Good Times, Great Writing

We had some great meetings in August. Ellen Gilbert brought her patriotic poetry and told us the story of how a friend passed it along to Cliff Stearns who read it into the Congressional Record. Shirley Knight shared part of her book, A Journey Through Fire, about her husband's struggle with Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Our members also shared their projects, goals and successes. Christine Ramey attended the Faithwriter's Conference and we anticipate her return with lots of tips and encouragement. Greg Gaines delighted us with the audio component for his inspirational Web site. The creativity of Kristen Blyar's poetry gets our juices flowing each week and has inspired poetry in other members. We continue to learn local history and civics lessons from the series by Lynn Rix who, by the way, earned second place in the Faithwriter's Weekly Challenge for her essay on "smell". Tina Givens evoked memories of "packers" versus "payers" in her kindergarten memoir. We eagerly await the next chapter of Tom Jones' thriller and Tracy Redman shared her goal of obtaining her Master's degree in mental health.

If you have a piece that needs a fresh set of eyes, or need some motivation to start writing again, drop by. We meet every Thursday night from 6:45 to 8:45 to enjoy a relaxed, laughter-filled time of critique, encouragement and fellowship.

Clark Surprised Us with a Visit

Tonight was supposed to be a night of critiques instead; we received a surprised visit from Sherrie Clark Article Manager of http://www.jaxchristian.com/. She shared with us that her manager was looking for new writers. This has never happened before! Someone came looking for writers. After all we are a writing group.

She shared that they we needing articles of all kinds. Any subject basically. It is wonderful when we receive visits like this. This goes to show what word of mouth can do for you as a writer! Her manager heard about us from his manager. Therefore, his manager went to Sherrie and asked her to visit us. Wow! This is the power of marketing.

Sherrie shared with us how that they had received 600 face book fans just in the first day they opened. It was a miracle for this new company that they have started off so powerful. That of course, is the power of God.

She told us not to worry about how many articles to send that she would find a way to use them. Sherrie said that a good word count would be anywhere from 300-1000 words for an article. They do not pay at the moment but they are hoping to in the near future. They have already received an overwhelming hit on their site as to who is reading what. That is the power of the media and internet.

She is interested in receiving new articles daily. They do devotions as well but not accepting many at this time. You may reach Sherrie for questions at (904)-887-9981. Also by email at SV.Clark@comcast.net and articles@jaxchristian.com. Share your story with Jax Christian today! Thanks Sherri for visiting with us and we look forward to the opportunity of working with you and with Jax Christian.

Christine M Ramey, FCCW Secretary

DiGenti Shares His Ideas On Character Development

Vic is the NE Florida Regional Director for the Florida Writer’s Association, http://www.floridawriters.net/. He’s the author of the “Windrusher” adventure/fantasy trilogy of award-winning novels, and also teaches a writing workshop at the University of North Florida. Learn more about Vic and his books at his website, http://www.windrusher.com/.

Vic talked about character development in fiction and writing effective dialogue. He began by saying, “One of the things that makes a novel memorable is strong and realistic characters.” He characterized it by stating “…writers, in effect, are playing God because they’re creating people, even though they’re storybook people.” Storybook people aren’t like real people, they’re bigger than life in many ways. Real people lead boring lives, but storybook people must stand out and hook a reader’s interest.

The writer can begin the process of creating storybook people by building a history for them. This can include details of the character’s background, physical characteristics, education, occupation and more. By doing this the writer is able to understand a character’s actions and motivations, even if much of this biographical information doesn’t appear in the story.
Sometimes, you can develop your character from someone you know. Use some of their traits, and build around them, letting the character’s grow in your imagination like a scientist grows cultures in a petri dish. As the character grows, Vic said, “…you’ll be surprised how they take on a life of their own.”

The second part of his presentation focus on how to write effective dialogue. Dialogue is an essential part of a good story, but writing good dialogue takes work and practice. Many people think writing dialogue is easy since people have been talking all their lives, but story dialogue isn’t like real life conversation which tends to be filled with pauses, and “uhs,” “you knows,” and boring interaction that wouldn’t work in a story where every line should move the story forward.

Building conflict into dialogue adds interest to the story and the characters. Oblique dialogue is another way to add tension to a conversation. This occurs when a speaker doesn’t answer a question or changes subjects abruptly. Vic also suggested that writer should read their work aloud or record it into a tape player and listen to it. Surprisingly, clunky and confusing language is much more apparent when listening to it rather than reading it to yourself.

