Voices from the Snake River Plain is here!

Voices from the Snake River Plain is a collection of short stories, essays, and poems written by Bonnie Dodge, Dixie Thomas Reale, and Patricia Santos Marcantonio. Edited by Jennifer Sandmann, the anthology includes tales that range from humorous to haunting, poignant to tragic. Sometimes the stories rise out of the landscape and from dreams. Sometimes they reach into the past, or into the future, but mostly, the stories echo the human heart. Many of the selections have been printed in other publications or have won writing awards. With a foreword by Diane Josephy Peavey, author of Bitterbrush Country: Living on the Edge of the Land, this is a book you will want to add to your collection.

Voices from the Snake River Plain was made possible in part by the Embodiment Grant of Boise.

ISBN 978-0-9627690-1-6

$15 plus tax, shipping & handling

To order contact Bonnie.

Bonnie Dodge wins writing award at IWL State Conference

Bonnie Dodge placed third in the 2009 writing assigned teen fiction contest with her short story, The Pleasure of his Company.

IWL State Conference

Lance Thompson, Patricia Santos Marcantonio, and Angela Abderhalden discuss the current state of publishing.

Question of the month: What is creative nonfiction?

Perhaps the best way to define creative nonfiction is to first define nonfiction. Generally, nonfiction is anything that isn’t fiction, or made up. In other words, nonfiction writing is the truth as reported by a reporter or a journalist.

Creative nonfiction goes one step further. Based in fact, rather than a story being told in the journalistic manner of who, why, when, what, where, the “reporter” or narrator of the story shapes the facts to read like fiction. In addition to “only the facts, Ma’am,” a reader will encounter the elements of fiction–plot, setting, character, conflict, symbols, and point of view. In creative nonfiction, the facts come alive, and a reader will encounter the narrator’s voice and style as themes of the story are shown rather than told. At its heart, creative nonfiction has an interest in universal human values, not just facts.

Personal essays, memoir, food writing, biography, literary journalism, autobiographies, travel writing, history, cultural studies, nature writing–all fit under the broad heading of creative nonfiction.

Authors noted for creative nonfiction include Gay Talese, Tom Wolfe, Joan Didion, Norman Mailer, Maya Angelou, Russell Baker, Wendell Berry, Truman Capote, Rachel Carson, Pat Conroy, Annie Dillard, Gretel Ehrlich, Maxine Hong Kingston, N. Scott Momaday, David Sedaris, Alice Walker, David Foster Wallace, and Virginia Woolf, to name only a few.

If you’ve never read creative nonfiction, give it a try. It’s an entertaining way to learn something new.

-Bonnie Dodge

Bonnie Dodge and Patricia Santos Marcantonio to speak at Writers’ Conference this fall

Bonnie Dodge and Patricia Santos Marcantonio will present workshops at the Idaho Writer’s League state conference, “Paint with Words,”  in September. Bonnie will present a workshop on “The Organized Writer,” and Patricia will present a workshop on “Using the Writer’s Senses.” Conference registration information can be found here.

Question of the Month

I have a recurring nightmare. In this dream I am all dressed up in my Sunday best and am in the barnyard. There are no people around, only farm animals and me. I am slopping the hogs and scattering grain to the chickens while spouting my beautiful words. I am ridiculous in the dream and always wake feeling useless, unappreciated and depressed. It is a horrible feeling.

I don’t know what the dream means. Maybe I am afraid that I am out of touch with or a misfit in my surroundings. Maybe I feel out of touch with my readers. Maybe I am afraid that if I do not get my words into the hands of a reading public that I will never have an audience. I do not know but I do not want the dream to come true.

So I have vowed to do something every day related to writing or marketing my words. Some days I might only mail a letter or post card, other days I sit at the computer and pound the keys all day long. Or I might pick through words and delete or replace more than I started with. But I do try to do something everyday related to writing or marketing my stories. And I am determined to get my words to a reading human audience.

We, The Other Bunch, are in the middle of preparing a collection of stories, poems and essays for publication. The collection is called Voices From The Snake River Plain. Watch for it this fall, it is almost ready to go to the printer.

Dixie Thomas Reale

When life gets in the way

I admit it freely. I’m really late with this month’s column. Life got in the way.

A vacation and wedding got in the way, and preparing for vacation and a wedding. Excuses, you say. Justification, you think.

You’re absolutely right, it is in an excuse. It is also a reality for every one of us writers who have a day job, who have life outside the computer and beyond the pad and pen. I’m talking to those with children to raise and parents to watch over. It is a time to take care of the business of living, of loving, of being a part of this sometimes crazy, often wonderful world.

