Support for Local Writers

My thanks to Julie Ann James for her on-going support for our local writers in The Pepper Tree magazine.  Julie Ann, Publisher and Founder of Pepper Tree Press, has supported our writers both in the Pepper Tree magazine and helping publish their works as well, including our late Irv Newman, author of My Personal Odyssey at Tidewell Hospice of Sarasota. Thank you, Julie Ann.

Rod DiGruttolo Radio Interview by Susan Klaus

Susan's Interview with Rod on Author's Network is at:
http://www.spreaker.com/user/6512762/author-rodney-digruttolo

George Mindling Radio Interview

Susan Klaus's Author's Connection interview with George Mindling is at:
http://www.spreaker.com/user/6512762/author-george-minding

Marisa Mangani

Our own Marisa Mangani is part of the article at: http://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/why-8-chefs-quit-the-kitchen. Read down to the 8^th comment. In the meantime, checkout Marisa's blog at: https://misenplacememoir.wordpress.com/

George

Dianne Ochiltree

Picture book author and FWA Member Dianne Ochiltree, will lead storytime at 11:00am, July 3 at Bookstore 1 Sarasota, 1359 Main Street, Sarasota, 941-365-7900; www.sarasotabooks.com

The Firehouse Community Theatre of LaBelle

The Firehouse Community Theatre of LaBelle is once again announcing this exciting invitation to  playwrights who seek both exposure of their  unpublished work and cash awards.  Please contact Lori M. Shula, Chair of the Competition at this email address or by phone 239-292-4458 with any questions or concerns.  Thanks for sharing this good news.

FINAL CALL! NEW PLAY SCRIPTS WANTED!

The Firehouse Community Theatre of LaBelle, Florida announces the Third Annual Clarence “Bud” Jones Playwriting Competition. The legacy of Bud Jones, a veteran Clewiston English Teacher and theatre devotee, is again being honored by his family, John and Betty Jones of LaBelle. FCT is honored to be chosen to facilitate this project designed to celebrate and showcase theatrical arts in Southwest Florida,  Full-length, previously unpublished plays, written by authors with a Southwest Florida connection are welcome.  All submissions must be accompanied by the official entry form, $25 fee , and may be  made electronically   or by mail prior to August 1, 2015. Past First Place Winners of the CBJ Playwriting Competition include Chuck Wood of Lehigh Acres and Willoughby, OH for his play “Up Close from a Distance” performed during the 2014-2015 FCT season and Clarissa Thomasson of Venice FL for her play “ Over the Bridge” . Extensive competition information and forms are found at www.firehousecommunitytheatre.com or phone 863-675-3066.

Wednesday Meeting, June 3, 2015

 FWA member Ernie Ovitz has published his first novel, The Seventh King, (available on Amazon at:

http://www.amazon.com/Seventh-King-E-G-Ovitz/dp/150788060X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433696570&sr=8-1&keywords=The+7th+King+ovitz) Congratulations to Ernie, and we are thrilled to hear work is already under way for a second novel! Great way to start!

\

A great review on Smashwords for Stay the Night:

Kathleen is off to a great start:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/534883

Wednesday Meeting, May 20th 2015

The third Wednesday of May has come and gone. The Sarasota Writer’s Group met at the Nokomis Volunteer Fire Department and sixteen people attended. Ten of the attendees read some of their work and it was exciting.

Rod, the chief cat-herder, pulled an old switch-a-roo; he turned the sign-in sheet upside down and instituted a bottom’s up reading order.

Last to sign in and first to read was Bruce Haedrich. Normally a writer of prose, and darn good at it, Bruce read a poem entitled Mary’s Big Imagination. It was a fun piece aimed at a youthful readership and the entire group agreed it would be a wonderful illustrated children’s book.

Chris Burton was back after a long absence. We are glad to have her back and in good health. She explained, while undergoing some unpleasantness, she had little time to write but when she did, it was limited and her mind was in a strange mode. She presented two poems, both were excellent and I may have made an error in the first title Hours are Flowing, but the second I confirmed is I Dream a Lime Sky.

When Joanne Dunlap takes the floor we never know what to expect and she did it again. Reading a poem that drew laughter from the group and a wince of pain from husband Joe, she was constantly surprised at “How much that man could eat.”

At her last meeting until next October, we’ll miss you, Kathleen Schwartz, author of Stay the Night, available on Amazon, read a touching remembrance of her Brother Jim his love of art and adventures in a world filled with temptation was a realistic and honest depiction of a fun-loving man who was loved by the author who wrote this mainly for her family and in tribute to her brother.

