Meeting was called to order by President Barbara Rollins.

Financial report: $1850.47

Brags and Sags:

• Diane Lyell’s article about Corpus Christi was published in Country Discoveries Magazine, using lots of photos and her written text. However, that was the last edition of Country Discoveries, as it will no longer be published.
• BJ Shirley submitted a proposal to the Defense Advanced Research Project
• Betty Thomason submitted an article called “Green Onions” to Good Old Days magazine, but it was not accepted for publication. She has had numerous other articles published by them
• Nancy Masters spoke to the Women’s Club in Winters on April 11, speaking about her book Extraordinary Patriots
• Brandon Davis proposed a column to the Abilene Reporter News, and his proposal was accepted. He will be writing an opinion column twice monthly for the paper
• Mary Ann Smith received and HM in the AWG children’s story contest
• Ginny Greene attended her high school reunion in Washington State and reconnected with some old friends. They are writing a booklet about their school in Seattle

Minutes of the last meeting are on the website. There were no corrections or changes and they stand approved as posted.

Barbara explained the AWG by-laws amendment changes proposed regarding membership: Active, Newsletter, and Life. Amendments were voted on and passed.

Jan Carrington announced the slate of nominees for the AWG board for 2006-07. Laura Thaxton and Sharon Ellison served on the nominating committee with her. The nominees are as follows:

President – Ginny Greene
VP Programs – Nancy Masters
Secretary – Karen Witemeier
Director – Jim Johnson
Director Sue Davis
Alternate – Sharon Ellison

The membership will vote next month on this slate of nominees and any other nominations presented at that time.

Announcements:

• Richar Meizner of the Center for Contemporary Arts announced that the CCA is celebrating its 15th birthday with a raffle for prizes. He urged us to purchase raffle tickets for $10 apiece to support the center. Prizes include a $1500 airline flight voucher, a gift certificate to Busch Jewelers, and a table-top sculpture by Nick Noblique. Drawing is next Friday.
• Sue Davis asked each person to sign up to bring refreshments and passed around a sheet
• Members only contest this month was for Inspiration. The judge was Jan Harvey, editor of the Riverside Press in Riverside, CA. The winners are:
3rd place – Eunice Eversdyck
2nd place – Pat Mehaffey
1st place – Karen Witemeier

Our program was presented by Leena Dooley, author of many books. She has signed 3 new book contracts since the year began, and she is busy busy busy. She writes Christian fiction and other types of books. She urged us to “get words on paper. They don’t have to be good, but you have to write. Don’t edit. Just write.” She stressed the following points:

• Non-fiction should be written in a fiction-writing style, with lively words and descriptions.
• Use strong verbs and make your narrative “sing.”
• Show emotion through action and dialogue
• Publishers are moving away from conversation tags, such as “he or she said.” Instead, use a “beat”, which is a descriptive phrase or action that lets the reader know who is speaking. Example: James walked across the room and stopped in front of Mary’s desk. “How am I going to do this awful job?”
• Eliminate redundancies and superfluous words
• Spice up your work with powerful descriptions that use all the senses – taste, texture, sound, smell, sight
• Descriptions should fit the type of writing you are doing
• Show don’t tell with action, dialogue, emotions, senses, and details
• Publishers are now aiming at 5th grade level for reading ability – a sad commentary on our educational system and the status of reading in this country
• Writing should have a rhythm, a cadence, a melody
• Employ transitions to move your work from one time period to another. Example: “The autumn winds swept the rest of September and all of October into history.” This is from Basket of Sorrows by Diane Hunt.
• Opening lines need to grab the reader and the editor. They should give a feel for the tone, mood and pace of the book.
• Use research to authenticate your work and its place in time and location
• She gave examples of opening paragraphs.
• She also discussed POV and “voice”
• She described several methods of writing, including “souped up seat of the pants writing” which is her preferred method
• No matter how you write and when you write, you have to “stay focused.”
• You must also be willing to edit your own work, to “murder your darlings” when needed to enhance your work. Sometimes the sentences you love the best are the ones that have to be axed. You have to distance yourself, be objective, leave a piece for awhile till you can pick it up with new eyes.

Leena brought several books to sell. Her husband and sister-in-law came with her. She was a lively speaker with lots of great information and an engaging speaking style.

Minutes submitted for Karen Witemeier
by Jan Carrington, Vice-President