The year seems to be flying by, and the list of writing events, classes, and conferences doesn’t seem to be slowing. Among them are the weekly Monday morning write-ins I run for the Pequot Library, and the WritersMic evening coming up on Tuesday evening, September 21. Check the events page on this blog for details. Here are some of those coming up soon.
The Orange County Library is offering a free virtual class on how to write The Dreaded Synopsis on Sunday, September 19, from 4-5pm ET. A synopsis is a vital piece of your novel’s submission package, but many writers struggle with creating one. Author and editor Rebecca Enzor will walk you through creating an effective novel synopsis.
An evening with Billy Collins, former U.S. poet laureate, will be held September 28 5-8pm (Saturday) at the American Mural Project Gala, in Winsted, CT. Tickets $175-$300.
The Pequot Library’s Magic, Mayhem, and Monsters Writing Contest invites young writers to submit short fantasy stories of 1,000 words or less. For grades 4-12. Winners will be announced October 15. Writers can share their stories at a reception for all entrants on October 27. Submissions are due Friday, October 1.
Jane Friedman offers regular
workshops on writing craft and publishing. These are led by experts in the field, and are usually very inexpensive. Here’s one, on October 6, at 1pm ET, that’s designed to help you get your plot under control – 5 Steps to an airtight plot, with author and development editor Tiffany Yates Martin. The 5 simple, straightforward steps in this course will give you a solid, actionable road map for your story—a clear, workable guide to make sure you’re keeping the momentum strong as you propel readers steadily through your story to a satisfying, cohesive conclusion. If you can’t attend at that time, the recordings will be available a week later. $25
In its sixth year, the 2021 Permian Basin Writers’ Workshop annual event will be held virtually on October 9-10 this year, and will feature writing coaches and agents from around the country. One of them is Tiffany Yates Martin (see above) and historical novelist Kim Taylor Blakemore. The Workshop gives aspiring writers a better understanding of the craft of fiction and nonfiction, preparing them for the fast-changing world of publishing and promotion, while creating opportunities for meaningful networking and support. $99. Register here
The Connecticut Literary Festival is taking place live at Real Art Ways, the former Underwood typewriter factory, in Hartford on October 22-23. It will include the presentation of the Connecticut Book Awards and a party for the launch of the 2021 Literary Anthology on Friday. Saturday will see presentations by authors as varied as Matthew Dicks, Jose B. Gonzales, Elizabeth Hinton, and Lilly Dancyger. Check out the list here. There’ll be space to write in the Typewriter Gallery and readings in the Tiny Reading Gallery (including member Richard Seltzer.) There may still be time to register to read from your book, though I haven’t had time to check it. Check out the full information here.
Free.
Cardinal Rule Press is a respected children’s picture book publisher that is only open to submissions during certain times of year. Their current submission window will be open till November 1. They consider manuscripts up to 1,000 words in length, and only accept emailed submissions. Authors Publish alerted me to this opportunity, and I recommend subscribing to their newsletter if you haven’t already and want to find out about how to get published. If you’re thinking of submitting to Cardinal Rule, read their specific guidelines in full here.
Finding an editor is hard to do. In addition to lists of editors, the Editorial Freelancers Association provides a useful table that gives you a range of rates for various types of editing – copy editing, line editing, developmental editing and proofreading – as well as other services for writers, like book design, fact-checking, and even translation. Good to know.
More to come on Monday! Until then – keep writing!
