Key West for Writers

Key West Literary Seminar

Every year in January this literary seminar takes place, and several writing contests are running.  Key West was always popular with writers.  Key West was to have been just a stopping-off point for Hemingway when he arrived on the ferry from Havana in 1928. 

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Hemingway Did Not Plan to Stay Long.
But the Ford automobile that should have been waiting at the docks was delayed, so the embarrassed car merchant offered the author accommodations at the Trevor and Morris Apartments located above the dealership.  Soon after, Hemingway moved into a Spanish colonial villa at 907 Whitehead St., which was his home through December 1939.  Now a registered National Historic Landmark, the home is open to the public as a museum honoring the island's most famous literary resident.

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Tennessee Williams Worked in Key West Too.
During the years Tennessee Williams lived in Key West, FL, he swam at South Beach every morning before sitting down to write.  “I work everywhere,” Williams said of Key West, “but I work best here.”
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EMERGING WRITER AWARDS:
Poets and writers living in the United States who have not yet published a book with a major publisher are eligible to apply.  Three Emerging Writer Awards are presented each year:
- Poetry
- Short Story
- Novel-in-progress

Winners receive full tuition support for the January Seminar and Workshop Program, round-trip airfare, lodging, a $500 honorarium, and the opportunity to appear on stage during the Seminar.   Runners-up for each award will also be offered financial assistance packages.  http://www.kwls.org/awards/emerging-writer-awards/  

NO ENTRY FEE.

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Write with Passion – Like Tennessee Williams

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A great example of a writer who was successful because he wrote with passion and authenticity is Tennessee Williams. It is said that his play, The Glass Menagerie is somewhat autobiographical.  For those familiar with this play, it’s obvious that the playwright had strong feelings about his characters and the society in which they lived.
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Why is it Important That Our Writing be Passionate?
We need to write about that which we have strong emotions, positive or negative.  Simply put, we need to write about what we care about.  Why is this important?  Writing is like acting. People can tell if you’re emotionally connected.  The most respected actors are the actors who are not “acting” a certain role; they are “being” a certain role.  For example, if we see someone like Meryl Streep in a movie, we don’t think that she’s portraying the character in a skilled manner. Instead, we feel that she has actually become the character.  She is not divisible from the character. In the same way, writers want their material to flow smoothly.  Writers cannot write material that flows smoothly unless they care about the subject of their writing.
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How Do We Find Our Passion?
Suzanne Fetting, Confidence Coach, defines passion as energy in her blog.  She says that passion fuels the fires of inspiration and that it motivates us.  It’s hard to write about that which doesn’t engage us emotionally.
Mary DeMuth, guest blogger on Michael Hyatt’s blog, says that one of the best ways to find our passion is to find where need and joy collide.  A good example of this would be a job that contributes to society in a positive manner while it utilizes our unique talents.  Another way that she suggests that we find our passion is to ask our friends to identify what is our main personality characteristic.  For instance, our friends may define us as “artsy”, “intelligent”, “athletic”, and so on.
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How Do We Balance Our Passion in Our Writing?
It’s important not to be too emotional in our writing.  Successful writers will follow Tennessee Williams’ example of identifying what they care about and writing on those subjects.  It’s also important to show heartfelt emotion without going into unnecessary detail.  Readers don’t need a lot of details to understand a particular emotion that is being portrayed. In fact, too many details may be distracting.
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Author Traci Lawrence writes about her passion: human communication, relationships, the value of individuals and rising above verbal bullying, or trash talk.  She lives in the Northern Virginia area of the United States and teaches English, among other subjects.  
Please find more on her book: Accept No Trash Talk.

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