Quijano's Words

Baltimore author Fernando Quijano III, who calls himself a word nerd,  spoke about using social media to build a platform and prepare for the publication of your book  at a recent meeting of the Carroll County, Maryland Writers’ Association.

Quijano, who knows how to make words work for him, is president of the Baltimore Chapter of the MWA. His work has been featured in “Welter,” “Smile Hon, You’re in Baltimore” and the poetry anthology, “Life in Me Like Grass on Fire.” He is a columnist for theurbantwist.com and uses twitter, Facebook and his blog, http://thewordpimpspits.blogspot.com. 

Awarded a B grant for his writing by the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund in 2011, Quijano also discussed, the Hampstead Maryland housewife, Sharon Lopatka, who's death was the motivation for his forthcoming novel, Killing Lilith.

Quijano recommends writing short. Writing and publication is in transition, he said. The internet is important to writers, for recognition, building a platform and to be taken seriously. He spoke about hash tags, klout perks, blogging and linking accounts. He discussed advertising and other details about using social media.

There are many writing sites out there and they can be very helpful, he said. As far as checking out lots of other writing sites, you must think about cost and benefit. You should ask “What can I get out of it.”

A number of area writers have spoken at the Carroll County writers’ organization during its first two years of existence including B. Morrison, L M Preston, Lois Szymanski, Ally Peltier Machate, Stephanie Dray (Draven),  Laura Shoven, Lynne Shapiro and LeRoy Lad Panek.

This year will end with a humorous presentation by Michele "Wojo" Wojciechowski on Saturday June 8. Wojciechowski writes the humor column WoJo’s World. Her book, Next Time I Move, They'll Carry Me Out in a Box, won an Outstanding Book Award (Lifestyle/Memoir category), from the American Society of Journalists and Authors.

For more information about future Carroll County meetings check out www.mwacarrollcounty.org.

SCBWI Conference Review

Two weeks ago, T. A. Barron, opened the 20^th Anniversary  Conference of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, MD/DE/WV speaking on “the Magic of Words.” With the power of words, authors create new worlds and offer inspiration, he said. Authors must believe in their art and try to find just the right word. Writing can be like weaving, finding different colors and textures. The threads have to fit.  He also gave comparisons to making music and planting a seed.  Barron is the author of the Merlin Saga, which includes 12 books, the Great Tree of Avalon trilogy The Hero’s Trail and many other books. More information and his documentary film about young people, Dream Big, can be found at www.tabarron.com.

Jill Santapolo spoke next on creating realistic, relatable characters. Characters should be interesting, imperfect, vulnerable and kind. She stressed that characters must have goals and motivations: both a plot goal and a heartline or emotional goal. Santapolo is a PenquinGroup Executive Editor and author of several books. She also teaches fiction writing through McDaniel College and is an MFA thesis adviser at The New School.

An agent with Erin Murphy Literary Agency, Ammi-Joan Paquette focused on writing the beginning of a novel. The first sentence should hook the reader and set the tone. The first page is no place for backstory or a lot of scenic description, but should introduce the main character, create story tension and give hints about where the story is going. It is a chance to entice the reader (or editor) to continue reading the first chapter and more. She also stressed preparing a pitch - talking about your book aloud - what is fresh and why it stands out. For more information check out ajpaquette.com. 

Steve Mooser is author of more than 60 books and current president of the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, which he co-founded 40 years ago with Lyn Oliver. He spoke about a different level of literacy and stressed taking creative control of your work. Smart, interactive content is important to compete in the world of websites, blogs and digital books. His Class Clown Academy is a middle grade book and interactive website www.classclownacademy.com.

Illustrator Paul O. Zelinsky gave a guided tour through some of his book projects. Even writers can apply some of the same principles, such as analyzing the values at play, drawing upon your experiences and working with publishers. Illustrators face many of the same challenges as writers and since you may be working on this project for some time, it is important to love your work. His illustrations won many awards including the Caldecott Medal for a retelling of Rapunzel and three Caldecott Honors for Hansel and Gretel, Rumpelstiltskin and Swamp Angel. He shared his ideas and artwork from His Z is for Moose, one of only two 2012 children’s books to receive six starred reviews from the six major review journals

Making sure a picture book isn’t too quiet (one of the main reasons an editor may reject a book) was the subject of Sylvie Frank, an associate editor at Paula Wiseman Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. She stressed structure: beginning, complications, climax, falling action and resolution.  Something new must happen on every spread.

Focusing on the Dos and Don’ts for crafting natural dialogue that flows and keeps readers’ interest was the subject covered by Evelyn M. Fazio, an award-winning publisher who has three decades of book publishing, authored several books herself and now focuses  on YA and middle grade fiction through her agency, EMF Books LLC.  The little details that can make or break a book include balancing sentence length, sounding natural, making it clear who is speaking, making the dialogue match the character’s personality and balancing dialogue and narration.