Attributions in dialogue refers to the “he said,” “she said” part of the sentence which tells the reader who is speaking. Too many beginning writers believe the reader will get bored reading this over and over and augment them with adverbs like, “he said dramatically,” or uses words like, “she intoned,” or “he grumbled.” Resist the urge to make these changes as they mark the author as a beginner. The reader accepts the “he said,” “she said” attributions and barely notices them. And not every line of dialogue needs attribution after the speakers have been identified.
Vic also talked about “beats,” which are the bits of stage business a character might do while they’re talking. For example, the author might have the character tugging at an earlobe or pushing a lock of hair from her forehead. These are beats, and they help the reader visualize the scene. But be careful not to overdo the beats as they can slow down the flow of the scene.

Anyone interested in attending Vic’s Novel in a Day workshop at UNF can find more information at http://www.ce.unf.edu/learn.html.
Christine M Ramey, FCCW Secretary

Hadden Shares His Business Perspective on Writing

Richard began working as a contract trainer for companies that had leadership training programs. He had begun speaking to other companies about these ideas. He got to travel a lot because of that opportunity. One day while landing in Orlando airport, and waiting in the airport that day he received a phone call from his old friend Bill. Bill talked to him for a while explaining that he wanted to see him and share his ideas for writing a book. His friend, Bill had been working on the book for a while. They later met up and shared their ideas and begun to develop the book until it was completed.

It was in 1995, that Bill called Richard and asked to meet him in Orlando. While they met, he shared with Richard his ideas for the book Contented Cows Give Better Milk. He wanted to reach the leadership of these businesses. By doing this, they could present it to the leaders and the leaders would then pass the message along to the employee's. While Richard was there in Orlando and talking with Bill, he had asked him to help him write his book as he had been struggling with the ideas of the book. So, Richard agree. Now, back in 1995 the only way they could view each other's work was through email. Google docs was not around at that time.

Luckily for them, they later discovered Google docs. Google docs allowed them to be looking at each other's work at the very same time. They could make their changes and save it to pass it back and forth. For a long time that was how they worked together as a team. Often times, they would call on another and share their ideas with each other to confirm each other's ideas. Once the book was finished it was time for them to decide how they would publish it. This became the hard part of publishing a book. Deciding who would do that. After much consideration, they decided to publish it themselves.

They hired a consultant that was a friend of a friend of Bill's. This really helped them with doing self publishing. They had no idea how to do any of the technical part of publishing. So, their consultant helped to accomplish this. The first book that was self-published came out in December 1997. This book was called Contented Cows Give Better Milk. They had several designs to choose from for this book. Needless to say, it was the cover that caused the book to sell.

Later they began to learn the marketing side of being a self-published book. They talked with several radio stations to help them with their search. As they began, that they printed about five hundered cards and sent them to those radio stations and got eighty five responses back. They were amazed by the amount of responses they got back. Within one of those responses they got an offer to speak with Clark Howard. Clark Howard was not the one that Richard spoke with, but had someone else that took his place that night. It was around Christmas time that this interview was to take place and all of the employees had gone home early. So, he got the replacement speaker. This was in 1997 in Atlant.

Nevertheless, Richard took the spot and took the call from his office. He began speaking with the young lady that did the interview. He answered the questions as best as he could and before he knew the phone lines began to ring. He wondered who was calling him on Christmas Eve. He didn't realize that it was peple responding from the interview.

His wife had set up a website for him that allowed people to purchase the book online. When he was done with the show and had gone home he had twenty one orders waiting. He was in disbelief.

They began to market the book after that speaking engagement. Richard was able to gain speaking engagements including CNN and many others. Richard loves to speak in front of people as that is his primary job. Contented Cows has given him the opportunity to share his business plans with many companies that are struggling in their leadership skills.

Christine M Ramey, FCCW Secretary

Henderson's Gives Tips on Screen Writing

Ken and Lesa Henderson came tonight to talk to us about screen writing. Lesa began writing at the early age of ten. She knew from that moment she wanted to write somehow and in some way. Lesa had the dream of one day writing a novel. She later met her husband Ken, got married and got involved in ministry with him. Meanwhile, she pursued her writing and was published in national magazines such as Woman's World, Ladies Home Journal, Charisma Magazine and many others. It was not until later in life she felt God calling her to screen writing.

They began working together through the ministry of their church and through the work of writing. They seemed to be every where together and from that learned how to complete each other's sentences when speaking. For several years, they served on the board of MOVIEGUIDE and The Christian Film and Television Commission with Dr Ted Beahr in Hollywood.
They have had the pleasure of meeting many wonderful people through their work.

Ken and Lesa shared with us the tips to writing a well written screen manuscript.

