Ginny Greene called the meeting to order and briefly discussed words ending in "oid," such as omigoid, which means shaped like a horse shoe. She showed us a list of words which end in "oid" and define shapes, such as spheroid, ovoid, etc.

GUESTS:

Ginny welcomed our guests, especially Rose Williams who would later do our program, and she thanked everyone for venturing out on this cold evening. Toastmasters.

Brags and Sags.

• Reported for Tate Ellison. Tate sent a photo to the "Say Cheese" section of the Abilene Reporter News of his son Truett, "lending his taste buds" to check out his mommy's cookie dough, printed the end of December.
• Sharon Ellison showed a copy of the December issue of Proceedings Magazine, in which her story, "Reunion," was printed. She hasn't received payment yet, but is patiently waiting.
• Mary Ann Smith reported that a publishing company is interested in a novel she wrote several years ago, which will need a major overhaul, but she is happy to accommodate them.
• Ginny has an article at the end page in the January issues of By-Line Magazine!
• Barbara Darnall reports two entries in the January contest.
• Carolyn Dycus has already written an entry for the February contest.

In hopes that everyone has ready a copy of the Minutes of our previous meeting as posted on our website, and they were approved. Members may notify Barbara Rollins of any changes.

There was no Treasurer's report.

New Business:

Karen Witemeyer indicated that there were 11 member entries in the January "Winter Wonderland" contest, most of which were in the poetry category. Winners were as follows:

Inspiration:

Barbara Darnall "Do Overs"

Children:

Carolyn Dycus "January Smanuary" (the judges were children!)

Poetry:

Honorable mention: Barbara Darnall
3rd Place: Ginny Greene
2nd Place: Karen Greene
1st Place: Sharon Ellison

The following items were listed but not discussed in deference to the weather and our program for the evening:

• April 26 Workshop, Saturday morning -- 10 to noon- "Sping into Writing"
• CPS Christmas gifts were appreciated
• Paperbacks for Patriots -- troops are scooping them up!
• Refreshments Sign-Up Sheet for the new year -- see Sue Davis
• Next Member Contest for February: "Flights of Fancy/Love" due by 2/10.

Ginny introduced Rose Williams, teacher, scholar and entertainer! She taught Latin for years and has written numerous books, which she made available for purchase. Rose's program was titled "Laughing in Latin -- How to use humor to write about what you love, even if what you love is dead."

Rose began by discussing how to find time to write. She suggests using snatches of time. Carry a notebook & pen; jot down ideas wherever you may be --- doctor's office, dentist office, car wash; she told us our minds work on things while we are doing something else. She said some of her ideas come in the middle of the night, so she keeps a notebook by her bed. However, married writers might want to sneak into the bathroom or another room if they are inspired in the middle of the night, as their spouse might not appreciate a light being turned on while they are snoozing!

She then discussed getting published; it is much easier than it used to be (she was mainly speaking of books) and suggested looking at lulu.com, which is an e-publisher. All e-publishers are not reliable, so writers should research them. Rose also suggested having a friend read your manuscripts --- you will read what you know should be there and understand it completely. Someone else may be able to spot errors or suggests ways to make paragraphs more clear to readers. lulu.com will allow you to publish as many or as few books as you wish, and you may order more as needed.

Distribution is the final step after publication. Attend writers festivals, but it may be expensive. Developing your own website is also very helpful in selling your books.

Writers should write about what they love. Ask yourself questions like "Why do I love/like this subject? How is it relevant to the general public?"

She suggested that human endeavor always has its humor. It may not be funny on the surface, but there are generally amusing things around the edges if you look for them. Further, everyone can use a laugh. Humor should happen on the way to making your point. It is not necessary to cause people to bend over laughing, but make them smikle and see/feel some humor.

In order to find the humor in otherwise serious situations, Rose suggested reading humorous writers like P. G. Woodhouse, who has brilliant characterization. Woodhouse allows a person to describe himself/herself rather than the writers describing the character.

She said we should choose our title carefully. It should be short, crisp and amusing, such as her "The Lighter Side of the Dark Ages" book. She showed us many of her books and explained their titles, which were comical but helped you know what the book was about before you begin reading it. Her book "Gods and Other Odd Creatures" is a survey of mythology --- not such a serious look at mythology as most books.

Rose also reminded us that the cover picture on a book is very important as is the cover blurb. She suggested we get friends to read our story/book and write a good blurb.

Rose's rapid-fire presentation entertained and enlightened all of us, keeping us spellbound and making it difficult to takes notes simply because we wanted to listen to her and watch her!

In record time, the program was adjourned for discussion and visitation. Our thanks to Jo Cox and Karen Witemeyer for providing the delicious snacks!

Respectfully submitted,


Sharon Ellison, Secretary