Our goal for this month was to have completed our stories for the Kentucky-themed anthology.  So we're encouraging everyone possible to show up this month – stories, poems, and courage in hand.  It's time to make this project really come to life. 

If you need a ride contact Theresa and she'll help you make it happen.  If you need a wake-up call, a boot in the rear end… whatever… let Theresa know.  Email her at t.j.pinkston.2007 (at) gmail (dot) com

Yes, summer has arrived and there are so many activities outside that scream for our attention.  This meeting is only a couple of hours out of your entire month.  And what better way to spend those hours than connecting with your fellow writers for encouragement, help, and camaraderie?  We're looking forward to a big turnout.  See you there.

            After that, Halie wanted to know how to get published by a publishing house or magazine. We talked about the difference between selling first rights and all rights.

            I told Halie about Duotrope Digest with hundreds (if not thousands) of choices for potential publishers and promised I would send out the link which is above. However, I just discovered that it stopped being a free service. You will get a 30 day free trial, but only after you agree to pay $5 a month for at least one month afterward. I guess they weren’t receiving enough in donations.

            Next, one or both of the younger ladies mentioned having a Fiction Press account. This is apparently a good place to send in original stories for reviews, comments and more.

            I know Sierra and Halie have accounts on Fan Fiction which looks like it’s owned and/or ran by the same company as Fiction Press (above). FanFiction.net allows people to write flash fiction, short stories and serialized novels based on movies, books, games, television shows and more with several possibilities for “Cross-Over” pieces. They join Carrie Brown and me (Theresa Jewel Pinkston) on Fan Fiction. However, I haven’t done anything with my account yet.

            On the other hand, I have written over forty posts on Theresa’s Blog. This is through WordPress.com where you can start a blog for free or pay for certain themes or pay $99 a year for the “Pro” package which allows you many other options. I am using the free version and it lets you write whatever you want.

***

            Somewhere amongst this, we discussed our fears of finishing a story, novella or novel and then not knowing what to do with it. Although there are a few people afraid of being published and earning contracts that demand more books be written, we agreed our fears are more related to submitting our work and it being rejected. I told Halie and Sierra about an idea that was passed around during the first year or two of the Owensboro Writers Group. That idea is to write a “throw-away” story or book.

            A “throw-away” is something you write without being terribly invested in it. You write “from A to Z” for the purpose of saying, “I finished it!” What you do with it afterwards is totally up to you, but keep at least one copy somewhere.

However, if you are afraid of rejection, I highly recommend doing this exercise with the main purpose of collecting rejection slips! Write a humor piece and send it to dark fantasy. Write a children’s story and send it to an erotica magazine. Write a western and send it to … oh, I don’t know. You will probably want to use a pseudonym, but, take ALL rejection slips and put them in one certain place that you will see them! I spoke about one writer who papered his bathroom walls in rejection slips (that couldn’t have been easy)! That way you will get used to seeing rejection, but you’ll also be able to say, “Oh, well, I didn’t put that much work into it.”

By the way, the writer mentioned above is Marc McCutcheon – the man who brought you Roget’s Super Thesaurus.

*** 

Sierra Hagan told us about a series of books called Tunnels (by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams). The book titles are Tunnels, Deeper, Freefall, Closer, Spiral, and Terminal. At one point in the books, they go to the center of the earth and find Nazis there. She thinks that happens (or at least, starts) in Closer.

            Last, but definitely not least, we chatted about a series of books called The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica. It includes Here, There Be Dragons; Search for the Red Dragon; The Indigo King and four other titles. There are two places to find more information about these books. One is inserted above (HTBD) and the other one is listed under James A. Owen, the author of this fantastic series.

For May 18^th, bring any information you can about self-publishing and print-on-demand publishers. Try to find prices per copy &/or per hundred.

I didn’t assign a writing task because I think we need the entire two hours to discuss the different publishers, what kind of contract(s) they offer, and how much each person needs to contribute.