Wendy Dingwell read the opening of her third travel mystery. The action begins in the first sentence and promises to continue throughout. We’re looking forward to seeing Toxic Cruise soon.

Dusting off an older piece, George Collias shared his story, My Accent, Lost and Found. This launched the group into a half-hour discussion on writing with dialect and patois inserted. While most appreciated the realistic use of dialect, within limits, it was noted that its use is strictly up to the author. I have a feeling we’ll hear more on this subject as Rod challenged the group to write a few lines using dialect or accent for discussion at the next meeting. We’ll see!

Don Westerfield’s, The Demise of the Star Venture came with copies handed out and a critique requested. We hope the group responds as enthusiastically as usual. It was a fun piece.

In her usual thought provoking manner, Kerri Dieffenwerth presented a follow up to the memoir she’s been working on for four years, as she pointed out. She read some interesting definitions of things from her work, threads throughout the work the reader can follow. Her points brought some extended discussion and the group could see light bulbs coming on throughout the room.

Jim Kelly brought a Poem entitled The Big Apple to us. As usual it was full of imagery and entertained us thoroughly.

Peter Frickel closed the meeting with a group of vignettes, samples of his writing that come from extraneous thoughts jotted down while relaxing, having a glass of wine or just watching the world from his patio. As usual they were beautiful examples of literary art that are poetry in prose and with his reading prowess, a joy to hear.

Our next meeting is June 3^rd, here at the Nokomis Fire House. Looking forward to seeing all of you. 

 Rod 

Wordier Than Thou

From Marisa Mangani

I will be reading at Wordier than Thou http://www.wordierthanthou.com/calendar see site for featured readers. Please share for me!

Thanks,
Marisa
My latest blog post is at:
https://misenplacememoir.wordpress.com/

Write Right, Right Now!,

My name is Liz Coursen. I am the author of five books about punctuation and grammar. I blog about editing issues at EditNATION.com.

 

I will be presenting a fun and fast-paced editing workshop, Write Right, Right Now!, on Tuesday night, 6:15, at the Sarasota Authors Connection at the Fruitville Library, which is located just east of I-75 off of Fruitville Road in Sarasota.

 

I say it'll be "fun," and it will be, but my main purpose is to educate authors and aspiring authors in the niceties of our craft. Most authors—maybe I should say too many authors—don't know a comma splice from a hole in the ground and have only the vaguest notion of the collective noun rule. For workshop attendees, that's about to change.

 

The workshop uses "real world" material: real sentences from real authors, from real authors' websites, and from websites like LinkedIn and Grammarly.com. Bring your questions, bring your friends, and come prepared to sharpen your skills.

 

Best wishes, Liz Coursen

 

Elizabeth Huntoon Coursen, Sarasota

award-winning author, editor, and publisher.  Author of
The Complete Biography Workbook
Self-Editing for the Successful Student
Self-Editing for Content Writers

Brunswick and Bowdoin College

Self-Editing for the Modern Author

The Book Tourist: Seven Steps to a Wildly Successful Book Tour
Shade in the Sunshine State: Reflections on Segregation in Florida

May 6th, 2015 Meeting

While we had only thirteen attendees at the Wednesday, May 6th, 2015, meeting of the Sarasota Writers Group, seven of whom were FWA members, we had a really great meeting. FWA members J. Jeff Cochran published his "Caught in a Past Reflection," and Pamela Schuneman, CPA, published an article in the professional Journal of Accountancy. Pamela also had a short story included in the 2015 Savannah Anthology called Sailboats. Long time member Kathleen McMahon Schwartz, whose new book "Stay the Night," handed out her new business cards as her new book is now available on Amazon. Congratulations to Kathleen, Jeff and Pam, hopefully the beginnings of long and prosperous writing careers.

We welcomed three new guests, Kristen Fisher, Debra Muenchow, and Bruce Heidrich, and got to hear the prologue from Debra's work in progress. It appears she is off to a really good start. Bruce is already an established author with The Fifth Generation War, Dead on the Fourth, Trump Card, Ghost, and The Locket. Bruce is the creator of the Dan Marin mystery series. Welcome to our new guests and we hope we offer the environment you are looking for.

We had nine readers, from humorous pieces about growing beards to FWA member Peter Frickel's marvelous reading from his piece, The River. We wrapped up a little after nine and turned out the lights. Next meeting: May 20th, 2015.

