AUGUST GUEST SPEAKER

The Northeast Texas Writers’ Organization will have Jim Ainsworth as guest speaker at the August meeting.

Jim, a long-time NETWO member, has written, taught and entertained audiences on subjects as diverse as financial planning, time management, politics, selling, the cowboy life, the value of family stories, setting and reaching goals, writing and publishing. His focus is to entertain, inform and inspire audiences about the power of stories in our lives.

Jim is the author of a memoir, Biscuits Across the Brazos, four novels, which include the River trilogy and his 2010 novel, Home Light Burning, as well as numerous articles and business books.

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear Jim speak. You’ll be glad you came. @

ONLINE CRITIQUE GROUP PROJECT

Report by Paul Paris

We have 22 writers in the online critique group…wow! Thanks so much for your interest. I received many great e-mails and suggestions as to how to proceed. Here are the guidelines:

1. The writer will query the group to see who feels qualified/interested in the piece and can devote the time necessary for a thorough critique. If a large number reply, then the writer can choose however many people he wants to see his work. The key element is communication. If you accept a piece to critique and circumstances arise which are going to delay your review, by all means let the writer know immediately so that he can go to someone else.

2. Make comments within the work using a different color font. At the end, make general comments concerning story line, characters, etc. If you do not want to use this method, then use something else…we are not going to make this a show stopper.

3. Please make your critique within seven days or notify the writer that you will be delayed.

4. No particular style will be used (i.e., Chicago, AP, etc.).

Thanks to all of you for your help!

Minutes of July 2010 Meeting

Submitted by Joy M. Chitsey

Vice President Skip Hughes presided over the Northeast Texas Writers’ Organization meeting July 9^th at Applebee’s restaurant in Mt. Pleasant, Texas.

Eighteen members attended the meeting which began at 5:30 p.m. Julie Berg became the newest member of NETWO.

Skip asked that all members remember Gay Ingram at this time due to the untimely death of her son. Flowers had been sent to the Ingram family. Both Treasurer Bryan

Freeman and President Ted Rankin were unable to attend because of not feeling well.

Business Portion:

The treasury report was given: NETWO has a sum of $11,700.00 in the bank.
Two checks have been mailed: one to the Post Office and the second one to Camp Shiloh to secure the dates for next year’s conference (April 29^th and 30^th).
Members were reminded once again of the importance of supporting The Storyteller, a quarterly magazine which has been printing NETWO’s Short Story Contest winners. The cost is $20.
Floy Smith needs stories for NETWO’s monthly newsletter. Skip reminded everyone that “we are writers.”

Jean Pamplin suggested giving a memorial for Gay Ingram’s son.
Jackie Brown asked why NETWO has so much money in the bank. Jim Callan replied that at one time the organization had two bank accounts and now due to such low interest rates the monies were combined. Skip also gave credit to the management of past conferences by Jim Callan.
Pattie Ball handed out the summary of the critique sheets from the conference. A brief discussion on whether or not to let the Friday before next year’s conference be a whole day of workshops. No decisions were made.
Paul Paris passed around a sign-up sheet for those interested in an online critique group.
Jim Callan asked if members were interested in having a guest speaker for the August meeting and brought up the idea of having a Memoir Workshop open to the public in the fall. Skip appointed Jim Callan and Paul Paris to research the plan. The workshop would probably be held at the Pizza Inn in Pittsburg.
Karen Watt reported on the Mt. Pleasant Chamber of Commerce. Membership cost would be $80 a year. There would be many opportunities to reach surrounding area with information about NETWO such as a website and a directory. Karen moved that NETWO join the chamber, Jean Pamplin seconded and the motion carried.
A discussion was held on other meeting locations—Blalocks’, Luigi’s, and the hospital. Earlene moved that we stay at Applebee’s, Pattie seconded and the motion carried.
Jim Callan told the group that he had received a complimentary letter from Peggy Moss Fleming on how well the conference had been run and that she would enjoy coming again.
Jim also reminded the club that

NETWO needs to make sure to file

The 90NE form yearly to keep the

non-profit status. Failure to do so

would be very costly to re-file.

· Jean Pamplin announced that Skip Hughes had won 2^nd place in a writing competition. The prize is paid tuition at a two-and-a-half week writers’ conference in Kenya, Africa. Skip will have to raise a considerable amount to cover travel expenses. Jean suggested that NETWO sell books during Winfield Bar-B-Que Cook-off to help sponsor Skip. Skip told the group that he is pursuing other avenues to help with the cost.

One is to work through NETCC. Karen Watt suggested appointing Skip as a representative of NETWO to Kenya. This would help with raising money through other means.

After discussing the possibilities, Karen made a motion that we choose Skip to be a representative of NETWO. Jim Callan seconded. Motion carried . .

Ken Swinford will have a book signing in Mt. Pleasant at Hastings July 24^th and then at Hastings in Longview July 31^st.
Member Jerry Clark will have a book coming out at the end of this month.
Skip Hughes had a poem accepted for publication in an anthology.

