Writing during the holidays

Attendance has been up at our weekly creative writing workshop.  I hope you'll be able to join us soon.

We had our first annual Christmas party this week.  Many members brought a holiday-themed piece to read there.  It was a great time.

We will not have meetings on Tuesday, December 20 or Tuesday, December 27.  Our next meeting will be Tuesday, January 3 at 6:15 PM at the Callahan library.

Our prompt will be...He was almost seven feet tall.  You're free to take the prompt in any direction you like (poetry, drama, non-fiction, fiction, etc.).

Until January 3, happy writing!

Putting up a new flyer

We created a new flyer for our creative writing workshop.  I asked several businesses to put it up in their windows.  They said they would.

Hopefully, we'll see more people come on Tuesday nights to our creative writing workshop.

Recap of Tuesday's (9/27) Workshop

Hello,

We have had three new members join our creative writing workshop the past two Tuesday nights.  Let's welcome M, S and V!

This week, I've been preparing a few pieces of flash fiction to send to various publications.  Flash fiction is very short fiction (usually 1000 words or less) that has a plot.  I enjoy reading and writing flash fiction.  The first link I included below offers a bunch of markets for flash fiction.

Otherwise, here are a couple of links of interest:

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  http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59234
  This is a listing of numerous flash fiction markets.  Some pay :) and some take excerpts of novels.

  www.redroom.com
  Red Room is a forum for writers of all genres.  You must subscribe to their e-newsletter.  Lots of good information here.

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I'm looking forward to next Tuesday's workshop.  Our prompt for next week is...a wrinkled blue shirt.  Of course, you're free to take the prompt in any direction you like (poetry, fiction, non-fiction, drama, etc.).

Until next time...

~Nancy

Recap of Tuesday's (9/13) Workshop

We had a productive workshop Tuesday night.  David Hill and I both participated in the Writers Weekly 24-hour short story contest over the weekend, and we shared our experiences with the group.  Writers Weekly sponsors the contest four times a year.  It costs $5.00 to enter the contest.  More details here:  http://www.writersweekly.com/misc/contest.php

I brought in the 2012 edition of Writer's Market, and we discussed a few aspects of freelance writing.  Some of our members are looking to find new streams of income.  Freelance writing can be a good way to do this.  If you're interested in pursuing freelance opportunities, just let me know.  Both David and I have found markets for our writing, although David has been doing it longer than I have.

Then, we shared our pieces during critique time.  I always love hearing what and how others write.  I brought a short poem I wrote as a tribute to one of my relatives. 

Our prompt for next week is:  If I could stop time....  Of course, you can take the prompt in any direction you like.  Poetry, journal entries, stories, skits, - all are welcome.

We are brainstorming ways to get the word out about the workshop.  David checked into Meetup.com, but he found out they charge $12.00 a month.  I looked into affiliating with the Florida Writers Association, which may be good but we'd have to spend part of our time soliciting memberships.  In the meantime, we'll keep spreading the word and hanging up flyers.  If you know of a school, church, library, coffee shop, etc, where we could hang a flyer, please let me know. 

FYI, we have a group on Facebook.  It's called Callahan Creative Writers Workshop.  Please join! 

Here are links some of you may find interesting: 

  October Fiction in Five Contest
  http://janiewrites.com/writing-contests/a-fiction-in-five-rules/
  Writers have five days to write a short fiction piece on a prompt.  Cost is $5.00.  Deadline to enter is 9/30

  Frank O'Connor Award for Short Fiction
  E-mail:  descant@tcu.edu
  Website:  descant.tcu.edu
  Offered annually for unpublished short stories.
  Deadline:  September - March
  Prize:  $500

  Holiday Screenplay Contest
  Website:  HolidayScreenplayContest.com
  Scripts must be centered on one holiday (New Year's Day, Valentine's Day, Christmas, Kwanzaa, etc.).
  Contest is limited to first 400 entrants, and screenplays must be between 90 and 120 pages.
  Deadline:  November 30
  Prize:  $500

  NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month
  Write a 50,000-word novel between November 1 and November 30, 2011
  Website:  http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/whatisnano


Until next time, keep writing.

~Nancy

Reflections on first meeting

We had nine people come to the first meeting of the Callahan Creative Writing Workshop at the Callahan Library.

Several of the writers brought pieces to be critiqued.

We are all writing responses to the following prompt for next week: Marissa told Claude she wanted some mint chocolate chip ice cream. Writers can take their writing in any direction they like as long as it touches on the prompt in some way.

Hope to see you at our new Callahan Creative Writers Workshop on Tuesday, July 19.

Callahan Creative Writing Workshop Begins July 12 at Callahan Library

Callahan freelance writer Nancy Lee Bethea will host a new creative writing workshop at the Callahan Library beginning Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 6:15pm. The library is located at 450077 Florida 200, Suite 15 in Callahan, Florida.

The workshop will meet weekly and offer opportunities for writers to share their work with each other.

“Each meeting will begin with a short writing exercise to serve as a warm-up,” Bethea said. “Then, we’ll share our writing news and have time to critique any the pieces participants want evaluated,” she added.

Guest speakers or authors will be invited to speak at some of the meetings.

Bethea ran a similar workshop at Chamblin’s Uptown, a bookstore in downtown Jacksonville from May 2010 until April 2011. “I wanted to start a workshop closer to home, so I handed the leadership of the Chamblin’s group over to a teacher-friend of mine back in May,” Bethea said.

Writers of all abilities are welcome. Children who have completed the sixth grade or higher are invited to attend.

“All you need for the meeting is a pad of paper, a pen and your imagination,” Bethea said.

Writers Welcome!

Hello,

On July 12 at 6:15pm, we will start a new creative writing workshop in Callahan, Florida. We will meet at the Callahan Branch Library.

New and experienced writers are welcome!

We will write, share, laugh and offer opportunities for critique.

If you've always wanted to write, this may be just the place for you to get started.

Hope to see you Tuesday, July 12.

~Nancy