We inform, support, encourage & promote writers
Our July Program on The High Concept Pitch really educated members on the Dos & Don’ts of ‘pitching’ our work to readers, agents, and publishers. HB Berlow led the program. Then several participants whipped up their own “pitches” on the spot. The following excerpt is from HB’s article in the August KWA newsletter. For full text,…
Table. Check. Comfy chair. Check. Attractively arranged pile of your books. Check. Plenty of pens for autographs. Check. You are happily ensconced in a corner of the local book store or library, ready to host your first book signing. There’s only one thing missing…readers to buy your books. Perhaps the best venue for your…
Atticus Finch. Holden Caulfield. Hamlet. Jane Eyre. Anna Karenina. Madame Bovary. According to The Fictional 100, by Lucy Pollard-Gott, PhD, these characters live on in our imaginations. There are basic personality types that all players in a story should embody. These tips will help you construct a framework to design your memorable characters. People-watching…
Writers talk about inspiration and where story ideas come from; characters and their names and quirks and personalities; locations and locales, whether they are gritty or exotic; where the story is going and how to get there. Writers talk about agents and publishers and query letters and pitches; self-publishing versus traditional publishing; their blog or…
For about a year now, I’ve been trying to do this online program for critiquing unpublished work. It’s called Book Country under the label of Penguin. This is a program that promises that you’ll get honest and supportive feedback on your current WIPs and maybe even pick up an agent or publishing contract. If only…
It’s that time of year again! Our member news and biographies need updates. If you are new to our association, or if you would like to change your biographical information, then NOW is the time! You can do this several ways: 1. You can click on the link below and email a brief biographical statement…
A writer rarely has the opportunity to just wallow in the writing, to enjoy it like chocolate covered strawberries. Most of us feel obliged to our writing, serving the story or poem, and each effort requires a ‘product,’ an outcome that serves a purpose. Maybe it will be the next scene or chapter, maybe we’re…
I was diagnosed with breast cancer in February, following a routine mammogram. Two days later, I finished my first book. Great timing, huh? I’m sharing this because sometimes life sneaks up behind you and pounces. It doesn’t have to be an excuse to set aside your burning passion for publication. If you have the…
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”—Oscar Wilde Comparing your writing to others is a fast-track to a killer case of the blues. Don’t subject yourself to this downward spiral; it’s a waste of your precious time. Concentrating on sharpening your craft, educating yourself and building a platform are much better uses of your effort….
We’re so proud of KWA member Joyce Markley for making the front page of East Wichita News! Check out the April issue here. The newspaper’s story is about Joyce’s collaboration with Ken Gale to create the musical Save Me a Dance, inspired by the statue of a little girl seen in Wichita’s Maple Grove Cemetery….