Interview With Randall Harris VP of Mississippi Writer's Guild - Hattiesburg

I managed to catch up with Randall Harris, the Vice President of the Mississippi Writer's Guild: Hattiesburg Chapter.  He is the editor of the Guild's new anthology Pinebelt Poatery and Prose.  Randall  was generous enough to agree to talk with me about publishing the group's new anthology.

What is the Mississippi Writer’s Guild?

Mississippi Writers Guild (MWG) is a statewide network of individual writers and chapters, all of whom have a love of the written word, and putting into print the things that make Mississippi special.  All writers, at any stage of their development, published or unpublished, can join MWG. 

How many chapters in Mississippi?

Currently there are six chapters and one affiliate chapter.

How old is the writer’s guild?

It was founded in 2005 by a group of writers in the Meridian area, and has spread to cover the entire state since then.

What are some of the benefits of being a member?

Networking opportunities are definitely a big plus of membership in MWG.  For example, members can have a link on the MWG website to their personal blogs, webpages, or other online presences, to help in self-promotion. MWG also organizes an annual writing conference held in different parts of the state.  The conference includes a variety of speakers including published authors and literary agents.  Attendees also typically have an opportunity to receive critiques from agents and other industry professionals at the conference.

Where did the idea for the Anthology come from?

Every writer knows that getting motivated and staying motivated is hard.  Also, it can be hard to find publishing opportunities for short, stand-alone works such as poetry and short stories.  So we decided to make our own opportunity.  The prospect of being published in an anthology encouraged a lot of the members to become more productive (so they would have something to put in the anthology) or to dig out older work that had not been published yet, for whatever reason.  And since we were planning an anthology, it became the perfect vehicle for publishing those random pieces that would be impossible to publish by themselves.  We were also lucky in that we had an excellent model provided to us by Dr. Philip Levin and the members of the Gulf Coast Writers Association, who have published an anthology every year or two for the past several years.

Was it well received with the writers?

Exceptionally so.  We received submissions from 17 different authors, many of whom submitted more than one piece.  Everyone has been excited about the anthology and seeing their work in print – for some of the members, this was their first published work.

Who is the publisher?

For reasons of cost and efficiency, we decided to use the CreateSpace platform through Amazon.com.  It was a good choice for us and for this project.

What obstacles did you have to overcome to get the book published?

I discovered that most people, including me, are not good with deadlines.  (Ha)  It took about a year to pull the anthology together, but that was mainly because it was hard to get the ball rolling and to get people to submit their work for consideration.  Then, when it came time to collect short biographies from the contributors, that also took additional time.  The rest of the obstacles came as I wrestled with formatting issues in getting the book in line with CreateSpace’s guidelines.  However, the entire process has been a great learning experience and one that I hope we will repeat (see below).

How was the cover decided?

We knew the title was going to be “Pinebelt Poetry and Prose” long before the cover was finalized, so I began looking for a photo that would fit the title somehow.  As part of the submission process, I solicited photographs from contributors, because we have some excellent photographers in our group.  When I saw the photo of the pine seedling that Jenny Wilson, one of our contributors, submitted, I knew it was the one that would go on the cover.

Is there any symbolism in the cover?

I think so, but it was absolutely serendipitous.  The pine seedling is a common sight in the Pinebelt – it’s who we are, in a sense.  And the seedling represents this first anthology, which took time to grow and develop from the germ of the original idea into the finished book that we are now publishing.

Are you planning to do a second book?

Absolutely!

What will the theme of the second book be?

It’s too early to tell.  We knew the first anthology would not have a theme, because the range of submissions would be so diverse.  The second anthology may be the same way, just because it’s exciting to see all the different kinds of writing people submit.

How does one get to be a member of the Mississippi writer’s guild?

Easy!  The Guild’s website is http://www.mississippiwritersguild.com/, and there are links to membership options via PayPal.  They have regular memberships, senior and student memberships, and if you join in the middle of the year, they also prorate the membership fees.

If one wants to be a writer, what advice do you have?

The process of writing is different for everyone, and sometimes you have to flounder around to find the way that works for you.  But I think the most indispensable thing for a writer is endless determination and a willingness to take the millions of baby steps that are required for the writer’s journey.


Link to the book on Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Pinebelt-Hattiesburg-Chapter-Mississippi-Writers/dp/1490308768/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377954550&sr=8-1&keywords=pinebelt+poetry+and+prose

Kindle Books:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EWSKX62

“Put A Little Strut In It”

While visiting my son over labor day weekend I came down with a sore throat, one of those where the inside of your throat is raw pain all the way down the esophagus. It hurt to breath, it hurt to swallow, I couldn’t sleep that night. 

