When that horrible little demon – the one that whispers in our ear that our work is not good, that we’re foolish to think we’re writers, that that comma shouldn’t go there – rears his head, most of us simply accept his presence. He’s such a common companion for most of us that we almost don’t know how to write without him. I’ve taught courses on how to beat the demon, I’ve implemented strategies from experts on how to beat the demon, I’ve raged against the demon.

Sometimes with success.

A little over a year ago, literary agent Caryn Karmatz Rudy, from the DeFiore and Company literary agency, offered to represent my novel. What a blessing – how fortunate I am!! – that such a gifted agent thinks there’s potential in my work. For the first time, my demon was silent.

Eager to dig in and incorpate Caryn’s brilliant suggestions, during this past year I’ve rewritten the entire manuscript once – badly – and tried on new openings multiple times. With each pass, my demon grew. Finally, in December, I completed a new opening chapter that works! Then it was time to take that momentum and ride it as I began working on the rest of the revisions for the novel.

But I was so concerned about the demon’s return, that I knew I needed to break pattern.

So I’ve rented a small rental apartment in Manahattan Beach, California in hopes that a fresh, new setting will help me push past my quite unwelcome sense of writer’s doubt.

In the week or so that I’ve been here, I’ve watched surfers dance atop breaking waves; I’ve seen beach volleyball  played with near competition level skills; I’ve laughed at dolphins as they played and skimmed the ocean surface. I haven’t paid bills, done laundry nor dishes, nor juggled any responsibilities except my own writing needs. These include, of course, long walks at sunrise and sunset. Reading masterpieces by other writers (currently catching up with the new Joshilyn Jackson). Lots and lots of creamy lattés – with real sugar, not the low-cal substitutes that leave a funky aftertaste. And falling in love again with my own characters and my own story.

Wow. Falling in love with my own characters. Probably the best way of all to fight the demon.

Did I need to travel across the country to do this? Probably not. The secret is in the notion of retreat – a chance to regroup and rechannel lost focus, push the doubt further away. Maybe next time it can be a visit to a park, a museum, a coffee shop.

For now, though, my demon is retreating with the evening’s tide.

Writer Flip Kobler and me

Okay, there were thousands of people, not just me, at the AWP – plus I attended the event with my favorite writer in the whole world, and yeah, he also happens to be my  brother, Flip Kobler – but the entire conference was still such a personal experience that this posting title just fits.

Non Fiction Writer Ann Beman with Fiction Writer & Book Review Editor Joe Ponepinto

For anyone unfamiliar with the organization, AWP (which stands for The Association of Writers & Writing Programs) is a national, nonprofit literary organization for teachers and writers. As an organization, it publishes The Writer’s Chronicle, the AWP Job List, and the AWP Official Guide to Creative Writing Programs.  It also holds an annual conference and bookfair; each year this conference/bookfair is held in a different region of North America in order to “celebrate the outstanding authors, teachers, writing programs, literary centers, and small press publishers of that region” (Ann Beman – Ann blogged about the conference, which you’ll find HERE).

Lori A. May showcasing her new book!

As far as a recap of the conference, well, I think others have already recapped it beautifully. But in keeping with my personal experience, I’d be remiss not mention that the sessions/panels I attended were incredibly helpful; the offsite events I attended were outright awesome; and even the little bit of table-manning I did one morning for writer Lori A. May was deliciously fun! (I got to spend a few hours with poet extraordinaire Millicent Borges Accardi – and purchase an autographed copy of her new book!)

A highlight for me was seeing some of my old Whidbey friends, whom I’ve sorely missed. Just a few who brightened my days include Kathleen Alcalá, Kelly Davio, and Joe Ponepinto.

So this all sounds like a whole lot of craziness and business and schedules-to-keepness. And it was.

But what brought it home for me – that “and me” as mentioned above – is I got to hang around my favorite thing: WORDS. People who write them, editors who tweak them, publishers who bind them, books that hold them.

