Cathy C. Hall Writes

This past weekend, I attended the Harriette Austin Writers Conference in Athens, Georgia in order to give my brain a good kick in the creative writing seat of the pants (Um, I kinda mixed body parts/metaphors there…you can see why I needed a refresher course or two). So I attended a session called, “So You Want to be A Columnist” presented by Mr. Wally Eberhard, Professor (Emeritus) at the University of Georgia.

Now, here’s a funny side note. I strongly suspect that the Beneficent Mr. Hall may have taken a class from this fine professor during his stint in the Henry W. Grady School of Journalism. When I asked if he (the Beneficent Mr. Hall, that is) remembered this gentleman, he said, “Uhhh. The name sounds familiar.” Mr. Hall probably heard his introduction, right before he (the Beneficent Mr. Hall, that is) fell asleep.

I, however, listened very carefully to Wally Eberhard. Because even though I’ve been writing columns and essays for a long time, I think it’s easy to get in a bit of a rut, and forget the essentials. So here’s a few timely reminders when writing columns (or essays):

1. Engage the reader early! (Don’t take up valuable words, beating around the bush. Most columns are around 600 words)

2. Tell a story, when possible. (Make sure you have that beginning, middle and ending component)

3. Know the MARKET you’re writing for. (This is easy if you’re writing a Chicken Soup for the Soul essay on a specific topic, but not so easy if you’re writing for magazines or newspapers. Do your research before you write!)

4. Read other columnists and essays. (How often do you read really fine essays? Be honest, now. Yes, I thought so. Which is why I’m including a special link for you.)

We know how important it is to read in order to be a better writer. And yet, we often skip that reading when it comes to essays. Wally suggested this link where you can find 15 of the best columns ever written. Of course, you might want to nose around the rest of Columnists.com; it’s full of great information and interesting reads.

So, I’ve got some reading to do. Because I’ve also got some writing to do.

So, yes, of course, you can find lots of tips from Mary Kole if you check out her Kidlit.com, “a place for people who love, read and write children’s literature.”

And I’m pretty sure you’ll get your money’s worth of tips if you sign up for her Picture Book Craft Intensive this week. Because not only will you get her tips, but you’ll get a critique of your picture book. That is HUGE.

(I attended the Harriette Austin Writers Conference in Athens this past weekend, and Mary Kole evaluated my manuscript. With a fine tooth comb. All I can say is that I’m glad she wrote stuff down, because seriously. That woman talks fast. But it was amazingly thorough and if I had a great picture book manuscript, I’d risk getting a creepster stalking reputation and send 90 bucks right this minute. )

Anyway, she said something during her talk at the conference that I hadn’t considered. Or if I’d heard this tip, it hadn’t connected. So here’s the tip: Your picture book should have multiple hooks. I’d never thought about it, but I suppose most picture books have more than one hook. Take Green Eggs and Ham, one of my kids’ absolute favorite books.

There’s the message hook, about trying new things. There’s a rhyming hook, and of course, there’s that unique Dr. Seuss zany humor hook. And really, there’s also the illustration hook. I’m not sure if Theodor Geisel consciously thought about all those hooks or if they grew organically out of his creation process. But somehow, he managed multiple hooks in every book.

Looks kinda simple, when you read Green Eggs and Ham. But I have a sneaky suspicion that it’s much harder than it looks.

(P.S. That’s Mary Kole, holding Cathy-on-a-Stick, with Donny Seagraves, another presenter, standing next to ’em. I’m not sure why the pic’s a little fuzzy. Maybe I was quaking in my boots around that threesome of talent.)