Well, in search of relief I bought a bag of Halls cough drops.  I opened the wrapper and popped the medicated “candy” in my mouth and the wrapper caught my eye.  In a neat black font printed in the middle of the Halls diamond were messages.  I took a closer look and read the following little messages:

Bet on yourself

Put a little strut in it.

Keep your chin up

Elicit a few “wows” today

Hi-five yourself

I smiled.  Yes, I am feeling bad, but it is just a sore throat.  What a neat idea, the medicine helps the throat but the message was there to work on the attitude. Just because you are not feeling your best, doesn’t mean you quit moving forward.  I liked those little motivational messages.  My wife thought I was nuts reading my wrappers every time I took one, but I just thought that was a great idea.

A lot of how we do depends on our own outlook on how things go.  If we feel we will succeed, we usually do.  If you “Know” it is going to fail, most likely it will.  Our mental outlook does a lot to our actual outcomes, and feelings.

That is why I was talking about getting those negative things out of your life.  Get rid of or minimize those voices that constantly tell you that you are not good enough.  Be your own cheerleader.  Just those few little words on a cough drop wrapper made me stop and think about how big the little things really are. 

So whatever you are working on “Bet on yourself” and “Put a little strut in it.”  Your influence is greater than you realize.  

Following Your Dreams

Sometimes success comes from keeping your eyes open, and taking on opportunities when you can find them.

Several years ago a friend told me about the writer’s guild, they met on the first Saturday of the month at the public library.  I have been working on my great epic fantasy novel for years, so I went to the meeting, and the next one, and the next one.  I enjoyed meeting with these talented people.  Then I got a job that required me to work the first Saturday of every month.  So I couldn’t go to the meetings, but I kept getting e-mails, and I kept tabs on what was going on.

Then one e-mail came in talking about submitting something you’ve written for an anthology.  I just happened to have something ready.

I am also a member of AQC, an online writing forum.  I have met some amazing, talented people there.  I joined the Speculative Fiction Group, every summer they run a Marathon.  I submitted my epic fantasy, with visions of everyone loving my work and getting some pointers.

Well, not everyone loved my work, and I got a lot of pointers, so many in fact that I relized the book was nowhere near ready for publication. 

After the Summer Marathon the group moderator had a short story competition in which the main character had to be an animal who had the ability to reason and such.  The animal could only give one line at the end of the story.

So I took the challenge and wrote the story.  It didn’t win the competition, but I kept it on hand because I liked it.

Then the call came for a submission for the anthology.  So two different places came together for me and I submitted my short story, and it was accepted.

Now the book is available on Amazon, and on the Kindle reading platform. 

Suddenly I have something published.  Opportunities presented themselves and I took them.  If I hadn’t written the piece for the competition I wouldn’t have had anything ready for the anthology.  If I hadn’t been going to the writer’s guild meetings, and stayed connected when my schedule kept me form attending I wouldn’t have known of the opportunity.

A lucky break some may say.  Well, in a way yes, but lucky breaks come from doing things you love, and finding ways to improve, no matter what your focus is, be it scholastic, sports, dance, music, or writing.

So, today I can say I am a published author.  Granted it is just one short story in an Anthology, but it is a start.  A step on a journey, a goal fulfilled, a moment of success.  Life is so short and not a lot of success has been coming my way, but perseverance and a good attitude go a long way in making things successful. 

So keep at it.  Keep working towards your goals, and let the failures be just setbacks, and not roadblocks that keep you from where you want to be.

A lesson from Thurl Bailey

A few weeks ago I was able hear Thurl Bailey speak.  Just a thumbnail bio of Thurl Bailey, he is 6’11” tall, and he played basket ball.  He played collage ball for NC State University and was a part of the 1983 champion ship team.  He was a first round draft pick in 1983 for the Utah Jazz. 

 I jumped at the opportunity to go listen to him speak.  Here is someone who literal is a pro, and played at the top of his game.  I found he had a great sense of humor and didn’t take himself too seriously.  He poked fun at himself.

I found it ironic that when he was younger, he had no interest in playing basketball.  He worked on his studies, but one day he sat and watched a basketball game with his dad.  He showed an interest and his dad began to teach him how to play ball.  Over six foot tall in middle school you would think he could make the basketball team without any problems. 

He talked about the tryouts, and the ball hitting his size 11 shoe and it went shooting across the gym.  He didn’t do real well in the tryouts.  He couldn’t sleep the night before the who would make the team was posted on the coach’s door.  When he finally got to school and worked up the nerve to look, his name was not on the list, he didn’t make the team.

So he went home and practiced on his dirt court.

7^th grade came and he went to tryouts again.  He dribbled better, and was able to pass, but he was still awkward, he had grown some more, and his feet were bigger than they were in the sixth grade.  He didn’t make the team.

