Newsletter of the Carrollton Creative Writers’ Club Issue Number: 9 Publishers: ADP\LDG Date: March 2008 The Carrollton Creative Writers Club is a support group of writers for writers. Our mission: To provide information and critique, and to facilitate the art of all forms of written expression. Meetings at Carrollton Cultural Arts Center: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, 2nd and 4th Tuesdays 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm 2nd and 4th Thursdays Contact: Mary Wilburn 770-832-0575 
The Main Street May Fest event is approaching. Our participants this year will be Diana Black, Beverly Bruemmer, Joe Byrd, Mary Cunningham, Joann Dunn, and Mary Wilburn. Please stop by on May 3rd to support our hardworking talent. A brochure is in the works for our club. Briefly describing our functions and goals. Once the text is hammered out among a few of us it will be ready for Diana’s kind offer of assisting with the design. The proposed purpose of this tool is to enhance our magnetism and attract more members. Brainstorming the idea of having a conference or workshop of our own predicated a portion of our meeting. Many good ideas were shared. It was decided that some goal setting and organization would form a sturdy frame for these ideas to stand upon. Further progress has been set for future planning. A survey was sent out soon after this discussion to gather some preliminary data. Hopefully everyone had had a chance to reply. Thanks Richard for pulling this together. Mary Wilburn presented the CCWC’s writers’ information packet. The packet contains information on our inner workings, who presently has responsibility for specific tasks, and the description of various types of writers’ critique groups. There is also a lot of good information on the art of critique. These will be given to new members of our group so they may understand better how to wear their member hat. Diana Black has created a message board for our members only. You may access it through the website. Sharing our knowledge, airing our ideas, and asking questions that we may not have opportunity of asking during meetings will be helpful to everyone. Please keep in mind, this message board was designed to allow members to give their goals and opinions regarding the organization and structure of our group, so don’t forget to do that while you’re there. Bev Bruemmer has got things on the ball! Our Christmas party is scheduled and reserved at The Little Hawaiian for December 6th, 2008 at 7:00 P.M. Go Bev! (Dave wonders why she took so long to get a date… She may have to be fired!) As we grow, things will change! Some will be organizationally driven, while others will be driven by time and format. If you ever have concerns about proposed changes, please remember the true intention of this group. We are very much like a family; complete with the little squabbles from time to time, but the peanut butter that holds our bread together is really love for bettering our writing, and our growing love for one another. It is probably a good idea to critique our comments on suggestions very much like we critique our writing. Give much consideration to what you say, how you sat it, and to whom you say it. The best place is always before the entire group! - ADP+LDG FACILITATOR: Joann Dunn facilitated March’s meetings. She lead with a discussion of her participation in Sluethfest, this year in Florida. She shared views on writing from two impressive speakers. David Fulmer’s suggestion of starting with a body for your murder mystery and his practice of writing a five page autobiography for his characters was insightful. Elmore Leonard’s ten don’ts were passed around. We saw all the don’ts we’re guilty of and proclaimed what a wonderful writer he is anyway Joann also shared Mr. Leonard’s incredible book with us. Joann explained that while at this function she experienced an exercise she likened to speed dating with agents. That’s Joann, gives you a pretty darn good picture doesn’t it? Anyway, she must be pretty good at it because she landed one for her Lit Chic’s mystery series. Yahoo! She brought many good promotional samples to give an example of one of the more popular marketing ploys at conventions. All were very original, pertaining to either the authors or their books and entertaining in themselves. Thanks Joann. Having you share your experience of this magnitude gives us something to shoot for and dream about. Mary Cunningham facilitates April. The first meeting Mary is going to talk about blogging and then we will critique. Please email Mary and let her know what you’ll be bringing if you can. The second meeting Mary’s guest, Diane Shore, from SCBWI, will address our group (Diane is very active in the SCBWI.) Diane spoke at Blue Ridge this year, and will share her expertise with us on writing children’s books. So if you have any questions about children’s books, bring them along! READINGS: Note from the editors: Don’t forget to refer to your guidelines when preparing for your reading. Please be sure to encapsulate your writing so as to avoid a lengthy oration prior to reading Mary Wilburn read from her work in progress BLOOD REMEMBERS. Her mystery continues