The Newsletter of West Texas Writers, Inc.
January 2010www.westtexaswriters.org 432-634-0139
NEW LOCATION FOR MEETING:
MIDLAND COUNTY LIBRARY MEETING ROOM – UPSTAIRS- ELEVATOR AVALIBLE
301 W. MISSOURI
MIDLAND, TEXAS
Our next meeting will be:
FEBRUARY 6, 2010
This meeting will focus on “GETTING STARTED”
Get your ideas down on paper.
Come and let us help you get your dream/goal of writing come true in 2010.
WEST TEXAS WRITERS
Midland, Texas
SHORT-STORY CONTEST
CASH AWARDS TO THE TOP THREE ENTRIES
Entries postmarked January 2, 2010
through April 2, 2010
No specific theme required, adults only, no erotica
Original work unpublished
1000 to 2500 words
One copy, typed, double-spaced, one side only – 8-l/2 x 11 white paper, 1” margins
Times Roman font, l2 point or Courier, 12 point
ON COVER PAGE ONLY - Author’s Name, complete address, telephone number, email address and WORD COUNT – Judge(s) will not know who entrants are.
Each page with header of title and page number
Multiple entries accepted - $10.00 entry fee for each short-story payable to: West Texas Writers, P. O. Box 51083, Midland, TX 79710 –NOTE: three entries or more by same author include 2010 Membership to West Texas Writers.
Include SASE if you wish your entry to be returned to you. All other entries will be shredded.
Decisions of judge(s) are final. Not responsible for late or lost entries.
WINNERS TO BE ANNOUNCED AT “CELEBRATION OF WRITERS” on
Saturday, May 2, 2010 at The Midland County Library, Midland, TX, 2-4 pm
For more details: Debbie Pelham @ 432-634-0139,
OR www.westtexaswriters.org
Have you ever dreamt about being an acclaimed author?
Maybe you've been writing a manuscript, but don't know how to get help having it published.
We can assist you in finding the best publisher to meet your needs.
Visit the following link now to find out more: http://www.popularitycalls.com/vupsm/
The Web site for our flash fiction group has been up and running for a few weeks, though it is not perfectly polished yet (because it has an amateur Webmaster--me, Janda).
I have just posted information about our online contest. Our group has posted a new list of five words, and we invite visitors to the site to use those words and create their own 100-word flash fiction story. The winning story for January will be posted to the Web site in February. We'll post another list of words in February and have another contest.
Hope y'all will all come visit and WRITE and submit a STORY!
Janda (and Joan Sikes, Diane Neal, Mary Yokum, and Dianne Sagan)
It's www.flashfiction5.com .
NETWO’s Annual Short Story Contest
We at NETWO are excited about our annual Writers’ Roundup Conference April 23 – 24, 2010 and hope to see you again this year. As in the past, we are having a short story contest with monetary prizes for first through fourth place. The word length is 1,000 to 2,500 words, author’s choice of subject, entries must be postmarked between January 2 and February 15, 2010, a critique sheet will be returned with each story, and the winner will be published in The Story Teller. (The Story Teller magazine will not publish stories including vulgar language or of a erotica nature) For further information on our short story rules, check NETWO web site. www.netwo.org.
Time is a wasting, so turn your creative juices loose in this new year and let your fingers fly over the keyboard creating a short story all can enjoy.
Hope to see you at our conference in April. We will have two New York agents and an editor from Berkley Books (part of the Penguin Group publishing), plus some top notch, award-winning authors, and an expert on Internet marketing of your books. For more information check out NETWO’s web site www.netwo.org
BRAZOS WRITERS WRITING CONTEST
DEADLINE MARCH 31, 2010
SHOW US YOUR BEST WRITING
Competition Rules:
Categories:
You may enter as many manuscripts as you like in each of the
following categories:
1. Nonfiction: Memoirs/Personal Essay, not to exceed 2000
words.
2. Fiction: Short Story, not to exceed 4,000 words
3. Rhyming Poem/Non-rhyming Poem: 32 lines maximum.
Preparing your entry:
1. Your entry must be accompanied by an Entry Form and the
required entry fee. If you are entering more than one manuscript,
you may enter them in the same envelope and write one check
for the total fee.
2. Each entry must have a cover sheet with your name, address,
e-mail address, phone number and category on it with word
count. (For judging purposes), do not write your name on your
manuscript pages. Instead, add the title of your entry and
category at the top of each page.