The coach told him to find something else to do, because he couldn’t play basketball, he wasn’t good enough.

When Mr. Bailey told us that I was stunned.  I am looking at man that stands one inch shy of 7 foot tall.  Huge hands, and such a gentle manner.  He was a first round draft pick to the MBA.  And yet he had someone he looked up to tell him to forget basketball?

There are all sorts of people in your life.  We all have dreams and aspirations.  We all are striving to do better.  Life is short, too short to put up with negative people, folks who degrade and put others down.  Who point out petty problems.  Who only see the bad. 

Those people are poison.  The lower your self esteem, they suck the joy out of life.  If you have negative people in your life, find a way around them, do not let them take the joy from you.  Change things to get them out of your life, or lessen their importance and impact on you.

Fortunately for Thurl Bailey his 8^th grade year the middle school had a new coach.  He tried out. However this time he wasn’t expecting to see his name on the team roaster.  So he was thrilled to see his name at the top of the list!  Then in an aside he mentioned he didn’t realize the list was in alphabetical order.

He started every game that year.  You see, he still didn’t play very well, and he was still very awkward.  He was over six foot five.  But the coach played to his strength.  He started, he won the jump ball every time.  Then the coach did a sub and he sat on the bench the rest of the game.  However, that was all it took, he was needed, he loved the game.  He went on to become an elite player and played for one of the best teams at the time in the MBA.

He dreamed that he was Dr. J.  So his first MBA game, Dr. J was there, and welcomed him into the MBA.  It was Thurl’s job to guard Dr. J.  He told us that he held him to 47 points that game.  He wasn’t going to let him get 50!

He talked about other things, but the point that came to my mind was he didn’t give up on his dream.  He spent many hours on his dirt court practicing and doing all that he could so he could be good enough to play.  A coach saw his drive, and that he was a natural, if he would take the time to work with him. 

So take your good talents, your strengths, the things that you love and keep going.  Get the Nay Sayers out of your life.  If you have to deal with them, find a way to keep them from deflating you, keep them from beating you down.

I am here, cheering for you.  What is it you love?  What are you doing to be successful, what stories inspire you?  I’d like to hear about them.

When Your Best Isn't Good Enough

image from
 http://www.stress-management-for-peak-performance.com/definition-of-stress.html

I try to do my very best when I do things.  There is just a great feeling when you spend the day outside in the yard, cutting the grass, pulling weeds, edging the driveway and walks, trimming back the bushes.  I love to step back and look at the yard after a day like that.  Just a great feeling.

I also strive to do a great job with most everything I do, including my job.  The Job is important.  It takes care of my family, and my future.  So I give it my best.

Typically your best is acceptable, and appreciated.  However, what happens when you are giving your best, doing your best, your honest best, and it still isn’t good enough?

I have worked for a company for the last four and a half years, almost five years.  I am on time, and giving my best.  However, my supervisors would nit pick everything.  They would always, and this is no exaggeration, every time I had an interaction with my supervisors, there was something I wasn’t doing right.

One day I was really frustrated with my situation. I asked myself this question, “What do you do when your best isn’t good enough?”

I couldn’t answer the question.  I am not a quitter.  I reached inside myself for more.  I tried to find ways to cover the growing demands.  Yet at the end I would find myself wondering what to do, my best just wasn’t good enough.

I’d go back and look for inspirational stories about people who overcame obsticals, who were able to succeed at achieving their dreams.  I heard about folks who just didn’t give up, or wouldn’t give in, or refused to back down.

I’d go in and work at my job some more, putting in more hours, working to motivate my people, try and do everything my supervisors were telling me to do, and again, my best wasn’t good enough.

I was stressing out.  I realized I wasn’t the boss.  My customers had complaints, my crew was never happy with their schedules and work hours, my managers tried, but ultimately I had to meet the deadlines, and the buck stopped with me.  My supervisors kept adding things to my long list of responsibilities.  Everyone else was my boss, and I was not in control of my life, or my situation.  It didn’t matter how I tried to be more positive, more energetic, it wasn’t enough. 

I was stressed.  I was frustrated. I was unhappy.  Life was not good.  I was miserable.  I felt overwhelmed and trapped.  I stopped trying to do the things I liked in an effort to make things better with a situation at work.  I reached a crisis in my life.  All I was doing was working, trying to improve the job situation.  As my readers know, I stopped blogging, I stopped writing, I stopped doing everything I enjoyed doing.  My family life suffered, my marriage suffered, my kids had a very grumpy dad, and they didn’t want to do things with me.  I was spiraling downward.

I stopped and asked myself again, “What do you do when your best just isn’t good enough?”

