Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Writing Workshop -- FREE

photo courtesy of AJC1




NORTHWEST ARKANSAS WRITERS WORKSHOP FREE CONFERENCE

March 14, 2009 at Ozarks Electric, 3641 W. Wedington Drive, Exit # 64, off I - 540. This is also highway 16/Wedington Road west. Go ½ mile West, building is on the left. Sign - In 8:30 a.m.


We ask that you pre - register so we can be prepared.

Email Velda at vebrotherton@gmail.com or Dusty at dustyrichards@cox.net

Scheduled Workshops:
9:00 a.m. Storyteller Molly Lemmons will demonstrate how to turn family memories into entertaining and informative stories.
10:00 a.m. A PowerPoint presentation. A critique panel of workshop members will demonstrate how the group critiques the work of novice writers.
10:45 a.m. Break
11:00 a.m. Instruction on manuscript formatting from published authors in short story, fiction and nonfiction genres.
11:30 a.m. Pam Thompson will present the Top Ten Grammar Errors and how to clean them from your manuscript.
NOON Lunch Break. $6.00 will buy your lunch on the premises. It will consist of meat and cheese platters for sandwiches, chips, cookies and a cold drink. During lunch break published authors will read from and discuss their work. Plan on remaining in the building.
1:00 p.m. Velda Brotherton will speak on the literary, the mainstream and the genre in today’s market.
2:15 to 2:30 p.m. Break
2:30 to 3:45 p.m. Dusty Richards will speak on Writing 101. The basics of writing a good book.
Published authors are invited to bring their books to sell during the conference. We’ll have plenty of tables.

Don't forget to enter our anthology

NEW THIS YEAR ANTHOLOGY INVITATION

All members of the Northwest Arkansas Writers Workshop and anyone attending the March 14, 2009 one - day seminar sponsored by the NWAWW are invited to submit a short story for consideration for an anthology of short stories.

· Unpublished short stories only, up to 3,000 words, no
essays or
poetry.

· Standard manuscript format, Times New Roman, 12 point
font. No
fee. Mail one copy to Dusty Richards, P.O. Box 6460, Springdale, AR
72766. No SASE required.

Manuscripts will be destroyed after contest. First North American Rights.
Rights revert back to author thirty days after publication.

· Include a cover letter with name, address, telephone number
and
email address upper left, Title and length upper right, and a fifty word bio halfway down the page.

· All genres, except erotica. No gratuitous foul language,
violence, or gore.

· By submitting to this contest, you are giving permission
for your work to be edited and to publish your work in this anthology. No other contract will be required. There will be no payment to authors for work published. Prior to publication, authors will be able to order copies at a discounted price of 40% – 50%.

· Deadline for entries: Postmarked no later than March 21,
2009.
Chosen authors will be notified thirty days after submissions close.

· Publication date: March, 2010. Available at the March
2010
NAWW seminar.


About our speakers:
Molly Lemmons is a vivacious speaker who draws the crowd into her world.
She will illustrate how she wrote her book of memories, then everyone will join in with examples of their own memories as she gives story prompts.
This promises to be a worthwhile hour.

A panel of experienced critique group members will illustrate how the group helps writers who attend the weekly workshop.

We see writers having trouble with manuscript formatting, so there will be a panel to illustrate the proper formatting of all sorts of manuscripts by authors published in those fields.

Pam Thompson writes and edits for a living. She is an expert grammarian who can spot a misplaced adverb, adjective or verb a mile off.

Velda Brotherton is the cochair of the writer's workshop and is a multi - published writer in short and long fiction and non fiction.

Dusty Richards is the chairman of the writer's workshop and is well published in the western genre. He will share his popular writing tips.

The group sponsors this free workshop to pay forward all the help we've been given over the years, and we hope you can make it.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Fearless Writing Workshop

photo courtesy of Theremina

Fearless Writing:

creative reinvention & resilience in tough times a barrier-breaking workshop which uses writing as a powerful tool in developing practical, ongoing creativity

Taught by Crescent Dragonwagon. Four evenings, January 11-14, 2009, Little Rock.

