 |
|
In This Issue:
2018 Manuscript Contest Winners & Finalists; Summer Writing Retreat; Upcoming Online Classes; Member News; & More |
|
|
|
|
Announcing the 2018 Manuscript Contest Winners!
Thank you to everyone who submitted to our 2018 Manuscript Contest! What a stellar pool of submissions we had this year. We're so pleased to announce our 2018 Manuscript Contest Winners & Finalists. Congratulations, all!
GENERAL FICTION
Winner: Karen Stevenson
Finalists: Irma Ned Bailey, Lauren Brazeal, Grace Elliott, Dorothy Goepel, Tracey Palmer, Shannon Perri, Catherine Shattuck
NONFICTION
Winner (Memoir): Gabrielle Montesanti
Winner (General Nonfiction): Joan Kilbourne
Finalists: Ilene Haddad, Kara Imle, Alison Macor, Bernadette Nason, Maria Timm
HISTORICAL FICTION
Winner: Larry Dowell
Finalists: Deborah Lynn Blumberg, Richard Cunningham, Gerald Powell, Jolynn Rogers, Anna Slade
SCIENCE FICTION / FANTASY
Winner: Rebecca Schwarz
Finalists: Bill Adams, Kimberly Jayne, Christopher Lewis, Henry McLaughlin
MYSTERY
Winner: Erin Brown
Finalists: Jane Hammons, Meredith Lee, LD Masterson, Judith Parsons, Jolynn Rogers
ROMANCE
Winner: Susan Guthrie Dunn
Finalists: Danielle Fifer, Liz Locke, Jan Sikes, Deborah Solice, Josie Wilson
THRILLER / ACTION-ADVENTURE
Winner: Linda Benjamin-Miles
Finalists: Majorie Brody, Jen Glatz, Gary Kidney, James Peyton, Deborah Solice
MIDDLE GRADE
Winner: Carie Juettner
Finalists: Carol Gavounas, Mary Osteen, Chris Panatier, Jane A. Shuffer
YOUNG ADULT
Winner: Lindsey Beilue
Finalists: Hamilton Beazley, Lou Britt, Alva Jean, Deborah Solice, Doree Weller
All of our winners will receive a
complimentary
registration to the upcoming 2018 Agents & Editors Conference, where we'll be honoring both the winners and finalists during our Friday Opening Reception.
|
|
ONLINE CLASS
Pacing the Plot of Your Novel or Short Story
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. CST
Are you revising a novel or short story?
One of the most important parts of revision is stretching out particular scenes and condensing others so that the narrative rips along when it needs to and slows when the tension becomes most intense. In this class, learn the characteristics of successful pacing and strategies for helping your story develop at the rhythm that feels well-suited to the plot.
What people are saying about John Pipkin's classes
- "John Pipkin is an amazing author and teacher. I learned so much from him, and he answered every one of my questions with insight and reflection. I highly recommend this class with him."
- "Very practical writing information rather than simply abstract theory."
Registration closes Wednesday, June 6, at 5 p.m. CST. Everyone who registers will have access to the class recording until June 14.
|
|
ONLINE CLASS
Crafting Prose for Memoirs that Brings Your Memories to Life
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Learn (and practice) the difference between writing in-scene vs. writing in summary, work with details from all the senses--not just the eyes (sometimes how things smell can pull the reader in fastest), write description that makes your story fly rather than clogging it up, and explore a useful trick stolen from filmmaking.
Exercises will focus on techniques for diving deep into your own sense-memories to pull out the most effective details.
Registration closes Wednesday, June 20, at 5 p.m. CST. Everyone who registers will have access to the class recording until June 28.
|
|
Meet Christine Butterworth-McDermott, Poetry Instructor
"
Poetry is about finding the right detail to say what you want to say. It's about finding a unique and memorable way to make the mundane or everyday vivid."
- Christine Butterworth-McDermott
Christine Butterworth-McDermott teaches at Stephen F. Austin State University and is a graduate of Purdue's MFA program. Her first book,
Woods & Water, Wolves & Women was published in 2012, and her second,
Evelyn As, about Gibson girl Evelyn Nesbit, is forthcoming from Fomite Press.
This year
, for the first time, we'll host our annual retreat in beautiful Nacogdoches, Texas. Learn more about this year's classes -- including fiction, narrative nonfiction, and memoir on our website.
|
|
Just A Handful of Tickets Remain!
Our final schedule is coming together and we couldn't be more excited! We've got a great lineup of authors, including this year's Keynote Speakers Alexander Chee and Melissa Radke. Consultations with agents & editors are still available for purchase, but we're close to selling out, so don't delay!
|
|
Awards & Honors
Debra Winegarten (Austin) won the Texas Press Women's Book Competition for the book she co-authored with Zvi Yaniv, My Life on the Mysterious Island of Nanotechnology. The book won third place in the National Press Women's Competition in the biography/memoir category. Debra's book
Almost a Minyan also won the Texas Press Women's Book Competition for best children's book
and placed second in their national competition.
Events & Classes
Len Bourland (Dallas) is an author and columnist and will be offering her popular course on "How to publish quickly, economically, and professionally to get in bookstores" in June at SMU. For more info and registration, click
here.
New Releases
Joe Slade (Austin) recently published his book
Crazy Smart!, which delivers personalized, unique case study insights into the top ten ways winners produce results. Learn more about Joe
here.
Interested in having your news listed here? Current Writers' League members can submit their news to [email protected]. Announcements should adhere to the following guidelines: third-person, starting with your first and last name, followed by your city of residence, maximum 50 words. We may edit your announcement for style and clarity.
|
Writer Classifieds
Looking for a writing group or critique partner? Look no further than our Writer Classifieds. Current Writers' League members can submit their name, contact information, and additional details to be included as a listing on a private page on our website.
|
Coming Up @ WLT
Classes, Free Programs, Deadlines, and Other Events Across the State
June 5
The North Door, Austin, TX
Registration closes Wednesday, June 6, at 5 p.m. CST.
All registrants will have access to the class recording until June 14.
June 7
St. Andrew's Methodist Church, San Antonio, TX
June 21
BookPeople, Austin, TX
Online Class
July 25
Online Class
|
|
This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.
Visit Austin at NowPlayingAustin.com.
|
Writers' League of Texas classes and workshops are also funded in part by the Texas Commission on the Arts - Investing in a Creative Texas. For more information, go to
www.arts.texas.gov
.
|
This project is also supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities,
|
|
|
|
|
|
