Crux is the new face of Wits.
We hope to gather like-minded people to Crux to submit, network, find writing opportunities and as they say in the movies, enhance the experience.Think of crux as the essence of what writing is all about. The heart of the matter, and what matters in the world of writing, be it publishing or marketingCrux will bring you once a month musings, up to date information, submissions worthy of any e-zine.
Crux is here to pass on information. Find out about author interviews and what makes the latest and greatest tick. Where do they get their time, energy, inspiration.
Do you have a problem with dialogue, editing or copyright? Crux will show you how to. The blog will give constructive links to the issues facing many writers in their quest for the perfect manuscript.
Crux can network with other writers groups. Find out where the next writers festival is being held, how to join a workshop, where to get an appraisal.
Spread the word and bookmark, tag, RSS, face-book, twitter - or just come along for the ride, it will be worth it.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
competition opportunity from our near neighbours
'Magic' is the theme of the national 2009 Gold Coast (Qld) Writers' Association Adults Writing Competition. Categories are Short Story; Writing for Children, and Poetry. Prizes: $400 First Prize; $200 Second; $100 Third. Entries must be received at the GCWA PO Box by last mail 12 June 2009 or at the GCWA Meeting on 13 June 2009. Fee $10 per entry; maximum five (5) entries per person. For Competition Rules and Entry Form see http://www.goldcoastwriters.org.au/. For more information call 0431 443 385.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
From a new member.
The Hand of a kindred soul
A friend of mine encouraged me to share what I was writing and said she knew just the place. She told me about a writing group she belonged to called (Writers in Townsville Society) WITS and how she enjoyed going along to the meetings and found it beneficial to her own writing. I had a look at the WITS blog page and was impressed by what I saw there. The blog showed me what this writers group was all about and I enjoyed exploring the many links. I had a peak at the fantastic WITS member’s blogs and they looked like an interesting bunch of people. I plucked up the courage to go along to one of the WITS meetings and I was made to feel welcome with friendly smiles, cups of tea and tim tams. I was left feeling comfortable right away.
I didn’t share any of my writing initially, however after attending several meetings and with some encouragement from WITS members I have started to share my writing. You really do get what you give and I have been given some valuable constructive feedback about my writing.
My personal experience is that WITS is open to writers of all levels of proficiency. It’s a supportive and safe environment. The meetings are always a great source of inspiration to me as I listen in awe as other members share well crafted pieces of writing.
I am learning so much from other writers at WITS and it’s truly refreshing how willing people are to share their thoughts and ideas and to give you a bit of time to help you enhance the craft of writing. The atmosphere at WITS meetings is one of trust where members can safely share their writing and others are comfortable in making constructive suggestions.
I have found WITS members to be an eclectic and intelligent group of people who are all very unique and bring something special to the meetings.
Shelly has shared her experience of Wits. For those who are already converts to writing this is ego boosting, for those who have an inkling to join it is an incite, and for those who have lapsed, well this just might jog a memory. Thanks Shelly.
~
I’ve always been the kind of writer who wrote in isolation and didn’t share anything with anyone. Writing had always been a private affair between me and the page. I write when inspiration hits, when I am feeling creative, to escape, to release frustration, when I am happy, excited, melancholy and when I have something to say. Writing has always been a cathartic process for me and I have not always sat down to write with the goal of being published in mind. I write because I simply enjoy doing so.
A friend of mine encouraged me to share what I was writing and said she knew just the place. She told me about a writing group she belonged to called (Writers in Townsville Society) WITS and how she enjoyed going along to the meetings and found it beneficial to her own writing. I had a look at the WITS blog page and was impressed by what I saw there. The blog showed me what this writers group was all about and I enjoyed exploring the many links. I had a peak at the fantastic WITS member’s blogs and they looked like an interesting bunch of people. I plucked up the courage to go along to one of the WITS meetings and I was made to feel welcome with friendly smiles, cups of tea and tim tams. I was left feeling comfortable right away.
I didn’t share any of my writing initially, however after attending several meetings and with some encouragement from WITS members I have started to share my writing. You really do get what you give and I have been given some valuable constructive feedback about my writing.
My personal experience is that WITS is open to writers of all levels of proficiency. It’s a supportive and safe environment. The meetings are always a great source of inspiration to me as I listen in awe as other members share well crafted pieces of writing.
I am learning so much from other writers at WITS and it’s truly refreshing how willing people are to share their thoughts and ideas and to give you a bit of time to help you enhance the craft of writing. The atmosphere at WITS meetings is one of trust where members can safely share their writing and others are comfortable in making constructive suggestions.
