Happy September!

Last night, five of us gathered at Symposium Restaurant to discuss our writing and enjoy the wonderful food. The conversation was animated as we covered a range of topics--everything from editing to metaphysics.

Welcome to Matt and Dave from the Guelph Write Now group. We enjoyed listening to Matt read from his novel. Good luck with the second draft!

Upcoming Events...

On Sunday, September 18th, the Eden Mills Writers Festival will take place in Eden Mills. Visit the website for more information.

On Wednesday, September 21st, Doug Smith will facilitate a free workshop, Marketing Short Fiction, at the Guelph Public Library. The workshop starts at 7:00 p.m.

On Saturday, September 24th, Brian Henry will run his popular How to Get Published workshop at Harcourt United Church in Guelph. I attended this workshop in Woodstock last month and enjoyed it immensely. Visit Brian's blog for more information.

On Sunday, September 25th, there will be two Word on the Street Festivals--one in Toronto and one in Kitchener.

Enjoy!

Written by Joanne Guidoccio

Information Update

• Kevin Nunn has organized a third Sound of Writing session for Wednesday, August 24th. Jo Prescott, Gemma Files and Sephera Giron will be reading at the EBar in the Bookshelf Cafe. Jo is the editor of The Glass Coin, an online magazine; Gemma is the Black Quill award winning author of A Book of Tongues and A Rope of Thorns; Sephera has published many novels and short stories. Readings start at 8 p.m.
  

• Guelph Write Now will hold its anniversary dinner celebration on Tuesday, August 30th. The group has been around for two years and welcomes all members--old and new--to the celebration at Symposium Restaurant. Dinner starts at 7 p.m.

• The deadline for the Surrey International Writers Conference Contest is September 9th.

• The deadline for the Creative Keyboards Short Fiction Contest is September 30th.

Written by Joanne Guidoccio

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Happy July!

Last evening, a small group of the regulars--Dennis, Judy, Matthew, Joanne--gathered to share food and adventures at Symposium Restaurant. The conversation became animated as we discussed our respective writing journeys and gave each other advice and encouragement.

We worked on an activity from the Writers Digest. If you are interested, visit Your Story and submit your own entry for the contest.

Congratulations to Dennis Fitter! He completed the first draft of his novel and will be polishing it up in Mexico. He will return in September.

Upcoming Events and Contests

• Cindy Carroll and the Guelph Write Now Group will be meeting at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 17 at Lucie's Restaurant. Visit the website for more information.
  
  
• The deadline for the John Kenneth Galbraith Literary Award is August 1st.

• The Chicken Soup for the Soul Series is looking for more inspirational stories. There are a number of deadlines throughout the summer. Visit the website for more information.

Written by Joanne Guidoccio

The Sound of Writing

Last evening, a small group gathered at the eBar to listen to three writers--two established and one up-and-coming,

We were treated to three dynamic readings by Doug Smith, Marcy Italiano, and Andrea Shalay. Their storytelling abilities were evident as they read from previously published short stories.

Thanks to Kevin Nunn for spearheading this reading series. The next group of readings will take place on Wednesday, August 17th.

Written by Joanne Guidoccio

Sundays for Writers

Yesterday, members of the Guelph Write Now and Writers Ink groups filled an entire table at Lucie's Restaurant in south Guelph.

We gathered for Danielle Gavan's workshop on self-publishing. The presentation was a dynamic one and we were all impressed by Danielle's enthusiasm and willingness to share her extensive knowledge with us.

I must admit I was a bit overwhelmed by the information, but I took good notes and hope to implement some of her excellent suggestions.

• Start promoting yourself the minute you write the first sentence of your book.
• Create Facebook pages and Twitter accounts.
• Start a blog and talk about your writing process. Post some of your chapters and invite readers to comment.
• Pay a professional to edit your book. A reasonable fee is $1 to $1.50 for every 300 words or $350 for an entire book.
  
• Post a chapter or more of your work on Wattpad or Smashwords and invite readers to comment.
• Visit the Savvy Authors website. Here, you will find other authors, editors, cover artists, agents and publishers. Every genre is represented. You can also sign up for online workshops. A few times a year, the site will sponsor pitch sessions where you can pitch your latest work. Premium membership is $35 per year, an excellent investment according to Danielle Gavan and Cindy Carroll.
  
