We had a small group today, which led to some invigorating conversation around various topics to do with writing.
Best-selling author Kate Moore is hosting a free Ask Me Anything Q&A for any and all writers next Wednesday, September 25 at 1 pm ET via Zoom. This is a great chance to ask a New York Times bestselling writer (and former book editor) any question you like about the writing and publishing process. If you’re interested, please do sign up here for the Zoom link.
Publisher WTAW Press is running its second annual Kevin McIlvoy Book Prize for unpublished books of prose (novels, memoirs, narrative nonfiction, collections of stories or essays, or hybrid forms), which will open for submissions beginning September 30. The winning manuscript will be awarded $2500, publication, a contract with royalties, and 25 copies of their book. The entry fee is $30 and all entries will be considered for publication. Submisssion guidelines here. Deadline December 31.
On October 5 at 12 noon, Allia Zobel Nolan, best selling author of over 150 children’s and adult books is giving a free AuthorSpeak presentation at the Norwalk Library (CT). Her topic is Children’s Picture Books: How to Create One, and Why They Are So Important. A light lunch is included, so registration is a good idea, and she’ll have her latest picture book for signing. Full details here.
CTRWA’s The Write Thing conference is taking place at the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury on October 6, from 11-5 and it sounds so good that I’ve signed up for it too. Featuring best-selling authors, the conference will benefit writers in any genre as they discuss dialogue, point of view and body language. It’s a full-day event, and great value at $150. Details here.
If you’d like to know more about an author’s platform (what it is and how to create one), you could attend Platform Building When You’d Rather Write with Jane Friedman on October 10, at 1 pm ET. It’s hosted by Writer’s Digest and is for the author who’s worried that they’re not all that good at marketing and promotion. Discover how most effective promotion is centered on existing relationships, and on literary citizenship, not aggressively marketing yourself. Register at Writer’s Digest ($89)
Jane is also offering Irresistible First Chapters, a webinar with renowned editor Tiffany Yates Martin on October 30 at 1pm. ET. The webinar will explore what it means to “hook” readers, including how to fulfill the crucial responsibilities of your novel’s first pages. Learn more & register ($25)
The Westport Writers Workshop has added the following four-week workshops to run in October: Historical Fiction with Barbara Josselsohn, Writing Scenes with Amanda Parrish Morgan, Flash Fiction with Liz Matthews, Five Senses with Christine Pakkala, and Poetry with Jessie McEntee. If you don’t have time to sign up for a one-day workshop, they now offer 2-hour on-demand workshops for writers, including Manipulating Time with Tessa Fontaine, Using Social Media to Market Your Book or Yourself as a Writer with Jessica Grunenberg, and Writing and Revising the Short Film with Spade Robinson.
More to come on Monday!
