Short Story Contest Update

Length - 1200 words maximum
Some connection to the Texas Hill Country
Previously unpublished and suitable for publication in a community newspaper

Deliver 3 copies to PO Box 2024, Fredericksburg, TX 78624 or bring to the next Conference meeting on June 25th, 2015, with a $20 bill attached. Top three will be published in the Fredericksburg Standard Radio Post.  Put a cover sheet with your name and contact information and I'll assign a number to your entry (judges will not know the name of the writer).  Proceeds will go towards our 2016 Agent/Editor Conference. 

Also:  I would like to know if you plan to enter a story, as we've only received 3 to date, and we need 20. 

Sally's take on writing critique groups

WRITING CRITIQUE GROUPS

by Sally Clark

Every critique group has its own flavor. Some are plain vanilla and some are best described as rocky road. It is crucial that you find the one that tastes best to you.

Why would you want to be in a critique group? More importantly – why wouldn’t you? Everybody loves ice cream. Critique groups can provide friendship, sharing of information, help with marketing, sympathy when you are rejected, rejoicing when you succeed, and most importantly – an opportunity to learn your craft and improve your writing, increasing your odds of publication.

If your skin is thin and you need lots of praise without much “crunch,” you can find a soft-serve vanilla group. If your tastes run darker, you could look for a double-chocolate-mocha group heavy with dark chocolate shavings. And if you want a party in a cone, look for a raspberry-sherbet-with-confetti-sprinkles type of group. They're all out there.

If it’s not the right group for you, you might dread attending the meetings. But when you find one that suits your writing style, you can benefit from it greatly. While most any reader can tell you what doesn’t work in your manuscript or ask where did that character come from, people who are writing in your own genre are the best at telling you how to fix it.

No matter how good a writer you already are, you will be a better one if you’re part of a group. In the summertime, it’s hot outside. You need to head down to your local ice cream parlor and cool off. You can find whatever you want there – an icy soda of grammar and sentence structure correction or a big banana split with three flavors of critique and a cherry on the top. You are sure to come back for more!

Or if you prefer, you can sit outside on the bench and watch other writers come out full and happy. The choice is yours. 

p.s. – This article was critiqued by two of the four writers groups I participate in. As with ice cream, I believe if some is good, more is better. J 

Sally Clark, http://sallyclark(dot)info

Author of Where's My Hug?, Ideals Children's Books, 2015

 

Kent's take on writing critique groups

I hope I didn’t sound smug when I said that I write for a readership of one (me!). What I meant was that since tastes in style and content differ so much, I thought I’d write what I’d like to read and hope I had kindred spirits out there somewhere.

That doesn’t mean I don’t trust others’ judgment regarding the quality of my writing. Quality transcends personal style, and that’s where I very much value the opinions in the writers group. When, as is often the case, someone suggests an alternate way of saying something and I think, "Of course! Why didn’t I think of that?" then those moments alone make our meetings worthwhile, apart from the sheer enjoyment of meeting together and sharing our work and our ideas.

Writing groups may not work for everyone, but they certainly do for me.

 

Kent Rylander

Why We Have This Blog

I intentionally said something harsh to the Fredericksburg Writers Conference group recently, "If you aren't in a writing critique group, you probably aren't a very good writer."  There has been lots of feedback.  My intent was to stimulate conversation, and we had it.  My preferred way for feedback is via a comment on this blog, but that didn't work for everyone, or maybe I don't have it set up correctly.  I learned that there are several ways to get critique of your writing, and it isn't always in a face to face meeting.  I learned that some writers (even some very good ones) have a very thin skin. 

I am open to other topics - what opinion or question would you like to put out to our group?  Something controversial may get more response.

Short Story Contest - deadline is our next meeting, June 25th.  Maximum 1200 words, some connection to the Texas Hill Country (however tenuous), mail 3 copies with your name and contact info on a cover sheet to PO Box 2024, Fredericksburg, TX 78624,along with a $20 bill.  The top three will be published in the Fredericksburg Standard Radio Post.  The money will go into the envelope towards our 2016 Editor Conference.

Our next meeting will present Christine Granados with "My Story" and "Avenues for Publishing Here".  We may also have a panel discussion with some screenwriters.  I have some leads on other programs from the membership, please keep sending them. 

