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 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!
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
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:
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.
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
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
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