December 2017 Calendar of Writing-Related Events - updated 12/18

Hello, Fellow Writers!

Below is a sampling of some of the writers groups and free events taking place in the area that you may wish to attend. Drop us a line if you know of others we can include, or any errata. whitesborowriters@gmail.com

Check back periodically because we update these posts as we become aware of other events.

And be sure to check out the library's events calendar for more events of all kinds.

___________________________
Thursday, December 7,  Noon to 2 PM

The Remsen Writers’ Group 

--meets at the Didymus Thomas Library. Group members participate in area open mics, hold an annual evening of member’s readings, and publish short works monthly in the Rural Star. Any one interested in writing, young or old, is welcome to attend; however, the library is not handicap accessible. Facilitating the group is Sheila K. Harris, who can be reached at tellingtimes@roadrunner.com for more information.

We have been discussing the writing of mysteries and find that it can be very idiosyncratic - not necessarily just murder mystery, but the inherent mystery in the stories that we write. What is it that we do not know and how is that ok? If you are feeling so inclined, how about trying your own mystery story for the group's next meeting?

---------------------------------------------------

Saturday, December 9, 10:30 AM - 

Poetry Plus- 

Meets 2nd Saturday of each month in the Dunham Library Boardroom, facilitated by Lorraine Kreimeyer. Bring poems of your own or others you like, to read and enjoy.

----------------------------------------------------

Thursday, December 14, 1- 3 PM

PLOTTERS INK FICTION WRITING GROUP 

 Last meeting until further notice

Meeting downstairs in the Dunham Public Library Board Room.

For 2017, each writer may select the same or new GENRE each month. Please identify what that genre is - it may not be obvious to anyone but you. Here are your choices:

Biographical/Historical… Dystopia… Ethnic… Horror… Humor… Mystery… Science Fiction…Travel…Urban Myth… Western…Young Adult…or Writer’s Choice: (i.e., anything not on the list as long as it’s fiction). Group facilitated by CJ Alexander.

Please bring copies so we can read along with you as you share your story.

For details, see: http://whitesboronywriters.blogspot.com/2017/03/april-2017-plotters-ink-assignment.html

-- We PUBLISH your ORIGINAL FICTION on our online blog-azine: PLOTTERS INK

( Publication is NOT  mandatory- submit your piece for publication, if desired. You may submit stories even if you do not attend meetings. Send submissions to whitesborowriters@gmail.com)

---------------------------------------------------

   NO MEETING IN DECEMBER

 Canastota Public Library Writers MONDAY Group  

--meets the second and fourth Monday at 6:30 PM in the Canastota library. Facilitated by Beth Totten.

---------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, December 12, 3-5 PM 

CANASTOTA TUESDAY WRITERS GROUP  - 

meetings are held in the Canastota Library every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month.

--------------------------------------------------

Monday, December 18,  6:00-8 pm (Moved up a week due to Christmas)

MONDAY WRITERS GROUP (Whitesboro) 

-- WE PUBLISH YOUR ORIGINAL PROSE!*

The Monday Writers Group – held in the Boardroom of the Whitesboro Dunham Public Library  - is a group of amateur writers of all ages and skill levels. Writing assignments should be prose, either fiction or non-fiction, approximately 400-500 words or the side of one page. The writing prompts for this month are either THE FUNERAL or A story based upon an adage of your choice (google "Adage List" for examples. Adages are popular sayings, cliches that everyone has heard of, such as "A rolling stone gathers no moss"  or "Penny wise, pound foolish" and many, many more.)

This event is open to adults. For more information, call 736-9734.

Please visit our online blog-azine:  http://dplmondaywriters.blogspot.com/ 

* Publication is NOT  mandatory- submit your piece for publication, if desired. You may submit stories even if you do not attend meetings. Send submissions to whitesborowriters@gmail.com. 

----------------------------------------------------

UTICA WRITERS CLUB 

Wednesday, December 20, 2017 - 6-8:45 PM

Utica Writers Club monthly meeting at 6 PM in the Kirkland Library, Clinton, NY.

Meetings are conducted in "round table" style, in which member and visitor readings are presented to the group for constructive comments. All varieties of writing, regardless of genre, are discussed and encouraged by the Club.