Mara and I have recruited several of our regular members to form a board of directors, and soon we will have a  meeting and put some organizational in this organization.  So far, we've been winging it. 

Will someone please post a comment on this so I can see if that function is functional?

Robert Deming
Mara Fox Moretti

Melinda's take on Critique Groups

Re: Discussion on Critique Groups, Melinda Holley's view:

The broad range of opinions posted on this topic demonstrates that there's no right or wrong way to be an author. Two published authors have posted opposing views on what works for them and there's plenty of room in the middle as well. I don't think an apology is in order but perhaps the view that critique groups are a necessity should have been expressed as an opinion rather then a statement of fact. Robert spends a lot of time and effort helping to further the goals of the Conference and I think his intentions were good when he made the observation about critique groups.

I have a critique group, but input is done via technology and the occasional phone call since my "group" is spread out all over the US. Having a full time job and full time life, I prefer to use my limited "free" time (as if there really is such a thing!) to either write or conduct the business of living, including time recharging my batteries. Some of the conference members have graciously allowed me to participate in their group in the past and it was helpful, but I simply can't spare the time to do it on a regular basis.

 Does that mean I'm not a good writer? Time will tell but it's the only way I can keep balance in my life right now.

To critique or not to critique, that is the question; Mara's view

I'm going to weigh in on the side that says critique partners or critique groups are very important if a writer is going to grow their craft. Without the advice, support and help offered by my critique partner I would never have been published by Harlequin. 

The main thing my critique group does for me is to keep me accountable to keep writing in a very busy world where distractions are rampant. When we meet there's an expectation that everyone will bring something new and three weeks goes by very quickly. 

If I'm not sure what I'm going to write next, then I can bounce ideas off of the group. Brainstorming is very helpful exercise at different points in the evolution of the story. Yeah, you can brainstorm on your own but your critique group has heard your story, and they are aware of nuances, and subplots-ideas that are already woven into your creative process that you may not have brought full circle or fleshed out enough.  

 

The third most important thing my critique group does for me is give me an opportunity to read my story aloud. Some authors say that they read most of their novel aloud to themselves. I challenge that technique. It's just not the same to read your work in progress in the safety of your office. Put it out there--if putting your work out in public is the goal. Make sure that you read it aloud for an audience. There's no better way to discover the rough spots, the flaws, and to enjoy those golden moments when you’ve really nailed it. 

 

And the last reason to join a group to group is the exchange of information. There's so much information out there about writing and publishing that one the writer can't possibly absorb it all, but a group of writers can share pertinent information and bounce ideas for marketing, and publishing, blogs, and all the other new widgets available. You can share articles and even ‘assign’ writing exercises so everyone grows in their craft.

 

Some people get a negative taste of critique and they want to quit. Believe me, I understand. I've been there. I've thought that a piece of writing was something amazing and polished, and I've been seriously hurt by feedback that pointed out the many flaws. Writing is intensely personal and it can feel like someone is reaching deep inside of you guts, wrenching them out, and leaving you bleeding on the floor.

Get over it. 

Writing is like exercising or anything that you practice on a regular basis. If there's no pain at all, there's typically no gain. If you're already a perfect writer then definitely don’t go for a critique group.

 

And don't forget the wine and comradery that should always be available at your critique group. Gripe, commiserate, share your dreams and goals, and always help each other. Be as positive as you can, keeping the other writer’s goals in mind when you are giving them feedback. Serious writers who really want to sell might need more constructive, deeper criticism while someone writing memoirs wouldn't need much. And now my friends feel free to offer your own critique . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

To learn, or not to learn, that is the question.

Some friends and I attended the Texas Writers Conference event on Monday night at Schreiner University.  The keynote speaker was Bret Anthony Johnston, who is from Corpus Christi but is currently the director of creative writing at Harvard University.  Bret read for us and took questions.  He was funny and charming and complimentary of the questioners.  I figured he had to be pretty damned smart to be teaching at Harvard.  I wasn't disappointed.

Bret's writing is character-centric, which now seems different to me than storyline-centric.  The action in his stories is inside the characters.  I think this might be the way to write the Great American Novel; I am still trying to write a story as good as Last of the Mohicans.

My question for you is, can creative writing be taught?  There are a lot of classes which offer this.   My friend Tom learns well by reading and in classroom settings.  I learn best by doing.  What about you?  Your comments are invited.

  Bret Anthony Johnston