WELCOME from all of us at Write-On, Hoosiers!
To better understand what we are all about, we are providing you with this information sheet. This sheet is yours to keep, and there is nothing to fill out here. However, you will notice two other sheets being passed around at the beginning of the meeting: the “Guest Sign-in Form” and the “Attendance Sheet.”
PROCEDURES:
Guest Sign-Up Sheet: You will need to fill this out so that we know you by name. As a guest, you are entitled to visit two times. After this, if you choose to become a member of W.O.H., membership dues are $20.00 a year.
PLEASE PRINT YOUR INFORMATION LEGIBLY.
PAGE FORMAT FOR READINGS:
Page allowance: 2 pages single-spaced (line space 1.0) or four pages double (line space 2.0, not 1.15)· Font size: 12 Times New Roman or Arial.
WHEN YOU ARE CALLED UPON TO READ, PLEASE HAVE COPIES – 10-12 COPIES SHOULD SUFFICE. PLEASE PLACE YOUR NAME ON YOUR WORK. IF YOU WISH TO SHARE YOUR WORK RATHER THAN HAVING IT CRITIQUED, PLEASE SPECIFY BEFORE YOU READ.
First-time guests generally will only read after their first meeting. The reason is to enable them to understand the process of our meeting but don’t be afraid to ask questions.
MEETING FORMAT:
5:00 - 8:00 P.M.
MEETING STARTS PROMPTLY AT 5:00 P.M. Please try to be on time to avoid interrupting the meeting. It is understandable if your schedule does not allow it, but please join us quietly.
After any organization business (which will be conducted via e-mail when possible), there will be a round-table discussion on literary, writing, and/or publishing topics as time allows. The secretary will keep track of the meeting minutes and will submit them to the president to be posted on our blog.
The remaining time will be for reading and critiquing our material. Don’t be afraid to read your material; we have all been in the first-time reading seat and are very aware of how intimidating it can be. Remember, we are all fellow writers.
CRITIQUING:
Constructive criticism is helpful and appreciated. We urge you to concentrate on the creative process, highlight weak points, and praise good ones. Grammar and spelling can be marked on the copy and handed to the writer later.
AUTHOR’S WORK:
We cannot tolerate the public reading of material that is sexually explicit, racially offensive, or that targets a specific ethnic or religious group for degradation. If your work contains material of a sexually-explicit nature, you may submit it to members who are willing to critique it in a personal and private reading.
A LITTLE HISTORY:
The organization was founded in 1989 by Sharon Palmeri when a handful of writers from her Merrillville Adult Education Creative Writers’ Class started to meet informally at the Merrillville Branch of Lake County Library.
W.O.H. sponsored many events, such as workshops, and children, teen, and adult writers’ contests, and published two literary magazines annually; one for adults and teens and the other for children. (See W.O.H. history for more details.)
W.O.H. suspended its writers’ critique group in 1997 and concentrated on children’s writing.
In January 2001, the critique group reorganized (once again with a handful of writers from Palmeri’s Creative Writing Class) to the group you see here now.
Members: $20.00 per yr. (proceeds go toward any speakers or banquets we have)
Meeting Dates: 2nd and 4th Thursdays
Meeting Place: E-mail for information writeonhoosiers@comcast.net
Time: e-mail for times
Contact person(s): Sharon Palmeri
Thank you for reading this.
Now sit back and enjoy the meeting!
