Breaking into radio, as a writer or a producer, is easy. All you have to do is be able to dance backwards beautifully…..and in high heels…

It’s an old joke. But put some sound to the idea, and you have a good example of how competitive it is to get into radio. But, it’s just as compelling as it is competitive.

Hillary Frank, author/illustrator/and independent radio producer, said she got lucky with having an unsolicited story accepted by This American Life.

But, it took about a year of work to get to that big break. She details how she accomplished the feat in our interview. Also, make sure to read the essay on her website that explains how her pitches were even used as examples of what not to do!

While getting into radio does take effort, it is possible. After our interview, Hillary passed along by email the advice she gives to students when she teaches.

Start with a really good pitch. Or, even better, a great pitch, says Hillary. Find the show you are interested in, then send an email. “Show the editors in one paragraph that you know how to put together a surprising story in THEIR style,” Hillary recommended.

Each story should contain an element of surprise—something that the listeners hear and say “gee, I didn’t know that.”

Here’s an example from Hillary, which she said may offer a better explanation than the narcolepsy story she used during our interview.

“Recently, Studio 360 called me and my husband (also a radio producer) and asked us to put together a story for the 50th anniversary of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. This was a huge challenge because we knew there would be a ton of media attention on this subject. How could we possibly do something new? Instead of approaching experts, we decided to take a personal approach.”

You can listen to the results, which Hillary says are “hopefully surprising” at http://hillaryfrank.com/radio31.html

Here’s a list of resources that Hillary uses in the writing for radio workshops she teaches:

• Transom.org (Transom.org) is a website for radio producers with all levels of experience. The site features guest artists, who participate in online chats, and new works commissioned from radio novices and experimental work from seasoned pros. “Their Tools column will give you the best advice out there on what tools you’ll need to make a radio story,” says Hillary.

• Radio Diaries (www.radiodiaries.org) teaches ordinary people how to keep audio journals, conduct interviews, edit tape, and produce stories for public radio. “Go to and check out the Teen Reporter Handbook, listed under ‘Resources’. This is a great guide for a radio beginner of any age, ” suggests Hillary.

• StoryCorps (www.storycorps.net) is a national oral history project doocumenting the stories from real people for public radio and for the Library of Congress. They have booths in New York City and a one that travels across the United States, where people can conduct their own personal interviews. “The StoryCorps Web site, has a ‘Question Generator’ tool, which guides you through a personalized list of questions for your interview,” says Hillary.

• The Third Coast International Audio Festival (www.thirdcoastfestival.org) helps spread the word about radio work. “If you want to break into radio, going to their annual conference is one of the most productive things you can do,” according to Hillary. The 2008 conference is this weekend in Chicago. Attendance is sold out for this year.

• The Public Radio Exchange (PRX) (www.prx.org) provides a place for anyone to post their completed audio work. “Pieces are reviewed by peers and are often licensed by stations nationally. PRX is also a great way to listen to a wide variety of work by independent producers and to get feedback on a new piece of your own,” Hillary said.

• “Also be sure to check out the This American Life Comic Book, Radio: An Illustrated Guide. It’s a step-by-step primer on how to make a radio story. Find it at www.thisamericanlife.org.”

Equipment is something Hillary said is best left to experts. It’s a very personal decision based on a number of considerations.

“Depending on your budget and level of commitment to radio, setups can vary widely,” Hillary said. She said the two best places to check are the tools page at Transom.org and the TAL comic book, even though that info is now a bit outdated .

Phew! You’ve made it this far. Welcome to radio. The editors loved your pitch and you’ve managed to record some good interviews and ambient sound to enhance the story. There’s only a little work left to do. Editing.

“Sound editing technology is not that hard to learn as long as you’re comfortable with learning new computer programs,” Hillary said.

If it all sounds too technical, make sure that pitch you made was really, really good. A good pitch will carry you far.

“If you’re not a computer person, you can still get a story on certain shows with a great pitch (TAL, Weekend America),” Hillary said. “The show’s producers will handle the technical side of it for you.”

Haven Kimmel and author escort Bill Young at a recent Chicago appearance at Froggy’s Restaurant in Highwood, IL.

