​At this month’s AAG meeting at Shoney’s in Abingdon, we tried something a little different that I think most of our members would find beneficial. Member Jason Houghton recommended that we dedicate some time to our own work at these meetings. A few brave members volunteered their work for discussion, critique, and suggestion. Those volunteers were kept anonymous from the group on hand and we took turns reading from the submissions.
 
The results of this meeting were more than we could have hoped for. After each reading, we spent time discussing the sample, sharing both positive and negative comments. Those comments were noted and left with our guild leader to pass along to those brave enough to submit. It was a great exercise in noting what our strong points are and what we need to work on. To be fair, this kind of meeting requires some thick skin. It’s probably not meant for the writer with a brittle spirit. However, the amount of feedback and perspective can be incredibly valuable if you’re willing to share your work for a group critique.
 
There are some obvious benefits to being a part of a critique circle. For starters, you need this kind of feedback long before you get to the publishing process. The last thing you want to do is put out work that you will regret later. It’s best to catch any problems your work may have with style, pace, and plot before you put it out there for the world to judge. It’s important to note that if you are a part of a group like this, it is important to remember you are devouring the food, not the chef. In other words, critique the writing, not the writer. There is a difference and sometimes that line can get blurred. It’s important to lay down some ground rules before holding a meeting for critical review of a fellow writer. Our AAG group was incredibly thorough in their reviews, but also very sensitive and professional. We’ve all been there and in some ways we were all passing along our reviews the way we would hope to receive honest feedback about our own work.
 
Be on the lookout for future meetings like this. I encourage everyone to join in sometime. If you can’t make the meetings, it might benefit you to connect with a few fellow writers in your area and do the same. It may very well help everyone improve their work. After all, isn’t that our ultimate goal?

A phrase we often hear tossed around about the art of writing is that “rewriting is good writing.” There’s a lot of truth to that statement. First drafts are so rough that even when we try to correct as many mistakes as we write we’ll always find countless mistakes in our spelling and grammar. We’ll spot holes in our story that need to be filled. Editing for content is just as vital as editing for grammar. Between our rough draft and our final draft, there is so much work that goes into the process that the reader never sees.
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One very effective part of the editing process is what is often called a cooling off period. Although some writers prefer to jump into the editing process immediately, it can be more beneficial to your story to step away from your rough draft for a period of time before you revisit it. Give yourself some distance from your story for a few days or a few weeks. When you come back to your project, you’ll be able to see your work with fresh eyes. Self editing is hard enough. Taking some time away from your work before you start editing may make it easier to catch your mistakes and add needed improvements.
 
The benefits of a cooling off period is that you can see your work from a fresh perspective and better see where you need to make improvements or changes to your tone, to see if it is consistent across the entire book or story. Also, it allows you to create some emotional distance from your story. Taking some time away can help you discover better ways to phrase certain sentences or entire paragraphs to better resonate with your readers. Reading your work out loud is also a good way to spot those confusing sentences and phrases as well as spelling errors. 

​As writers, we are always in search of a good story to tell, something with a lot of moving parts and conflict that relates to our readers. We use our words and our themes to build a connection with our audience. We want that bond to be strong so that they tell others about our work and they keep coming back for more. In order to do this, we need to approach our writing like we would approach cooking our favorite dish. To make it come out just right, we need to put the right ingredients into the mix, and to just the right measure. There are a few key elements we need to toss into our mix to tell the powerful stories that we want to tell.
 
First, your story has to put a face on the theme or issue you are writing about. Having a strong character that represents or stands for something that your reader can relate to is a powerful weapon in your arsenal. Wield that weapon with purpose. When your reader relates to the character in such a way, then that character and their aim also represents them, in a way. If you can touch a reader in such a way, you might have a fan for life.
 
Second, a great story has to tap into emotions. Your story has to trigger some kind of deep emotional response from your readers. You may be looking to incite empathy, sadness, or envy with some scenes. Events that evoke emotional responses weigh heavy on readers and stick with them. A touching heartfelt story is a hard one to forget. For example, if you’ve ever read Tuesday’s With Morrie by Mitch Albom, I’d bet a vital organ that you still remember that powerful story. It is so easy to relate to and nearly impossible to forget.
 
A great story will also connect us to the message you’re trying to get across and make it vitally important. In other words, it hooks us on the level of importance and humanizes us in that way. You may write a story about political or corporate corruption, but you use conflict and action to tug at the better angels in us all. In the end, we may not focus on that corruption but instead we see the need for honesty and integrity, and revisit the values that make us good people. It gives us a peek into our own souls about who we are and what we value. That is powerful indeed. 