Reading Portion:

Pattie Ball read the first scene from her mystery/romance novel—Laid- Out and Candle Lit.
Bill Carl read from his novel Flip of the Coin, a mainline fiction.
Karen Watt read from her autobiography, If Time.
Paul Paris read Jerry Clark’s patriotic poem entitled Silence of the Quills.
Skip Hughes read a portion of his

opera libretto, Senatus Americus. @

BOOK SIGNINGS

A number of NETWO members had book signings in the past month.

Gay Ingram signed books (including her latest, (Twist of Fate), on Friday, July 16^th and Saturday, July 17^th, at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts.

Photo by Bryan Freeman

Ken Swinford signed In This Earth and in Heaven at Hastings Book Store in Mt. Pleasant on July 24^th.

Photo by Bryan Freeman

Frank Carden, NETWO member in New Mexico signed his debut novel, The Prostitutes of Post Office Street, (Galveston ’54) at the Way Out West Texas Book Festival

In Alpine, Texas last weekend, July 29, 30 and 31.

A broadcast interview was held with Gay Ingram on Tuesday, August 3^rd. Gay discussed her books Twist of Fate (a novel set in the 1700’s in Illinois) and Troubled Times (a novel set during the Civil War. The broadcast was streamed live via the Internet on www.tantalk.com and on WTAM-AM 1340 in Tampa Florida and KLRG-AM 880 in Little Rock, Arkansas. @

CURE THOSE REJECTION BLUES

A 12-STEP PROGRAM FOR REJECTION

By Gay Ingram

Discouraged because that short story you spent so much time on got rejected? Again? If you’re convinced this is one of your better pieces and wondering why it didn’t get accepted for publication, perhaps the twelve points listed below will help push it past rejection.

Follow the guidelines. Every one keeps repeating it - ever wonder why? Guidelines are there to instruct you about what the editor wants. He/she’s the one you have to please. Take the time to read and understand how that particular editor wants the submitted piece to look like. And do it their way!
Produce clean copy. Nothing puts off an editor like copy that’s riddled with misspellings, incorrect word usage, improper grammar or typing errors. Check, check and recheck before sending anything out.

            Start with the beginning. Short stories need to begin with a "pow." Don’t start with a      preamble, trying to prepare your reader for what the story is all about. Jump right into action that is critical to the story.
            Limit your characters. Focus on just two or three characters. A short story hasn’t room for a       crowd of characters. Develop one or two memorable characters that will resonate with your      readers. Create a character who will leave a lasting impression and provide a satisfying read.
            Create unforgettable characters. Give your readers more than a name and a visual      description. Use a variety of means to develop a character that jumps off the page and becomes           real to the reader. By using such things as distinct style of dress, mannerisms, particular      expressions and attitudes, your character will grab the readers’ imagination.
            Play characters against each other. Disparate characters who bounce off each other add          sparkle to your story. Building an entire story around one character tends to bore readers unless             the problem needing solving is compelling. Two or more characters who have differences and           conflict will jack up the level of suspense in your story.
            Keep your story moving. Don’t get bogged down in details that aren’t needed to develop the       plot. Cut out any, "She did this and then she did that before she could do this" stuff. Too boring.
            Make your story fresh and unique. Don’t waste your time creating cliche characters and           overused topics. Craft something that will surprise the reader – give them an unexpected                 situation or an ending with a twist. On the other hand, remember to keep the believability factor      in mind.
            Have a strong theme.　Make sure something worth remembering happens in your story. Don’t disappoint your readers with a story where nothing really impressive happens. Create a story that will produce a degree of satisfaction in the reader.
            Dialog needs to zing. Write dialog that is realistic and natural. Avoid stilted language that             doesn’t reflect the character you’ve created. Reading your story out loud will help you to hear if          the dialog is awkward or unnatural.
            Endings need to end. Make certain your ending resolves the plot’s conflict/problem. Once            you’ve come to the end, don’t go on, giving the reader more just in case he/she might not get it.
            Remember editors are human too. Whether someone likes or dislikes a particular story is a      very subjective decision. Your story may be flawless, well-written and captivating but perhaps the editor just doesn’t take to "comedic chance meeting" types of stories. That’s life. Send it         somewhere else – to some other market you story appears to fit.

Getting a short story accepted for publication takes paying attention to the little things. Taking the time to do that shows the editor you are professional about your writing. Paying attention to the pointers above will go a long way toward moving your story from the "reject" to the "accepted" box. @

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Gay has provided information about businesses in Pittsburg offering free space for vendors at Chickfest. They include Bunn Flowers & Gifts, Cavender’s Western Wear & Hoover’s Jewelry.

Maryann Miller of Winnsboro will let Bunn Flowers know if anyone from NETWO wants to do it. She can be reached at mcm0704@gmail.com or you can call 903-856-2691. @