Indiana plays an important role in Haven Kimmel’s writing. The state inspired her poetry so much so that when she moved to North Carolina, she was without her Midwest focus and feared she would never write again.

Then Haven began writing stories of her growing up years in Mooreland, Indiana a tiny hamlet of 300 people in Henry County. The stories became two best selling memoirs, Zippy and She Got Up Off the Couch.

Haven revisits Indiana again in her fiction The Solace of Leaving Early and Something Rising (Light and Swift). Her newest book, The Used World, forms a loose trilogy with the two novels.

As a poet, Haven received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the federal agency that supports artists and arts organizations.

The NEA website lists the categories they fund, although many deadlines have already passed. Visiting the site is a good first step in seeing their criteria and guidelines.

All government grants are listed online at www.grants.gov. Many grants are awarded to non profit organizations, but some individual artists are eligible.

Additional resources for grants for individuals include state art agencies or councils (for Illinois it is the Illinois Arts Council) and the Foundation Center.

One current RFP (grant speak for “request for proposals” or grant that is available to apply for) of interest to writers is the Puffin Foundation. The Foundation awards grants to “emerging artists in the fields of art, music, theater, dance, photography, and literature whose works due to their genre and/or social philosophy might have difficulty being aired.” Awards range from $1,000 to $2,500 each. Deadline is Dec. 30, 2007

The interview with Wendy Willett is now online  at WaukTown Radio.

Look for the special offer from Wendy at the end of this article.

Wendy Willett got her book into print by taking control of the process with self publishing her first book, Amber Shadows and the Missing Wands.

Following our recent interview on WaukTown Radio, Wendy shared several of her design and writing tips which helped personalized the book, saved her money, and motivated her to keep writing.

Polish Your Manuscript with Drop Caps
Adding dropped caps to the manuscript gives the introduction of each chapter the polished look of a professional printer.

They’re easy to add. Here are Wendy’s directions: In MS Word, highlight the first letter in the first paragraph of each new chapter. Then go to Format in the menu bar and select the “drop cap” option. “I always liked doing the font of the drop cap in the same font as the title; i.e. I used Papyrus for the chapter title and chapter number,” Wendy explained.

Use Your Art Background or Connections
If you have an art background, or know someone who does, it will save you money when designing your self published book. Wendy found that doing her own illustrations was more cost efficient than hiring the art team from the print- on-demand publisher. “Sketching for me was a lot of concentrative work; however, I had art lessons in high school and it turned out to be a talent I never knew I had.

I was determined to have picture images in each chapter because it’s more appealing to young children age 9+ and I did not want to pay well over $1,000.00 for someone else to do it. I’m actually glad I did, and most likely will do the sketches for the next three books,” she said.

Reach Out to Others
The Internet site AuthorsDen.com has played an important role in Wendy’s development as a writer. The service is free, but Wendy upgraded and paid for the gold membership so she could make use of all of the features it offers.

“The website is easy to use, you can publish straightaway and people do leave you messages/reviews after reading your work that has been posted,” she said. “Sometimes they don’t, but that’s ok too. Amber Shadows and the Missing Wands, even now, is one of the books always listed as ‘popular.’ ”

One of the features Wendy especially likes to use allows her to track interest and sales by viewing statistics on the site. She pointed out that books don’t always have to be featured on the AuthorsDen home page to be successful. “It doesn’t have to show on the AuthorsDen home page for it to be popular,” Wendy said. “If you click on “stats” it tells you how many people have read your work. There is also a “Potential Sales Statistics” link to click on where you can find out how many people have actually gone to Amazon.com and other online stores to possibly order your book. This is a definite website for those wanting exposure and a ‘keeper’ too.”

Take a Class and Use Those Resources!
Wendy has praise for the classes she took at the Institute of Children’s Literature. “I highly recommend it,” she said. “(I give it) over 10 stars for those who know how to write, but need a college professor to teach you everything you need to know about how to write a book properly from beginning to end, whether it is for children’s picture books or youth novels, etc. My professor told me my strongest quality was writing for young adults to adults, and writing articles.”

When it came time for her final exam, Wendy said she had to write a complete novel and she found she enjoyed writing novels for youth.