They urged us to always have a beginning, a strong middle, and a great ending. These were very valuable points as it related to writing. It is valuable because many of the moviews you watch are formed in this way. Ken shared how as they were learning to construct a screenplay they would go to the movies together with a stopwatch to see where the Plot points in it were. They could sit down and watch a movie and have it timed by when the beginning was noted, the middle of the story arrived, and when the closing would come. These were all very important when writing for a screen play of any kind.

Today, they have their own production company http://www.possibilityproductions.net/ and have produced a film 201 Belmont, and written two others ABOVE YOUR DREAMS AND FIRE OUT OF GEORGIA. The latter two are expected to begin filming in 2010.

Lesa also just celebrated the release of her first novel SOMEONE TO TRUST BY WHITROSE PUBLISHING. To contact Lesa on this novel or any other you can view her website at http://www.lesahenderson.com/.

It was interesting listening to the two of them share, as one would finish what the other was trying to say. They told us it was because of all the time they've spent together ministering and working. I guess that would be tru with anyone you work with as closely as they have to work together!

They also talked about the importance of sending a clear message. They want the message to be clear that they are writing for the Lord! They want those who are lost to receive the message loud and clear.
Christine M Ramey, FCCW Secretary

Quatrano Defines a "Professional Writer!"

Nancy Quatrano has a very warm and engagin presence. On Thursday's meeting, she immediately engaged the group by asking us to define the term "Professional Writer." The members in attendance all agreed that to us it meant being able to make a living from our writing. Nancy challenged us to broaden our definitions to "Anyone seriously interested in writing for publication is a professional writer!" With her definition as the backdrop to the meeting she explained "Etiquette for the Professional Writer."

Nancy provided handouts to assist us in following along as she expounded on the key components of etiquette.

Number one component is to be prepared. Be prepared to meet people and put forth your image as a professional writer. Know what you are going to say, be ready to answer questions and engage in conversations. Know your abilities. What do you want to do? What can you do? You need to be ready by reviewing these ideas and coming up wit the answers. Also important is to never pretend you know more than you really do. Don't have your own agenda. Be open to listening and learning something new. Which leads us to component number 2 Learn, Listen, Rewrite.

Listening is a great way to gather information. People talk about what they are passionate about. You learn about people by what they talk about. Also, listen to strangers talking. This is a great tool to help learn to write dialogue. It helps you pick up on dialect and regional nuances. You will be amazed how much you can learn simpy by listening. Keep notes in a 3 X 5 card file or a "dialog" folder in your desk so you can refer to them when you are writing an article or chapter and need that local "flavor."

Component number three Write to Submit. You will never get paid to be a writer if you never submit your work. "Be encouraged to do little things." Write articles and short stories, they are fast and easy ways to get published. You need to commit time to your writing and give yourself deadlines to get things done. "A Professional Writer submits their work." Submit to magazines, contest anything that will get you read and may be seen by editors. Join writing groups, go to conferences, submit to reputable contests. These will help you hone your own writing skills and shape your image as a professional writer. "Writers blossom with other writers." Becoming known will help you get noticed by Agents and Editors.

This is the Fourt component. To finally make it to the world of agents and publishing. Nancy reminds us, "God gives us our passions, our job is to use them." If we just use our passions, the results will be there.

God blessed Nancy with a voice and a gift to write songs. She was singing with the adult Wesminister Choir at Princeton NJ when she was nine years old, and professionally by the age of 13. By seventeen, she was making a comfortable living at singing. She planned to use her earning to go to nursing school, but soon decided there was too much life to be lived. After one year, she left nursing school. Her singing and songwriting passion turned out to be the stepping stone to her writing career. She sold her first commercial work in 1999 to Pisces Press in Virginia Beach, Virginia, which also resulted in two ghostwriting assignments and has published non-fiction, romance and mystery short stories every year since.

Nancy's final words; "Everyone is a work in progress, just like our writing. Don't give up our dreams. Writers who don't write are unhappy."

Nancy's website for more information on her books and services at http://www.nlquatrano.com/ or email her at nancy@NLQuatrano.com. Look for her short memoir "By the Grace of God" in the February 2010 issue of the Pasco County FWA Chapter newsletter.
Tracy Redman
FCCW Treasurer and Incoming President for 2010

Douce Writes About His Dreams

Robert Douce of St. John’s Florida visited with First Coast Christian Writers to discuss his novel, Cosmic Light and his inspiration dreams about the book. He shared with us how God inspired him to write through six different dreams. All six of the dreams were in sequential order. He knew that this was something that God had called him to do. This is how Douce and his co-author Fernando Amandi wrote Cosmic Light!