That is not to say I totally cut myself off from writing during my vacation. I took one of my manuscripts to edit, which I did at the airport or when my mom retired for the night. During my trip, my writer’s brain often kicked in, that is the observer in me who steps outside my life and takes mental notes of the way people dress, talk or behave. I think, “Boy that would make a good character in a story.”

Life away from the computer also is a time to reflect about life. Why I am here. Why people act the way they do. Which way will the world spin. There are times when I can’t write because I’m too tired or too busy because of life that got in the way. I become frustrated because without my writing life, I’m not whole, just as I would be incomplete without my life away from words and sentences.

So the conclusion of all this is — letting life get in the way is an absolute necessity. Unless we let life get in the way, what do we have to write about?

PATRICIA SANTOS MARCANTONIO

Gilbert and Samantha Telly making a book at Live History Days

June’s Question of the Month: Are you your own best editor?

I learned early in my years of reporting not to rely on an editor. Many times editors save us from an embarrassing error, and that means they are doing their jobs well. But there are also editors adept at making shredded beef out of copy and then blaming the writer for being “unclear” when the hatchet job results in an error. Same goes for headline writers.

Being your own best editor means answering the questions you know the editor will ask before you turn in your work. Don’t just hope the editor won’t ask. You know the editor will ask. And if the editor can’t reach you on deadline, then you know the worst-case scenario: The editor will be forced to work around you, and that can be a very bad thing.

Imagine picking up your article, or perhaps column or short story, once it’s in print and choking on your scrambled eggs when you read it. It happened enough times to me early in my reporting years, although I was probably just having toast.

One of my worst experiences occurred when I had written about a tiny town’s post office that was about to be closed. The post office was one of just a couple meeting spots in town—a place where people connected.

I had just returned from a relaxing vacation and picked up the newspaper. The story’s headline dubbed the small post office a “Gossip Stop.” Perhaps had I been more direct that yes, there indeed probably was gossip shared there, the town may have been spared the headline. But there is gossip shared at every diner, watercooler, and barber shop in America, so it goes without saying. There certainly were lots of arguments supporting closing the post office in the name of efficiency, but this was an “end of an era” kind of story. Perhaps if I had just spelled that out more clearly in the article, the headline would have been more kind. Maybe nothing I could have done would have prevented that unfortunate headline.

I left my editor a strongly worded voicemail. I don’t remember who wrote the headline or why. The point I’m trying to make is that it’s best to headlong address the questions the editor will raise, so that the editor will feel confident rather than cranky about your work.

And if you take time to read and re-read and re-read your pieces before submitting them, it will make an editor’s job that much easier. An editor will appreciate you for it, and you will be more likely to enjoy your breakfast.

-Jennifer Sandmann

Question of the Month: Do you have any suggestions for frustrated writers?

In today’s troubled economy, it’s easy to become discouraged. Especially with long-standing newspapers folding, free-lance opportunities evaporating, and more and more publishers shaking their heads, “No.” What then, is a frustrated writer to do? This may not be the time to write the book of your heart and expect to see it published, but there are some things you can do until this sluggish economy turns.
1) Stay positive. Pull out some of your old work and pat yourself on the back for that well-written sentence or thought-provoking chapter. Be generous with your praise. As writers, our job is to write no matter what, and by praising yourself you build the confidence you need to keep writing.
2) Be disciplined. Writing, like playing a musical instrument, requires practice. Practice on a daily basis requires disciple. It’s hard to write when you are tired, but successful writers know the more they write, the better their work becomes. Instead of waiting for their muse to appear, successful writers treat writing as a job. They know that discipline gives them the endurance to meet deadlines, and meeting deadlines keeps editors and readers happy.
3) Patience may not only be a virtue, it might just be the thing that saves your sanity, especially in a flat market. What do you do while waiting for the economy to turn? Successful writers know that waiting is part of the business. The best way to “weather the storm” is to be patient and put your waiting time to good use. Instead of pacing and whining, plot your next story or work on something completely out of your genre. Experiment. Develop a blog or a writer’s platform. Or put on your shoes and go for a walk. You might be surprised at the fresh ideas that pop into your head and urge you back to the keyboard.
4) Love what you do. Approach each new day with a positive attitude even if worldly events are upsetting. Many writers acknowledge that they hate getting up early every morning to write, but they will also tell you that they love their job.
5) Let go of fear. Fear keeps us blocked and unproductive. Fear of rejection can keep us from submitting what could very well be the next bestseller. Instead of using fear to quit writing, let fear motivate you. Keep writing and submitting while you wait for the market to turn.
6) Stay focused. Don’t let this sluggish economy distract you or keep you from attaining your goals. Remember why you started writing in the first place, then get back to the keyboard. You still have stories to tell.

-Bonnie Dodge