January 16, 2021 Program, Rick Treon

Polishing Your Manuscript: Tips for Self-Editing

You have a fantastic story, wonderful characters, and a beautiful setting, but there’s still one thing that can hold your story back: the editing. Though all manuscripts should be professionally copy-edited before publication, you can head off many issues before it gets that far. Your copy editor will thank you for it, and — more importantly — so will your readers. 

Rick Treon https://ricktreon.com/

Topic: THPW January 16, 2021 Program
Time: Jan 16, 2021 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 895 4698 0142
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Meeting ID: 895 4698 0142
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Vote for the THPW 2021 Slate of Officers

Please vote for your 2021 THPW Board of Directors

  • In order to vote, you must be a paid member of THPW in good standing, and anyone nominated to an office must meet these criteria as well.
 

Verification

November 21, 2020 Program, Shayla Raquel

Finding Your Antagonist’s Saving Grace

If every hero has a major flaw, then every villain has a saving grace. Help your readers relate to your antagonist through these exercises and a fun “Who am I?” game, real-life villain style.

An expert editor, best-selling author, and book marketer, Shayla Raquel works one-on-one with writers every day. A lifelong lover of books, she has been in the publishing industry for ten years and specializes in self-publishing.

Her award-winning blog teaches new and established authors how to write, publish, and market their books.

She is the author of the Pre-Publishing Checklist, “The Rotting” (in Shivers in the Night), The Suicide Tree, and #1 bestseller The 10 Commandments of Author Branding. In her not-so-free time, she acts as organizer for the Yukon Writers’ Society, volunteers at the Oklahoma County Jail, and obsesses over squirrels. She lives in Oklahoma with her dogs, Chanel, Wednesday, and Baker.

Link to Join the Zoom Meeting

(We will have a 10-15 minute business meeting before the program begins.)

Topic: Nov. 21 Program, Shayla Raquel
Time: Nov 21, 2020 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

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Meeting ID: 828 4576 2686
Passcode: 528373
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Meeting ID: 828 4576 2686
Passcode: 528373
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Support Texas High Plains Writers

Through the Panhandle Gives

November 23 – December 1

The Texas High Plains Writers is participating in The Panhandle Gives in coordination with the Amarillo Area Foundation.  Please support this century-old writers’ group by donating:

$50 pays for refreshments at a bi-monthly meeting/program

$100 pays for a virtual speaker workshop during COVID-19 pandemic

$200 pays for a speaker and travel expenses at an in-person program

$500 contribution to student writing contest scholarship

Or donate as little or as much as you can

Whether or not you donate, please help us spread the word by going to www.thepanhandlegives.org and clicking on “view organizations,” type Texas High Plains Writers in the “Search Organization Name” field, click the Search button, scroll down, and click on the View Profile button.  To the right of the Donate and Fundraise buttons are the Facebook and Twitter icons.  Click on one or both to help us spread the word.  Thanks!

Why should you donate?  If you give during The Panhandle Gives, THPW will receive MORE due to the Amplification Fund.  The Amarillo Area Foundation has established the “Amplification Fund” comprised of money given from foundations, corporate sponsors, and individual donors. This fund serves as a percentage match for any organization raising at least $250 during the campaign. At the end of the campaign, the total amount raised will be broken down by percentage per organization. Each organization will receive 100% of what was designated to them PLUS their percentage of the Amplification Fund.  Donations must be received between November 23 through December 1 to be eligible for amplification.

There are many ways to give:

online at www.thepanhandlegives.org

drop off your donation at any of our sponsoring banks:

Happy State Bank * FirstBank Southwest * Amarillo National Bank

Make checks payable to The Panhandle Gives.  Include Texas High Plains Writers in the MEMO section of your check.

**To keep our communities safer while also increasing the dollar amount of contributions raised, Amarillo Area Foundation is paying all credit card fees for online donations**

September Program Jodi Thompson

Sell Your Books, Save Your Soul

Selling can feel dirty on a good day. Throw in a global pandemic, meth gators, and confirmation of otherworldly visitors, and it feels a bit like you are weighing out your soul to sell to the highest bidder. Keep your dignity intact while we examine evergreen marketing tactics with a special emphasis on removing the ick factor. 

Jodi Thompson has been writing for as long as she can remember. Her earliest work, Skippy the Horse, was critically acclaimed by numerous family members and at least one teacher. She eventually discovered that her real talent lies in selling other people’s writing. That passion for sharing great books with the world led her to found Fawkes Press in 2016, where she strives to be eclectic, exceptional, and eleemosynary. Jodi lives in Fort Worth with her husband and too many pets, none of which can replace her young adult children who insist on being independent and capable, despite her pleas.

Topic: THPW September Program
Time: Sep 19, 2020 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

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Meeting ID: 833 5419 7526
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Anthology Deadline Extended

Due to our unusual circumstances caused by the global pandemic, we are extending the deadline for our 2021 anthology submissions. Our theme, Challenges, has been an appropriate subject for this year, it seems, and our group response has been low.

Our new deadline has been extended to September 30, 2020. If you have not submitted a short story, please do so quickly. The THPW Board of Directors has decided that unless we reach a minimum of 125 pages for the volume, we will need to combine it with next year’s submissions and delay publication.

Our annual anthology, With Words We Weave, is a great vehicle for community within our organization. It is a wonderful opportunity to have your work published and seen by others.

Anthology Guidelines as follows:

·       500-2,500 word short narrative works, fiction or non-fiction. Any genre. (see exceptions* below)

·       THPW Member Fee – $10.00

·       Non-member Fee – $50.00 ($10 submission fee, $40 membership dues)

·       Industry standard manuscript formatting: Times New Roman 12pt font, 1″ margins, double spaced; author name and page # in upper right-hand corner. 

·       Author bio included in submission – the organizers and editors will not hunt down bios nor hold production for authors who fail to include bios with their story submissions.

·       Multiple submissions accepted, only one per author will be selected. $10 additional fee for each additional submission

·       Email manuscript to info@texashighplainswriters.com, subject “2021 Anthology Submission” no later than September 30, 2020

*No erotica, incest, or extreme violence. Stories with these elements will be disqualified from consideration. Submission fees will NOT be refunded for disqualified submissions.