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Copyright 1993 - 2007

Anita Lee

 When Anita Lee walked the Lamar University campus years ago, she had no idea she would become a writer and teach an online course for Lamar’s Professional Writers Center. Anita has written for various newspapers, including the Plano (TX) Star Courier, The Northside Neighbor (Atlanta, GA), and the Dallas Morning News.

How did you get started writing?
I actually was first published with a weekly “slice-of-life” column back in the ‘80s. I had played around with writing fiction (still do) but offered to write a column for a local newspaper. I was thrilled when they took me up on the idea and wanted it weekly. It was great discipline for me to have that weekly deadline. The two-years-worth of columns from that venture reflects what was going on in the lives of my family and community at the time. They now act as a memory bank for me.

What is your writing schedule like? 

I’m at my desk at least five days a week, several hours a day, writing, reading about writing, or doing business related to my writing. (I’m extremely blessed to have a husband who supports me financially and emotionally, making this possible. It also helps that he’s my own personal technology guy!)

Do you do much research? 

It depends on the subject I’m writing about. When I’m writing curriculum, I do mounds of research. Even in writing personal essays, it is sometimes helpful to research what was happening in the world at a particular time. This can help trigger memories of my own life. The internet has changed the way we research considerably, making it so much easier, if we use it appropriately.

What is your favorite part of nonfiction writing?

I love to let ideas float around in my brain for a while, then grab them and begin the hard work of writing.

What is the most difficult part of writing for you?

Sitting down to write the first sentence is the most difficult part. I’m usually sure I won’t have anything to say that’s worth reading, because I can’t “see” it all clearly before I begin writing. One thing that has helped is a quote from Gertrude Stein that says, “What will be best in your writing is what you really do not know now. If you knew it all it would not be creation but dictation.” A quote from Susan Page says, “I have learned over and over that inspiration happens only when I am actually working, not when I am planning to work.” These words are immensely helpful to me. It is only AS I’m writing that I am able to transform words into sentences, then paragraphs, that resonate with something deep within me.

What word of advice would you give beginning writers? 

Write, write, write. Read good writing of the type you wish to create. Get into a critique group and ask others to read your words. There are many online groups now that can be helpful to new writers. Read about how to write. And if you want to be published, educate yourself about how that works. 

Is it important for writers to be readers?

Not just important—essential. 

Are you a member of any writers groups and why is it important to “hang out” with other writers?

I’ve been a part of several groups at different times. Hearing that others have the same problems I do lets me know that I am a real writer—even if I wonder about it some days. Writers can be incredibly generous with their knowledge. Also, it offers the chance to give back to others.

Carol Thomas

How did you get started writing?

Once upon a time I was riding my horse on a very remote trail. A rattlesnake slithered out of the brush right in front of my mare’s feet. We avoided contact but on the long ride home I wondered what I should have done had she had been bitten. Tie her up and hike out? Ride her back? Do horses die from rattlesnake bites? I was so curious that I called some vets and after finding the information decided other equestrians would probably be interested in my findings. I wrote it up and Western Horseman published it in 1992.

 

From that point on I was addicted. I could research things I was interested in and make money selling the article to magazines. I soon learned that I could meet all sorts of interesting people that I would never get to speak to otherwise. This appealed to the introvert in me. Since then I’ve interviewed hundreds of people from professional football players to actors – certainly something I would never have been able to do otherwise.

 

What is your writing schedule like?

LOL.  I have a full time job and home school my three daughters. My writing schedule is “whenever and wherever”. When I wrote my first novel I sat on the floor for 15 minutes at a time while my three daughters (then 9 months, 3 years, and 7 years) crawled all over me. Someone in my critique group asked how I could write that way. It was either that or nothing, so I did it that way.

 

How long does it take you to start and finish an article?

The hardest part is making contact with my interview subjects and finding a quiet time to do the interview. I procrastinate making contact because I don’t like to intrude on people. Email has been a real help in that area. Once I’ve done the interview I think about what the most interesting thing I learned about the subject or person is. I usually lead with that.

I try to let it sit for at least two days before looking at it again. It amazes me how something that made sense a few days ago can be totally incomprehensible!

 

Do you do much research?

Magazine article writing is almost all research. After I get as much background information via the web as I can then I do up-to-the-minute research using human sources. I don’t want to write a report anyone could go to the library and find. I want interesting insights from knowledgeable people.

 

You’ve critiqued others and judged contests, what do you see as mistakes beginning writers make?

Mechanical mistakes such as point of view problems, writing in the passive voice, lack of conflict in their story, no focus or freshness in articles (wanders around or an article that could have been printed in an encyclopedia 10 years ago), poor leads/transitions/conclusions, and poor use of quotes.

 

Emotional mistakes such as taking personal offense to rejection/critique, sending unprofessional queries or generic articles (no slant, not appropriate for audience), failing to recognize the level of competition and not striving to produce a superior product.

 

What do you want the students who take your magazine article course to learn?

That if an unpublished computer scientist can get an article published in a national magazine, so can they. People aren’t born knowing how to write and market magazine articles. It is a skill that can be learned by those who are committed.

Jessica Burkhart

How did you get started writing?

I started writing magazine articles when I was fourteen and got my first publication at fifteen. I’ve been freelancing for five years and have racked up over 65 credits in leading teen magazines such as Girls’ Life, Listen and The Next Step. In fall of 2006, I decided to try writing tween and teen novels and I have four tween books scheduled for publication from Simon & Schuster starting in summer 2008.

