"Hello, Is Anybody Out There?"
" It's Not All Glitz and Glamour"
"Hello, Is Anybody Out There?"
By Judi Lynne
The secretary closed the book and signed the minutes for the last meeting: Respectfully Yours. She placed the notebook on the shelf and walked out of the chapter meeting room. These were literally the last minutes, the last minutes of the last meeting of the last RWA chapter. Members had been warned; they didn’t believe it could happen. But it did. The last existing chapter could no longer function with only six active members. To keep the chapter alive, the current officers had traded positions more times than they could remember. Burn out had taken all the officers had left to give. They had begged members to volunteer, but no one did. They had no other choice but to disband the chapter just as all the other chapters had.
Think it couldn’t happen? Throughout the country, Boards of Directors are beating their heads against the wall to figure out what to do. They have tried workshops, open houses, guest speakers, and informative meetings. But still, no one participates; no one volunteers. Your local and online RWA officers will fight to keep their chapter alive and off life support, but they can’t do it alone. They need help. Your help.
Members are the heart and soul of an RWA chapter, but their lack of participation is cutting off the chapter’s lifeblood. I’ve seen it on the different Yahoo loops I belong to. “Would anyone like to judge in our contest?” The cry goes out across the lines to our emails: “We need articles for our newsletter? Are there any volunteers to chair this committee?” And still, no reply. Just an echo, just the same phrase repeated over and over until it become a buzz that is easily ignored.
And how do you fit in this scenario? Are you a member giving the time you can to keep your chapter alive, or are you the one armed with negative thoughts and indifference stabbing at your chapter every moment you can? “No, I can’t judge; I don’t know how.” But there are classes; experienced judges willing to share their expertise. “No, I don’t have that much time.” Or maybe, “I can’t write an article for the newsletter, everyone will see it.” This one always makes me scratch my head. But you’re a writer; aren’t you writing so that everyone can see it?
If a stranger would ask you about the chapter or chapters you belong to, could you tell them what they do or have done? Or do you just exist in the chapter? Have you joined more chapters than you can remember because those credentials look good in your query letter? I’ve heard it over and over. “Oh, I just joined because they have a really good conference I like to attend, and it’s a good way to get an editor or agent appointment.” Or maybe this rings a bell: “I only joined so I wouldn’t have to pay the full fee for the contest. I never planned on helping out.” If these sound familiar, maybe you are deadweight, the flotsam that survivors have to shake off in order to keep their head above water. The point of volunteer organizations is VOLUNTEERING.
Your chapter needs your help. Find a way to lend your support that best suits your schedule. Your chapter has so many volunteer opportunities, everything from hospitality, to giving speakers rides to the meeting, to organizing events, to sending out email messages. Being too busy is not a credible excuse. Everyone pursing a writing career is busy. We all have families, careers, other obligations, but by joining this organization you indicated this was important to you. So follow by sharing your time or talents. Be the life preserver and not the deadweight.
Take advantage of the meetings, workshops offered, guest speakers’ chats, and informative loops or bulletin boards. As writer’s we shell out a lot of money to grow our careers, whether we are multi-published or aspiring authors. Get your money’s worth from your investment in RWA. Your chapter’s officers are doing all they can to meet the needs of its members. What are you going to do to help?
Become involved. Volunteer. Contribute to the growth and life of your chapter. Be a positive force and grow with the challenges of your organization. Show strength of character, and you might just find untold rewards. Take a moment to reflect on how you can help, then communicate your willingness to help. Be a real life heroine who rises to meet the needs of her chapter. Make this journey count. Make your chapter count.
It’s Not all Glitz and Glamour
By Judi S. FadeleyFlashes popping around me. Lines of people wrapping around the corner. Fans yelling my name in a crowd. Scribbling my name across the front page of a book. Ah-h-h-h, those are the moments of which authors dream. But those are only moments in an author’s life. Whether an author is famous or not, most days are filled with times that are not so glamorous. I have created a list of the ten most unglamorous parts of being a writer.
10. Research. Every writer does some type of research for a novel. It may be something simple as the type of engine a motorcycle may have or something as difficult as the type of clothing worn during the Victorian Era in England. Readers want accuracy and putting a bathroom in a medieval castle would definitely cause any editor to raise an eyebrow and question the professionalism of that writer.
9. Loneliness. No one can exist in a vacuum, but many writers must write in one. I must sit alone in my room with no distractions. I can’t pay attention to the phone ringing, the television playing in another room, or the cry of the cookies from the cookie jar. I must sit and write, alone. My only company is the radio playing soft tunes in the background.
8. Post-its. I have these pieces of paper everywhere—on the back of big sheets of paper, stuck on my wall, stuck on the computer, and stuck on me. Many times I have a piece of paper with just a few words on it. The sad part about it is I sometimes have no idea what I meant when I wrote it down. I keep paper and pencil with me at all times. I have one piece of paper with the words “behead him” on it. I’m really not sure which book this belongs to, but I keep the piece of paper hoping one day I will have the chance to behead someone in my manuscript.
7. Plotting. I know there are some people who write by the seat of their pants. I’m not one of them. I like to plan everything out. I have to know what is coming next in the book. At times this can be quite tedious, but it is a part of my writing method.
6. Edits and deadlines. Yuk. I believe that one word sums that up. Working full time and writing when I can, editing and deadlines are sometimes more difficult.
5. Nitwits. Sometimes I have encountered people who haven’t a clue about what writing is all about. They assume a person can write a book overnight, and it gets published in about two months. I even have a fellow teacher who says to me each time I see her, “I have a great story about my life. Would you write it for me?” I just return a blank stare and keep on going.
4. Terrible publisher. I went down that road with my first book. I want to warn all of you who aren’t published yet. Make sure you go with someone who is supportive of his/her authors, is reputable, and helps with promotion.
3. Ebay. Have you found your book on ebay? Do you wonder what that person was thinking by putting it on sale at half-price? I thought people kept the books they bought. I guess not.
2. Blank screen. I’ve done this numerous nights. I look at that white computer screen for minutes at a time. Minutes soon turn into hours. Nothing is flowing. No thoughts are swirling about in my mind. So, at that point I may have to refer back to number nine and the cookie jar. I think it is a scientific fact that cookies make ideas flow better.
1. Rejections. Whether it is a proposal from a seasoned author or the PRO member still trying to get her first call, rejections are common place. Some are very biting and cut to the quick. I feel my outer shell growing tougher with each one. Others are form rejection letters, which become part of my huge rejection folder. The ones I “treasure” the most are from editors or agents who make suggestions. At least I know they read it and found something worthwhile to comment about.
Writing is not as easy as some people perceive. But no matter, it is the one profession we have chosen. And we will continue to write and do our very best, even if the times are not always as enthralling as others believe.