Fearless Writing with Crescent Dragonwagon: four evening workshops in Little Rock


Sunday, January 11, 2009 - Wednesday, January 14, 2009


Historic Arkansas Museum 200 East Third Street Little Rock , AR 72201 United States

You don't have to be a writer, or would-be writer, to get a lot out of a Fearless Writing workshop. On the other hand, if you are, you'll get a double-dip: skills and techniques that will serve you not just in writing but in almost every other life-endeavor. If you've ever found yourself stopped cold by unexpected change, doubt in your own abilities, uncertain outcome, or unfamiliar economic, technological, or social conditions... if you're tired of this, Fearless Writing offers a way to stop being stopped. The workshop uses the anxiety generated by chaotic conditions as a powerful creative force.


Fearless is practical, effective, creative, serious and playful. It turns apparent obstacles into the material from which to build a thriving life. Fearless's writing practices and principles spill over cornucopia-like: from writing, to creativity and problem solving, to business and personal life. It works for blocked or would-be writers, and for people who don't identify themselves as either. It works whether you perceive the obstacle stopping you as an inner or outer barrier. It works, period. In Fearless, you'll discover how to
*unwrap the secret gifts of fear, misgivings, and self-doubt
* decode procrastination's hidden messages
* align expenditures of time, energy & money to your life-destination
* experience, trust, and use your creative self as a reliable partner
* work harder by working softer
* immediately begin writing with more clarity, strength, and ease
* find your authentic, original, unique voice
* use Fearless's template to create a business, personal, & creative life in which you thrive & grow
* become your own mentor, continuing the Fearless path long after the workshop

Plus!


Your registration fee includes 25 + pages of valuable material, given at the workshop. Besides its usefulness in your on-going Fearless practice, you'll get that special insider's I-was-there-first satisfaction: Crescent's book on Fearless Writing will be published by Ten Speed Press in 2011, and the hand-outs are a sneak preview of the book's core principles.


Want to know more? See Is Fearless for you? Meet your fearless leader.


Most of all, register right now.


* Register Now Tell a friend


Contact Information Email: crescent@dragonwagon.com Send Email


Payment Instructions


* $295; register on-line


* all credit cards accepted


* full money-back guarantee


* includes 25 page + hand-out The 10 hours of Fearless training, over four days time, are conveniently scheduled so that you can (as some people so unkindly put it) "keep your day job."





Sunday, January 11, 2009: 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm


Monday, January 12, 2009: 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm


Tuesday, January 13, 2009: 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm


Wednesday, January 14, 2009: 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm

Friday, January 2, 2009

Science Fiction Writers Workshop and My Word for the Year

photo courtesy of dotpolka


My Word for the Year...

Ran across this on another blog (thanks Country Girl) that I frequent often (mostly when I'm wasting time researching.) Anyway, she made me think about if I could only choose one word for how I wanted to live my life in 2009, what would it be?

So I thunk and I thunk and came up with world peace. Okay, that's two words, and it's not something I have much control over. Though, I'm pretty sure if my grandma were still alive, she could lick it pretty quick. When my brother and I were young and stayed with her, her answer to our feuding was to sit us on the front porch with a big grocery sack full of peas to shell. Nothing takes the fire out of an argument like sitting on the front porch shelling peas. Course it doesn't hurt that we still made faces at one another sticking out tongues and crossing our eyes and such.

If Grandma could have set old Bush and a few world leaders down on the front porch and made them sit there (she woulda needed a tractor trailer load of peas), I do believe she could have solved the world peace problem. And we'd a had a big, old mess of peas to take care of world hunger, too.

Oh, I've digressed. So what's new. My word is REDUCE. I think it's a great word and fits so many aspects of my life. REDUCE the amount of waste I make. Think recycle. REDUCE the amount of wordly goods that I covet. Think clean up my office and get rid of the stuff I've been meaning to read for a decade, but just keep piling up. REDUCE the amount of money I spend on frivolous things. Think less shopping. REDUCE my figure. Think get back on my healthy living plan. REDUCE my carbon footprint. Think a more green environment for me and my family.

Yes, REDUCE is my word for the year. What's yours?

Now for a Workshop...

Ran across this the other day and had to sigh. Oh how I wish I could find a workshop that specializes in what I write... Cozy mysteries. I'm don't mean a conference, but if you happen to know of one, let me know. But I'm looking for an intensive workshop in novel writing for cozies or even mysteries.

But for those of you looking for an intensive writing workshop check out Science Fiction and Fanstasy Novel Writers Workshop. For 2009, the Writer's Workshop will meet from June 28 through July 10. The Campbell Conference follows it up from July 9 - 12.

In the meantime, think about the word you want to live by for 2009 and post it here.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a great 2009!