Please attend the meeting if you possibly can. We need to know how many of us are serious about putting this anthology into print. If you have to work or go out of town, please send me an email with a preferred publisher and tell me how much you can afford to spend. 

·        Sierra Hagan,

·        David Ramsey,

·        Shana Hancock,

·        Theresa Pinkston, and

·        Shannon McKeever.

We discussed my (Theresa’s) Kentucky short story, currently titled "Kentucky Shifter." I asked the others for suggestions and advice. They gave me both plus better words to use in some places.

Sierra Hagan brought another piece of her work in progress, “Rain.” We all read it silently and wrote suggested changes on our copy. A few of us gave her verbal compliments and/or advice. It’s a good beginning, Sierra. Don’t give up on it.

Shannon McKeever brought the newest version of her Kentucky piece titled “Timing.” She had only made minor changes.

Sierra also brought print-outs from Mind Meister (http://www.mindmeister.com/) a mind-mapping program online. If you’ve never used such a program, think of it like a storyboard with oodles of notes. There is a free membership that allows about three different maps. But, for only five dollars a month, you can have a Personal Plan with unlimited storyboards and notes. I asked her to send her link out.

I asked Shana Hancock what she’s working on. She is writing one or more novels where some dead people can come back and get revenge. He or she can then become a Shade. Her main character was supposed to come back as a Guardian Angel, but is currently a Shade.

Saturday, April 20 – Owensboro Writers Group’s main meeting @ Daviess County Public Library from 11 AM to about 1 PM. Contact me, Theresa Jewel Pinkston for more information.  This is the general group meeting.

Owensboro Writers’ main group members are supposed to be finishing their Kentucky pieces (if you haven’t already done so). Please email your completed story or poem collection to everyone (you can do a “Reply All” to one of Theresa’s emails to send to the list) on or before April 18, 2013. If you are still working on it, please send as much as possible by the above date OR bring one copy to the meeting on Apr. 20^th.

Those of you who have finished your story or poem collection about Kentucky, please take some time to read and comment on as many of the fresh pieces as you can. You don’t have to do an in-depth critique, but try to offer constructive advice. Please bring a copy of each story you edited to the meeting on Apr. 20^th.

We will spend roughly half our time discussing the new or revised Kentucky themed works. The other half will center on possible publishers. Please bring a paper with any name(s) and other information for publishers you know.

I’m asking for a volunteer to collect all the names, prices and other information and make one list out of it. This list should be distributed before our May meeting.

Sunday, April 21 – Katie Tillwick will host the second get together of her critique “sub-group” at Starbucks (2402 Frederica) starting at 2:00 PM. If you wish to purchase coffee or chat about things not related to the day’s critiques, please plan to arrive around 1:30 PM.  Contact Katie Tillwick for assignment(s) and/or agenda.

TBA - Ken’s OWG “sub-group” for mainstream fiction meets at Ken’s home. Ken’s group does not have a set date each month.  Meeting notices are sent to individual participants in the group.  If you are interested in participating in this mini group, click to contact Ken Roberts.

We had ten people present for the Owensboro Writers Group Meeting on March 16, 2013. We signed in as follows:

·        Shana Hancock

·        Sierra Hagan

·        David Ramsey

·        Theresa Jewel Pinkston

·        Carrie Brown

·        Annabel Bea

·        Ken Roberts

·        Wendy Hall – who joins us for her first meeting

·        Erin Bauer, and

·        Katie Tillwick.

Wendy Hall joined our group today and I’ve added her email address to the long list of recipients. She has a van and is offering rides to meetings for members who are on her route. I believe she lives on the east side of Owensboro. Please email her if you’re interested.

Annabel Bea finished a rough draft of her translation of the Bible (at least the New Testament) from a woman’s viewpoint. She sent it to her bishop in Africa for his review.

Carrie Brown brought a list of 195 writing-related links to share. I asked her to send a copy and/or a link out to everyone in the group.

Sierra Dawn brought the beginning of a new piece. It’s very good and I told her she should finish it before making any changes. I’m not sure if it’s going to be a short story, novel or something in between, but I’m very glad that Sierra chose to share with us.

