Wired Writer

There's power in them there numbers...

A Quick Public Announcement
I just did something really, really, cool. I signed the petition asking Congress to reauthorize VAWA, the Violence Against Women Act. 10 years ago, this legislation defined violence against women (domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking) as a federal crime and also allocated resources and services for women -- and their children -- caught in such circumstances (funding for domestic violence shelters, counseling, etc.)

With passage of VAWA in 1994, rates of domestic violence incidents have dropped by almost 50% and incidents of rape are down by 60%.In September, Congress will debate whether to renew it or let it expire. Let's be sure they know they need to renew it. I signed the petiton here, but you can sign here and read where Halle Berre and Miro Sorvino explain why they signed.

Okay, all done!

Writing Wadding
I sent an email asking the regional advisor of SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) if I could drop a line to the group about my blog. I'm not what you call socially adept, and I'm usually even more confused and flustered when it comes to etiquette, so I wanted to make sure all my ducks were in a row before I inadvertently shot them dead. And be certain if I needed to send out thank you notes after that.

I've been a member of SCBWI since January, and I gotta tell you, it's worth the price of admission. Not only do you get the nifty little member card but also all sorts of official papers and a big thick catalogue of writerly things, but most importantly, you gain access to groups of individuals whose writing advice and experience are priceless. I sound like that credit commercial. [Cue male voice: "Membership Fee, $75. Cost of sending out query after query after query only to be rejected: $200. The thrill of flashing a cute white membership card that says you're a writer: priceless."]

I hear it is also a good way to gain the attention of the literary agent/editor that you're sending a query to. You put down "Member SCBWI" on the return envelope or below your name in the query and somehow that puts the twinkle in their editorial eye and causes them to leap forward from their chair, scattering numerous papers off the desk in their excitement and shout, "Push aside that Stephen King manuscript, we've got a hot one here!" Whoo-hoo! One could only wish...

Non-Writing Wadding
Busy weekend! A birthday party, a wedding, a frantic shopping trip in to the big city to buy something to wear to the wedding, another trip into the big city after the wedding to see a friend play in a rock band for charity, and finally, the next day, an afternoon spent at the Ohio State Fair. The band Rascal Flats was the entertainment for the evening there, and we were leaving as the concert crowd was starting to roll in. Never seen so many cowboy hats on non-cowboys in my entire life! Looked good, though, like you could forget for a moment you were in Ohio and instead was in Texas or Wyoming or Montana.

My Official Word Count This Weekend: I'm sorry, did you say something? Interested to know what the number is? Hmmm, yeah, well, let's just talk about that later, shall we? How about next week? Is that good? Have your people call my people, 'nnnnnkay?

Pulling the cowboy hat down low to look cool,
Wired Writer

posted by A.M.Adams @ 8/15/2005 11:30:00 AM