Author Darleen Bailey Beard Offers Writing Workshop for Teens

Norman author Darleen Bailey Beard submitted manuscripts for books to editors for six years before one was finally accepted for publication. "Getting published is one of the hardest things," says Beard. "They say that on average it takes seven years to get published." And sometimes those rejection letters can hurt. One editor told Beard that her book was more like a joke. Ouch.

Darleen Bailey Beard will present a writing workshop at the Edmond Library, 10 S. Boulevard, on July 22, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. It is free and open to teens who want to learn some of the basics of successful writing.

Even after numerous rejection letters, Beard kept at it and her perseverance paid off. Her novel for children, Operation Clean Sweep , is on the 2007 Children's Sequoyah Masterlist, and The Babbs Switch Story , which was based on a true incident from Oklahoma history, won an Oklahoma Book Award in 2003. "I enjoy introducing students to Oklahoma history by finding little-known events and bringing them to life with fictionalized characters that readers can relate to," Beard said.  "Students often ask why I write about Oklahoma history and I compare it to apples, ripe for the picking.  Oklahoma has so many exciting, heart-warming, and tragic stories in our history, why not bring them to life and use these stories to encourage and educate our students?"

No one can make the years of trying go away for the apprentice writer, but Beard can offer some tips on writing as a business to teens who want to give it a try.

"During the writing workshop, Darleen will emphasize using your senses to make your writing more realistic," said Edmond librarian Ronna Davis , "providing better imagery to the reader."

Beard is a coveted speaker in schools nationwide and spends a large amount of her time speaking to elementary, middle, and high school students, as well as teachers, librarians and parents. She speaks to more than 100 schools during the school year.

Teens are invited to attend this entertaining, hands-on writing workshop on using music and the five senses to inject realism into works of fiction.

Darleen's books will be available for purchase and autographs after the workshop.

For more information, call the library at 341-9282.

The Metropolitan Library System of Oklahoma County includes 12 libraries and five extension libraries. Libraries include Belle Isle, Capitol Hill, Ralph Ellison, Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library and Southern Oaks in Oklahoma City, as well as Bethany, Choctaw, Del City, Edmond, Midwest City, Village and Warr Acres. Extensions are located in the communities of Harrah, Jones, Luther and Nicoma Park and include Wright Library in Oklahoma City . You can also reach us at www.metrolibrary.org.