February 2021 Newsletter






Next Meeting:

Wednesday, February 17

6:45 to 8:45 PM

Zoom

Frisco Public Library Group

6101 Frisco Square Blvd.

Frisco, TX 75034





Write Club





Our next meeting is February 17, 2021 at 6:45 pm via Zoom. “Doors” open at 6:30. Look forward to seeing you then!





You’re Invited!





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.





Flash Fiction Writing Contest





Frisco Public Library's Flash Fiction Writing Contest is back! In this annual contest, the Frisco Public Library challenges writers to send in an original work of fiction that is 500 words or less. Submit your entry by: March 31, 2021

Submission Rules

  • Original unpublished works of 500 words or less in English.

  • There is no restriction on style, genre, or theme.

  • One entry per person.

  • Open to participants ages 18 and up.

  • Entrants must live in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area.

  • The Frisco Public Library reserves the right to reproduce and distribute all submissions.

  • Visit the Library's website for submission form.





Short Story Contest #37 www.OnThePremises.com





Deadline: Friday, March 5, 2021, 11:59 PM Eastern Time.


REPAIRS For this contest, write a creative, compelling, well-crafted story between 1,000 and 5,000 words long in which one or more characters try to repair something. The "something" can be tangible (e.g., a smartphone, a bad haircut, a broken leg) or intangible (e.g., a relationship). The judges don't care whether the characters succeed in their repair efforts, so long as they try.


One entry per author. No fee for entering. Maximum length of 5,000 words and minimum length of 1,000.


Genre Rules: We don't print:

* Fiction designed for readers younger than 12

* Exploitative sex/pornography (realistic sex that matters to a story is okay)

* Over-the-top grossout horror (more subdued horror is okay)

* Obvious parodies of existing fictional worlds/characters created by other authors


Hyphenated Words: If the hyphenated word is generally considered a single word, it counts as one word. (Examples: "twenty-five" or "jack-o-lantern.") Otherwise each part of the hyphenated word counts separately. (Example: "It was a don't-get-in-my-way day.")


Prizes: $250 for first, $200 for second, $150 for third, $75 for honorable mentions. We will publish between one and three honorable mentions.


To submit an entry, use this link and follow the instructions. If you don't already have a (free) Submittable account, you'll be prompted to make one.





From Last Month’s Meeting





*Welcome to three visitors. One of the guests will present in February.


*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. (I only have one left in the file!)





Successes





Congratulations to our very own Michael Erger, whose movie Pescador has been selected for STXIFF, the South Texas International Film Festival. We were privileged to view some of Michael's film at Write Club... now Pescador will be in STXIFF January 22-30, 2021... https://stxiff.com/films (Taken from Fergal’s Write Club Facebook Page.)

Congratulations to Linda Baten Johnson. Barbour Publishing released TEA SHOPPE MYSTERIES on February 1. The book is a compilation of four cozy mysteries. Linda’s book is named Crumpets to Die For. Barbour Publishing will also be releasing an audio of the book.

Congratulations to Trudi Young Taylor who had two publications accepted, one by Vine Leaf Press and the other by Fiction Southeast.

Congratulations to John Alexander for January publication in Faith on Every Corner.





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.





Shared Writing Hint





From Gary Thornberry:


No matter how bad you think you are, just keep doing it.

Also, use writing online aids and tools to help improve your writing. Three such programs are MS Word, WordRake, and Grammerly:

MS Word. With Microsoft’s emphasis on Office 365, an improved grammar checker called Editor has been added to the subscription Word program. Editor also recommends writing style and word clarity suggestions. A second feature is Researcher, an intelligent way within Word to pull web content and properly-format its citation in one click. This Bing service hopes to add “national science and health centers, well-known encyclopedias, history databases and more” in the future.

WordRake is a concise writing correction software that integrates with MS Word. WordRake recommends changes to help you tighten your writing, detecting unnecessary words and phrases. If you’ve presented at one of our meetings, it’s likely your writing has been put through the software by Gary who uses WordRake to edit his own work. WordRake is a subscription software, though the company does offer 7-day free trials.

Grammarly is an enhanced grammar and spell check software, identifying weak word choices and recommending alternatives. There is a free version and a paid, subscription option. Teachers can use Grammarly as the premium version sports a plagiarism feature.





Blogs from Our Members





















































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