DENTON WRITERS LEAGUE
FIRST EDITION
February 2009 VOL. 20 NUMBER 2

DWL Home Page: http://byjoni.com/dwl

If you would like a copy of the newsletter e-mailed to you instead of through the US post,
please contact George Avera-George Avera-george.819471@verizon.net or Joni Latham-bleuunicorn@verizon.net.


WHERE WE MEET AND WHEN

The second Saturday of every month, at the

Denton Library-Emily Fowler Branch - click here for map 
502 Oakland St
 Denton, TX

General Meeting 10:30 a.m.

Lunch at Noon at the
TBD
The Evergreen has closed so we need to choose a new place to eat.
Denton, TX

NEXT MEETING: February 14, 2008


Guest Speakers

February 14 - Cindy Vallar - Emily Fowler Library
March 11 - Dianne Sagan - Hastings
April 11 - Sandy Blair - Emily Fowler Library
May 9 - Dr. Alexey Root - Emily Fowler Library
June 13 - Pauline Jones - Emily Fowler Library
July 11 - Book Event - Hastings
August 8 - Emily Fowler Library
September 12 - Jamie Engle - Emily Fowler Library
October 10 - Jodi Thomas - Emily Fowler Library
November 14 - Dan Case - Emily Fowler Library
December 12  - Emily Fowler Library

GUEST SPEAKER

Cindy Vallar was born and raised in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, She spent her formative years reading books and writing poetry.  While in college, she saw a movie based on the life of Jean Laffite, a gentleman pirate who helped Andrew Jackson win the Battle of New Orleans in 1815.  Intrigued by the mysterious, she started researching and writing a novel about Laffite.  Graduation, career, and marriage put that manuscript on a shelf where it remained until she started working as a school librarian for seriously emotionally challenged teenagers.  she returned to writing to relieve the stress inherent in working in special education facilities.  During a boring staff meeting, she wrote about a caped figure who crossed the Scottish Highlands during a fierce some storm.  After twelve years and numerous revisions, that kernel of an idea blossomed into her first published novel, The Scottish Thistle.  She is currently working to complete that pirate novel started many years ago while researching another novel set in the Dust Bowl of western Kansas during the Great Depression. She also writes a monthly maritime history column entitled Pirates and Privateers.  She reviews books for Historical Novels Review and Pirates and Privateers.  She teaches online courses and in-person workshops on maritime piracy and Scottish history and culture.  She is also an editor and copyeditor for Wings Press, as well as a freelance editor.  she writes an editing column for The Historical Novel Society's Solander magazine, of which she is an associate editor.

Vist her website at http://www.cindyvallar.com/


Hit a rut in your work? Take an online writing course!

Several years ago, I hit a serious rut in my writing. I didn't have any good ideas, I was getting rejection after rejection, my queries lacked the necessary chutzpah, and after a while I didn't even feel I needed to write ever again, because I felt that I wasn't talented enough. I realized that I needed a booster shot, something that would get me on the path to writerdom again. I decided to take the next logical step and take an online writing course.
I knew that online classes are a good way to sharpen up on what's new in the industry and how to get acceptance letters again. I decided to take a course on how to Break into Magazine Writing at a local university, which offered courses from business to travel writing and everything in between.
The class lasted several weeks and consisted of series of online lectures, exercises, group discussions, and of course, homework. The overall experience was great. Not only did the instructor answered all my questions, I found out that I could learn from the other students as well. There were not only unpublished writers in our class, but also seasoned pros and/or published writers like me that had hit a low in their career. The online class provided just the right spark to get their creativity flowing again.
To my complete astonishment, a few weeks after taking the class, I landed my first assignment after a long time of no activity- a story for a spiritual magazine that I queried in the past. I was ecstatic! Today, I still write for that magazine as well as for other two of the same genre as a freelance book reviewer and a features writer.

Some helpful tips on choosing an online writing course:


1. Do some research first: most universities have a Continuing Ed program where they offer a variety of courses, writing among them. Do you need a grammar refresher, a tutorial on writing for children, or is your creativity blocked? Choose what course you need most. I took a writing course at the University of North Texas, at www.unt.edu/minicourses.

2. Make sure that you schedule enough time for your class. It is a good idea to tell your family not to disturb you at that time because you're studying. Have a good computer with Internet access, which is required for most online courses.

3. Do your homework- online courses aren't graded, and the assignments are optional, but do them anyway. When you do, you're getting your money's worth and gaining valuable experience. Also, the instructor can comment on your work directly, highlighting your strong points and your weaknesses.

4. Speak up! Don't stay silent when the group discussions are going on. Some of the students can be experts in one area or another and one can learn a lot from them. They can also provide a valuable feedback on the homework posted to the group. Who knows, you might even need them in the future, as experts for one of your articles!