While we all enjoy the varied and multi-genre readings of the group, the highlight for me is always the poetry of Jim Kelly. Jim's work with the elementary students in the area is always a delight, and while we don't have the winner's poems from a recent 5th grade poetry contest he read to the group that delighted everyone, I do have one of Jim's earlier pieces, written in a metre he no longer uses, and I have his permission to use Depth of Love, written in 1996.

Depth of Love

How am I to measure love

and the tenderness we knew,

as I pace the lonely nights

you spend with someone new?

Shall I count the hidden tears

that hurt too much to fall,

while injured pride traps me inside

to face those barren walls?

How am I to measure love

in days that never end.

when all the years that meant the most

have left me "just a friend"?

I can't forget the unkind words

I know you didn't mean,

the ones that fill my empty glass

with shards of broken dreams.

How am I to measure love

when all the pain is through?

I guess I'll add the best of times

to the memories of you

©James O. Kelly

Englewood, FL

Jan 1996

As George Collias reminds us from Earnest Hemingway: "Write drunk, edit sober," Or was it Dylan Thomas? I don't remember.

George

...And Furthermore...

I need to update the blog Dirty Secrets of a Writers Group I posted back on November 25th, 2014. I realized I left something very important out of the blog, so, with my apologies, I will add the following update:

Don't let your speaking style detract from your writing. If you sound like you're reading the telephone book when you are reading Steinbeck out loud, get someone else to read your material to the group. We have a regular member who is in demand to read other people's work. We call her the "Voice of FM," and her interpretation and inflection when reading makes even the aforementioned telephone book a pleasure to listen to. I recently read a member's final proof and was astounded to find myself intrigued by the book that I had a hard time following during the readings. I realized then that every reader embeds their own images and emotions on the written material, quite different from having it interpreted for you by a reader who flavors it by the way they speak. So, once again, don't expect an audience to cheer your first attempt at explaining how you helped develop nuclear fission if you, like me, read out loud like Elmer Fudd. Get a good speaker, or hand out enough printed copies for everyone so your audience can read for themselves.

George

Stay the Night - Kathleen McMahon Schwartz

Spread the word, please! My new book, Stay the Night, comes out as a Kindle ebook, Smashwords ebook on April 30. Paperback book follows in a couple of weeks. It can be preordered before April 30th on Amazon Kindle or Smashwords for a reduced price.

Kathleen

Wednesday, April 15th, the Sarasota Writers Group meeting.

The Sarasota Writers Group welcomed new FWA member Wendy Dingwall, author of Celtic Curse: An Yvonne Suarez Travel Mystery. Wendy launched her own publishing company, Canterbury House Publishing, Ltd., and is also a past president of the High Country Writers Association in Boone, North Carolina. Returning for a second meeting was Simona Pipko, author of Baltic Winds, and a former attorney in the Soviet Union. While living in New York City and teaching at the New School for Social Research and New York University, Simona wrote articles for various publications including the International Lawyer and ABA, Law and National Security Intelligence Report. Simona read her first article published in eMagazine which will be included in her upcoming 4th book. Also joining us for the first time was Ty and Helen Jodouin. Ty has two science fiction books available, Voyage to Oblivion and Rogue Planet. We welcome Wendy, Simona, and Ty and his lovely wife Helen, and hope they find our eccentric group not only entertaining but constructive as well. We had 18 attendees, 7 of whom are FWA members.

We kicked off our meeting after our usual meet and greet session with comments about a very nice newspaper article in the North Port Sun by Marissa Williams about Rod DiGruttolo and myself at the recent friends of North Port Library Book Fair. Cathy Marine, Maris Soule, and Jane Ann McLachlan were also at the Book Fair, representing the Sarasota Writers group.

Our first reader was Jenny Oberg, who read a delightful piece about her recent zero-dark-thirty drive to Immokalee to watch the annual Hot Air Balloon festival, followed by Ernie Ovitz, who is on the brink of publishing his first book, The Seventh King. Ernie elected to read his upcoming Toastmasters Presentation, which incidentally, was about his book. Don Westerfield followed and warned everyone ahead of time to get the hankies ready. Joanne Dunlap was back, and is she ever back. Great to hear her great writing once again, followed by George Collias who read a short story from Faulkner, A Rose for Emily, reminding us all what a great short story sounds like.