President Monica Reid will facilitate the group.

(Contact information pending- call the Kirkland library at (315) 853-2038  for now.)

___________________________________

 Canastota Public Library Writers MONDAY Group  
   NO MEETING IN DECEMBER

--meets the second and fourth Monday at 6:30 PM in the Canastota library. Facilitated by Beth Totten.

---------------------------------------------------

Monday, December ??,  6:00-8 pm - (Call to verify) 315-633-2253

BRIDGEPORT WRITERS GROUP  (note same day/time as Whitesboro Group)

The Bridgeport Writer's Group meets the last Monday of each month at 6:30 at the Bridgeport Library on North Road in Bridgeport.

----------------------------------------------------

 Tuesday, December 26, 3-5 PM  (Call to verify)

CANASTOTA TUESDAY WRITERS GROUP  - meetings are held in the Canastota Library every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month.

----------------------------------------------------
 Tuesday, December 26, 6 PM  (call to verify)

ROME WRITERS GROUP  - meetings are held in the Rome (Jervis) Library the lst Tuesday of the month. For more details, please call the library at (315) 336-4570.

----------------------------------------------------

Writers Honoring Veterans- 2017- Recap and Photos

Project Coordinator Brian Michael Miga

Ten local veterans were recently honored for their service to our country at a reception in the New Hartford American Legion.

A good turnout!

The project, "Writers Honoring Veterans - 2017" was masterminded by local attorney Brian Michael Miga. Last spring, Brian put out feelers to local writers and the public through the Utica OD and Veteran's organizations, hoping to garner interest in the project. Several volunteers donated substantial amounts of  time to conduct personal interviews with the vets and/or or their families, to photograph memorabilia, do research and eventually write the presentations for the individual tributes.

The project culminated on November 7, 2017, at which time the participating writers presented bound books detailing each individual veteran's  personal military experiences to the veterans who were able to attend, or to their family members if not. A sizable crowd of well-wishers and veteran leaders attended the festivities.

In addition, soft-cover anthologies containing all ten tributes were printed and will be given to various project participants, local schools and at least one US Armed Forces venue.

A copy of the anthology will be donated to the Dunham Public Library for anyone who is interested in viewing and reading the stories of these men and women who served the United States during World War II, Korean War, Vietnam, and the more recent Mid-East conflicts.

This is community spirit and collaboration at its best. Congratulations and thanks to Brian, the writers and especially the veterans whose stories will now be shared with family, friends and the general public.

The photos below are of the writers and their honored veterans (or veteran's representative).

Darcelle Bleau (l)  and Victoria Scarborough (r) for Dolly (Nina June Marvin)

Caren Pepper (r)  for Sylvester Puccio

Bob Sblendorio (r) for Albert Circelli (l)

Karen Jacobson (r) for Donald F. Rothdiener (l)

Bob Sblendorio (r) for Dave Wilson (l)

Brian Miga (r) for Joseph Rositano (l)

Debbie Hornesky (l) for Daniel J. Geary

Debbie Hornesky (far left) Bob Sblendorio (seated) for Gary Markowicz (center right)

Brian Miga (r) for Joseph Costello (l)

Linna Miller (l) for George Andrew Wood

Cake by Andrea Graves, Classy Cakes, Marcy, NY

Funds for the printing of the tributes and anthologies courtesy of Don and Enessa Carbone of the Carbone Auto Group.

Formatting for publication by Darcelle Bleau.

Proofreading and editing by CJ Alexander. 

Summer Writers’ Workshops at the Old Forge Library:

Photo credit- Old Forge Library

 Adult and Young Adult Workshops will be held on 6 Wednesdays from July 5 through August 9 at the Old Forge Library, 220 Crosby Blvd. Young Adults will meet from 4-5:30 p.m. and   Adults from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.   The director of both workshops will be Paula Roy. Enrollment is limited.  Please call the Library (315-369-6008) to register for either workshop. These workshops are funded by NYSCA: the Literature Program with support from Governor Andrew Cuomo and the NYS Legislature.

