ANNOUNCEMENT: New Website and Blog Location

Starting today, September 20, 2012, In Others' Words is located at bethvogt.com. My talented and ve-ery patient web guru, Stacey Dyer has developed a fun new site.
All my subscribers should be automatically redirected there. If you weren't, please email at beth@bethvogt.com so we can correct the problem.
And if you're new, please join us over at bethvogt.com.  

In Others' Words: Words

"I like good strong words that mean something." 

~Louisa May Alcott, author

Well said, Louisa.

That's a goal worth striving for: As a writer, I want to produce good strong words that mean something.

As a woman, I want to speak good strong words that mean something.

Little Women, written by Louisa May Alcott, was the first book I remember reading. And re-reading. And yes, re-reading. Her words were strong enough to make me cry. And smile. And fret about Jo and Laurie (and eventually Professor Bhaer). Her writing is vivid enough that I recall scenes even as I type this blog post and I haven't picked the book up in years.  What was Amy thinking when she tried to change the shape of her nose by putting a clothespin on it?!

I wonder how many people recall words I've written?

I wonder how many people recall words I've spoken?

And are the words they're remembering good, strong words? Or did I wound someone? Trip someone up? Maybe disappoint someone? 

Words--strong in a powerful sense. But how is that strength used?

In Your Words: What kind of words do you like? Are you in agreement with Louisa? Are you intent on writing and speaking words with power and meaning? Are you hitting the mark?

Survey Says: Writing Conference Concerns

Friends Teri, Pat, Edie and Melissa (the 2010 Frasier winner). 

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about a survey on writers conferences. Specific question: Why do you attend writers conferences?
Today's question for discussion:
What are your major concerns when preparing for a writers conference?
Possible answers:

• Paying for the conference, the travel, and the lodging
• Pitching my book to an editor/agent
• Choosing which workshops to attend--to many to choose from
• Other

You hear lots of talk about the writerly angst involved with pitching--going eye-to-eye with an editor or agent and hoping your passion for your story outweighs your nervousness. But, despite all that, the 32 respondents to the survey didn't list this as the top anxiety producer. Nope. Most of the writers (62.5% or 20 out of 32 respondents) said they were most concerned about paying for the conference, the travel, and the lodging.

Can you relate?

Of all the reasons writers don't attend a conference, cost is the most common "why not" that I hear. 

Let me give you some specifics. I'm attending the ACFW conference next week. Here's a run down of my costs:

1. ACFW conference registration (early bird) -- $540
2. Reservations at the Hyatt -- $600 (4 nights, but this will be divided three ways w/ my roommates. Oh, and all those crazy extra taxes aren't included yet. You know what I'm talking about.)
3. Airline ticket -- $199.40 (I'm flying Southwest because they don't charge one of those obscene baggage fees. And their flight attendants are so, so entertaining.)
4. Shuttle reservation from the airport to the Hyatt and back again after the conference -- $34
5. MBT Pizza Party (a must-attend event!) -- $25

Subtotal: $1398.40

OK, that's a bit of an Ouch! 

Now here's why it's a subtotal: What if I want to go to the Early Bird session? (Add $85, if I registered early.) Or the MBT Pitch Scrimmage, so I'm ready to pitch my book with professionalism and poise and an inspiring hook? ($65)

Paid critique? ($35 I've invested in this kind of feedback.) Purchase the conference CDs? (~$99--and yes,  done this too.) If you drive, add parking. 

Adding in those other costs (and assume I exert extreme control and don't visit the bookstore (yeah, right):

Total: $1682.40

(And yes, I realize there is no clothes budget added in.)

Is a conference worth that kind of change?

I say yes. I am, after all, a writer. A professional writer. Even when I was a beginning professional writer, I had a goal in mind: publication. And attending conferences is an absolute must to achieve that goal. Face to face interaction with both editors and agents, as well as other writers, is vital. 

Let me put it in perspective for you: Last year I attended ACFW. Pitched my novel, Wish You Were Here.

That book will be published by Howard Books in May 2012. 

Does attending a writers conference guarantee publication? Unfortunately, no. But that personal interaction with an editor allows you to sell your book with passion and personality. 

In Your Words: Have you had to pass on a writers conference because of the costs? Any tips to manage the expenses?

In Others' Words: Discovery

"One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his greatest surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do."

~Henry Ford, American industrialist

Fear ruled my life for too many years.

Yes, there were reasons for the fear, but still ... I look back and think what I lost.

Freedom.