Up next was Masrisa Mangani, who always stimulates the grey matter with phrases like "pinking tourists" while describing growing up in Hawaii. Simona then read her first article and we had to carefully disengage from a political discussion about the material to one about her writing. We do not discuss politics or religion during our meetings as all are welcome to present their writing, but we will fervently discuss how well someone writes about any subject. 

 Andrew Parker, who read the final first chapter of his rewritten Bitch Trailer Park, a unique story only Andrew could have written. Bill Elam delayed his trip home by a day just so he could attend our meeting, and read a piece called "Frozen Chosin," about the infamous U.S. Marine battle in Korea.

Another great meeting behind us, we wrapped up with a quick discussions about the simple use of commas, and said goodnight. Next meeting: May 6th, 2015

George

A to Z Challenge

From Maris Soule
Sarasota Writers Group

Every day (with the exception of Sundays) I and about 1200 other writers are blogging, using a blog that matches the letter for that day. April 1 was A, April 2 is/was B. Friday will be C. Saturday will be D. Skip Sunday. Monday will be E, and so on.

The challenge is at http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com

My blogs are mainly about writing. Tomorrows will be about critiquing. Today was about borrowing. (Actually I got the idea for that one from the last Sarasota meeting I attended.)

Anyway, I'd love to have others reading the blogs or going to read the blogs written by some of these other writers. (By the way, it's International.)

My blogs are at: http://marissoule.com/blog/

Maris

Coming Event - Poetry Life Weekend

Poetry Life Weekend With Marie Howe, Billy Collins and Tracy K. Smith - May 1st and 2nd
http://www.sarasotapoetry.com/

Thanks to Kerri for the tip

Sarasota Writers Group Meeting, Wednesday, April 1st, 2015

We were pleased to have Stephen King as our guest, uh, no, that was the April Fools joke, but we did have the wonderful Lisa Colburn, author and publisher of "The Maine Garden Journal" as our guest speaker. Lisa's marvelous story of crowd financing, researching, writing, editing, publishing and printing her beautifully done book kept our 15 members rapt attention during our first meeting in April. We followed with readings for the remainder of the evening, including the winning poems from the 5th grade entries at the recent Dearborn Street Book Festivals. Future members of the FWA, I'm sure. Four of the night's attendees were FWA members, and we welcomed one new guest. Next meeting: April 15th Tax day.

George 

Keeping Figs Alive

"I wake up thinking: Today I’ll learn to tap dance and play the trumpet. To watercolor and make websites. Tomorrow I’ll create a calendar empire. I’ll be taught how to frame a house and then build one, and then learn to photograph it in every type of light. I’ll speak Spanish and Hindi and Khmer. Then work at the UN as a translator. I’ll make everybody spring rolls and then teach them all about economics. I’ll learn about economics! I will have the answer to every question that exists about that weird swirling mass of garbage in the Pacific and then design a pack of greeting cards to wrap in twine and give to a stranger on Earth Day."

Michelle Starin

Keeping Figs Alive

http://theguatebloga.com/2015/01/25/keeping-figs-alive/

Wednesday, Dec 3rd, 2014

Our first meeting of December was held on Wednesday, the 3rd, and had 19 attendees, 7 of whom are FWA members. The feedback from the last meeting with Dr. Ryan G. Van Cleve was overwhelmingly positive, and we will ask him to return sometime in the future. We had one new guest, and several of our winter residents joined us for the first time this season as well. The security light in the parking lot was out, and despite the best efforts of the Nokomis Fire Department, obstinately refused to illuminate our parking area. Attendees solved the problem at the end of the meeting with their car headlights until everyone was underway.

We had 12 readers, reading everything from poetry to first time memoirs and ran out of time before our last two readers got to the podium. They'll be at the head of the reader list on Dec 17th, to be followed by our Christmas get-together. Readers were asked to bring light, or seasonal material for the readings, and goodies and cookies to the meeting. The firemen make short work of any leftovers! Any stocking caps or old, ugly, Christmas sweaters will be welcome!

George

Chess Genius by Andrew Parker

Check the trailer for Andrew's new book,
Chess Genius by Andrew Parker

Great way to advertise!!!

Dirty Secrets of a Writers Group

Thinking of writing that book that has been buzzing in your head, but don't know where to start? Start by searching the Internet for "Writing your first book." If you use Google, you'll find around 49,300,000 hits, some of which may even be useful. There is a big market for helping new writers. Perhaps not a very big market for new writers themselves, but helping new writers is big, big business.

