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Jessica Ferguson

Author, Writing Coach, Speaker

IWSG Day: Making Time to Write

September 6, 2016 By Jessica Ferguson 17 Comments

Insecure Writers Support Group BadgeToday is IWSG Day. IWSG stand for Insecure Writers Support Group and was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh.  The purpose of IWSG is to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! You can follow other IWSG members here or on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG. We also have a Facebook page.

Today our question is How do you find the time to write in your busy day?

We all know the answer to that: we just do it, because we all find time to do what we really want to do. Okay, I know you’re all expecting a better answer than that, aren’t you?

Being retired, I guess it’s pretty easy for me to find time to write, so let me tell you about a guy I met a few weeks ago at the Killer Nashville Conference.IMG_8188

Robert Randisi (standing beside KN founder Clay Stafford and dressed in the I’m a Big Deal tee) writes something like 25 books a year. He’s written close to 700 books with 15 pseudonyms. He was born with the ability to write fast and works on two books at a time. Specifically, twenty pages of a western during the morning and 20 pages of a mystery at night. Sounds insane, doesn’t it? I can’t imagine. Well, yes, I can imagine and it sounds mentally painful. Oh, how I wish I could do it!

Randisi says he has a “natural speed” and if he slows down he can’t get anything done. He doesn’t call it a talent. He says he has an ability. He can write 10 pages in one hour.

Quoting from my notes, he says character comes first and he never writes from an outline. Don’t ask him where he gets his ideas:

“If you can’t open your eyes each morning and see an idea, you shouldn’t be writing.”

Randisi believes in writing his stories all the way through. No revision as he writes but overall, very little rewriting. Someone asked what he did if he realized he made a mistake while writing the story—did he go back and change it?

No, he doesn’t. He explained that if he sends his cowboy out of the boarding house without his gun, instead of rewriting the scene, his character says, “Dang, I forgot my gun,” and goes back to get it. It works for him and adds to his word count.

He’s often invited to participate in anthologies. He told us that once he finishes the short story, he’ll write it as a novel. No, he doesn’t change names, plot or anything … he just makes it a bigger story.

Robert Randisi co-founded Mystery Scene Magazine around 1985. (I’ve been a subscriber off and on for years. Check it out.) He also co-founded American Crime Writers League, founded The Private Eye Writers of American and created the Shamus Award which is awarded by the PWA for the best detective fiction genre novels and short stories of the year.

As you’ve figured out by now, Randisi doesn’t waste his time. Most of us do. No, he doesn’t have little feet padding through the house, and yes, he’s been accused of being a hack. From his own lips:

“I view the word hack as a good thing.”

We should take a few pointers from Robert Randisi. Focus. Write. Don’t mess around with editing as we go. By his own admission he’s not a wordsmith—he’s a storyteller. What are you? Ever thought about it?

I can find nothing wrong with the Randisi writing method. I picked up one of his books in his Rat Pack series and it yanked me in and kept me reading. The guy knows what he’s doing.

And he’s a good guy. Granted, he was perplexing at the conference. An enigma. We stared at him as if he might, at any point, laugh and say “Gotcha! No one can write 40 pages a day!” He never did.

He answered our questions over and over again—the same questions put to him in several different ways. We didn’t understand him. We still don’t.

Doesn’t matter though, because while we write and revise and think awhile and run to the kitchen for a snack, blog and tweet and post on Facebook (he does none of those things) he’s pounding the keys. And he doesn’t understand us, either.

When asked how he wants to be remembered, Randisi said: “As someone who told a good story and usually didhonky tonk the right thing for the right reason.”

Wow, Robert Randisi. He really is a big deal. I liked him a lot.

Take a look at his latest book, The Honkey Tonk Big Hoss Boogie.  Set in Nashville, it’s gotta be a good read.

 

 

Filed Under: IWSG Tagged With: American Crime Writers League, Clay Stafford, Detective fiction, Killer Nashville, Mystery Scene Magazine, Private Eye Writers of America, Robert Randisi, Shamus Award, writing fast

N is for Nashville

April 16, 2016 By Jessica Ferguson 1 Comment

NAs in conferences. There are two great writer’s conferences in Nashville and the surrounding area of Franklin.

The first conference is called Killer Nashville, August 18—21. If you’re not familiar with the Killer Nashville conference you can learn all about it at their website.  It’s a good place to meet mystery writers and readers. Of course, I don’t have to tell you that you can learn a lot at any conference so don’t be put off by the word mystery. This year guest speakers are Janet Evanovich and Kevin O’Brien. Sound fun?

In early days, Killer Nashville was held in Nashville but this year, it’s happening in Franklin. If you’re a mystery writer—thriller, romantic suspense, paranormal, etc—and have an unpublished manuscript, there’s a contest you can enter but move fast because the deadline is the end of this month. You can enter the contest without attending the conference. Check out The Claymore.

