“We didn’t start out to be owners of a non-profit organization, but then we became artists.” Daniel Elliott
|
|
Below is our Schedule
Tuesdays with a Twist!
7:00 pm
Tuesdays are totally informal. Meeting on Zoom, we socialize, brainstorm, and get some words down on the page with timed writing sprints.
Email us for the Zoom links. We sure would love to see you!
Thursday Gatherings
6:30 and 7:00 pm
Thursdays are a little more formal and we're now meeting in person again. We meet from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM at the Carrollton Library at Hebron and Josey except for the third Thursday of each month. This event is not sponsored by The Carrollton Library. The third Thursday of the month is Guest Speaker night, via Zoom, from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM.
|
|
|
This is a repeat from last month, but it deserves repeating. Andrea Amosson just discovered that her "La maestra Bernarda" has been awarded Honorable Mention in Historical Fiction, but is a finalist for the 2022 International Latino Book Awards, Rudolfo Anaya Best Latino Fiction. The awards ceremony is scheduled for August 19, 2022 in Los Angeles, CA. We're proud she's part of CLoW. Congratulations, Andrea. Enjoy Los Angeles and best wishes.
|
|
Writers: Things Being Done
|
|
|
|
Dale Denton has entertained us with several of his 100-word, photo stories. The following is an excerpt, and not a publication, of his Works. This one is “The Smile”.
Her friend who introduced us said she has a wild streak. We’d met for coffee, sitting under the awning listening to the rain. I liked her smile.
I guess she liked me, told me to come with her. We ran for her car, drove out to a forested park. She handed me another umbrella.
“Come on. We’re going for a hike.” She flashed that smile. She’s crazy, I thought, but opened the door. Opened the umbrella, hearing the rain pounding on it. Squished behind her on the trail.
My shoes are soaked, but I follow, just to see that smile.
|
|
You can expect Steve's Writing Corner on the first Thursday of every month, where one of our members gives a live reading of an original piece.
“Steve’s Corner” for July was conducted at our in-person meeting at Marshall’s BBQ. Jeanette Smith shared her Taco Bell story being submitted for the “Taco Bell Quarterly” (no affiliation or association to the restaurant chain of the same name). The members found her submission entertaining, thought provoking, and nostalgic. Thanks, Jeanette.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our August speakers will be members of CLoW that will be rehearsing the CLoW presentation to an outside organization scheduled for October 2022.
Please come and help edit/critique the presentation.
Thomas Williams and Sherrinda Ketchersid were CLoW’s guest speakers for July. This father/daughter team provided presentations of “The Motivated Sequence” and “Your Editor is Not Your Enemy”. Thomas’ “The Motivated Sequence” presented a unique method of arranging and presenting information within chapters of a story. Sherrinda’s presentation left us with the fact that editors are necessary, but we should be strong enough to take criticism and continue in our writing journey. Our thanks to Artis for arranging this presentation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
We’ve all heard the term “starving artists”, so we’ve decided to spotlight some of our members under this topic each month. This month, we’re highlighting Bill Mangieri.
Bill Mangieri has been pursuing his Midlife Renaissance™ as a speculative fiction author (science fiction, fantasy, and light horror) for almost twenty years, straight into his day-job retirement from Pepsico as an IT Project Manager. He's sold 3 stories to traditional publishers (to Daily Science Fiction, The Arcanist, and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction), indie published a fantasy novel ( Swordsmaster), another ninety or so pieces of short fiction, and twenty collections. This includes his two series: Herc Tom, Champion of the Empire (yes, cats in space) and Detective Jimmy Delaney (think The Rockford Files mashed up with the pseudo scifi of the old BBC The Avengers.)
Bill has had 6 stories win Honorable Mention in the Writers of the Future contest. His newest book, Cats of War III, was released July 8 th from Smashwords ( https://smashwords.com) under his pen name, William Mangieri.
Glad to have Bill as a member of CLoW.
You can find more information and follow him at https://williammangieri.wordpress.com/
|
|
Message from the Executive Director/President
To borrow from HRC, it takes a village. On this one topic, I agree.
We are the village.
Many of you are entering contests and contacting agents, publishers, etc.
The correct venue for this information is not yet determined. Still, I would like us to be a source of information for the writing community. If you would share what you are doing, I am confident we can get a distilled database of sorts compiled for CLW.
- If you are looking for a magazine to publish in, where might you look?
- What have you found to be worth your time if you are attempting to enter contests?
- Do you have an agent you know looking for a particular type of literature?
- Do you have a favorite editor?
- Have you had luck with a book cover designer?
- Are you considering creating an audible?
- Have you self-published? If so, how is that working out for you?
On a similar but different topic, what do we think of ‘Info Talks?’
Who would make a point to attend if it were on a Tuesday night?
If we bring info talks back, what topics might interest you?
I believe that short stories and flash fictions are integral to our group in many ways. Would an internal contest of such a thing interest you?
Writing events like Kathryn’s group hosts might be worth your time. The networking opportunities are there as Covid subsides and events like Writers in the field resume. Be vigilant and plan your time accordingly.
-Best, Scott
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
