Facilitator's Page
****Fall 2009 Facilitator's Note
Hello Writers!
With the turn of seasons, come changes for our group. After a long and fruitful 6 years meeting at Room of One's Own, we will meet at the Madison Central Public Library starting this November. Many thanks to Room of One's Own for providing a nurturing space for our group to grow, and sponsoring us for a free meeting space at the library. The other change is we will now be meeting the Third Saturday of the month, rather than the fourth.
If you've been away from the group, busy with life, come back and check us out in our new space and time.
Write on! Rebecca
****Summer 2009 Facilitator's Note
Hello Writers!
Writing? Come to our next meeting to get feedback on what you have.
Not writing? See if the writing activity gets your creativity flowing.
What's your writing goal for this month?
Write On! Rebecca
***Spring 2009 Facilitator's Note
Hello Writers!
Crocus, Siberian iris, bluebells... What's popping up in your writing?
Have the start of a story, but not sure where it's going? Come to a Writergrrls meeting and get inspired! Not sure how to end your poem? Come get feedback from writers like you.
Join us this fourth Saturday of the month, for a rewarding meeting.
Write On! Rebecca
**April/May 2008 Facilitator's Note
Hello Writers!
Spring into your writing! Set aside time each day to follow your joy. Once a week, reward yourself for your progress; take a walk by the lakes, stroll through a friends' garden, or buy yourself a new pen and more paper! I was thrilled to hear how inspiring two Writergrrls found the recent UW Writers' Institute. One found an agent who she now has sent 50 pages of her manuscript! You go grrl! You know who you are!
What if you found a a summer writers' workshop that gave you a fresh start? See our related links page in the left margin for a list and websites!
Write on! Rebecca
**August/September 2008 Facilitator's Note
Hello Writers,
The first cool weather of fall is here. Time to nestle into your favorite chair and write! I was very impressed by our writers' recent work we heard at last week's Garden Party Reading. Courageous, mystical, spellbinding would be my summary. The bees on the blooming Rose of Sharon tree, and the bats swooping in after sunset also added to the ambiance. Thanks to our readers for a memorable event.
Write on!
Rebecca
**December 2008 Facilitator's Note
Hello Writers,
I love the silence of a blizzard. The snow dampens the sound of traffic; all the city sounds. All I hear is the productive metallic slide of shoveling. Take your snow days, ignore your to do list, and pour your soul onto a page.
Write on!
Rebecca
**February 2008 Facilitator's Note
Hello Writers,
It's February next week and my characters haven't a thing to wear! Just kidding of course, but try this experiment: This month read a best seller, the kind authors pump out in less than six months, and a tried and true classic. Both kinds can teach characterization. The best sellers often spray paint the outline of a character in a rather bold, effective way; the classic may make a more lasting portrait. Notice *how* they do it.
Write on! Rebecca
**January 2008 Facilitator's Note
Hello Writers,
Do you keep a journal? A diary? Jot down quotes or ideas?
My intuition tells me you do.
Do you write every day? Every week? Every once in a while?
Is there a time of day you could steal 15 minutes to write a page?
If 15 minutes made all the difference, what could an hour do?
Come see, at Room of One's Own,
Rebecca
**June/July 2008 Facilitator's Note
Hello Writers!
Keeping cool as the summer flies by? Escaping to libraries and coffee shops to work on your writing? I went South, to the chilliest air conditioning in the country!
I have just returned from a fabulous writers' conference in Austin, Texas. The Texas Writers' League attracted around 200 writers and 25 agents to their conference last weekend. I had the opportunity to pitch my novel, Spoke, to six agents within 48 hours! Three were interested in receiving pages! I received very valuable feedback and learned to refer to my book an "Adult Trade Novel" rather than Historical Fiction, since it is a literary novel set only 40 years in the past (rather than more than 100 which would qualify it as "historical").
I hope you will make plans to get out there and share your work in a class or at a conference this summer. Check our "Related Links" page for upcoming summer writing events!
Write On! Rebecca
**March 2008 Facilitator's Note
Hello Writers,
March, the only month that moonlights as an action verb. As your letters march down the page, what is their rhythm? Do they gallop, charge, or saunter? This month, challenge yourself to new phrasings. If you tend to be succinct, try longer sentences to slow passages down. Or, if you tend toward paragraphs comprised of a single sentence, pare them down into several sentences to speed it up. Above all, allot time for writing whenever you can.
Write on! Rebecca
**October/November 2008 Facilitator's Note
Hello Writers,
Leaves are falling. The earth is spreading its blanket to prepare for winter. Now is the perfect time to settle into a Writergrrls challenge. Make a pact with yourself to submit one short story or poem to the 2009 Wisconsin People and Ideas contest by the end of November. Truly fabulous prizes. All Wisconsin residents are eligible. See our Related Links page for details.
Write on!
Rebecca
*December Facilitator's Note
Hello Writers,
Once you're done shoveling the walk, take a nice break. Grab a warm blanket and your journal, and sit by a window where you can see the dazzle of light on the snow. Dream about where you could take your writing in the year to come. At our December 22nd Writergrrls meeting, we'll discuss our accomplishments of 2007 and our goals for 2008.
