Last night, August 27, the Maryville Chapter of the Missouri Writer's Guild met for its regular meeting. The presenter was Stephanie Patterson, Director, of the Maryville Public Library.
Stephanie provided a wealth of information related to the library's role in the community, as well as its local goals and objectives for the 2019-2020 period, and provided information related to the NWMO regional goals for 2019-2023, in which the library plays a large part.
In addition, Stephanie answered many questions related to how the library makes its decisions regarding book purchases and retention, as well as how it addresses updating of the library's many other resources. She also discussed the issues that librarians face today as they are being called upon to do much more than their predecessors decades ago as technology has grown, and larger social issues and expectations for services change.
Included in her presentation was information related to local authors, briefly discussing the expansion of self-publishing and how that is affecting decision making. What are the trends in various genres? What materials are used to determine how purchases and resources are acquired? What is the process of deciding what books are retained? Do book reviews make a difference in the decision to purchase? Issues such as cover art, internal art, audience, and subject matter that all authors need to keep in mind. She provided some insights into e-books and some of the changes that are taking place that affect pricing and access.
As the meeting came to a close, Stephanie answered questions. Her expertise and education in these matters made the meeting a very productive one and gave attendees a lot to think about as they move forward with their individual projects, hopefully with some insight on how to partner with the local Maryville Public Library, and other libraries. Based on her presentation and information provided the Maryville Public Library appears to be on track with respect to their mission, which is to "help the citizens of Maryville (ages birth to death) succeed and enjoy life through reading, learning, creating, and connecting."
We thank Stephanie Patterson for taking the time to speak to our group and for providing so much useful information and insight.
Showing posts with label poetry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poetry. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
Writing Group Calendar
To make information more accessible to the public regarding meetings and events related to writng, a Google Calendar has been set up for the Maryville Chapter of the Missouri Writers Guild, where meeting information will be posted, as well as member book signings, poetry readings, presentations, and special events, conferences, book launches, or special appearances that may be of interest to members.
Friday, July 12, 2019
Monday, May 6, 2019
Saturday, December 1, 2018
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Monday, February 5, 2018
Critique Night - Redux
At the January meeting of the Maryville Chapter, many writers brought portions of their works in progress to share. In fact, due to time constraints, we were unable to critique all of the submissions. Therefore, we will be holding a second critique session at March, and we hope that those authors whose work wasn't reviewed at the January meeting will submit it again at that time. And any new writer's wishing to participate will bring submissions as well. We will get to as many people at time allows.
There were many new writers in attendance and we're so pleased to have been able to welcome them and to learn something about them and about their work. We certainly hope they will decide to return and to become regular members.
It has been a while since we posted information about the Maryville Chapter's purpose and about annual membership dues.
The group's purpose, put simply, is to inspire writers in all genres; to provide information, through speakers, about writing as both an art and a skill; to provide information about the business aspects related to writing and publishing; to share and provide positive feedback to help group members hone their skill; and to encourage those who have stories to tell, memories or poetry to share, and knowledge to impart to get it down on paper and to make it available through publication.
The Maryville Chapter members are actively writing and publishing and have a wealth of information and insight that may be helpful to published and unpublished writers alike.
We hope that local writers, whether previously published or not, will consider joining the group, in person or online, and contribute their knowledge, their skill, their insights, and their suggestions or questions.
The Maryville Chapter of the Missouri Writer's Guild meets every two months, on the fourth Tuesday of the month. Membership dues are $5.00 per year and are payable in January.
Sunday, October 29, 2017
The Next Meeting
The Maryville writer's group will next meet on January 23, 2018, on the 3rd floor of the United Methodist Church, First and Main in Maryville. (Use the northwest doors to access the elevator.)
The evening will be open for the critique of members' works in progress. Members may bring a poem, essay, article, or book excerpt for comment. The length of the submission should be 1,000 words or less. We will make an effort to get through as many as possible in the allotted time. If you wish to submit them ahead of time to give members a chance to read and think about them, please do. That will allow more time for discussion during the meeting time.
When critiquing a work, here are a few things to consider:
1. Be objective and forthright, but considerate.
2. Provide constructive suggestions for improvement.
3. Think about the construction, flow, technical aspects of the work being considered.
4. Give input on any emotions, if any, the piece elicits.
5. Is there a working title and does it fit the work?
6. Did it hold your attentions?
7. Based on the provided sample, would you read more?
8. Are there any word choices or phrases that might be improved?
Monday, August 14, 2017
Resources for Authors
Finding good research materials when writing historical fiction can be a challenge, depending on how far back your story is set. It's important to remember that the voices and experiences of those old settlers are not all together lost.
National, state, and county documents, letters, photographs, newspapers, and other items are being carefully preserved by agencies and historical societies, like our own Nodaway County Historical Society and the The State Historical Society of Missouri, as well as the US National Archives, The Library of Congress, National Park Service, and thousands of museums and libraries, and other online databases.