Extra Group Meetings

We discussed holding more meetings for our group. Ken Roberts has already started a “spin-off” group which met in his home on Thursday, March 14.  Ken’s group concentrates on main-stream fiction.  He has limited the number of participants to six and already has a full group.

Katie Tillwick offered to start a critique sub-group which met at Starbucks on Sunday, March 17. Katie wants to meet on the third Sunday of the month, which – for March – fell the day after our normal meeting on the third Saturday. I told her it might be too close together for many of us, but that we would try that out for now. Katie’s sub-group will critique short stories and/or excerpts from novels. She doesn’t require an entire story in 2500 or 3000 words. Her meetings begin at 2:00 PM, but she suggests allowing thirty minutes prior to the meeting to buy coffee. Normally, she wants pieces emailed ahead of time, but, of course, didn’t require that for the March meeting.

Our general meeting has turned into a discussion of all things related to writing and we occasionally manage to veer off that broad base. I am seriously considering eliminating in-depth critiques at these meetings and letting Katie handle those. However, we could discuss pieces of writing and overall ideas for improvement without merging into Katie’s area. Please tell me what you think of that idea. 

 
What a great turnout! Those in attendance, sign-in sequence:
 
Ken Roberts, Sierra Hagan, David Ramsey, Carrie Brown, Shana Hancock, Erin Bauer, Kristine Adams, Annabel Bea, Katie Tillwick, and Helen Bea. Special welcome to Shana (her first meeting), and to Erin (her second)!
 
Following general cross-table writing related conversation, we introduced ourselves, our genre preferences and current projects/ work status. With little prompting, members offered feedback and inquiries as intro’s and sharing progressed. As an example, Ken voiced having fresh interest in screenwriting, and Erin proffered the name and approach of Michael Hauge. Checking the webpage later (www.storymastery.com), I found multiple resources for story structure and analysis for general and screenwriting.
 
Other noteworthy comments:  several people spoke about difficulty developing and maintaining engaging elements within their stories. Katie suggested an approach: keep a “journey to the ending,” enabling forward motion. As more people spoke about their goals and experience, more feedback was given, fluidly and on-topic. Erin writes historical fiction, primarily of time around the 1800s. She recently moved to “Kentuckiana” and has rich input to share, and carried on discussions with several OWG members.
 
“Write to the climax” and “write to a plot twist” were suggested, with back-and-forth discussion clarifying experience in applying these tools. More than a few of us present admitted difficulty completing works underway, and one possible solution emerged.
 
Among those willing to participate, one individual could share the status of their writing, having pre-arranged specific OWG meeting time dedicated to their project. The group would point out perceived problems with work underway, brainstorming solutions. This approach often is used in many creative businesses, social agencies, etc. We’re quite a diverse group of people, capable of generating a wide range of responses, useful when given with a spirit of helping. Discussion followed about sensitivity to critique of one’s work, with the majority present saying serious analysis and review is welcomed. (A few said they simply are not ready to share their work yet!) Katie pointed out that if everyone participated, nearly a year could feasibly pass before each “turn” presenting/ receiving feedback on their work. A quick tally of who would be willing to initiate this serious review: David, Katie and Shana all said they were willing!
 
At least three people stated they were not in favor of “flash fiction” writing at OWG meetings, for various reasons. Generating writing under time constraints was not appealing, though most said they were willing to bring in work to share with general common theme, from time to time. The idea of greater accountability about our stated goals was shared, an element many want in a writing group.
 
Discussion around readiness of our more/less assigned “Kentucky” work followed; no one had completed their work. Carrie brought a link to consider investigating, as source to underwrite costs of the “Kentucky” chapbook: Ashley.runyon@uky.edu. (University Press of Kentucky, Lexington). Note: later communication from Theresa suggested APRIL meeting deadline, for completing stories/poems/memoirs with the Kentucky theme.
 
