Abilene Writers Guild Abilene, Texas, U.S.A. "Not failure, but low aim, is crime." (Lowell) P.O. Box 2562—Abilene, Texas 79604 Monthly meetings are the fourth Thursday at 7:00 P.M. Meeting at the Center for Contemporary Arts, 220 Cypress St.

 Us and Ours: News and Stuff 

All New Members-Only Contests for 2008

Members-Only Contest!!
New Rules -- Big Changes
Big Choices -- Money More Often!

     Abilene Writers Guild has great contests, attractive to people around the world. Our own membership, though, often passes up the chance to enter and thereby to win and to learn. The AWG Board considered ending contests in that they seem not to be benefiting the membership. Instead, the Board chose to address problems and concerns with the contests, both monthly and annual.

     Major changes in the monthly contests are:

• Compete apples to apples, oranges to oranges--Categories in members contest will match those of the annual contest.
• Three prizes in each of three categories will be awarded each month.
• The monthly contests begin in January and continue through August, then entries for the annual contest are accepted in September and October.

We Need Your Participation!

Members-Only Contest Rules

1. Only Abilene Writers Guild members in good standing may enter the contests.
2. Work must be the member's original work, unpublished at the entry deadline.
3. There's no entry fee.
4. Any piece of writing can be entered that has not won a money prize in any other AWG contest. These entries may be submitted in the annual contest, even those winning money.
5. Word count: 1000 words maximum for prose categories, 50 lines for poetry.
6. Works must be postmarked by the 10th day of the month of the competition and mailed to AWG Contest, month (Jan, etc.), Karen Witemeyer, 58 Augusta Drive, Abilene TX 79606. Note: Karen will accept entries at any time for any contest. You must clearly mark the topic and month for judging. Only members outside the United States may enter by email.
7. Prose format: Manuscripts must be double-spaced, typed/printed on one side of paper, with at least one-inch margins. Author's name appears only on the cover sheet. Number pages.
8. Poetry format: Manuscripts may be single-spaced. Author's name appears only on the cover sheet.
9. Cover sheet: Each entry must have a cover sheet with name, address, telephone, and email information on top left, word or line count on top right, and title of work centered in middle of page.
10. Judging will not be by members of the Abilene Writers Guild and will be based on reader reactions. Some may write comments; others will not.
11. First, second, third, and honorable mention will be designated.
12. Manuscripts sent with a self-addressed stamped envelope will be returned. Others, if not claimed at the next monthly meeting, will be discarded.
13. The topic/theme/idea is:
• January - Winter Wonderland
• February - Flights of Fancy / Love
• March - In Like a Lion
• April - Music Makes the World Go Round
• May - Remembrance
• June - Nature's Majesty
• July - The United States
• August - Writing
14. The categories are:
• January - Rhymed Poetry, For Children (state age), Inspiration
• February - Unrhymed Poetry, Adult Fiction, Memoir/Nostalgia
• March - Rhymed Poetry, Flash Fiction (200 word limit), Article General Interest
• April - Unrhymed Poetry, For Children, Inspiration
• May - Rhymed Poetry, Adult Fiction, Memoir/Nostalgia
• June - Unrhymed Poetry, Flash Fiction (200 word limit), Article General Interest
• July - Rhymed Poetry, For Children (state age), Inspiration
• August - Unrhymed Poetry, Adult Fiction, Memoir/Nostalgia
15. For example, in January you may enter as many times as you wish. If you enter three times, one may be a rhymed poem, the second a child's story, the third a piece of inspirational writing, all on the subject of Winter Wonderland.
16. Prizes in each category will be: $15 first prize, $10 second prize, $5 third prize. We are awarding $90 in prizes each month. Please participate!
17. If fewer than five entries are received for any of the three monthly categories, no money will be awarded for 2nd or 3rd prize. If fewer than three entries are received for any category, no money will be awarded for 1st prize. The judges, at their sole discretion, may find no entry in a category merits an award.
18. You must enter to win!