You may come across the suggestion to join a writers group in your area. A writer's group can be important in developing a beginning writer's skills simply by allowing a new writer to mingle with people who are familiar with typical beginner's problems. Helping writers of all ages and genres is a basic premise of most writer's groups. Many are listed in the Arts and Entertainment section of your Sunday newspaper, and Internet searches show most writers groups as well. Most public libraries can usually point you to a local writers group.

Writers groups vary in their format, with some groups welcoming all writing genres while others are strictly for poetry or novels or non-fiction narrative. Don't expect in-depth discussion of your historical fiction novel at a poetry writers group. Writers groups usually welcome new writers with enthusiasm and understanding, they are glad to see you taking that first step. I have been asked what the difference is between a writer and an author, and while the differences may be arguable, to me an author is the visionary or creator of the idea to be conveyed while the writer is the conveyor of that thought or concept to print. It follows that most authors are writers. I've been told that authors have published books. I argue many books by celebrity authors are actually written by ghost writers. It doesn't matter to me. A writer may do journals, blogs, newspaper columns, or magazine articles or any other form of written communication. A writer is someone who puts words into print to convey thought.

While you will welcomed by a writers group, do not expect them to pat you, a newcomer, on the head and lead you by the hand down the road to literary stardom. Don't expect a group of writers, almost all of whom have other day jobs, to dedicate their priceless time at a writers group meeting just for you, at least not more than once. Almost everyone in a writers group will help a new writer as best they can, from writing and editing, to proofreading and suggestions about publication. A new member may even find a mentor who will take them under their wing. However, if you are looking for free editing for your book or novel, you're wasting their time and yours as well.

• Writers groups are not a substitute for English class
  

You don't have to be a great typist to be a writer, but a good dictionary will do wonders for your acceptance in a writers group. If you don't bother with spell checking, you're off to a bad start unless you are a really gifted story-teller. I was once told a writer who doesn't have a grasp of grammar is like a color-blind person trying to paint a portrait. If you are offended when someone points out spelling errors in your manuscript, or your grammar is horrendous, you might want to try something besides writing, Unless, of course, you have a really great friend who likes to edit.

• An effective writers group is a symbiotic relationship between its members.

I have had the pleasure of watching members develop and grow into marvelously entertaining writers during the several years I've been a Writers Group Leader for the Florida Writers Association. However, I've watched people attend several meetings, then drop off, either discouraged or disappointed in what they found, or in some cases, what they didn't find. We may be in Sarasota, but Stephen King does not attend our meetings.

William K. Zinsser, in the Introduction to the 7th edition of his revised and updated "On Writing Well" writes:"My concerns as a teacher have also shifted. I'm more interested in the intangibles that produce good writing – confidence, enjoyment, intention, integrity – and I've written new chapters on those values."

New writers are often cloaked by intimidation or insecurities as they venture into an unfamiliar world that glaringly exposes their shortcomings and lack of experience. A good writers group will help define the writing process and help develop the mechanical and technical skills that allows new writers to express themselves while understanding most writers do not have a Bachelor's Degree in English or creative writing.

• Writers groups are not a substitute for professional counseling.

There isn't much sympathy in most writer's groups for personal or political vendettas, ie: it was all his/her fault and the world needs to know what a bad person he/she really is and you all are going to sit here while I read chapter after chapter of this agonizing diatribe. Many writers get that personal story off their chests and find they don't have a second book in them, which leads to the question:

Question 1: Why do you want to write?

Are you looking for something to do in place of having a life? Believe me, if you become addicted to writing, you won't have a life. Are you telling a story? A personal memoir or an autobiography? Are you planning on making a fortune writing? Well, good luck, I know hundreds of writers but only a few who can call it a profession.

Question number 2: Whom are you writing for?

Who is your target audience? If you are writing an autobiography, which is the usual genre for new writers, there are only two possibilities to determine who will read your looming masterpiece:

• You are already famous and people know you by name and image
  
• You are like the rest of us
  

If you fall into the first category, you probably don't need a writers group, your book will probably sell very well. If you fall into the second category, however, the writers group probably doesn't want to read it, but they'll help you write it. You may find even your relatives won't read your manuscript, but they will tell you they will read it when they get a chance. But, they won't, although they skim through it to see what you wrote about them.

The best advice for new writers is to finish your autobiography and put it on a thumb-drive. Put it away until you're famous and can update it. Now sit down and write for fun, write because you enjoy writing. Write because you have a story to tell, you know the one you just made up. Then bring it to a writers group and read it out loud in front of people you don't know. Unreasonable? Yes, you may want at least a warm, comfortable feeling with the group before exposing your soul, but when you do read in front of a writers group:

• Read only enough to make them want to hear more.