5. Don't forget to have fun!

Caroline Blaha-Black lives and writes in Denton, TX, where she shares her living space with a husband, two cats, rat, and a fat toad. She writes for various spiritual and women's publications, like Sage Woman, New Witch, and the Beltane Papers. Her first children's book, Anika and the Magic Top, was published in 2007.


HOWDY PARDNERS!

Mosey on up to the bar and and let me tell you about the darnedest, silliest, most outrageous Western anthology this side of the Mississip'.
Ya'll heard right! Cyber Aliens Press'll be spittin' out another one 'o them themed antho's on May 1, 2009.
We'll be featuring hilarious stories of the Wild West, some sappy Prairie Romance, and even a little bit 'o SteamPunk - as long as it's knock-us-on-our-butt funny! We're also lookin' fer cowboy poetry and limericks, art and comics, and anything else that's sure-as-shootin' silly.
So saddle yer ponies, get them doggies ta market then set yerself down and write us the silliest bunch a words what never come outta that pencil a yers.

In plain language:
We are looking for short stories from 500 to 3500 words in length, poems, jokes, puns, limericks and general silliness. All submissions must be on one of the following themes:

+ American Wild West
+ Steampunk
+ Prairie Romance
  or some mixture of the above.

Submissions open November 1, 2008 an' close on February 28, 2009. Acceptances and declines will be ongoing through the submission period. No early or late submissions will be accepted. Put "SUBMISSION: [TITLE]" in the subject line, and address all correspondence to The Editors (there's two of us) and email them to: sillywestern@gmail.com - ¿Comprende? Now saddle up and write.


Call for submissions: TIME IN A BOTTLE anthology

Time must figure prominently in each story. For example, the story could be about time travel. Or it might concern a wizard who uses spells that affect time in some way. It might be about people or things that have been displaced to a time other than their own. The story could even be about someone who’s time is running out, perhaps from a deadly disease or poison.

Stories that explore parallel events in time, the nature of time or in some other way are centered around time will all fit in this anthology.

Along with TIME as the central focus of the story, it must also fit in one of the following genres:

Hard Science Fiction
Soft Science Fiction
Fantasy
Space Western

The above genres can be mixed with each other if desired but stories that fall outside of these will not be considered. For example, a story that is Space Western/Fantasy would be perfectly fine but a story that was Horror would not. The only exception would be minor elements. A fantasy could have some horror elements as long as they weren’t so heavy as to turn the story into a Horror or Horror/Fantasy mix.

If you have questions whether your story idea qualifies, feel free to email and ask.

Stories may be set in any time period from prehistory to the far future.

Word count must be between 3000 and 6500. Stories that are too short or too long will be sent back to the author to revise and resubmit.

Submissions open on Nov. 1, 2008 and close on May 1, 2009.  Submissions received before Nov. 1, or after May 1, will not be considered.

Send submissions as an attached .doc or .rtf file to:
timeantho@gmail.com

Submissions in other formats, or pasted into the body of the email, will be returned to the author with a request to resubmit in the correct format.

Those authors whose work is accepted will be offered the standard CWP anthology contract. Those terms are:

10 dollar flat fee to acquire the right to publish, and 1 free copy of the book. 5 year, non-exclusive contract for print format, paperback.

In addition, all contributors will have the right to buy as many copies as they would like for the base cost of printing and shipping, then keep the profit from any copies they personally sell.


2009 Agents and Editors Conference

The 2009 Agents and Editors Conference will be held June 26-28, 2009, at the Austin Sheraton Hotel. Check back often for new information.

Register Early and Save!
October 1 - December 31, 2008: $309 Members / $369 Nonmembers
January 1 - May 25, 2009: $329 Members / $389 Nonmembers
May 26 - June 26, 2009: $379 Members / $439 Nonmembers

Refund Policy:
August 1 - December 23: 100% refund available.
December 24 - February 29: 50% refund available.
March 1 - June 26: No refunds made.

The Benefits of Early Registration Because private consultations with literary agents are scheduled based on registration date, registering early increases your chances of meeting with your top choice (agents will be announced in the fall as they are confirmed). Registrants will receive advance notice and special discounts for the League's upcoming agents workshop series, "The Secrets of the Agents." Four literary agents will present half-day workshops in the fall and spring to lead in to the 2009 conference.


Registration: http://store.writersleague.org/2008agentsandeditorsconference-1.aspx


2009 DFW Writers Conference

May 2-3, 2009
Grapevine Convention Center
Grapevine, TX

All genres welcome!
Six agents currently scheduled with more possible.

COST:
Until February 28, 2009 - only $150.
The best value for a writers conference in Texas!
After March 1, 2009 - $175.

