October 9th meeting...thereby hangs a tale!

Two things you need to know about the next SCRIBE meeting, coming up on Saturday, October 9th:
1. We've changed our start time to 10:00am. Now you can always remember when SCRIBE meetings are by picturing the old Dr Pepper logo: 10-2-4. Our meetings are at 10 on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month.



2. Our guest speaker for this meeting will be Donna Ingham. Donna is a renowned storyteller, the winner of the 2007 John Henry Faulk Award "for outstanding contributions to the art of storytelling." She's also a former college professor and the author of four books, including her latest work, Mysteries and Legends of Texas: True Stories of the Unsolved and Unexplained. Donna is a past board member of the Tejas Storytelling Association and edited the state storytelling newsletter for three years. She served as artistic director for the 2009 Texas Storytelling Festival. A member of the National Storytelling Network, she is the NSN Texas state liaison. A sought-after performer, she is listed on the Touring Artists Roster of the Texas Commission on the Arts and the Mid-America Arts Alliance. She is a willing mentor for storytellers and writers and a tireless supporter of storytelling and literary events. She says she has found her "calling." We are grateful that her calling includes speaking to our SCRIBEs. Don't miss hearing this award-winning storyteller and getting some tips on how to better tell your own story.

And here's a third thing: Check out our "build-a-story" in the post below this one. Add a paragraph of your own and let's see how long a tale we can spin. Just click on the "Comments" link to read the story thus far.

Help build this story:

Dana Hood had a fun idea. She wrote the first two paragraphs of a story and posted them in the comment section of an earlier entry. The idea was for other SCRIBE folks to add to the story a paragraph or two at a time. But nobody joined in! So I'm bumping it up into the main page in hopes that some of you will participate. Read what's been written so far and then add to it by clicking on the "Comments" link. A new window will open; write your stuff and click the "Post Comment" button. I'll put Dana's original opening in the first comment spot. Let's see how long a story we can write as a team!

DON'T MISS THIS MEETING!

This Saturday, September 11th, do whatever it takes to be at our SCRIBE meeting. Our guest will be author/comedian/actor/screenwriter Owen Egerton. I just finished Owen's latest book, The Book of Harold, and I liked it better than hot breakfast. Owen is a fascinating fellow who loves Austin and loves writers and in last week's Austin Chronicle "Best of" awards, he became our "Best Local Author." He knows funny, yet he can do poignant, philosophical and thought-provoking, too. Hearing and meeting him will be more fun than is normally allowed within church walls. You can learn more about Owen by visiting his website. As usual, we start up at 10:30 Saturday morning in Quad 4. Be here and bring along someone who's interested in writing. Our group is becoming more wondrous all the time!

Links for writers...

Periodically I will share with you links to websites which feature information useful for writers. Today I found this page of writers resources; it's jam-packed with all sorts of info regarding virtually every genre. I know SCRIBE has a number of members who are writing memoirs or personal essay. You'll find some good links here. There are also links for fiction, bloggers, travel, speeches, scripts, etc. You can easily spend an hour or two following some trails which might lead you into just what you've been wishing for. Check it out.

SCRIBBLES...

We had another great meeting on August 28th, with 25 intrepid ink-slingers sharing their work in critique groups. I think I can say that it is getting easier each time and many of us have gotten some great tips and encouragement from these sessions. I'm now looking forward to our first September meeting, when we'll be joined by the multiply-talented Owen Egerton. Remember, we meet on the second and fourth Saturdays each month. Upcoming meetings are September 11, September 25, October 9, October 23.
I mentioned some sites at the meeting, a couple of which were suggested by Jo Virgil when she spoke:
The Mayborn Conference is an annual three-day conference "created to enhance the quality of nonfiction writing, encourage innovation, and create a community of factual storytellers who maintain an unflinching faith in the narrative craft." If you're interested in writing literary nonfiction, you might think about attending next year's conference.
Jo also mentioned the Writers League of Texas, located right here in Austin. Their website offers many resources for writers as well as their regular meetings, workshops, seminars and contests. Check it out; there's something there which you can use.
Want a challenge? November is National Novel Writing Month. Willing participants can sign up to write a work of fiction at least 50,000 words long in the 30 days of November. Poke around their website and see what you think. I'm considering doing this, mainly because I frequently need to be forced to write, and this would be good for me. I'd like some company, though, so please let me know if you want to try this. No, I don't even have an idea yet, but I've got two months to come up with that. I rather like the idea of writing a novel I didn't intend to write!
On another topic, Kathy Sargent presented the idea of forming a book club, in which a group would read the same book and meet regularly to discuss it. If you're interested, shoot Kathy an email.
Finally, please feel free to use the comment box below to add links you've found, questions or comments you have, even samples of your writing! I've been very pleased to hear from many of you how SCRIBE is helping you. Keep writing!