I tried offering just some information from each of the main speakers. Believe me, lots more detail was provided, with interaction between the speakers and conference attendees.  I also met new writers and connected with friends. Besides being enjoyable, conferences like this, also motivate us to write more and help us write better.

The SCBWI local organization scheduled their annual conference for September 21 and 22 this year. More information is available at www.mddewvscbwi.org/. Check out regional events.

See or Read, Write or Preach

 Recently I went to see the art exhibit Preach! New Works by Jeffrey  Kent and want to communicate, in my style, some of what I saw and felt.

An unusual chair balanced on piles of books was the first thing I saw as I entered the building. Looking at this chair, I felt the longing to read in a restful setting, but although balanced on the books, I questioned whether the life of the person(s) using the chair was balanced. Under the books, covered with a rug, were magazines, one a Playboy magazine. Were they hidden because they were embarrassing or could reveal too much?

Nearby was a water fountain. I remember using these types of fountains and reading that in the south blacks could not use the same fountains as whites. This fountain’s gold color is indicative of its almost religious symbolism in the segregated world.

Moving to the main exhibit upstairs, I noticed that most of the characters in his paintings are blindfolded, representing those who can’t or won’t see what is around them. Kent uses ugly images in his paintings to underscore our country’s ugly history of racism. He links the struggle of black Americans to that of marriage equality. Some paintings include historical photos or drawings: a slave ship, an auction, demonstrations against discrimination, women’s suffrage, proposition 8 controversy.

 

It did help to have an artistic family member with me, my nephew Tyler Farinholt, to explain some of the works. Confused when I saw the word “dementia” spelled backwards, I understood the painting better when told that Kent was dyslexic. He often uses backwards text in his paintings, often in bubbles.  Forwards or backwards, the words and paintings communicate.

My favorites included two chairs representing male and female, husband and wife or master and slave. They may have been important representations of society, but now they were torn and outdated. A suspended broom represents the hurdle some people face (or faced) in having their unions recognized.

I would have understood the paintings much better if I had read the exhibit booklet instead of spending so much time, trying to discover the meanings myself. However, that method did give me a more personal interpretation of the paintings, often close to the written material. The booklet explained little details that I missed at the time.

 Besides our creative instincts, writers and visual artists share the desire to communicate; to share our experiences, thoughts and dreams with others and Kent definitely communicates through his art.

It was a pleasure to meet Kent, who also is the owner of Sub-Basement Artist Studios in Baltimore. If you have an opportunity to see this exhibit, please do. There is so much more to see than I mentioned. It gives you plenty to enjoy and to think about.

The exhibit, open through March 31. Gallery hours are 10 am to 4 pm Mon through Fri and 12 pm to 4 pm Sat and Sun. is at the Frederick Douglass Isaac Myers Maritime Park Museum. You can learn more about the exhibit, organized by the Exhibition Development Seminar of the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), at http://www.preachjeffreykent.com/.

Caring

Caring for my elderly mother for the past several years, I turned to books for information and relaxation as I often do when facing new situations.

Along with The 36-Hour Day by  Nancy L. Mace, M.A., and Peter V. Rabins, M.D., M.P.H.  and the Caregivers’ Support Group of the Bureau of Aging, Passages in Caregiving, Turning Chaos into Confidence by Gail Sheehy , helped me adjust to changes and challenges in my role as caregiver.

I read most of the book more than a year ago and occasionally referred back to it. I was able to relate to the stories of Sheehy’s personal experiences in caring for her husband, Clay Felker (a journalist, editor, magazine pioneer, educator), and the experiences of friends and associates who were “inventive caregivers.”

Luckily, I had a wonderful, busy day with my mother on a recent Tuesday: lunch out and shopping before her blood test at the cuomodin clinic. Then an ice cream sundae afterward. We had a good evening, before she went to bed, early as usual. The next morning, I took my shower, prepared our breakfast and went to call her at 7:00 am. I found her body in bed, but her spirit was gone.

Even with all the preparation and study, I was not ready for this loss. Panic, confusion, despair and a desperate sadness took over. Thank goodness, my brothers and daughter responded quickly to support me. Sister-in-laws, other family members and friends also shared my sadness.

Mom was a happy, active 89 year old, known for her red hair and her smile. She is now at rest, but I still yearn for her presence.  Although caring for her was getting more and more difficult, the love she gave back made it all worthwhile. Books such as Sheehy’s helped me care for my mother and helped make our final years together good ones.

As good as the book was, I couldn’t read Sheehy’s eighth section, “The Long Goodbye,” until after Mom’s death. I wasn’t ready to read the sections on Letting Go, Finding Myself Again, and The Crisis of Impermanance, nor to think about life without Mom. But we can’t play God. No matter what we do, our life can change in a moment.

I would recommend this well written book to anyone providing care for a loved one.  Sheehy is the New York Times bestselling author of Passages, as well as at least 15 other books. Others may find help through this book. At the end are resources and hotlines for caregivers, hospice programs, and palliative care programs.