How Indie Writers Have Fueled the Rise of Book Coaching A working definition of the term Indie writer is “an author who works independently of traditional publishing.” Writing something consists of three stages: Thinking about or fixin’ to write about something. This could take weeks, months, or years. Finishing your manuscript and saying: “I’m glad…

Tracie Borum was our speaker at our General Meeting and dazzled us with an array of advice on how to be a successful author and writer. She is a full-time professor and has published seven novels; an eighth one is coming out soon. General Advice: Write selfishly and for yourself first. Stay true to yourself…

Our First Conference Speaker was Maya Golden Bethany, an Associated Press winning and Emmy-nominated multimedia journalist, who gave us a presentation on book marketing called: STAND OUT IN THE STACKS: BOOK MARKETING ON A BUDGET. She told us that it is estimated that 4 million books are released annually. Almost a million are traditionally published…

The July10 meeting showcased the talents of our Guild writers as we each shared a 3 to 5 minutes story of any sort. It was very entertaining and enjoyed by all. Looking forward to Saturday conference so we just got together for a night of fun and sharing.

Micheal Hawron–June 12, 2023 He used different themes in his life to write about his own personal experiences. A memoir is writing what you know. You know yourself and all that happened to you in your life. He explained that he has written three autobiographies with the same subject: a framework to get across to…

Aaron Plan – ETWG Secondary Historian East Texas Writers Guild General Meeting Notes – May 8, 2023 Speaker: Carolyn L. Dean Common Mistakes Made by Authors Thinking you have to know everything Thrashing – Not pulling the trigger, constant research How to fix it: Write down what you really need to get your book done,…

Mike Clifton, an award-winning author, gave a presentation on what to look for in a publisher and some warning signs of unscrupulous companies. He showed that these fly-by-night operations and bilk authors out of thousands of dollars. He talked about publishing–traditional, indie and hybrid. For more information: visit Michael’s official website at www.michaelscottclifton.com or google…

Carolyn Dean writes cozy mysteries, romances and other fictional writings. She has over 1 million books in print and we were privileged to hear her speak at our regular Monday night meeting. She used an excellent outline full of good advice so I have listed below the order of the presentation through her Power Point…

On February 13th, 2023, Jayne Morrow challenged us with how she writes novels using a beat sheet. A fascinating demonstration of the do’s and don’ts of writing fiction of any kind which needs a ‘brick by ‘brick’ or scene by scene construction of the book until the novel is complete. Jayna’s books have spent time…

Mike presented a great discussion of world building. He discussed how language, culture, religion, morals, climate, weather and even architecture affects world building and how that sets up the scenes in a story and enriches and colors the entire backdrop.   Here is Mike receiving a Certificate of Appreciation for all he has done for…