Now, the following weekend, August 25-28, the American Christian Fiction Writers conference will be happening in Nashville.

This conference is pretty pricey but if you write Christian fiction of any kind, if you’re looking for an agent or want to connect with publishers, this is the place to be. Their Early Bird session (Aug 25th) is with Donald Maas. Their key note speaker is Ted Dekker.

If you’re interested in either of these conferences, I can highly recommend both. I’ve attended KN once and ACFW three times. Conferences are imperative when it comes to making connections in the publishing industry.

Do you attend conferences? If you have a favorite, tell us about it.

Filed Under: A to Z 2016, Uncategorized Tagged With: ACFW Conference, Killer Nashville

T is for Travel

April 23, 2014 By Jessica Ferguson Leave a Comment

Join me as I blog through the alphabet. We post every day in April except Sundays. There are many others participating in the 2014 A to Z Challenge too, which is the brainchild of Arlee Bird at Tossing it Out. I’d like to encourage you to visit their entertaining, informative blogs. I’m amazed at the many talented people who participate in the A to Z Challenge.

Today I’ve chosen the word TRAVEL, and that would be Travel by car. Trains might be fun too, but I want to travel in  conjunction with writer’s conferences.

Hubby and I had planned to attend the Jambalaya Writers’ Conference this year but we had a wedding to attend. We also wanted to go to Nashville this August, do a little exploring and attend the Killer Nashville conference. Daughter’s wedding is that exact weekend. Something to look forward to in 2015, I guess.

There are a number of mystery conferences across the country. Key West is on our list of places to see. Here’s an interesting writer’s workshop, though I don’t know many of these instructors. I think for me, the Mystery Writers Key West Fest sounds more fun.

There are some wonderful conferences all across the country: Arkansas, Alabama, Texas, New Orleans and Atlanta!

We haven’t had a vacation in fourteen years, so Travel with a capital T is definitely on our list of things to do. And when we sit down to make our list of places we want to go, I’ll research writers’ conferences and plan our trip. Any suggestions?

What’s the best conference you’ve ever attended? Do you vacation every year?

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: A to Z Challenge 2014, conferences, Jambalaya Writers Conference, Key West, Killer Nashville, travel, Uncategorized

Contest Feedback

January 4, 2014 By Jessica Ferguson Leave a Comment

For the past several years, I’ve enjoyed entering the Killer Nashville Claymore contest. One reason I like it so much is because it’s for both published and unpublished writers. To me, that means a lot. I like competing with more experienced writers–especially when I place in the contest. A few years ago, I was a top ten finalist. Of course, I think I was at the bottom of the top ten, but still …

Last year, I posted comments and critique from my judges on a manuscript that didn’t place. If you missed it, you can read it here. Below is feedback on my 2013 entry. I’ve learned a lot from KN’s feedback. I’m seeing a lot of the same comments over and over again. For example, less dialogue and more narrative. That’s hard for me. I LOVE dialogue! Reading it and  writing it. All their suggestions are worth looking at and I thought you might be interested. Killer Nashville is a great little conference–growing tremendously in reputation and attendance. Check it out.

Claymore Feedback Form
Title: __All in the Family_ ________
Strong Beginning

The judges liked that author introduced the crime right away in a dramatic way, but thought that the principal’s behavior was unrealistic and a bit confusing. Why wouldn’t he offer to watch her class?

Character

The author did a good job describing the characters. The interactions with the relatives were very vivid. Yet, the writer may want to rethink making the main character, Teemy, stupid. One said, “Being a teacher, I believe she should be intelligent. A few of her lines seemed unnatural. Example of one of her lines that didn’t work: “How did everyone know?” (It was just yelled to the entire class.)”

Setting

The description of the house was realistic and intriguing. One judge said, “I felt like I wanted to visit the home.” However, it lacked a true description of the town and school.

Dialogue

Some of the voices sounded the same. Incidences that were developed through action were repeated in the dialogue, slowing the story down. Less dialogue and more narrative could strengthen the story and add more depth.

Plot

The judges thought this was an interesting premise and liked the direction of the story.

Suspense/Tension

The suspense is strong. More tension could be added with more showing instead of telling. (Immerse the reader in the scene rather than just telling us what happened.)

Conflicts

The conflicts are realistic and carry throughout the story – well done.

Pacing

It is fast paced, but it may need to slow down a bit. The author needs to take the time to tell the story. While it may seem counterintuitive, it’s often more effective to immerse the reader in a scene; even though it takes more words, the pacing can seem quicker.

Voice/Writing Style

This is a talented writer with an interesting story. Be careful of an over-reliance on clichés.

Grammar and Mechanics

There are no problems in this area. The judges only noticed a few missing commas.