Write on!
Rebecca
*November 2007 Facilitator's Note
Hello Writers! Thanks to everyone who partipated in our Open Mike! We had a good audience turnout and heard excellent work by seven local writers. A very enjoyable afternoon.
See you at our November 24th meeting!
Write on!
Rebecca
*October Facilitator's Note
Hello Writers!
With the crunch of leaves underfoot, comes the time for harvest. Look through your files, paper and electronic. Which of your works are ready to share with the world? That opportunity is here! Our annual Writergrrls Open Mike is November 4th. Come read your writing and listen to your creative comrades.
Write on! Rebecca
*September Facilitator's Note
Hello Writers!
Where are you in your writing? At the beginning of a new phase?:
"When the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame,
one hasn't got time for the waiting game..."
Fall is a good time for us to take our summer writing and send query letters in order to get it published!
Write on! Rebecca
April 2007 Facilitator's Note
Spring coincides with an excellent opportunity for writers. The weekend of April 27 - 29, UW hosts "The Writers' Institute" at the Pyle Center. Writing classes, networking, and meeting agents are a few highlights. See "Related Links" for more information The organizers have thoughtfully left Saturday afternoon, 3/28 open, a perfect arrangement for the Writergrrls to meet their usual time and place. See you at the conference that morning, and later at Room of One's Own at 2 pm!
Write on!
Rebecca
August 2007 Facilitator's Page
Hello Writers!
From drought to floods of rain. Sound familiar?
For every dry spell in my writing, I have a corresponding torrent of words that spill from my pen. The trick is to remember that inspiration will return again, when all seems parched.
Come to our meeting next Saturday, 8/25, and get your creativity flowing again.
Write on! Rebecca
February 2007 Facilitator's Note
Storytelling is a winter tradition. Let us put on our warmest sweater, sit in our most comfortable chair and give ourselves permission to write. Dive into the page, step off into a dream cloud, confuse your character with yourself for a moment. Eclipse the day's early darkness with the brightness of your creation. Write.
And Write On!
Rebecca
January 2007 Facilitator's Note
Happy New Year Writers!
Forget about resolutions, lets make plans instead.
What wonderful stories, poems, or articles might you create this year? What dreams and goals do you have? And when can you squeeze in time to write?
Check out the New Years' Writing Goals writing prompt for more planning ideas.
Write on!
Rebecca
July 2007 Facilitator's Note
The writing theme for this month is liberty. Grant yourself the freedom to spend time writing! Hire a sitter, delegate a task, steal away to a cafe... Make a date with yourself. You and your writing are worth it!
Write on!
Rebecca
June 2007 Facilitator's Note
Summertime and the living is easy... Can our manuscripts grow as well as the weeds in the yard? Lets give them them a run for their money. This month we'll discuss what kind of feedback encourages us to want to write more. The feedback I get on my work from the Writergrrls helps inspire me.
*Please note, we meet the fourth Saturday, 6/23*
Write on! Rebecca
March 2007 Facilitator's Note
Last month, three hearty Wisconsin Writergrrls and I met for our very snowy February meeting. We worked on humorous love poems, from an inanimate object to an inanimate object, inspired by a local poet Marilyn Annucci. Today the snow is melting! (could it be all that passion between the turtleneck and cardigan?) Two sunny days in a row promise warm days ahead. Take some time to soak in some solar power and see the creativity you generate. We look forward to hearing your latest work at our next meeting, March 24, 2 pm, at Room of One's Own.
Write on!
Rebecca
May 2007 Facilitator's Note
Hello Writers,
I'm here to say the UW Writing Conference was excellent. I highly recommend it! I'm still on a mountain top high in my writing. One workshop I learned a great deal from was about the editing process. This summer, we'll talk about how to better our feedback for more inspired revisions.
Get your calendars ready and set a goal for what you will accomplish by our next meeting (May 26). See you with your completed poem, chapter or story at the end of the month.
Write on!
Rebecca
Past Year Facilitator Notes: 2006
November: The Madison Writergrrls is celebrating its third year! Thank you to all the wonderful women writers who participate in our group. I feel lucky to have met you. Writergrrls range in age from 18 to 91. Several are poets, a couple write page-turner memoirs, two are travel writers, one has a fresh twist on a coming-of-age novel... Members also write historical, and foodie fiction (I might figure in there somewhere). How about you? Have a story to share? Great, see you at Room of One's Own 11/25, 2 pm. Meanwhile, check out the Día de los Muertos" writing prompt. Write on! -Rebecca
December: Three holidays, all bring light to winter's dark days. We rush around to make the season sparkle. Listen. Stop the hustle bustle a moment, sit in a sunny window, and sneak in some time to write. Dream a dream for the new year. What could your writing be? What new worlds could you create? See the New Years' Writing Goals page for ideas. Happy celebrating! -Rebecca
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