Douce is a Customized and Technical Writer for academic and career portfolios; you can view his book at http://www.cosmiclightthebook.com/ . He began to tell us why he wrote the book and turned to the book of Matthew and read about Jesus walking on the water. He was looking for strength and faith and focused on Peter to provide his inspiration. Douce stated he read that scripture thirty nights in row! On the thirty-first night a light bulb went off in his head! He understood that if God does the asking, he could not fail. Douce battled cancer in 2003, and wanted to find that same strength, faith and courage from Peter. He prayed for God during his 30 days of radiation treatments to ask him to be of service and serve for a purpose. It wasn’t until 2005, he received his first dream and the sixth and final dream came in 2008. He would awake after these dreams every morning at 2:30 AM. He felt compelled to write these spiritual intense dreams of hope for the future of mankind that he was given.

These dreams were all in sequel order and he knew this was unusual and felt the need to write about these dreams. He began immediately writing what he had dreamed. He went through two co-authors before he found Fernando Amandi who is also a cancer survivor and a neighbor.
They define their book as a “Christian Fiction” as it is an uplifting story. Their sequel may be A New Age Begins On Earth and involves the world. He then read a few excerpts from his Cosmic Light book! He began to share about the dreams he had in detail. His dreams involved advanced technologies in “energy and the elimination of fossil fuels.” “ He never saw technical names in his dreams, but the authors researched and found all the advanced technologies were in progress in scientific labs all over the world. The dreams include solutions for: “Energy, education, medical, crime, capital punishment to name a few. In the near future, criminals fleeing from the law in vehicles will be over with “A flip of the switch!” Douce stated. We will use space elevators and no need for gas and oil. These are only a fraction of the visions in the dreams.

The speaker’s 3 points in his speech were: Inspiration, Message and Outreach. “The Dreams served as his Inspiration to write, The Message is what God gave him in content to help others to find hope and a better world, and finally, Outreach is what each writer needs to accomplish after writing a book!” He went on to explain how he was the messenger. Douce shared that it is important for writers to have a marketing plan for their book. This is the Outreach. He is writing letters and speaking about his book. Letters have been sent to Oprah, Vatican, talk shows, etc. about solutions in the book that deal with crime to children in kidnapping, sexual predators, abuse. He has written to many other places in hopes to get their message out and to help market their book.

“Outreach is getting your message out and a need for a marketing plan!” He went on to discuss. His publisher’s website is: http://www.onlinebinding.com/ for the book, Cosmic Light. They interviewed around 10 publishers and this one was last on their list to check out. They loved how they did the large print, which they wanted to make it easier for the reader to read. They have been asked to print their book in Spanish and have over 35 foreign countries request on their website.

Their book has only been out on the market less than seven weeks. The publisher has advertised on facebook last week and they received over one hundred and eighty hits from the ad. This is part of their marketing plan and outreach goal.

The profits they make will go to cancer research, specific cancer patients, education and to churches they belong to. We enjoyed the inspirational story that Douce shared with First Coast Christian Writers. We hope that his book Cosmic Light continues to have much success.

Christine M Ramey, FCCW Secretary

Hanks Gives 10 Points of Good Writing Skills

“

When you’ve said what you want to say – stop!” explained Jerry Hanks as he conveyed to FCCW members the last of 10 tips for writing well. He and his wife, Bobbi de Cordova-Hanks, did just that on November 5 as they shared practical advice and endearing anecdotes to help writers improve their skills. With an astounding 80 years of professional writing and editing experience between them, Jerry and Bobbi know what it takes to write well.

Jerry, who holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University, is a writer, editor and public relations specialist with extensive newspaper experience. He is co-founder of the local PR and writing firm, Hanks-Livingston, Inc.
Bobbi, who spent 25 years as a professional musician, has served as editor of number of trade publications in addition to serving as news bureau manager at what was formerly Florida Community College at Jacksonville.

Together they co-authored the book, Tears of Joy, which tells the story of their life together as a cancer survivor (Bobbi) and a cancer caregiver (Jerry).
In a similar “tag team” approach, the couple collaborated to impart valuable wisdom to both seasoned and emerging writers in the group. Some of the tips included:

“Know your readers. Know who your writing is intended to reach.” Bobbi explained this fundamental principle to the group while Jerry encouraged them to get a mental picture of their audience so as to write in a way that is personal and appealing.

“Know what you’re writing about and what you want to say.” Sharing a story from his college years, Jerry illustrated how important it is to know your subject matter and not to overlook obvious details and basic questions. In the example, the class was given a writing prompt regarding a church steeple collapse. Every student, while thoroughly covering the details of the accident, neglected to mention the height of the steeple!

“Write it the way you would say it.” Bobbi discussed how she translates complicated medical terminology into everyday language as editor of a trade publication for the Intercultural Cancer Council at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. She admonished the group to make their writing interesting and real.