Since a number of people voiced “speculative fiction” as preferred genre (including sci fi, fantasy and graphic novel characterization–apologies if mistaken!), some cross-talk included mention of helpful links here as well. Carrie cited www.fanfiction.net, and Helen mentioned www.renquest.com. Another statement: many books originated as “Fan Fiction” and evolved to other kinds of works.
 
Ken has been interested in meeting with writers of mainstream literary fiction. It may be beneficial for several sub-groups to form to support specific genre preferences.
 
Katie recommended www.blogger.com for writers considering this direction, and updated us about living on the Ohio River – what a life!  She is eager to participate while in our area through the summer and early fall.
 
David mentioned having difficulty linking parts of his work in progress. We had been talking about holding a clear sense of the beginning and the ending. Some discussion arose about how to connect the best sections we may be working on, how to edit the less viable sections, etc. Erin mentioned she’d heard “write only the good parts,” a sentiment shared by others at the table. We also discussed the need to “kill your darlings” -­ non-viable elements that must be edited out for the sake of the work.
 
Annabel shared her struggle detailing harsh present-day realities among vicious (Kenyan) rebel groups. Several OWG members responded with support about the necessity of relating these truths: abduction of young boys conscripted into armies, forced prostitution of women and girls, murder of entire families. We touched on the need to set aside severely challenging work from time to time, to regain balance and perspective. Annabel has completed her rewrite of the Bible, from James to Jude, part of her massive endeavor to bring greater female perspectives to fundamentally paternal – and misogynist – Biblical translations.
 
Our wide-ranging interests and strengths are fascinating! I (Kristine) brought an excerpt from a novel underway, around experiences of living with a child who has autism. There was tremendous feedback, including one suggestion for major changes. This was serious critique group work, welcomed and healthy! Other comments included knowing people and having family members dealing with autism. Erin mentioned a quote from Proust, as well as the YR book Wonder, as resources: priceless!
 
Since the meeting, I’ve received a couple links to share here. The Kentucky Literary Newsletter, www.windpub.com/current.htm is available free, and includes listings of monthly writers’ activities, awards, publications of interest, classes at U of L, and more. Most (not all) listings take place at Louisville and Lexington. Also: there will be a free N/F memoir writing workshop with author Jason Howard, at Bowling Green, 3/9, 9-12. For information and to register, contact jessek@warrenpl.org.
 
Thanks to everyone for amazing participation – what a joy to facilitate!

- Kristine Adams

Kristine Adams

Participated in National Novel Writing Month, composing 52,000+ words.  (Continuing revision, research, editing, expansion.)

          Submitted 750 word n/f essay to Web of Life Foundation

          Completed memoriam tribute poem for Billie Watson, mother

          Expanded family history, relative to Kentucky relations, incorporated into poetry for OWG chapbook; material shared with distant family members

          Wrote reviews of literature read through year, for personal use

          Renewed contact with Midwest Writers Group

          Established one-on-one critique exchange with fellow writer

Suzanne Gochenouer AKA Su Zanne

Critiqued and edited first draft of novel for client.

Critiques and edited short stories for clients.

Book Reviews

For Transformational Editor website:

Doxology by Brian Holer

Won Best Entry Award on Novel Publicity Whirlwind Blog Tour

(Also published on Amazon and Goodreads)

The Day of First Sun by Sheryl Steines

House of Order by John Paul Jarmillo

(Also published on Amazon and Goodreads)

Speculation by Edmund Jorgensen

(Also published on Amazon and Goodreads)

She Wulf by Sheryl Steines

Big Bottom Church by Bill Patterson (on Amazon)

Short Stories

“Winter Wonderland” and “Spring Fling”

Flash stories written for Long Ridge Writers Group eNewsletter prompts

“Blues Spring Into Life”

Published in The Gratitude Book Project: Celebrating 365 days of Gratitude, 2013 Edition

“Christmas Gift #1”

“Christmas Gift #2”

Christmas stories for Owensboro Writers Group website

Participated in Owensboro Writers Group Round-Robin story

Articles

“Blog a New Author into Success”

 Published in Writing Craft - Long Ridge Writers Group eNewsletter - 03/19/12

“Writing is a Business: What is Your Book Worth?”