You are giving a sample of your writing, a taste of your descriptive powers or wit, to the group to view their response. If you are intent on reading every single word of your book, don't expect anyone in the group to buy it when it's finished. After all, we heard you read it. There isn't enough time at any meeting to listen to more than 500 words or several pages of material from any one writer. It only takes several hundred words to appreciate a writing style or the dialog between characters. Listening to someone read page after page of their own work can be an endurance test for the audience.

Many writers will at one time or another inadvertently revert to writing about personal experiences. The memories are often painful and unexpectedly personal. Writing is often cathartic, especially for new writers. While an insensitive writer's group might dampen a new writer's candid honesty, most members understand the self-discovery process. Shared experiences can become part of the camaraderie of a writers group, but don't overdo it. Constant repetition of personal problems is a sure way to shut off a receptive group of listeners anywhere, much less a writers group.

I have watched people join our writer's group and grow beyond their expectations, and conversely, I've seen talented writers drop by the wayside, discouraged or disappointed with their work. Many new writers take critique of their writing as criticism, and unfortunately, depending on the critiquer, sometimes it is. A new writer must be thick-skinned when submitting work for critiquing, but at the same time be open to change if the criticism is valid. Being poorly critiqued has probably discouraged more aspiring authors than any other single factor. Most critiques I've read are given in good faith, meant to improve the caliber of the work under review.

Unfortunately, critiques are a direct reflection of the talents and skills of the critiquer. I've seen great writing attacked because the critiquer was repulsed by the subject. It is often hard for those who aren't professional editors to separate the stimulus to an emotional response from the writing that triggered it. Often religious or political viewpoints become the focus of the critique instead of the writing itself. Novels in the sexual realms tend to be fire-starters. I can only imagine what kind of responses E L James would have gotten with her Fifty Shades of Grey from most writers groups. On the other hand, the book, in my opinion, could have used the help of a good writers group. Sir Salman Rusdie said about the book: "I've never read anything so badly written that got published." I doubt James would have abandoned her book because of a bad writers group critique, but good critique could have definitely have helped the quality of her writing. The fine line is critiquing the quality of the writing itself as opposed reacting to the emotionally charged nature of the subject.

First, you need to understand:

• You can't please all readers
  

Arthur Godfrey once famously said, "Some people just don't like ice cream." As long as you please those you are writing for, you are by my standards, a successful writer.

Sometimes critiques are ego based, or subconsciously prejudiced and those are deadly to a new writer. I can read anonymous critiques from members of our group and tell who wrote it by the style of the critique. Alan Sherman wrote a parody of Peter and the Wolf, performed by the Boston Pops Symphony Orchestra, and one line from the work has stuck with me since I heard it almost fifty years ago: "A camel is a horse designed by a committee." That's exactly what happens when several critiques vary in their assessment of a given work. The poor writer being critiqued doesn't know which way to go, or, which path to follow to gain acceptance with the group. I was once critiqued for using too many adjectives in a manuscript while another critiquer said the same article was bland and needed better descriptions. I know one writer who attends several writers groups, and much to his dismay, can't satisfy any two of them with any one piece of writing. One group felt a narrative he wrote was flippant, distasteful, childish, while the other group thoroughly enjoyed the same piece of work. Some people just don't like ice cream.

• Writers groups are basically mutual admiration societies
  

If you read in front of the group, rejoin the group when you are finished. Be polite enough to listen to others who read their material, after all, they were polite enough to listen to you. If you head for the door as soon as you're finished reading, don't expect the welcome mat to be out when you return.

Don't let your speaking style detract from your writing. If you sound like you're reading the telephone book when you are reading Steinbeck out loud, get someone else to read your material to the group. We have a regular member who is in demand to read other people's work. We call her the "Voice of FM," and her interpretation and inflection when reading makes even the aforementioned telephone book a pleasure to listen to. I recently read a member's final proof and was astounded to find myself intrigued by the book that I had a hard time following during the readings. I realized then that every reader embeds their own images and emotions on the written material, quite different from having it interpreted for you by a reader who flavors it by the way they speak. So, once again, don't expect an audience to cheer your first attempt at explaining how you helped develop nuclear fission if you, like me, read out loud like Elmer Fudd. Get a good speaker, or hand out enough printed copies for everyone so your audience can read for themselves.