​Writer’s block is never fun. The worst part about it is that it usually causes us to procrastinate. That doesn’t help move our story ideas forward. Using the excuse “I’m just too busy” doesn’t cut it anymore either. Let’s face it. Many of us have felt burned out with the craft from time to time. When that happens, writing isn’t as fun and exciting as it used to be. Let me rephrase that. Writing isn’t as fun and exciting as it should be. It’s a lucky thing for us writers that feeling that way doesn’t have to be permanent. There are a few tricks that we can use to make writing fun again. The first thing we have to do is put away everything that we’ve been working on that made us feel this way in the first place.
 
One trick is to put some of our writing into pictures. It doesn’t matter if you can draw or paint, or even if you are not a professional photographer. Have fun with it. After all, we are visual creatures, are we not? Maybe the story you were stuck on takes place in an old house in the middle of nowhere. Well, we are in Appalachia. There are plenty of old houses in the middle of nowhere around here. Take an afternoon to drive down some seldom traveled roads and take photos of the landscape, of old houses, and even a selfie or two. It might remind you of the passion you had for that story when you started writing it.
 
If your current topics have become stale, maybe it’s because you just don’t enjoy the topics so much anymore. That’s okay. We all change and grow. Maybe it’s time to move past that unfinished project. Write something personal instead. Do you have a passion and love for animals? Write about that. Write about how you spent your last vacation. You can also try random writing prompts to spark your spirit. Maybe start with a prompt about why you feel burned out and bored with writing. If you discover through your writing what the root cause is then you can tackle the problem with a lot more clarity.
 
When all else fails, go back to the first thing you ever wrote. Remember how good that felt. What inspired you to put pen to paper? The love of writing is in there, sometimes we just have to work through those slumps to find it again. Even if it means taking a couple of weeks off. It’s like riding a bike. When you haven’t done it in a while you may be rusty, but you never forget that feeling. 

​One of the biggest challenges a writer faces is presenting their work to the public. It’s not easy getting our work out there in front of an audience. There are so many challenges involved, and it’s not the most comfortable thing for many of us to do. In fact, being your own sales team is a scary and daunting task.
 
Many of us just stick with social media and share links to our work, telling people where they can buy it. It’s a lot easier to publicize when you can hide behind a computer. Some of us are comfortable enough to schedule book signings, but even that can be a bit intimidating at times. It’s hard to draw attention to ourselves at a fair or festival. After all, we’re writers. Not carnival barkers!
 
Another venue for our self promotion is radio. However, it’s not easy to get on radio. In fact, I’ve reached out to countless radio stations to promote Revelation Calling. Out of over 500 total contacts, I ended up doing only two radio interviews. It took a lot of time to make that many contacts. In other words, I wasted a lot of time. Video is a great option if you like to use YouTube but there are no guarantees that you’ll get views. Most of mine have had less than ten views despite how many times I’ve shared the videos on Facebook.
 
There is another great option for independent writers, however. (You didn’t really think I was just going to write a blog complaining about the issue, did you?) It might be well worth your while to consider going onto podcasts to talk about your work. For those not familiar with a podcast, it is nothing more than someone that wants to do their own radio show online. There are thousands and thousands of them. Take some time to search for podcasts geared toward writers, especially independent writers or writers in your genre. There are many Appalachian themed podcasts out there. They are just as eager to find guests to come on their shows as you are eager to tell others about your work! Check out the links below. This is from Appalachian Shine and features some of the members of this guild.
 
https://appalachianshine.podbean.com/e/christian-author-connie-wohlford/
 
https://appalachianshine.podbean.com/e/jonathan-swift-and-the-swift-silver-mine/
 
https://appalachianshine.podbean.com/e/kari-kilgore-and-her-connection-to-the-shining/
 
https://appalachianshine.podbean.com/e/appalachian-author-tammy-robinson-smith/
 

The devil is in the details as the old saying goes. Well, for us writers, that is true maybe a little more than half the time. We have it drummed into our heads that when we write we should show, not tell. Why would we write something as simple as “The woman was tired.”? We wouldn’t. We would write “Elizabeth stretched back in her seat and tried to fight back a yawn to no avail.”
 