She also relied on Writers’ Digest and The Writer Magazine. “These two mags are filled with tips on what the publishers are looking for, how to win them over, and how to basically write a great piece,” Wendy said. She also recommends keeping the latest version of The Chicago Manual of Style on hand for any grammar or usage questions.

“These three are a must have. The Chicago Manual of Style is handy to have if you are doing your own editing and want to save on editing costs when going with a print on demand publisher, Wendy said. “Never use a subsidy publisher! Print on demand is the route to go so you can keep control over your project and finances.”

And…always keep reading
For Wendy, it’s important for writers to find time to read a number of books in your favorite genre. “If you have writers’ block, reading or even watching a movie or two on your favorite genre can break the writers block and open your imagination to create a world to go along with the idea buzzzing inside your intellect, ” she said. “Avoid plagiarism at all costs, use your own ideas, keep them fresh, real, and different.”

Some additional motivation tips from Wendy:
-Write when the inspiration hits you, whether it’s with pen, quill, (some writers are eccentric) or computer/laptop. Ideas sometimes hit us in the middle of the night and if it’s not written down straightaway, the idea gets lost and forgotten. So keeping a pen and paper with you or on the bedside table is essential.

-Keep notes of all your details, make an outline of the things you are putting in your novel if you are writing a series, and keep it up to date if the novel changes. That way, you can go back and reference your notes to keep each new story in the series flowing. I keep a lot of my ideas in my head, but a vast majority of it is written down in my files. Flight of the Arc Angels, a short story I wrote, came to me one night when I was trying to comfort my son to sleep. I wrote it and posted it on AuthorsDen.com that very night.

And Now a Special Offer from Wendy
Order Amber Shadows and the Missing Wands directly from Wendy, and you can have the book autographed by her. Contact Wendy by email at MWillett (AT) Ameritech (DOT) net.

“For kids 9+ I think this book is a great Christmas idea,” she said. Anyone that orders directly from Wendy will get the paperback version of the book for the reduced rate of $15.95 + $5.00 shipping anywhere in the USA.

Good By and Good Luck
Wendy is in the process of planning a book signing, which she hopes will be soon. “Till then, God bless and good luck to all those out there writing their hearts out to make a name for themselves. The road is never easy, but nothing we want in life ever is. Your dreams are worth fighting for whether you choose the traditional publishing route or self publishing route, so keep writing and keep perfecting your talent and writing skills,” she said.

In the meantime, Wendy said she is very interested in hearing from people. “If anyone would like to write to me and ask advice or a few questions, simply contact me at MWillett (AT)Ameritech (DOT) net. I would love to hear from others needing advice on what to do. I’ve actually been thinking of writing a piece each week on AuthorsDen on Sundays, giving advice on writing and publishing.”

The interview with Gayle Brandeis has been posted at Wauktown Radio.

Gayle Brandies’ new novel Self Storage begins with the words, “I celebrate myself,” the opening line from Walt Whitman’s poem Song of Myself.

“I just can’t do it,” the narrator and main character Flan (short for Flannery) says. But Flan is not a victim. She’s not whining. Or defeated. She is on a search to find herself and what will make her say “yes” in her life. If you are part of a book group, this is the book to use to expand horizons. The book presents delicious characters, including an emotionally solid Flan who is searching but not angst ridden about it. Great discussions could result from any of the topics the books deals with and also delve into a field trip to a self storage locker auction, a rereading of Whitman poems, and a look at the lives of immigrant women. Yes, it’s all part of Self Storage, but you’ll need to read the book yourself to see how it plays out.

Gayle began writing Self Storage as part of the National Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo which begins each begins Nov. 1. The goal of NaNoWriMo is to for participants to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel in 30 days. The emphasis is on quantity (that can ultimately be edited into quality) in a “fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing.”

After the interview on Wauktown Radio, I asked Gayle if she plans on participating in NaNoWriMo this year.

“I’m not sure yet–probably not, because I will be teaching for both UCR and the UCLA Writers Program this fall,” she responded to me by email. Gayle said the semester doesn’t start until late September, and “it would be wonderful to get a good bulk of the first draft done before classes begin.”