Paula Roy is a writer and published author. She retired from her position as Chairperson of the Department of English at Westfield High School in New Jersey. She continues to work as a consultant to schools and teachers. Articles written by Paula about teaching, gender issues and homophobia in schools have appeared in books and journals. Her poetry has been published by such literary magazines as Blueline, Moon Journal, Waterways, Adirondac, Crone’s Nest, Iris, Earth’s Daughters, and Ruah. A chapbook entitled The Gradual Day was published in 2004. She has served as director of previous library summer writing workshops, scholar-facilitator of several discussion and literacy programs sponsored by the New York State Council on the Humanities. She has also created and led a series of film discussions at the Old Forge Library. 

Open Call- "WRITERS HONORING VETERANS 2017"

From: Brian Michael Miga

            315 724-4545

            BMiga41@aol.com

To: Local Writers

Re: Veteran’s Stories

I hope you will consider using your talents to honor local veterans. Please take a look at this brief introduction. This will be a rewarding project for all involved. - BMM

                                               

                                    WRITERS HONORING VETERANS 2017

Sam had moved a few feet to aid in the navigation of the plane while they were taking fire; he looked back and could see that that place he had been standing seconds ago was now riddled with bullet holes. Half of the mission crew had parachuted out. Sam stayed to help navigate, hopefully back over the Channel.

            This is all we will ever learn of the 29 bombing missions over France that Sam made. The mission referenced hereinabove was one of the fiercest but the skeleton crew left in the plane was able to limp back over the Channel.

            Sam has passed and took so many stories with him; we are losing our veterans (at rate of 492 per day for WW2 vets alone!) and their personal stories every day.

            Are you a writer willing to spend some time and talent to help great people like Sam preserve their stories for all purposes? I was fortunate to be able to put together one soldier's story that of a Silver Medal Recipient who saved his company when it wqas pinned down by machine gun fire near Cherbourg.  His family (my family) saved his letters and even torn postcards for seven decades.  His relatives and friends are very appreciative to have a written account of his exploits.  His story is even in the World War II Museum in New Orleans, local libraries, Utica college and two historical societies.

             Our veterans deserve to be honored; their stories should not pass with them. You have the talent to tell their story. It takes some commitment. What commitment did the veterans have? We have started a program - Writers Honoring Veterans 2017- which is briefly outlined here. We have met with several veteran group leaders (we will be contacting more soon) and they are quite excited about the possibilities and were throwing one name after another at me.  If you are a writer who can give some of your talent and time to help a very worthy cause, please email or call. Their stories should not perish. Their families will receive copies and we will ask the Oneida County Historical Society to preserve their stories.  We will set deadlines for writer commitments, veteran applications, writing completion (rough), printing of booklets and presentation to veterans and families on Veterans Day.  This is a worthy way to use your talent.

 Brian Michael Miga

315 724-4545

BMiga41@aol.com

Last Darn Rites Anthology- OPEN CALL

The Whitesboro Writers Group, spearheaded by your editor CJ Alexander, is now moving forward with LAST DARN RITES, "Going, Going, Gone", which is  primarily a humorous or satiric look at death, dying, funerals, mourning, the afterlife, whatnot. Death from the point of view of the decedent, relatives, kids, friends, gravediggers, morticians, ghosts, God, or other entities. (Yes, I do know death is serious business and I don't mean any disrespect, but...)

Not looking for vampire, zombie or  other horror story material. Sorry!


If interested, compose as per the following:

     Flash fiction or poems of up to 1,000 words
     Strive to be daring, original, thoughtful and outrageous!
     Submit your story to whitesborowriters@gmail.com as a doc attachment.

     Deadline for submissions  is November 22, 2016.


Please note: Your inclusion in the anthology does not guarantee royalties. Compensation for your story or poem will be based on sales above a minimum threshold, which will be stipulated in the contract.

Pilgrimage to Medina

On February 29, Miriam and CJ drove to the historic small village of Medina, NY – an impromptu trip to get a feel for the place and discover tidbits to inspire our novel-in-progress (whose working title is PAWN). 

Medina (Mid-DINAH) is roughly halfway between Rochester and Niagara Falls in Orleans County. It is a few miles south of Lake Ontario and in 1825 the Erie Canal connected the village to the lake, which helped it to prosper.

