RV Home Yet?

Writing and illustrating children's books

If you are still in Arizona and interested in writing or illustrating children's books, consider this one day workshop in Payson, AZ up in the cool mountains.

The Arizona Press Women's, Payson Chapter, is putting on a one-day workshop on writing and illustrating children's literature. Details below:

When: June 28, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Where: Gila Community College, 201 N. Mud Springs Rd., Payson, AZ
Cost: $40. Register before June 21- $35. Lunch is included.

Speakers:
Conrad J. Storad - Making non-fiction books fun. He is the award-winning author of Don't Call Me Pig and others.
Linda Exley - New options for getting books published. She will talk about a co-publishing arrangement.
Michael J. Moorhead (age 12) - Kids can write books. He'll have a booksigning with his book, Zombie Island: Conquering the Rumor Monster.
Kathy Parks- how to get started as a book illustrator. She is the illustrator for Michael Moorhead's book and others.

Reservations required. Call AZ Press Women at 928-468-9269 or email bcbrown2@theriver.com

This is a great opportunity if you are in the area and have an interest in children's books. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Writing practice

Back in the fall of 1994 at a Boomer (Escapees Birds of a Feather group) gathering, Alice Zyetz suggested a writing practice. Five women gathered in my 1988 Pace Arrow motorhome one afternoon in Pena Blanca, AZ. Betty Prange writes about that first meeting in RV Traveling Tales: Women's Journeys on the Open Road. Our practice was based on Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones. This was the first of many writing sessions numerous RV writers would have over the years at other RV gatherings, RV parks and RV educational events.

Natalie stress the importance of writing regularly - timed writing practices for 5, 10 or 15 minutes each. The idea is to stop the internal editor and just write. It doesn't have to be good, just write.

Now Natalie Goldberg has published a book of exercises or topics for your timed writing. Old Friend From Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoirs has dozens of ideas. Opening the book at random, here are a couple of examples:

• Ten minutes: Write everything you know about mashed potatoes.
• What about a time you slept outside? Tell me about it. Go. Ten minutes.

Goldberg's books feel like she is talking to you directly. Alice and I attended one of her workshops in Sedona a couple of years ago. I can still hear her voice. In this book she gives encouragement and writing advice along with topics to write about.

No matter what type of writing you want to do, whether it is writing down your story for family or whether you hope to be published, regular writing exercise is the foundation. I recommend this one. Jaimie

April --- Script Frenzy Month

Ever have the urge to write a screen or stage play? We've all seen bad movies and unfortunately paid to see them. And, you know that you can do much better. Here's your chance...April is the month chosen by the folks at The Office of Lights and Letters, otherwise known as the people who sponsor the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), for Script Frenzy, a month dedicated to play or movie writing. Starting on April 1 and ending on the 30th, writers from around the world try to complete a 100-page script.

It's free and it's fun! Dust off that idea that's been running around in your head, accompanied by that tune that won't go away, write it down and submit it. Write about the time your blackwater hose broke, or the time you backed into the tree you swore moved. Every RV'er has tons of stories to tell, just from the experiences of travel. Put them together and who knows...you might write the sequel to the movie "RV" and get Robin Williams to star in it.  At the very least If you write the 100 pages by the end of the month you will receive a certificate proclaiming your accomplishment and suitable for framing to show off to your RV friends.

Check out http://www.scriptfrenzy.org for details. As of today, there were over 3,200 creative writers chafing at the bit to begin the fun. Come on over and join us.

RV Writing- starter sentence

Today at a writing group we belong to we got a starter sentence. We are to write a short piece and then  share it at the next meeting. It's a good one so I thought I'd suggest it. Set your timer for 5 or 10 minutes, then write. Keep your hand moving. Don't edit. You can always make changes later.

If you'd like to share what you wrote, leave it in a comment on this post.

She was the last person I thought I would see....

RVing lends itself to writing. You have more time. You see beautiful places. You may be thinking of writing your family history for the kids and grandkids. If you are an aspiring writer- for your own pleasure or for possible or eventual publication, take a look at our e-book, Taking the Mystery out of RV Writing.

Hope to see your piece in a comment below! Jaimie

Photo of a writing group taught by Alice Zyetz at an RV rally. Reading their pieces after writing. Photo by George Bruzenak

Take Your Inner Writer RVing

As we travel through the blooming Springtime deserts, the forests filled with immense trees, the coasts with their unending waves licking at the craggy rocks, it's natural to want to retain our experiences through photos and journals. In our early days on the road, many of us journaled and then sent mass letters to friends and family back home to give them a taste of what we were seeing and experiencing.

As the technology improved, we were able to send group e-mails. One couple, Mark and Donia Steele, received such great feedback from the recipients of their emails that they polished them and turned them into a book, Steeles on Wheels. Now many RVers are creating their own blogs, incorporating their writing and photos to describe their adventures.

"But I'm not a writer," you say. "I can't do this."

In my experience at RV rallies leading the workshop, "How to Write Travel and Life Stories for Family, Friends, and Publication," I've discovered that EVERYBODY can journal. I teach these guidelines I learned from Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing Down the Bones:

• Buy a plain spiral notebook


• Set the timer for 15 minutes


• Just write


• >Don't think


• Don't edit


• Turn off your critic


• Use your five senses for description: What does it look like, sound like, feel, smell, taste like?

You will be surprised at how easily the writing will come when you don't criticize yourself but just let the writing appear. Don't worry about grammar and punctuation. You can always clean that up later if you're letting other people read what you've written.

You may only write for yourself at first, but after a while you will start sending the best snippets to friends in emails or holiday letters. Or you may create your own blog. You may decide to write articles or even a book. When Jaimie and I first met fourteen years ago, we had never published an article or even thought we would be book authors.

You may be interested in our book, Taking the Mystery Out of RV Writing, available in e-book or CD format. It describes the entire process starting with freeing your inner writer and getting your words on the page, and continues through magazine writing, book writing, and marketing to sell that precious book.

For a free copy of my report, "Write Compelling Travel or Life Stories in 10 Easy Steps," send an email to me at youshoulda @ aol.com (remove spaces). We would love to hear about your travel blogs. Send us the URLs.

Set your timer and start writing!

Alice Zyetz

Looking for Natalie Goldberg

We are in Taos, NM. I've been keeping my eye out for a sighting of Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing Down the Bones and other books. She lives here. George saw Julia Roberts on a corner a number of years ago, but I'm having no luck.

Indirectly, Natalie Goldberg's writing exercises led to our book, RV Traveling Tales: Women's Journeys on the Open Road. Betty Prange, in the first piece, writes about how five of us began writing by doing Natalie's exercises at Alice's suggestion and how that spread. All five women who were there that day have stories in the book.

We also include Natalie Goldberg's books as resources and describe her writing exercises in our ebook, Taking the Mystery Out of RV Writing. Her methods can definitely get your writing going.

Alice and I took a workshop from Natalie in Sedona a couple of years ago. We came away inspired! We talked to her at the artist's reception (she is also a painter) and gave her a copy of RV Traveling Tales. I doubt she'd recognize me, though!

I do associate Taos with writing - besides Natalie Goldberg there's Julia Cameron (Artist's Way), and Sue Henry's RV mystery (Tooth of Time) that was set here. To make up for it we visited Moby Dickens bookstore and now I have plenty to read. I tend to get abioliophobic when I get low on books to read. (Nicky Boston wrote about that in "The Addiction" in RV Traveling Tales.)

We're leaving tomorrow for Santa Fe so chances are I'll miss Natalie this visit. Maybe I'll have better luck next time.