April 2021 Newsletter






Next Meeting:

Tuesday, April 21

6:45 to 8:45 PM

Zoom

Frisco Public Library Group

6101 Frisco Square Blvd.

Frisco, TX 75034




Our next meeting is April 21, 2021 at 6:45 pm via Zoom. “Doors” open at 6:30. Look forward to seeing you then!





Join Us and Invite a Friend





All are welcome to attend Write Club meetings….no formal invitation needed. Write Club meeting information can be found on the Frisco Library web site and on the club's Facebook page (Frisco Write Club). Additionally, every month, in advance of the meeting, Fergal O'Donnell (fergalod@hotmail.com) will send an invitation by email to the active members.


Anybody who has attended a Write Club meeting is automatically subscribed to our newsletters. At the top of each newsletter is a notice of our next meeting.





Love your Frisco Library





If you’re looking for ways to improve your craft, the Frisco Library offers marvelous classes through Gale Courses. Search for courses in writing and publishing and select "Enroll Now" to get started. The classes begin each month, last for six weeks, are instructor-led, and have an interactive learning environment. You may access the class at your convenience. Future start dates are: May 12, June 16, and July 14.


Some of the classes include: Keys to Effective Editing, Craft of Magazine Writing, Mystery Writing, Writing for Children, Publish and Sell Your E-books, Write and Publish your Nonfiction Book, Travel Writing, Grammar Refresher. This a small sample of the opportunities available.


I’m currently taking one of the classes and here are hints suggested in my class for jumpstarting your writing day:

  • Write in your journal for 15 minutes at the beginning of every writing session. You'll get yourself writing, and you'll contribute to an important record of your life.

  • Choose five words at random from the dictionary. Write a paragraph or two incorporating those five words.

  • Find an old yearbook. Choose a person at random, and write a paragraph or two about his or her life—either a projection of what you think happened to that person or a complete fictionalization.

  • Choose a recent event, small or large, and imagine that it happened differently. Write a couple of paragraphs about how this altered event would have changed your life.

  • Choose a sentence at random from the newspaper and write a brief story, using that sentence as your first one.

  • Write a paragraph or two from the point of view of an object or person in your writing space (a pencil sharpener, a bird you can see out your window, the woman at a nearby table).





From Last Month’s Meeting





  • Please contact Fergal if you want to present to the group. We’re all working together to improve individually.

  • Please use the Frisco Write Club page for an exchange of ideas, questions, suggestions or jokes for writers.

  • Send your writing suggestion to lindabjohnson357@gmail.com so your healthy habit or writing mantra may help fellow members.





Shared Writing Hint





From Karen Hodges:

Pay close attention to your world. (This will help you incorporate sensory details in your writing.) Take advantage of writing zoom meetings, as many are free.







Successes





Fergal O’Donnell: Because his novel, Proconnesus, placed in the top twelve of the Novel Fair 2021 Competition, he received the opportunity to pitch his work to fifteen different agents. Since the agents work in Europe, he began his pitches at three in the morning! As of our March meeting, he has one offer of representation and is waiting to hear others.

Rich Blazevich: Rich’s class on writing and publishing at SMU has fifteen students enrolled. He’s completed the first half of the presentations.

John Alexander: John is now a regular contributor to Faith on Every Corner, an online publication. He has a second poetry book in his Quiet Time Rhymes series entitled Into the Light.

Derek Blount is part of ADDISON MAGAZINE'S recent profile on authors of the North Dallas Corridor. His interview is on pages 47-48 https://online.publicationprinters.com/.../default.aspx...

Trudi Young Taylor is the author of the month at truehumor.com. Whoohoo!

Donna Anderson’s story about Eldercare will be published in a Chicken Soup for the Soul book this summer.

Linda Baten Johnson’s romance book, A Pianist for Preacher, was released in e-book and paperback on April 5.

Becky Ross Michael took part in Storystorm during the month of January, in which writers and illustrators come up with one new story idea per day, read the daily blog post of motivation and encouragement, and comment to enter that day’s contest. Becky won an author critique of her work. The author who will be reviewing Becky’s work is Carrie Finison, whose most recent book, “Don’t Hug Doug, is published through G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers.

Jeanette Smith has two publishing successes to report. Her story “The Tie” (which she workshopped with the Frisco Write Club) was published by Second Chance Lit, an online literary magazine. Here is the link: https://www.secondchancelit.com/smith.


Her story “The Wait Is Over” will be published later this year in 300 Days of Sun, the print literary journal from Nevada State College.





Presentation Format for Members Wishing to Present Work for Critique at Meeting





  • Word Length: 2,500 words (longer permitted, but 2,500 for reading at our meeting)

  • Font Size: 12 points (to aid those with visional limitations)

  • Font Styles: Times New Roman, Arial (but not Comic Sans)

  • Spacing: Double spaced

  • Line Numbering

Please note: If you wish to receive feedback by email from the Write Club members, please also add your email address at the top of the first page.


Please email an electronic copy of your presentation to Fergal O’Donnell (fergalod@hotmail.com) by the Saturday before the meeting. He will email presentations to members prior to our meeting.


At the meeting, the presenter will be allowed twenty minutes. Many choose to read their submission and devote the rest of the time to comments from those attending.





Blogs from Our Members





















































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Frisco Public Library · 6101 Frisco Square Blvd · Suite 3000 · Frisco, TX 75034 · USA