Because the day was so windy and brutally cold we didn’t meander through the streets. It was all we could do not to get blown over, and as a result we didn’t stay there long at all, but during lunch we asked the waitress if there was a pawn shop (no). Oh well.

Police Station

Very few of the businesses were open so we couldn’t even buy a baguette at the patisserie (yes, there was one, complete with awning as in Episode 15 “BEAU” ) -  Günter opened the door and the pair quickly strode to their usual spot under the awning of the village patisserie. The scent of buttery croissants and yeasty baguettes perfumed the air.

Details like this help a story to come alive.  Here are some more things we observed during our brief visit:

This church is in Ripley's Believe it or Not. It stands in the middle of the road!

Beautiful stonework

Beautiful architecture and embellishments abound on private and public buildings.  Many of the old structures are made of quarried local sandstone, and many stone walls and foundations are constructed of local fieldstone. It is easy to imagine the LaForte Mansion looking like some of these buildings, a short buggy ride from downtown.

There is a Tavern called “The Walsh House”, built in 1854, (See below) which has till recently rented out rooms, such as by the Widow Facheux to Gunter. As a matter of fact, a man was sitting on the porch there despite the biting wind. Just like Gunter, the Watcher, he was watching and waiting…for what?  Someone to write his story….

In the winter (not a winter like this one, with very little snow), it must have been a real problem for people coming into and out of Medina. As we drove up Route 77/63, which took us through the Iroquois Indian Natural Wildlife Preserve, the woods adjoining the road were flooded right to the shoulder. It’s easy to imagine that when it rains hard, the town might be inaccessible to traffic, even today. What must it have been like for stage coaches and horses, in 1845?

Along the road in the swampy area were many upturned trees, baring their root balls for all to see, and the branches of wild red dogwood twigs providing colorful respite from the drab leafless trees and overcast skies.

The area surrounding and leading into Medina is farm country. We weren’t sure what kind of farms but we did pass one sign that said “potatoes”. There may have been dairy farms as well as wheat and corn fields, but we also saw a large plot of land full of grapevines along Route 77. The Niagara region produces Concord grapes for eating as well as juice and wine.

There was a gigantic water  or grain) tower near the train station that captivated my attention. All in all, it was a lot of driving for a trip of short duration, but provided enough detail to inspire us for a lot of episodes to come.

(All photos by CJ Alexander) 

Silver Pen Writers Announces Writing Contest

We are pleased to share the news about a writing contest with all of the writers and readers affiliated with the Whitesboro Writers Group. One of our own, your editor and friend CJ ALEXANDER,  has been asked to be one of the judges in this contest sponsored by SILVER PEN WRITERS, and she has enthusiastically agreed to lend a hand. We encourage all of you to enter, but you must be a member of Silver Pen in order to do so. Here's a link to the organization.  http://silverpenwriters.org

 There are many benefits to membership, including peer review of your stories and poems by both amateurs and highly respected, published poets, novelists and short story writers. Skill levels don't matter- the staff there helps everyone who participates. There are discussion forums, reviews to give as well as receive, writing tips from experts, and much more.  Sign up today and join in the fun!

CONTEST #1 OF 2016

Starting March 1, Silver Pen members are invited to submit original flash fiction stories for the first writing contest of 2016. This time, stories will be posted by the administrator - with no bylines - in a special forum reserved for this purpose. Members may view and comment on the stories, and contestants will be allowed one revision after reviewing members’ comments, if they so desire. The submission deadline is March 15, 11:59 PM, MDT.

Voting will take place after the contest is officially closed. The finalists will be selected as follows: the entire popular vote will constitute 25% of the total, and each of the three judges’ votes will count for 25%. Judges will be announced shortly.

What’s a contest without prizes? The winner will receive a badge for their profiles and 20 points will be added to their Silver Pen Writers accounts. In addition, CJ Alexander, managing editor of the Whitesboro Writers Group, will publish the winning stories on their Plotters Ink Fiction Writing blog. This online publication attracts international readership as well as contributors, some of whose names you will recognize. Additional prizes are under consideration and may be added to sweeten the pot.

Interested? Here are two of the contest rules.(You can view the rest if you become a member).

