Oh How We’ve Grown

Figuratively and literally, The Bayou Writer’s Club has developed over the last year with several fun segments becoming member favorites if not a standard part of our meetings.  We are closing in on a hundred members and have about twenty regular participants each meeting with new faces all the time.  WOW! 

 

Finding a place to Meet-Up has been the challenge but for now we’ve settled into the large private room at Zea’s Restaurant in Covington, nicely.  When meeting on the south shore, La Madeleine’s Restaurant still works for now!  Finding room for all of us is a great problem to have and we look forward to meeting even more writers.

Some of our favorite discussions are Reading Like a Writer, show and tell (taken in part from Francine Prose’s book title) where members read a passage from a favorite author and discuss, or lead a discussion, about what makes the passage effective.  We've had some great examples of first lines, first pages, beat or pacing, writing style that affects tone and mood, and dialogue. 

Our reading time where members share either a short story written from our writing prompts or part of their own larger projects has become a standard.  It’s an honor when new writers share their work for the first time!  It’s also very special to hear from our novelists and non-fiction authors!  We have a talented group!

Writing Critiques are still going on, behind the scenes.  We haven’t had time to do this as a large group, lately, but many members ask to have something read by the group and four or five people always step up to take on the task!

Work continues on the Swan of the Seas.  Our book project, oh my!  This project is where the group completes a novel together.  We are up to chapter 11 and are looking to wrap the first draft up in approximately two months!!!  So if you want to get your voice in there, consider volunteering soon.  Next, our task will be to edit!  We started with brainstorming stories ideas and have learned a great deal together about the process of writing a novel.   Overall, the idea has been to have fun together and learn through the process! 

Helping each other with our Writing Goals is what the BWC is all about.  We continue to share our favorite resources and here are some of our latest recommendations.

•  The Fine Print of Self-Publishing by Mark Levine

• On-line Article, Why Self-Publishing Authors Must Think Like a Publisher  by Stacey Aaronson that can be found here:  http://bookmarketingmaven.typepad.com/book_marketing_maven/2014/03/why-self-publishing-authors-must-think-like-a-publisher.html#more

• The Writer’s Chronicle, https://www.awpwriter.org/magazine_media

   

• The Paris Review, http://www.theparisreview.org/

And a couple of BWC favorites you’ve already seen:

• Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose

• Writer’s Digest Magazine and Website:  http://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles

If you haven’t made it out to a meeting yet, we are still waiting for you!  Keep up the hard work.

Happy Writing!

-L