Gabi Coatsworth

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Where I write - Bette Bono

Where I write – Bette Bono

Local author Bette Bono is writing the second in a series of novels about a group of unusual seniors with special powers that enable them to travel back in time to solve historical mysteries. I loved the first one, The Better Angels, which was published by All Things That Matter Press in 2019. I aksed her where she did her writing, and what she needs to enable her to write. Here’s what she…

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Writers Rendezvous: February update Part 2

Writers Rendezvous: February update Part 2

I hope you found part one of this update useful. Here’s part two, with more places to submit, and contests to enter. First, though, member Libby Waterford is teaching a couple of useful virtual classes in April. The first is Writing Dynamic Fiction which will cover the following aspects of craft: dialogue, active voice, backstory, point of view, and show not tell. If you have an in-progress…

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Writers Rendezvous - February update Part 1

Writers Rendezvous – February update Part 1

The Writers Rendezvous this month welcomed several new members, and ran into extra time because we had so much to talk about. I’m going to start this update with events and contests that have upcoming deadlines, and leave the more general information for part two of the post. First, the Bridgeport History Center at the Bridgeport Library will be holding its monthly memoir writing workshop with…

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Writers Rendezvous - January update Part 1

Writers Rendezvous – January update Part 1

Since yesterday was Inauguration Day, we had a smaller number of writers than usual, but that included some new members, which gave us a chance to get to know each other. I’m still loving the way Zoom meetings can expand my horizons, so I can meet people who would be unlikely to show up in person, because of distance. Here’s some of what we discussed. If you like or write historical fiction, you…

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Writers Organizations: Part 2

Writers Organizations: Part 2

As promised yesterday, here’s a partial list of the organizations that support writers in the United States. I’m sure other countries have them too, and I know that many American societies welcome membership from abroad. Many of these associations have regional chapters with their own events, and although many of those are being held on Zoom right now, they’re still a great way to make new…

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Why I love Writers' Organizations

Why I love Writers’ Organizations

I belong to a number of writing organizations, and have always found them interesting, though not necessarily vital. But this year has brought the value of the groups I belong to sharply into focus. In years past, I would join a group, attend occasional events, and skim their newsletters, while I wrote mainly on my own and hoped for the best. Sometimes I’d be asked to speak at a meeting.…

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Christmas edition 2020

Well, what can I say? We all know what a peculiar year this has been. It started off fairly conventionally. At the end of 2019, I took a Christmas cruise to Mexico, Honduras, and Belize with my daughter Helenka. In January, I traveled to England and visited family, including cousins I hadn’t seen in a while. We compared notes on our family story, and between us came up with the most likely…

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Writers' Rendezvous - December update

Writers’ Rendezvous – December update

In spite of a gray day during which many people were out running holiday errands before the predicted foot of snow began to fall, nine people showed up for the Writers’ Rendezvous. This gave us a chance to discuss some ideas in more depth than we usually have time for. We covered flash fiction, whether to outline or not when writing a novel, and that pesky internal editor that haunts us as we…

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Amy Sue Nathan

I met Amy Sue Nathan through the WFWA (Women’s Fiction Writers Association) and decided to read her latest book, The Last Bathing Beauty. I’m glad I did. It’s set at a Jewish summer resort on the shores of Lake Michigan, MI, and goes back and forth in time between 1951 and today. It’s a wonderful coming-of-age story that reflects some of the major ways in which our thinking has changed over the…

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Writers' Rendezvous - November update Part 2

Writers’ Rendezvous – November update Part 2

I’m back with more suggestions for ways to keep your writing life going. For example…

Award-winning author and writing teacher Nora Raleigh Baskin is running a four-week workshop program for the Connecticut Library Associationstarting December 1, from 6-7:30pm). The cost for the entire program will be $100 for CLA members and $125 for non-members. Class size is limited, and each participant is…

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Writers' Rendezvous - November update: Part 1

Writers' Rendezvous - November update

We had a great meeting yesterday, with contributions from everyone who attended. People are getting things done in the writing sphere. Maybe not quite as much as they’d like to, but making progress all the same. Kudos to them all for persevering when there’s so much else to think about.

On Thursday evening, November 19, at 7pm, the Ferguson Library and the Mystery Writers of America/New York…

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Writers' Rendezvous October update - Part 2

Writers’ Rendezvous October update – Part 2

Welcome back! Here’s part two of the monthly update, with a couple of ideas for those doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), contests, and places to submit, among others.

Kelly Notaras, who runs an agency offering editing and coaching services for writers, is offering a free download of her book, Three Classic Book Outlines. If you’re planning on attempting NaNoWriMo(National Novel…

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Writers' Rendezvous: October update - Part 1

Writers’ Rendezvous: October update – Part 1

I love the Zoom meetings we’re having with people from across the country. Writing can be lonely, but the lockdown has brought to the fore this great way of communicating. So, the WritersMic on Tuesday welcomed people from as far away as Texas, as well as New York and Connecticut. And the Writers’ Rendezvous provides a reliable place to show up once a month and reconnect with other writers, no…

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Writers' Rendezvous - September update

Elizabeth Chatsworth

Thank you to the members who persevered to get into the meeting when I had a Zoom fail this month. On the plus side, we were a select group, which gave us a chance to talk things over. Feeling overwhelmed by the current situation seemed to be a theme, so it was nice to have something to celebrate.

I’m delighted to tell you that Rendezvous member Elizabeth Chatsworth‘s debut…

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Writers' Rendezvous: August update - Part 2

Writers’ Rendezvous: August update – Part 2

Image courtesy Pequot Library

Here’s more information you may find of interest. Among other things, I will be running the Monday morning write-ins from 10-11:30ish indefinitely. So if you’ve had trouble concentrating, or sitting down to write, do not despair. Contact me for the link!

The Connecticut Press Club is looking for new members and their new websiteis live. They’d like to enroll 50 new…

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Writers Rendezvous: August update

Thanks to everyone who came to the Zoom meetings of our WritersMic and Writers’ Rendezvous this week. I was delighted to welcome some out-of-state members too. It’s one of the reasons I like Zoom and hope we’ll keep using it. Congratulations to member Libby Waterford, on the publication of her second novel in a series of four: Can’t Make you Love Me! There’s lots more to tell you, so here goes:

T…

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Writers' Rendezvous July update - Part 2

Writers’ Rendezvous July update – Part 2

If you need a “room of your own” in which to write, Fairfield County Writers’ Studioin Westport is offering a chance to use their Story Lab, with Open Studio Days planned through August. You can write in their space on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at a minimal cost. If you’ve taken a paid, multi-week workshop with them in 2020, you can write all day for $20. If you haven’t, you can buy a four-hour…

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