“If you’re having trouble getting started, try starting with a question.” A useful pointer, Jerry described how he gets a piece moving when the words won’t come. Asking “What does the typical reader want to know?” is a great way to get the ink flowing.

“Edit. Edit. Edit.” This advice is taken for granted by writers with potentially embarrassing results. Bobbi strongly encouraged writers to hire a professional editor to catch mistakes before they are in print. The value to the reputation of the writer and the quality of the piece far exceed the cost.

By the end of the presentation, each writer departed with easy-to-apply principles to elevate their craft and memorable stories to warm their hearts.

By Tina Givens, FCCW member

Chris Berman and His Book The Hive!

Chris Berman, a Science-Fiction novelist, joined First Coast Christian Writer's all the way from St. Augustine. The knowledge he brought to us was definitely inspiring. He taught us the difference between Hard Science-Fiction and Soft-Fiction Writing!

It was interesting to learn the reason he began writing; Chris took a simple ride one morning to rent a van that he was going to drive to Philadelphia for business from the Budget Rent-A-Car six miles from his home. On the way there, he was in a near-fatal bike accident as he was hit by a car.

He had several injuries that made him unable to sleep lying down for weeks. With nothing to do late into the night, he remembered his wife Laressa, had always encouraged him to write. However, with his work load, he never had the time. During his recovery, he had lots of time to write late at night as the pain would not let him sleep. Every night, he sat there working on his story, The Hive.

He spent many hours in research on astronomy for accuracy of the story. This never bothered Chris as it was his passion. He loved watching the stars and studying the science part of it. So, it filled his time as he sat up for weeks on end.

Chris began his discussion about the books he is currently working on at this point in his writing career! To get a publishing contract, he used the site http://www.preditorsandeditors.com/. He discover Xpress Yourself Publishing that offered to publish his book, The Hive. The Hive is complete and doing very well in major bookstores. He went on to explain that with using http://www.preditorsandeditors.com/ you will find agents and publishers are color coded by green, yellow, and red. The green means they are very good to deal with, the yellow means caution some aspects of their operation seem like scams, and red means total scam don't use!

He also told us about two others books he is in the process of writing. The first one is Red Moon, which is finished. He has sent those revisions to the ARC to be approved. Finally, he has begun working on one other book. This book he has only gotten about four or five chapter completed.

With his book The Hive, he has had the opportunity for book signings up as far as New Jersey, Maryland, South Carolina, Georgia, and of course in Florida! The Hive he continued to explain is more of a "classic earth vs. alien" style of a book. In other words he explained as "we didn't put dinner on for the aliens, we became their dinner."

He described "Hard Science-Fiction has "technology based information, the hardware so to speak." He went on to say the "One author that came to mind was Arthur C. Clarke as he wrote 2001 and 2010. He also wrote the Fountains of Paradise and many others." Those were just a few titles that he wrote, Chris classified those as Science-Fiction books!

He then gave a description of "Soft Science-Fiction" by giving an example of the book River World written by Phillip Jose Farmer. As well as he named several other books written by different author's on both topics. That is on Hard and Soft Science-Fiction books.

He began the discussion about his book The Hive, and talked about the scientific parts of his books; such as the technology of building different rockets, drawing for us an example of one and explaining how the rocket works.

He spoke very highly of the Orion Project and how it worked. This was demonstrated in the drawing. He discussed the different components of the rocket and what each is responsible for. Definitely a lot of research was noted in his discussion of his book The Hive!

He also mentioned how that a theme in his book was to impart there was higher power, and a "God" was responsible for our early discovery of the approaching Hive fleet. A definite struggle between Man's and Hive technology! He has a driven mind and concept in reaching his readers to understand the glorious power of God's great love! That our God given intelligence as well as as a forewarning would be responsible for victory, but ONLY if we acted as a united human family. We wish Chris all the best of luck with his book The Hive and the many others that will come to follow it!

Christine M Ramey, Secretary FCCW

FCCW Secretary & VP PR Positions Filled

Tonight was a discussion about the future of First Coast Christian Writers and were we would like it to go from here.

Tracy Redman, FCCW Treasurer, addresses FCCW participants. 

Many talked about the possibilities of making us in connections with Toastmasters! The majority was in the vote and on the go with Toastmaster. Nevertheless, there were those whom did not like the idea of Toastmasters as it would change the group from what Dr. Lorraine intended for it to be.

Many commented on a job well done that Dr. Lorraine has brought to our group, and the many hours of labor and love she has brought forth to First Coast Christian Writers. This has been Dr. Lorraine’s baby. She had begun this group from the ground up. "The work I've done over the past two years has been very fulfilling, but now it's time to pass the torch to other leaders," says Lorraine.