Emotional and spiritual freedom.

For too long I thought life was going to always be lived that way. Afraid.

And then I discovered I could choose to live differently.

Then there came a time when I found the courage and the help to face the past and walk into healing and freedom.

It wasn't easy.

I needed others' help.

And I needed faith like never before.

And I had to stop being afraid of the truth ... because sometimes the truth is the hardest thing to face.

In Your Words: Have you surprised yourself? Have you discovered you could do something you were afraid to do? I'd love to hear your story.

In Others' Words: Music

"Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons. You will find it is to the soul what a water bath is to the body."

 ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court

I savor listening to music just about any time of the day.If you could hear what I'm singing along to, it might be country. Or praise and worship. Or show tunes. Or instrumental. When it comes to my tastes in music, I like a little bit of this and that.

Music refreshes me.

Music soothes me.

Music energizes me.

Not unlike those times I slip away, shut the door, and take a nice long soak in my tub.

Ahhhh, nothing like it.

In Your Words: What about you? Are you a "music bather?" What kind of music do you like to soak in?

                                                                                                                                       photo by  schnaibel/stockxchng.com

/stockxchng.com

In Others' Words: Succcess

"If A equals success, then the formula is A equals X plus Y and Z, with X being work, Y play, and Z keeping your mouth shut."~Albert Einstein, German-born physicist

A=X+Y+Z

A (Success)

X (Work)

Y (Play)

Z (Keeping your mouth shut)

Success=Work+Play+Keeping your mouth shut

Know what? Einstein was a smart guy.

Yes, I know he was a physicist. But he had common sense too. Look at that equation for success again. Einstein figures in work and play and being wise enough to know when to hold your tongue.

Brilliant.

You have to work hard to achieve forward motion. If you're a writer, that means you have to write. And rewrite. And take critique like a professional. And endure waiting and rejections and the reality that not everyone's going to love your writing. (Gasp!)

And you also have to know when to stop working and relax. Play a little. Here's a question: What do you do for fun? If you can't answer that question, you're working to hard. Me? I like to hang with friends. Window-shop with my girls. (Maybe even for-real-shop.) Hike. Read. Browse through a bookstore. 

So: Success = Work + Play + ?

What was the last part of that equation?

Oh, yeah.

Keeping your mouth shut.

I'll call that discernment.

Knowing when to speak up. Knowing when to be quiet. Avoiding the ol' "foot in mouth" misstep. What's that wise saying?

 "Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise ..." (Prov. 17:28)

In Your Words: What do you think of Einstein's equation for success? Would you change it up at all? Are you missing any of his must-haves for success?

In Others' Words: Rest

"Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths, or the turning inwards in prayer for five short minutes." ~ Ettie Hillesum, author of An Interrupted Life the Diaries 1941-1943 & Letters from Westerbork

Today is Labor Day, which made me think of rest.

And I thought of the busy summer I had: 

• preparing for my daughter's wedding. Such fun, but work nonetheless. 
• editing my debut novel, Wish You Were Here. A whole other type of fun and work.
• keeping my 10-year-old busy-but-not-too-busy. Fun, fun, fun.
• choosing what to say goodbye to--and stepping down as the editor of Connections, the leadership magazine for MOPS International. 
• managing vertigo. No fun at all.

And through each day, I found myself looking for rest. That moment at the end of the day when I could close my eyes and think, "Done--until tomorrow."

And here's what I've realized: Rest is not something that you push off until the end of the day. Or the end of the busy week or month.

Rest is something you embrace, minute by minute.

That photo? It's me at Bandon, OR. I'm sitting in what a friend named "The Hand of God" tree. 

Works for me.

A good place to rest: in the hand of God.

In Your Words: Where do you find rest?

In Others' Words: Dreams

"There is no telling how many miles you will have to run while chasing a dream." ~ Author Unknown

That's the funny thing about dreams: You have to chase them. You can't walk into a store and purchase that elusive dream. It's not sitting on a shelf, waiting for you to dole out a few hard earned dollars or charge it on your credit card.

You want a dream? You have to chase it. Some days it seems so close . . . right there, just beyond your reach. And other days, you're at the back of the pack of runners, watching everyone else cross the finish line. Reach their goal. Attain their dream. 

And you have to keep on running. Another lap. Maybe two. You look around--are you the only left pursuing your dream?

Is it worth all the effort? All the running? Really, what would life be without dreams? 

In Your Words: What dream are you pursuing? What dream have you achieved? Did you learn any lessons along the way?