Inspirational? Oh, yeah.

This weekend I attended an event held by the Northwest chapter of Mystery Writers of America – the topic was ” Blogging, Social Media and Website Strategies for Writers” – and had an incredible afternoon.

Yes, the presenter, Michael Wolf, was really great.  Though I have actually attended seminars with this same topic, I learned new – applicable – information.  I walked away with a few pages of notes that I can start using.  Like right now.

Awesome, that.

The icing on this fattening cake (the event was held at the Old Spaghetti Factory – carb castle) was the networking taking place.  I met MANY local writers who made me feel welcome.  They shared their successes – yes, successes! – in this somewhat scary publishing environment.  You want inspiration?  There’s nothing more inspirational than that.

The moral of this story is the same one I’ve posted before – GET OUT THERE!  Don’t stay in your writing cave – find events to attend.  Support your local writing organizations, your local writers.  You’ll tap into that much-needed inspiration we all need and have fun doing it!

This is an unusual posting for me – I’m writing about the very personal. But someone once said, “If you don’t create change, change will create you,” and I believe change is inspirational.

This month my husband, Art, embarked on a great journey of change: he retired from his position as Vice-President/General Manager of the Pacific Northwest for McDonald’s Corporation. He was in charge of six areas (including Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and northern California) and was doing very well. He began his career as a crew person – yep, flipping burgers  – while in college 34-years ago; he loved it so much, he never left. Just grew with the company.

Art saying some words of good-bye at his going away party

It would require pages and pages of writing to encompass what he accomplished during his tenure – and this is not the venue for that. Instead, I’m writing today to talk about being the change you want to be – Art has decided he wants to become a McDonald’s owner/operator and, in essence, begin a new segment of his career.  In other words, he’s creating his own change. His own new beginning.

Amazing.

As I look at my writing life, and try to find inspiration to muddle along every day and crank out those words, those sentences, those pages, I realize that sometimes the most inspiring thing may be sitting beside us. May be holding our hand as we watch a Sunday football game.

Here’s hoping you find similar inspiration…

Graduates (Left-to-Right): Carol Frischmann, me, Frances Wood

The letters M.F.A. can now be added after my name – long time coming and very fantastic! Does that mean I’m a better writer? God I hope so.

But whether or not I am, doesn’t affect my take away from the entire MFA experience. From its low-residency component to its high-caliber instructors – not to mention the fabulous fellow-students/writers I’ve had a chance to toil beside – it’s been  a ride well worth taking. It’s one I already miss and it’s only been two days!

With Keynote Speaker Elizabeth George

As far as graduations go, this one soared (of course there’s no prejudice here at all). New York Times best-selling author, Elizabeth George was the keynote and she was fantastic! Inspiring and encouraging while also spurring us on by reminding us of the discipline it takes to see our writing through. Indeed, she charged us with the responsibility to do so – and since she lives that talk, it makes it more inspiring to try and live up to that charge. I am so grateful for her generous spirit not only for this keynote, but for all she has done for the newly, fully-accredited, MFA program with NILA.

As the day approached, the weather called for rain. I fretted over that fact since much of the after-festivities were planned for outdoors (“festivities” included mingling with friends and taking photographs!). Of course, I also worried that rain could affect the mood/tone of the day. Mother Nature changed her mind…

Wow - husband and son surround me - what a fantastic feeling!

The brightest moment of the entire affair happened when my oldest son made a surprise appearance (younger son tried to come, too, but couldn’t get off work). There I was, already excited and thrilled about, well, everything. Turns out, that was only the half of it. Nothing can top such an outpouring of love. Nothing.

So the sun decided to shine, after all.

Beach near Coupeville on Whidbey Island

This week at my final residency, I’ve been surrounded by inspiration every time I’ve turned around. It’s been with fellow students (amazing writers all!!!), instructors (today I had to say a grateful goodbye to poet/publisher/editor Kate Gale – what a godsend she is!), and even on a mussel-strewn beach littered with driftwood.

