Indy Word Lab

 The first Monday of the month Indy Reads Books sponsors a writers workshop known as the "Indy Word Lab." At each meeting the group spends 30-40 minutes writing a prompt provided at the meeting. The remainder of the time is spent in small groups discussing one another's work. Each meeting is facilitated by a local author.

 

The group meets from 7-9 p.m. at the bookstore, which is located at: 911 Massachusetts Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46202. Indy Reads Books is a non-profit bookstore that supports the mission of Indy Reads, an agency dedicated improving adult literacy in Indianapolis.

 

Writers of all ages and experience levels are welcome. It is a free event. However, you are asked to register in advance by visiting: http://www.meetup.com/IndyWordLab/

Indiana Writers Center

If you are located in the Indianapolis metro area the Indiana Writers Center is a wonderful local resource. They offer classes and workshops throughout the year on a variety of topics. The organization is wonderful about ensuring that there are offerings for writers of all skill levels

The Indiana Writers Center is located in north Broad Ripple in the Cultural Complex on the campus of the Indianapolis Art Center. Please note that they do not have regular hours. You will want to visit their website for a list of classes and other events: http://www.indianawriters.org.

NaNoWriMo Pitch-In Celebration

Last night was the first meeting for the NaNoWri group. So far we have writers that have set goals for between 50,000 and 100,000 words for the month of November. The other NaNoWriMo meetings will be held on October 30th, November 6th and November 13th.

In addition to the NaNoWriMo meetings we will also have a pitch-in to celebrate the end of NaNoWriMo on Sunday, November 30th at 3pm. The library closes at 5 p.m., so we will probably only meet for an hour or so to eat and discuss our progress. Please feel free to bring any food to share with the group. We will email out a sign-up sheet for food so that we are not duplicating efforts.

Please remember that our NaNoWriMo meeting are separate from our normal writers group meetings. We will still meet the third Thursday of the month (November 20th) as usual with submissions for that meeting being due one week before.

Butler Visiting Writers Series

On Tuesday, October 28th New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Franzen will be speaking at
Butler University's Clowes Memorial Hall.  Franzen has won the National Book Award for Fiction and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

The talk will take place at 7:30 p.m. It is free and open to the public.

For more information about the series, please visit: http://news.butler.edu/blog/2014/09/vws-fall-14/

Ready for NaNoWriMo?

For the last 15 years November has been the official month for NaNoWriMo - aka National Novel Writing Month. Writers are challenged to write 50,000 words between November 1st and midnight on November 31st. Writers can make outlines and otherwise plan their novel, but no writing is supposed to take place before November 1st. Writers can sign up on NaNoWriMo's website and track their progress.

While writers are always welcome to visit the library and write, we would like to extend a special welcome for the month of November. As always, please feel free to stop by any time during our open hours. There is a study room, a community room, several tables and study carrels. The library has free WIFI. Those without a computer can use any library computer by signing in with their library card.

On October 23rd, October 30th, November 6th and November 13th the group will be meeting in the community room from  6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Please feel free to come as often (or little!) as you like during the month of November. These will not be formal meetings, but rather just a time for those participating to gather and discuss their progress. One of our group members has generously offered to share her NaNoWriMo kit with the group

On November 20th the Writers Group will meet as usual from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. As usual, we will go over submissions and discuss one another's works. We will spend our remaining time discussing how to structure a novel. Please remember that submissions will be due one week before the meeting, which is November 13th. Please see the submissions page in the navigation bar for more information on submitting work for our meeting

Website: http://nanowrimo.org/

Upcoming Indiana Conferences

Below you will find some information on two major writing conferences that take place in Indiana each year:

Indiana University Writers' Conference

IU will host their annual writers' conference May 30- June 5, 2015 in Bloomington, Indiana. The website is currently be revamped and more information will be added later. The website has links to the official facebook page and twitter account for the conference.

Website: http://www.indiana.edu/~writecon/
E-mail: writecon@indiana.edu

Midwest Writers Workshop

The 42nd annual Midwest Writers Workshop will be held July 23-25, 2015 in Muncie, Indiana. Registration will open in February. Last year's workshop had over 35 instructional classes regarding fiction, non-fiction, marketing and publishing.

Website:http://www.midwestwriters.org/
E-mail: http://www.midwestwriters.org/contact/
Phone: (765) 282-1055
  

Indy Author Fair

Next weekend the Indy Author Fair will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m, on Saturday, October 25, 2014 at Central Library. The library is located at 40 East St. Clair Street Indianapolis, IN. The event is free to the public.

Below is a schedule of events:

10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
Overview of Publishing: Have Yourself a Fling with Writing or Make It a Lifelong Career – Clowes Auditorium
Presented by the Indiana Writers Center and featuring Nancy Baxter.
 
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Meet the Authors – Clowes Auditorium
Sit down with the winners and finalists of the 2014 Eugene & Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award as they discuss their writing and connections to Indiana. Book sales and signings will follow.
Featuring Michael Shelden, Norbert Krapf, Jessica Brockmole, Clifford Garstang and Kelsey Timmerman

12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Indy Author Fair: Meet Hoosier Authors – Simon Reading Room
Network with more than 40 up-and-coming Indiana authors, who offer a wide variety of writing styles and genres. Book sales and signings will be available. Click here for a list of participating authors.
 
