Ron's Letter in the Toronto Star

For anyone who missed it, this is the letter Ron had published in the Toronto Star:

Poor can’t protect their interests

Published On Sun Feb 12 2012

Re: Different law for rich and poor, Letter, Feb. 9
This is an eternal unchanging tune of the rich affording the well-connected lawyers to get their clients a lenient sentence or no sentence at all. The “marginalized” will always pay the price for not having the wherewithal to protect their interests, right or wrong.
Ron Lehman, Orangeville

 

Meeting Minutes Feb 12, 2012

We had an abbreviated meeting today. Only seven people made it and we were done by 3pm.
Clare dropped by to tell us his wifeslipped on the ice and broke her arm yesterday. He couldn't stay.
Ron's wife is back in Orangeville and doing better.

David returned after a long hiatus and told us he's been working on 3 novels. One, "Twelfth Night of Royal Blue" will be released at the end of February and available from him or at BookLore. We await word of a book launch.

 Only two people brought writing to read today: Marilyn who read more of her locket story and David who read a poem written for his grand-daughter's birthday.

The prompts were fun. Jayne handed us sheets with spaces for: Character's Name, One Physical Trait, One Behavioral Trait, Job/Occupation, Setting, Critical Event. The first person filled in the first blank then passed the paper on to the right until the sheet was full. Jayne handed the papers out at random and we wrote for 20 min - which by VERY fast! We had some interesting stories come of that exercise.

Our next meeting is March 4th. Clare will be leading.
Happy Writing!

Meeting February 5, 2012

Ron announced at the beginning of the meeting that his wife has taken ill in the Dominican Republic. I forwarded an update which looks promising. Please continue to keep her in your prayers.

At the meeting 7 of the 9 people in attendance brought something to read which was great to see! I was thrilled to share a short story I had written and have submitted to the Toronto Star Short Story Contest. The Artist's Way has certainly affected my creativity and how I use my time. Jayne read a story about her garden that she is submitting to Sideroads Magazine. Keep your eyes open for that.

Please remember the Brian Henry Workshop is coming up on Saturday, February 25th from 10am-3:30pm. It's called "Secrets of Writing a Page-Turner". This is an HWG sponsored workshop. We should get a good turn-out so if you haven't registered yet, do so soon.

Danielle led the meeting for the first time. She shared with us a tidbit from the book she is reading. Her first set of prompts are based on this reading but I'm sure you can do the exercise without having heard the scene she read.

In the example we read today, the author took an ordinary, mundane situation and turned it into an exciting event that kept the story moving. The event in the example was not only action-packed but also served as a hint for an unexpected plot twist later in the story. Mundane situations need not always be turned into action sequences but could be hiding humour, a character's personal revelation, a new piece of knowledge, something utterly ridiculous or a "big reveal" in a story. The point is to keep the story moving along without any "dead" spots. Today we're going to practice turning the ordinary into the extraordinary!

Choose one of the following boring beginnings/situations and turn it into a page-turner:

1. Sam bent down to put on his socks.

2. I'll take a large coffee, double-double," Jill told the woman behind the counter.

3. Hank flipped idly through the myriad of satellite channels on the Roger's network. He'd have thought with all that variety, there would have been something good to watch on TV.

4. The bus pulled up to the curb.

5. Sheila fumbled for her keys in her purse.

6. Jeff flicked on the light in the hall.

If you don't care to try that exercise, the following prompts were also provided:

1. Write about your favourite toy as a child.

2. Describe your favourite place and tell us why it's your favourite.

3. What's the best thing that ever happened to you?

4. Come up with a limerick, or 2, or 3.

5. What's the best excuse you ever came up with and where or when did you use it?

I am compelled to add that there appears to be a sock fetish among many of our members. LOL!

Great job, Danielle!

The next meeting is next week (Sunday, February 12th) due to the Family Day holiday the following weekend, and the Brian Henry workshop the weekend after that. Jayne will be leading.

Writing prompt from Jan 21 meeting: Stephen King says in his book "On Writing," that he has created for himself a "far-seeking place" where he goes to receive "telepathic messages". His is in his basement. Where is yours? Describe it. If it is a state of mind rather than a place, how do you get into it?

