Thursday, 6/6/02 Shelly Gail Morris "Writing Short Stories about Everyday Life." You have just entered room "Writers Workshop" HumngbrdDB: Hi Bill!!!! Loriendil: Hey, I've been hanging around Haladhon and Marcalan too much! HumngbrdDB: :-) Loriendil: Hey Bill! HumngbrdDB: HI foxy :-) HOST WRTR WYates: Hi... Loriendil: Hey Foxy! FoxyGram: Hi, everyone Shell5223: Hello Loriendil: (Why do I get the urge to listen to Jimi all of a sudden???) HOST WRTR WYates: As in Hendrix? Loriendil: Yep Loriendil: Is there any other??? HOST WRTR WYates: I'll pass... Loriendil: LOL HOST WRTR WYates: How about some Schubert? or Johnny Cash? HumngbrdDB: no thanks, bill Loriendil: Well, it just doesn't seem to fit with "Foxy" FoxyGram: Boy, talk about culture shock! HumngbrdDB: I prefer NO music when I write! lol Loriendil: LOL Shell5223: I like to write to my Nature Sounds CD FoxyGram: What doesn't, Lee? HumngbrdDB: and no radio, and no TV, and NO ONE around, anddddddd..... grrrr. no wonder I never get around to writing! HumngbrdDB: hi diagocat Loriendil: Depends on how much 'inspiration' I need LOL DiagoCat: Hi. Loriendil: brb -- got to be mommy for a minute HumngbrdDB: rofl... HI SARAH!!! HumngbrdDB: (sarah is Lee's 5 {or is it 6} year old) DiagoCat: I thought maybe she was Paul. HumngbrdDB: rofl Loriendil: bak Loriendil: 5 yo DiagoCat: I wonder who he will be tonight? Loriendil: Cat -- hi and :-P for thinking I was Paul HumngbrdDB: wasn't sure, lee... Loriendil: 5 1/2 actually HumngbrdDB: seems like we've been here in WA for soooo long... seemed longer than that. :-( HumngbrdDB: I wanna go back to DE!!! HumngbrdDB: lol Loriendil: I know.... I do too!!! HumngbrdDB: lol DiagoCat: No, I didn't. I thought Sarah was. HumngbrdDB: you ARE in DE!!! Loriendil: You I mean -- I will stay on my planet, Loriendil: tendjewberrymud! Loriendil: I like it here... HumngbrdDB: lol Loriendil: Hey, Bill, if my planet has more tilt will the seasons be milder??? Loriendil: I'm trying to learn this stuff, but I'm just too thick.... HumngbrdDB: uh huh....... right HOST WRTR WYates: No. They'll probably be more severe. Loriendil: I thought it would be the opposite.... DiagoCat: I'm too thick, too. Should walk more. Loriendil: *sigh* HOST WRTR WYates: We'll get under way here in a minute... HumngbrdDB: it's just fibrofog, and you know it! LOL Loriendil: okay -- less tilt then.... FoxyGram: LOL, Cat! Loriendil: I cannot figure out my moons yet! Loriendil: *sigh* Cat that was baaad! Loriendil: LOL HOST WRTR WYates: Welcome to the Christian Writer's Workshop We will be under protocol tonight. Type "?" to ask a question Type "!" to make a comment. Please type "ga" when you are done. I will call on you in turn. DiagoCat: Yes, I know. I've been slaving away in the garden all day so I won't be my usually sharp self. HumngbrdDB: brb HOST WRTR WYates: Our guest speaker tonight is Shelly Gail Morris. HumngbrdDB: calling paper, ours isn't here HOST WRTR WYates: She will talk about "Writing Short Stories about Everyday Life." HOST WRTR WYates: Thanks for being our guest, Shelly! Shell5223: I'm happy to be here, ga HOST WRTR WYates: Peg, would you open with a word of prayer for us... FoxyGram: "Dear Lord, thank you for another evening with our fellow writers. Bless us as Shelly shares about writing from life experiences. In Jesus' name, Amen." DiagoCat: Amen. HOST WRTR WYates: AMEN! HumngbrdDB: amen Loriendil: Amen! Shell5223: Amen HumngbrdDB: (back) HOST WRTR WYates: They tell us to "write what you know". And we know our own lives better than anyone else. But writing about our life isn't always easy. Too painful or too boring... HumngbrdDB: (amen to that!!!) HOST WRTR WYates: Shelly will help us write about our own lives... HOST WRTR WYates: Shelly, would you like to open with some