When Joan Leotta was writing a travel column, she put herself in the shoes of her readers. She approached the column from a mother's viewpoint, exploring what fellow mothers might want to know. That's been one of her keys to success over her writing career.
"I knew other mothers wanted to know what I know," she said.
The former Burke resident shared those tips with others at the Pohick Regional Library recently in a "Pack Your Pen!" seminar Wednesday, Sept. 24.
"You want to remember more than just a postcard," Leotta said.
Leotta lived in Burke for 19 years and started writing when she had children so she could be with them and take them on some of the local trips she chronicled. Since then, she's written for a wide variety of publications, including newspapers, magazines and newsletters. She moved to Arlington recently but still looks at the Pohick Library as home.
"I've got four file drawers full of articles," she said. "I used to be here three times a week."
At Pohick, she went around the roomful of 21 people, finding out why they had come. Some were starting a third career in writing, another traveled a lot, some just thought it was interesting, and one woman, Ceil Sinnex, carried a travel article she had published in 1972 on a trip to Ambergris Cay in Belize. Sinnex started writing at the age of 10.
"I belong to two writers groups," she said.
Leotta handed out an outline exploring motivations, ideas, research, query letters and how to deal with an editor. She touched on the importance of writing samples. For new writers who have had nothing published, she used the chicken-and-the-egg analogy. Editors want to see a published article, but if a prospective writer doesn't have one, how can he get past the editor?
"Make sure you follow the format the editor likes," she said. "The editor, he's your first audience."
Leotta has dealt with editors for newspapers and magazines through the years but touched on writers forging their own path in the business.
"I've been successful with doing it this way, but that's not the only way," she said.
LEOTTA SHARED things that worked for her, such as using the five senses — sight, sound, smell, touch and taste.
"I'm a big asker of why" she said.
Roben Closs, a library employee, oversees some of Pohick's programs with Ted Kavich, who was not there for Leotta's presentation.
"We had the man that wrote 'The English Patient' a couple of months ago," Closs said. "One of our goals is to serve the lifetime learner."
Leotta also performs at the library in various programs. In the summer of 2002, she was under contract with the Fairfax County Public Library's as a performer. She enjoys sharing her experiences.
"I like to get other people started doing this. Other people helped me get started," she said.
Recently Leotta's had "The Shenandoah Valley Book, A Complete Guide," published by Berkshire House. It was delayed by the death of her son Joe, who was hit by a car while at Virginia Tech University in March 2002. Currently, Leotta is trying to get one of Joe's plays