Google Books and Internet Archive are great places to read digitized books and publications, even those printed hundreds of years ago. I recently downloaded to my computer a few digitized books from the 1700s and 1800s. It's nice to have these keyword-searchable texts, and it's just plain fun to read them. They can help with character development, help focus an author's attention on the details of day-to-day life, and even provide authors with a more accurate perspective on the attitudes and politics and social norms of a given period.
So, if you're looking to pack some historical fact and detail into your next work of historical fiction, don't forget these resources. And, if you're writing nonfiction, you can't live without them.
National, state, and county documents, letters, photographs, newspapers, and other items are being carefully preserved by agencies and historical societies, like our own Nodaway County Historical Society and the The State Historical Society of Missouri, as well as the US National Archives, The Library of Congress, National Park Service, and thousands of museums and libraries, and other online databases.
Google Books and Internet Archive are great places to read digitized books and publications, even those printed hundreds of years ago. I recently downloaded to my computer a few digitized books from the 1700s and 1800s. It's nice to have these keyword-searchable texts, and it's just plain fun to read them. They can help with character development, help focus an author's attention on the details of day-to-day life, and even provide authors with a more accurate perspective on the attitudes and politics and social norms of a given period.
So, if you're looking to pack some historical fact and detail into your next work of historical fiction, don't forget these resources. And, if you're writing nonfiction, you can't live without them.
#amwriting #fiction #nonfiction #books #readers #history #historical #database #Missouri #UnitedStates #Archives #journalism #newspapers
Congratulations to Our Local Readers!
Congratulations to all those who participated in the Summer Reading Program at the Maryville Public Library, Maryville, MO this summer. Wow, more than 10,000 books read. That's impressive. A special congratulations to the winners of the program awards.
🏅We're proud of you all.
🏅We're proud of you all.
And a special thanks to the entire staff at the library that works so hard to make this program a success every year. We don't always say it, but you make the library a great place to be.
Keep turning those pages, readers, and we authors will keep writing so that you will have new stuff to read when you're ready.
Author's Directory at the Missouri Center for the Book
If you have been published through a "traditional" path to publication, and received payment for your work through that publisher, then you may be eligible to be listed in the Author's Directory at the Missouri Center for the book at http://books.missouri.org/Author.
Quoted from their site: "NOTE: The Missouri Center for the Book encourages all writers to pursue their muse. However, the designation "Author" connotes a category of achievement validated by the acknowledgment ...
See More
Thursday, July 27, 2017
Missouri's First Poet Laureate Reads Queen Anne's Lace
Missouri's first poet laureate, Walter Bargen, reads his poem, "Queen Anne's Lace."
You will find this an interesting video. If you love poetry and you're in the area of the Mid-Missouri Arts Alliance on August 13, 2017, you might want to check out their upcoming event, Through the Eyes of a Poet. You can also find them on their website, here.
You will find this an interesting video. If you love poetry and you're in the area of the Mid-Missouri Arts Alliance on August 13, 2017, you might want to check out their upcoming event, Through the Eyes of a Poet. You can also find them on their website, here.
Friday, July 14, 2017
Amusing Myself
Maryville chapter member and writer/poet, Carol Carpenter, has joined the vast network of bloggers on the world wide web. Her new blog is titled Amusing Myself, a blog whose purpose is to contain "Poetry and writing thoughts, and ideas from a self-confessed poet."
We encourage you to stop by in your online blog travels and check out Carol's pages.
We encourage you to stop by in your online blog travels and check out Carol's pages.
Carol Carpenter's Poem is Published
We want to congratulate poet Carol Carpenter on the recent publication of her poem Early Summer on the Naturewriting site. We invite you to check out her poetry and others by clicking here.
Saturday, December 17, 2016
KDP to Offer Paperback Publishing for Authors
(The opinions stated herein are my own, personally, and don't necessarily reflect those of every author within our writing group. Just thought some of our authors might be interested in knowing this little piece of information. Happy reading.)
Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), the e-book arm of Amazon's publishing services, has begun offering KDP authors the opportunity to print paperback copies of their e-books from within the KDP website. The program is in beta testing right now. However, under this beta system, authors will not yet able to purchase author wholesale copies, print proof copies, nor can they opt-in for expanded distribution to libraries, universities, and direct-to-retailer sales. The one significant change, beyond not having to copy files back into Createspace in order to publish in print, is that the Japanese market, unavailable to Createspace authors in the distribution settings, will be accessible through KDP print.
KDP indicates on their information page about this new opportunity that it will eventually be adding the features presently available in Createspace to the KDP menu of choices. The intention behind this change seems to be to streamline the overall print and e-book publishing process for authors.
Presently, Createspace authors publish their print copies at Createspace , order their author copies, and have access to expanded distribution channels. Libraries, universities, and retailers have the option of purchasing directly from Createspace . Once the Createspace book is approved and published, authors can opt-in to have their book file transferred to KDP in order to publish it in e-book form. They then then have to go to the KDP site and finalize the transfer by reviewing the electronic proof, setting their publishing choices, and approving it for final release. It's one extra step in the publishing process, but so far it seems to work relatively flawlessly.
The new opportunity to publish print copies and e-books in one location would eliminate that one extra step in the total publishing process, potentially saving authors times, and reducing redundant selections in the distribution end of things.