on from BLOOD KIN. Her main concern was whether writing in first person worked for this manuscript. READER'S COMMENTS: Every critique offered was very helpful. At this stage in writing a book, or rewriting it, as I am doing, a writer needs input from many listeners. I appreciate each one given today. Thanks, guys. Zan Marie Steadham shared her rough draft. The working title is MOTHER’S DAY. We all agreed it definitely has legs. READER'S COMMENTS: I am a broken record. Every time I read I find myself thanking God for all of you and your support. I wanted to know if “Mother’s Day” had a chance since it won’t let me go. Thanks for telling me to continue it. I feel that it is an important story for me personally and that, hopefully will be apparent as I go along. Mitch Lits read GRANDMA’S GHOST, his short story written in first person. Mitch captures the myriad of feelings between siblings and the love children have of people past very artfully. READER'S COMMENTS: Joe Byrd was our poet this meeting. He read WOODCUTTER Skillfully typeset to give you the visual image which only enhanced Joe’s prolificacy. READER'S COMMENTS: Joann Dunn read the last two pages of one of her mysteries KILLER CONDO. Joann was interested to know if we got her twist in the plot at the end. WE DID! READER'S COMMENTS: Judi Presnell shared the revisions she had made with her previous reading of CHRISTOPHER BEAR THAT WASN’T THERE. The progress is coming along nicely. Judi divulged she had another cutie in her closet she may bring out and polish up. We look forward. CHECK YOUR CALENDARS: Carrollton Mayfest is May 3rd Our authors and artists will be among many of Carrollton’s talent. This is a good time to browse, have fun, sample wares, rub elbows and subtly let everyone know that CCWC rocks. Don’t forget to submit. Diana sent us three wonderful opportunities to win prize money, get published and win awards. Too many of us have works that fit the bill on these. So, make us proud, just do it. The Writer's 2008 Short-Story Contest Send your best mystery short story to The Writer by June 30 to be eligible for the $1,000 first prize and publication in the magazine! Deadline: June 30, 2008. Writers' Exchange Share a favorite faux pas from your writing career with us. We'll publish the best stories in an upcoming issue of The Writer. Winners will also receive $50 and a one-year subscription to the magazine. Deadline: May 30, 2008. The Nimrod/Hardman Awards The Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction and The Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry each offer a first-place prize of $2,000 and a second place prize of $1,000 plus publication plus a trip to the Nimrod/Hardman Awards for all first- and second-place winners. Deadline: April 30, 2008. PERSONALS: Mary Cunningham Mary Cunningham, Mary Cunningham. She’s not just in this newsletter ALL the time. Now she’s everywhere. http://wwww.bookcrossing.com/journal/5972011 features a great review on CYNTHIA’S ATTIC: CURSE OF THE BAYOU. Harriet Klausner is a prolific reviewer, and has posted this review on more than ten different sites, so far. Mary expects it to be posted on at least twenty five sites. Diana Black has a blog site for promotion of WOOF. Please visit http://happyb-dayblog.blogspot.com/ you’ll be amazed at the creativity and fun these hiphop-hotties can have in marketing their work. Very well done Diana. Joann Dunn, as previously mentioned, has landed an agent for the LitChix mystery series. These talented ladies have been recognized and accepted for three mystery novels before they have even completed the second one. We all know why, Joann has graciously shared their in our reading meetings. Congratulations Joann. Helpful links: http://www.usu.edu/journalism/faculty/sweeney/resources/ap.htm http://www.bu.edu/com/writingprgm/ap_styleguide1.pdf www.ask.com S.T.R.A.P. Submissions Take a Look Rejections Acceptances Pledge Amber 1 10 Dave 10 Richard 1 ZanMarie Anyone who would like to participate please submit your name and your pledge. If we don't submit . . . well, none of these others will happen. The more no's we get, the closer we are to publishing. So let us know. How many submissions do you pledge to make in the next month, quarter, year, whatever. WRITE, WRITE, WRITE . SUBMIT, SUBMIT, SUBMIT. Happy writing fellow scribes. See you next month. Please be kind enough to bring any incorrect data, mistakes, or omissions to our attention via amber_pickle@msn.com Or davidgreen@carrollcountyschools.com . Thank you for your patience if they exist in this issue. ADP/LDG http://www.6ftferrets.com/critique-content.html http://www-personal.umd.umich.edu/~jonsmith/courses/engl236/critique.html http://www.sfwa.org/writing/hc_critique.htm http://www.usu.edu/journalism/faculty/sweeney/resources/ap.htm http://www.bu.edu/com/writingprgm/ap_styleguide1.pdf www.ask.com http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=124992397&blogID=3324 See you next month. Please be kind enough to bring any incorrect data, mistakes, or omissions to our attention: amber_pickle@msn.com davidgreen@carrollcountyschools.com
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Carrollton Creative Writers' Club
