March 2024: Julie Glover on (exciting) grammar
April 2024: Gary Christenson on self-publishing
May 2024: Laura Drake on Flash Fiction for fun
June 2024: Summer Workshop by Keith Goodnight on scene and sequel
July 2024: Wendy Wheeler on “That Story Would Make a Good Movie! — Or Would It?”
Our speaker will be Julie Glover.
Topic:
Beyond the Rules: Grammar Choices That Add Power to Your Novel. Rules, rules, rules. That’s what comes to mind for many authors when you say grammar. But grammar is yet another tool to help you convey your intended meaning and create the experience you want your reader to have. Let’s move beyond the rules—even break the rules—and discover four ways grammar choices can add power to your novel.
Bio:
Julie Glover is an award-winning author of young adult and mystery fiction. Her debut Sharing Hunter placed in several contests, including the much-touted RWA® Golden Heart® YA. Her follow-up, Daring Charlotte, released last year, and Pairing Anton is coming soon! She has also co-authored five supernatural suspense novels and two short stories in the Muse Island series under her pen name Jules Lynn.
Julie holds a master’s degree in counseling, has taught conference workshops and online courses, and served as a host of the Writers in the Storm blog, a top 100 website for writers, for three years. In addition, she’s served for several years as sidekick and sometimes-host for Cruising Writers, an incomparable writers’ retreat at sea.
A native of Texas, she now lives in Denton with her hottie husband, her loquacious cat, and her large collection of cowgirl boots.
Writing Settings That Energize Your Story
Leon Dixson is the reigning champion of the Walter Mitty Daydreamers’ Fantasy Club. (a fantasy in and of itself.) Four years ago, in his mid-seventies, He finally put fingers to keyboard to tell lies, uh er, write a story. He has passionately pursued the art of writing since.
Having finished first and second (twice) in the Granbury Writers Bloc quarterly short story contests, he pretentiously refers to himself as a prize-wining author. Taking writing more seriously than he takes himself, he is presently writing a novel set in Chicago during the wild and dangerous days of prohibition.
February 24, 2024: 10:00 a.m. Hood County Library
Lori Freeland
The Ins and Outs of Internal Thought
What your characters don’t say is as crucial as what they do say.
Internal thought can either add depth to your story and amplify your characters or dilute your wow moments and water down your words. The goal in any novel is to make your readers feel as though they’ve stepped into your character’s body and to let them experience the world through your character’s eyes. Discover how internal thought relates to topics such as deep point of view, dialogue, subtext, tension, pacing, character likeability, character motivation, and story credibility. What goes on inside your character’s head can be a major player in creating their world. Its worth taking the time to perfect.
BIO:
Lori Freeland wrote her first story at age five. It wasn’t good, but it left her with a firm belief that everyone has a story to tell. An author, editor, and writing coach, she lives in the Dallas area, loves good books, happy endings, and the perfect kiss. When she’s not curled up with her dogs drinking too much coffee, she loves to mess with the lives of the imaginary people living in her head.
www.lorifreeland.com
Our speaker for the November 25 meeting (last Saturday in November at the First Presbyterian Church) is our own Laura Drake.
Her Topic: Advanced Craft Workshop!
You know the feeling – when you start a book and immediately suspend disbelief to fall into the story world. As authors, we know that this isn’t easy to do. It takes more than a good scene. It takes a maestro of craft to pull it off.
If you’re past problems with POV, character development and stage direction, this class will help you understand the subtle nuances that can be the difference between a ‘good writer’ and a popular author.
Laura Drake is a hybrid author of Women’s Fiction and Romance. Her debut, The Sweet Spot, won the 2014 Romance Writers of America® RITA® award. She’s since published 14 more books. She is a founding member of Women’s Fiction Writers Assn. and Writers in the Storm blog.
Laura is a city girl who never grew out of her tomboy ways. She gave up the corporate CFO gig to write full time. She realized a lifelong dream of becoming a Texan and is currently working on her accent. She’s a wife, grandmother, and motorcycle chick in the remaining waking hours.
(graphic by George Bowden)
Lori Wilde: https://loriwilde.com/
Leon Dixson will speak at the February 24, 2024 meeting at Hood County Library.
His topic is: “Take Advantage of your Settings.”
Greg Gifford: Firearms In Fiction – Getting It Right
The three big rules for firearms in your stories are:
Be period correct.
Be capacity correct.
Be performance correct.
Topics to be covered include:
A brief history of firearms in America, what is black powder, what is smokeless powder, what are the various types of rifles, what are the various types of pistols, and what is the National Firearms Act of 1934.
In addition, a short explanation of ballistics will be covered. Also, how to research a particular firearm.
Some serious historical questions to address.
Bio for Greg Gifford
Greg graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in education. He worked the majority of his career in the insurance industry and earned the Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter designation.
Other teaching pursuits included secondary school Special Education and seminars for adults seeking a license to enter the insurance industry. During his retirement, he also taught English as a Second Language, a challenging and rewarding activity.
When not in front of eager learners, Greg enjoys outdoor pursuits and motor sports. He has hunted small and big game extensively in North America with occasional forays into Africa, South America, and Europe.
Instructing firearms safety and marksmanship are two rewarding and favorite activities. When not punching holes in paper targets or reloading ammunition, Greg enjoys philosophical conversations with his cat, George, who is an attentive listener.
Our speaker for the January 27, 2024 meeting (last Saturday of the month) is Lori Freeland.
Topic: The Ins and Outs of Internal Thought
What your characters don’t say is as crucial as what they do say.
Internal thought can either add depth to your story and amplify your characters or dilute your wow moments and water down your words. The goal in any novel is to make your readers feel as though they’ve stepped into your character’s body and to let them experience the world through your character’s eyes. Discover how internal thought relates to topics such as deep point of view, dialogue, subtext, tension, pacing, character likeability, character motivation, and story credibility. What goes on inside your character’s head can be a major player in creating their world. It’s worth taking the time to perfect.
Lori’s Bio:
Lori Freeland, an encourager at heart, believes everyone has a story to tell. An author, editor, and writing coach, she holds a BA in psychology from The University of Wisconsin and lives in the Dallas area. A regular contributor to Writers in the Storm and Crosswalk and former editor for The Christian Pulse and Armonia Publishing, she’s presented multiple writing workshops at conferences across the country and has experience in developmental and copy edits in various genres of fiction and nonfiction. She writes articles, novels, and everything in between. When she’s not curled up with her dogs drinking too much coffee, she loves to mess with the lives of the imaginary people living in her head.