July Meeting a Big Hit

We had 16 entries in our short story contest and they are in the hands of the judges.  Our presentation was by Christine Granados about her career as a writer.  It definitely made me want to read her books.  Her story about the ups and downs of writing and the perseverance required to be published was much appreciated by the members of the Conference.  Following we had a panel discussion with "Lucky" Lindy Segall and Hans Bauer about screenwriting and movie making was not what I expected; it may even be trickier than writing for publication in print.

We will announce the winners of the short story contest when we have them.  Meanwhile, if you have ideas for a speaker for our next program (August or September) please let us know.  We also put together a board of directors to work with future programming.

Robert Deming
Mara Fox Moretti

Short stories are filling up the mailbox!

Keep those cards and letters coming.  I think we are going to have enough stories to have a real contest.  I now have 8 submissions, would like to have 30, 2 weeks to go.

I am not always up with current movies and popular fiction, but after reading this article I'm sure drones will be playing a major role in stories soon, and it won't be sci-fi.  This article from The Economist tells me the world is changing.  Again. Fast.

Member Jack Swanzy is reading "Writing Alone and with Others" by Pat Schneider.  "It is making me think about how to go deeper in my own writing."

Short Story Contest - max 1200 words, previously unpublished, suitable for publication in a community newspaper, some connection (however fleeting) with the Texas Hill Country.  Send 3 copies to PO Box 2024, Fredericksburg, TX 78624 with a cover sheet with your contact info and a crisp $20 bill.  Judging will be by published writers with a 'double blind' setup.  Proceeds will go to our 2016 Agent/Editor Conference.

Short Story Contest Update IV

We got two more submissions in the mail today, neither of which I was expecting.  Mara wants me to delay the contest by another three months so we have enough to have a real contest.  I say NO!  Get those stories in!  1200 words max, suitable for publication in a community newspaper,previously unpublished,  some connection (however tenuous) to the Texas Hill Country, and a crisp $20 bill.  Mail to PO Box 2024, Fredericksburg, Texas, 78624 or bring to our meeting June 25, 6-8 PM, Hill Country University Center, Fredericksburg, Texas.

Proceeds go to our 2016 Agent/Editor Conference!  Get thee to your word processor and generate 1200 words.  Top three published in the Fredericksburg Standard Radio Post.

Questions?  fbgwriters@gmail.com or me, personally, Robert Deming, co-founder, dilettante (another name for a writer). 830-992-5676

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