Still a great buy for the money!

INCLUDES:

• Agent pitch sessions available on a first-come, first-served basis
• Lunch on Saturday and Sunday
• All breakout classes taught by published professionals
• A chance to meet the agents during after-hours parties
• Special hotel rates for conference attendees

For full details, or to register today visit WWW.DFWWRITERSCONFERENCE.ORG.

Kyle White
Writer of Speculative Fiction

Are you a fellow writer? Then the 2009 DFW Writers' Conference might help your career. Visit www.dfwwritersconference.org for more details.


POETRY CORNER

Poetry Group
3rd Saturday
10:00 am
Emily Fowler Library
502 Oakland St
Denton, TX

Open Mic Night
4th Wednesday
7:00 pm
Recycled Books
200 N Locust St
Denton, TX


ANNUAL CONVENTIONS
*******************************************************************************************************

CONVENTIONS

Convention                   Month    Place                    URL             

ConDFW                   Feb     Dallas, TX       http://www.condfw.org/
AggieCon                 March   Bryan, TX        http://aggiecon.tamu.edu/
Dreamin' in Dallas       April   Dallas, TX       http://www.dallasromanceauthors.com/conferences/
Texas Frightmare         May     Dallas, TX       http://www.texasfrightmareweekend.com/lifetype/
ApolloCon                June    Houston, TX      http://www.apollocon.org/
Conestoga                July    Tulsa, OK        http://www.sftulsa.org/conestoga/
Armadillo Con            August  Austin, TX       http://www.fact.org/dillo/
Mythcon                  August  Norman, OK       http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon37.html
Bubonicon                August  Albuquerque, NM  http://www.bubonicon.com/
Fencon                   Sept    Dallas, TX       http://www.fencon.org/
     A comprehensive list of other conventions    http://www.fencon.org/links.html#calendar
World Fantasy Con        Nov     Austin, TX       http://www.worldfantasy.org/ 


On-Line Writers resources

Author's Network-for writers about writing based in Europe, but interesting- http://www.author-network.com/
Copyright Forms- http://www.loc.gov/copyright/forms/
The New Covey Cover Awards - http://thenewcoveycoverawards.blogspot.com
Dallas Screen Writers- http://www.dallasscreenwriters.com/
Denton Public Library - http://www.cityofdenton.com/pages/library.cfm
Flashing Swords Magazine - http://flashingswords.sfreader.com
Fort Worth Book Blog - http://booksblog.guidelive.com/
Glimmer Train Press, Inc.-A quarterly magazine of about 260 pages of literary fiction - http://www.glimmertrain.com/
How Stuff Works - Want to know how something works, try this link - http://www.howstuffworks.com/
Lulu.Com - A Self-Publisher - http://www.lulu.com/
MeetUp.Com - A place to find MeetUp groups in your area  - http://www.meetup.com/
   Jeff Crilley's DFW Do-It Yourself PR Group - http://freepublicity.meetup.com/1/
National Association of Women Writers - http://www.naww.org
National Writers Union - http://www.nwu.org/
Northeast Texas Writers' Organization - http://www.netwo.org/
Para Publishing Website - a good writing, publishing, and promotion source - http://www.parapublishing.com/sites/para/
Preditors and Editors-a resources to check out agents and publishers http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/
Printing for Less - Good prices and I understand good product - http://www.printingforless.com/index.html
Ralan's Webstravaganza-speculative fiction resource http://ralan.com/
Society of Children's Writers and Illustrators - http://www.scbwi.org/
Texas Coalition of Authors, Inc. - http://www.texasauthors.org/
The Market List-the online resource for genre fiction writers http://www.marketlist.com/
The Novelist's Workshop-essays and advice on how to publish your book- http://www.monash.com/writers.html
Vista Prints - inexpensive business cards, postcards, etc - http://www.vistaprint.com
Writing for Dollars - Good resource on paying markets with a weekly newsletter -   http://www.writingfordollars.com/
Writer's Exchange - http://www.writers-exchange.com/epublishing/
Writer.com - on-line classes and other writer's information - http://writers.com/
Writers' League of Texas - http://www.writersleague.org/
Writers Net-source for information for writers, editors, agents, and publishers - http://www.writers.net
Writing-World.Com - http://www.writing-world.com 
Writing.Com - Community for readers and writers of all skills levels and interests - http://www.writing.com

There are multitudes of writing resources available on the Internet. Go to any search engine and ask for writer's resources, writer's markets, writer's contests, writer's conferences, etc


DWL OFFICERS:

President       Joni Latham ( joni1957@verizon.net) - 940/382-4865
Vice-President  Kelly Christiansen
Newsletter      George Avera (
george.819471@verizon.net) - 940/
387-8315

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