What I Learned about Funeral Services from Rhonda Pleasants

Rhonda Pleasants, Funeral Director and Professor, spoke recently to our Sisters in Crime - Central Virginia writers' group.

Ms. Pleasants was a wealth of information about embalming, funeral services, religious and historic traditions, and burial services. She answered questions to help the writers get it right. For more information, she recommended The History of American Funeral Directors.

Here's a sample of what I learned:

• There are "green" burials and "green" cemeteries. The chemicals and burial devices are biodegradable and less chemical.
• All disinternments in Virginia have to have a permit.
• The cremation process is more than just an oven. If they have multiple cremations in a day, they usually start with the largest person.
• Funeral directors need to be familiar with a variety of religions and traditions.
• Mortuary makeup is like thick, theatrical make up. Makeup is often airbrushed on.
• They use wax to fill in holes (stab or gunshot wounds) for viewings.
• Caskets often come with memory drawers and time capsules.

(l-r) Rhonda Pleasants and Rosemary Shomaker

11 Things Writers Need to Know

I was asked recently what advice I would give to someone who wants to writer. Here are my Top 11...

1. Read. Read. Read. Read everything you can get your hands on. Learn about the genre. Learn about techniques and style. See what works and what doesn't.

2. Seek out writers like you. Find a writers' group. I write mysteries, so Sisters in Crime was a perfect fit. I am also in the online community, Guppies. They have tons of resources and advice. And they are so supportive and helpful. If you are a student, check into student rates.

3. There are a lot of books out there on the craft of writing. My favorite is Stephen King's On Writing. Invest in books that help you. Use your library. FREE is good.

4. If you are serious about writing, find  a critique group. It's an investment in your time to read the submissions. Make sure that the feedback is helpful. Critiques need to be constructive and not personal. My critique group specializes in mysteries and crime fiction. And that works for me. I don't want to have to provide feedback on other genres that I don't read or enjoy.

5. Your first draft is never your final manuscript. Very few people get a polished work in the first few drafts.

6. Start thinking about your social media platform. When you work with a publisher, he/she wants to know where you have a presence. I started with Twitter and my blog. Since then, I've added a Facebook author page, website, Pinterest, Goodreads, LinkedIn, Amazon Author page, and Instagram.

7. Make sure that you carve out time for writing. Work, life, and everything else vies for your time. You need to write regularly.

8. There are tons of creative writing courses, workshops, and conferences, and the costs vary. I learn more from writing and working with other writers in my critique group than I do from most workshops.

9. Google and your library are your friends. You would be amazed at the FREE resources available.

10. Learn to use the basics of your word processor. Many agents and publishers reject manuscripts that don't fit their submission requirements. Each agent, publisher, and contest have different preferences. Make sure that you always review the submission requirements and follow them.

11. Don't give up. Rejections are hard, and they hurt. Learn from the criticism, but don't dwell on the rejections or negative reviews. Keep writing.

When Life Cuts into Your Writing Time

Life is busy most days. I had dental surgery last week, and the recovery knocked me out of my normal routine. I work full-time and have family and other obligations. Sometimes, it's hard to stay motivated and find time for writing. (Then I feel guilty for not writing.)

These are my eight ideas for squeezing in more writing time.

1. I joined a monthly critique group. Find one that fits your needs and schedule. Don't over extend yourself with multiples. This gives me a monthly deadline and keeps my writing projects on track. Plus, it's an incredible motivator. I always leave my writing events recharged.

2. I use my lunch hour at work to write, outline, edit, or blog. I get five hours of writing a week this way.

3. Take a good, honest look at the time you're watching TV/movies or cruising the internet. If you give up an hour a day, that's seven extra hours of writing time a week.

4. I do like some TV, but I record the shows, so I can speed through the commercials. I also combine my TV time with my pursuing the internet time. I can multitask.

5. I set a blog schedule. I randomly posted and noticed that my site numbers looked like a rollercoaster. I committed to one new blog post a week, and I now have a routine for reposting links. Again, it gives me a deadline each week, and my statistics are vastly improved (and consistent).

6. I get up early even on my days off. You'll be surprised at how much you can get accomplished. I use the quiet time to write. If the evening or wee hours are better, do what works for you.

7. My company offers an alternative work schedule. I added an extra hour to my work day, but I get every other Friday off. I reserve those for my writing days.

8. I love projects, crafts, traveling, and causes. I loved being involved in events and on the go constantly. I had to look closely at my schedule and where I was spending my time, and I had to jettison a few things to commit to my writing projects.

Life is hectic, and there are days where I wrote only a couple of paragraphs. Don't get discouraged. (That's easier said than done.) Keep writing. Just keep writing.

Find the support and encouragement you need and get rid of the distractions.