Many things were talked about as the group discussed together the work that needed to be done. The first thing Dr. Lorraine brought up was the fact of needing to fill all the officer positions. There were several positions that needed to be filled and voted upon. Those positions were as follows: Vice President of Education, Vice President of Public Relations, Secretary, and Treasurer. It's too much of a load for one person to take on all these responsibilities. "The group needs strong leadership in order to be sustainable," says Lorraine. 

We talked about Toastmasters and we discussed the different possibilities, but the decision was to not go in that direction at this time. We decided as a group, and acknowledged it would be too much of a culture change to the group. First Coast Christian Writers was built based on a foundation of Toastmasters principles and procedures, but we're not going to move forward to become an official Toastmasters chapter at this time. 

Someone brought up was the possibility of having two meeting’s a month instead of meeting weekly. Someone brought up the idea of having a critique group one week and a speaker the next. Many other ideas were suggested. No times or dates as to when and if changes will be finalized will take place until after the new leadership team has a chance to discuss changes for 2010. The members who paid through December 2009 can rest assured that the weekly meetings will remain the same through the end of the year.

Ann Brinegar volunteered to work with the VP of Membership to match members as mentors/mentees for members who are interested in extra accountability to their writing goals outside the meetings. This supports our mission for holding each other accountable for reaching goals.

The point was brought back to the floor about needing to fill positions. As time was close to the end, votes were made.
 

Lynn Rix was nominated and unanimously voted in as Vice President of Public Relations. Lynn wants to learn the public relations side of the writing business. 

 

Christine M. Ramey was nominated and unanimously voted in as Secretary. She is happy and honored to take it.  

Tracy Redman, FCCW Treasurer, was nominated and  unanimously voted in as new President for 2010. Tracy will shadow Lorraine Haataia through the end of the year, and will become the new president effective January 1, 2010.  

Karen Godfrey is fairly new to her position as VP of Membership. She accepted this position a few weeks ago and is eager to serve FCCW visitors and members.

Buddy Putnam agreed to remain Sergeant at Arms. He has served faithfully in this position since the group began meeting in January 2008.

 

Bob Haataia has faithfully served as the club webmaster since fall of 2007. Before the group began meeting, Bob worked with Lorraine to build the club website, blog, and other marketing tools. Bob has agreed to remain the webmaster.

Although two positions still remain open, Vice President of  Education and Treasurer, Dr. Lorraine Haataia was relieved and thankful that two officer positions were filled and she can now begin training new leaders and concentrating more on her own writing. Effective January 1, 2010, Lorraine will serve as the Immediate Past President, providing guidance for Tracy, and the new leadership team.

Everyone was pleased with the decisions that were made and the meeting was closed and bathed in prayer for the future of First Coast Christian Writers.

By Christy Ramey, FCCW Secretary

Koerner Shares The Belief Formula

Pete Koerner has a refreshing message on the power of prayer.

Pete reminds us that prayer is the oldest form of problem-solving and healing, despite the fact it has been rendered marginally effective through years of ignorance and misunderstanding.  Pete recalls as a child in Tennessee how few people seemed to understand Biblical wisdom.  He remembers thinking that most adults just did not "get it," or grasp that everything is possible. 

His father worked for Delta Airlines, so Pete grew up around airports with a love for airplanes and anything that flew. Pete also grew up watching television shows about firefighters and other public safety action-adventures that fueled his imagination.  He recalls wonderful hours of pretending his big wheel was a fire truck or imagining how cool it would be to have a barber's chair in his room because it would have made an awesome helicopter.  His imagination was non-stop, always looking at how to make things more exciting and fun.  He was armed with his Biblical wisdom of "everything is possible" when he tried to copy his favorite actor on the TV show S.W.A.T. and burned his hands trying to rappel down a wall...one of the things he learned the hard way... So this was his quest in life; to make his dreams reality. 

Later in life Pete found the things he imagined as a child unfolding as realities in his life – becoming a public safety worker, firefighter and instructor as well as earning a pilot’s license and flying airplanes and helicopters. Whatever his heart desired, life would bring the opportunities and he only needed to say, “Yes,” and be willing to follow his instincts.  This is when he started to realize his gut and heart were “thinking-organs.” These “thinking-organs” would produce their own type of prayer life that gave life to his dreams if he simply followed their guidance.  They were his silent guides, leading him through life to the right opportunities with subtle feelings and impulses – and sometimes very clear “knowings.”

He questioned and questioned and in his journey the answers came, sometimes they weren't the answers he'd expect, but eventually he learned, “be careful what you ask for, you will get an answer!” He experienced his most profound "silent dream" coming to fruition in 2002 when he opened his mouth and out of nowhere his words said "I need a laptop." His wife, Jennifer, was stunned and asked, “Why?" 

