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Great Norman Galaxy of Writers ' meeting this morning.  Contest winners read their winning entries. Wow. Some of the stories blew me away; Especially, Katherine West's Short Story— "A Good Hand" filled with enough dark humor even I had to laugh aloud during the death scene.  Shelley Anne Richter's   Nonfiction Article— “Saddle Dwellers” taught me a few things I didn't know about cowboys. I grew up around rodeo stars –my dad was one of them. He was a calf roper and bulldogger. When he wasn't riding in the rodeo he was breaking horses for other people. We always had horses and I learned to ride –Western style- before I learned to walk. I have a friend that rides –English style- and trust me it's an entirely different type of horseback riding.  I thought I grew up as a cowgirl but Shelly's historical view of the real American cowboy tarnished my previously glamorous image of the olden day cowpoke and enlightened me to the harsh re...

Anyone in the OK area, who is interested in being an author, should try to take one of William Bernhardt's writing seminars . He's an amazing instructor. Next Seminar will be held June 9-13 , 2013 in OKC.

Finished the book. Still doing some minor final tweaking before sending it off to the publisher. Absolute deadline Feb. 1, 2013. With luck it will sell and be available for sale soon. I have a couple of sequels to this one planned. Still need to finish the Western, and the SF novels that I've got started. Maybe I'll get more writing done, now that I'm officially unemployed and writing is my only source of income at the moment. Which means I need to write faster, edit even quicker, and start bringing in more writing income. At least I'm down to less than a half dozen jobs now: Full time baby-sitter for my soon to be four-year-old grand-baby, chief cook and bottle washer, errand runner, and part time nursery care at church. Oh yeah, and full-time writer! Or at least full-time writer between the baby-sitting, cooking, dish-washing, errand running, nursery, laundry, occasional minimal house work, and the words of the King, etc. etc. etc. Due to decreased income ...

I'm behind schedule. It's day 10 of my 'Finish the Book in 31 Days' challenge. I'm only up to day 7 goal wise. Behind by three days. But that's okay. It's way too early in the schedule to give up, throw in the towel, or run naked in the streets screaming, "I'll never make it; I just know it!" There is no need to change the plan or reschedule the deadline. It's just time to get serious, pull up my shirt sleeves, and work a little harder to catch up. I know I can do it. Never surrender. Never give up. Being behind is not the end.

Norman Galaxy of Writers presents “Using Your Five Senses in Your Writing,” an interactive workshop by Sherry Bynum Date:                 October 6, 2012  Place:         University Lutheran Church, the Soul Room                   914 Elm Ave., Norman, OK Register:    9:45 a.m.   Program:  10 to noon Cost:          $10.  Limit:  25 participants This is a workshop! Bring writing materials—and your five senses! Park behind the church on College Street. Want more information? Contact Sherry Bynum, 405-364-7818, 401-2410, shebyn@sbcglobal.net . Limited Enrollment—Please Pre-Register

I believe in setting achievable writing goals. That doesn't mean I settle for less. It means I am usually fully aware of my present abilities; therefore I am usually fully aware of which goals are actually within my reach, and which ones are beyond reach from my current position. With each achievement I set the bar a little higher for the next project.  For years I was a closet writer. Most of what I wrote sucked and I wouldn't let anyone else read what I had written –because it sucked. Like learning to play a musical instrument, I got better with practice and finally allowed a few trusted friends to read and critique my stories.  Eventually I joined a writing group, took a couple of classes, and attended workshops and conferences. As I learned writing technique and honed my skills I started entering contest. Then I started winning contest.  Finally I got secure enough in my skills as a writer to submit my work to publishers. I've had a few short stor...

I wrote my first Paranormal Romance Novel over a year ago. It just flowed out of me as if someone stood behind me whispering the words into my ear as I transcribed them onto the page. I finished the first draft in less than three months. Unfortunately, I've been editing and rewriting it ever since and can't seem to get to a point where I feel it's ready for submission. I've worked on it to the point of hating it.  With the help of a word processor I'm no longer forced to write six or seven drafts of a manuscript. I just edit and revise in my program adding, subtracting, and substituting words until I am happy with the sounds they make together. I'd say I'm at the equivalent of about the twentieth draft by now.  The book is over 70,000 words. The story is all there. But I'm still not satisfied.  I've worked it to death.  So I've set a deadline to quit working on it. If it's not any good by the end of the deadline that...