• Get honest feedback from beta writers. A beta writer is a person who reads a work of fiction with a critical eye. She helps improve the grammar, spelling, characterization and general style of writing prior to the release of the book.
• Consider (POD) or Print-on-Demand publishing. The initial fee is $35 and you only pay for the books ordered.
  

Written by Joanne Guidoccio

Information Update

Bio for Marcy Italiano;


Marcy Italiano lives in Waterloo, Ontario with her husband Giasone and twin boys. Books available: KATRINA AND THE FRENCHMAN: A JOURNAL FROM THE STREET - June 2009. This is a true story about Marcy and Giasone’s experience in New Orleans when Katrina hit, proceeds going back to Common Ground Relief. SPIRITS AND DEATH IN NIAGARA – May 2008. A non-fiction collection of ghost stories, stunts and death in and around Niagara Falls. PAIN MACHINE - 2003. The Pain Machine can read pain from one person and give it to another so doctors in the ER can diagnose right away. But what happens when people have different levels of tolerance? What if someone has Fibromyalgia? Marcy has also written many dark fiction stories, the most recent publication is “Dance at My Funeral” in the Magazine of Bizarro Fiction, Issue 4. She has published poetry in both magazines and online. She also works on songwriting with Giasone. Marcy is still a Web Designer (www.theweblizard.com). To find out more please visit www.marcyitaliano.com.

here's a bio for Doug Smith;

"Doug Smith is, quite simply, the finest short-story writer Canada has ever produced in the science fiction and fantasy genres, and he's also the most prolific. His stories are a treasure trove of riches that will touch your heart while making you think."
—Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of Hominids

Doug is an award-winning Toronto-based author of speculative fiction, with over 150 short story sales in thirty countries and two dozen languages, including appearances in Amazing Stories, Weird Tales, InterZone, The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Baen's Universe, Postscripts, On Spec, The Third Alternative, Cicada, and anthologies from Penguin, DAW, and others.

His newest collection, Chimerascope (ChiZine Publications, 2010), is currently a finalist for the 2011 Aurora Award. His first collection, Impossibilia (PS Publishing), was a finalist for the 2009 Aurora Award.
Doug was a finalist for the international John W. Campbell Award for best new writer, and has twice won the Canadian Aurora Award. A short film based on his story "By Her Hand, She Draws You Down" toured festivals in North America and internationally in 2010 and 2011, winning several awards.

His website is www.smithwriter.com and he tweets at twitter.com/dougsmithwriter.

The readings start at 8 and should be finished by 9 leaving plenty of time to socialize and network.
There is no admission fee, but donations will be welcome to help defray costs for importing writers from further away, and as always I encourage attendees to buy the speakers a drink and take to opportunity to speak with them about the craft.

Hope that covers the bases! Don't hesitate to drop me a line with any comments or questions.

Email me at nunnetal@gmail.com

Written by Kevin Nunn

Happy June!

Tuesday night, ten of us gathered at Symposium Restaurant. The conversation was a lively one as we shared our writing experiences and talked about our everyday lives. The group is a diverse one, with members from both Writers Ink and Guelph Write Now.

Upcoming Events and Contests

Graham Freeman, Cindy Carroll's friend, will be directing his play at Guelph Little Theatre. The One Act Festival takes place on Thursday, June 9, Friday, June 10, and Saturday June 11. Showtime is 8:00. Cindy will be there all three nights. If you are interested, email her.

Cindy Carroll and the Guelph Write Now group will be meeting at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 12th at Lucie's Restaurant. One of the members will be presenting a workshop on e-publishing and self-publishing. Visit the website for more information.

On Wednesday, June 22nd , Kevin Nunn is spearheading a gathering of writers at The Bookshelf. Three writers--Andrea Shalay, Marcy Italiano, Douglas Smith--will be reading in the EBar. Admission is free. Readings start at 8:00 p.m.

The deadline for the Writers of the Future Contest is June 30th.

The deadline for the Eden Mills Writers Festival Contest is June 30th.

The deadline for the John Kenneth Galbraith Literary Award is August 1st.

Written by Joanne Guidoccio