Telling a story takes a lot of focus. It requires being detailed enough to keep the reader engaged and excited about the pages yet to be turned. However, once we finish our first draft, we quickly realize that although it is important what we put in our story, it is also just as important what we cut out of it. It’s not always easy to decide what to cut out of our story. After all, you may have spent countless hours researching for your book and you’ve learned so much. You want the reader to feel like they’ve learned, too. There’s only one problem with that. Maybe your reader doesn’t care about all of those details.
 
I’ve read my fair share of mysteries and adventures. Although some detail about a gun may be relevant to the story, I don’t care when that gun was invented, what major battles it was used in, or anything about the manufacturer. I also don’t really care for a political opinion on gun rights that the main character inserts. I only care about the details relevant to the scene that make it exciting and keep me wanting more. I’ve seen too many details about guns inserted into so many books that I roll my eyes whenever I see this flaw in storytelling. The details don’t advance the story. It’s nothing more than the author showing off his or her knowledge. It doesn’t even have to be about guns. It can be about anything such as the French Revolution, gardening, or even the proper way a private investigator conducts surveillance. Too many mundane details are irritating to a reader.
 
As we review our work, we can dwindle down these mundane parts by asking ourselves two simple questions. What facts elevate the scene and story? What details distract from the scene and story? Too many of the wrong kind of details can weigh down your story. 

It’s difficult to find someone to read your work and give you feedback before you publish. And those of us that find regular beta readers for our work should consider ourselves fortunate. Beta readers make a serious commitment of time and energy to read your work and provide the suggestions for improvement that we are looking for.
 
First of all, what should we expect from a beta reader? First of all, they aren’t editors. Sure, they may catch spelling and grammar mistakes or point out where we may have drifted in tense and tone, but they aren’t there to edit your work. They are there for a bigger purpose, actually. Beta readers give you something incredibly valuable…their thoughts.
 
They provide you with solid analysis of your work as they are reading through it. Knowing what readers will likely be thinking during certain parts of your story can be vital knowledge to you, the writer. Did your action scenes fall flat? Your beta reader can tell you. Was your romantic angle believable or too steamy? Was the main character not fully developed for the reader to be invested in them or were the supporting characters more interesting than the main character? Did you leave plot holes? What questions remained unanswered for the reader that took away from the experience you tried to deliver with your book? Your beta reader can tell you.
 
It is hard enough for us to edit our own work. We often become so invested in our books that we fall in love with the story that we have already told a hundred times in our head. It can be easy for us to miss these vital parts during our review process. As writers, we have a unique perspective on our work. However, it is not the same perspective that our readers have. A beta reader comes in with a clean slate, which is impossible for the writer to do. They have the perspective of an outsider and will tell you what readers are going to think about your book.
 
For some writers it is hard to take the feedback. Any negative feedback can sometimes feel like criticism. We need to look at this process in a different way. Beta readers aren’t there to criticize your work. They are there to make it better. Having thick skin is sometimes one of most important traits a writer can have. When a beta reader finishes your work and delivers their thoughts and suggestions, take them seriously. Their feedback will help you decide on how you will approach your rewrites and complete a book that you will truly be happy with, one that your readers will love.


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Writing a short story, a book, or even a poem can be a daunting task for seasoned authors. Even the most experienced writers face certain challenges. One of the main goals of a writer is to evoke emotion in their readers. That is much easier said than done. If you’re like me, you’ve poured through countless books on writing and about how to unleash emotion in your story telling, but no matter how many books you read on the topic it never seems to get easier. Maybe the reason is because it’s so hard for many of us to share those most personal moments and lessons that we’ve learned. We value our emotional privacy maybe a little too much.

One thing we want to avoid in our writing is unemotional and dull writing. A story that feels “flat” won’t keep a reader interested for very long, and characters that don’t exhibit honest emotion in the midst of their turmoil will come across more like robots than people. Writing for emotion needs two elements. The first is there needs to be a cause, some sort of event or stimulus that calls for an emotional reaction. The second is a strong character with an honest and believable emotional response. The response has to be well timed, too. A scene that has a subtle stimulus may slip past the reader and the emotional response may be confusing. It’s also important to avoid being cliché or melodramatic in order to seem honest to the reader. After all, honesty in our storytelling is the most vital way we connect with our readers.

If you still have reservations about opening up so much of your emotional and personal side when it comes to your work, perhaps this would be a good time to reflect on the infamous words of Ernest Hemmingway when he said, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
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We have so many great writers in our guild. Feel free to share advice on this topic in the comments below. 

