by Tosh McIntosh
(Originally published on 11/18/12)
On Saturday, November 17, 2012, a panel of five AIW members attended the second meeting of the Lake Travis Fiction Writers (LTFW) to present “How to Publish Your Own Novel.” Kathy Clark Wernly, a member of LTFW and a legacy-published author who recently joined the ranks of the indies, added a segment to the agenda on how to take traditionally published novels online.
After dealing with the challenge of finding the Old Bee Cave Schoolhouse, protected from the ravages of fire and the criminal element by being tucked between the Bee Cave fire and police stations, we set up tables with our posters, handouts, and books, and then watched in amazement as the room filled to capacity plus some. I thought that we would have enough chairs. Foolish me.
The audience represented a full range of writers, from those with no more than the seed of an idea for a novel to those with completed manuscripts in various stages of revision, including another member of AIW and a few Novel-In-Progress (NIP) critique group members who have not yet published their books.
It’s safe to say that I was astonished at the level of interest indicated by the turnout. Even considering the reality that some in the audience will undoubtedly drop out, LTFW appears to have the potential for being a sustainable group with a promising future.
LTFW organizer Pat Evans has done a fantastic job from concept to execution of her idea to form a group “. . . to encourage anyone who is writing a novel or wants to write a novel or who is a published novelist and wants the support and camaraderie of other Lake Travis-area fiction writers.” My only comment reference her mission statement is to point out that the utility of her brainchild may well ignore the “Lake Travis-area” modifier.
As moderator of NIP, I am convinced that the new world of indie publishing should be able to nurture not only individual groups, but also the interaction of those groups. At the end of this post, I’ve included the current LTFW schedule for the next six months. It may well change, and the LTFW site here should be consulted as the final authority, but my point is to illustrate the local availability of resource material for writers. You don’t have to toil away in isolation if you don’t want to. And as I’ve mentioned elsewhere on this blog, I am a rabid fan of writing group association.
You will note that LTFW is not a dedicated critique group like NIP. That said, as we enter the fifth year AK (After Kindle) tomorrow, November 19, 2012, NIP may need to adjust its mission statement by including more than roundtable critique sessions.
The founders of Violet Crown Publishers, AIW members Cynthia J. Stone and Laura Resnick-Chavez, announced yesterday that they will be conducting a class on creating the fictive dream. At this writing I have no other details, and I mention it only to illustrate the availability of opportunities for writers to help writers pursue their individual goals.
Here is the LTFW schedule as now published:
Tuesday, December 18, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. “What’s Your Genre? The Evolving Target” — Old Bee Cave School House
Tuesday, January 22, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. “Writing a Synopsis for Agents and Editors” — Lakeway Activity Center, Room D
Saturday, February 16, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. “POV — The Essential Voice of the Narrator” — Bee Cave Public Library
Tuesday, March 19, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. “Bring a 250-word-or-less synopsis of your novel for roundtable review and critique.” PROJECTOR CLASS — Old Bee Cave School House
Tuesday, April 16, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. “The Fine Art of Editing — a freelance editor’s guide” — Old Bee Cave School House
Tuesday, May 21, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. “Submit and Critique: one volunteer submits 25 pages of their novel for the group to review.” (General audience-rated, please.) — Old Bee Cave School House