1. Your story must contain at least 400 and no more than 600 words.

2. There is no specified theme or prompt, but at least five of six words (or any form of them) must appear in the story. The six words will be announced on March 1, so stay tuned. ---> Here they are:

drain, swollen, ambition, absurd, aftershock and boardroom

Book Review – Dark Chocolate, A Mother’s Puzzle - by Monica Reid

Chances are you know someone who suffers from the condition known as AUTISM. If that person is a family member living in your own household – your sibling or your child – you will readily relate to the challenges Monica Reid’s family encountered as told in this charmingly crafted little book. Everyone else will get their eyes opened. Wide.   

This first-time mother’s struggles were due not only to the conflicting emotions she experienced when, despite doing everything possible to protect her child in utero, her son Bryson was diagnosed with autism. She had given up everything considered detrimental to optimal fetal development, most especially her Lord-of-the-Rings epic-sized obsession: “Chocolate! I needs it… worse than Gollum needed his Precious… more than Menelaus needed Helen of Troy… more than the moon needs the Earth or Europa needs Jupiter…”

To sacrifice chocolate, that “warm, buttery, velvety, unctuous delight,” all for naught.  Bryson’s demeanor grew more worrisome as time progressed - it wasn’t all snuggles and sweetness in the Reid household. Her son behaved, well, a bit differently than expected and later, destructively. As she dealt with the special needs of her son, Monica took solace in that deep dark confection only a bona-fide chocoholic can understand.

Ironically she notes: “I didn’t do anything (while pregnant) that left me racked with guilt over Bryson’s diagnosis”. But during her second and third pregnancies, she - shall we say – ramped down the vigilance (and it turns out that was a good strategy.) Chocolate was on hand in times of need, always and any color of chocolate until…..well, you’ll just have to read the book to find out what happened to all that chocolate, and to Bryson.

Dark Chocolate: A Mother’s Puzzle is a heroine’s journey of nine years and counting through the labyrinths of addiction and tough love. It’s told in honest and soulful prose dipped in dark humor, delivered to the reader to savor in small bites.

 Precious…oh yes.

Non-fiction: Special needs, parenting, humor.  38 pages, including color photographs.  $2.99 

(Available through Amazon for Kindle Reader. Free reader downloads are available on the website.)

http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Chocolate-mothers-puzzle-Monica-ebook/dp/B01AMU6TH0/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1453990984&sr=1-1&keywords=monica+reid

February 2016 Calendar of Writing Related Events updated 1/30

Greetings writers and would-be authors! In case you hadn't heard, we have recently published our second e-book, entitled WINTER WRITES. It would please us no end to have our wonderful collection of original, never before published stories delivered to your PC or Kindle. Twenty five people worked for almost three months, over hundreds of hours crafting this and we believe that $4.99 is a small price to pay to help support not only the writers but also our wonderful library. One day you might be able to say  "I knew you when..." For many of the writers this book is their first time being published. How cool is that?  If you're interested, simply click on the book icon to the left of this post.

Below is a bare-bones listing of local writing related events to be held in the Whitesboro library unless otherwise noted.  Events are all free of charge and open to the public. The editor's job is getting more and more time consuming so if you know of any book signings, lectures, etc. that may be of interest, please message us either on Facebook (Whitesboro Writers) or email us at whitesborowriters@gmail.com .

Keep checking for event updates, but most of all, stay healthy and safe and  KEEP WRITING! It's good therapy!

February 6 - 10:30AM at the Oneida County Historical Society, 1608 Genesee St. Utica...American History ESSAY CONTEST AWARDS. These essays were written by elementary and middle school students.

February 6 - 1 PM at the Oneida County Historical Society, 1608 Genesee St. Utica...Guest speakers, poetry recitals & more  for Black history month. 


February 11 at 1 PM PLOTTERS INK FICTION WRITING GROUP monthly meeting. Each month we have a different exercise that must be prepared by you in advance.  This month's character writing exercise focuses on either "leader" or "follower". See blog post for details.
http://whitesboronywriters.blogspot.com/2016/01/february-2016-assignment-for-plotters.html

February 13 at 10:30AM - POETRY PLUS  and MORE monthly meeting. Call the library 736-9734  for details.

February 13 - 1 PM at the Oneida County Historical Society, 1608 Genesee St. Utica...The Blizzard of '66 PowerPoint presentation and BOOK SIGNING by author Jim Farfaglia.

