Women Artists Who Dared to Create From A Room Of Their Own

I want to  dedicate this post to all women, irregardless of whether they’ve been written up in the pages of history books. Women, by their mere existence, create history that is unforeseen and untold every single day that they live and breathe~ so for all women, let me say, Happy Women’s History Month!

The novelist, Virginia Woolf wrote in her famous essay, A Room  of One’s Own, “A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.” Viewed in a broader sense, the essay could reference any author’s need for poetic license and the personal liberty to create their art.

The artists I’ve chosen to honor for Women’s History Month, in essence, created from a room of their own. The “room” for the most part were of their own choosing, but sadly, one  young girl had no say in the literal sense.  Nonetheless, these women (and many more) craved out an impressive body of creative works that became a historical legacy.

Maya Angelou had me at I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. She was brutally raped as a little girl and only shared this secret with her brother, Bailey. When her uncles found out, the molester was killed. Maya did not speak for 5 years, blaming herself for the molester’s murder.

A 13-year-old Jewish victim of the Holocaust… Anne Frank went into hiding from the Germans with her family and another family for two years in a small annex above the office where her father once worked. It’s reported that Anne, her mom and sister died in the concentration camps and only her father would survive to publish her diary, written while in hiding. 

Anne wrote in her diary that she wished her writings to live on in life. How prophetic her words were.

Nikki Giovanni has often been called a “Revolutionary” poet. All I know is her writing are often based on fact and it is those poems that touches the sensibilities of a nation of readers, including myself. A prolific writer, activist and highly guarded educator, Ms. Giovanni is currently a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech.

My very favorite of her many works includes: Those Who Ride The Night Winds, poems about the mass murders of young black boys in Atlanta totaling more than 29 young children killed. Ms. Giovanni poems, in my opinion, are a loving eulogy to the memory of those children.  If you haven’t read any of Nikki Giovanni’s work, you are missing out on one of our greatest literary contributors.

I read Pearl S. Buck’s, The Good Earth in High School. The book introduced me to another culture and people with a different way of living. Although American, Ms. Buck lived in China for a while and associated with Chinese culture and tradition. I was impressed by the humanity of The Good Earth as it relates to a country’s change affecting regular people.

Ms. Buck died in 1973, but her Pulitzer prize novel lives on. 

In another life, I opt to come back as Lorraine Hansberry! Not only was she the first African-American woman playwright, she was the first woman of color to have a play produced on Broadway! A Raisin in the Sun was inspired by Poet Langston Hughes poem, Harlem that asks, ” What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the Sun?”

Ms. Hansberry’s play would later inspire Nina Simone’s song, “To Be Young, Gifted and Black!” You know what they say, “The Play’s The Thing.” Lorraine Hansberry was the “ish” and sadly, gone too soon… The playwright died of pancreatic cancer in 1965. Sheer Brilliance!

Here’s a special clip for y’all 🙂

And:

Toni Morrison’s-The Bluest Eye,Tar Baby, Song of Solomon, Beloved and Sula.

Zora Neale Hurston’s  “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” 

When Alice Walker was a little girl, she was playing in the backyard with her brothers, one of whom accidentally hit her in the eye with one of the pellets from his BB gun ( I remember those. My brothers got them for Christmas) . That accident never stopped Alice from living her dreams. One of the biggest dream in history was:

I’ve had several books from these historical women on my bookshelf,  in what I can only describe as a stationary library for many years and felt that I could never part with any of these great works, but, alas, I have and I don’t regret passing them along (donations) to new readers and creatives and curious children who just might dare to dream 🙂

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post. I know that the works of these and other women history making artists are sitting on your bookshelf, vying for a little Women History Month love shout… Please share a few of your fave with us.

Writer’s quote for today:

“Only I hold the pen that will write the story of my life.” Tia Kelly

Giving Props To A New Tribe of Memoirists

Hello Authors and Happy Friday! So, I popped over to visit my good friend, RODEO CARLSON’s murder & mayhem mystery books site, only to find out she has a new book on the horizon, amid everything else going on over there. There are personal blog insights, pic of mouth-watering culinary eats, online classes forming and free stuff to boot. I downloaded an editorial calendar for authors and plan on putting it to good use 🙂 Rodeo, you rock! Just sayin’

Go here to see what I’m talking about~http://rodeocarlson.com/

Today I’m giving props to a new tribe of memoir writers by celebrating their author status , with a focus being on the memoir. I feel like it takes courage, true grit and a passion for other people to turn your life story or particular slice of your life into a memoir.

Without further ado, here are a few of the authors I’ve come to know through their voice, blogs and personal stories. Remember I’ve been doing this book/writers blog for a minute and couldn’t shout out everyone I’ve connected with, but just know you’re doing the thang!

