Kansas Writers Association

It is time for the annual KWA Holiday Party. The fun begins at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday December 18 in the Sunflower Room at the Sedgwick County Extension Office located at 7001 W 21st St, Wichita.

We will be having Jason’s Deli providing box lunches. If you plan to eat with us, you will need to contact Marcia Helten at ateach93@cox.net by Dec 15. She can help you with the sandwich options available.

KWA will pay for the lunch boxes, but donations are always welcomed. Ice water and tea will be provided.

Come and enjoy being with people who have common interests! If you haven’t been to the monthly meetings in a while, be sure to come see everyone now.

I was waiting for complete information from the November meeting before I posted an update. Unfortunately, I still don’t have all the correct details. But I will share what I do know.

There is a proposal being considered by the board to amend the Bylaws concerning the terms of the officers. It was suggested that we stagger the officers for two year terms. At this time, we don’t have a term limit.

It was announced that Zoom may be available in the future from Marcia Helten, who has unlimited time.

The 2022 newly elected board members include Kathy Pritchett (President), Ben Sutherland (Vice-President), Angela Largent (Treasurer), Marcia Helten (Secretary), Sonny Collins (Member-at-Large), and Jatonna (Member-at-Large).

Just a reminder of our regular meeting on November 20 at 1:30. We are back in the Sedgwick County Extension office, Sunflower Room, at 21^st and Ridge. You can enter from either street and park on either side. Access is easy and there are plentiful restrooms.

This will be an important meeting: Elections! No mudslinging, endless TV ads or campaign promises, just volunteering to assist your fellow writers to find the resources we need to be successful. Many members have served in these positions previously; we’d be happy to have you again, but new members would learn a great deal from this service.

Wendell Skinner chose not to serve as secretary again, as his work responsibilities have increased, so this very important position is open. The secretary position is critical, because we need minutes of the three required board meetings to maintain our non-profit status. It requires attendance (can be by phone or zoom) at the board meetings and writing the minutes.

Angela Largent has agreed to remain as treasurer, because that position takes a bit of time to learn. I would volunteer to stay as president, but would also be more than happy to turn the gavel over to anyone else who would like the post.

Other positions to be filled are: Vice-President or President and two members-at-large. Please attend or email your ideas. We are all in this together.

After the election, which shouldn’t take very long, we will have a program on author stories presented by Ben Sutherland.

https://www.sedgwick.k-state.edu/

Katherine Pritchett

KWA elects its board of directors for the next year in November, with the new directors taking office in January. Now is the time for you, the members, to consider running for a position. If you are interested, let one of the current directors know at least by the October meeting.

Our current Bylaws require six directors. One board member may have two positions, exclusive of the President. The Board is also required to have a minimum of three Board meetings, which all members are allowed to attend.

Board Directors

President – The principal officer of the organization. He/she will preside at all meetings of the board and member meetings and will supervise and control all the business affairs of the organization.

Vice President – In the absence of the President, the Vice President shall perform the duties of the President, along with any other duties assigned by the President or by the board.

Recording Secretary – The Recording Secretary shall keep, or cause to be kept, a book of minutes of all meetings of the Board of Directors and member meetings.

Treasurer – The Treasurer shall keep and maintain adequate and correct accounts of the transactions of the organization, including accounts of its assets, liabilities, receipts, disbursements, gains, losses, capital, and surplus. He/she shall deposit all funds in the name of the corporation in such banks or trust companies as shall be selected by the board. The Treasurer shall file or cause to be filed any local, state, or federal tax reports. Reports to include the Annual Report to the State of Kansas, IRS Form 990, and Kansas Sales Tax. The Treasurer will submit a monthly statement to the board.

Members at Large (2) – The Members at Large have no specific duties other than to support the board and the membership.

Appointed Volunteer Positions

The following are positions that KWA has had in the past. It would be good to fill some (or all) of them again.