For today, that’s all I have to share – a hint of inspiration from a sea worn log. It just doesn’t get any better.

I’m thrilled to share a Q&A with Kaye Linden, Bacopa Literary Review‘s Editor-in-Chief. Kaye, with her recently completed MFA in fiction from NILA, is currently working on a thesis collection of fifty mind-bending Australian tales, set in the magical urban sanctuary of “Ma’s Place.” Her short stories and flash fictions have appeared numerous times in The Raven Chronicles, Expressions Magazine, Breves no tan breves, Whispers from the Unseen: Journal and Forum for Writing in the Arts, Soundings Review, Bacopa Literary Review and The Camel Saloon.

Adding to her already full schedule, Kaye has taken on the position of  Editor-in-Chief for the Writers’ Alliance of Gainesville‘s publication: Bacopa Literary Review, a print journal of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Let’s see what she has to say!

Q:  Can you introduce yourself and briefly tell us a bit about yourself?

I have completed the MFA in creative writing at NILA but I am still working on the thesis – a collection of mythological short stories set in the Australian suburbs.  Currently, I have the honor of working as Editor-in-chief of the Bacopa Literary Review.  My home is Gainesville, Florida, where there exists a large support network for writers of all genres.

Q.  When was the Writers Alliance of Gainesville (WAG) formed and what is its primary focus?  How long have you been a member?

WAG was formed some years ago by a group of dedicated writers – among them professors and teachers.  These people worked hard to offer writers support through such means as newsletters, monthly lectures and talks, submission leads, genre critique pods, as well as speaking and volunteer opportunities.  (We are currently creating a national model for working with homeless veterans who have created some inspirational pieces of writing.)    I joined WAG two years ago, shortly after I moved here from South Florida.

Q.  When did WAG launch its Bacopa Literary Review – and what was the inspiration behind this writers’ organization launching its own review?

We launched it one year ago.  The writers’ organization felt that they could help fund a journal that offered writers everywhere an opportunity for general submissions and for contest money in a lovely print journal.  This is not just a local journal.  We are a solidly founded project that aims to be around for a long time, with both a print and an online presence. The goal is to provide all writers equal opportunity for publication, without bias and without judgment.  The writing speaks for itself.

Q.  As its new Editor-in-Chief, what is your short – and long – term vision for the journal?

My short- term vision is to build on the fantastic foundation that the writers spearheaded last year. I am still learning the ropes as I just came into the position this year.  We wish to raise the standard of the journal to a high professional level that will include writers and readers from all over the world.  Right now, we are receiving numerous submissions from overseas and I am pleased to see that.  I wish to expand the scope of the journal to eventually include Young Adult and perhaps some experimental writing, but that would be down the line. We have our desks full for right now.  The Bacopa board works as a team and such choices would have to be a team decision. I can only suggest and offer chocolate…

Q.  Are you actively seeking new writers?

Absolutely.  They stand an excellent chance of publication with Bacopa.

We are all writers, some beginning, some famous.  We really don’t pay attention to whether someone is well published or not. As I said, the writing speaks for itself.

Q. What words of advice can you give folks who’d like to submit?

Follow the guidelines, read your work out loud before submitting (to catch little errors) and just submit.  You have an excellent chance for publication in our Review.

Q.   Any other comments?

Yes.  I see a lot of simple errors in otherwise well-written work. These errors can make the difference between publication or not.  We do not edit.  If you read aloud, you will catch errors that otherwise might go unnoticed in a silent read.   Please submit.   We especially need short fiction and non-fiction for the current general submission period.

Visit us at : http://www.writersalliance.org/bacopa.html

Thanks so much, Kaye. Good luck to Bacopa and you as your journeys continue!!!

