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The Ready-Set-Go of Open Mic Mondays

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Do you want to become more involved with Writers of Kern and your fellow writers? Want to find a welcoming place to read and share your work?  Beginning Monday, October 5th WOK members are invited to participate in Open Mic Mondays over Zoom.

Open Mics offer a friendly environment of like-minded people for you to share your work with, but you are also welcome to just come and listen to others read.

You may be nervous about reading your work. You may even be thinking, Hey, I’m a writer, not a performer! Daunting or not, public speaking is an important skill for a successful writer. You want to be ready when your award-winning poems and short stories are published or your break-through novel or screenplay is optioned for a film.

So plan ahead for Open Mic Mondays with these steps:

  1. Choose your material. Search your files and find something that:
    • Represents you and your writing well
    • Lends itself to being read aloud
    • Can be read in the allotted time
  2. Take time to prepare your material.
    • Print out your selection. Double space. Use a 14pt. (or larger) font so you can see it easily. Number the pages, but do not staple them together.
    • Read through aloud two or three times. Notice where you stumble, and notice where you want to emphasize or change your inflection. Highlight or use a BOLD font  for those areas before you reprint the page.
    • Check to see if you need to polish anything in your piece.  Do you need to: add or delete a word or two? Rewrite a sentence for clarity?
  3. Rehearse.
    • Read aloud to yourself. Read aloud to your mirror. Read aloud to your pet. Read aloud to another person.
    • Record yourself reading aloud.
    • Check your timing and cut where necessary.
  4. Show up on the first Monday of the month for Open Mic.
    • Be sure to Register for the event each month.
    • The flip side of nervousness is excitement. Feel the nervousness, but transform it into the energy you put into your reading.
    • Be proud of yourself for taking this step in moving your writing career forward.

Writers of Kern is dedicated to assisting writers of all levels in meeting their writing goals, and we’re proud offer Open Mic Mondays for our members.   You can go directly to the Eventbrite site to register by clicking HERE. You must register to attend.

We hope to see you there—as a reader or as part of the welcoming audience.

If you have further questions, contact us by email at events@writersofkern.com.

Against The Odds By Jenny Estes

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A Beginning Writer’s Uphill Climb

Cresting the hill to sixty is an interesting time to take up serious writing. When I say serious, I actually mean writing to get published—a challenging feat at any age. My last English class was in 8th grade, but when my husband informed me he was going to write a book, I boldly offered to help. By the time the final proof was at the publishers, a new passion had ignited my soul. I wanted to write! I enjoyed every aspect of publishing from first draft to final manuscript. I excelled at editing content and flow, but quickly discovered grammar was not my forte.

No problem.

I signed up for English 50 at Bakersfield College, a crash course in critical writing and thinking. . .and almost expired. Attending two evening classes a week on top of a very busy work schedule with out of town travel was insane. An additional ten to fifteen hours a week was required for homework. What was I thinking?

I loved every minute of it.

Joining Writers of Kern (WOK) and a critique group helped me find an online Fiction Writers Workshop offered by Iowa University—I signed up immediately (even though I’d never written a word of fiction in my life). What better way to find out if I’d like it? But thinking about doing something new is so much easier than actually doing it. The first assignment almost had me running for the door. They wanted an inanimate object to come to life and have an experience with real people! My very practical critical, brainy self went straight into a tail spin.

I did it anyway.

A new world of existence opened before me over the following weeks as I delved into plot, character, motivation, and setting. I was sad when the course was over. I missed the excellent teaching, peer reviews, and participation in a close writing community. However, fertile seeds were sown for future pieces, and the experience encouraged me to explore other writing venues.

It was liberating.

Fast forward a few years and a gazillion WOK meetings later and I am a published author with works in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Power of Gratitude; The California Writers Club Literary Review; and Res Ipsa (Kern County Bar Association Magazine). My first book, The Anglican Rosary: Going Deeper with God—Prayers and Meditations with Protestant Prayer Beads was published on June 11, 2019.

Writers of Kern made this possible.

Was it easy? No. Rewarding? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely.

Writers of Kern continues to be my mentor, muse, and inspiration. The excellent speakers, conferences, and resources challenge me to grow as a writer and keep me up to date on publishing trends. The critique groups are invaluable and interactions with fellow writers encouraging. I’m honored to part of an organization that truly has its members best interests at heart.

Jenny Lynn Estes jennylynnestes.com The Anglican Rosary: Going Deeper with God—Prayers and Meditations with Protestant Prayer Beads