Ambassador – Represent and promote KWA

Historian – Gather all information about KWA and its members to be kept in an official scrapbook and digital scrapbook for the organization

Promotions Manager – Arrange publicity for all KWA’s needs

Technology Advisor – Help will any KWA technological needs

Website Coordinator – Updates and maintains the website monthly (Starla will continue in this role, but would gladly train someone to take it over in the future.)

Youth Coordinator – Help with youth writing events in the community

We will be meeting at the Sedgwick County Extension office, 7001 W. 21st Street N.Wichita, Ks  67205, 1:30 to 4. The extension office is at 21st and Ridge; you can enter from either side.

Starla will start our discussion about Websites for Authors. This will include WHY you should seriously consider having one and many other aspects about them: domain name, DIY vs custom design, contents, monitoring website traffic, and using it for marketing. There will be handouts available.

Following the basic introduction on the subject, everyone can share their thoughts, experiences, and questions.

Please feel free to bring a friend.

Here are some great websites to check out, maybe subscribe to, as they offer some good advice.

Live, Write, Thrive https://www.livewritethrive.com/

Build Book Buzz https://blog.bookbaby.com/2021/08/flawed-characters-create-meaning/?utm_campaign=BB2136&utm_source=BBeNews&utm_medium=Email#li=MA1-17d907b4567bfb175b8d14844e64aeed&cs=MA1-c673da347d4e3c554532f75494ebea27

You are welcome to wear a mask as a consideration to others if you so choose.

NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month

Many of you know about this helpful event for writers that takes place in November. But are you aware that there are a lot of supportive groups that communicate year-long? If you are curious, check out NaNoWriMo Forums.

We talked about the whole NaNoWriMo matter at the August meeting. There were a number of people present that would like to take part in a local support group of our own. It will be discussed on the Facebook page.

The NaNoWriMo website offers many things for all writers, even for multi-published authors like myself. One resource that impressed me was The Week-By-Week Breakdown for the prep classes in 2020.

If you are interested in taking part, check out the main NaNoWriMo website. If you are interested in a local support group, watch the Facebook page for more discussion.

If you have other suggestions for KWA, let the board know or mention it on the Facebook page.

We have confirmed our reservation for the Sunflower Room (with the tables set up) at the K-State Extension Office (Ridge and 21st, 7001 W 21st St, Wichita, KS 67205 https://www.sedgwick.k-state.edu/) for our August 21st meeting, 1:30-4:30.

In light of the rising Covid numbers, we ask that you mask, regardless of vaccination status, for the meeting. If you do not have a mask, we will have some available.

Our subject will be Sagging Middles (no, not an exercise class!). Starla Criser will present some techniques she has used over her years of successful writing. I will bring some as well, though I think I stole them from Starla. If anyone else has a format, technique or tip to share, please do.

It’s not so much a meeting as a get together of friends for informative discussions. As usual, we will introduce ourselves and what we write.

Also, if you have a website, blog or other media that you have found helpful, please bring the URL or whatever to share. We will have a good time, lots of laughs, and will learn ways to hone our craft.

Look forward to seeing all of you there!

We have the Meadowlark meeting room booked in the easy to access, K-State Extension facility at 21st and Ridge in Wichita. Here is the link to the facility’s website. https://www.sedgwick.k-state.edu/sedgwick_county…

This is a great facility, and we have room to add many more new members. So bring a friend! The meeting is open to anyone interested in writing. Membership is not required until you decide if this group is for you. Our members work in many different genres at levels from beginners to experienced writers.

Kathy Pritchett will be hosting a discussion about how to develop characters in your writing. A character presenting about characters! Isn’t that a hoot?

Hope to see many people there!

The Rockwell Library where we used to meet is not yet available, but we have reserved the Sunflower Room at the Sedgwick County Extension Education Center from 1:30 to 4:00 for June 19. The extension center is west of Sedgwick County Park, which is west of the Zoo. The address is:  7001 W 21st St, Wichita, KS 67205.

We will try to have a zoom or livestream for those who are not yet comfortable meeting in person or are unable to attend. 

Louise Pelzl (writing as Z Minor) has volunteered to lead a discussion on show vs. tell.