For those interested or planning on attending tomorrow’s AAAWG technical session, this is a reminder that it will be running from 10AM to 2PM in the same place as last time. More details are available here:

• Q-and-A follow up session on How to Set Up and Run a Web Site

If you are planning on attending the AAAWG technical session this Saturday (from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, same place as last time) and you know what questions you would like to have addressed, then I would urge you to post your questions here or email them to me. It will give me some time to look into them.

I plan on discussing plugins, themes, and other management components of WordPress. You can find my notes here:

• http://fritzfreiheit.com/wiki/Q-and-A_follow_up_session_on_How_to_Set_Up_and_Run_a_Web_Site

I’ve listed (with links and a brief description) the WordPress plugins I use on this blog in section on the above wiki page.

The feedback on when to do the follow up session to last month's technical session on setting up a blog is in.  The general opinion is to hold it on Saturday the 20th, from 10 to 2.  Please check out the the following wiki article for more details: Q-and-A follow up session on How to Set Up and Run a Web Site

I am now soliciting any specific questions that people would like to have addressed during the session.

I am soliciting feedback on when and if a follow up session to last month's technical session on setting up a blog would work from AAAWG members.  At this point I am suggesting either Saturday the 20th or 27th of February.  Please drop me an eLine if you are interested and which of the dates would work for you.

The wiki article, which has additional information about location, time, etc., is here: Q-and-A follow up session on How to Set Up and Run a Web Site

Patrick recently solicited advice from the rest of the AAAWG members on giving characters a unique voice in dialogue. He received much excellent advice that I will attempt to summarize here. Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday’s web-site tutorial went well. I’m expanding the resulting notes and links. Read the rest of this entry »

Based on the email I’ve received from those interested in attending the “How to Set Up and Run a Web Site for Less Than $125 per Year” tutorial, I think January 16th, from 10 AM to 2 PM (or we have exhausted ourselves) will work.  We will be meeting at Patrick’s apartment complex’s clubhouse (instruction on how to find forthcoming).  Either email me or reply to this post to RSVP.  I will post additional information about what you might want to bring and what I plan to cover.

Update:  I’ve added a wiki article here.

At a recent meeting of our writers group, a new-comer read two essays. The first one was on the importance of writing and writers to our civilization. Read the rest of this entry »

Those of you on the AAAWG email list will already know about this, Read the rest of this entry »

For those member of AAAWG who might be interested in attending a tutorial session on how to set up your own web site for about $100 to $125 dollars a year, I am suggesting the following dates:

Read the rest of this entry »

Last week I promised I would send out my favorite short story market research link to AAAWG.  I’ve finally gotten around to it.

Read the rest of this entry »

I received a number of requests from the attendees of the AAAWG holiday party for my “Mexican Lasagna” recipe. I’ve posted it on my wiki, so follow this link:

http://fritzfreiheit.com/wiki/Mexican_Lasagna_recipe

Enjoy!

The Tuesday night contingent of the AAAWG will be meeting at Patrick’s apartment complex’s club house for the remainder of the year. Read the rest of this entry »

Pelly and Winters bring you the AAAWG notes

Read the rest of this entry »

First, congratulations goes out to Stephanie Feldstein for landing an agent this last weekend. Read the rest of this entry »

The Tuesday meeting of AAAWG Read the rest of this entry »

The Tuesday meeting of AAAWG Read the rest of this entry »

Patrick handed out the following list of recommended books at yesterday evening’s AAAWG meeting.

In descending Amazon.com users’ 5-star ranking percentage.

1. On Writing: Memoirs of the Craft by Stephen King (Amazon search) — Amazon.com 5-star rating: 94% (638/682)
2. Making the Perfect Pitch: How to Catch a Literary Agent’s Eye by Katharine Sands (Amazon) — Amazon.com 5-star rating: 88% (21/24)
3. Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell (Amazon search) — Amazon.com 5-star rating: 85% (76/89)
4. Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself Into Print by Renni Browne and Dave King (Amazon search) — Amazon.com 5-star rating: 83% (105/127)
5. Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight V. Swain (Amazon search) — Amazon.com 5-star rating: 80% (37/46)
6. Creating Poetry by John Drury (Amazon) — Amazon.com 5-star rating: 80% (8/10)
7. The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E. B. White (Amazon search) — Amazon.com 5-star rating: 79% (312/394)
8. Stein on Writing: A Master Editor of Some of the Most Successful Writers of Our Century Shares His Craft Techniques and Strategies by Sol Stein (Amazon) — Amazon.com 5-star rating: 78% (49/63)
9. On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinseer (Amazon search) — Amazon.com 5-star rating: 76% (135/178)
10. Telling Lies for Fun and Profit by Lawrence Block (Amazon search) — Amazon.com 5-star rating: 75% (15/20)
11. Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript by Cynthia Laufenber (Amazon search) — Amazon.com 5-star rating: 73% (11/15)
12. How to Write a Damn Good Novel by James N. Frey (Amazon search) — Amazon.com 5-star rating: 72% (71/98)
13. Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass (Amazon search) — Amazon.com 5-star rating: 72% (43/60)
14. How to Grow a Novel: The Most Common Mistakes Writers Make and How to Overcome Them by Sol Stein (Amazon search) — Amazon.com 5-star rating: 65% (20/31)
15. Give ‘Em What They Want by Blythe Camenson and Marshall J. Cook (Amazon) — Amazon.com 5-star rating: 63% (5/8)
16. The First Five Pages: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman (Amazon search) — Amazon.com 5-star rating: 58% (81/140)

Note: Amazon.com title searchs are used when there are multiple editions.

Date: 2009/10/06 AAAWG Tuesday night meeting at Borders Books, Arborland, Ann Arbor

Wiki version: 16 well-regarded books on the craft of writing compiled by Patrick

The Tuesday meeting of AAAWG Read the rest of this entry »

The Tuesday meeting of AAAWG Read the rest of this entry »

The Tuesday meeting of AAAWG Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve submitted "All You Quantum Zombies" to the Ann Arbor Book Fair Short Story Contest and am trying to put enough polish on my heavily tweaked "Stealing a Seed of the Giving-Tree" in time to get it in by midnight.  It’s a bit dicey as to whether or not I’ll get it into shape and within the word count (you can guess which of those is more difficult for me).  Nose to the grind-stone and no writers' group for me tonight.

Yesterday I attended the Wednesday night AAAWG (at Borders on Lohr Rd), Read the rest of this entry »

Another AAAWG evening of reading for Read the rest of this entry »

There were fourteen people in attendance at last nights AAAWG meeting. Read the rest of this entry »