The Writer's E-Zine Home

Writers' Village University - F2K: Free Fiction Writing Course - ePress-online
Writers' Village University Membership Information

Recognitions

Vivian Reed

Welcome to Recognitions, where the writing successes of Writers’ Village University members are celebrated. Many of the writers profiled in the May issue have new successes to report. Sylvia Dickey Smith’s book Dance on My Grave is now available through Barnes and Noble and Amazon. Donna Sundblad participated in a Moveable Feast with five other writers, where she circulated among tables of diners and talked about her books and writing. Lisa Finch had two more articles published, “The View from Here” and Grandma Always Told Me, in the May/June issue of Daytripping in Southern Ontario.
 
Now for a picnic basket full of inspiration, and the achievement of these dedicated writers are soul-nourishing. Enjoy!
.
SONJA HERBERT
“Ever since I knew about my mother’s life, I have wanted to write about it,” says Sonja Herbert. Tightrope!, the account of her mother’s struggle to elude capture and death at the hands of the Nazis as she traveled with a circus caravan in the German countryside, won a prize for $2,500 last September and subsequently attracted an agent’s interest. Chapters from the book also won first place in two separate writing contests sponsored by Joyous Publishing and appear in the publisher’s anthology.

Sonja started writing the manuscript when she first joined WVU in 1998. “At that time, I didn’t know much about writing, except that I needed to write my mother’s story,” Sonja recalls. “The help of the fine writers at WVU was instrumental in getting the manuscript to where it is now. I don’t think I could have done it without WVU and every body who was so willing to give me their input.” Sonja’s website germanwriter.com includes excerpts from Tightrope! as well as links to other pieces she’s written, many of them prize-winners.

After submitting the biographical novel manuscript to the Eaton Literary Agency in the spring, Sonja says she forgot about it. “When I received the letter in the mail in September, I assumed it was another rejection,” she says. “At first, I didn’t understand what I was reading, but then it sank in.” Her story won the Best Unpublished Manuscript of the Year Award and earned her $2,500. “I thought maybe it was a scam, so I checked out the Eaton Literary Agency and found that they mainly do editing,” Sonja remembers. “I contacted another writer, and he assured me their contest was legitimate and had no strings attached.”

The check arrived with a letter of congratulation, and Sonja decided to buy a state-of-the-art laptop. “So I can do my writing wherever I go,” she says. “I think a lot of good will come from winning this contest, besides the nice chunk of money that went with it.” The writer she consulted about Eaton Literary Agency’s reputation referred her to his agent, who is now waiting for the final rewrite of her manuscript.

“I have belonged to many study groups. Many of them don’t exist anymore,” Sonja says of her membership at WVU, which spans almost ten years. She currently belongs to Hemingway Hall and Timeless Tales. “Let me tell you,” she says, “the input I have been getting from the study groups for my work over the years is absolutely priceless.” She advises beginning writers to consider everyone’s advice and to listen to comments without taking offense.

Her writing day begins with breakfast and revisions. “I’m a morning person,” Sonja says. “After going to the gym, I do my copywriting.” Later, she searches for markets, almost exclusively through the Internet, and sends out pieces. “I prefer to submit electronically,” she says. “It’s so much easier and cheaper, but I’m willing to send things by snail mail if I feel good about the market.”

First drafts challenge Sonja. She saves that work for the evening. “When I sit down for a first draft, I have to tell myself it’s okay to write garbage,” she says, “or the inner critic will seduce me into playing a computer game instead of writing.” She uses a clever method to help her begin a piece. “I found it helps a lot if I have something similar already written, even if it needs extensive changes,” Sonja says. “It doesn’t make it as daunting as sitting in front of an empty page.”

Much of Sonja’s writing is drawn from her life experience. In Germany as a child, she moved from town to town in a caravan with her large family as part of a traveling carnival. She received about eight years of education and attended many different schools. Excerpts from her memoir called Cross and Carnival have been published online and in print anthologies. The prologue won first prize in the December 2005 Joyous Publishing Writing Contest and appears in the anthology Internationally Yours: Prize Winning Stories. Other sections are published in the anthology His Forever: Real People Coming to Christ.

At 23, Sonja immigrated to Utah. “I begged my way into the local community college,” she says. As her English improved, she wrote for the local newspaper and completed a science fiction novel. “Then life interfered,” Sonja says. “I got divorced, took my six children and moved to Cedar City, Utah.” She earned a BA in English, German and Spanish together with a teaching certificate and an MA in Language Acquisition as well as teaching school for several years. Sonja adds, “Needless to say, I had little time for writing in those years.” A piece describing the first time Sonja bought a vehicle after her divorce is featured in the Alabama Writers online literary magazine, Alalit.

