Put yourself out there. It's the write thing to do...

As you may know, I write online book reviews. It keeps me reading, and writing, and lets me choose to share opinions on books with special appeal.

I happily reviewed "My Life in France," the memoir Julia Child wrote at age 91. In that review, and in my recent workshops to writers in the Chicago area, I explained the significance...
A girl named Julie Powell decided to "borrow" her mother's copy of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking."

In her small New York apartment, Julie fulfilled her commitment to cook every recipe in the book.

She blogged about it to friends.

An agent read her blog. That's right: An agent read her blog.

And next week, you'll be seeing Meryl Streep play Julia Child in the movie version of Julie Powell's book "Julie & Julia."

My review also earned this badge of honor at BlogCritics, so I'm sharing both the review and the incentive to write, so you'll continue to do as Julie Powell did, and get your work out into the world.

"The Price is Write" - another favorable article on self-publishing

If you had your head up in the clouds in May, flying on United Airlines, you might have enjoyed the Hemispheres Magazine article "The Price is Write.:

In it, author Willa Paskin says:

"As the chances of landing a book deal dwindle, even tweedy literary elites are whispering that self publishing might be an acceptable path to legitimacy." She then explains the reasons why self-publishing and print-on-demand can be the best choice for an author, and that sometimes "it's the only game in town."

So, don't wait your life away. Release your writing this year!
Helen

Read the full article here.

Author Gay Talese on s-l-o-w writing!

excerpt from a Paris Review interview, posted at Utne.com 7-14-09:

PARIS REVIEW: You never write directly onto the computer?

GAY TALESE: Oh no, I couldn’t do that. I want to be forced to work slowly because I don’t want to get too much on paper. By the end of the morning I might have a page, which I will pin up above my desk.

PR: Surely there must be some days in the middle of a project, when you’re really going, that you write more than a single page.

GT: No, there aren’t.

* * *

There you have it. One page a day, and yet, looked what HE accomplished:

* A Writer's Life (2006)
* Origins of a Nonfiction Writer (1996)
* Unto the Sons (1992)
* Thy Neighbor's Wife (1981)
* Honor Thy Father (1971)
* Fame and Obscurity (1970)
* The Kingdom and the Power (1969)
* The Bridge: The Building of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (1964)

So the question is, what could WE accomplish with one page of prose per day?

Let me hear from you as you release your writing.

Helen

A Chicago Tribute to Frank McCourt

Frank McCourt, we will miss you. Thank you for your friendship.

Gather with us at The Book Stall at Chestnut Court, 811 Elm in Winnetka, for a special reading of selections from Mr. McCourt’s books on Monday, July 27, 2009, from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Friends of The Book Stall (with deep Irish roots) will read from Frank McCourt’s memoirs Angela’s Ashes, ‘Tis, and Teacher Man.

Irish readers so far will include:

Helen Gallagher
Carol LaChapelle
Bill McGrane
Marguerite O'Connor
and more.

Those who'd like are welcome to join us following the reading at a nearby pub to lift a pint or two in Frank's honor.

Agent auctions her service on EBay? (Yes, for charity.)

This news item comes from Karen Dionne at Backspace.org:

Ms. Irene Goodman, president of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency, will auction a single spaced, half-page critique for 25 partial manuscripts (approximately 50 pages and a synopsis). This will be done on Ebay from Dec. 1 to Dec. 15, 2009. The 25 highest bidders will win. The critiques will all be done personally by Ms. Goodman. They will not be farmed out. Ms. Goodman will email the completed critiques to each of the authors within one month after the auction closing date. ... All starting bids must be $100 or more.

All proceeds will go directly into one of two foundations: the Foundation Fighting Blindness and the Deafness Research Foundation. Both foundations are well established, and the research in each area is incredibly promising. If the necessary funds are obtained to continue research, effective treatments can be expected in the next several years.

Booktour.com walks on the moon!

Okay, maybe not that far out, but the folks at Booktour.com have done something great. They combined an author's upcoming event calendar with the author's Amazon free blog page, making a stunning place to promote your events with exposure to your books at the same time.