During our interview on Wauktown Radio, Gayle told us that publication of an earlier book was a challenge. An editor was interested, then said her book Fruitflesh didn’t have much of Gayle in it. When Gayle rewrote it, she was told it had too much of her self in it. So…I asked her, how did she resolve the situation so the book got published?

Gayle told me the story of how she was able to take a different look at the book that resulted in a positive response.

“I went to an estate sale down the street from my house, and picked up a gorgeous print called the Virgin de la Sandia–the Virgin of the Watermelon for $3. It looks like a Virgin of Guadalupe image except the woman is nude and surrounded by watermelon. As I walked home carrying this print, I had an epiphany–I needed to bring more fruit into the book. I had named the book Fruitflesh in the earlier draft but the title really only related to one section of the book, a chapter about my life-changing strawberry.

I realized that to honor that strawberry, and to make the title make sense, I should use fruit as the central metaphor for the entire book. It seemed like the perfect metaphor to me for women and creativity.”

Gayle explained that during that time her agent was having health issues and decided to step down.

“So I took it upon myself to write to the editors who had been most enthusiastic about the earlier drafts of the book. Luckily, Renee Sedliar at HarperSanFrancisco remembered the book and asked to see the new draft,and she fell in love with it and championed it. She was such a fabulous editor to work with–very hands on. The book became much juicier and more vibrant with her help.”

Gayle’s first acceptance letter was from Mothering Magazine, a publication Gayle said she always turned to as a young mother.

“It was total beginner’s luck,” she explained. “I pitched them an article idea,the first time I had ever pitched anything, and they said to go for it. I could barely believe it.”

It took a while for Gayle to write the article about Childhood and Ritual in Bali, (hummm, that would be an interesting article to read!) send it to the editor and have it published. So she got busy with other writing and began publishing her work in literary magazines and anthologies.

“I remember getting my first “yes” response for an anthology submission,” Gayle said. “The editor had written “Acceptance!” right on the envelope, which was very exciting and generous, I thought.”

After writing for literary and commercial markets, Gayle said the difference is very slight. “I’m not sure there is a big leap between the literary world and more commercial world, it’s all words, of course,” she said.

“Perhaps more attention is given to every single word in the literary world, but I do believe that writing is good writing.”

Now I just need to find out about her life changing strawberry….

Looking for a good book to read? Want to see what others think of the book you’ve written? If cozy is your thing, head off to the Cozy Library.Com web site run by Diana Vickery.

Once a sub category of mystery books, “cozy” originally was used to signal that the sleuth is an amateur, the setting is in their neighborhood, and the ending is generally a happy one. Now the definition is looser since books cross genres.

Diana began reviewing mystery books for Mystery News. The Cozy Library web site has mystery reviews, as well as cozy, not quite cozy, links to author blogs, fiction and non- fiction. Diana and her crew of “cozy librarians” have also compiled webpages with information on over 275 authors plus contests and drawings currently available.

Reading someone’s book to review is much different than reading for enjoyment, Diana says. There’s no quick skim or speed reading involved. She takes her responsibility seriously and writes copious notes on characters, plot, and location for each book she reviews.

Diana began reviewing with mystery books. “I started by writing a note to the editor of Mystery News, telling her I was interested in reviewing, giving her a bit of my background, telling her what kinds of books I liked to read, and the volume of them I’d read,” Diana explained after our interview when I emailed her to for advise to others on how she got started. “About six months later, she lost her cozy reviewer and gave me a tryout. I passed .”

The terrific opportunity does come with a caution, according to Diana. “Just remind folks they won’t get rich reviewing (and may not even be paid).”

Diana said Don’t Murder Your Mystery by Chris Roerden was instrumental in helping her decide, as a reviewer, what a good mystery novel needs to be effective. The book’s author is a manuscript editor and geared to mystery writers with excellent tips for all genres. It’s part of my bedside reading materials for nightly inspirational reading!

Cozy Library. Com is an inviting site that welcomes visitors with reviews, information, and a plethora of links. You’ll find plenty of connections for your cozy reading (and writing!) needs. But no pink splashed across the pages. “That would be too obvious,” says Diana.

Chris Bohjalian’s most recent book, The Double Bind, is the result of extensive research and combining reality with fantasy.

