https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4w2JtNteBUjdi1aQzgyOVozR0E/view?usp=sharing
May's meeting was really productive, with lots of in-depth discussion and plenty of quality work! We're all writing really well - let's keep it up!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4w2JtNteBUjdi1aQzgyOVozR0E/view?usp=sharing
0 Comments
We had the best meeting *ever*, so read all about it here! https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4w2JtNteBUjQmg3bkFYOUZOMms/view?usp=sharing
Here's the newsletter for March! Enjoy! https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4w2JtNteBUjU25VQ0ZHZ01wT3c/view?usp=sharing
Welcome to February's newsletter! Another great meeting!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4w2JtNteBUjbnJYaTZIdEI3ZUk/view?usp=sharing Welcome to the first newsletter of 2016! The group is going from strength to strength - lots of enthusiasm, lost of stories and lots of plans to improve and promote our writing in 2016!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4w2JtNteBUjTlBLb0kwUEx5Tzg/view?usp=sharing Welcome to the Gamlingay District Writers' Group newsletter for July 2015. We are a friendly, informal group whose aim is to improve our writing through encouraging each other, and by regularly entering
competitions. It is always great if you can write something on topic but if you have something else you are working on we would love to see it. 1. Review of targets The theme for July was "Songs and Song Titles”. A small but good variety of submissions. Songs were used as inspiration, song titles incorporated into stories and song lyrics wound into themes. As usual we encourage members to feed back individual comments to members who were not able to make the meeting this month. Writers can also submit off topic if they wish to and are working on anything. 2. News from members One of our members has completed the first draft of their book and is now having it proof read. He gave us a fantastic top tip: "when proof reading change the font of your copy and read backwards to easily see mistakes in your own writing". 3. Other news We will be looking to move back upstairs at the Potton community Centre for future meetings. Watch this space for news on when that move will be and any potential date changes. For now we continue to be downstairs at the Potton community Centre 2nd Tuesday of every month. At the end of our meetings we will be putting aside time to have a discussion around a pre-agreed topic. This could be discussions around proof reading, top tips on daily writing practise, how to create ideas for copy - anything members would find helpful to discuss and share ideas around. Members are asked to come to the next meeting with some ideas and requests for topics of your own. 4. Discussion of work Our first writer to share their work had written their own song within a story. Part of a piece to be published, it had a sense of dread that was palpable. The dialogue was great but not too heavy. Another entry was written around a Dolly Parton Song - Letter to Heaven. A cleverly moving story around the loss of loved ones with a sad and poignant ending. One Member started their piece by writing the last words and then working backwards! By Picking song titles first and writing their story around them it created a fast paced, lively piece. Paul Simon's 'I am a Rock' was used to inspire one member who used the song as inspiration for his writing. By leaving it ambiguous at the end - the clear characters and great setting inspired different takes and ideas about 'what happened next' from the rest of the group. 5. Aims for the coming months You can find this year's programme of topics on our website at http://gamlingaywriters.weebly.com/ August's task is to write about Adventures abroad. Have you ever had an adventure or holiday overseas turn into a disaster? If you haven't make one up. The deadline is Tuesday 4th August 2015 at midnight and the next meeting is at 7pm on Tuesday 11th August 2015 downstairs in the Potton community building, do contact us at [email protected] if you would like to join us. Coming Up: September's task is to write about Ghosts and Ghouls. Do you still have monsters living under your bed, or do things go bump in the night? Tell us what really makes your heart rise up into your throat with fright! Deadline 01/09/2015 - Meeting at 7pm on 08/09/2015 If you are part of the group and are unable to attend a meeting, you can still have your work discussed if you wish. Please inform us before the meeting and we will gather feedback into a short summary which will be sent to you after the meeting. This will hopefully encourage our 'virtual' members who are unable to attend each meeting to be able to continue to contribute their work for discussion. 6. Tips and competitions Mslexia Women's novel competition is currently open (Deadline 21st September 2015) Find more info here: mslexia.co.uk/competition/novel-competition 1st prize is £5,000 with the winner and four finalists receiving manuscript feedback from the Literacy Consultancy and an invitation to attend a special networking event. Lively meeting this month, we loved the poem topic. A new member too - hope they felt welcome! It was great to discuss the varied submission - if you fancy joining our friendly group email us at [email protected]
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s7m8deFgAKV4FNc_Tjyty9Skh95rXQPNpWKDcAPrL_g/edit?usp=sharing Only seven of us met this month, and someone forgot the biscuits but it was nevertheless an enjoyable and lively meeting with plenty of constructive feedback on the work submitted.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1R9QAgmO2crGSHALAKrA2MTu4boVdHEsBps-j8HrMLcQ/edit?usp=sharing Hello,
Here is the newsletter for January 2015. A really interesting meeting this month with the challenge of 'Flash fiction'. Check out the newsletter for the start and finish sentence for February's submissions. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TsEYksI1noRT_WusB-OKaAT6JZjuc1NGmOY-kNAk3Do/edit?usp=sharing Cheers Rhoda I’ve just discovered a fantastic new tool in the quest to get published – Agent Hunter! I’ve previously used an online agent-finding service that required a yearly subscription. I gave up on it eventually – it was old-fashioned in appearance, all the information on it seemed to be out of date, and although it had a search function, the agent details often hadn’t been updated for a very long time. To be honest, it was quite a depressing experience – the half-hearted site made me feel half-hearted about getting published before I’d even got going. However, up until now there have not been any better alternatives. Of course, it’s possible to compile a list using Google, but the process is laborious and time-intensive, and it gets very disheartening after a while. And the information uncovered is very varied, uneven and often out of date. Enter Agent Hunter! My new project is the memoirs of Anne Dee, the equine communicator. I’ve now written enough to make a convincing approach to agents, so decided to try it out and see what it can do. To start with, the site looks fresh and modern. And then there’s the ‘search’ function. I had an idea of the sort of agent I was looking for – those interested in memoirs, in business for 5 to 10 years, with more than 30 clients, open to approaches from new authors and willing to accept submissions by email. In seconds, I had my list! Hundreds of agents narrowed down to six! There is solid background information on each agent, and some very useful interview-type Q and As so it is possible to get a feel for the type of work they might be interested in. And there are even hints from the agents on the sort of things they like and dislike, to help customise the approach letter. It feels as if you can get to know the agents as real people. And the information is well presented – everything is there which is likely to be the most helpful to budding authors. Another useful feature is that you can save your search and give it a label, so that you can have different searches for different novels. Great for those of us with more than one project on the go. I had already written my approach letter, prepared my writing sample and also my synopsis, so all I had to do was make a few changes to the letter for each agent. Then I could make six approaches in a matter of minutes - a relief after the labour-intensive process that I’ve been through with my other novels. And all for a yearly fee of LESS than the cost of a Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook! So I’ve made a spreadsheet with details of the agents I’ve approached. All I have to do now is cross my fingers and wait…and if I’m unsuccessful on this occasion, I know that I can very quickly and easily choose the agents to try next. Give it a go – it’s head and shoulders above all the other so-called ‘author tools’ that we’ve all struggled with! A very professional site for serious writers! Don’t take my word for it – try it out for yourself here: www.agenthunter.co.uk |
AuthorThe founder of the group. Categories |