Right after she received the Eaton Literary Award, Sonja’s essay “A Peaceful Valley,” won first place from the Preservation Foundation and appears on its website. “It is the story about my three years teaching high school on the Navaho reservation after my divorce with four of my children,” she says. “The constant peace of the desert immersed me and slowed my churning mind.” Sonja plans to write a memoir about this transformative time in the Monument Valley as soon as the final revision of Tightrope! is complete.

Now remarried, Sonja says, “I just sent my last baby to college.” She lives in Oregon and works as a freelance content page copy writer as well as writing fiction and creative non-fiction. Recent publications include an essay about her mother, published this year in Letters to My Mother: Tributes to the Women Who Gave Us Life and Love, and one about her son, published in A Cup of Comfort for Grandparents in September 2006.

Sonja’s current fiction project is a Christian suspense romance with the working title “Steamboat Falls.” She says about her work in progress, “The initial idea came from something I read years ago in Germany. It has stayed with me all this time and has finally found its way into my writing.” After being rejected by the man of her dreams, the main character, a college girl, is kidnapped by a man who’s been stalking her. Held captive in a ghost town, she struggles to escape as well as to deal with her heartbreak. “I don’t think it will have a sequel,” Sonja says, “but it’s altogether possible that I will write another story along the same lines.”

In closing, Sonja had one last recommendation for starting writers: “The input you get at WVU is priceless in teaching you to become the best writer you can be.”

S. K. HAMILTON
“There is no other feeling in the world like holding your proof copy in your hands and reading your story ONE more time in print,” says Sylvia Hamilton of her first “hands-on experience” with her recently published novel, The Kahills of Willow Walk. Sylvia uses the pen name S. K. Hamilton, but she’s known as Pee Wee at WVU, where she’s been a member since 2002. She credits joining Writers' Village University as the beginning of her success. “The courses, the groups, the interaction with other writers have been a crucial factor in my writing,” she says. “It works to work with others. WVU is mentioned on my acknowledgment page.”

Originally titled “Kiss the Kat for Me,” the novel is now available as an ebook through Lulu.com and in paperback through Sylvia’s website. “I’ve been in several study groups,” she says, “but I’m back in Word Slingers where I’ve received a lot of good feedback for this book. Most of my classmates will remember my story by its original title.”

Sylvia’s cherished memories of Wheeling, West Virginia, where she grew up, as well as a trip to Mexico served as inspirations for her novel. “Nothing is closer to my heart than the green hills and valleys of my hometown,” Sylvia writes in her website, and she set Willow Walk, the ancestral home built by the Kahills, in those beloved hills. Dawson and his sister Katarina struggle to preserve the stately mansion and fulfill their grandfather’s dreams, but Katarina’s impulsive entanglement and Dawson’s wife’s insane jealousy threaten all they hold dear. “The story proves the enduring quality of family and its hope for the future,” Sylvia says, “even when the unexpected and the unthinkable change the dynamics in ways never dreamed possible.”

When she learned her novel was accepted for publication, Sylvia says, “I cried happy tears. Hubby and I celebrated at the Lobster House for dinner and cocktails.” She is currently working on a sequel with the working title “For the Love of Willow Walk.” Of the hometown setting, Sylvia says, “Those are the things I know about.”

Her father and grandfather, both poets, inspired Sylvia in her writing. “The love of writing runs in the family,” she says. “My father taught me to respect the written word and never deface a book by turning the corners of pages down nor make notes in the margin.” She fondly recalls being read to as a child and learning penmanship in elementary school. “It made me love to write, anything and everything,” Sylvia says. “It was sort of an art to me.” Sylvia used her eye for design when creating her novel’s cover illustration.

Drawing from her happy childhood, Sylvia has also written a series of stories. “I call them ‘Long Ago Stories’ and each one has its own title,” she says. “I hope to have them published one day.”

While Sylvia has concentrated on novel writing in the last two or three years, she says, “My interest began with poetry from as far back as I can remember.” Her favorite writer is Rod McKuen, and she plans to compile her poems into a book. “Maybe even dig out my old work, dust it off and see if any is worthy.” She reads books about self-improvement and writing and enjoys Danielle Steele, Frank Yerby and Georgette Heyer.

Sylvia now lives in Florida with her husband and her cat Marble. She has one daughter and four grandchildren. “I feel as though I’m on perpetual vacation as I live in a Fifth Wheel (a type of travel trailer) in an RV park.” Before Sylvia began writing her novel, she and her husband did decorating, wallpaper installation and painting. “I have no writing routine mainly because I’m retired and don’t need one,” she says, “but for those who do have busy lives, a routine would probably be mandatory.”

Following publishers’ guidelines carefully is one routine Sylvia does follow. “I also try to keep query letters and synopses short and to the point,” she says, “no flowery stuff.” She also believes in writing regularly. “Never let a day go by that you don’t write a little something,” Sylvia advises. “Make writing a habit, like brushing your teeth and give it priority.”