Congratulations going out to:

Lynette Davis at reflectionsbook.org for Even Rain Is Just Water: A Memoir. Coming: Summer 2016

Mary Perez at Reflections From The Heart, maryaperez.com Running In Heels: A Memoir of Grit and Grace

Darlene Greene at www.inamaegreene.org for Blood Relatives: Breaking the Cycle; Breaking the Silence

Nine Rubies by Mahru Ghashghaei

Kathleen Pooler at Memoir Writers Journey –krpooler.com for Ever Faithful to His Lead: My Journey Away From Emotional Abuse

Mandy Smith at healingbeyondsurvival.com for Secrets in Big Sky Country: A Memoir

Pat Mckinzie at pattymackz.com/wordpress/ for Home Sweet Hardwood: A Title IX Trailblazer Break Barriers Through Basketball

Chris Thrall at christhrall.com/blog for Eating Smoke

 Linda Diane Wattley at http://www.lindadianewattley.com/  for Soldier With A Backpack: Living And Dying Simultaneously.

Ms. Faith Elle Walls at http://www.msfaithelle.com/ for Ten Lessons My Mother Taught Me Before she Died

Karen Tyrrell at www.karentyrrell.com
for Me & Her: A Memoir Of Madness

Thanks for sharing your memoir with me via interviews, book reviews and PR requests. Either by hook or crook, we connected and I appreciate the experience. I’m sharing the cover of your books below.

 

                          

A Progress Report And Book Recommendation

Happy Friday, Wordsmiths! I can’t believe it’s the end of the week already. Seems like I was celebrating another “Born” day, just yesterday.
Oh well, like sand from an hourglass so are the days of our lives. I confess, I’ve wanted to use that quote from the popular soap for the longest time 🙂

I have a bit of news to share with my wonderful readers, along with a book recommendation. First, allow me to take you back to the Summer of 2014 when I shared that my poem, Brown Girl Challenge, had been selected for inclusion in the Michele Obama anthology.

I recently received an email from the authors of the anthology; Rose C. Thevenin, Paula Marie Seniors and Michelle Duster, who is the great-granddaughter of Ida B. Wells, by the way. Well,  It’s a green light, people. The authors found a publisher for their book!

The title of the book is “But I Went, I Did Fine” – Michelle Obama: From the Southside to the White House.  How The First Lady Impacted and Inspired African American Women and Girls

I’m so excited and I just can’t hide it! Okay, so…just sayin’ though. 🙂

This is the book I highly recommend for y’all  to put on your 2016 reading list:

 Soldier With A Backpack: Living And Dying Simultaneously, by Linda Diane Wattley, begins with the horrific molestation of a little  girl.  At the age of four, Linda is taken from  the comfort of her bed in the middle of the night. She is carried to her parent’s bed and sexually assaulted by her father. I’m reading this and I’m crying, literally breaking down… I cry for that little girl and for every little boy/girl child who have endured the trauma of sexual abuse .

The author guides us through the dysfunction of a family and the suffering that follows a child whose innocence is taken. She shares informative and enlightening messages on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD, affecting those who  are traumatized by sexual abuse and other traumatic experiences, like our military men and women.

 There’s never been enough information about post traumatic stress disorder. As a young nurse in the 80s, I witnessed doctors who were baffled by patients suffering  from PTSD. The cases were rare and treatment questionable at best. Doctors only resolution at the time, seemed to be strong sedation and wrist and ankle restraints. I applaud the insights  the author shares about PTSD in her book.

Go here to visit the author’s website: http://www.lindadianewattley.com/

Go here to purchase a copy for your reading enlightenment: https://www.amazon.com/author/lindadianewattley https://www.facebook.com/Lindadianewattleywww.lindadianewattley.comproduct/B015QP2WEK?ref_=k4w_ss_details_rh

 

Quote for today:

If you want to change the world pick up your pen and write – Martin Luther King Jr.

Peace, Blessings and Prayers…

 

Favorite Songs From Down Memory Lane

Hello Creatives!

I admit it, I sometimes take a musical trip back down memory lane leading to my Southern roots. Not all memories were good ones, for sure, but music always fills the heart and lifts the spirit.This post  came about from last week’s introductory post, highlighting the famous singer, musician and author, Mr.  Charles Wright who tweeted his thanks. Way cool:)

Charles Wright @Charles__Wright

A BIG thank you to @C50something for talkin about my new book & my song “Looking For An Ugly Woman”! Read more here: bit.ly/1N8efN3

Come on, groove with me a while 🙂

Hurt was Johnny Cash last song before his death- introspective and sobering.

