Meeting Minutes - October 9, 2014

Members Present: Bob, Jackie, Judy, Luneil, Suzy

Judy gave members (and some young people J) handouts on a contest for writers age 30 and below.

Bob read Adventures of Rugs – Book II. He reported that he inserted pictures and page breaks in his first book to get a better feel of the layout and design. He also talked about attending Blank Slate Writers meetings and submitting for their annual publication.

Jackie will forward information on the Chicago Writer’s Conference. She encourages members to get on their mailing list so they will be notified personally of upcoming local events.

Jackie, Judy, and Suzy attended the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Conference on October 4 in Rensselaer, IN. The conference was on writing non-fiction. An editor and a few authors offered  information on what editors look for, freelance writing, and research, then also shared their personal stories and advice. Jackie brought the book The House that George built by Suzanne Slade (one of the presenters).

Suxy read Lex’s Halloween, a short story about a sinister gargoyle.

Judy read Little Red Riding Hood Edited (an old favorite).

Jackie reported her poem All Washed Up is a finalist in the Indiana Bicentennial Poetry book contest due out in 2016. All counties in Indiana held contests; the winning poem from each county will be included in the book.

Members discussed writing for children online courses. Suzy has completed seven, while Bob has done two. Watch for discounts and Groupons.

Members talked with high school students Tyler and Roman about their group Northwest Indiana Youth Authors. They were planning an Open Mic Event at the Sip Coffee House on October 10^th, and plan to host many other local events.

Judy challenged members to post two personal blog entries by next meeting.

Next Meeting November 13, 2014

JSH

Meeting Minutes 9-11-14

Members: Luneil, Bob, Suzy, Jackie

Guest: Ruthann

Jackie reported that the MHW blog has had over 6,800 page hits since the first post in February 2010.

Bob has made a list of 27 publishers that will accept unsolicited manuscripts. Of those, half will accept stories for children. He will share the list after completing a little more research.  Bob found a new publishing company based in Indiana. The Kids at Heart Publishing LLC link follows: http://www.kidsatheartpublishing.com/ . As part of the research and preparation phase of his new book series, Bob has been reviewing level 2 reading books and has talked to an illustrator.

Suzy talked about KDP Kids (Kindle Direct Publishing). https://kdp.amazon.com/kids .

Bob read The Adventures of Rugs, Book 1 Slow Down, Rugs! In this first book of the series, Riley and Allie help Rugs help himself out of a scary situation. Both Riley and Allie are main characters and will appear in subsequent books.

Luneil read a story she wrote for a contest.  Just a Look details the day Luneil’s daughter had a massive stroke, the surgeon that saved her life, and the challenges they all faced.

Suzy read Mrs. Walters and the Gents. Fellow MHW members are featured in her fantasy story which was inspired by true events at the previous meeting.

MHW is always looking for new members. The Sip Coffee House is an ideal place to dine, hang out, and meet new people; Get Inspired! Two young adults (one patron and our server, Tyler) talked with us about MHW and other writer’s groups in the region. We hope they will continue writing and consider joining one or more of the groups for support, critique, and/or learning opportunities. There is a wealth of information out there!

Looking for ways to improve your writing? Check out thesaurus.com for Word of the Day, Vocab Boosters and more: http://www.thesaurus.com/

JSH