I have found WITS members to be an eclectic and intelligent group of people who are all very unique and bring something special to the meetings.
Crack the whip.
How are all those intrepid writers doing?Are the words just tripping of the typewriter, are the sentences sizzling.
Do you need some Onomatopoeia, antonyms, alliteration or visipitude.
The month of April is rapidly disappearing and dare I say over half way finished, Are you?
Lets see some numbers. And talk in the thousands.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
inspiration
What do you see in the picture. What does it say. What does it invoke.
take a pen and write.
sometimes a picture can say a thousand words, and a thousand words is better than none.
take a pen and write.
sometimes a picture can say a thousand words, and a thousand words is better than none.
pitching a query letter advice.
Thanks to the surfing abilities of members, the blog is a hive of links and activities.
this latest comes from Robyn our far away correspondent.
This is an excellent post from an agent in the US, Kristen, who keeps a regular blog about publishing. Kristen’s blog is so well written.
In this particular post, Kristen has given a detailed account of the pitch from the query letter of one of her clients, and her response to the pitch. This pitch landed the writer the agent, which led to the book being published. It is an excellent example of the sort of query letter that will catch an agent’s eye (and presumably the eye of a publisher too).
In her next post she promises to include an extract from the letter she (the agent) sent to the publisher about this book.
http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2009/04/janice-hardys-query-pitch-blurb.html
thanks Robyn, and keep up the spotting.
this latest comes from Robyn our far away correspondent.
This is an excellent post from an agent in the US, Kristen, who keeps a regular blog about publishing. Kristen’s blog is so well written.
In this particular post, Kristen has given a detailed account of the pitch from the query letter of one of her clients, and her response to the pitch. This pitch landed the writer the agent, which led to the book being published. It is an excellent example of the sort of query letter that will catch an agent’s eye (and presumably the eye of a publisher too).
In her next post she promises to include an extract from the letter she (the agent) sent to the publisher about this book.
http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2009/04/janice-hardys-query-pitch-blurb.html
thanks Robyn, and keep up the spotting.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Pressed, call out
From the editor of Pressed
We're a new literary journal in Queensland, and we're coming up on our submissions deadline (April 21st; ), for a June book launch in Brisbane, and we thought you'd be interested in submitting—seeing how you and your peers are those creative types who get together and . . . create. Please feel free to assemble your minds and send your pieces our way.
pressed
Joel McCaffery Editor/Publisher/Rascal www.pressed-literature.com
Looks like this is a good opportunity. Maybe just the ticket to get in print and pronto.
We're a new literary journal in Queensland, and we're coming up on our submissions deadline (April 21st; ), for a June book launch in Brisbane, and we thought you'd be interested in submitting—seeing how you and your peers are those creative types who get together and . . . create. Please feel free to assemble your minds and send your pieces our way.
pressed
Joel McCaffery Editor/Publisher/Rascal www.pressed-literature.com
Looks like this is a good opportunity. Maybe just the ticket to get in print and pronto.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Writers Train
WATCH THIS SPACE.
This will be a whopper of an event and not one to be missed. So get your glad rags out and be part of an event that will be a hoot.
QWC is delivering the 2009 Writers Train as a component of the Q150 Steam Train which will be leaving Townsville on 2 June and heading out on the Inlander Line to Mount Isa. This Writers Train is a tribute to the original Writers Train which travelled throughout Queensland in 1990 with authors such as Tim Winton, Janet Turner-Hospital and Nick Earls. We aim to connect, share and engage with people within each regional centre and will be posting a digital journal of the trip on ABC's Radio National social networking site, pool.org.au.
More info can be found on the QWC website:
http://qwc.asn.au/ProgramsEvents/Programs/Q150WritersTrain.aspx
We have programmed three authors who will be delivering author talks, schools presentations or readings in each town. The authors are:
Matthew Condon, currently a feature writer with the Courier Mail's QWeekend Magazine and well-known author. Matt's most recent bio can be found here: http://www.randomhouse.com.au/Books/Default.aspx?Page=Book&ID=9781740510325
Gregory Rogers, an award winning children's book author and illustrator. More information on Greg can be found here: http://www.allenandunwin.com/default.aspx?page=312&author=230 and here http://margaretconnolly.com/?p=654
And Belinda Jeffrey. Belinda's first book, Brown Skin Blue, will actually be published through UQP on 1 June so your dinner will be her launch celebration! More information on the book can be found here http://www.penguin.com.au/lookinside/spotlight.cfm?SBN=9780702237133
Here is the new Logo. Wits held the competition and Kerry Ashwin was the winner. Her logo was enhanced by Lynn Scott-cummings with the Gecko. If you think of the tenacity, stick-ability, and sheer luck of a gecko on the ceiling you get the idea that a writer looks at life from a different angle and has that lasting effect! Be prepared to see the logo on all our correspondence, and soon to be anounced merchandise.