Okay, so these are just a smidgen of my country favorites. Hope y’all like the Saturday selections. What are some of your favorite childhood song memories?

Here’s the writer quote for today:

Just as a good rain clears the air, a good writing day clears the psyche.” — Julia Cameron

My Experience As A Beta Reader

Are you in the market for a Beta Reader? Let’s discuss terms.

Good morning! When a writer and new author asked me to be a beta reader for her memoir recently, first of all I was honored and second of all, I wondered what the heck had I gotten myself into for agreeing to do such an important task.

Needless to say, the experience was a win/win for both parties. A Beta Reader is a person who brings a clear set of eyes to the manuscript to look for typos, grammatical errors,  confusion, cohesive mishaps and overall reader likability , before the author sends it off to an editor for final proofing, or places it in the hands of a publisher.

My experience led me to read a great slice of authentic storytelling, offer my unbiased opinion and help out a colleague who needed an honest evaluation of her memoir.

As a book reviewer with over a decade of writing reviews under my belt, I didn’t feel like l was heading for uncharted waters, however, the temptation to avoid book reviewer “critique” mode was hard to suppress. Luckily for me, the author didn’t chastise me for suggesting areas where she might want to tweak a phrase or two:)

Anyone can read a finished manuscript to give honest feedback to its author. Your family members and friends might not be your best choices as they most likely wouldn’t want to hurt your feelings. However, other writers, colleagues and people from your online connections would make good beta readers. Becoming a Beta Reader can also be a lucrative career move for the savvy freelance writer.

  What are your thoughts on beta readers and would you recommend this route for authors with completed manuscripts, before publication? If you have served in this capacity, feel free to share your experiences with us.

“Running In Heels” A New Memoir by Mary Ann Perez

Hello readers, writers, authors and creatives! I’m always overjoyed to receive an email from writers I’ve connected with, informing me they have finished their manuscript or found a publisher for their masterpiece. You know the icing on the cake comes when I’m told that their book is ready for purchase and would I please aid them in promoting their baby?

Running In Heels, is a heart wrenching memoir, written by Mary Ann Perez and it’s available for purchase. For those of you who follow my blog, you know I don’t recommend a book I wouldn’t read or haven’t read myself. At this point, and after reading the synopsis to Mary’s new memoir, I’m looking forward to reading it in its entirety.

Pre-orders are available and can be ordered in soft, hard, or e-book. All printed pre-orders will be signed.

Go here to read an excerpt of “Running In Heels” and purchase your copy today. http://charthousepress.com/books/running-in-heels-a-memoir-of-grit-and-grace/

Everyone have a blessed (count your blessings) week-end and always treat yourself special…

What I’m Reading For A Holiday Amazon Review

I will be reading Kathy Pooler’s new memoir, Ever Faithful To His Lead, for an upcoming holiday review at Amazon.com, courtesy of Story Cartel where you sign up to receive free books for review. I’m one of those long time members who always come back to pursue great reading material when time permits- I promise to get the review done! Go here if you’re interested in joining Story Cartel. https://storycartel.com/?awt_l=OcCo.&awt_m=3lB3fBnhAInXk5r

Also, if you’re in the spirit of continued inspirational reading material and gratitude, make sure to pick up my short ebook to read this holiday season on your Kindle or from Amazon.com:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-authentic-woman-story-clara-freeman/1111834210?ean=9781623092276

Happy Holidays!

Always “Treat yourself special!”

Workshop Writing Critiques

Today marks the completion of The University of Iowa’s 8 week “How Writers Write Fiction” class . The moderators of the class chooses a participant’s story to discuss and dissect in their workshops at the end of each assignment. I was astonished to get an email from one of the class Moderators, telling me that my story “Inside Bailey’s Department Store” was chosen for critique, along with that of another writer, from our last class assignment called “Revision and Rediscovery.”

 

Let’s just say, this is not my first rodeo and prior experiences weren’t very comforting! I didn’t know how to take this news and I didn’t want to read what an oasis of established writers and authors had to say about my work. What if I never recovered from the sharp scrutiny?

The revised version of a story I wrote, called “Inside Bailey’s Department Store” was compared to the original story. The story’s protagonist is a ten-year old girl facing down her bullies in a dept store. All Sam wanted to do was buy a couple of mystery books by Ellery Queen.

Here are some of the critiques to my story:

In my opinion, Clara is particularly good at tying precise details to character.  Some examples from her original:

He was turning the page to a Popular Science magazine and muttering to himself.

She had waited a long time to buy  ‘City of Gold and Shadows’, the new mystery by Ellis Peters whose books were her favorites, next to the Ellery Queens mysteries.

