Pitch-In & Other Announcements

Pitch-In: At our next meeting (January 15th) we will have a pitch-in. Please bring a dish to share with the group. We will meet from 6 - 8 p.m., with the pitch-in starting a half hour or so beforehand. Please feel free to come earlier if you need to do any food prep. We do have a full kitchen attached to the meeting room.

Schedule Change: In addition, starting in March our schedule will change. We will meet twice a month -- the first Thursday and the third Thursday. The first Thursday will be a guest speaker, workshop or some type of topic. The third Thursday will be dedicated entirely to submissions. Nothing will change with the submission process. Submissions will still be due by the second Thursday of the month.

Facebook Group: We also have a new Facebook group! Please feel free to invite any area writers to join, even if they have not been attending our meetings: https://www.facebook.com/groups/monroviawritersgroup/.

Upcoming Meeting Dates

The January meeting will be held the third Thursday of the month, which is January 15th.

As usual, submissions are due via email one week before the meeting, which is January 8th before midnight. Please email submissions in word format to monroviawriters@gmail.com.

Starting in March, we will meet twice a month -- the first and third Thursday. The first Thursday of the month will be a workshop. We will have PowerPoints, writing activities, guest speakers, etc. The third Thursday of the month will be entirely dedicated to submissions. At this time we plan to still have the submission deadline remain at the second Thursday of the month. If that changes group members will be updated via email and this blog.

Please send us an email (monroviawriters@gmail.com) if you have any suggestions for topics and activities for the workshops. In particular, any leads on guest speakers would be wonderful.

 

New release: When Books Went to War

Earlier this month "When Books Went to War: The Stories that Helped Us Win World War II" by Molly Guptill Manning was released.                                

The synopsis taken from Amazon reads as follows:

"When America entered World War II in 1941, we faced an enemy that had banned and burned over 100 million books and caused fearful citizens to hide or destroy many more. Outraged librarians launched a campaign to send free books to American troops and gathered 20 million hardcover donations. In 1943, the War Department and the publishing industry stepped in with an extraordinary program: 120 million small, lightweight paperbacks, for troops to carry in their pockets and their rucksacks, in every theater of war.

Comprising 1,200 different titles of every imaginable type, these paperbacks were beloved by the troops and are still fondly remembered today. Soldiers read them while waiting to land at Normandy; in hellish trenches in the midst of battles in the Pacific; in field hospitals; and on long bombing flights. They wrote to the authors, many of whom responded to every letter. They helped rescue The Great Gatsby from obscurity. They made Betty Smith, author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, into a national icon. When Books Went to War is an inspiring story for history buffs and book lovers alike."

Group Member Spotlight: Rose Nicola

Rose Nicola is one of the newest members of the Monrovia Writers Group. She is a graduate of Monrovia High School.

Rose writes fan fiction, much of which is located online at: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4998111/RoseMary2435. Please check it out and be sure to provide her with feedback.

Want to be featured? Send a picture and info to: monroviawritersgroup@gmail.com or talk to Kelly at an upcoming meeting.

Event: Holiday Author Fair - Indiana History Center

Holiday Author Fair at Indiana History Center
Saturday, December 6th from Noon to 4 p.m.
Eli Lilly Hall, Indiana History Center
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, 46202

Meet more than 70 authors at a fun-filled day of mingling and book signing. This year, meet basketball legend Bobby "Slick" Leonard, bestselling author Philip Gulley and the Chicks on the Right.
 
Download the brochure with listing of authors and titles here.
 
The order form is available here.

Free admission includes the Indiana Experience.

Pitch-In Postponed

Our NaNoWriMo pitch-in celebration for tomorrow has been postponed. We will discuss at the December 18th meeting the possibility of moving it to the January meeting.

Group Reminders

Just a few quick reminders about the group:

Group members are responsible for reading submissions BEFORE each meeting.

• Submissions are due by the 2nd Thursday of the month. Generally submissions will be emailed out to the group the next day. That gives everyone a little less than a week to check their email and prepare for the meeting.
• Group members should print out or bring an electronic device on which they can access the submissions. Printed copies are preferred so that you can give your edits and revisions to the writer at the end of the meeting.
• Going forward there will not be extra copies of submissions available at the meeting.

Out of respect for the time of your fellow group members, please only submit for a meeting if you will be in attendance.

• While we understand that emergencies happen, if you submit for a meeting it is expected that you will be in attendance.
• If you miss a meeting that you submitted for, please get in contact with Kelly (monroviawriters@gmail.com) regarding your submission. If we do not have a lot of submissions we may be able to move it to the next meeting, but it will be at the bottom of the list. Your submission will not be automatically moved to the next meeting.

Discussion of submissions is to be treated anonymously. The writer should not participate in the discussion and group members should not directly ask the writer questions or otherwise engage the writer.