So many things have been happening! So much that it’s been tough finding a minute to post. Normally, each of these things would have earned its own post; instead, I’m lumping ‘em all together here.

Probably the coolest thing for my writing career is my thesis for my MFA was completed – and it was signed off by both my adviser and award-winning author, Kathleen Alcalá, and 2nd reader, NY Times best-selling author, Joshilyn Jackson. My official graduation is this coming August. Guess it’s time to breathe now…

Then, exciting news about the successful fund-raising event I hosted for the Whidbey Island Writers’ Conference (WIWC). The high tea atmosphere was the perfect setting for the Silpada Jewelry show. Our Silpada representative,

Whidbey Island's Deception Pass

Melinda Messer, donated 100% of the event’s proceeds to WIWC – which equated to $1500! Wow! Special people like Melinda are rare treasures, indeed. She rocks it! Melinda, if you’re reading this, know how grateful I am – as well as everyone associated with WIWC.

More great news is my brother, writer Flip Kobler, came to spend time with me here in the Pacific Northwest. We had an opportunity to talk writing and attend the Chat House Mini-Conference, hosted by WIWC. Boy, I’d missed him! If you get a chance to attend any of the writing events hosted by WIWC, be sure to go; they’re amazing. And if you have the unique opportunity to either see one of Flip’s plays – or mount one yourself – don’t miss that chance!

The last piece to this hodgepodge post is my short story, Flying for Food, has been published in the most recent issue of Hunger Mountain - the VCFA journal of the arts. Hunger Mountain is one of my favorite journals, so having a piece published there is a true highlight in my career.

Phew. See? Lots of stuff going on. And that’s the most inspirational thing of all!!!

So you’re looking for writing inspiration? Check out your local writing community – see if there’s any type of conference or even just a seminar. Sometimes all it takes it getting in there, taking that step into a local bookstore where a guest author is giving a presentation to fledgling writers. It sounds easy, but sometimes taking that step is scary. It’s a commitment to take your own writing seriously.

Where to begin? Start with writers’ organizations – you can go large like MWA (Mystery Writers of America) or RWA (Romance Writers of America) or SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators), to name a few. After joining you can then check out the local chapter’s events. This is one way to go. Another way is to look for writers’ organizations that are geographically set up – like Pennwriters in Pennsylvania, PNWA (Pacific Northwest Writers’ Association) in the Northwest. In some places it’s even possible to narrow the geographical area even further – like SFL (Seattle Freelances) or WIWA (Whidbey Island Writers’ Association), both terrific writing organizations in the Puget Sound area.

If all that sounds daunting, but you’d still like to find inspiration with fellow writers, attend a conference – without joining the organization that sponsors it. Sort of like a test drive. Last weekend I attended a one day mini conference on Whidbey Island and came home so creatively juiced up my fingers haven’t left the keyboard!

If even that feels like too much, perhaps just try to find local writers who are interested in starting a writers’ critique group. Sharing your own work, and honing your craft of both writing and critiquing, is all good.

At the end of the day, the key is to get out there – join – participate in the writing world. There is no down side, just lots of terrific people to meet and things to learn and share. See you in the trenches…

Okay, I’m guilty. Guilty of LOVING – quality – children, young-adult reading stuff.  Doesn’t matter if it’s a great book or graphic novel or magazine or e-zine.

And one of my favorites, COLUMBIAKids, recently earned a Muse Award (a silver- second only to the Smithsonian Museum of American History!). Quite an accomplishment, especially when you consider the fact they’re only two-years old!

So please join me in congratulating editor Stephanie Lile and her hardworking crew, as well as contributing authors. Here’s to another fifty years with as many new awards!

Really, if you haven’t seen an issue, you must click on the photo and scope out their site. With fantastic writers like Newberry Award winner Kirby Larson and local kids’ author Sharon Mentyka (just two of the stellar authors!), this is a must visit.

Congratulations COLUMBIAKids to a terrific award!