The book began with a newspaper article Chris wrote in a Sunday column for the Burlington Free Press. The newspaper article was about Bob Campbell, a real life photographer who was once homeless. The man died after moving from the streets into an apartment that the Burlington, Vermont Committee on Temporary Shelter found for him. Campbell left behind black and white photographs of some of famous people from over 40 years ago.

“We were all mystified as to how Campbell had gone from photographing luminaries from the 1950s and 1960s to winding up at a homeless shelter in northern Vermont,” Chris explains in the opening Author’s Note in The Double Bind. Chris described the story that resulted as “the longest article I’ve ever written,” consisting of three newspaper pages from top to bottom.

“Those photographs he left behind at the shelter were certainly an inspiration for the book,” Chris said during our recent interview at the Printer’s Row Book Fair in Chicago.

“But the fictional character I created is not real,” he stressed. Because Chris had already done so much work writing the actual article, he said he had plenty of background to begin creating the fictional character of Bobby Crocker. The actual photos that the real Bob Campbell took are used in the book and can be viewed on line at http://chrisbohjalian.com/campbell.htm

Chris’s publishing career began with a short story in Cosmopolitan magazine. A novel followed and “sold right away, much to my astonishment,” Chris joked. He says his first three books were “hideous,” yet admits one of them, Pass the Bleachers, did become “a lovely Hallmark movie.”

The Double Bind is Chris’ 11^th book. His talent as a writer is making fictional characters seem so real we know we’ve met them, talked with them as neighbors, and have come to know and care for.

In Double Bind Chris weaves reality and fiction to create the compelling story with life-like fictional characters. We meet social worker Laura Estabrook and the homeless clients she works with. We are by Laura’s side as she tries to piece together the story of the real photographs and the fictional Bobby Crocker’s life, played out against the modern day residue of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s broken Buchanan family from The Great Gatsby.

It all flows together to a startling conclusion.

Gary Moore’s book Playing with the Enemy: A Baseball Prodigy, a World at War, and a Field of Broken Dreams is the kind of story Hollywood might have dreamed up.

The behind the scenes story and what happened after publication is just as spell-binding.

The best part is–it’s all true.

Gene Moore, a young boy from Southern Illinois, wants to be a major league baseball player. He gets the nod, only to have it derailed by World War II. Instead of playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Gene uses his skill to guard prisoners and teach them the sport. Years later, Gene’s son Gary son writes his dad’s story. It’s published in a book and an Academy Award-winning producer is turning it into a movie.

Guess who will star in the film?

Gary’s actor son, Toby, will star as his grandfather.

Make sure to sign up for Gary’s free Playing with the Enemy newsletter on his web site for the latest announcements to keep up to date on what is happening as the book reaches a wider and wider audience, the full cast is announced, and filming on the movie begins this fall.

Gene’s life plan of playing baseball certainly didn’t turn out as he had planned, but his dream didn’t end with his death. The story behind Playing with the Enemy shows that the long-term outcome might even better than original short-term plan. Toby gets to star in movie based on a book written by his father, about his grandfather, and has the opportunity to honor his family with the validation his grandfather probably never imagined.

“No, my father did not die unhappy, but there was always a burden he carried with him,” Gary told me by email after our interview on Wauktown Radio. “He understood that the life and the family he loved would not have been had he not been injured, but the love of baseball and his passion to play well was something he never lost and was unable to fulfill.”

Although the movie won’t be filmed in on location in Sesser, Illinois, Gary said people are already making visits to the town to see the sights mentioned in the book. On weekends, some 25-30 people have already begun to stop in town for a visit. “Visitors to Sesser can stop by the city hall and receive a map and information about the book sites.” Gary said. “There is no fee involved that I am aware of.”

Sesser is located in the far Southern part of the state. It’s rural with numerous economic challenges. In the past, much of the area depended on coal until environmental concerns limited production. Gary said there is some research with coal to burn a cleaner product, which could result in an economic revival in that area.

In the meantime, Sesser is doing their own part to bring attention to what their town has to offer. Visit the Sesser Chamber of Commerce for information about the town. And, visit the town’s web site and find out why resident’s want Oprah to visit and what they are doing to encourage her consideration.