Find some place else that will appreciate your best.  If my best isn’t good enough, then it is time to move on.

I’ve been blogging about time management, about motivational ideas, about improving your life and your outlook.  Many of these posts have been for me.

So I spent a long time looking for something else, and with the poor economy it has been a struggle.  But I kept at it.  It paid off.  I found a new job.  I gave my two-week notice, and continued to do my best during those two weeks, even if it was lost on my supervision, my own code of ethics wouldn’t let me do any less.

The payoff came on the 31^st of July.  I was in bed by 10 PM, not up until 3 am doing inventory at the old job.  I was able to get out of bed at 6:30 in the morning of the 1^st of August, and go to my new job rested, and ready to work.

My new boss is more of a partner and we are working together, he listens to my ideas, some are implemented, my advice is sought and used.  Things are much better now.  Not perfect, still have long hours and such, but a huge improvement.  I am smiling a lot more now, and my energy levels are coming back up to where they used to be.

My family and friends have noticed the difference.  People have commented on how much better I look.  I feel great.  My energy levels are bouncing back.  I even feel good enough to return to the blogging sphere and begin again.  Over time I should be able to juggle things in life again.  I am still careful, but the clouds have lifted and the sun is shining in my life again.

So when your best isn’t good enough, go somewhere else.  Sometimes staying the fight isn’t the best idea.  I am not saying be a quitter, but if you are honestly doing the very best you can and it isn’t working take a step back and reconsider your options.  My new spot is better than the last. 

Since I’ve a new job now I’m not very sure how things are going to shake out as far as my schedule will go.  I do plan on writing on this blog once again, but there may be a few weeks before I get this back on track. 

Thanks everyone for your patience with me, and for all of your support.  It has been a great help.

Thank you.

BRoP Interview with Aaron Dennis Part V

Today guest is Aaron Dennis.  I'll let him introduce himself:

I’m Aaron Dennis, creator of the Lokians science fiction series. I’ll let you guess how old I am. I’ve only been writing since early 2011, and published since August 2012, but I came out like a bat from hell. Not out like out, but like out of nowhere…At any rate, everything you need to know about me is available on my website www.dennisauthor.com  Like Lokians on facebook or baby leopards will loose their spots. * * Disclaimer, Aaron is literally nuts *

Part 1 @ Terri - May 29th

Part 2 @ Teresa - May 30th

Part 3 @ Emily - May 31st

Part 4 @ Sandra - June 3rd

Part 5 @ Dean - June 4th

Section #5: Words of Wisdom

1. Tell us about your route to success – where there any bumps and bruises along the way?

I’m still far from successful. I have 4 published novels, and many short stories, but until I no longer need a part time job to help with the bills, I am not successful. It will happen for me though. I just need to keep trying. So, that’s my advice to people; you can’t achieve what you don’t strive for. Simple, right? If you don’t keep trying, you’ll never get there.

2. Why did you decide to go with an indie publisher? Did you use/do you have an agent?

I went with an indie publisher because my contract states that they get first dibs on a series. I don’t have an agent, or maybe I do….it depends when this thing goes public. I’m working on landing an agent because I need to promote my books as films, and RSA Films told me if I had an agent, they’d be interested…so…you know. Obviously, I need an agent.

3. What are the most important elements of good writing?

Readability. It’s a word I like to believe I created. By readability, I mean the story needs to flow well. This is a multi-faceted concept, and I won’t dive into an explanation here, suffice it to say, your audience needs to enjoy reading the book. Not everyone likes action. Not everyone likes romance, but everyone likes a story that flows well.

4. What tools are must-haves for writers?

A command of the language in which the story is written, and a degree of creativity. Let’s be honest for a moment. Every concept has been portrayed at this stage of the game, so it’s the way one portrays said concept, which makes it original. I’m reminded of the South Park skit, Simpson’s did it, but it was ok, because everything’s been done by now. Just do it your way. YOLO. Apologies…..

5. Do you have any advice for other writers?

If you are creative, keep going. If you aren’t…maybe you should stop, or ghost write.

6. What do you feel is the key to your success?

Again, I’m yet to be successful, by my standards, but I’d say my people skills. What good is the greatest book if no one reads it? I like to build contacts. Go socialize. Have a drink or 7.

Website: www.dennisauthor.com

Blog: www.authaarondennis.wordpress.com

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/lokians

Goodreads author page: I don’t know but it’s there somewhere….just look for Lokians

Twitter: @authaarondennis

Amazon: again…just type in Lokians

Smashwords: this is available on my site. J

Other:

What format is your book(s) available in (print, e-book, audio book, etc.)?

I think Epub and PDF, but I convert it to Mobi and whatever else

One final note I want to add…I was drinking when I answered these questions shhhhh