Barbara V Evers

This week, my daughter, Heidi Cox is guest posting.  She's an actress and produces the web series, Stalking LeVar.  A little over a week ago, I attended San Diego Comic Con International for the third year in a row. Last year, I participated on a panel about women who produce their own content . My mother, whom you all know, attended with me. This year, I participated on the panel again, and I was quite bohemian, staying at a friends’ house in Coronado Springs and wandering about the city, carrying a giant back pack, going to signings and different events to network. This year a little negative voice in my head plagued me as I participated in various events. You know the one.   It tells you: “You’ll never make it.” “What are you doing here?” “You’re not enough.” “You’re fooling everyone.” Blah. Blah. Blah. My body reacted, angst building in my chest, a fist squeezing, pressing down on me, my breathing becoming difficult. I hadn’t ...

Courtesy of morguefiles.com My weekend at the Writing In Place Conference was over, and I prepared to leave, filled with excitement about the works I started during my sessions. A glance toward the end of the room caused me to switch directions. My primary instructor for the weekend had just entered, and I wanted to thank her for a great workshop. I approached her, my arms beginning to outstretch and said, "Can I give you a hug?" She said, "OK." She hugged me, but I laughed and pulled out of the hug. "You're not a hugger, are you?" I said. Her sheepish grin gave the obvious answer. No, she wasn't a hugger. Body language and tone can tell us a lot about a person. Add their word choice and the picture becomes clearer. Over the weekend, this wonderful writer led our workshop with an enthusiasm and energy that said to me she thrived on the opportunity to help us develop our writing skills.  She taught the workshop at full-tilt, smili...

Members of my writing group, at a reading celebrating two of us as winners of a contest. Last week, my post provided  four tips to help you get started writing .  One of those tips was to join a writing group. Many people struggle with this one. Why?  They don't know where to find a group. Check with your independent book store.  Often, they know of local groups.  Also, search online for local writing groups.  Many of them have a web presence.  Check the local coffee shop. Writers love to hang out there.  Ask around.  If you can't find one after doing all of these things, then odds are you've found several writers.  Start your own group. If you do find a writing group, how do you know it's right for you? Many writers visit my local group.  Some stay, some don't.  Before you commit to a group, especially if there is a membership fee, ask the following questions: What genres does your group represent? My group, a...

Courtesy of freeimages.com Most of the people I meet tell me they want to write a book.  "I can do that," they tell me. What do I say? I usually ask a few questions: Are you writing now? What would you write about? Why aren't you doing it? Most people think they can write a book. Most people don't realize it's not that easy. I've been writing my entire life.  One of my aunts told me I used to dictate stories to her before I knew how to read and write. I write because I must.  The stories won't go away.  The ideas stay with me, plaguing my waking moments and many of my sleeping moments, too. If you want to write, it's not for me to say whether you can or you can't, but I will say this: If you never sit down and actually write, then you can not write a book. Period. If you do sit down and write and stick to it, you might be able to write a book, but please don't assume because you've put words on paper, or a co...