NANCY'S PAGE
NOVEMBER 2011 THE QUOTABLE GNOME Nancy Thatcher Cerny
I had Sunday night dates with a gnome. Journalists and commentators offered in-depth stories and current events Sunday nights on the CBS program 60 Minutes. More often than not, the most thought-provoking segment was the last few minutes when Andy Rooney, my quotable gnome, would describe something of mundane familiarity with his unique and unexpected interpretation – things like groceries, curling, bridges, cotton in pill bottles and English language. Looking a bit weather-beaten amongst his stacks of papers and books, he was persuasive without lecturing. Peering out from beneath big bushy white eyebrows, he voiced his view of things and people in serious, informative, amusing and thought provoking word images. Andy Rooney said, “I’m going to work until I die.” – and so he did. His last television segment aired October 2, 2011. He died one month later. Rooney left behind a lifetime of writings, stories, essays and quotable comments on as many subjects. He was a writer for The Stars & Stripes during WWII. He wrote an impressive list of books, including The Story of the Stars & Stripes; writing the screenplay after the film rights were sold to MGM. While it never became a movie, Andy made enough money to freelance for several years after the war. He earned an impressive list of notable awards over the years. Andy knew Ernie Pyle and, years later, received the Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award. He wrote and performed 1,097 essays for 60 Minutes - and he won an Emmy. Privately, Andy was married 60-plus years and has four children. I couldn’t help but note he had just one sister - whose name was Nancy…. He refused to sign autographs ‘just because someone recognizes my face from television.’ Book signings were acceptable autograph times. Though Rooney has been called Irish-American, he once said, “I’m proud of my Irish heritage, but I’m not Irish, I’m not even Irish-American. I am American. Period.” @ wikipedia. On writing, Rooney said, “I don’t pick subjects as much as they pick me.” On words, he said, “vegetarian – that’s an old Indian word meaning lousy hunter.” On language, Andy said, “Obscenities… I think a lot of dumb people do it because they can’t think of what they want to say and they’re frustrated. A lot of smart people do it to pretend they aren’t very smart – want to be just one of the boys.” I have a particular fascination for quotations and there’s a long list of Andy Rooney Quotes on http://www.brainquote.com. I enjoy bios, long or short, and wikipedia.org has a 6-page summary of his life. Andy Rooney has always reminded me of a gnome. He was my favorite gnome. Andy wasn’t the most handsome lad in the lineup, the tallest, neatest nor smartest – yet, perhaps he was…. Seeds of Hope Nancy yTe 8Nov2011 \ BITS AND PIECES make a BEAUTIFUL MOSAIC If you know me at all, you know my major purpose is to write biographies. I collect piles of the bits and pieces that make up an individual’s life then lay them out as an attractive mosaic of words. Sometimes the search is quick and easy. Other times it takes years of persistence and patience. Most important to my biographies is an ongoing motivation by writing in little spurts and splats of flash fiction, summaries, essays, short-short stories, topical writing assignments such as writing groups encourage, and Haiku. Some of my stories are submitted to various contests for ‘testing the waters’ or for the sake of ego. Some stories are submitted for publication in anthologies. This year one of my essays will be included in a prestigious university publication. There is little or no financial compensation for contests, anthologies or prestigious publications. I’ll never get rich writing Haiku or essays – not even writing life stories of interesting historical characters. Nonetheless, I keep gathering up bits and pieces of human experiences and presenting them as colorful mosaics. The finished product is pure gold to me. I have written an autobiography but, for better or for worse, I’ve lived on - and so it is incomplete. Has anyone actually completed an autobiography? Writing personal experiences in memoirs, creative non-fiction and fiction is exciting. A memoir is a great deal of fun to write. I read somewhere that “A memoir is a journey in which you are the hero.” It is a three-act play. Small moments can be written as epic dramas. The ugly duckling can become the swan and Quasimodo can become the knight in shining armor. Some memoirs are written to glamorize and bring spotlight attention to oneself; sometimes they are designed to ‘get even’ or embarrass someone else. Whichever, a memoir is more opinion and fantasy than fact. Like a lump of clay, the writer shapes the story to whatever suits her fancy. Yes, it is such fun to be a writer! Since October is the time for fantasy: Halloween, costumes, role-playing… I met a very successful western writer who said he did his best writing when he dressed for the part – and put on his Stetson hat. How about being an elegant lady, a homeless lad, a CEO of a hospital, a story-telling grandma or small town detective? To summarize, a writer needs to know her major purpose in writing – but equally as important, needs to recognize and honor whatever it is that motivates her enthusiasm and creativity for writing – to be successful. 10/25/2011 Nancy yTe \ 
OCTOBER 2011
September 2011
SEVEN SIMPLE STEPS TO WRITING SUCCESS
Nancy Thatcher Cerny
To climb the stairs from scribble to publication takes expectation, dedication, energy and determination. Successful authors employ these qualities to reach their destination. Here are seven steps they recommend:
1. Read every day. Read newspaper, magazines, advertisements, billboards and books. Read everything that is written in your niche. Question what you read and determine if your writing can fill a void or reveal a new perspective. Read, read, read.
