Hi all,

 In general, I agree that writing contests that charge a fee are dubious uses of our time.  But this one seems legit,  the fee is only $20, and the prizes are decent.   

I suggest we each decide to create a submission entry.  I’m not concerned whether you actually submit it, but as an exercise it may serve to sharpen our focus.  It might be a useful exercise in a couple of ways, and I don’t see how it cna hurt to have an example of good writing in our portfolios.  In any case, the deadline is next May 30, so we have plenty of time.   We’ll talk about it more in the group. 

John

Starting September 6, we now meet on Thursday night at the Brookpark Station Cafe. Don’t forget to arrive a bit early so you can grab some food and drink prior to the start of the meeting. See you there.

Our next meeting night  is August 8, at 7:00 pm. We meet at the Brookpark Station Cafe in Lewisburg. The format is simple. I prompt you. You write without editing. Some of  us read our work – No critique allowed.

Group News

Do you have a bag of writing  prompts you want to share with the group? If so, let me know. I’m looking for a group member who is interested in providing a prompt a week via this web page.

Last group meeting, I asked, “What writing resources do you turn to on a regular basis?” Here’s what we said:

• Susquehanna Valley Independent Writers – A support group focused on free writing. Hear a prompt and write what comes to mind. Read it if you wish. Read more about us.
• Writer’s Digest – Several group members subscribe to the magazine that provides tips, interviews, prompts and more. Visit www.writersdigest.com for more resources. Check out the their list of 101 best writing web sites.
• WritersWeekly.com – A freelance writing resource that offers weekly success stories, tips, paying markets, and freelance jobs. The whispers and warning section lists the editors and publications who refuse to pay their writers. Everything is online at www.writersweekly.com.
• Voices in head & magical gnomes – Private resources that are not accepting new members.

What are your favorite resources? Where and who do you turn to when you need write about, talk about, or read about writing? Leave your response in the comments.

Susquehanna Valley Independent Writers sprang from a story in The Daily Item when freelance writer Cindy Herman introduced us to John Kador. Cindy is a member of the group and her story is posted with her consent.

Business author forming a writer’s support group
by Cindy O. Herman

John Kador does speech writing and ghost writing and has published about
15 business books. In other words, in the writing world, he’s made it. He’s
a published, successful, self-supporting author.

So you might think, as I did, that he doesn’t need the support of fellow
writers. But we would both be wrong.

Mr. Kador moved to Winfield last summer when his wife accepted the
position of associate dean of students at Susquehanna University. Since then
he has been trying to find a writer’s group in the area, but not necessarily
a traditional writer’s group, where members critique each other’s work. He’s
seeking what he calls more of a writer’s support group.

“The writer’s identity is very tricky,” Mr. Kador said. “Writing is very
lonely. A writer’s support group is a chance to get together to remind them
that they’re not alone.”

His plan is to have quick writing exercises in an attempt to help writers
find their voice.

“The biggest emphasis would be to let go of our editors, that judging
voice in our head that stops us from writing,” he said. “And to trust
ourselves so that we can find that honesty.”

Mr. Kador led such a group for five years when he lived in Geneva,
Illinois, just west of Chicago, before moving here.

“How it works is what I call exercises in free writing,” he said. “I might
offer them the start of a story: ‘The man walked into the room.’” Group
members would then have a short amount of time, say, 90 seconds, to write a
story and “not worry, just enjoy the job, letting our internal consciences
guide us. That’s Part One.”

For Part Two, people read their stories out loud.

“The only reaction from the other members is relaxed delight. And the
results,” Mr. Kador said, “are magical.”

But finding that magic, or at least, a group to create it, has been
difficult for Mr. Kador here in the Susquehanna Valley. He started by trying
to find a similar group, but with no luck. Since then he’s been trying to
start his own. He’s spoken to some interested people, and has approached
both The Union County Library and Page After Page, in Lewisburg, as possible
meeting places.

“I like meeting in bookstores,” he said with a shrug and a smile.

Among his published works are How to Ace the Brainteaser Interview; Great
Engagements: The Once and Future Johnson & Johnson’s; and his most recent
book, The Manager’s Book of Questions, which was named one of the year’s top
ten business books.

His ghostwriting, which he said he found to be fun and the best money by
far of any writing he’s done, includes A Call to Action: Taking Back
Healthcare for Future Generations, by Hank McKinnell, chairman and CEO of
Pfizer; and The Manager’s Book of Decencies: How Small Gestures Build Great
Companies, by Steve Harrison, a principal of Lee, Hecht Harrison, one of the
larger outplacement and career management companies in the U.S.

Since he himself describes writing as a lonely profession, I asked what
enabled him to keep writing through all those solitary hours till he had
finished each of his books.

“All I can say is, I owe my father a great debt for instilling in me a
great sense of discipline,” he said, adding that, in addition to discipline,
he could not go back on his word after agreeing to complete an assignment.

So his books were all assigned before he started writing them, I asked.
And there he grinned at me.

“There are two types of writing,” he said. “Speculative and assignment. I
only do assignment.”

But even so, paid and published and writing only on assignment, he feels
the need to be in the company of other writers.

“Being a part of such a group makes my life better,” Mr. Kador said.

And it’s not just being surrounded by paid and published writers like
himself. The writer’s group Mr. Kador is envisioning would be open to all
writers.

“Anyone who considers himself or herself a writer is welcome,” he said.
“You don’t need credentials. You don’t need to have published anything. You
just need to think of yourself as a writer.”

The design of our site is based on  a theme, and with our wordpress.com blog, we can select from several different themes to change the look and feel of our page. I really like the layout of the current page, but I’d like to change the image because it’s not original.

If you have a photo that you believe would make a good banner, send it to me.

Welcome to the Susquehanna Valley Independent Writers blog. We’re just settling into our new blog, so expect some changes over the next few weeks. All group members will have the privilege to post articles like the one you’re reading now. Anyone will have the ability to post comments on an article, including non-group members.

Depending on how exciting we are, we may generate both a physical group and an online group. It’s too early to tell, but this blog will go wherever we make it go. For those group members who are new to blogging and online social spaces, I’ll give you everything you need to know at our next meeting.

You can get a jump-start by getting a wordpress.com user name, which you need to post articles.

1. Go to wordpress.com.
2. Follow the “sign up” link at the top of the WordPress.com page.
3. Enter the user name you wish to use.
4. Enter your email address.
5. Agree to the “fascinating” terms of service.
6. Select the “Just a user name, please” option.
7. Check your email for your account confirmation and password.
8. Login using the user name you specified and the password that was sent to you in email.
9. Send me and email to let me know what your user name is.

After I get your user name, I’ll send you instructions on how to post to the blog.