Additional Comments

One judge said, “I see a lot of potential with this story. With the help of an experienced editor, this could be a hit.”

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: conference, contest feedback, Killer Nashville, Uncategorized

Do You Have a Writing Plan?

May 10, 2013 By Jessica Ferguson Leave a Comment

I’m so behind in blogging that I should really do my own A to Z just to keep myself on track. Here’s what I’ve been doing:


Reading the galleys to The Last Daughter. I think if I have to read this story one more time, I’ll tear my hair out. I love my characters and the story, but I’m ready to move on. I can’t read through a manuscript (even a published book) without wanting to make changes! I believe I still have one more read-through after these galleys. Arghh!

Revising the first fifty pages for my Killer Nashville contest entry. Deadline is June 1st. I may not make it! If you’d like to enter the Claymore contest (you do NOT have to attend the conference to enter) check it out.

Every Thursday I have a Beth Moore Bible study on Daniel. If you’re familiar with Beth Moore, you know there’s daily homework. This is my second time to take the Daniel course. It’s fabulous. Of course, all her studies are.

Now, for my big news: some of you know I pitched to a Harlequin editor on Wednesday. This was the Happily Ever After pitch in a chat room, much like speed dating. We read the bios of three editors and had to choose the one we thought would be interested in our story. That alone was tricky! Then, we perfected a pitch in 100 words or less. There was no chit chat or questions asked in the chat room. Response from the editor would be one of the following:

Check one: __I’ll cry if you don’t send me your manuscript (requested full)
__I’d like to get to know your manuscript better (requested proposal)
__I’m not sure if there’s a spark between your manuscript and me, but I’m willing to give it a chance to convince me (requested synopsis)
__There’s just no connection between your manuscript and me (no request, but isn’t it great to know the idea won’t work before you spend time writing it?)

The editor I chose responded to my pitch with “I’ll cry if you don’t send me your manuscript.” She requested the FULL and said the story sounded unique.

When we signed up for this event, we had to specify how much of our novel was finished.  I said I had a 36,000 word very rough draft completed. Okay, so now that I’ve lived with this rough draft for awhile, and worked on a synopsis, I better know the direction I want to go with the book. Thankfully, I tailored the pitch in the right direction and pinpointed the conflict but I feel panicked about revising it FAST.

Common sense tells me to get the manuscript finished and to the editor as soon as possible. I have 36,000 words. I need 55,000 words at the minimum. Each chapter (with the exception of the first two) has to be rewritten–revised, fleshed out, some chapters even have to be completely changed. Here’s a picture of my rough draft with Love Inspired guidelines visible so I can refer to them often. 

I need some direction: Suggest a workable writing plan and/or some tips that will help me finish this book. My weaknesses are: setting, description, deep editing so any help you can give me in these three areas will be appreciated. If I use any of your suggestions, I’ll dedicate the book to you–if it sells.

I’m sloshing through but I’m working at the pace of a sick snail so if you want to share a writing plan, feel free! And give me a deadline too. I love deadlines!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Beth Moore, Claymore contest, Daniel Bible Study, Harlequin Love Inspired, Killer Nashville, speed pitch, The Las Daughter, Uncategorized, writing plan

Monday Markets and More

May 14, 2012 By Jessica Ferguson Leave a Comment

Thought I’d share some markets and contests today, as well as a conference I attended last year.

Killer Nashville is a great little conference for mystery writers and it’s coming up in August. They hold a contest too but the deadline is fast approaching–June 1st. If you place or win, your book will be considered by Five Star. The editor is the finalist judge. One of the perks of this contest is that you don’t have to attend the conference to enter the contest, but certainly you’ll want to if you learn you final.  The Killer Nashville conference is small, intimate and has great sessions. Even if you don’t write mysteries it’s a fun conference. They stage a crime for you to solve and they have some interesting speakers–some of them REAL law enforcement officers. Take a look at their blog HERE. To learn more about Killer Nashville, go HERE and tour the site carefully. I hope I see you there!
Here’s a novel contest I learned about from friend Linda F. Todd.  The 2012 prizewinner will receive a publishing contract with a $7,500 advance and a $5,000 marketing budget. The winning novel will be published in the Spring of 2013 in a hardcover or trade paperback edition by Counterpoint/Softskull Press and distributed to the book trade by Publishers Group West.  The deadline is June 15th and  there are no fees to enter.

Pill Hill Press has a lot going on these days. Check out their website. They’re inviting recipes for a cookbook and some stories for anthologies.  Look at their opportunities for publication HERE.

Do you write essays or creative nonfiction? Consider contributing to the Easy to Love series of books.  CURRENT CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Easy to Love but Hard to Teach and Easy to Love but Hard to Treat

Here’s a market for women writers over 60.
There are markets, contests and conferences everywhere. Do you have any favorites?

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Contest and Markets, contests, Killer Nashville

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