Sam wasn’t afraid to fight, but, she was taught to avoid it if she could, so even though she just felt like the wind had been knocked out of her, Sam retreated from the school grounds and a quickly gathering crowd of animated kids.  (This might have worked better expressed with more action or dialog, but had it been in the revision, it would have made her telling on the kids at the end more believable.)

Your suggestion to focus on writing what we’re good at and not our failures is so helpful to me as I prepare to review exercises from this course for revision.  What a great parting gift Christa.  Thank you!

In the revised version, Clara has cut out all the little storytelling details that don’t directly address the main event and I think the piece is so much stronger because of this.  We don’t get sidetracked by secondary characters who have no real part in the story and instead can concentrate on the three girls.  We understand Sam, the reader, eagerly saving her pocket money and we understand the two bullies who are also budding thieves.  I love the neat ending where the bullied reacts in a clever way.  She may pay for this the next day but for now she can make a stand and enjoy the consequences.  What a great revision.

Moira, it is a quite a satisfying ending, isn’t it? If the story were freed of the 400-word constraint, how would you feel about the extra characters and storytelling details? In other words, do you think the word limit makes them extraneous or do you think they are actually extraneous?Yes, what they all said. This is a highly effective revision. The first one has some lovely descriptions, but then puts me outside the scene hearing what’s happening between the girls. The revision brings the scene to life with an immediacy and a directness that puts me with the girls. I agree that the detail of the place is lost, which is not critical to me if this is a standalone piece but I’d be more interested if Bailey’s had relevance to a wider story. I also agree that all the measurement details are a bit distracting. It’s enough to know that the bullies are bigger, and intimidating. Oh, and the dialogue in the revision was far more powerful, believable and effective. I wasn’t particularly buying the line ​’You are plain and ugly and you have no friends!” Mary said . and the use of indirect speech had a distancing effect on me.

 I think it would be interesting to imagine this as a longer piece in which Bailey’s has some critical role in multiple storylines. Your comments are spot in about the immediacy and directness in the second version. I think that the emotional distances are greater in the first draft. I do love so many things about the first draft, however. Most particularly, I adore the setting that is established inside the store. I hope that Clara is able to meld the best of these two versions into one story later.

I agree with frostyfreya that the measurement details are distracting and unnecessary.

Also, most of the world outside of the U.S. uses the metric system, not our antiquated English system of measurement. To those folks, heights like 4’9″ don’t mean anything.

I suppose from these and other professional writers opinions/critiques, I might have a “writing” chance! I enjoyed participating in this online class. It was a massive gathering of writers worldwide, who came to write and share with their colleagues. I highly recommend The IWP MOOC for newbies and seasoned writers.

How do you feel about having your work critiqued?

Words To A Great Novel

November is National Novel Writing Month. It’s where writers commit to writing their novel in one month. Although, I know colleagues who have participated in NaNoWriMo, I didn’t this time around because I enjoy writing at my own pace, but I know the point is to challenge you to actually complete your novel! I don’t know if I could do it because I’d probably spend more time counting the words, instead of actually writing:)

I’m overly concerned about how many words I have to write, in order to finish my WIP. I think this concern might have me taking writing classes, instead of executing what I already know onto the page of my book. So, I’m wondering about this dilemma and have done research into how many words makes for a great novel and one that feels complete.

The general consensus is that publishers are interested in the word count of a completed manuscript. If published authors or publishers can add to the dialogue on this, please enlighten us. Because I want to go the traditional publishing route with my WIP, I wouldn’t feel comfortable with less than 50,000 words, although I read an 80 page eBook recently and enjoyed it! Still, eBooks could be the exception, instead of the rule.

I’m in agreement with the quote that says, “Easy reading is damn hard writing.” I want to know what’s going to make the writing process easier for me at this point with my WIP. I want to know how many words it takes before a book is complete?
30,000 words equal roughly 100 pages of a manuscript. Granted if you’re writing an e-book, finishing at this point could suffice and satisfy the reader.
I’ve reviewed books up to 300 pages and I’m not trying to hear that:) but popular opinion amongst writers is that you write until you know you have nothing else to say.

Here’s what I found from doing a bit of research on the acceptable length for writing a novel.

Novellas could equal up to 20,000 words
Novels are 40, 000 to 60,000 words and above
Memoirs are debatable personal works. I once read a memoir with only 80 pages and enjoyed it. The normal length seems to take shape around 30,000 to upwards of 50,000 words.

I want to hear from published authors and those writers who are still doing the hard work, leading to the road to publication. How many words did it take for you to get to the sweet end of your Novel?