I write from a place of energy and inner focus; where all petty concerns, mindless entertainment and things that distract me have been banished. There is nothing between my mind / body and my creative self here. It doesn’t matter whether I write, draw, sing, sew, dance, or solve a problem at work: the creativity needed to do it comes from here. I don’t ‘find’ this place; I live in it most of the time. It is inextricably wound into the very fabric of me; I just never realized it was there. For much of my young life, I let myself believe this energy was of no value to anyone and criticism walled me off from it. I (and others!) talked me out of a lot of things that I “couldn’t do” or “wasn’t good at”. Now I know that I only got in my own way.
Belief is a very powerful thing! If you believe you can’t sing ... you can’t. If you believe you have writer’s block ... you will. Get out of your own way and believe that you can! Let that inner energy out to pervade everything you do. Then you won’t have to find a ‘place’ to write, you’ll realize that you’ve always carried it with you.

Why Should a Writer Blog?

Following is a copy and paste of the 2 pages of hand-outs from our new member and blogger expert Julie Height. She did a presentation at our meeting this past Sunday. Her website is Sober Julie Doing Life and can be found at www.soberjulie.com.

Unfortunately this is from a paper document so the hyperlinks on page 2 are not clickable. You will have to look up the sites.

Why Should a Writer Blog?

If you are a writer, you should have a blog. Your blog will become much like an online resume, documenting your knowledge, skills and experiences.

Following are 13 more reasons why writers should blog:

·         Have your work read.  We write for people to read our work. Blogs have no limits, readership is universal and promotion is simple once you gain an audience…it spreads. Blog readers become fans of books.

·         Get feedback.  If you choose to create circles within other writers you can share critiques and improve you skill, develop your works. Having a fresh set of eyes can assist with perspective. One must have a thick skin.

·         Visibility and credibility.  The more often people see you, the more they will trust and follow you.  This consistency lends to your credibility.  People will get to know you, your style of writing, and your dedication to your craft.

·         Connections. By engaging online you’ll be led to relationships you couldn’t achieve otherwise.

·         Trying a new style. Blogs are online journals, so this is the perfect place to express your thoughts. You can try new writing styles out and gain feedback.

·         Freedom.  You have the freedom to say what you want, how you want and when you want on your site. There are limitations when you work for others as employees or freelancers.

·         Become an expert and resource. As long as you provide original content on your topic and add value to your readers, they will return. They may even bring others with them.

·         Blogs serve as a website. Writers who are not involved in social media are often considered invisible.  Blogs are a cost-effective and easy way to develop and maintain a presence.

·         Keep you prominent.  Keep others abreast of what’s going on with your projects. If you are writing a book, document your journey to completion, including the challenges and successes.

·         Develop a consistent writing schedule. Although blogging is very time consuming, you should come up with a consistent weekly schedule that you can realistically stick with.  This consistency will help build your credibility because your visitors are checking you out to see how well you do and how often you do it.

·         Publish unpublished works. Not all of your written successes will be accepted by publishers and magazines. Instead of letting disappointment set in, put your works on your blog. They will at least be read by your audience.  The feedback provided will help you turn your work into something greater. Just because it wasn’t accepted initially doesn’t mean it won’t be accepted at all. 

·         Write your book. Many of us are working on writing a book, a blog allows us to develop this in public and use feedback given.  As we write blogs we may find certain topics recurring which can afford us insight into our book.

  

To Start a Free Blog there are 2 Common Choices for building your site on:

www.blogger.com

www.wordpress.com

Book Reviews:

Tyndale Blogger Network

Booksneeze

 

FREELANCE JOB SITES:

