From an informal
gathering of aspiring writers meeting at the Hurst Christian Church in January,
1977 and calling themselves the Tarrant County Creative Writers' Workshop,
DFW Writers' Workshop has grown into an organization whose membership numbers
over a hundred. It now includes thirty-eight published authors with forty-six
publishers represented. The group meets every Wednesday at the Ruth Millican
Center in Euless, Texas, to read and critique their work
 Over
the years the group tried many "Read and Critique" formats but
had not established any rules. After several individuals' reads lasted nearly
all night, the group established official By-Laws and Standing Rules in
1981.
A maximum time of twenty minutes was allocated to each reader. The maximum
read time was fifteen minutes. Working within his allotted twenty minutes,
a reader hoping for more than five minutes of critique could shorten his
read to allow for additional discussion. Once listeners had finished their
critiques and/or the twenty-minute limit had expired, the monitor moved
to the next read.
Even in the early years, ten o'clock was the official cut-off time, but
members found being with other writers so stimulating, many adjourned to
Denny's to talk and exchange ideas. With Denny's co-operation, that tradition
continues with a few diehards occasionally staying until dawn.
To provide a smooth transition, former presidents traditionally help new
presidents by serving as an unofficial ad-hoc advisory council. At the end
of the year, each president publishes and submits an End-of-the-Year Report
to the membership, summarizing the most important events and accomplishments
for that year.
Expansion and Division:
In December of 1988, with membership over one hundred crammed into
very close meeting quarters, a contingency of members decided to form
a separate workshop. This group began as TAWA (Trinity Arts Writers' Association)
and currently goes by the name of Trinity Writers' Workshop.
In December of 1993 the Workshop divided when soaring membership made
management almost impossible. This group formed as the North Texas Professional
Writers.
Both of these groups are functioning in the area and offer similar programs.
Links to these groups can be found on our 'Affiliations & Links' webpage.
Additional Activities:
As a group and individually, members attended seminars, conferences, and
entered contests. They won awards at the Oklahoma Writers Federation and
attended their conferences, becoming the first out-of-state club to have
a membership. They often attended The Ozark Writers' Conference, The East
Texas Writers' Conference, The Craft of Writing Conference in Dallas,
The Golden Triangle Conference, The Western Writers' of America Conference,
The Chisholm Trail Conference at Texas Christian University, and The University
of Oklahoma Journalism Department's Summer Professional Writers' Course.
Attendance as a group at numerous conferences enabled members to meet
and invite editors, agents, and scholars to give week-end seminars for
the Workshop. Some of the guest speakers were Jack Bickham--author of
over fifty novels; Pat LoBrutto--editor at Doubleday and later at Kensington;
Michael Seidman--editor at Tor, Mysterious Press, and Walker; Gary Goldstein--editor
at Doubleday, then at Berkley; Sara Ann Freed of Mysterious Press and
Warner Books, Jon Guthrie--award winning short story writer and teacher;
Peter Miller--agent and author; Cherry Weiner--agent; Donald Maas--agent;
Carlton Stowers--award winning author of true crime; Bill Gray--author
of mysteries and horror; and many others including poets and dramatists.
For years the Workshop gave two seminars a year: one taught by members
and for members only, the other open to the public with experts from New
York and elsewhere to instruct. These events served to increase the membership
and the treasury. At present, the Euless Library sponsors Workshop events
by allowing the use of their facility and by advertising the event.
Community Service:
To encourage writing in the community, the group held writing contests
in sixteen elementary, middle, and high schools, and Tarrant County Junior
College for four years (1980-1983). It provided speakers for Texas Christian
University, Tarrant County Junior College, and senior citizens' groups.
Later, members worked with schools in Keller, Euless, and South Fort Worth,
visited classes, and consulted with students in their endeavors to write
stories and the publish their work. The group was frequently invited to
judge writing contests in Oklahoma, East Texas, Johnson County, Dallas,
and local schools. For three years the workshop participated in the Euless
Annual Arbor Daze Festival by making over 60 authors and their books available
to the public during the event.
Since 1995, the group has given hundreds of books to Headstart children
at Christmas at Mid-Cities Pre-School in Euless. In 1999 the Workshop
sponsored a writing contest for regional high schools and gave significant
monetary awards to three winners. Members have participated in the Adopt-a-School
Program at Euless Middle School for several years and in the City of Euless
Library's "Let's Talk About Books" for over ten years. In 1989
the Workshop published a quarterly newsletter, The Critique. Printed on
slick paper and including photographs, it continues to be mailed to publishing
houses, writers' organizations, and libraries. It serves as a record of
Workshop activities and of its members' accomplishments.
Incorporation and Non-Profit
Status: In 1991, a committee led by President Al Buckner and composed
of five past presidents, (Jack Ballas, Glenn Bavousett, Joan McCord, John
McCord, and Roy Mullins) sought to clarify the Workshops' goals and purposes
and submitted its recommendations to the 1991 Board of Directors for their
consideration.
The Board led by President Al Buckner submitted the committee's recommendations
to the membership who, after making amendments, adopted the By-Laws and
Statement of Ethics. The Workshop received their Non-Profit Corporate
Charter from the State of Texas in 1991.
The IRS' "Letter of Determination", received in January 1992
successfully completed the detailed requirements to establish the Workshop's
non-profit tax exempt 501(c)(3) status.
Member Support:
Each time a member publishes a new book, the Workshop sponsors the author's
first book signing at a local bookstore. These sponsored events permit
the community to share in our success, support local businesses, and educate
members in how to hold a successful book signing.
The Secret of
Success: The secret for writing well and getting published is the
same as the secret for a successful organization: hard work by committed
individuals willing to learn from past experience.
The Strength of the
Workshop: As a volunteer organization, the Workshop's strength lies
in the diversity of life experiences and professions of its members, each
of whom gives willingly of his or her time and energy to help others.
Visitors are usually struck by our membership's even distribution between
men and women, old and young, published and unpublished, and by its spirit
of cooperation and support. The Workshop provides its writers with encouragement,
constructive criticism, resources, education, and support. The success
of past and present members stands as both a legacy and a challenge to
future members.
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