Meeting of February 13, 2008
With less than two weeks to go before the conference, attendance was high at our regular meeting of the workshop last night.
Members were shocked to hear that long-time workshop member Lanny Priddy died Wednesday, Feb. 13 of complications related to a brain tumor. Funeral arrangements are pending and will be posted when they become available. President Steve Manning urged members to attend the funeral and show our respect for Lanny, who worked hard not just on his own books but on helping others, giving careful critiques and reading manuscripts for members for years.
As for the meeting:
Rejections: 2
Acceptances: None
Submissions: Carolyn Williamson entered a contest, Chris Lee Moore applied for a web writing job; Sonja Cassella sent out an agent pitch letter.
Announcements:
Conference registrations have surged as we move down to the wire, with only ten more needed to make our original goal. President Manning asked for another promotion push from members, handing out fliers and urging everyone to take them to libraries, writing groups, schools and universities, and anywhere else that seemed appropriate.
President Manning emphasized that the dinner for workshop members who are conference attendees on Friday will admit no guests. None! He does not want to see anyone showing up with a guest. This means you.
Carolyn Williamson still needs volunteers for the conference. Contact her if you are available.
Candace Havens gave a 15 minute presentation on "Things I did to jump start my fictional career." It was a remarkable talk, which she delivered with her dog, a Maltese-Japanese Chin cross, under her arm.
Candy listed the following ideas:
1. Sit down and write. No excuses; we all have busy lives.
2. Take advantage of the opportunity to be with other writers. Attend conferences even if you can't afford them, take classes, join groups, visit websites, everything.
3. Network: in person, on-line, at writer's groups. This doesn't mean you want to turn into "crazy writer" at conventions, cornering editors and agents and deluging them with plot summaries of your great (as-yet unpublished) book and how much your mother loved it. But do meet people, and do be professional, friendly, even helpful to editors and agents. "You never know when these contacts you make will pay off," she told us.
4. Let yourself dream, but be practical. That means: send stuff out!
5. Take advantage of any opportunities offered once you have a book in print: do school visits, book signings, and classes.
6. More than anything else, be caught up with the passion to create.
Next week, Rosemary Clement-Moore will give a talk on "how to pitch" at a conference. There will be a practice pitch workshop after the talk, during read-and-critique time.
Members were shocked to hear that long-time workshop member Lanny Priddy died Wednesday, Feb. 13 of complications related to a brain tumor. Funeral arrangements are pending and will be posted when they become available. President Steve Manning urged members to attend the funeral and show our respect for Lanny, who worked hard not just on his own books but on helping others, giving careful critiques and reading manuscripts for members for years.
As for the meeting:
Rejections: 2
Acceptances: None
Submissions: Carolyn Williamson entered a contest, Chris Lee Moore applied for a web writing job; Sonja Cassella sent out an agent pitch letter.
Announcements:
Conference registrations have surged as we move down to the wire, with only ten more needed to make our original goal. President Manning asked for another promotion push from members, handing out fliers and urging everyone to take them to libraries, writing groups, schools and universities, and anywhere else that seemed appropriate.
President Manning emphasized that the dinner for workshop members who are conference attendees on Friday will admit no guests. None! He does not want to see anyone showing up with a guest. This means you.
Carolyn Williamson still needs volunteers for the conference. Contact her if you are available.
Candace Havens gave a 15 minute presentation on "Things I did to jump start my fictional career." It was a remarkable talk, which she delivered with her dog, a Maltese-Japanese Chin cross, under her arm.
Candy listed the following ideas:
1. Sit down and write. No excuses; we all have busy lives.
2. Take advantage of the opportunity to be with other writers. Attend conferences even if you can't afford them, take classes, join groups, visit websites, everything.
3. Network: in person, on-line, at writer's groups. This doesn't mean you want to turn into "crazy writer" at conventions, cornering editors and agents and deluging them with plot summaries of your great (as-yet unpublished) book and how much your mother loved it. But do meet people, and do be professional, friendly, even helpful to editors and agents. "You never know when these contacts you make will pay off," she told us.
4. Let yourself dream, but be practical. That means: send stuff out!
5. Take advantage of any opportunities offered once you have a book in print: do school visits, book signings, and classes.
6. More than anything else, be caught up with the passion to create.
Next week, Rosemary Clement-Moore will give a talk on "how to pitch" at a conference. There will be a practice pitch workshop after the talk, during read-and-critique time.
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