"I am going to write some books." Pete answered. He had no idea where this compulsion came from.  He was as stunned as his wife.  So he went out and bought the laptop.  That evening, he found he had purchased a very expensive card game – not knowing what to do with the laptop other than play Solitaire.  But, after playing Solitaire for about three-days, he just sat down and started to type. Before he knew it he had typed 5,000-words.  He had no idea what he wrote, but it sounded good enough.  So, the next day this continued – and the next and the next.  Until eventually he had a number of lengthy essays. 

He had no idea what he had written or why he written it; it all flowed from his subconscious. Not knowing what to do with these essays – which turned out to be chapters of his book – he did what any good son would do; he gave them to his mom who encouraged him to keep writing.  In the end, it took him two weeks to write a book. Each time he would read the book he would become inspired to add to it. By the time he had read and re-read the book a few times, he had added another 10,000 – 20,000 words.  It took on a life of its own. 

The collective unconscious exists all around us, much like radio waves, and different frequencies of energy are all around us.  The collective unconscious has all knowledge in it; we can tap into this knowledge by tuning in the right frequency much like a TV or radio tunes-in to the right frequencies.  Desire becomes a practical tool to tune us into the right information.  Once we have connected to the right desire and information we now add the right amount of belief to achieve results. If you can clearly see what you want you will get it.  This is the science of prayer. This is where he came up with his Belief Formula.

Pete's life has been shaped by his openness to the word of the subconscious. It is through his openness to opportunity, that his gut and heart have taken him on impossible journeys. He never wanted to be a writer. As a matter of fact in high school he hated English class and was actually had to repeat it. But he did have big dreams that his writing and teaching have helped him accomplish. Because he said, “Yes,” to an impulse from his heart, an unlikely event led him to the realization of several dreams he otherwise may not have realized.

“Prayer is much older than any religion, and can be explained in such a way that it will become clear what a real and powerful tool we have access to in Prayer — ALL of us.
If you don’t pray because you think it is a religious thing, you should think again. Prayer is thought; thought is prayer. It is our thoughts that create our lives; we just need to learn what that means and start using what we learn. The greatest minds of all-time have always said thing like, “As a man thinketh, so it is done unto him.”
Prayer works the same way for everyone — the only difference between one person and another is their understanding of how such things operate. As a child, I knew I was supposed to be talking to God, but I had no real concept of how to make my wishes heard.”

After years of studying medicine, religion, religious history, physics, energy psychology, and the realm of the human mind and thought, it has become clear that we have simply been ignoring the obvious to our own detriment. We have a valuable and powerful tool in Prayer; we need only understand it and start using it constructively in our lives.

At times things might look scary, but if your heart says, "Yes!" you will achieve it.  People will look at a mountain, feel overwhelmed and never take the journey.  It is often believed it will be easier just to coast downhill. It usually turns out that coasting downhill can lead to a swamp; whereas the uphill journey leads to the top of the mountain and the best views of life. Your dreams need positive reinforcement from you; you have to believe to the point you know anything truly is possible.

Pete Koerner with Tracy Redman, Karen Godfrey, Lorraine Haataia, Lynn Rix, and Frank Green.

As we can see, Pete has put the Belief Formula to the test throughout his life – flying airplanes, helicopters, driving fire trucks, scuba diving, mountain climbing, kayaking, and traveling to many parts of the world teaching the secrets of creating and loving your own life. Pete has successfully navigated the business and entrepreneurial world – starting several successful businesses – and he continues to explore new ideas for growth.
Pete is dedicated to helping humanity reach its highest potential by using ancient wisdom and cutting edge science to teach scientific prayer and techniques for personal growth and transformation. Pete conducts retreats and seminars, and speaks and writes on the subjects of healing, prayer, and philosophy. He has helped hundreds of individuals achieve better health and greater happiness with his transformational techniques and methods – helping them free themselves from limiting beliefs so they can achieve their hearts desires and live their dreams. For more information on what Pete is up to, or to read any of his hundreds of articles on the power of the human mind, natural health, weight-loss, success and relationship enhancement, just visit: www.ExploreExpandEvolve.com.

The link www.ExploreExpandEvolve.com -- which is Pete’s blog site is an archived of his articles on the subjects of: Natural health and healing; Stress and Weight management; Relationship enhancement; Success; and the Power of the Human Mind (Prayer/Spirituality/etc...). There are hundreds of articles there; so, if you enjoyed The Belief Formula, or that concept, those articles offer that perspective on those subjects...