12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
Calling All Young Authors! – Learning Curve Arena
A writing workshop for ages 8 and up. Presented by the Indiana Writers Center and featuring Rebecca Kai Dotlich and Barbara Shoup.

1:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Get Started! – Knall Room
Have you been thinking about writing for a long time and just not doing it? Do you wonder how to connect with other writers in the Indianapolis area? “Get Started” offers writing exercises and lively conversation about writing and the writing life that’s guaranteed to jump start the process of becoming the writer you want to be. Presented by the Indiana Writers Center and featuring Kip Robisch. Registration required; call (317) 275-4119.

Writing and Publishing for Children – Clowes Auditorium
This session will offer an overview of writing and publishing for young people, from picture books through YA. You will learn practical advice about how to make time for writing, how to evaluate manuscripts, how to submit manuscripts and where to go for information about current books, publishers and organizations for children’s book writers. Presented by the Indiana Writers Center and featuring John David Anderson, Rebecca Kai Dotlich and Barbara Shoup. Registration required; call (317) 275-4119.

Writing and Publishing Nonfiction Books – Goodrich-Houk Room
This session will offer an overview of how to publish a nonfiction book, including tips on how to organize your material, how to write a book proposal, and how to find the right publisher for the book you want to write. Presented by the Indiana Writers Center and featuring Nancy Baxter and Douglas Wissing. Registration required; call (317) 275-4119.

Blogging for Writers – Learning Curve Arena
Blogs are an effective and important tool for writers. This session will cover the fundamentals of blogging. Presented by the Indiana Writers Center and Sarah Layden. Registration required; call (317) 275-4119.

3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Get Started! – Knall Room
Have you been thinking about writing for a long time and just not doing it? Do you wonder how to connect with other writers in the Indianapolis area? “Get Started” offers writing exercises and lively conversation about writing and the writing life that’s guaranteed to jump start the process of becoming the writer you want to be. Presented by the Indiana Writers Center and featuring Kip Robisch. Registration required; call (317) 275-4119.

Writing and Marketing Genre Fiction – Clowes Auditorium
This session will be invaluable to those who hope to write speculative fiction (science fiction, horror, fantasy), Westerns and/or mysteries. You’ll gain inside knowledge about how to break into these markets and tips for catching an editor’s eye. You’ll also learn how to write a query letter, synopsis and pitch, which will give your book its best shot at publication. Presented by the Indiana Writers Center and featuring Maurice Broaddus, Tony Perona, and Larry Sweazy. Registration required; call (317) 275-4119.

Writing and Publishing Humor – Goodrich-Houk Room
In this session, participants will learn the formula for writing humor, techniques professionals use for “writing funny” and how to find a market for the kind of humor they write. Presented by the Indiana Writers Center and featuring Erik Deckers. Registration required; call (317) 275-4119.

Writing About Your Life – Learning Curve Arena
Sometimes our lives scream and sometimes they whisper – and most of the time they are imperfect. But they are always rich with stories that define and validate us and bring insight and resolution in the telling. The Quakers have a saying, “Let your life speak.” This session will help you find the voice to tell your own stories and provide strategies for getting them down on the page. Presented by the Indiana Writers Center and featuring Darolyn (Lyn) Jones. Registration required; call (317) 275-4119.

Fall Foliage Festival Poetry Winners

The Morgan County Public Library and the Martinsville Arts Council have announced the winners of the Fall Foliage Festival Poetry Contest.

Elementary 1st Place: Jill Ramsey
Middle School 1st Place: Becca Clark
High School 1st Place: Carmen Paul

Adult 1st Place: Beverly Rossell
Adult 2nd Place: Penny Franey
Adult 3rd Place: Michael Weaver

Meeting Dates & Flyer

Most months we will meet the third Thursday of the month from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Please double check this page for exact dates as that might vary a bit from time to time. Our upcoming meeting dates and topics are as follows:

October 16, 2014 - Showing v. Telling

November 20, 2014 - Structuring Your Novel

December 18, 2014 - Social Media Promotion for Writers

Please feel free to share our flyer. Click here for PDF copy that you can print and distribute.

Submit Your Contact Information!

For those who are planning on attending a future meeting, please shoot me a quick email at monroviawriters@gmail.com with your

name, phone number and email address. That will ensure that you are on our email distribution list. We already have one submission for the October 16th meeting and I would like to be able to pass it (and any other submissions that come in) along to as many members as possible in advance of the meeting. If you are not sure if you will make it, that's fine! You have no obligation to attend but I would like to make sure everyone is prepared in case they do attend. :)

If you have a submission, feel free to send that along as well! Submissions are always due by email the second Thursday of the month. At this time we are not limiting the quantity of work submitted, but if your work is very long or if we have multiple submissions we may hold a piece for the following meeting.

Don't forget that Thursday, October 16th is our first meeting. We will start on time at 6 p.m. and go until 8 p.m. In addition to discussing submissions we will talk about the "showing v. telling" in writing. Bring something to write with (pen/paper or electronic device) and we will see you then!