Scribe meeting this Saturday, August 28th!

It's time once again for the scribes of Riverbend to get together. Since this will be a fourth Saturday, our meeting will include dividing into four small groups and hearing what others are writing, sharing our own writing, and discussing and critiquing the works we bring. It's a helpful exercise which will also make you feel encouraged and not alone in what can sometimes be a lonely pursuit—writing. As always, the meeting begins at 10:30am in Quad 4. I hope to see many of you and I encourage you to bring along other potential writers. We are an open group and we'd love to continue to grow.
If you missed our meeting on August 14th, here are the guidelines for critique/workshop meetings which Jo Virgil shared with us. Please keep these in mind when you come to share and listen this week.

Ten Commandments of Critiquing:

1. Comment on the text, not the author.
2. Speak from your own perspective.
3. Be willing to give honest feedback.
4. Remember that a writer’s work and the conversations about it in group are private.
5. Start with a positive comment, end with a positive comment.
6. Honor the writer’s own voice—don’t try to re-write.
7. Consider the writer’s goals in asking for a critique.
8. Be specific with suggestions, but avoid being nitpicky.
9. Make your critique concise and leave time for others’ comments.
10. Keep a sense of humor.

Ten Commandments of Being Critiqued:

1. Be open-minded to the comments.
2. Don’t argue or defend your work—in fact, just don’t talk except to ask for clarification.
3. Be willing to receive honest feedback.
4. Identify what you are looking for in the critique.
5. Leave your ego at home.
6. Keep a sense of humor.
7. Listen to the praise, not just the criticism.
8. Pay special attention to comments that you hear frequently, and take notes.
9. Remind yourself of the purpose of the critique.
10. Treat feedback like a gift from your mother-in-law: If you like it, use it with pride. If you don’t, quietly toss it aside after she’s gone.

SCRIBE meeting this Saturday, August 14th!

Don't miss our first August meeting this Saturday, when our special guest will be Jo Virgil, from the Writers League of Texas. Jo has expertise in the area of workshop/critique groups and will share much useful information and advice with us. Remember, our meetings are the second and fourth Saturdays each month, at 10:30am in Quad 4.
We held our first workshop meeting on July 24th. Twenty-two brave souls showed up to make their first tentative steps toward sharing their writing with the world. We divided into four groups and the experience was great! Here are some comments from those who attended:

"Our first workshop meeting was a positive time for me. Henceforth, my little tape recorder will travel with me to record the ideas that the workshop session triggers...The Scribe group is a gift from Riverbend offering us an educational, inspirational and motivational environment."

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"I really enjoyed this reading session and, to be candid, much more than I thought I would...I was in a great group, everyone was very encouraging, it was a non-threatening environment, and I was sitting with some very talented writers to boot."

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"My first feelings of intimidation turned to appreciation as each shared from their writing and welcomed feedback. I not only learned from our critique of other's writings, but how I can improve my writing from the feedback given to me from the group."

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"It was a terrific session. I was fortunate enough to be in the smartest and best looking circle of writers (they let me stay anyway). The diversity of writing ranged from poetry to technical, fiction, and essay. Everyone was both supportive and helpful... Some of us brought completed work and others brought work in progress. It was both a low pressure and very enjoyable experience."

As you can see, there's no reason to be afraid of our fourth-Saturday sessions; they're all about encouragement and constructive feedback...oh, and fellowship with our fellow writers!
Please make a concerted effort to attend SCRIBE meetings. As a new group struggling to find its identity, every person is important and has much to offer the group. I hope to see you this Saturday!