There's also a Free E-book available at that site. It teaches The Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) -- a technique that Pete and his wife  Jennifer (and thousands of doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, life coaches, etc...) use in private practice to overcome stress, anxiety, fears, phobias, and even allergies and other medical problems.   Pete has planted his world to open up to you at his website.  You will leave there refreshed and encouraged.  I know we all felt refreshed and encouraged just to hear him speak.

by Tracy Redman, FCCW Treasurer

Phillips Provides Copyright Basics for Writers

AT FCCW we have many members in different stages of the publishing journey.  We have many beginners as well as many accomplished authors. 

Our latest speaker J. Winston Phillips, a retired physician, is currently working on two novels. The first, Making the South Beautiful One Procedure at a Time; Recollections of a Southern Plastic Surgeon, is told through the eyes of his main character, Bocephus Beauregard Beaumont, IV, MD as he recounts his life as a Plastic Surgeon in the fashionable Buckhead District of Atlanta, GA. His second novel, a medical-legal international thriller deals with human cloning and the legal issues surrounding the cloned individual.

Dr. Phillips has an extensive educational background which has contributed to his wide and varied interests both in fiction and in the business world. In addition, to an M.D. from the University of Louisville, Dr. Phillips also has an M.B.A. from Jacksonville University, a J.D. from Florida Coastal School of Law and LL.M. from Thomas Jefferson School of Law. While in law school Dr. Phillips took an upper level course in Intellectual Property, dealing in depth with copyrights and trademarks. It is this specific knowledge which is useful to the writer in protecting his writings.  Dr. Phillips hopes to educate doctors and writers with all his extension and knowledge in the field of law and business. It is this training that he shared with us.

A Copyright is a form of protection provided to authors of original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression which can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated directly or with the aid of a machine or device.

The U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8, clause 8 provided Congress with the power to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Rights to their Respective Writing and Discoveries. In addition, clause 3 provided Congress with the additional power to regulate Commerce among the several states.

The Copyright Act of 1909 provided for a dual system of copyright protection. Unpublished works were protected by common law (state law), while published works were granted federal protection upon publication as long as copyright notice was in the 1) correct form, 2) correct place, and 3) on all copies of the work. Otherwise, copyright protection would be lost.

The Copyright Act of 1976 did away with the dual system of protection. Fixation in a tangible medium of expression, rather than publication denoted the time when Federal rights attached. The Act retained mandatory notice requirements for copyright.

The Berne Convention Amendment, effective March 1, 1989, eliminated the notice requirements to comply with the Convention. However, Act provided that if proper notice was attached, defendant could not claim innocent infringement in infringement case.

Copyright protects the following categories; 1) literary works, 2), musical works, 3) dramatic works, 4) pantomimes and choreographic works, 5) pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works, 6) motion pictures, and 7) architectural works.

Copyright does not protect works that have not been fixed in a tangible form of expression. In addition copyright does not protect titles, names, short phrases, slogans, ideas, works consisting of information that is common property and containing no original authorship and scenes a faire.

Copyright owners have the following exclusive rights; 1) to reproduce the work in copies or phonorecords, 2) to prepare derivative works based on the work (e.g. screenplays, translation into another language), 3) to distribute copies of the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, 4) to perform the works publicly, 5) to display the works public ally, and 6) in the case of sound recordings, to perform the work public ally by means of a digital audio transmission.

As a general rule, for works created after January 1, 1978, copyright protection lasts for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years. Joint works protection last for the life of the last surviving author plus 70 years. Anonymous works, pseudonymous works and works made for hire enjoy copyright protection for 95 years from first publication or 120 years from the year of first creation.

Copyright ownership rights can be assigned or transferred individually or in combination with other rights. Portions of an individual right can be transferred, e.g. assignment of right to perform work in New York City only while retaining rights to perform work all other locations.

Copyright protection is secured automatically when the work is created when the work is fixed in a copy or phonorecord for the first time. Although not required, one may place people on notice by placing on copies of the work the following three elements; 1) the symbol ©, or the word Copyright, or the abbreviation Copr., 2) the year of the first publication of the work, and 3) the name of the owner of the copyright in the work.

© 2009 J. Winston Phillips

Although the work is copyrighted when created and fixed, you are not able to bring an infringement suit in federal court unless you work is registered. Additionally, registration establishes a public record of the copyright claim.

Registration of a copyright is relatively simple and inexpensive. The website, http://www.copyright.gov, provides the necessary instructions for submission. Requirements include a completed application fee, a non-refundable filing fee of thirty-five dollars if filing online, and one complete copy of the work being registered if it is unpublished or two complete copies of the best edition of the work if it has been published.

by Tracy Redman
FCCW Treasurer