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SMAHC Grant Submitted

                July and August have been busy with organizational work for our Writers' School.  We have submitted a grant application to the Southwest Minnesota Arts and Humanities Council (SMAHC) for $3,900.  This grant requires a cash-matching amount for a total of $7,800.  A fund drive will begin soon to raise our member's share of the cash match.

                You may wonder why so much money is necessary.  Managing a project of this magnitude and increasing membership requires many responsibilities to comply with regulations and record keeping obligations for a Nonprofit Corporation. 

            All records including financial transactions, members, vendors, grants funded and unfunded, etc. are subject to subpoena and audit.  Records already take five file boxes.

                To apply for grant funds, we are obligated to be a nonprofit corporation with a Federal501© (3) identification number or to be affiliated with one that will serve as our fiscal agent.  Most foundations will not allow a fiscal agent.

            We will be applying for additional grants as they become available to assure continuation of our Writers' School.  It does take money to provide highly qualified leaders for workshops and seminars and operating expenses.  We have been fortunate

to have all volunteer service and free meeting space but we cannot expect that to continue.

            Complete copies of the SMAHC grant application are available upon request for $5.00 to cover S&H.

            What this grant will do

                The rapid growth in membership now requires full-time service.  The projected budget includes a shared office space on Main Street in Ortonville with Big Stone Area Growth.

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Schedule of Events

Friday-Saturday-Sunday, September 26-27-28

South Dakota Festival of Books. Sioux Falls Where Readers and Writers Rendezvous sponsored by SD Humanities Council, National Endowment for the Humanities and Sanford Health Care.

Saturday, October 4 the Writers' Road Show TBA

Saturday, October 11, the Writers' Road Show TBA

Saturday, October 11 Sinclair Lewis 2008 Writers Conference at Sauk Centre featuring: Bill Holm,

McKnight Foundations' 2008 Distinguished Artist of the Year and:

Freva Manfred, the "wisdom of feeling" in poetry;

Thomas Pope will discuss how to write movie screenplays; and

Elaine Davis the challenges of writing oral histories.

Thursday, October 16 Workshop 6:30 PM Ortonville

*Saturday, October 18 Big Stone Writers' School Annual Meeting, 9:00 AM at Zion Lutheran Church in Ortonville, MN. John Salls?

Saturday, October 25 the Writers' Road Show TBA

Friday Nov.14 10:00 am - 4:00 PM

Saturday Nov. 15 9:00 am - 3:00 PM Jill Nelson

Workshop Ortonville High School sponsored by SMAHC, South Dakota Magazine, Big Stone Area Growth, Ortonville Economic Development, Big Stone Writers' School and Ortonville High School.

             (NOTE: REGISTRATION IS LIMITED TO 12 WRITERS ON FIRST-COME-BASIS. 

RESERVE YOUR PLACE AT THE WORKSHOP BY SENDING YOUR $75.00 REGISTRATION

FEE.  CALL 605-862-6064 FOR MORE INFORMATION.

            Now the office is in a private home that is the center of all school business.  Boxes of files and shelves of books are already overflowing.

The grant, if received, also provides for part-time staffing during regular business hours. 

            Our primary concern must be to provide de reliable full service to members no matter where they are located.  The rapid increase of members requires more than can be delivered by volunteers.

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How do we Raise Funds?

Contribution Campaign

            Andrena McEwen & Patti Holtquist

South Dakota Magazine Subscriptions

            Joni Cole & Pam Miller

Membership Renewals

            Edna Angerhofer & Sue Pauli

New Members

            All Members & Friends

Business & Organizational Contributors

            Mildred Thymian & Vince Robinson

Miscellaneous Fees and In-Kind Contributions

Grant Applications

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Jill Nelson in the News Again

                In Reluctant Burglar, a thriller and first part of Jill Nelson's To Catch a Thief series, Desiree Jacobs must face the fact that her father may be an art robber.  To clear his name, she adopts harrowing scheme. That has her facing down cutthroat are thieves and accepting help from the man she despises and distrusts. In addition to Indiana Jones-like exploits, the book presents questions of morality-for example, can there be virtuous intent in committing a crime?  Nelson is a Waubay native, who now lives just east of the border in Madison,

MN. From the South Dakota Magazine, March April 2008, page 78-79.

            The magazine is also helping us promote the Jill Nelson November 14-15 workshop.  We receive   

$7.60 for new subscriptions and $1.95 for renewals.

            See the article, Writers Wanted: Will Train, page 15 about the Big Stone Writers School in the Jan /Feb 2007 issue.   ~~~~

December - Holiday vacation

January/February/March 2009, Prepare Anthology for publication. And regular schedule of workshops

April 2009 Writers Road Show featuring our newly published authors.

            Please save this newsletter.  The schedule has been carefully planned.  However, our winter weather may require some changes.  Workshops will be recorded and made available on DVD along with the syllabus.  The website will have news of the Big Stone Writers School and you will notified when it on line.

            You will receive a hard copy of this newsletter in the mail.  Enclosures will include the list of  members and contact information, the South Dakota Magazine Coupon, and our new brochure.