More details are posted [naturally...] on my Amazon blog page here.

Want to read one like the one you just read?

You know the feeling - you read a really great book and want another one just like it, either from the same author or a similar writing style, or topic. Now you can visit Book Army http://www.bookarmy.com, a social networking site for readers. At the site you can browse titles by category, read book reviews, visit author pages to learn more about their work. and participate in discussion.

Upcoming Chicago-area event

You're welcome to attend, invite friends, or pass along this timely workshop notice.

Helen




You're welcome to attend, invite friends, or pass along this timely workshop notice.

Helen

The state of freelance from a newsman's perspective

"The combination of waiting and rejection used to drive writers to drink; now it drives them to blog. The blogosphere is an editor-free zone, a lawless, all-embracing realm from which uncertainty, disappointment, and standards have been banished. Anything goes and everyone, it sometimes seems, is there, even the talented, which is proof of the painful universality of rejection. (We all need a place safe from putdowns.) The blogosphere is the hack's idea of heaven."

Read more about the insights of Thomas Blick, a former newspaper travel editor, now a freelancer again.

Writers write... Even when they are on the force!

My favorite moment at the Printer's Row Lit Fest this weekend...


No, he's not writing a ticket, but he is a writer, and purchased Release Your Writing to get motivated. The festival was terrific, and packed! Hope you got downtown to enjoy it. Don't take these Chicago resources for granted, folks. We are incredibly lucky to live in a city that supports the Arts.

Chicago: City of Big Writers

The writing community in Chicago is best described as a self-propelled engine of change.

From Chicago's earliest writers: Nelson Algren, Theodore Dreiser, Stuart Dybek, James T. Farrell, and Studs Terkel our path was set. They made it easy for us to rest on their shoulders. We're a city of big writers and boast this weekend's Printer's Row Lit Fest, the autumn Humanities Festival, and dozens of powerhouse writing groups around the city and suburbs.

We even have a writing style manual to call our own: The Chicago Manual of Style. So write well in the history of our city, but get out and support writing groups and events too. You never know, you might meet one of our local celebs.

The incredible Encyclopedia of Chicago has marvelous research on Chicago's Literary Cultures.

Dear Reader

Suzanne Beecher is a writer and the founder of DearReader.com, an online book club where over 365,000 people read together. Sign up for the free service and Monday to Friday you'll receive a 5-minute portion of the featured book of the week.

Twelve genres to choose from, meet authors, win books, and be one of the four lucky readers each month to receive a batch of Suzanne's homemade chocolate chip cookies. Visit DearReader.com, sign up today, and start reading tomorrow. Go to: www.DearReader.com.

And, if you run out to buy all those great books, please remember to support YOUR local independent booksellers. Some of Chicago's wonderful indie bookstores are:

57th Street Books
The Book Bin
The Book Cellar
The Book Stall at Chestnut Court
Centuries & Sleuths
Women & Children First

2009 Chicago Humanities Festival promises laughs! Oct. 3-Nov16, 2009

One of the richest resources in the nation, The Chicago Humanities Festival, pays tribute to the arts with a city-wide celebration each year. The city is at its peak in autumn and the literary world lives on every corner.

This year, the 19th Chicago Humanities Festival lightens up a bit from the past few years of war and gloom. Now it moves toward The Big Idea, considers the sweep and scale of human ambition: the grand gesture, the great scheme, the Big Idea. Make the most of your Festival right here!

The 2009 schedule is not posted yet. But, if you're not familiar with this rare Chicago gem, click here to view last year's list of programs and presenters.

2009 Printer's Row Lit Fest

It's time! It's here! Chicago's very own 2009 Printer's Row Lit Fest promises to be the biggest and best ever. Don't even think about not going. You know you'll be there, June 6 and 7, 2009.

Some events are already sold out. Check the schedule here. And visit the many vendor booths, Chicago book stores, and free workshops. I'll be at Midwest Writers booth Sunday from 10 a.m. til noon. Stop by for a free publishing consultation.

Helen Gallagher