Presidents report.
AGM PRESIDENT’S REPORT
A special thank you to all members; WITS would not exist without you to share your writing along with your hopes and dreams. To those of you who’ve had other commitments that have kept you from joining us on a Wednesday night, feel free to email what you are working on or have completed and we can read it out for you at a meeting or just offer comment if that is what you choose. Or simply keep us up with what you’re doing by sending a post to the blog site.
Once upon a time back in the good old days, writer’s groups were just that- a bunch of people who got together to share their work and ideas. Now the threat of litigation has seen incorporation become an essential part of NFP organizations. It is part of the role of committee to ensure that as a body we have procedures in place to offer protection. Like it or not this is the 21st century and we have to take the bad with the good.
I’m pointing out the obvious here but I think we all need to recognize that committee positions are honorary and that we are all firstly writers. We have volunteered to keep things running smoothly and at the same time make sure that WITS provides its members with every opportunity to be as good and successful a writer as you can be, but your help and support makes the job so much easier. Each person who has served on the committee over the years has contributed to what we are today.
I would like to offer special recognition to the committee members who stepped into the breech last November. With the support of the two remaining committee members we have achieved a lot in a very short time.
THE COMMITTEE FOR 2009-2010
PRESIDENT: LORI HURST
VICE-PRESIDENT NIKESH MURALI
TREASURER STEPHEN RYAN
SECRETARY PETER HURST
NEWS EDITOR KERRY ASHWIN
Welcome to the committee Nikesh and Stephen. Kerry Ashwin has simply swapped hats.
The news editor’s job is an especially important one. Kerry Parke did a brilliant job on the newsletter for three years and was there at the initial creation of our blog site. (I believe she is now attending blogaholics anonymous) . A’Mhara, who is an absolute whiz, took over the site and added her own special blend of expertise and creativity. A’Mhara thanks so much for all the time and effort you put in. Job well done. Maintaining the blog site, which has become the face of WITS, in a professional way, takes skill and dedication and Kerry Ashwin will manage it beautifully. The blog will be the means through which WITS not only keeps members in touch with what we are planning and have achieved, it is also a national pipeline.
WE WANT YOU TO BE PROUD TO SAY I AM A MEMBER OF WITS, A PRESTIGOUS WRITER’S ORGANIZATION.
In the coming year we aim to use the pool of talent available through WITS to go from strength to strength.
Looking back over the past few months:
From Justine Wilkinson’s Strategic Planning Workshop our Action Plan has evolved. Thank you Peter for all your efforts in getting the initial ideas into ordered form. Nikesh has already set up an Events Calendar and we have an exciting year ahead. We will also continue with our knowledge sharing workshops which have proved such a success.
Sylvia Kelso’s Fabulous February Fantasy workshop was just that: Fabulous.
The Chronicles of T’ville, has been published as an e-book. If you have not yet downloaded and read the anthology it is well worth making the effort. The Professionalism and talent displayed by the writers involved has certainly helped to raise WITS profile.
NOWRIMO – WITS novel writing month is progressing nicely.
Congratulations. To all those who have accomplished great things in the past year, I’m not about to list them- Congratulations.
A writer’s life is depicted as isolated and lonely, but for most of us writing is part of who we are. So I say to you on those days when you are convinced that you should take up knitting or go dig a deep hole and sit in it, take heart you are not alone. Your writing buddies are here for you. Just knowing that, makes the road a lot less lonely.
Lori
A special thank you to all members; WITS would not exist without you to share your writing along with your hopes and dreams. To those of you who’ve had other commitments that have kept you from joining us on a Wednesday night, feel free to email what you are working on or have completed and we can read it out for you at a meeting or just offer comment if that is what you choose. Or simply keep us up with what you’re doing by sending a post to the blog site.
Once upon a time back in the good old days, writer’s groups were just that- a bunch of people who got together to share their work and ideas. Now the threat of litigation has seen incorporation become an essential part of NFP organizations. It is part of the role of committee to ensure that as a body we have procedures in place to offer protection. Like it or not this is the 21st century and we have to take the bad with the good.
I’m pointing out the obvious here but I think we all need to recognize that committee positions are honorary and that we are all firstly writers. We have volunteered to keep things running smoothly and at the same time make sure that WITS provides its members with every opportunity to be as good and successful a writer as you can be, but your help and support makes the job so much easier. Each person who has served on the committee over the years has contributed to what we are today.