Guest post on Novel Publicity and Co.  Published as “Writers Deserve to be Paid for Their Products: How to Kindly Turn Down Requests for Freebies” – 04/10/12

“Claim It, Shout It: I Am a Writer”

Submitted as entry in Jeff Goins’ You Are a Writer contest

“What One Associate Can Do: Charlotte Paez is Angela’s Support Staff”

Published in Mount Saint Joseph Ursuline Associate Update newsletter 08/12

Blog Posts

Transformational Editor – 73 posts

          5 posts were featured in Friday Features on www.yeseniavargas.com

             Participated in Jeff Goins’ 15 Habits of Great Writers 15-day writing challenge from 06/05/12 – 06/24/12

              Interviewed by Emily Wenstrom on Creative Juicer as a Creative Careerist

Peacemaker’s Path – 46 posts

Owensboro Writers Group – wrote 16 posts and maintained website

Theresa Jewel Pinkston AKA Jewel Ammons

          http://jewelswritingblog.weebly.com/   (most of the blogs were written in 2012)

          http://www.examiner.com/article/petsmart-charities-national-adoption-weekend-2

          http://www.examiner.com/genealogy-in-evansville/theresa-jewel-pinkston

          http://jewelammons.weebly.com/   (check out the “About Me” page for links to my other writing sites)

Kristin Shiflet

          “The Best Town on Earth”

          Short story submitted to Narrative Magazine’s 30 Below Contest

          “Unmasked”

          Flash fiction story submitted to Wow – Women on Writing Flash Fiction Contest – Kristin made it through the first cut but did not place.

          “A Fate Worse than Death”

          Submitted to 100 Words or Fewer Writing Contest

          Gate of Horn

          First draft of a novel for young adults completed during National Novel Writing Month in November.

During the next few weeks, decide if you would like to attend another writers’ meeting during the same month? If yes, what would be the best day and time for you? What do you expect from a second (or maybe a third) meeting? Do you want a serious “working subgroup focused upon mainstream fiction or personal narratives” as Ken Roberts has volunteered to host? Do you want to concentrate on the different aspects of writing each month –with beginnings, characters, plots, timing and more taking up one month each? Or do you want to learn more about the different genres? Whatever you decide, write it down and we’ll discuss this in February.
 
For those of you who have completed your Kentucky piece, I challenge you to research some self-publishing ideas for our anthology. Suzanne has already found several and I suggest you write to her and ask for a copy if you don’t already have one. This ensures you won’t “find” the same companies we already know about. Call the local universities, search online and more. Record and/or print out everything you discover. We’re going to need these by March 16, 2013.

Kristine Adams shared her short story and received excellent support from the group.

Kristin Shiflet read “the major changes” to her Kentucky piece, THE BEST TOWN ON EARTH. She “showed” us a lot more detail about her drive from Madisonville to Union County, including “split-rail fences” (instead of “picket fences”) and at least one tobacco barn. Her story had “leaves hanging down” in the summer and I told her the tobacco wouldn’t even be in the barn at that time. Later, I sent her some pictures of tobacco barns and tobacco plants which she said helps her a lot. Kristin mentioned a few real-life experiences and asked if she should include them in her story. Kristine and I encouraged her to change the names and add them.
 
We learned a few new terms while we were talking. For instance, Carrie told us about “Plot Bunnies” which are when an idea “hops” into your mind and multiply (like bunnies). Then there’s “Meta” when the characters of a story talk directly to the reader or narrator. Kristine wanted to know more about the term “Mary Sue.” David explained that a “Mary Sue” is a girl who can do everything better than anyone else. He or Sierra provided the male equivalent, “Marty Sue or Marty Stew”. When Kristine was still puzzled, I asked her if she had ever watched Star Trek: The Next Generation. She said yes and I told her Wesley Crusher is the perfect example because he’s a cadet and yet he knows how to do everything and, in most cases, is better at things than his more experienced crewmates.