​Q: In your book "My Short and Long-Stemmed Stories" you say it took you 35 years to put this together. Talk a little about the process and what stories in the book stand out most in your memory?
 
Rose: I didn’t plan an anthology of my short stories for many years. In 2012, I published my 50-year collection of poetry in 2 volumes with Create Space (now KDP)
In 2014, I decided to again use them to publish My Short & Long-Stemmed Stories collection. Some of the stories were previously published and/or received awards.
 
The fiction collection includes slice-of-life stories, stories with a “twist” and (metaphysical) science fiction. For instance, “Plowing, Planting, and Planning” follows a Dakota farmer struggling with weather, changed mortgage policies, and his family’s immediate needs. It earned an award in a fiction contest sponsored by the Black Hills Writers Guild (BHWG) in Rapid City, SD.

Why did this city girl decide to write about a farmer? After all, I grew up in the 2nd largest town in SD (Rapid City). West River (west of the Missouri) is primarily cattle country. I moved to East River and attended Dakota Wesleyan University (DWU) in Mitchell, SD. There I earned my BA in English with an emphasis on Creative Writing. In SD, east of the Missouri River is predominantly corn and wheat region (i.e. farming).

I didn’t specifically know what it was like to be a farmer. However, when my husband and I moved to an east river location (Mitchell, SD), I often pondered owning a piece of land in the country. I got a taste of East River living. Before our move we had some experience growing food in a large garden, bred rabbits, and gathered eggs from our laying hens. All this was within a block away from I-90! My experience on agriculture before moving to farm country at that point was about ranchers like my homesteading paternal grandparents, and my father working as a ranch hand. He saved up his meager pay to buy a few heads of cattle only to lose his small herd in the blizzard of ’49 (1949). This story was born in my imagination in a region of farmers. I knew there would be similar hardships and heart-wrenching decisions. My knowledge still makes the story believable.

The longest story “Ridin’ Easy” is about a novice female reporter being assigned to a Harley Davidson biker fresh out of jail. He introduced her firsthand to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Her editor hoped she would write a frightening firsthand experience in order to discourage readers’ attendance at annual Rally events. I attended a couple of the rallies and was acquainted with Harley riders. I imagined the story in a setting with which I was familiar.

In 2011, another story Giant Thinking won 1st place at Northeast State Community College and was published in their Echoes and Images anthology. It’s about a little girl manifesting a sleeping giant by thinking of him.  Her imagination caused distress for her parents and the next door widow. This is a metaphysical short story.

My other stories provide a peek into a variety of family lives and their situations: Some stories have been described as having an O’Henry twist. Plot lines include a toddler not understanding her father’s death, a grandmother touring a tattoo parlor with her teenage granddaughter, a crippled girl at the bowling alley, a couple fighting over an online solitaire gambling site, and an elderly mother trapped in her own mind in a retirement home ‘prison’. If I didn’t compile the collection the stories would still be collecting dust in my file cabinet. Fortunately, about that time I was involved with the Writers Circle at the Johnson City Senior Center. Rosemarie Shields, Professor Emerita, English and Humanities, at Milligan University led the group, encouraged me, and reviewed my collection.
 
Q: You've been writing poetry for over fifty years. What sparked your interest in poetry in the first place and what inspires you most when it comes to writing poetry?
Rose: Time sure flies. It’s now been almost 60 years since I started writing poetry in 1962!

My fifth grade teacher Mrs. Speakman encouraged me to write. She also impressed on me that spelling was very important when she noticed I misspelled ‘stupid’ as ‘stuped.’

My high school Creative Writing instructor Myrna Haight encouraged me in the class exercises and introduced me to the Black Hills Writers Group. The group encouraged my writing efforts in both poetry and prose. I entered the SD State Fair in Huron, SD and Central States Fair in Rapid City, SD competitions and won awards.

My English advisor and Creative Writing instructor at Dakota Wesleyan University Dr. Mary Weinkauf really cemented my love of the poetic arts. Lewis Turco’s “The Book of Forms: A Handbook of Poetics was our text. For that semester, Dr. Weinkauf stated for a “C” we needed to write 40 poems. Then she challenged us to contract how many poems for a higher grade. I determined I would attempt to write 60 poems for an “A”. The saving grace of my ‘contract’ was that those poems needed to try many forms of poetry. They did not need to be great works. I particularly loved syllabics and her many examples in class.  I started to fast right my poetry to meet my goal and discovered what a wonderful starter tool that is. She also introduced me to the South Dakota State Poetry Society (SDSPS) which was, and is, an affiliate of the National Federation of Poetry Societies (NFSPS). I was too intimidated at first to join them. NFSPS also is the parent affiliate of Poetry Society of TN and PST-NE the local group I founded in Tri-Cities of TN.
 