 

Did you major in creative writing in college?

Actually, no. I got my BA in English literature from Florida State University in 2007. I took a couple of writing classes from FSU, but I’ve taught myself most of what I know about writing through online classes and books.  

 

How many queries do you have out at one time?

My goal is to have 30 magazine queries circulating at any given time. Since I’ve started writing books, I’ve cut that in half but continue to actively freelance.

 

Do you encounter lots of rejections in writing for teens?

No matter what field you try, there are always rejections. I have boxes of rejections and still get them. With every rejection, I remember that it’s not a rejection of me as a person, but rather that my work doesn’t fit the magazine’s current needs. Each rejection drives me to keep writing and pursuing publication.

 

Did writing for teen magazines help you write a book for tweens?

It helped tremendously. After writing so many articles for teens and tweens, I learned how to keep a brief word count, use language that engaged teens and pick topics that interested a wide variety of teens. I used all of my tricks and tips that I used in magazine articles when I wrote my first book.

 

What do you want the students who take your Writing for Teen Magazines course to learn?

The students will learn how to target appropriate teen magazines, how to find a teen-friendly voice and how to query an editor. I want writers to leave the course confident about writing for teens and the course will provide a solid foundation to pursue publication in teen magazines.

 

Where can students learn more about you?

For more information about my credits in teen magazines, check out my Website at www.jessicaburkhart.com.

Kent Conwell

How did you get started writing?
Always wanted to, but being a country hick, I didn’t know how to go about it. I read constantly. When I was in the third grade, I loved Red Ryder. I could read one of his books in a single day. Then came college and English Literature. Over the next few years, I wrote a couple bad, bad novels, and then life got in the way. It wasn’t until ’71 I wrote another. Still have it, Kronk. One of these days, it’ll sell, but like Robby Robison, the agent said, it is probably too brutal for some of these young sensitive editors.

 

What is your writing schedule like?
Everyday, as long as I can manage. Sometimes thirty minutes, but on the average of two or three hours—or ten pages.

How long does it take for you to start and finish a book?
I can do a first draft of a western in four to six weeks. That’s with doing what experienced writers tell the inexperienced never to do. I write ten pages a day, then next session, I go back over them. This not only keeps the story straight, but permits rewriting. After the first draft, I put it aside and start a first draft of a mystery. When I finish it, I work on the western. Back and forth.

Do you do much research?
Constantly. I know I’m doing a western and mystery, so I make sure to read both fiction and non-fiction in those areas. 

What's your favorite part of writing-the plotting, rewriting, etc.
It’s all enjoyable, plotting because of the twists I can put in; rewriting because that is when you can polish your words, put them together in such a manner as to elicit various reactions from readers.

How do you plot your stories?
Along with a premise, I like to know where I am at the beginning and at the end. I try to follow the precept of H. Bedford-Jones, king of the pulps back in the 20’s and 30’s. “Get your hero in danger and keep him in danger.” I usually have an outline, but it is more of a device to make me think in the beginning rather than a rigid guide.

What's the most difficult part of writing for you?
At first, it was the discipline—making myself plop in front of the typewriter, then computer, but after a few years of forcing myself to start each day, it becomes such a habit that I experience a surge of guilt if I don’t.

You've critiqued others and judged contests, what do you see as mistakes beginning writers make?
Don’t read enough; don’t spend enough time; don’t study the markets; don’t follow guidelines; don’t try to be themselves.

What word of advice would you give beginning writers?
Like Hemingway is purported to have said at a college commencement, “go home and write.” If you want to write, write. It must be almost like a holy mission, like the mythical pursuit of the Holy Grail. Next, be yourself. Don’t copy successful writers. Oh, read them, certainly, but then write your story the way you want. 

To read another interview by Kent Conwell, or to check out his publisher’s website, click on http://www.avalonbooks.com/aa_archives/c0500_k_conwell.html

Rogayle Franklin

Rogayle Franklin began travel and business writing in 1979. She has been published in more than 35 different national and international newspapers and magazines including Southern Living, Coastal Living, Continental, Texas Journey AAA, Victorian Homes, The Houston Chronicle, and the San Antonio Express News. Rogayle is now updating and rewriting the 12th edition of the popular day-tripping guide, Day Trips From Houston.

Jessica Ferguson

Jessica Ferguson enjoys talking writing. She's a freelance writer, a member of many writers' organizations, and has one published novel, The Groom Wore Blue Suede Shoes.  Other novels are being marketed by her agent.

Jessica is the founder of the East Texas Writers Organization and has been the editor of a national newsletter for inspirational writers. She's published in the 2007 Bylines Calendar for writers, and her essay, The Dud in White will be released in the November, 2007 Chicken Soup for the Chocolate Lover's Soul. She loves encouraging new writers.

 

What word of advice would you give beginning writers?

Make yourself write every day. Read The Writer and Writer's Digest. Take writing classes, go to conferences, hang out with writers. Even if you’re published and know how to write, taking classes will stimulate your imagination and put you in touch with other writers. Don’t ever quit learning. Don’t ever think you know it all.

More importantly, believe in yourself. There's a quote on my printer that I read every day: Success isn't given to the talented--it is taken by those who struggle, sacrifice and reach for it. I have no idea who uttered these wise words, but they're true. I want to encourage you to struggle, sacrifice and reach for your dreams. They really aren't that far away.