I would like to offer special recognition to the committee members who stepped into the breech last November. With the support of the two remaining committee members we have achieved a lot in a very short time.
THE COMMITTEE FOR 2009-2010
PRESIDENT: LORI HURST
VICE-PRESIDENT NIKESH MURALI
TREASURER STEPHEN RYAN
SECRETARY PETER HURST
NEWS EDITOR KERRY ASHWIN
Welcome to the committee Nikesh and Stephen. Kerry Ashwin has simply swapped hats.
The news editor’s job is an especially important one. Kerry Parke did a brilliant job on the newsletter for three years and was there at the initial creation of our blog site. (I believe she is now attending blogaholics anonymous) . A’Mhara, who is an absolute whiz, took over the site and added her own special blend of expertise and creativity. A’Mhara thanks so much for all the time and effort you put in. Job well done. Maintaining the blog site, which has become the face of WITS, in a professional way, takes skill and dedication and Kerry Ashwin will manage it beautifully. The blog will be the means through which WITS not only keeps members in touch with what we are planning and have achieved, it is also a national pipeline.
WE WANT YOU TO BE PROUD TO SAY I AM A MEMBER OF WITS, A PRESTIGOUS WRITER’S ORGANIZATION.
In the coming year we aim to use the pool of talent available through WITS to go from strength to strength.
Looking back over the past few months:
From Justine Wilkinson’s Strategic Planning Workshop our Action Plan has evolved. Thank you Peter for all your efforts in getting the initial ideas into ordered form. Nikesh has already set up an Events Calendar and we have an exciting year ahead. We will also continue with our knowledge sharing workshops which have proved such a success.
Sylvia Kelso’s Fabulous February Fantasy workshop was just that: Fabulous.
The Chronicles of T’ville, has been published as an e-book. If you have not yet downloaded and read the anthology it is well worth making the effort. The Professionalism and talent displayed by the writers involved has certainly helped to raise WITS profile.
NOWRIMO – WITS novel writing month is progressing nicely.
Congratulations. To all those who have accomplished great things in the past year, I’m not about to list them- Congratulations.
A writer’s life is depicted as isolated and lonely, but for most of us writing is part of who we are. So I say to you on those days when you are convinced that you should take up knitting or go dig a deep hole and sit in it, take heart you are not alone. Your writing buddies are here for you. Just knowing that, makes the road a lot less lonely.
Lori
Friday, April 3, 2009
Annual General Meeting
WITS invites all members and prospective members to the AGM on Wednesday April 8th
SAME TIME - SAME PLACE
RIVERSIDE GARDENS - 7.30PM
NOMINATIONS:
PRESIDENT - Lori Hurst
VICE PRESIDENT - Nikesh Murali
SECRETARY - Peter Hurst
TREASURER - Stephen Ryan
MEMBERS INFORMATION -
As well as the all important election of Office Bearers, this will be a social night. A chance to get together and chat informally. If you have a piece of writing or exciting news that cannot wait to be shared, the floor is yours. (Please limit to ten minutes)
Come along and raise a glass to all the successes of the past year and in anticipation of what this coming year will bring.
If you can, please bring a plate of nibbles to share. WITS will provide drinks.
SAME TIME - SAME PLACE
RIVERSIDE GARDENS - 7.30PM
NOMINATIONS:
PRESIDENT - Lori Hurst
VICE PRESIDENT - Nikesh Murali
SECRETARY - Peter Hurst
TREASURER - Stephen Ryan
MEMBERS INFORMATION -
As well as the all important election of Office Bearers, this will be a social night. A chance to get together and chat informally. If you have a piece of writing or exciting news that cannot wait to be shared, the floor is yours. (Please limit to ten minutes)
Come along and raise a glass to all the successes of the past year and in anticipation of what this coming year will bring.
If you can, please bring a plate of nibbles to share. WITS will provide drinks.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Specusphere
The Specusphere is a hub of interaction between writers, artists, fans, publishers, producers and thinkers who have a passion for speculative fiction in Australia. Speculative fiction encompasses fantasy, science fiction, horror, magic realism and more.
The Specusphere webzine includes essays, thoughts and experiences on and about spec fiction, interviews with authors, short fiction, poetry, reviews and articles on writing, editing and publishing.
Click here to read Webzine #06 or here to find out how you can submit to Specusphere.
The Specusphere webzine includes essays, thoughts and experiences on and about spec fiction, interviews with authors, short fiction, poetry, reviews and articles on writing, editing and publishing.
Click here to read Webzine #06 or here to find out how you can submit to Specusphere.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)