Author: Linda Loegel

Step One
A Place to Begin

_R
honda Gray pulled her car up to the Blue Dot Café and parked as close to the front door as the spaces allowed. She wanted to be sure of a fast exit if this meeting didn’t go at all well. 

Rhonda lives in Covington, a small town of twenty thousand, the suburb of a larger city called Crestwood. Although Covington can’t yet boast of having a movie theater, it does have a read and critique group for writers which Rhonda discovered one day in the newspaper under Things to Do around Town. She phoned the contact person, Judy, and now she was ready to go in and see what this group was all about.

To Rhonda, sitting at a computer playing with words is far more fun than playing video games. Writing is her passion. At least it was until she submitted a story to a magazine a few years back and received a very impersonal rejection letter. The short form letter opened with, “We are sorry to inform you that your submission does not meet our needs at this time.” So she began to question herself. Maybe I can’t write after all. Maybe that book floating around in my head will never stand the world on its ears. Why even try if I’m going to get rejected?  I’m thirty-five and married and quite competent as a corporate accountant, so why am I now feeling like a five-year-old at my first day of kindergarten? 

She looked in the rearview mirror, fidgeted with her brown shoulder-length hair, checked to make sure there was no lipstick on her slightly crooked teeth, grabbed her purse and stepped out of her car. For the tenth time, she opened her purse and checked to make sure she had a pad and a pen and what she laughingly called her manuscript. She walked to the front door of the café.  She could smell the wonderful aroma of fresh coffee brewing.

A waitress, whose name tag read “Penny,” greeted her at the door. Rhonda said, “I’m here for the Covington Writers’ Guild.”

Penny motioned with her hand. “It’s in a room right down here, Sweetie. Just follow me.”

Rhonda followed Penny past diners engaged in various stages of eating and talking, to a private room at the back of the restaurant and walked in to find three women and a man seated at a table, papers, pens, and coffee cups in front of them. The older woman rose. “You must be Rhonda. I’m Judy, president of this group. We talked on the phone. I’m so happy you could make it.  While Penny is here, she’ll take your order for coffee if you’d like.” 

One by one, the others introduced themselves--Bill, middle aged with glasses and grey hair at the temples; Sharon, in her thirties, dimples galore; and Beverly, her corn rows accentuating her smiling milk chocolate face.

The door opened and two more women came in and quickly sat down so as not to disrupt the meeting. Judy introduced Rhonda to Donna and Darlene, twins in their mid-twenties.

Rhonda relaxed, a little, realizing that these were people just like her, not Pulitzer Prize winners.

Judy asked, “Now that we’re all here, is there any good news anyone wants to share?”

Bill raised his hand. “My first book, Unexpected Surprises, has just been accepted by a publisher!” The group gave him a rousing ovation and plenty of high fives. 

“Great news, Bill! Your perseverance certainly paid off. We’re all proud of you.”

Beverly asked, “Will you be getting an advance? I’ve heard of such a thing but I’m not sure how it works.”

“No,” said Bill, “I won’t be getting one. And how it works is like this; let’s say the publisher gives you an advance of, oh, five thousand dollars to finish your book and to pay your food bill so you don't starve while you write. When the book starts selling, your initial royalties go to pay off the five thousand dollars. When that sum is paid off, then you start receiving royalties, once or twice a year, depending on the publisher’s policy. For me, I’d rather not receive an advance and start right in receiving royalties, but that’s just my personal preference.  Small presses don’t normally offer advances.” 

“Since you’re the Man of the Hour, Bill,” said Judy, “let’s start with you today. Are you going to read from your WIP?”

“Excuse me,” said Rhonda. What’s a WIP?”

Bill spoke up. “That means Work in Progress. I’ll pick up with Chapter Five of Heaven Scent. If you remember, Colleen had just run into Lilly and learned that David was missing.”

As Bill read his latest chapter, Rhonda felt her manuscript burning in her purse. She wanted to run out of the room and never come back. How can I compete with a writer of Bill’s caliber? 

Bill finished his chapter and one by one the other members offered their opinions on what was great about the chapter and where it could use some work. When it was Rhonda’s turn to critique, she cautiously ventured, “I really like it. I wish I could have heard the first four chapters.” That was all she dared say at the moment.

Darlene read a free verse poem she had written, entitled Galaxy. Rhonda thought, I could do that, and slowly felt her muscles relax. 

Donna read an article she wanted to submit to Doll Magazine about a special doll she’d owned as a child. Donna subscribed to the magazine, knew their style and their audience, and had written the article accordingly, following the magazine’s submission guidelines. With the group’s help, the article became submission ready that morning. 

Beverly read the second revision of the children’s book she was working on. Everyone agreed it was a decided improvement over the first draft but it still needed a little fine tuning.

Sharon said, “I don’t have anything to read this time. I’ll just listen and see if I can find my muse.”

Bill smiled at her. “I’m glad you came, we need all the support we can get. You don’t have to read, just listen and offer your comments.”

“Bill, I wouldn’t have missed your next chapter for all the tea in China! Ow, what a cliché,” said Sharon, “Remind me to never say that again!”

Judy shuffled the papers in front of her. “Before I read my latest poem, Rhonda, did you bring something to read?”

“Um, yeah, but you go ahead and read first.” As Judy read, Rhonda felt her legs shake. Her palms were moist as she reached into her purse to get her manuscript. She suddenly had more doubts about her writing ability than she’d ever had in her life. Reading her words at home was one thing; she could pretend they were pure gold. Reading them to strangers was something else entirely. Would she be judged a fraud, just a writer wannabe?

With the critique of Judy’s poem finished, all eyes turned to Rhonda. Rhonda’s hands shook and her voice cracked, but she managed to get through the first chapter of her memoir of growing up on a farm in Iowa. Reading it was hard enough, now she had to bear the critiques of total strangers. Maybe she could fake an upset stomach and leave before they started. Actually, she wouldn’t have to fake it, her stomach really was upset.

“I think,” said Bill, “that you’ve captured the feel of a farm. I can picture myself there with you, watching you and your sister and brother feed the animals and play in the corn field.”

“Yeah,” added Donna, “I really like your descriptions. You use great imagery, bringing us right there with you.”

“I agree,” chimed in Darlene. “I like your use of the five senses. I could see the farm, smell the fresh hay, taste the corn, hear the animals and feel the straw. Good job.”

As more people around the room added their comments, with a few suggestions to make the piece even better, Rhonda allowed herself to smile. Her legs stopped shaking and she relaxed for the first time since entering the room. 

As they rose to leave, Judy gave Rhonda a hug. “I do hope you’ll come back.” 

“You bet! I can’t wait for the next meeting!” 

Rhonda drove home with a smile on her face that couldn’t be wiped off if she tried. She was a writer after all. She had just been validated by six other writers and the feeling she was experiencing right now was pure ecstasy. She may have been sitting in her car, but her head was in the clouds. She couldn’t wait to get home and tell her husband about the meeting.

Summary

•	You have to start somewhere
•	Find a read and critique group
•	Attend the group and be prepared to take notes
•	Book advances are paid back to the publisher out of the initial royalties
•	When submitting to magazines, get copies of the magazine to know its style
•	Follow the publication’s guidelines to the letter
•	Know your audience