Writer’s Morning Out, September 21, 2019

“The old Summer’s-end melancholy nips at my heels. No time to languish; time to write.” ― RTB. 

WMO meets at 1 p.m. on the third Saturday of each month (September 21) in the http://greekkouzina.com/ backroom in Pittsboro. Come early for lunch, literary gossip, and then the meeting. 

The NCWN sponsors WMO. Al Manning heads WMO..

September’s presentation is “Why Consider Small Press Publishing” by Ross White, executive director, Bull City Press, an independent publisher of poetry, fiction, & nonfiction. Topics include how to order a chapbook & what editors are looking for.  White, a published poet, has been with BCP since 2006 and teaches grammar & poetry at UNC—Chapel Hill.

October is Slush Pile Reading. Get gut reactions to the opening of your Work-in-Progress (WIP) from three guest panelists. You present FOUR copies of one typed, double-spaced page, any genre in TIMES NEW ROMAN, font size 12 to the Reader upon entering the meeting.  DO NOT include any identifying information on the first page only on the second.  Hand your best piece in (4 copies, 1 page of entry, 1 page of identifiers) as you enter the meeting to the Reader.
The Reader will present your entry aloud while the judges read along silently. The judges pretend to be editors at a prestigious publishing house.  It is Friday afternoon and each judge is staring at a large pile of unsolicited manuscripts.  This is the slush-pile. It could be that a true Best Seller is in there. It can also be true that there are only pages of garbage. The editors can’t take a chance—they have to look at all of it. But the editors would really rather be at Happy Hour, so  they read the slush-pile with a definite bias.  They are looking for a quick reason to reject whatever they are reading. As the Reader reads each entry aloud, any judge that is bored, finds something incorrect, or simply dislikes the entry will raise a hand, signifying he or she would toss the entry on the floor if alone.
When the Reader is finished reading an entry, each judge will explain what they think is incorrect. If no one objects, they will also discuss what are the really good things in that entry that they like. Remember, there’s no crying during the slush pile reading.

November’s presentation is “Book Meta-Data: How to Maximize its Creation?” Rick Bylina will interpret the forest of terms (log-line, TV-Guide synopsis, elevator pitch, query letter plot summary, back-of-book blurb, synopsis (100, 200, 500 words) surrounding meta-data and why it is important for the writer to control it.

December is Holiday Open Mic. Theme: holiday. Time limit: six minutes. Type: poetry, prose, mime. Sign-up sheet on the day of the open mic.

Writing-related Timely Events. Have one? Let Rick Bylina know.

*09/14. 10 a.m. NC Poetry Society Fall Meeting at Weymouth Center, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines.

*09/17-21. All day. On The Same Page Literary Festival, downtown West Jefferson, NC.

*09/17. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Free Flash Fiction Workshop with Ashley Memory at Asheboro Public Library, 201 Worth Street.

*09/25. 6:30-8 p.m. Grieve the Write Way by Dori Dupre. The Joyful Jewel, 44-A Hillsboro St., Pittsboro.

*10/02. 7 p.m. Launch of Aphrodite’s Pen: The Power of Writing Erotica after Midlife by Stella Fosse at Flyleaf in Durham.

*10/15-17. 1-4 p.m. Writing Workshop led by Dasan Ahanu. See flyer below 

*10/31. Flash Fiction Contest sponsored by The Raleigh Review.
*11/08. Start of NCWN 2019 Fall Conference, November 8-10, in Asheville. Which means, register now!

*For more about writing-related contests and events, See the NCWN website .

Writing-related Ongoing Events (monthly unless otherwise noted). Have one? Let Rick Bylina know.

*1^st Thurs. 6-8 p.m. “Take Five Poetry and Prose Open Mic.” Karma Boutique and Coffee Bar in Sanford. 5 minute yaks.

*2^nd Sat. 10 a.m.-12 p.m. “Prompt Writing”. Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill.

*2^nd Sat. 1:30-3 p.m. Triangle Sisters-in-Crime Meeting. Open to public. Durham S. Reg. Lib. Forensic Toxicology Expert.

*2^nd Sun. 3-5 p.m. “Featured Poets/Open Mic.” Flyleaf Books. Pre-poetic pontificating--2 p.m. The Root Cellar.
*3^rd Thurs. 6:30-8:30 p.m. “Pop-Up Poetry”. Pittsboro Center for the Arts, Poetry gabbing and learning.

*4^th Sun. 2 p.m. “NC Poetry Society Poetry Series” McIntyre’s Fine Books, Fearrington Village.

*Dates vary. Creative Fiction Writing and Critique Group. Check Pittsboro Meet-ups for times and locations.

*Dates vary. Central Carolina Community College. Creative Writing Program writing workshops and courses.

*Dates vary. Pittsboro Center For The Arts and Sweet Bee Theater. Check often for performances/programs.

*Dates vary. Redbud Writing Project. Writing courses for an adult education writing school in Chapel Hill.

Remember:  Don’t forget. The NCWN offers critiquing and editing services. See their website.

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