3. Your entry must be original, unpublished, written in English.
Brazos Writers retains one–time publication rights to the three,
first place winners. They will be published in our newsletter.
4. Your entry must be typed on one side of 8 ½ x 11 white
paper. Poems may be double or single-spaced. All other entries
must be double spaced, numbered, and stapled together.
Judging and Notification:
1. Every entry will be read by the judges. Judges’ decisions are
final. Brazos Writers reserves the right to award first, second
and third prizes to entries of sufficient quality only.
2. Entries must be postmarked by March 31, 2010. We cannot
return manuscripts; however, to receive entry notification, send
self-addressed, stamped post card with your entry.
3. Top winners in the three categories will receive $100 dollars
each and notified by phone, 2nd places will receive $50.00 each,
3rd places $25.00 each. All winners will receive certificates of
merit and their names will be published on Brazos Writers’ web
site at the end of April. http://brazoswriters.org
4. The following are not permitted to enter the contest:
Judges or their immediate family members.
Brazos Writers’ writing competition official
entry form Entry deadline March 31, 2010
.
Mail your entries to: Brazos Writers Contest
P.O. Box 4025, Bryan, TX, 77805-4025
Name:
Address:
City:
State: Zip:
Phone( )
Cell Phone( )
Number of Entries in each Category
______Nonfiction: Memoirs/ Personal Essay
______Fiction: Short Story
______Rhyming Poem/ Non-rhyming
Entry Fee: Fiction & Nonfiction: $10.00
first entry and $5.00 for each additional entry.
Rhyming & Non-rhyming Poems: $5.00 first entry
and $3.00 each additional entry.
I am submitting one manuscript for $10.00
and $5.00 for each additional one.
______
I am submitting one poem for $5.00 and $3.00
for each additional one.
______
Method of payment: Check or money order.
Total
Houston Writers Guild
Presents on April 10, 2010
Check our website for rules
www.houstonwritersguild.org
Rules & Regulations for Contest are on
our website, but information in this
newsletter supersedes any information
on website
Questions will be answered if you email
Holiday Inn 59
Houston
Total Conference
price:
$125
Includes
Membership
+ Tom Vaughan
Workshop
+ Keynote Speaker
Allison McCabe
“Why an editor
buys a book”
*Pitch Literary Agent
+Editor Interview
Allison McCabe
If you have paid your
2010 dues, you may
deduct $35 from the
above price
+ Hot Buffet
Lunch
Vegetarian Dishes
Available
KeynoteSpeaker*
Famed Editor Random House,
Penguin, Harper-Collins
The Red River Romance Writers of Wichita Falls, Texas, presents --"The Xtremely Productive Writer" with Kara Lennox
February 2010 --
Join us for a two-week intensive workshop Feb. 1-14.
Price: RRRW Members - $15; Non-members - $20
"The Xtremely Productive Writer" with Kara Lennox
Do you wish you could write more? Does life get in the way? Do you
frequently miss deadlines? Does your manuscript languish for weeks at
a time, withering from lack of attention? Do you look at writers who
write three, four, five or more books a year and figure they must be
superhuman?
In this two-week intensive class, you will learn how to identify the
things that interfere with your productivity and keep you from
writing. Then we'll discuss strategies for writing more without
compromising quality or neglecting the rest of your life. This
workshop includes some hands-on homework and exercises to get your
hands onto that keyboard right away, and keep you writing on into the
rest of the year. In addition to presenting ten "lectures," Kara
Lennox will address students' individual questions and unique
situations and provide as much feedback as time allows. A lively
give-and-take among students is also encouraged.
Bio
Kara Lennox (a.k.a. Karen Leabo) has written more than 50 contemporary
romance novels for Harlequin/Silhouett e and Bantam Loveswept. Since
her first novel was released in 1989, her books frequently appear on
romance bestseller lists. She is currently working on a romantic
suspense trilogy, "Project Justice," for Harlequin Superromance, to be
published in 2011. Kara's books have finaled in several romance
industry contests including the National Readers' Choice Awards, the
Holt Medallion competition, and the RITA. Her Harlequin American
Romance PLAIN JANE'S PLAN won a Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice
award.
For more information visit:
http://redriverroma ncewriters. com/workshops. php