don’t ask why  because I have no idea. This story just excites me. My heroine popped into my head with real experiences and the story grew out of her.

Yesterday, I met my friend Janie at the Mustang Library. We were there from 9:30 until almost 3:00 and I churned out 3,677 words. We skipped lunch. And while my stomach howled, I wrote and wrote and wrote.

A lot of writers (called pantsers) don’t believe in outlines but I do so much better with them. Having one doesn’t mean I’m locked in. I feel like an outline gives me freedom to write. With my ‘map’ in front of me I can get to the treasure– the finished manuscript.

I don’t expect to churn out that many words every day. In fact, today I feel a little brain dead and very drowsy.

How many words do you consistently write a day? Do you ever feel mentally exhausted if you over do it? Do you work with an outline–vague or detailed–to get you to the end of your project?

Back to Real Life

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The A to Z Challenge has ended. It was fun. I learned a lot, read some great blogs,  and I wrote every day. Now let’s get back to our regularly scheduled program: I’m taking part in a challenge issued by my OKRWA group. Everyone participating must have a completed novel by July 4th. 2012. I’m working on a novella–approximately 25,000 words. Can I do it? Sure I can!

Today I’m meeting a friend at the library and we’re going to write, write, write. 

More later.

Z is for Zig Zag

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Zig zag
Noun
1.
zigzag – an angular shape characterized by sharp turns in alternating directions
a shape having one or more sharp angles
Verb
1.
zigzag – travel along a zigzag path; “The river zigzags through the countryside”

I’ve zig zaggedthrough my entire writing career. The first thing I ever got published was a prayer in True Story magazine. It was called A Prayer from a Divorced Woman. I was paid $25.00 for it. That prayer was the first thing I’d ever mailed out so naturally I thought, “Getting published is easy!” We all know it is not easy.

Sometimes (in my life and in my writing) I feel as though I’ve zigged when I should have zagged. I’ve wandered off on little trails that have taken me to odd places. In 1976 I started the Longview Writers Association which is in Northeast Texas. When I started the group, I wrote short stories and poetry. I submitted faithfully. My writing goals have changed a lot since then. Through the years I’ve zig zagged my way into teaching leisure learning and/or continuing education writing classes, being an editor/writer/photographer of a regional publication, co-editing a literary magazine, writing for newspapers, being president of a writer’s group in Louisiana, writing (and selling) a novel, blogging, being a staff writer for a magazine, encouraging, proofing, editing others and …

I’m still zig zaggingmy way to a writing career. Doing it all. No, trying to do it all. Every now and then I stop and ask, “Have I accomplished those writing dreams?” Truth is–I have and I haven’t because my dreams are ever changing. When I try to pinpoint why I zig zag, the only thing that pops into my head is that I’ve never taken my dreams too seriously. I stop way too often to smell (and pick) roses along the way, running wildly in other directions when a fresh crop of wild flowers pop up.  

This year in Oklahoma is supposed to be a year of focus for me–a year for some serious accomplishments. There will be: No zig zagging allowed.  

Y is for Yukon (a little town in Oklahoma)

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. . . because that’s where I am. Yukon was founded by A.N. Spencer in 1891. Spencer was a cattleman from Texas who turned railroad builder. He was working on a line from El Reno to Arkansas when he decided to build the town. Wouldn’t you love to look at your brother and say, “Hey, let’s build a town!” Spencer and his brother, Lewis, named the town after the Yukon Territory of Canada, where a gold rush was booming at the time.

I went to a Friends of the Library book sale yesterday.  I’ve been looking forward to this sale for a month–ever since we got here. It took hubby and me three weeks to find the library. I kept pulling up the wrong address on Main Street in downtown Yukon. When I decided to put more effort into it, we finally found it in an old grocery store. This is what it looks like now:

Next door to the library is the Dale Robertson Senior Citizen Center where they play games, exercise, belly dance … among other things. To the right you can see the picture they have of Dale. I thought maybe I’d check it out since I’m a senior citizen now. When I went to the book sale, I peeked inside where a bunch were playing cards. When they say senior citizens, they really mean senior-senior. I’m not there yet. I doubt if Dale attends any of their functions; if he did, I’d do a little hanging out there too.
The book sale was good and very crowded. The parking lot was packed and people brought plastic crates on wheels. I thought, “Serious shoppers in Yukon, Oklahoma.”