comments before we open it up for Q & A? Shell5223: Sure, and you already mentioned what I was going to say--write about the things you love, it will show in your work. Whatever inspires you is the area you should focus on. It might be easier to start as fiction, use other names and places and then add your own magic LynColeman: hi all HumngbrdDB: (hi lyn) :-) HOST WRTR WYates: (Hi, Lynn...) Loriendil: (Hi Lynn!) Shell5223: Even if you just write in a journal, short stories and ideas can be treasured forever! ga HumngbrdDB: ? LynColeman: Oops I interrupted didn't I, sorry HOST WRTR WYates: Thanks, Shelly. OK, here we go!... HOST WRTR WYates: HumngbrdDB... HumngbrdDB: you said about things we love... would you also say things that cause you to think. cause you pain, are emotionally difficult? FoxyGram: bak HumngbrdDB: if you can find something positive, or learn from them, that is. GA Shell5223: I'm not sure I could write about emotionally difficult things, but whatever helps you to heal and get through it, ga HOST WRTR WYates: ? HOST WRTR WYates: WTYates... FoxyGram: ? Shell5223: If it helps to write it down, then by all means go ahead. HOST WRTR WYates: We often think of our own lives as boring or uninteresting. How can we learn to see our lives might have something of interest to others? ga Shell5223: I usually choose to write about uplifting moments in my life, things I am thankful for. I don't tend to write for others because then I pin my success on them. Sure getting published is awesome, but there is a lot of rejection in the writing world too. ga HOST WRTR WYates: FoxyGram... FoxyGram: When fictionalizing real-life, changing names is a given. How much beyond that should you go to protect ones self and others? Scenes, recognizable places, etc? ga Shell5223: I would change quite a lot, just to be safe. ga HOST WRTR WYates: ? HOST WRTR WYates: WTYates... HOST WRTR WYates: Do you write personal experiences directly or through fictionalizing them, or both? ga Shell5223: I usually take some small occurrence and mold into a wild, entertaining scenario. ga Shell5223: Would you like an example HOST WRTR WYates: yes, please... HOST WRTR WYates: (Hi, Robert) KYWRITE: Well well look at Foxygram KYWRITE: Hi Bill FoxyGram: KYWRITE: Shell5223: Okay. A friend of mine said she thought she would be good at helping teenagers. I wrote a whole story about a woman (with her name) who befriends a runaway teenager in a mall and helps her get safely home! Special Moments was the title. GA HOST WRTR WYates: ? HOST WRTR WYates: WTYates... HOST WRTR WYates: Did she like using her name? Shell5223: She loved it! I use family and friends names quite a bit. ga FoxyGram: ? HOST WRTR WYates: ? HOST WRTR WYates: WTYates... HOST WRTR WYates: You write mostly short stories, I believe. Where do you place them? How is the market? ga HumngbrdDB: ? Shell5223: I just sold a story called Walking With Friends to Belle Books. There are a ton of contests for this sort of thing. I won a contest and was published by Novel Books inc. If you write short stories check online for contests! ga Shell5223: Also... Shell5223: I wanted to mention Novel & Short Stories Writers Market book 2002, $25.00 is great. ga HOST WRTR WYates: FoxyGram... FoxyGram: Do you get permission from them first, to avoid any future problems? and do you get pre-approval for what you've written before going to the publisher? ga FoxyGram: Using real names, that is. ga Shell5223: No because my friend Patsy is 38, my character is a 69-year-old grandmother. The names and ages are totally different as are the characters. I use the names Mitch and Keith and those are my young boys names. ga HOST WRTR WYates: HumngbrdDB... HumngbrdDB: Not all of us are blessed with people who WANT to be used in