2. Write every day. Write as though you have a daily column on current events, help, travel, weather, anything of interest to you… Or, write your opinion on a subject; a commentary or rebuttal to someone else’s writing. Keep lists, notes or notebooks on what you have read with references and quotes to support your writings. Do a ten minute warm-up exercise to get your creative juices flowing before tackling your serious writing project.
3. Don’t try for perfection. Your writing engine is likely to fly off the track if you slam on the brakes to edit or revise while you’re in a creative writing mode. Do edits and rewrites later, when the article or chapter is completed; when it is time to revise for publication – that’s when perfection puts your writing on the right track.
4. Be an authority. Whether as a pet owner or a Quantum Theory scientist, know more and write more about your field of expertise than others do. You may be knowledgeable in many genres but be an expert in your particular field of interest. Write about it in fiction, non-fiction, poetry, essay and verse.
5. Go public. If readers don’t have access to you and your writing, you are invisible. Go public. Meet people. Show your face and your words. Be a contender. Enter contests and submit your work for publication wherever possible. Remember, Julie Powell began with a blog about cooking Julia Child’s recipes and ended up rich and famous. Expose yourself and your writings. Anthologies, self-publishing and e-book publications have made some writers millionaires!
6. Keep your files in Order. Make all of your writings retrievable – even your scribbles. List those submitted for contests, publication or included on your website/blog; when, where and to whom and response. Scribbles and unedited ideas can become the gems, when retrieved, revised and resubmitted, earning rewards and remuneration.
7. Move with the flow. Keep moving forward. If you don’t have a website and/or blog, get one! Join writer’s organizations. Submit your work in contests and get published - anywhere. Advertise your successes on your website, in your platform and with professional organizations. Being an expert in your genre, niche or field, now is the time to make yourself available as a public speaker.
WRITE, Write, write. DO IT, Do It, do it.
7 steps gleaned from hundreds of books
and magazine articles on writing.- Nancy yTe \
NANCY’S PAGE – August 2011 STOP THE WORLD … I’M GETTING OFF … Nancy Thatcher Cerny The Writer’s Digest magazine arrived today. Yes. That means I’ll have to stop the world and get off while I absorb it from cover to cover. I am armed with reading glasses, Post-it notes and highlighters. My perusal may not take too long as I’m not especially interested in meeting agents right now (featured topic) but WD hides other gems of information and inspiration throughout its pages. (Everyone needs to collect gems.) I sit at my computer at least two hours each day tapping out letters, articles, short stories and Blogs - in addition to one hour of responding to emails. To write creatively, thoughtfully, usefully or with inspiration, I find it necessary to be prepared by reading double or triple that amount of time. (I probably learned that useful formula from a writer’s magazine or conference.) OK. I stopped my world to absorb WD mojo and learned something new: A workshop with agents, editors, publishers and booksellers is called a “Fan Conference.” I also found new ‘how to’ suggestions for blogging, trademarks and mini memoirs. Did you know using serial commas is a ‘style choice?’ It seems The Chicago Manual of Style says you should use them but the Associated Press Stylebook rules omit them. ( Now there’s a writer’s gem of current information!) If you maintain a list of writing cues for articles, blog, stories or warm-ups, you’ll find a month’s supply in most writers’ magazines. Some list cues. There’s the 25-word ‘challenge’ with an opening sentence using a particular word or a more challenging short story contest with a specific topic or opening sentence. (Or find a new slant on an old idea for an article or essay.) Every page of a writer’s magazine contains nuggets of knowledge, conferences, information and guidelines to write, write, write. Why not collect your share of the inspiration, education and encouragement so generously presented in writers’ magazines – they’re free for the reading at your library. Just Stop the World and Get Off to fill up your jewel chest. Nancy yTe \ Nancy Thatcher Cerny – July 2011
NOW HEAR THIS: Today is Thursday, July 21, 2011. Thanks to Cherie Neal, “Nancy’s Page” is returning to the NEW website: Twin LakesWriters.org
The TwinLakesWriters.org website crashed with forty-two entries by yours truly; beginning as President’s Page in July 2007 and ending January 2011 as Nancy’s Page. Finding a topic of interest to writers, researching then designing an information essay was a highlight in my writing tasks.
As you probably know, my primary scribble is biographies based on my family’s history. I dig up the bones of long dead relatives and reconstruct them for public viewing – like showing them off in Madam Tussaud’s Wax Museum.
Biographies can take years of research and organization before publication. Writing shorter pieces, essays, reviews or articles were, for me, a regular a form of writing in short spurts with spontaneous feedback, as they had a consistent theme and production schedule. Writing Haiku (the only form of poetry I can understand or attempt to write) is Instant Gratification.
In the interim, without the TLW website, I began blogging a family history magazine and a NancyPtahDaa: sharing “brief snippets of thoughts, ideas and inspirations – the Seeds of Hope to inspire and encourage others to accomplish their goals while finding the simple treasures in daily living we are truly grateful for.”
... I have no idea what I will be writing about for our beautiful, new website. So, we, you and I, may be surprised by the words that show up on my page, but I expect to have a really good time - I hope you have a good time, too.
* yTe *
the one to benefit most."
~Jim Rohn~ Seeds of Success
http://NancyPtahDaa.blogspot.com
http://Thatchermagazine.blogspot.com
www.TwinLakesWriters.org /Nancy's Page
