Introducing the Judges for the MWG Writing Contests

Tick Tock. Tick Tock....Watch the Date! Watch the Clock! MWG Writing Contests Deadline Approaches 

Time groweth short to send in your entries to the 2014 MWG Conference Contests! The postmark deadline is a little more than a week away—Saturday, March 1, 2014. But there's still time to enter.

This year, there are several Chapter and Sponsor contest options—the Short Story (open topic), the Humorous Short Story, YA Short Story, and the Sci Fi Short Story contests. Additionally, a Flash Fiction contest, as well as an Inspirational Essay and Free Verse Poetry contest are open for submissions. And you don’t have to be present at the conference banquet to win! If you’re a MWG member, you don’t have to go to the conference at all to enter.

All submission guidelines can be found at http://missouriwritersguild.org.

So, don’t delay! Polish your story, essay, or poem and send it in. Why not try more than one? Or all?! The distinguished panel of contest judges are waiting in the wings to read your submissions.

DISTINGUISHED PANEL OF CONTEST JUDGES

The conference committee now would like to take this opportunity to introduce some of the distinguished panel of judges who have volunteered their time and expertise to judge all contest submissions this year. Kudos and thanks to each and every one of you!

Drum roll, please!

MWG 2014 Conference Volunteer Opportunities

The Missouri Writers’ Guild is a non-profit organization and is run on a volunteer basis. While board members do much to organize the conference throughout the year, more help is needed during the conference weekend.

The "Fifty Shades of Writing" Conference takes place Friday, April 11 through Sunday, April 13. Volunteers are needed for Friday and Saturday.

MWG volunteers, while receiving the added bonus of receiving additional face time with our conference faculty, help keep the conference costs low. Please consider supporting the board's continued efforts to offer attendees a first-class conference line-up and activities at an affordable rate by volunteering for the below jobs.

Contacts for Volunteering:

Please contact these persons directly to volunteer in that area. More information for each volunteer opportunity can be found by reading below.

Registration – Brain Katcher
Shepherds – Brad Cook
Pitch Sessions – Brain Katcher
Basket Wars – Sarah Whitney
Writing Contests – Donna Essner

Literary Agent Sorche Fairbank Tackles Rejection During Breakout Session At Upcoming Missouri Writers' Guild Conference

The most frustrating hurdle for many new writers is how does one impress a literary agent? How can a writer make their query letter stand out among the hundreds of others? How do you get your foot in the door without being pushy?

Sorche Elizabeth Fairbank, literary agent and founder of Fairbank Literary Representation, has helped authors see their work in print for more than twelve years. She’s also well known for being one of the most easy going and approachable agents in the world of publishing.

During the Missouri Writers’ Guild conference, Fairbank will be taking pitch appointments on Saturday, April 12. Remember, this is on a first come, first serve basis, so register early. See the Fairbank website to see which type of manuscripts she is currently accepting.

On Friday, April 11, Fairbank will present the Early Arrival Seminar “How To Talk to an Agent, and Other *Important* Conference Topics.” This informal pre-conference talk will cover topics from the best way to pitch, how to get the most out of the conference, to what NOT to do under any circumstances.

On Saturday, Fairbank presents the breakout session “Rejection, Rejection: Why It’s Happening To You, and How To Avoid It.” Attendees will dig into the murky world of rejection. Learn what some standard rejection phrasing means (i.e., agent-speak), and why so many rejections are simply a form letter. Attendees will find out if they are guilty of one or more of the top twenty reasons for rejection, and participate in a frank discussion about second chances with agents and publishers. Fairbank will offer suggestions as to when to listen to advice and when to chalk things up to subjective difference, and how best to turn that  “No” into a “Yes,” or at least a “Please send me more.”

Fairbank will also present the “Agent on the Spot Q&A Session.” She will address the most common questions asked about agents and agenting, as well as the ever-changing state of publishing and getting one’s work noticed. Attendees may send Fairbank questions in advance to: QUESTIONS@fairbankliterary.com. Limit questions to no more than 70 words, and one question per e-mail. There will also be ample opportunity to ask questions during this enlightening breakout session.

Finally, Fairbank will teach a Masters class on Sunday, April 13, entitled “How to Query/Pitch/Describe/Summarize/Talk About your Book.” This interactive, intensive session will cover how to talk (and write) about your book in one sentence, in one paragraph, and in one page. Fairbank will go over uses for each, from logline/elevator pitches to the query synopsis. And for DIY authors, book jacket descriptions, press releases, Amazon descriptions, and more.  

A complete description of Fairbank’s workshops can be found on the MWG web site.