books/stories, etc. Do you have recommendations for how to use some of their character without getting sued???? ga HumngbrdDB: btw, sorry if I sound so negative, but I'm the ONLY Christian in my extended family, though my household is all Christian. It makes a BIG difference! HumngbrdDB: lol Shell5223: It would be hard for anyone to prove it was them and I haven't exactly gotten rich of ANY stories. They wouldn't profit much from suing me. But maybe you'd better just get names from Soap Operas, that works too. ga HumngbrdDB: rofl HumngbrdDB: or make up names Shell5223: Sure Shell5223: I used all my friends and neighbors and it encouraged them to buy the book. ga HOST WRTR WYates: ? HOST WRTR WYates: WTYates... HOST WRTR WYates: How did you get started writing and how did you find this mode of writing? ga Shell5223: I started writing when my boys were very little and I could never finish a story. So they all became short stories. I am now working on several long novels and the gratification is slow in coming. I miss the quick, ahhhhhhh you from one week and wallah. DiagoCat: ? HOST WRTR WYates: DiagoCat... DiagoCat: About how long is one of your average stories? HOST WRTR WYates: (Welcome, SouthnCharmPress) Shell5223: Most are about 3000 words, 6 single spaced pages. ga Shell5223: My publisher is here! Hi Kathy! SouthnCharmPress: Hi Everyone. Sorry I'm late. HOST WRTR WYates: Glad you could come. SouthnCharmPress: Hi Shelly! HOST WRTR WYates: ? HOST WRTR WYates: WTYates... HOST WRTR WYates: How long did it take you to get published? ga Shell5223: Within six months I found a publisher in New York. Then after four months I received a letter that they had changed their mind. I started over again sending out a couple of stories and found Southern Charm Press in about three months. It all just fell into place. ga HOST WRTR WYates: ? HOST WRTR WYates: WTyates... HOST WRTR WYates: besides the unfinished novels (I haven't even started a novel), do you write in any other forms? Poetry? Non-fiction? ga Shell5223: Yes, I write poetry, but it's all rather personal, so it's just something I keep in a drawer. I also write songs occasionally. How about you? HOST WRTR WYates: Same, but I have had one poem published. Shell5223: That's awesome. Where was it published? Any one else?? HOST WRTR WYates: Published in Verve poetry magazine (now defunct). Shell5223: What does everyone here write??? DiagoCat: Articles here and there. No books. Shell5223: :-) Loriendil: SF, westerns, short stories, articles..... KYWRITE: freelance articles Loriendil: One short story published, used to be journalist as well... HOST WRTR WYates: Poetry, song lyrics, short fiction, web site and CD reviews. HumngbrdDB: fiction, pet stories, homeschool stories... and more fiction though sometmes my journal is the only one to see my writing! LOL HOST WRTR WYates: I don't want to hog the floor... anybody else have a question? Shell5223: Hey, that's okay. I believe journals are good for the soul and I go back and read mine years later and always smile. HOST WRTR WYates: ? HOST WRTR WYates: WTYates... HOST WRTR WYates: Does your journal help you? I don't keep one. Maybe it's a man thing. :) ga Shell5223: Before I had kids I had to write in it every day. Now only occasionally, but it's cool to read how I was feeling back then. I'm glad I have matured. Shell5223: I'll bet your poetry is about your feelings. ga DiagoCat: ! HOST WRTR WYates: True. HOST WRTR WYates: DiagoCat... DiagoCat: I write stuff to God, prayers and how I feel about things. I shudder to think what my children will think if they bother to read them after I die. ga Shell5223: I know a guy who got a divorce and wrote hundreds of poems all about pain. Cat--just take them with you. DiagoCat: I wish. HumngbrdDB: ! HOST WRTR