8 Things I Learned from Stephen King's ON WRITING

Stephen King's On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft is the best book about writing that I've read. Several writer friends who I served on panels with recommended it to the audiences when they were asked what books have helped them. I hadn't read it, so I ordered a copy.

The book is frank, creative, and packed with real writing experiences and examples. It doesn't matter what genre you write.

These are my major take-aways:

1. "Good writing is often about letting go of fear and affectation."

2. "The best form of dialogue attribution is 'said.'" (Don't be creative with the attributions.)

3. "The road to Hell is paved with adverbs."

4. "I'm convinced that fear is the root of most bad writing."

5. "If you want to be a writer,  you must do two things above all others. Read a lot and write a lot."

6. Turn off the TV. Get rid of the distractions.

7. Write everyday.

8. Research is "a specialized kind of back story." It belongs in the background.

If you're going to invest in books to help you improve your craft, this one needs to be in your library. And if I could only have one book about writing, this would be it.

More Hashtags for Writers

Here are some great hastags for writers. (The hashtag is also known as the octothorp, pound sign, number sign, or tic-tac-toe board for those from other generations.) 

For additional exposure and conversations, make sure to include one or two with your tweets. But don't overdo it.

If you don't see your genre, use Twitter's search feature to find thousands more.

• #AmEditing
• #AmRevising
• #AmWriting
• #ArchiveDay
• #Author
• #Author RT (Author Retweet)
• #Blog
• #BookMarketing
• #BookWorm
• #Books
• #Editing
• #GetPublished
• #GreatReads
• #IndieAuthors
• #IndiePub
• #Mystery
• #Promocave
• #PromoTip
• #Reading
• #ShortStory
• #WeekendBlogHop
• #WeekendCoffeeShare
• #WIP (Work in Progress)
• #WordCount
• #WriteGoal
• #WriteMotivation
• #WritingBlitz
• #WritingPrompt
• #WritingTips
• #WWWBlogs

These hashtags are tied to specific days.

• #Caturday (For Cat Lovers on Saturdays)
• #FlashbackFriday
• #FF (Follow Friday)
• #FollowFriday
• #FridayReads
• #IndieTuesday
• #IndieThursday
• #MondayBlogs
• #StoryFriday
• #SundayBlogShare
• #TeaserTuesday
• #TBT (Throwback Thursday)
• #ThrowbackThursday
• #TipTuesday
• #WW (Writer Wednesday)
• #WriterWednesday

10 Cool Tools for Authors

Here are some useful websites that I've used recently. They're great for writers...

Dictionaries and Such

• Acronym Finder is great to translate acronyms.
• AmosWeb has thousands of definitions for economic terms.
• NetLingo will help you stay hip to internet and chat terms.
• Computing Fundamentals has a great list of computer, technical, and geek terms.

Research

• Bartleby is the site for literary references, author information, and quotes.
• Library Spot is a centralized reference center.
• IPL is the Internet Public Library.
• The Post Office has a Zip Code finder.
• The Social Security Administration has a list of the top baby names for each year. This is great for choosing character names.
• Adobe's Kuler allows you to choose a color and it provides palettes of color combinations. This is great if you're working on a brochure or website.

What I Learned from David Casullo about High-Energy Cultures

I read a lot of books on leadership and customer service. David Casullo's Leading the High-Energy Culture is a good reference for new or seasoned managers. But his life lessons also apply to writers. Here's what I learned...

1. "Raise the Bar" should be your rallying cry for yourself and your team.

2. Energize those around you.

3. Communicate clearly and with purpose and passion.

4. Behave consistently with your values and beliefs.

5. Know the lay of the land at your organization and adapt as you need to.

6. A successful leader demonstrates Character, Commitment, Competence, Courage, and Communication.

7. People are fascinated with secrets and mysteries. As a mystery reader and writer, this was my favorite.

8. Focus on face-to-face interactions. Important information should be delivered face-to-face and not through email or texts.

9. Communication is an art and a science.

10. Simple is hard. People don't have time for elaborate explanations. It takes longer to craft your communication for your audience.

11. When people remember your story, they remember the point, and they remember you.

My First RavenCon...

I had the pleasure of presenting "Adding Mystery to Your Writing" with Mary Miley this weekend at RavenCon in Richmond, VA.

This was my first Con. I enjoyed talking to a variety of people about their writing and reading interests. And the vendors had anything you could imagine from the fantasy, science fiction, and horror worlds.

#PoeGirl, Kris Mehigan, did a panel on the Raven Society at the University of Virginia and the Poe Toaster. And afterwards Chris Semtner, from the Poe Museum in Richmond, joined the conversation.

Sadly, I didn't have more time to attend the Klingon party or the costumed event on Saturday evening. It was a lot of fun, and many thanks to the fans who welcomed a group of mystery writers to their event.

SinC Author Tina Glassneck

I'm with Karen McCullough and Kris Mehigan.