Brian: First, Sorche, I’d like to thank you for taking the time for being a guest on our 2014 MWG Conference blog. We are obviously very excited to have you as part of our faculty at our “Fifty Shades of Writing” conference. Welcome.

Sorche: Thanks for the welcome. I’m excited about this conference already!

Brian: Rejection. Every author knows it well, so I predict your breakout session on this very topic will be popular. In part, I see you’ll be covering the top twenty reasons for rejection. Without giving away the ending, could you tell us one of the big time errors new writers make when approaching an agent?

Missouri Writers’ Guild President’s Contests Open for Submission

Some of the most coveted awards by Missouri Writers’ Guild members are the President’s contests awards, which will again be awarded at the 2014 MWG conference to be held April 11-13, 2014 at the St. Louis Ramada Inn/Downtown St. Louis.

Now is the time to enter. All entries to the MWG President’s contests for the 2014 MWG conference will be accepted from January 1 to January 31, 2014 only. So, get those entries submitted.

The MWG conference committee and MWG board members would like to thank each of the sponsors for sponsoring the 2014 President’s contests! Below is a listing of each category and its sponsor.

Walter Williams Major Work Award
Sponsored by Missouri Center for the Book
This should be a major work whether in book form or in some other form of publication, a work considered to be worthy of special recognition because of the research or high literary quality involved in its creation. This award is open to any type of publication or production, including fiction, nonfiction, scripts, poetry (as in a poetry collection in a book), books and anthologies (if sole author or editor). Please note that self-published works are not eligible for this category.

Early Bird Registration Ends Dec. 31. Register Today & Lock in Savings!

Early Bird Registration for the 99^th Annual “Fifty Shades of Writing” Missouri Writers’ Guild Conference ends tomorrow! Hurry to take advantage of discounted registration rates just for registering early! 

The conference will take place April 11-13, 2014 at the Ramada Plaza Hotel St. Louis Downtown Convention Center. 

“This year’s conference reflects the many ‘shades of writing’ through our conference line-up, which addresses topics like non-fiction, query letters, agent etiquette, mystery writing, character building and more,” said 2014 Conference Chair Lisa Miller who is also the owner of St. Louis-based Walrus Publishing, Inc. “Regardless of whether they’re published or not, conference attendees will have an opportunity to network with writing professionals from around the country who can help them reach their writing goals.”

Early Bird Registration ends tomorrow at 9 p.m. Register now!

Early Bird Registration rates are:

• $135 for MWG members
• $145 for chapter members 
• $165 for the general public. 

Those who register early will experience a savings of $30 and get a whole lot more in return. For the above low rates, conference attendees can attend a jam-packed 2-day intensive writing conference that includes the following activities to help them reach their writing goals.

Danita Allen Wood, of Missouri Life, to Present at MWG "Fifty Shades of Writing" Conference

Danita Allen Wood and her husband, Greg, revived Missouri Life magazine in 1999.

 Missouri Life was recently named Magazine of the Year by the International Regional Magazine Association for the second time. Missouri Life Inc. also publishes Missouri Business, a magazine for the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as books and other custom projects. She was also founding editor-in-chief of Country America, which grew to one million paid subscribers, which ranked the magazine at Number 76 of the Top 100 magazines by circulation. Wood also taught journalism at the Missouri School of Journalism, holding the Meredith Chair until 2005.

Wood will present the  breakout session How to Pitch Nonfiction to a Magazine. This session will walk you through pitching your story to a magazine, large or small, and touch on topics from getting through the gatekeepers to the best ways to pitch, to the working relationship with an editor and handling revisions.

Wood will also be available for  pitch appointments on Saturday. Remember, this is on a first come, first served situation, so be sure to register early!

Brian: Ms. Wood, welcome. It’s so nice to have a successful Missourian publisher at our special Fifty Shades of Writing Conference.

So, I’ve read that you and your husband revived Missouri Life. I understand you did this when you realized Missouri didn’t have its own state magazine. Why did you feel this was something the state needed?

Danita Allen Wood: I don’t recall whether I thought the state needed the magazine. Rather, I think it was a case of me thinking, “Oh, this would be fun!” I liked making magazines, and I thought I could do it. I thought telling the stories of Missouri’s fascinating people, places, and past would be great fun, and I suppose on some level, I thought it would be a worthwhile thing to do.

Brian: Starting a publication from scratch seems pretty daunting. Also, we know the publishing industry can be brutal. With that in mind, could you take us through your journey in establishing the magazine, and perhaps share what obstacles you encountered? Considering that “hindsight is 20/20,” is there any advice you could share with other entrepreneurial spirits who might also want to take the plunge and launch their own magazine?