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 Recommended Reading List

 Recommended by Jill Nelson, Mystery author:

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Renni Browne & David King

Getting Into Character, Randlyn Brandilin Collins

Plot and Structure, James Pell

Writing the Break-out Novel, David Masasn

Technique of the Selling Author, James Swain

The Writer's Journey: Mychie Structure for Writers, Christopher Vogler

Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screen Writing, Robert McKee

Recommended by Jari Thymian, Poet:

Writing Without Teachers, Peter Elbow

Recommended by Mildred Thymian:

Keys to Great Writing - Stephen Wilbers

Creativity and Psychological Health - Michael F. Andrews.

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            The following article is an excerpt from Writing for Business and Pleasure, by Stephen Wilbers writing consultant, author and syndicated columnist.  It will not be repeated in a workshop.  For more lessons in writing go to www.wilburs.com.

Building Vocabulary

                A good vocabulary will make you a better writer.

            Read and listen.  The secret to building your vocabulary is to pay attention.  Note the vocabulary of writers who choose their words carefully.  Pay attention to the language of speakers who use their words skillfully.  Both sources offer certain advantages.  To see a word in print reinforces your visual memory; to hear it pronounced aids your aural memory.

            Listen and watch for words you don't know.  Be on the lookout for words whose sound you like.  Collect words you think might be useful to you, words that suit your style and personality.  Learn the vocabulary of your field or profession.

            Look up words you don't know.  Use a good dictionary.  (Learn not only their denotation (literal meaning) but their connotation (mood and feelings).  Consider the context in which you encountered them.

                Move words from your comprehensive to your expressive vocabulary.  You possess two sets of vocabulary: a larger set of words you understand (at least vaguely) and a smaller set you use to express yourself.  To move words from your larger comprehensive (or passive) vocabulary to your smaller expressive (or active) vocabulary, you need to know three things: how to define, pronounce, and spell them.  Say the words you are trying to learn out loud.  Practice using them.

            Maintain a list of words you want to remember.

To fix words in your long-term memory, write them down.  If you care to take the time, note their definitions.  Better yet, write down the sentences in which you heard them.  Review your list at least once a week.  See how many words you can write or recite from memory

            You'll know that a word has become part of your expressive vocabulary when, in seeking to articulate a thought, the words pops into your mind or occurs to you without effort.  When that happens, move the word from your weekly to your monthly review list, and give yourself pat on the back: With each addition to your vocabulary, not only are you thinking more precisely, but also you are writing more precisely.

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Verbs

Adverse, adversarial

Ancillary        

A priori           

Assume, assumed, assumption

Attribute, attribute

Bolster

Cause, causal,

Conversant

Cognizant

Converse

Correlate, correlate, correlation

Corroborate, corroborated, corroboration

Deduce, deductive     

Delve                                                              

Derive, derived, derivation

Adjectives

Devise

Disabuse, disabused

Etymology

Entail

Expound

Indicate, indicative

Infer, inference

Induce, inverted, inverse

Nullify

Obtain, obtainable                  

Notice, noticed/ unnoticed

Preempt, preempted

Presume, presumptuous, presumption            

Nouns

Premise

Promulgate, promulgation

Reason, reasoned/ unreasoned, reasoning

Rebut, rebuttal

Rectify, rectified

Refute, refuted, refutation

Scrutinize, scrutinized, scrutiny

Speculate, speculation

Substantiate, substantiated, unsubstantiated

Verify

Warrant, warranted, unwarranted.~~~~

The Writers' Road Show

          We want to show case our writers and stimulate awareness of the art of creative writing.  We know there are promising writers all around us.  However, the problem is how to reach them and build a base of support for our Writers' School. Why not hit the road like the Antique Road Show?  We go to the people.

            Jill Nelson has agreed to set aside Saturdays in October to do this. We will try to arrange with local libraries schedules the opportunity to have us come with an entourage of our writers.  This is a two-way street.  Our writers gain exposure, learn from Jill and encourage more writers to take their writing seriously.  We all have stories to tell.  Our published writers can also have their books for sale at each site. 

            At the same time, we can encourage communities to start programs such as Poetry Out Loud for high school seniors, The Big Read for book/study clubs, Authors in Schools, and One Book.  We can do so much if we try.

            Radio stations are very cooperative in bringing good news to their listeners and putting up posters is not too difficult.  We will also put these events on our web site that will soon be available.

            We can reach out in our own communities by going to nursing homes, assisted living

Residences, schools, youth groups, and service clubs to talk about writing. 

            If each of our sixty-five writers went to one place in our communities to read and talk about writing and there are, fifteen people at each place just imagine the difference we can make.  We may encourage some people to become interested in writing and change their lives.

            Reliable research indicates that people who engage their creative talents more are healthier, happier and live longer.  Let us make a difference! ~~~~

Need help

            Pick up the telephone and call someone, anyone of our writers. If you hit writers block, do not know how to find information, or are just need to have another writer listen to your work, just call.  We help and learn from each other.

            Please check the member list carefully.  If your information is incorrect, please let us know.  Do you receive the emails we send out?  In the future, we will send the newsletter and announcements to everyone who is on the internet.  This will save a lot of money.

th assignmentS this month: READ, WRITE AND STUDY WORDS!

HAVE FUN READING, WRITING AND LEARNING.

~~~~The end~~~~