According to the KDP site, authors can transfer their present Createspace titles over to KDP now without negatively affecting their Createspace titles already available to the buying market. Authors then would have the option of making those KDP print copies available in the Japanese market. A huge benefit, to be sure.
Authors should explore this new option carefully before transferring. There is information available at the KDP site and it should be read and considered. KDP authors who still want to purchase wholesale copies of their titles for resale locally or consignment to local stores, or who want to ensure their print copies are accessible directly to libraries, universities, and retailers will still need to go the Createspace route, too. However, for KDP e-book authors who haven't, in the past, been able to offer the option of print copies without going through Createspace , this is a terrific opportunity to tap into the die-hard print readers without having to transfer anything.
Definitely a new opportunity skipping down the publishing path and worthy of consideration. Streamlining functions is, for the most part, a good idea. Less time on the technical end means more time writing.
Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), the e-book arm of Amazon's publishing services, has begun offering KDP authors the opportunity to print paperback copies of their e-books from within the KDP website. The program is in beta testing right now. However, under this beta system, authors will not yet able to purchase author wholesale copies, print proof copies, nor can they opt-in for expanded distribution to libraries, universities, and direct-to-retailer sales. The one significant change, beyond not having to copy files back into Createspace in order to publish in print, is that the Japanese market, unavailable to Createspace authors in the distribution settings, will be accessible through KDP print.
KDP indicates on their information page about this new opportunity that it will eventually be adding the features presently available in Createspace to the KDP menu of choices. The intention behind this change seems to be to streamline the overall print and e-book publishing process for authors.
Presently, Createspace authors publish their print copies at Createspace , order their author copies, and have access to expanded distribution channels. Libraries, universities, and retailers have the option of purchasing directly from Createspace . Once the Createspace book is approved and published, authors can opt-in to have their book file transferred to KDP in order to publish it in e-book form. They then then have to go to the KDP site and finalize the transfer by reviewing the electronic proof, setting their publishing choices, and approving it for final release. It's one extra step in the publishing process, but so far it seems to work relatively flawlessly.
The new opportunity to publish print copies and e-books in one location would eliminate that one extra step in the total publishing process, potentially saving authors times, and reducing redundant selections in the distribution end of things.
According to the KDP site, authors can transfer their present Createspace titles over to KDP now without negatively affecting their Createspace titles already available to the buying market. Authors then would have the option of making those KDP print copies available in the Japanese market. A huge benefit, to be sure.
Authors should explore this new option carefully before transferring. There is information available at the KDP site and it should be read and considered. KDP authors who still want to purchase wholesale copies of their titles for resale locally or consignment to local stores, or who want to ensure their print copies are accessible directly to libraries, universities, and retailers will still need to go the Createspace route, too. However, for KDP e-book authors who haven't, in the past, been able to offer the option of print copies without going through Createspace , this is a terrific opportunity to tap into the die-hard print readers without having to transfer anything.
Definitely a new opportunity skipping down the publishing path and worthy of consideration. Streamlining functions is, for the most part, a good idea. Less time on the technical end means more time writing.
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Literary Speaking
There are a great number of notable literary journals out there where authors can submit their work for consideration. Many also have award contests that unpublished and emerging writers can enter to gain exposure. Many of the journals have somewhat longer lead times for publication than monthly magazines, usually several months, and like those they have something that is of supreme benefit for writers . . . loyal subscribers that devour every issue.
In my online journeys in search of reputable publications here are just a few that I have gleaned from the cyber fields. Most of them have been around for quite a while. That fact alone means they must be doing something right.
In my online journeys in search of reputable publications here are just a few that I have gleaned from the cyber fields. Most of them have been around for quite a while. That fact alone means they must be doing something right.
Ploughshares A publication of Emerson College. View their submission guidelines. Share information about their Emerging Writer's Contest with an aspiring writer.
All Aboard for the Glimmer Train! This is a creative literary journal with a longstanding readership. Polish up that short story you've been meaning to send in and submit it. You can view their guidelines for submissions here and find out more about their Family Matters contest, and how they help new writers get off to a good start.
The Missouri Review is another publication where new and previously published story writers may get heard. Info about submitting to regular issues and contests can be found here. All those poets and writers out there should give it careful consideration.
For a more comprehensive list of publications you may want to check, and even subscribe, to the publication titled Poets & Writers and check out their online database of publications. This database lets you search by genre and subgenre so you can more effectively focus on publication best suited to your particular writing or poetry. There are so many to choose from.
Hope these little tidbits help. Have a terrific day.
Susan
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
ShowMe Writers Masterclass Coming Soon!
This information regarding the ShowMe Writer's Masterclass Conference was recently received. This is a valuable opportunity for writer's to hone their skills a bit and maybe pick up some great new writing habits. Take a moment to check out the information.
Advance reservations are recommended. Sounds like a great lineup of talented instructors. http://www.showmewriters.com/
Advance reservations are recommended. Sounds like a great lineup of talented instructors. http://www.showmewriters.com/
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