February 13 at 2 PM - Film and Discussion in the downstairs community room. This month's film is "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" facilitated by Jerry Finkelstein.

February 20 - 1 PM at the Oneida County Historical Society, 1608 Genesee St. Utica...The History of Eagle Bay lecture by local author Dick Williams.

February 22 at 6 PM - MONDAY WRITERS GROUP monthly meeting. Each month we have a different exercise that must be prepared by you in advance. This month's writing prompt is fiction or creative non-fiction  "THE TAVERN". See blog post for details.
 http://whitesboronywriters.blogspot.com/p/2016-writing-prompts-for-monday-writers.html

February 24 at 6 PM - UTICA WRITERS CLUB monthly meeting in the Kirkland Town Library in Clinton. Contact Jeremy Mortis via email for more information or to be added to their email list: bookseeker2121@yahoo.com

February 29- SADIE HAWKINS DAY & LEAP YEAR DAY. 

William A. Mills, Artist – Then and Now *

Working on Utica poster, 1981
Photo credit, John Mills

In 1980-81, an aspiring local artist by the name of William Arthur Mills worked diligently to create a poster depicting the City of Utica, N.Y. 

The project, commissioned by the Landmarks Society of Greater Utica, challenged the young man to somehow squeeze every major and unique city feature into a 26 by 34 inch image, including borders.

He succeeded - brilliantly.

Clipping from Utica O.D., 1982

Odds are that at some point you've seen one of these iconic prints gracing offices and homes around town.  (You can view a color photo of it below.)

Though the face of Utica has changed substantially since the poster debuted in 1982, most of the historic buildings that the artist incorporated into the poster - including our own beautiful Dunham Public Library - are still there.

What befell the artist between then and now is a story worth a book of its own. Will lived in many places from Maine to New Mexico. He eventually settled in Brooklyn, where for the past 30-odd years he and his partner Scott Molampy have been doing business as Geppetto Studios.  They’ve gained considerable renown as fabricators of costumes, props and puppets for television, movies, and businesses. You can view their list of famous clients and accomplishments at their website:
 http://www.geppettostudios.com/Geppetto/Home.html 

In addition to running a successful company, Will Mills is an extraordinary and prolific artist, with hundreds of paintings and sketches in his repertoire. His technical ability is surpassed only by his highly imaginative and abstract subject matter, applying himself with equal devotion to the farcical and the divine. Have a peek at his website: 

http://www.williamamills.com/Paintings_Index_Catalog/The_Gift.html

Will Mills in his Brooklyn studio, 2015

Will and his two siblings grew up in Whitesboro and were educated in local schools. Like many area residents who once left the area in search of better opportunities, or better climates, Will has recently come home to roost for a spell. When we walked around the village doing errands together recently, he remarked, “Everyone is so friendly. People smile, they’re helpful, and they actually make eye contact!” Well, that’s an advantage of living in a small town. 

We hope he'll stay. *  Note: Will passed away in February 2021. A very great loss. 

UTICA POSTER - 1982 

Publishing Information

Notice to members of Dunham Public Library Monday Writers Group, Plotters Ink and Poetry Plus:
Would you like to post your story/article/poem on one of our blogs? Just email it to us (see below) and we will post it for you for free.  You may use an alias (pen name) if you like.

If you are not a participant in any of the local writing groups you can still have your stories & poems published.   We have several blogs - one for fiction, one for non fiction and one for poetry. Contact us via email for more information.

Blogging can be fun and lucrative too.  Would you like to start your own personal blog?  We will be glad to help you set it up. Contact us via email for more information.

For email submissions and more information, contact us here: whitesborowriters@gmail.com

Have fun writing!

You can view your published work on these blogs -

http://plottersink.blogspot.com

http://dplmondaywriters.blogspot.com/

http://whitesboropoetrywriters.blogspot.com

http://whitesborowriterswhatnot.blogspot.com

Plotters Ink February Assignment

Hello Everyone,

We begin our genre-writing project in February 2015 by writing a story of 250-400 words that deals in some way with the theme of LOVE.