My inspiration for poetry comes from so many avenues I couldn’t say it would be from one source. I’m not listing these in any order of preference and the following list is not all-inclusive: workshop prompts, contest themes, the natural world, family, relationships, humor, religion, reading others’ poetry and on and on. When I first retired, I desktop published a collection of religious and spiritual poetry with photographs I’d taken in my travels. The second desktop chapbook was of daily walks in a park near my home in Greenbelt, MD. It also was illustrated with photographs taken in Schrom Hills Park. The poems were later inserted into my two-volume Pastiche of Poetry published in 2012. I did not include the color photographs from the desktop version. Someday, I may re-publish an illustrated edition for both God, My Greatest Love Schrom Hills Park, and a new one Barn Charm.
 
Q: In God, My Greatest Love you share poems that were all religiously inspired. In the end you finish with a section of your prayers. How has faith directed your writing work over the years?
Rose: I’ve been involved in Christianity since I was a child at the 1st Congregational Church in Rapid City, SD. I embraced the Lutheran philosophy in my 30’s and continue as a member in Our Saviour Lutheran Church (OSLC) today in Johnson City, TN. I interviewed member families for a spotlight in their newsletter New Sense. At that church, I also contributed “Roses of Motherhood” a poem of stages of motherhood from bud to potpourri. It was printed in A Mother’s Tribute for a Mother’s Day brochure given to the church’s mothers. I also contributed to a Lenten devotional and contributed several religious poems to the publication Common Ground Herald.

I expanded my spiritual beliefs beyond those written in the Bible and believe there are more cosmic connections than those written by a patrilineal society who determined which experiences and history to include and which to edit. It’s a great example of “losing something in translation.” I’m always fascinated by the pastors providing historic evidence behind many Bible stories.

Q: Do you find it more difficult to write short stories or poetry, and why? 
Rose: Both are extremely challenging most of the time. Free verse has fewer restrictions but I often gravitate towards formal poetry. They are a stretch of my poetic muscle.
 
Fiction’s challenges are how to make the story both believable and engaging for the reader.
 
Q: If you could give advice to fellow writers, especially younger ones, about finding inspiration and writing poetry, what would you tell them?
Rose: This is more general advice: Don’t stop learning the craft of writing through writers groups and workshops as well as formal education. Enter contests because your success will provide confidence to enter the competitive publishing world. Even if aspiring writers need to work for a living, I suggest they set aside regular time to write, engage with other writers, attend workshops, enter contests, submit to smaller journals and online publications. Build up confidence and experience before tackling more prestigious publications.
 
My one regret is that I did not pursue my ambition to earn an MFA in creative writing from Iowa State University. But I had no tuition money and didn’t feel confident about earning a scholarship. I’d recommend young aspiring authors/poets to find mentors and at least one critique group that can gently assist you without killing your creativity or natural voice.

​Whether you are writing fiction or non-fiction, most of us rely upon research as a big part of our writing process. Our guild has no shortage of members that have taken up the task of significant amounts of research to gather information about their topic before the actual writing process even starts. This past week at our monthly meeting, Dan Swanson, author of Benjamin’s Journey: An Appalachian Memoir conducted a very helpful workshop on research and research methods.
 
Dan has spent countless hours, years in fact, researching his family history in order to write such a captivating memoir. He explains that writing about history, especially family history, is like putting a puzzle together. The more doors you open, the more questions you end up having. “There is a certain degree of madness involved in this process,” he says half jokingly. “Not only is researching your family tree for a work like this very humbling and thought provoking, but it can also be frustrating,” he goes on to say.
 
The research, as Dan explained, can be broken down into two types, primary and secondary. Primary research is very hands on such as conducting interviews and traveling to find locations that are relevant to his topic. In Dan’s case, it was tracing the family tree from Appalachia, across the country, and back again. Secondary research, although just as vital, can be very time consuming. This encompasses all of the historical research. These days, thanks to the internet, most of this can be done online but it will also mean spending time in the library and digging through books that can’t be accessed online.
 
If you’re writing a family history, he suggests websites such as findagrave.com and familysearch.org.
 
Our guild has been fortunate to have had so many great speakers this year and we are excited about the lineup for 2022. Stay tuned to the guild’s website for information on upcoming events.