• It is very important that these meetings be comfortable and non-confrontational. If the writer interjects or is otherwise engaged in the discussion some members might feel the need to hold back during feedback.
• To that end, going forward all submissions will be anonymous. Please help me out by not including your name on the work. Obviously, over time we will get to know one another's writing styles and content. But we will still treat each work as anonymous and only acknowledge the author after EVERY group member has had the opportunity to speak at least once. I will know who submitted what and will know to skip over the writer.
• At the very end I will ask the writer of the piece if he/she would like to respond to anything that was brought up during the group discussion.

These rules are not meant to be harsh or rigid. Rather, they are important for us to function in an orderly and respectful manner. So far things have been going very smoothly. These guidelines will ensure that things continue to go well in the future.

Upcoming Writing Contests

Below are a few upcoming writing competitions. This is just a small sampling.

More upcoming contests can be found on: http://www.pw.org/grants. The database on the Poets and Writers website allows visitors to search by genre, submissions fees and other criteria.

Tampa Review - Danahy Fiction Prize

Deadline: November 30, 2014

Entry Fee: $20       

Website: http://www.ut.edu/tampareview

E-mail address: utpress@ut.edu

        

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Tampa Review is given annually for a short story. The editors will judge. Submit a story of 500 to 5,000 words with a $20 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Tampa Review, by November 30. All entries are considered for publication. Send an SASE or visit the website for complete guidelines.

Prairie Schooner - Sillerman First Book Prize

 

Deadline: December 1, 2014

Website: http://africanpoetrybf.unl.edu

E-mail address: prairieschooner@unl.edu

        

Sponsored by the African Poetry Book Fund in partnership with Prairie Schooner, a prize of $1,000 and publication by University of Nebraska Press and Amalion Press in Senegal will be given annually for a debut poetry collection by a poet who was born in Africa, is an African national or resident, or whose parents are African. The African Poetry Book Fund editorial board will judge. Using the online submission system, submit a manuscript of at least 50 pages by December 1. There is no entry fee. Call, e-mail, or visit the website for complete guidelines.

 

Friends of American Writers - Literary Award

Deadline: December 10, 2014

Website: http://www.fawchicago.org/awards.php

        

A prize of up to $4,000 is given annually for a book of fiction or creative nonfiction published during the previous year by a writer who is a resident of the Midwest (or who previously resided in the Midwest for at least five years) or whose book features a Midwestern setting. The prize may be split if two winners are selected. Writers who have published up to three books are eligible. Authors or publishers may submit two copies of books published in 2014 and an author bio by December 10. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

 

Sarabande Books - Bernheim Writing Residency

Deadline: December 15, 2014

Website: http://www.sarabandebooks.org/residency       

E-mail address: info@sarabandebooks.org        

        

A two- to six-week residency at Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest in Clermont, Kentucky, will be given annually to a poet, a fiction writer, or a creative nonfiction writer. The resident will also receive a $500 stipend and lodging in a private cottage, and will be required to give one public reading or discussion during the residency. Submit a writing sample of 10 to 20 pages, a letter of intent, and a curriculum vitae by December 15. There is no application fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

 

 

Coming soon to MCPL - Monrovia: "Writing Down the Bones"

The Monrovia branch has ordered Natalie Goldberg's "Writing Down the Bones." While it is not a
new book on writing, it is an important one. Unlike many writing books, this one does not focus on technique. Rather the emphasis of this book is on motivation and inspiration.

Each chapter is only a few short pages. It is an easy book to read completely in one sitting. It is also structured in such a way that one chapter could be read a day for inspiration.

This book will be an excellent addition to the writing books currently available at the Monrovia branch. Please also remember that with your Evergreen card you can request books from any library in the Evergreen system.

New Release: The Indie Author Power Pack

Today the kindle version of "The Indie Author Power Pack" was released on Amazon. The bundle will be available for a limited time only. Below is information on the three books contained in this download:

WRITE. PUBLISH. REPEAT.: The No-Luck-Required Guide to Self-Publishing Success
- Sean Platt & Johnny B. Truant

In 2013, Johnny B. Truant and Sean Platt published 1.5 million words and made their full-time livings as indie authors. In WRITE. PUBLISH. REPEAT., they tell you exactly how they did it: how they created over 15 independent franchises across 50+ published works, how they turned their art into a logical, sustainable business, and how any independent author can do the same to build a sustainable, profitable, future-proof career with their writing.

LET'S GET DIGITAL: How To Self-Publish, And Why You Should
- David Gaughran

The internet has revolutionized every business it has come into contact with, and publishing is no different. These changes are handing power back to the writer. It's up to YOU if you want to profit from them. With practical, hands-on publishing advice; best practices on editing, cover design, formatting, and pricing; and effective marketing strategies that won't eat into your writing time or budget. And that's just for starters...

HOW TO MARKET A BOOK
- Joanna Penn

Get to grips with marketing! Learn the values and marketing principles that will help your long-term career as a writer and encourage you to think more like an entrepreneur, while using short-term tactics to kick up immediate sales. Includes recommendations for branding, content marketing, social networking and working with the media. With methods to take you beyond the book into professional speaking, making money from other products and creating new opportunities.

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