It's hard to imagine any book ever published that did not have some sort of love component in it. Love is everywhere, whether it be  the traditional human coupling, friendship, love of country or family or pet. The list goes on and on. Go ahead - get your creative juices flowing.

The assignment roster on the Plotters Ink flyer specifies your choice of "romance", "love story", or "erotica",  but you are free to choose whatever aspect of love you wish. No holds barred!

Keep in mind that our goal is to constantly improve our writing skills. To that end, please incorporate as many of our previously practiced techniques as you can, that are appropriate to your story:

• Choose an appropriate TITLE - every story needs one!
• Develop a CHARACTER
• Set the SCENE
• Introduce an element of CONFLICT
• Include some DIALOGUE

See you on February 12th, 2 PM at the library. Please bring several copies of your story so we can read along with you. If you wish to publish on the Plotters Ink Blog, you can email stories anytime.

Above all, have fun with your writing!

A Local Literacy Project

Hello  Everyone,

Those of us who value the simple pleasures of reading and writing, and a warm blanket on a cold night, might be interested to know about this local outreach project spearheaded by Sarah Warring.

Warming Up to Reading and Writing

Thank you, Jordan Mierek of Utica Writers Club, for sharing this information with us.  We gladly pass it along to our friends and readers. 

Keep Reading and Writing.

Conflict: Aye, There's the Rub

On October 9, the writers who participate in the monthly meeting of Plotters Ink  (held at the library at 2 PM),  will read their original new fiction to each other and offer feedback on the stories.

blogs.msdn.com

Each month the group focuses on one aspect of the writing process. So far we have practiced selecting titles, setting the scene, creating a character, and writing dialogue. This time we delve a bit deeper by introducing the element of conflict. 

croweassociates.co.uk

Without conflict, there isn't much of a plot and not much to capture (let alone keep)  the reader's interest. So it stands to reason we must find some bit of strife to make our stories come alive.

You can find a lot of inspiration by reading novels by your favorite authors and even while viewing various TV shows and films. Consider the thrillers, mysteries, adventures, and dramas that compel you to watch them over and over again.  What makes you breathless with anxiety?  What makes you seethe below the outward calm? What story-lines hit you below the belt, as if you were the lead actor in the plot? We all have triggers.  Find yours, and put it into words as best you can. Two-hundred and fifty to four hundred of them, please.  And stay tuned for the conflict stories which will be published starting October 10, on the PLOTTERS  INK blog.

releaseyv.wordpress.com

Anyone with a conflict story to share, please submit directly to us via email. Have fun, and above all, keep writing!


For more information, click here:
http://plottersink.blogspot.com/p/assignments.html

WRITING DIALOGUE - A few ideas

Hello writers! Are you stumped, need inspiration for writing some decent dialogue?

Try Google images if you need a little help. Just type in "conversation" and hundreds of people conversing (or about to do so) in cartoons and photographs will surely spark something in your writing soul. Down below the photos I copied here as an example are the written comments pertaining to the September 2014 assignment for our Plotters Ink fiction group, but anyone reading this may submit a piece of original fiction if they wish.

So - have a look - don't you just want to write about some of what you see?

infed.org

deviantart.com

truthdeceptioncoverups.info

sid-life.blogspot.com

iameduard.com

secmol.org

So far we have tackled title selection, setting the scene for a story, and developing a credible character. This month we will stretch our writing muscles yet again into the dialogue arena,  where much of a story gets told in almost every piece of fiction ever written.  Some things to consider are whether the characters’ speech is believable ( are they using language appropriate to their age, time period, educational level, ethnic background, gender?); how you can let your readers know who is speaking (dialogue attribution); whether or not you should use phrases like  “he said, she asked, Joe demanded”, and so on. This is tricky because if you  overuse any one phrase the reader may get bored, no matter how good the dialogue itself may be.

You will have to decide how much of your story will be actual dialogue. Once you get going with dialogue, it gets easier because most characters like to yak!  

Target length for this assignment is 300-400 words.  If you’re planning to attend the meeting, please bring several copies so we can read along with you. Any questions or suggestions, please email us at whitesborowriters@gmail.com, or ask one of the librarians at Dunham Public library. As always, have fun, and keep writing!

We will meet on Thursday, September 11, 2014 at 2:00 PM in the library boardroom.