1. Freelance Job Openings
2. Kijiji
3. Problogger – a great list of blogging and telecommute gigs
4. Blogger Jobs – this one doesn’t have jobs very often listed, but every once in a while they have something good
5. Whisper Jobs
6. Performancing
7. Simply Hired – this is a search engine that will help you narrow down the job search
8. Mashable – lists freelance jobs every once in a blue moon
9. Digital Media Jobs – occasionally lists writer jobs
10. Career Builder
11. Sun Oasis – great list and you can also get updates via Twitter
12. Dice - lists mostly technical writer jobs
13. USA Jobs
14. Twitter - don’t forget Twitter when looking for freelance jobs! Use the #jobs or #amwriting to narrow your search
15. Poynter Online – allows you to search by job name and location
16. Telecommuter Jobs
17. Monster - lists a lot of technical writer and temporary jobs, but also has the occasional gem in terms of freelance writing
18. Journalism Jobs – reporter and journalist work
19. Media Bistro
20. All Freelance Writing – jobs and also great tips on how to be a freelancer
21. Work at Home Mom (WAHM) – lists writer and other types of telecommuting work
22. Writers Weekly – job board and great list of writing tips
23. Craigslist - don’t forget Craigslist! It offers great jobs – just be sure to weed through the clunkers
24. About.com – Has several contributing and guide positions
25. Writer Find
26. Seed - lists jobs to claim which pay anywhere from $15-75
27. Indeed - wonderful search engine to find job opportunities
28. Morning Coffee
29. Write Jobs
30. Suite101 – telecommute freelance writing
31. Freelance Careers
32. Poe War – lists job by category or look to the right for most recent
33. Essay Writers
34. Prospect Solution
35. Creative Hot List – many creative jobs, including writing
36. Canadian Freelance Writing Jobs – jobs in Canada along with tips on freelancing
37. Break Studios
38. Elance

Meeting Minutes - January 22, 2012

Darn it. Diane was off today and I didn't bring my laptop. Diane, it just isn't the same without you. And now they'll have to read my condensed version of the meeting.

Big thank you to Dorothy who baked us delicious cookies. Dorothy definitely is a keeper. And she is always welcome to join us. Clare told us that they met at a pork roast. Boy, are we every lucky Clare met Dorothy.

Julie http://www.soberjulie.com/
was gracious and gave us an informative talk on blogging.  Here are a few of the many points that Julie shared with us.

• Blog about something that interests you or what you converse about over coffee
• Use your blog as an online personal journal
• Best to post two or three times a week
• You're invisible if you're not online - a writer needs to be visible
• Email Julie if you have any questions - soberjulie@gmail.com

Sonja volunteered to post on our blog. A few people said they were unable to sign on to our blog.
I will email info regarding this.

Judy read a piece called Ask Mathew. He suggested that she start a Blog Conversations with Mathew or Ask Mathew. We can't wait to read it.

Sonja received constructive help re her short story.

Clare read Father Roderick and the Bikers. We can't wait to read it in his column.

We spent most of our meeting time discussing blogs, making constructive comments and discussing writing in general so we have homework should you choose to accept it and we're hoping that you say Yes!

Pick one of Judy's prompts, write for 15 minutes, edit if you wish, and post it on our blog.

1. Stephen King says in his book On Writing, that he has created for himself a "far seeking place" where he goes to receive 'telepathic messages." His is in his basement. Where is yours? Describe it. If it's a state of mind rather than a place, how do you get into it?
2. Describe your most terrifying experience in a car.
3. In his book On Writing, Stephen King writes (in response to an incident where a teacher called a story he wrote trash): "I think I was forty before I realized that almost every writer of fiction and poetry who has ever published a line has been accused by someone of wasting his or her God-given talent. If you write (paint, dance, sculpt, or sing) I suppose someone will try to make you feel lousy about it, that's all."
   
   Can you remember a time as a child or young adult when someone rained on your parade?
4. She grabbed the screw driver, which lay on the kitchen counter, and lunged at  . . .
5. She could feel her face flushing and her heart rate accelerating, every time he placed his "hungry man"
   frozen dinners on the conveyor belt in her check-out line.
6. It happened the summer Margaret moved into the attic.
7. The ring of keys hanging from his belt jangled with each step he took.
8. The door had neither key hole, or door knob.
9. That morning we had a mother but by suppertime we didn't.
10. An old rusty key fell from the shelf.
11. Or make up your own line or whatever you want to write about . . .

Can't wait to read your writing!




  

More photos from Christmas 2011