Seeking new perspectives has helped Sylvia in her writing. “The most important thing any writer can do, in my opinion, is having a good editor,” she says. “Even editors need editors. It may cost a little extra money, but it will help get your book published.” Sylvia also knows the value of joining writers’ groups. “Studying the craft of writing whether you’re published or not, is never ending and WVU has many excellent courses,” she says. “Don’t be offended by critics and feedback. Weigh and balance the possibilities and then do as you like accordingly.

“Every day is my ideal writing day,” Sylvia continues. “Any time of day or night, I’m not locked into a special time. I’m at it even on Christmas day.” She sees retirement as an advantage. “Life doesn’t get so much in the way,” she says. “Good for me because I’m a slow writer.”

JOSEPH ARECHAVALA
“My poems come from a place I really don’t understand,” says Joseph Arechavala. “I usually get an idea for a line or two and go from there.” Two of his poems, “death by poetry” and “My Moon at the end,” were recently accepted to be published in the Summer 2007 issue of Skyline Magazine, which has already sold out.

A member of WVU for almost four years, Joseph coordinates the Flash Fiction study group. He invites anyone interested to stop by and check it out. “The group’s been too quiet for the last few months,” he says. “I think it’s a good group for beginners because there’s no pressure to write anything long. I’ve noticed novice writers seem to start with shorter works. To be able to write a story under 1,000 words is less pressure.”

Joseph describes his non-writing life as “boring actually.” Married with two boys, aged seventeen and six, he was born in New Jersey and has lived there all his life. “Home is hectic as both my sons have issues with disabilities (mild, thank goodness),” he says, “and my wife suffers from several chronic illnesses.” Joseph works as a buyer at a major aerospace company and attends school part-time working toward an undergraduate degree in English. “As for spare time,” he says, “I sleep.”

These poems are not Joseph’s first publications, but he says he was still excited to learn he was going to be published. “I just sat at my desk in shock. For me, it validated that I do actually have some talent.” He just kept going with his writing in lieu of celebrations. “I write when I can squeeze it in or as soon as I get an idea,” he says. “Otherwise, it will be gone ten minutes later.”

After enduring a serious breakdown from chronic depression in 1998, Joseph turned to writing. “I still suffer from it,” he says, “but it’s generally under control. The funny thing is I think I write better material when I’m down.” When asked for further explanation, he continues. “I don’t recommend this for anyone. Depression isn’t a fun condition, but that’s what I see in my own work. My emotions come through more clearly, mainly because there are less obstacles in the way of my expressing my true feelings.”

Most of Joseph’s writing has a serious edge, but he has written some humorous poems. Of his poem “death by poetry,” he says, “It’s how I feel about poetry and my work.” He sometimes omits capitalization of words. “It’s primarily an instinct with me,” he says, “and also the fact that Microsoft Word capitalizes the first line for you and I’m occasionally lazy.

“Inspiration can come from anywhere,” Joseph continues,” and I encourage writers to look for it at every opportunity. Because poetry is so condensed, words are very important but if you don’t generate an emotional response in the reader, you’ve failed. So both words and emotion are equally important to me.”

Fiction was actually Joseph’s first interest. “As I grew as a writer, I became more and more interested in poetry and got better at it,” he says. “I don’t view poetry and fiction as two separate entities, but for me, they don’t interact.” He’s completed a vampire novel and plans to submit it for publication and would also like to compile a book of his poems.

Tim O’Brien, author of The Things They Carried, tops Joseph’s list of favorite authors followed by Wallace Stevens and William Carlos Williams. “I wish I had a great writing name like that,” he says, adding that the late Jane Kenyon is a contemporary poet whose work he admires, particularly Let Evening Come.

“Read and write!” Joseph advises new writers and veterans alike. “The more you practice the more you’ll hone your skills.” He also has words of warning about submitting work. “Get used to rejection, lots and lots of rejection,” he says. “I’ve had to submit a lot of work to many publications to get something published, so I encourage anyone submitting their work not to give up.” Joseph acknowledges WVU as an important part of his writing life. “The other writers I’ve interacted with here have helped me grow immensely as a writer,” he says, “and I’m grateful to them all.”

Congratulations Sonja, Sylvia and Joseph. Your successes renew all of our writing aspirations. Many more writers at WVU have achieved writing success recently and will be featured in upcoming columns. Please contact me at recognitions@wvu.org about your acceptances, publications, e-launches or awards so your achievements will also be included. Be sure to use “T-Zero Recognitions” as part of the subject line.


About the Authors
Vivian Reed lives and writes in Long Beach, California. With the patient support of her husband and two sons, she is currently “transitioning” into a full-time writing career. Several of her poems have appeared in literary magazines, and before she became a mother, two of her plays were produced in the Los Angeles area. She is proud to write the Recognitions column for T-Zero: the Writers' E-zine as well as the recent acceptance of one of her essays for publication by the Serenity Prayer Project.