WYates: HumngbrdDB... HumngbrdDB: a wonderful friend of mine, who used to run journaling workshops says, if the entries are the kind that you don't ever want read after you write them, rip them out and BURN those pages! ga Shell5223: Sounds like a smart person. HumngbrdDB: :-) KYWRITE: ! HOST WRTR WYates: KYWRITE... KYWRITE: I think journals are important to person experience stories. ga Shell5223: And every experience is already a story, we just have to write it down. ga KYWRITE: personal experience. sorry HOST WRTR WYates: ? HOST WRTR WYates: WTyates... HOST WRTR WYates: What has been the reaction to your stories? ga Shell5223: Very nice. My stories are about women and friendship and the amazing things we do. My friends have been wonderfully supportive. ga Shell5223: The title is THE WONDROUS WAYS OF WOMEN, ga HOST WRTR WYates: ? HOST WRTR WYates: WTyates... HOST WRTR WYates: Do you have a web site? ga Shell5223: yes two, the easiest to remember is www.SouthernCharmPress.com/Shelly Shell5223: There is a link to my personal site HOST WRTR WYates: Thanks. Shell5223: It is available at the publishers site and Amazon.com. It was nice to meet you and thank you for having me, ga HOST WRTR WYates: Thank you, Shelly! Shell5223: You are quite welcome. :-) HOST WRTR WYates: We'll drop out of protocol now and be open for chatting for the next few minutes. Loriendil: Thanks for the tips and advice, Shelly DiagoCat: Thanks for coming, Shelly. Shell5223: Thanks for being here! HumngbrdDB: thanks shell :-) Shell5223: Sure! HOST WRTR WYates: I want to remind everyone that the Writer's Club contract with AOL ends June 30. Most WC content will migrate to iuniverse.com. Loriendil: *sigh* Shell5223: Is Fleetwood Mac still playing?? Loriendil: Yes, Shelly, it is LOL Shell5223: ugg HOST WRTR WYates: But there will no longer be a Writers Club on AOL. Loriendil: You had to remind us... HOST WRTR WYates: Whether we continue the Tuesday chats on iUniverse is still up in the air. Shell5223: I am listening to cartoons as my son veges out Shell5223: We will cross our fingers. JeanM1926: Why is that, Bill? Loriendil: cartoons... veg..... Veggie Tales??? Shell5223: Powder Puff Girls, I believe. HOST WRTR WYates: Don't know. Money issue, probably. Loriendil: I'm bummed out it is all coming to an end just I discovered it.... HOST WRTR WYates: It's been going for 10 years. Peg & I started this thing way back then. HumngbrdDB: sorry it took me so long to convince you to try it out! LOL Loriendil: I wasn't ready, Deby... Shell5223: Nice to meet everyone. Good luck, good bye. Shell JeanM1926: But you will be on Tues. nights? HOST WRTR WYates: Maybe. it will probably depend on the response. Loriendil: *sigh* HOST WRTR WYates: Shelly, I will post the workshop log on the CWW web site by early next week. HOST WRTR WYates: http://www.billyates.com/cww/ HumngbrdDB: are the poets about to run us out? lol Loriendil: Prolly HumngbrdDB: will that site still be standing, bill? HOST WRTR WYates: 2 minutes :) HOST WRTR WYates: Yes. HumngbrdDB: :-) Loriendil: Hey -- speaking of poets, any of you wish to critique my first attempt at a poem/song? HOST WRTR WYates: I've put too much into it... JeanM1926: Glad you are feeling so much better, Bill. HOST WRTR WYates: Me, too! :) HOST WRTR WYates: Sure... Loriendil: I'll email it to anyone who is willing.... Loriendil: I'm glad the site will still be there, Bill.... DiagoCat: Maybe AOL will change its mind at a later date. HOST WRTR WYates: Well, time's up for tonight... JeanM1926: Hope so! HumngbrdDB: goodnight, everyone! this was a great workshop tonight! HOST WRTR WYates: Thanks, Shelly and all! Loriendil: Ah well, see you all next Tuesday.... Loriendil: TTYL HOST WRTR WYates: Night! DiagoCat: Good night all of you. JeanM1926: Bye!