Kansas Writers Association

At this time, we are still planning on meeting outside the Rockwell Library at 1:30 pm. And there will be a Zoom meeting at 7 pm.

The programs and schedule for the rest of 2020 are as follows:

Sept 19 – Program: Dialogue, internalization, and narration

Oct 17 – Program: Editing

Nov 21 – Program: Query letters and synopsis

Dec 19 – KWA’s holiday party and recognitions

PROMPTS for the September 19th meeting:

1. Imagine finding a box. Write about opening it and what is inside.
2. Poem: Write a poem about a brick wall – liberal or figurative.
3. WORDS: fan – green – sour – banana – seal

Click here to get the Word file

Hook Presentation for KWA 8-15-2020

We will be meeting Saturday, August 15th, outside the Rockwell Library at 1:30 pm. Like the last couple of meetings, bring a lawn chair or a blanket to sit on in the shade. Bring a mask and be prepared to social distance. Also bring a drink to keep hydrated.

There will also be a Zoom Room meeting at 7 pm. Watch for instructions on the Facebook page later today.

It is important for our members and guests to meet however they are comfortable doing. Writers need to support each other the best we can. This is our time to share our news, network, and discuss a writing-related topic.

Today, Kathy Pritchett will give a program on hooks and inciting incidents. As always, followed by everyone having a chance to offer their thoughts and experiences.

We will be meeting this month, July 18th, (1:30-4:00) outside the Rockwell Library. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and join us in the shade under some trees. We will have extra chairs available. Also, bring a drink to stay hydrated. If you feel the need, wear a mask, too.

The program will be about writing children’s books. If you can help this program, please let us know. We have a number of published children’s book authors who can share insight on their experience in creation, publishing, and marketing.

If you want to try doing a writing exercise and sharing it, here are some possible prompts:

WORDS: warehouse – watermelon – lizard – sled – brown

PROMPTS:

1. Write about being inside an old abandoned warehouse.
2. Write about being an abandoned dog hoping to find a new home.
3. Write about being a big, old tree in a park and what you have observed over the years.

As of May 26 there is limited services at the Rockwell Library and NO groups or meetings allowed until a later date. So… we are going to try a meeting outside (weather permitting) somewhere on the park’s grass. We’ll give more details later.

The program will be on Understanding Goal, Motivation, and Conflict, which was postponed from an earlier date. All writers need occasional reminders about the importance of these key parts of writing anything. And If you’re a new writer, you definitely need to learn about this matter. Plus, it is a great topic for discussion by all writers to share their experience.

Bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit on, a drink, and a snack if you want to have a personal picnic during the meeting. We’ll have extra chairs available too.

There will also be another Zoom meeting for anyone not interested doing the outside meeting but wanting to attend in another way. The link is: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/74615665674…

KWA will not be meeting May 16 at the Rockwell Library due to the Covid-19 issues. At this point, we have been told it won’t be until another possible two weeks that they will even allow people inside the library.

The June 20 meeting is probably going to be restricted. The library informed us that they think the Health Department will require 50 sq. ft. per person. That would severely limit the number of people allowed to attend. They will call us for sure about June at a later date.

Reminder: The deadline for the 2020 KWA Anthology has been extended to August 30, 2020.

You can write the challenge as long as you want, even if it leads to a short story or a longer work. But when we share them at the meeting, we need to remember there are more people with something to share. Because time is limited, we need to keep a reading to approximately 500 words or a couple of pages.

May 2020 Prompts:

1.   Write a short story about your experiences with solitude.

2.   Think of a situation that has currently got you stumped. Describe how one of your heroes would resolve it?

3.   A diner in a swanky restaurant finds a worm in his salad and wants his dinner free; management finds his request excessive. Create an interaction between two characters written entirely in dialogue.

4. Pick a historical event that has always fascinated you. Write about it from the point-of-view of someone who wouldn’t have been mentioned in the history books.

Random Words:

Hotdog – Frozen – Dull – Particle — Snap

Exercise:

C. S. Lakin provides an eight-step checklist for creating perfect scenes. Using the eight steps listed below, create your own opening scene.

• Identify Its Purpose (If it doesn’t have one, start over.)
• Identify the High Moment (This will help identify the purpose.)
• Emphasize Conflict:  Inner and Outer (Every scene should have either or both.)
• Accentuate Character Change (This helps to advance the story)
• Determine the POV (This should be the character with the most at stake.)
• Eliminate the Boring Stuff (Cut anything that doesn’t advance the scene’s purpose.)
• Perfect the Beginnings and Endings (Important to keep your readers reading.)
• Inject Texture and Sensory Details (Allows the reader to feel a part of your scene.)

The Rockwell Library has informed us that they will be closed through April 24. The KWA meeting there will NOT be held on April 18th.

They are crediting us January and February of 2021 for the two cancelled meetings in 2020.

We have added a private Facebook group page: KWA Critique Group for paid members. The intention is to allow members to post reasonably sized pieces of writing projects for other members to read and offer helpful comments. You could also brainstorm something and get feedback. Or you can share writing prompt exercises.

All paid members have been invited to join the group. Newly paid members will be invited. Everyone needs to play well with others and respect each other. Abusers will be removed from the group, after a warning.

The Facebook link is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/231500947905759/

It is exciting to find out that more of our members are doing some of the writing prompts. If you haven’t done so yet, try to this month. You can also do any writing prompt from another month or from somewhere else.

You can write the challenge as long as you want, even if it leads to a short story or a longer work. But when we share them at the meeting, we need to remember there are more people with something to share. Because time is limited, we need to keep a reading to approximately 500 words or a couple of pages.

April Prompts

1. Write a scene that includes time travel.
2. Use this phrase:  When you realize you have to parallel park….
3. Write a short story about a wedding cake.
4. Your main character is a female swashbuckler. What’s she up to this week?
5. Write a scene using these three elements – Genre: Young Adult; Person: A bored inventor; Problem: It’s been raining for a month with no signs of stopping.

Words:

Injury – stranger – protest – summon – verdant

Exercise:  Guy with a Gun (from James Scott Bell)

“This was a Raymond Chandler idea. If you’re writing along and the going gets dull, he said, just bring in a guy with a gun.

Justify it later.

It’s a great trick. (Yes, it’s OK to call these things “tricks of the trade.” If you’re angling for a position on the Yale faculty, you can call them “advanced literary operandi.”) It brings instant conflict and juices up your story.

Of course, it doesn’t have to be a literal gun. It can be almost anything:

•           An unexpected guest
•           Someone from the past
•           An upsetting phone call
•           An accident
•           A cop
•           A nun
•           A con artist
•           A news item
•           A death
•           A sudden shock (“You’re fired!” or “Will you marry me?”)

Try it by writing a scene with an unexpected event.