Kim Lavine, the president of Green Daisy used the same business approach in starting and running her company to snare a book contract for Mommy Millionaire, How I Turned My Kitchen Table Idea Into a Million dollars and How you Can too!

Wuvits, a “personal spa therapy pillow,” started out as a gift Kim made for family and friends at her home on a bulky $100 sewing machine. But then her husband lost his job and Kim……with two small kids…..out of the marketplace for five years….and needing $2,000 for monthly mortgage payments….. decided to take action and become an entrepreneur and start her own business. As the company grew, Kim faced expansion, debt, bankruptcy, and a few other challenges.

Each step of the way, Kim had to learn business procedures and add to her knowledge of marketing and then research who would buy her product. She compiled information for a business plan to obtain a loan by relying on a myriad of free resources found on the Internet. The business plan provided specifics on competition, projected growth, and demographics. It showed investors the need existed for her product and that it would be a success in the marketplace.

The plan was so through that a friend remarked it had enough information to be a book proposal. Figuring other women could benefit from her experience of combining a business and a family—without having any business experience herself—Kim reworked business plan into a proposal and sent it off to publishers.

Kim had a book contract by the end of the week. Since she had spent so much time developing the business proposal, Kim had an outline on how to proceed and what information to include right in front of her when she began to write.

She wanted to make the book helpful to other women entrepreneurs who would have the same family challenges she faced: kids, lack of business experience, and a looming financial crisis.

So, she incorporated her own personal story in the book and then held her breadth to see if it was what editor wanted. It was a gamble since the editor would only read the book when it was completely finished. Kim acknowledged that adding so much personal information was a risk from a privacy standpoint and a publishing standpoint as well. But she figured her personal story would be the one that others would want to read.

The gamble paid off. The editor liked the manuscript and Mommy Millionaire was published. Kim’s spirit shines through in the book and in person. Many times, as Kim told an audience at a recent appearance at the Printer’s Row Book Fair in Chicago, she just had to “suck it up” and get on with what had to get done. There are always setbacks, Kim said. But if you have the interest and the dream, just keep going. Who knows how it will end?

I was reading Kim’s book as I was preparing to edit the audio tape and write the story of our interview. Kim was extraordinarily patient and generous with her time during the numerous L trains rumbling by during the interview and my request to tape during the presentation.

When I sat down at the computer to put it all together, I found most of the tape was empty and what did remain sounded like a herd of cicadas had joined us. I finished Kim’s book and set down to reconstruct a portion of the audio and write down what was possible to recollect from our discussion.

Even though things may not turn out exactly as you had planned—or in this case, not even close—you suck it up, as Kim says, and keep going.

That’s the spirit she used when trying to get in touch with a buyer or to make a visit at a store.

Here’s Kim Lavine talking about the art of the pitch and integrating family and life while on the path to success:

http://media.switchpod.com//users/chrisatwriterswebcast/episode4.mp3

Thanks for the motivating story, Kim, and the reminder on the importance of a business -like approach.

Vicki Quade is the author of Late Nite Catechism and Put the Nuns in Charge! Her most recent play, Sunday School Cinema, just opened at the Royal George Theatre in Chicago. After the interview on Wauktown Radio, Vicki gave us step-by-step instructions for those interested in producing their own one person show. They’re all included here!

The respect that Vicki has for the nuns comes through in all of her plays about religion, Catholicism, and growing up. “The nuns are like a second mother,” Vicki said after we concluded our interview at Wauktown Radio. Her first success, Late Nite Catechism was originally scheduled for a limited run. Now, 15 years latter, the play is still being performed and enjoys a world wide audience. Her newest show is “wonderful blend of satire and nostalgia” says Pioneer Press Press.http://www.pioneerlocal.com/newsstar/entertainment/415093,dy-sundayschool-060607-s1.article

Vicki plans to eventually have all of her web sites entered through one location at www.nuns4fun.com, making it easy for people to find her. In the meantime, you can visit each of her websites: www.latenitecatechism.info www.putthenunsincharge.com and www.sundayschoolcinema.com.

