Writers Retreat in the Great Smoky Mountains

Wino writers took a trip to Gatlinburg and The Great Smoky Mountains and as Borat would say, “It was great success!”

We got loads of work done and even hiked up several of the scenic trails, which was a good thing because we spent the rest of our time drinking rasberry vodka and diet tonic and snacking on the fudge and funnel cakes that are bountiful in the uber touristy Gatlinburg. And we even made two new cullinary discoveries: fried peanuts (you can even eat the shell) and green apple flavored, home-made twizzlers (much better than the regular kind but tres caloric). These went well with the wine we bought at the Smoky Mountain Winery. We recommend the Mountain Red.

There wasn’t much to do at night that didn’t involve hoedowns and mini golf, but we did manage to catch a comedic Elvis show with impersonator Lou Vuto headlining in Pigeon Forge at “Elvis and Friends.” This amazing show, which is mostly viewed by octogenarians, included other musical icons like Tim McGraw, Patsy Cline, Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly. We definitely recommend catching this act. You can even take a picture with Lou Elvis and friends on a motorcycle at intermission or at the end of the show. You can’t beat that with a stick!

Famous Writers’ Rejections

For some reason reading about famous writers’ rejections made me feel better. Made me want to persevere…Check it out…

How Do You Edit Yourself Into Print?

I’ve just heard about a book that is supposed to change writers’ lives…

It’s Self Editing for Fiction Writers: How to edit yourself into print. According to one Wino Writer, it is a book that should be reread once a year.That’s a powerful endorsement if I’ve ever heard one.

Have you read this book? I’m going to check it out and let you know what I think.

Secrets of Submitting Your Manuscript

Wino Writers is taking a road trip to Kennesaw State University to hear Chris Roerden, author of Don’t Sabotage Your Submission,  share the secrets of submitting a manuscript on Saturday, February 14, 2009 from 10AM – 12PM. The event is free and open to the public.

We’ll be doing lunch afterwards and discussing the keys to getting published. Come join us!

Malcom Gladwell on Genius

We wanted to share an excerpt from Malcom Gladwell’s new book Outliers – he wrote The Tipping Point and Blink.

He says that all great achievers have one thing in common – you have to work 10,000 hours on your craft before you are really great at what you do. He specifically notes that this applies to fiction writers.

Well…it seems we all need to keep at it!

A Nearby Writing Retreat

Wino Writer Beth recently did something that we all wish we could do when we’re near the end of a project or when our writing begins to stagnate like long forgotten produce in the back of our refrigerator – she took a writer’s retreat.

She did not, however, go to the beach or even more than fifteen miles from home. She went to a Marriott in downtown Atlanta. Not just any Marriott though. She went to one that did not have a lot of action nearby, but did have the most valuable asset to a writer seeking solitude: room service.

W.W.Beth said that she was not tempted in the slightest to leave her room and she got more writing done than she has in months (okay, years). She reports that the drawback of this setup is that you do get a small case of cabin fever and she felt completely burned out in the end, which caused her to occasionally flip on the TV, which was, according to her own self-imposed rules, illegal.

Nearby Retreat verdict: bring a friend and bring a bottle (and only one!) of vino.

Bitch, Bitch, Bitch

We don’t normally do this. We just drink wine and write. We don’t ever recommend wine. Why would we? We don’t know the first thing about tannins or palettes or legs or any of the rest of that gobbeldygook. But we do know dagone good wine when we drink it.

Of course, we can tell that the fancy expensive stuff (e.g. costing more than $3) tastes better. But we don’t discriminate against a bottle or box of anything. Still, after trying out the Bitch Barossa Grenache, the 2005 varietal (I Googled that word), we decided to let the world know how we feel: That bitch was good!

And she ain’t that pricey neither. She runs about $9-12 depending on where you live and where you buy. If you can’t find it, here’s a good listing of places that sell it.

Give her a try. Tell us what you think. We don’t mind none.

Quips and Tips…and Inspiration

We Wino Writers have found that occasionally we run outta gas (but we never run outta wine:). Still, when we get stuck in this patch of writing doldrums, we like to go to a seminar, hit up a conference or at the very least get a pep-talk from someone making it in the biz.

Here’s one inspirational site that we like cause it gives us words of advice, it isn’t preachy and it motives us to move forward:  Quips and Tips for Freelance Writers.

Help a Reporter Out

Often I find that if you’re a writer, you’ve done some PR or you would like some publicity yourself. I know this is true for the wino writers.

One free way to follow press leads is through Help A Reporter Out or HARO. Run by Peter Shankman, self-proclaimed CEO, entrepreneur and adventurist, the press leads he gets are varied and his emails are often humorous and informative.

Sign up and follow the leads, but if you find that you or a client of yours would be a good fit, remember to pitch well. That means, sending a short bio with your applicable merits, answer the lead the way it asks in tips, with advice or information and be done with it. Brevity is key!

If you pitch poorly, you might wind up on the Bad Pitch Blog. Dun dun dun.

If you have a question about pitching, ask away and if you have advice, please leave a comment.

Happy pitching!

Atlanta Writer’s Club Picnic

The Wino Writer’s will be attending the annual Atlanta Writer’s Club picnic this coming Saturday, June 21st at the aptly named Picnic Pavilion. Find more details at the AWC site. This will be a chance to meet other local writers,
mix, mingle and enjoy some fine picnic fare, so come on and join us!