Thanks to everyone who was at Wednesday’s Writers Rendezvous, for your input and helpful suggestions for other writers. There are a number of events happening tonight, so I’ll start with them.
Gwen Hernandez, author of Scrivener for Dummies and host of many online Scrivener workshops, is running some new ones in November/December. One of the plusses of these particular courses is that they’re available for both Mac and Windows – Scrivener isn’t exactly the same on both platforms, so this is really useful. You can pick only the workshops that you need, or get a discount if you buy them all. She offers three levels of classes: Jump-Start, Next-Level, and Compile Ready. If you don’t know what the last one means, you’re not ready for it yet! They start on November 16 for Mac, and November 17 for Windows. Find out more at the links above.
On Thursday, November 17, at 7pm, Greenwich Pen Women and Friends of Cos Cob Library will be sponsoring an Open Mic Night for writers and creatives at Cos Cob Library. This is a live event open to all and coordinated and moderated in real time. Register to attend with the Greenwich Library prior to the event and sign up for a five-minute speaker slot when you arrive at the library.
The Connecticut Center for the Book is offering a workshop—Using History in Speculative Fiction on November 17, from 7-8:30pm. Djéli Clark (A Master of Djinn) |will discuss how understanding history helps us shape tales of fantastical pasts, the surreal present, and far-flung futures. This workshop explores how established speculative fiction writers use history in their storytelling and world-building, and offers some tips on how attendees can do the same. Register here.$15
In honor of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) the Fairfield County Writers Studio is opening the Story Lab in Westport on Sunday, November 20, to members and non-members for a write-in and rough draft party. I plan to be there for at least some of the time. They’ll provide bagels, coffee, and conversation from 9-9:30am, then you can write to your heart’s content until 4 p.m. Come and go as you please. Free for members. Non-members $20. There are free goodies, free parking, free Wi-fi, and free fun. To attend, please register here and select ‘Special Event Pass’.
On December 9 at 7pm Billy Collins, former US Poet Laureate, and my favorite living poet, will be appearing at the Westport Library in person to talk about his newest book of poems, Musical Tables. He’ll be in conversation with Antoinette Brim-Bell, Connecticut’s poet laureate. Don’t miss this chance to hear him live. Free.
The Westport Writers Workshop’s winter classes begin on January 9, and registration is open now. Head to their home page, and click the “Winter” tab to explore the variety of 6 weeks, 12 weeks and 1-Day workshops. Class sizes are limited to seven participants per workshop.
It’s time to enter the Connecticut Press Club Awards Contest, and if you live and/or work in Connecticut, you’re eligible. You don’t have to be a member of the CPC, but can join or renew your membership to the CT Press Club here. The work you enter must have been produced/published in the 2022 calendar year and you can submit in a wide array of categories, including writing, speeches, Radio & TV, website design, advertising, photography and more. The fee is $25 for members, and $30 for non-members. The early bird deadline is January 18, and the final deadline for books is February 1, everything else, February 8. Get all the details here.
The BookLife Prize is an annual writing contest sponsored by BookLife and Publishers Weekly that seeks to support independent authors and discover great books. The BookLife Prize Nonfiction Contest is in full swing in the following categories: Memoir/Autobiography; Self-Help; Inspirational/Spiritual; and Business/Personal Finance. Enter by December 1 and use promo code NFNOV to receive a $20 discount, which is the lowest discount being offered between now and the end of the contest on January 31, 2023. Each Entry Receives a Publishable Assessment by a Publishers Weekly Reviewer and a Chance to Win the $5,000 grand prize or the $1,000 category prize
I’ll be posting more information on Monday, about other book awards to submit to, small presses that publish mysteries/crime, and a course on self-publishing that you can take to help get you started. In the meantime, keep writing!