A successful one-person show looks easy to produce. If it’s done right, it will look effortless! Getting to that point is not that easy and takes many steps.

Here is Vicki’s advice on the steps to take if you have a show and want to produce it:

1. Finish a good first draft.
2. Find a performance space; you only need one night. “The easiest thing to do is to contact your local library and see if you can reserve a room,” Vicki suggests. If the library doesn’t have a roomavailable, then ask your church. “Sometimes you can use the church basement.”
3. Invite an audience to hear your piece. “I wouldn’t read the piece myself because as the author, you want to hear it being read. You want to gauge the reaction of your audience. So ask someone else to read it, someone you trust will give it life,” Vicki says.
4. Tape record the performance. “Tape record all the reactions people have. You don’t have to videotape it. Just audiotape,” Vicki says. “Then when it’s over, you can listen to that tape and see for yourself where the piece dragged, where it was lost, where it good, what made you laugh, what did you respond to, where did the piece fall apart.”
5. Invite more people to hear your piece. “Once you have a new draft that you think will be good, invite some people to hear it again. Try to invite a few new people so you get a better mix of comments,” Vicki says.
6. Tape again and listen, then invite producers. “Once you have done this process enough and you feel you have a show ready to be produced, contact theater producers and invite them to a reading,” Vicki says.
7. Reach out to the theatre community. Here’s Vicki suggestions: “Invite theater companies that are doing pieces you like. Invite actors who might want to perform your piece. Have a package of information ready for them that explains the show, looks at the demographics of your audience, sells the producer or theater company on the idea of actually producing your show!”
8. Add experience. “At this producers reading, use someone experienced to read your script,” Vicki says. “Ask any actors you know. If you don’t know any, ask at your local school. See if anyone is interested in helping.”

“If you really believe your piece has merit, you might be able to hook up with a producer or a theater company that is interested,” Vicki says.

Remember there are other options to consider, too. “You can always produce it yourself if you think you won’t lose your shirt on it! Make a deal with a theater to rent the space for, say, a 4 to 6 week run,” Vicki says. “You can always try to work an arrangement where you pay some nominal rent plus a percentage of ticket sales.”

Finally, Vicki says remember that when you are the producer, you are in charge of publicity and marketing, and you’ll need a set designed, lights designed, a sound person (often the lights and sound person can be the same person). “It is a lot of work, but then you control the production,” says Vicki.

And she offers one final comment:

“Good luck.”

The full Writer’s Webcast audio interview with Tina P. Schwartz is now online at www.waukegan.org.

Tina P. Schwartz does more than visualize what the book she wants to write will look like when published. She makes a mock up book cover to motivate herself and entice publishers.

Tina was at one conference, with a mock up cover, when a publisher approached her.

“Is this one of ours?” the publisher asked Tina, zeroing in on the similarity with what Tina was offering and what had already been published. Tina’s book idea wasn’t spoken for.

“It could be,” Tina quickly responded, taking advantage of the publisher’s interest to demonstrate why this was a good topic and why she was the perfect person to write about it.

Tina makes a mock up book jacket on her computer. It looks just like an existing book and has her name displayed, too. The book cover generates interest from a publisher or editor at a convention. Then, Tina says she uses plenty of enthusiasm to close the sale since she likes to write about topics she has some experience with or a special interest in.

“Personality and charm are vastly underrated,” she jokingly maintains, but only half heartedly since showing a publisher her interest is what made each of the books possible.

“Your passion comes through when you are really into something,” she said in our discussion that continued after we stopped recording the interview.

Her dad received an organ transplant, a story that she reveals in Organ Transplants. Her son was interested in bmx bike riding, which lead her to Motorcross. Tina teaches writing in adult education programs and Writing and Publishing, The Many Career Opportunities will be published this fall. Tina’s interest in teens and writing has lead her to another book she is developing about cutting, kids who cut themselves. The year all of her friends turned against her is about one difficult year growing up and is the basis for a novel.

With a family, writing, teaching, and a financial consulting job, Tina says there’s no such thing as not having enough time to write.

“What are you willing to give up?” she asks.

For Tina is has been watching TV in the evenings. But, it hasn’t really been a huge sacrifice.

“There is nothing good on anyway,” she says.