I've attended writers groups that follow a specific reading and critiquing format almost religiously, often intent on developing writers in a competitive environment such as winning awards for the group members. Other groups tend to mix up the readings with presentations from outside guests, from published authors to publishers and editors while critiquing is done separately from the meetings. Comments are almost always called for after a reading so a writer has immediate feedback on their work. Every group is different in its makeup and purpose and rarely are there any fees associated with writers groups. If the group you visit doesn't offer the education or experiences you are looking for, try another group. We have members who routinely drive thirty miles one way to attend our meetings, while active authors who live in the neighborhood prefer a different format and attend other groups in the area.

I have one piece of advice for new writers: It is your story and you are the one telling it! Write it your way and let your writing reflect your heart and your soul if necessary. You are the artist and this is your medium. I like my own writing, I can read it for hours and I'm sure you can read your own writing for hours as well. Bring it to the next writer's group meeting, well, 500 words of it at least, and see if others hear it as you meant it. Don't be discouraged if the group you meet doesn't like your writing. Take the criticism and find another group and see if they accept your style and content. Our group likes vanilla, pistachio, chocolate, and just about every other flavor of ice cream, but every once in a while, someone is looking for upside-down cake instead.

George

Wednesday, November 19th meeting

Our Wednesday, November 19th meeting, was attended by 19, only 3 of whom were FWA members! Our special guest was Dr. Ryan G. Van Cleave, author of 20 books including The Weekend Book Proposal and Memoir Writing for Dummies. After Dr Van Cleave's well received presentation and a break to chat and mingle, we heard from 8 readers (great readings tonight even though most were short!) and discussions about each. Next meeting will be December 3rd, and we've tentatively dedicated at least half of our December 17th meeting to our holiday party, open to all members and their guests.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Frankie McGuire for her first published fiction in the Florida Weekly! Available online at:
http://charlotte.floridaweekly.com/news/2014-10-09/Arts_%28and%29_Entertainment_News/WRITING_CHALLENGE.html


George Mindling's first foray into fiction will be available for free download from Oct 16th to Oct 18th at from Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OBQB422


The writing season is on!

Gulf Writers Association Writing Contest.

Writers!

Once again, the Gulf Coast Writers Association takes great pleasure in encouraging writers from Southwest Florida to enter the Gulf Writers Association Writing Contest. Original works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry will be awarded prizes of 100, 50 and 25 dollars for first, second and third place in each category. The contest is open to members and non-members.

Fiction and nonfiction works (adult and children's) must be no more than 1500 words. Poetry is limited to 40 lines or less.

The contest will be open for submissions on October 1, 2014 and deadline for submissions is December 31, 2014. Winners must be present to receive their awards at the March 21, 2015 meeting.

The contest will help GCWA fulfill its goal of assisting Southwest Florida writers to stimulate and improve their skills. GCWA expects a high level of contest participation.
The following are links to download the pdf files for entry, guidelines and judging criteria.
Gulf Coast Writers Association

http://www.gulfwriters.org/contest/ContestAnnouncement2015.pdf

FOR BEST FICTION, NONFICTION, POETRY, AND CHILDREN'S
Entry form:

http://www.gulfwriters.org/contest/EntryFormGCWAcontest2015.pdf
Guidelines for entries:

http://www.gulfwriters.org/contest/ContestGuidelines2015.pdf


AWARDS OF 100 DOLLARS OR MORE IN EACH CATEGORY
[Thanks to Kerri for the tip]
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http://www.gulfwriters.org/

Kick Off Meeting

Our Fall/Winter guest speaker program kicked off Wednesday, Oct 1st, with FWA member and supporter Julie Ann Howell, founder and publisher of Peppertree Press, as our guest speaker. Julie Ann's great presentation on publishing and on Peppertree Press was warmly received by 20 attendees, 10 of whom are FWA members. Julie gave out four gifts, selected by drawings, at the end of her presentation. We will ask the popular Julie Ann back again in the future.

 Our winter residents began trickling in as several of our "snowbirds/sunbirds" returned for the first time since last spring. We had a short break following Julie Ann's presentation, and listened to two, short readings before wrapping up the evening.

We were fortunate to have Weslynn McCallister join us as well. Wes is a lifetime member of the FWA and one of the original founding members.

 Congratulations to Kerri Dieffenwirth for being a 2014 Nominee for Still: The Journal annual BEST OF THE NET ANTHOLOGY for her piece "A New Bitterroot." Winners will be announced in late October. Congratulations Kerri for the nomination.