I restrained myself and only bought $10.00 worth of books–as if I really need to own one more book.  I concentrated on cook books this time and wow! I hit pay dirt. Nothing 100% vegetarian but some very expensive, clean beautiful books. I’m excited. I found two novels by Tabitha King called The Trap and Caretakers. I’ve been wanting to revisit her since I’ve only read one of her books  and that was many years ago.
I also found a book on Feng Shui. I’ve always wanted to learn more about Feng Shui since sometimes I feel like I’m sleeping or sitting in an awkward position. Did you know you aren’t supposed to sleep with your feet pointing to the door? That’s called the death position. I probably shouldn’t have bought the Feng Shui book. 

I’m excited that I found a little book called The Bean Cookbook. It’s from the Northarvest Bean Growers Association.  How about we try this simple recipe called Northarvest Three-Can Chili ?
1 – 15 oz. can pinto beans
1 – 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 – 15 oz. can  of corn
2-3 tsps. chili powder
Optional:
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cumin
2 tsps. onion powder or one sauteed onion
My version of the mixing method: throw it in the pot, simmer for 10 minutes, taste, add more chili powder 1/2 tsp. at a time. Serve with corn bread or crackers or your favorite chips. I’ve even been known to wrap it in a soft corn tortilla and add black olives, jalapeno olives, shredded cheese and avocado. Yum!
For more servings than the 4 1/2 just toss in another can of beans! Okay, so now you know what kind of cook I am and what I’m doing in Yukon, OKlahoma.

X is for Grandpa

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I love genealogy and the NBC Friday night show called Who Do You Think You Are. Tonight actor Rob Lowe discovers an ancestor who battled against George Washington during the American Revolution.

I joined Ancestry.com last year after watching the season.

That’s where I first saw draft cards, registration and enlistment papers belonging to some of my ancestors–and what their signatures looked like. Sometimes the signature is an X.

When I first saw that X signifying a relative’s name, I felt incredibly sad to know that he couldn’t read the Bible or the newspaper, that he couldn’t write his name.  If I couldn’t read, I’d feel helpless, at the mercy of others.
My grandfather couldn’t read. I remember mom saying he was too mean to learn how. She was the oldest of 10 kids; the first born usually gets all the discipline. I don’t know that I ever witnessed any helplessness in Grandpa but he sure was at the mercy of others when it came to reading. He made his kids read the Bible to him, scripture after scripture, over and over again, and he listened to preachers on the radio. He was born in 1900 and when he was five years old, his father was murdered.

I have two cousins (twins) who can barely read. Their mom was pregnant with them when their father had emergency surgery and died. Who knows what they experienced inside the womb when she was told her husband was dead?  She never re-married. Being close to these two guys, I see how being unable to read or read well has affected their lives. They don’t use X for their signatures, but they struggle.

I wonder if growing up without dads played some part in my cousins and my grandfather’s ability to learn. I know their lives would have been different–so much better.

X marks the signature of many people–even today. I find that sad.

W is for Woman’s World Magazine

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I have just completed Part II of a class called Selling to Woman’s World taught by Kate Willoughby and offered by the Colorado Romance Writers. These two classes were fantastic. I learned a lot and I also won a free critique from the instructor on my own WW Short Story. Kate will be teaching these classes again in the future so if you have any interest in writing short romance, check out the descriptions of the the classes and make a note to watch the Colorado Romance Writers website for dates.