What? You want to participate and you're not a member? JOIN! Membership is a bargain at $25 a year!

Operation Paperbacks for Patriots

     We have learned that the airlift troops, particularly those living in extremely remote airfields in conditions much like we see on M*A*S*H, are in need of good paperback book reading material for the times when they get to relax.

     Abilene Writers Guild's new project--to continue as long as necessary--is "OPERATION PAPERBACKS FOR PATRIOTS." We ask our members to go through their shelves and collections and donate any good paperbacks--adventure, thriller, western, inspirational, science fiction, nonfiction--to send to our Dyess troops. (No porn, no slime, no political propoganda.) Bring them to the meetings or drop them by Nancy Masters' house and they'll be packed and delivered to the Squadron to go out with the re-supply flights. These flights go out about every two weeks, so there's no deadline or cut off. Of course, we'll take books from non-members as well! We'll keep count and make a report ever so often of how many paperbacks AWG members and friends have sent.

LAUGHING IN LATIN - HOW TO USE HUMOR TO WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU LOVE, EVEN IF WHAT YOU LOVE TO WRITE ABOUT IS DEAD.

     One of the topics most requested by AWG members is how to tastefully use humor even when writing about serious subjects. Our January program will be the first of several programs in 2008 that will have a humorous focus. Grab your laurel wreath and get ready for one of the most enlightening AWG programs ever, presented by the one-and-only Queen of the Forum, Rose Williams.

     Rose grew up in Dawson County in the Lamesa area, graduating as Valedictorian of Lamesa High School in 1955. (How's that for a great place to start your career as a Latin Scholar?) She holds degrees in Latin from Baylor University and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. On a Rockefeller grant she did research at Oxford University in England and at the University of Pisa. She taught Latin in the Abilene Independent School District and at McMurry University in Abilene from 1959-1997. Her ability to write about what she loves and make readers love what she writes using warmth and wit has made her an internationally published author. Just take a look at a few of her book titles and you'll understand why!

     Don't worry, you won't have to conjugate any verbs, and togas are optional! Wear one if you dare--just be sure to be there, January 24, 2008 at 7:00 P.M. at the Center for Contemporary Arts.

VENI, VIDI, VICI

Issued as Which way to the Vomitorium
A spoof guidebook to ancient Rome, providing in Latin and in English useful phrases the traveler may need, such as "Are these dormice fresh?" and "Could I meet a gladiator after the show?"

GOING TO HADES IS EASY

Issued as Latin Quips at your Fingertips
A collection of quotes, given in Latin and in English, from Roman writers making wry comments on the unchanging ways of man. For example "Going to Hades is easy; it's the coming back that's hard." -Virgil.

ONCE UPON THE TIBER,

This 134-page English language light hearted history of Rome illustrated by the drawings of Mark Bennington tells the story of the Romans from the founding of the city to its fall, pointing out the amusing incidents and people without straying from historical accuracy.

THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE DARK AGES

Light-hearted history of the 500 years immediately following the fall of the Western Roman empire.

Highlights of Coming Attractions

February Program

Suck, Squeeze, and Shove: How to Use the "Jet Engine principle" to Compress Lots of Research into Short, Powerful Writing - Sharon Ellison will head up a "Triple S" team for this high-powered program to launch your writing out of those research files you've collected and into publishable pieces. Learn ways to make every word count when the word count is limited. It's not what you start with, it's what you end up with that counts with an editor.

March Program

Funge with Runge Jim Runge takes writing humorously very seriously! He is a West Texas version of Robin Williams who has put El Dorado, Texas, on the map, but he's quick to say he doesn't know which map! Jim is a master word crafter of laughter. From his outrageous costumes to his bodacious quips and comments, you are in for an evening of laughter with a purpose as Jim shares his techniques for writing with humor no matter how hard you cry.

Tentative date for AWG Saturday Morning Workshop (with no April Thursday evening meeting.)

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