October 2021 Newsletter



October 2021 Newsletter








Next Meeting:

Wednesday, October 13

6:30 to 8:30 PM

McCallum Room, 4th floor

Frisco Public Library

6101 Frisco Square Blvd.

Frisco, TX 75034




Meetings will be a hybrid in-person/Zoom meeting. Mark your calendar for October 13 at 6:30-8:30 PM. Look forward to seeing you then!

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, Rich Blazevich (richblazevich@gmail.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.





Our Website: FriscoWriteClub.org






Our Facebook Page: Frisco Write Club | Groups | Facebook






October Meeting Talk Topic





In October and November, Linda Baten Johnson will be sharing tips on creating characters during the fifteen-minute topic time. Please download the items on characters from the critique site, so you can play with the rest of the group.


Our thanks to Rich for sharing self-publishing tips at the September meeting. See his YouTube videos which cover topics he addressed, and more.


We appreciate Jennifer’s information about how to critique at the August meeting.


What topics would you like to see covered this year?





Successes





Donna Anderson’s story published by Chicken Soup by the Soul was selected for the magazine First for Women as a special feature in the September issue. WOW!

Tara Carnes’ poetry chap book will be published in May, 2022.

One person’s success encourages us all. Please share your stories with us.





Write 4 Kids





Info from our own Becky Michael, a facilitator for the group:

We're still meeting online, on Google Meet (they don't need a gmail account) on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:00. I send the link address out to the mailing list right before the meeting. I also send out a request for manuscripts a few days before that. If they want to be added to the mailing list, it's helpful if they mention learning about it through Write Club. I've had a few contacts during the past year that seemed suspect or a little "off." You can include my email address: beckyrossmichael@gmail.com.





DFWCon is moving online!





Posted on their website September 19, 2021

In light of the current situation with the pandemic, we have made the tough decision to move this year’s DFWCon online. We were looking forward to seeing everyone in person, but this is the best way to safely deliver a fun, productive and comfortable event for everyone.


The conference will take place Oct. 23-24 as planned. Attendees will be able to move between multiple classrooms at will and enjoy lectures and panels as well as the legendary Query Gong game show. There’ll be social areas where you can network or just chat with other writers. You’ll be entitled to one free pitch session with a literary agent as always, and you’ll be able to purchase extra pitch sessions in advance.


The registration fee for the online conference is $179, and the new ticket is now available on the website. Just go to: https://dfwcon.org


The conference team is working hard to deliver you a fantastic conference experience. We look forward to seeing you online!





NaNoWriMo





November will soon be here and that means NaNoWriMo (aka, National Novel Writing Month) is approaching. NaNoWriMo helps you track your progress, set milestones, connect with other writers in a vast community, and participate in events that are designed to make sure you finish your novel—and it’s free. If you want to join the national group, go to https://nanowrimo.org.


Last year, we set up our own excel program for tracking word count/day for members who wanted to participate. Before Pandemic (BP), we set some “write” times where members met at the Frisco Library and wrote for set time periods. Let your officers know what you’d like to do this year.





Take a Chance and enter a poetry contest with a first prize of $2,000!






Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest (no fee)

Now in its 21st year, this contest seeks today's best humor poems. No fee to enter. Submit published or unpublished work. $3,500 in prizes.


Please submit one humor poem during

August 15, 2021-April 1, 2022

Prizes:

  • First Prize: $2,000 plus a two-year gift certificate from our co-sponsor, Duotrope (a $100 value)

  • Second Prize: $500

  • Honorable Mentions: 10 awards of $100 each

  • Top 12 entries published online

  • Submit online

No fee to enter. Judge: Jendi Reiter, assisted by Lauren Singer. One poem only, please. Length limit: 250 lines maximum. No restriction on age of author. Both unpublished and previously published work accepted. Authors from all countries eligible except Syria, Iran, North Korea, and Crimea (due to US government restrictions). The poem you submit should be in English. Inspired gibberish is also accepted (example). Please click the button below to submit. Read the winning poems from our 20th contest. The results of our 21st contest will be announced on August 15, 2022.


Supplemental contest information (copyright, privacy, special assistance, etc.)





Presentation Format for Members Presenting Work for Critique:





Critiquing Instructions for Members

Documents to be presented and critiqued during meetings:

  1. Writers: Send your document to Jennifer Evans at dallaswestie@gmail.com prior to the meeting.

    • Include the following items in your document:

    • title of your document

    • your name

    • your email address (optional)

    • Add line numbers to your document (Go to Layout, then Line Numbers, then Continuous)

    • Limit your document to 500 words (approx. 2 pages) for time constraints. Each reader will be given 10 minutes to present and receive feedback.

  2. Jennifer will post documents to this Google Drive folder.

  3. Critiquers may download documents, make comments, and provide feedback during the meeting.

  4. Critiquers may send comments to writers who provide their email address.

  5. If the writer doesn’t provide an email address:

    • Critiquers may send the document with edits/comments to Jennifer who will forward them to the author, or

    • Critiquer can print out the document and share comments during the meeting.

If you would like your document to be critiqued/edited but not presented during meetings:

  • Send your document to Jennifer Evans at dallaswestie@gmail.com prior to the meeting.

  • Include the title of the document and your email address in the headline of the document.

  • Limit your document to 2,500 words for time constraints.

  1. Jennifer will post documents to this Google Drive folder.

  2. Critiquers may download and add edits/comments (in track changes) to the document and forward the document back to the writer (if the writer provides their email address)

  3. If the writer doesn’t provide an email address, critiques may send the document to Jennifer, and she will post the critiqued document to the Google folder

Ask the author what they are specifically looking for in a critique:

  • Grammar, spelling, word choice

  • The overall structure of the story

  • Scenes that might seem flat

  • Character development

Avoid commenting on writing style, opinion, and your personal preference.





Blogs from Our Members





President: Rich Blazevich

Secretary, Newsletter: Linda Baten Johnson

Vice President, Social Media: Kevin Mann (this role includes Write Club web page, Google Docs and Facebook)

Vice President, Critiques: Jennifer Evans

Presidents Emeritus: Gary Thornberry, Fergal O'Donnell

**Other contributors:

Zoom meetings: Donna Anderson

Backup Facebook administrator: Ari Frick