Our next guest speaker will be Ryan G. Van Cleave, writer, speaker, & Professor at Ringling College of Art + Design, on Wednesday, November 19th. Ryan is the author of Memoir Writing for Dummies and The Weekend Book Proposal.

Next Sarasota Writers Group meeting will be Oct 15th. See you there.

Get Ready!

We welcome our first guest speaker of our fall/winter season, Julie Ann Howell, Publisher and Founder of Peppertree Press - A Sponsor of the Florida Writers Association’s yearly Writing Conference - who will address our group Wednesday, October 1st! Welcome back Julie, who has an interesting announcement for mystery writers
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Readers will have a chance to meet more than 40 authors who have written books for just about every taste at the 22nd annual Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading on Oct. 25, The writers will be discussing and signing their books at this free event on the Bayside campus of the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg. http://www.tampabay.com/features/books/times-festival-of-reading-to-feature-hiaasen-macomber-mandvi-stine/2197014

[Thanks to Kerri for the heads up]

Snakes, Spiders and Palmetto Bugs

Our own Rodney DiGruttolo, chief cat herder and master of ceremonies for our FWA writers group meetings, has published his wonderful anthology of Skeets and his buddies growing up in southwest Florida. We have listened to the many great tales over the years and wondered if and when the stories would be available in a single, continuous story. Well, we wait no longer, the book, "Snakes, Spiders and Palmetto Bugs," is available both as a paperback and an e-book from Amazon. Congratulations to Rod on publishing "Snakes, Spiders and Palmetto Bugs"

PICTURE BOOK DUMMY WORKSHOP!

PICTURE BOOK DUMMY WORKSHOP! A picture book is more than just words, more than just pictures. It is a physical object that melds the two. Bring your manuscript or your sketches or your concept outline. Join us for a day of information, imagination, evaluation, and inspiration. Reconnect with your inner child. Find your book’s heart. Shape and pace its content. Build its suspense. Discover the dynamics that can drive it. ! ! Both writers and illustrators will focus on the picture book form using a dummy as the foundation for the creation process. This will be a day of learning, bursts of targeted work, and periods of guided meditation with Linda Shute, author/illustrator www.lindashute.com and Dianne Ochiltree, author and a 200 hour RYT with the yoga alliance www.ochiltreebooks.com.! ! Please join us Saturday, September 27th, 9am - 4 pm.! ! We will meet at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota, 3975 Fruitville Road, just west of Cardinal Mooney High School.! ! $75 SCBWI members. $85 non members. Register at www.scbwi.org - go to the Florida regional chapter page.! ! Please contact Linda Shute, lshute@icloud.com with any questions and for information about supplies.! !

Writing Challenge

Dear Fellow FWA Member,

​

​I am a member of the Orlando FWA group and have spoken at many FWA chapters and mini-conferences throughout the state and at the annual conference several times about the importance of preserving our life stories. To that end, I'm offering a free seven-day writing challenge starting on August 11th where people will receive a writing prompt every day, have a forum to post their responses, and can participate in a tele-training seminar on August 18th at 7:00 p.m., and I'm trying to get the word out. Will you help me and distribute this information to your members?

When I did a similar challenge in the spring, more than 300 people from 40 states and 8 countries accepted the challenge​, wrote  every day​, and shared their work with fellow participants​.​ In this August’s challenge​, I hope to have 500 people from every state in the US and as many countries as possible participate.​ If you feel this will benefit your members and other writers you know, please share these few sentences about the challenge:

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Join hundreds of writers from all over the world for Writing Your Life's FREE Seven-Day Writing Challenge, beginning on August 11th.​ Each day, receive a writing prompt designed to trigger memories, post your responses on a private, members-only community forum, and participate in a free tele-training seminar on Monday, August 18th at 7:00 p.m. To read more about the Free Seven-Day Writing Challenge or to reserve your spot at our international writing table, follow this link: FreeWritingChallenge.com.
 

Do you know others who might like to accept this challenge? Share this link—freewritingchallenge.com—on Twitter, your Facebook page, email a friend, or print out and distribute this Free Seven-Day Writing Challenge flyer. 

Thank you for any help you can provide!

Patricia Charpentier

Writing Your Life

www.writingyourlife.org

321.279.1791

Multi-Award Winning Author of 

Eating an Elephant: Write Your Life One Bite at a Time