Here’s Kate’s description of each class:

Part I: Woman’s World, one of the last remaining periodicals to publish short fiction, pays $800 for an 800 word romance story, and if you sell to them there’s a good chance over a million people will read your story. Nice work if you can get it, right? Well, you can. My class, “Selling to Woman’s World Magazine—Beyond the Basics, Part I,” will give you the tools you need to break into this tough market. Each week we’ll examine one or more key story elements that occur over and over in Woman’s World romantic fiction. These story elements enhance submissions and give them that certain something unique to the publication. Students will complete simple assignments designed to help pinpoint strengths and weaknesses in the stories they’ve been submitting and stories they have yet to write. We’ll also deconstruct three of the most popular plots. Then, I’ll guide you through the plotting process so that by the end of the month, you’ll be set with numerous plots and ideas, all ready to go. Industrious students may even have finished stories.

Part II: In this continuation of Selling to Woman’s World Magazine—Beyond the Basics I, we’ll examine eight more story elements and five plots in our quest to understand just what it takes to sell to Johnene Granger, the discerning fiction editor at Woman’s World.

Instructor Bio:

Kate Willoughby’s Woman’s World (WW) expertise comes from six years of analysis, writing, and submission to the magazine. In that time, she’s sold eight stories to them at a success rate of about 28%. Her blog, “Writing for Woman’s World,” is a resource for those who want to break into the WW market, and through the original “Secrets of Selling to Woman’s World Magazine” class she’s helped at least six writers sell to the magazine. (Click on testimonials below). She has also published eleven novellas, print and electronic, with Ellora’s Cave and Liquid Silver Books.
You can also learn a lot from Kate’s blog where she dissects and analyzes stories. It’s the one blog I’ve found that is truly PRICELESS!

Kate’s website is HERE (this site promotes her novels – content warning!) and check out some of the testimonials HERE.

Keep abreast of what’s happening with the Colorado Romance Writers Online Workshop Series!  They have a wonderful lineup of topics (craft, industry, inspirational, etc.) and speakers HERE.

BTW, men write for Woman’s World too under their own name. WW also publishes a short mystery piece in each issue. Don’t mistakenly believe these stories are easy to write. Short doesn’t mean easy.

 I’m sure I don’t have to tell you to READ THE MAGAZINE! That goes without saying, doesn’t it?

V is for Vegetarian

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Yep, that’s me! My husband and I became vegetarians about a year ago. (Daughter was first.) You would have thought we were slapping our friends and family in the face. I’ve never seen such outrage or heard sarcastic remarks. My goodness, you’d think they all raised beef and their farms were threatened.

Really, there are many kinds of vegetarians and hundreds of very good reasons to be one.  (I’ll keep my own reasons to myself.)There are an estimated 7.3 million people who follow a vegetarian-based diet and 1.5 million more say they follow vegetarian-inclined diets. Believe me when I say, they don’t all live in California.

I do eat some dairy products and fish. I’ve completely given up beef and chicken.  If you entertain thoughts of becoming a vegetarian, check out this wonderful book. It’s the best cookbook I’ve found for vegetarians and it’s called The Vegetarian Bible. There’s not one bad recipe in this book–they’re ALL delish!

Here’s my own variation of one of the recipes. I think you’ll love it even if you’re a meat eater.

Taco Rice and Beans
2 TBS olive oil
1 cup water
1 packet taco seasoning mix
2 cans black beans, drained and washed
2 cups cooked brown rice
1/4 cup thick & chunky salsa (your favorite brand is fine)

Heat the oil over medium heat then add seasoning mix and water. Cook and stir until combined and slightly thickened. Stir in beans, rice and salsa. Cook 5 minutes longer or until heated through.

For a great meal fold Taco Rice & Beans into a soft flour tortilla. Add shredded 4-cheese Mexican blend, black olives, jalapeno olives, and sliced avocado. Serves 4 to 6.

Note: The first time our daughter treated us to this meal, I was so overcome with delight, I was absolutely speechless! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email me.