I
found the "Table Topics" a fascinating concept. Since they eat
dinner at the meeting, they've developed a system where each month,
volunteers offer to moderate various topics (there was one on
Punctuation when I was there, for example), and two tables in
the main dining area are set aside with tent cards listing each
topic. Anyone who sits at these tables participates in an ongoing
discussion on that subject during the meal.
Also
pre-meeting, a table is set up for an author with a recent release
who wants to bring copies to sign and sell.
The meeting itself is
a formal "Roberts Rules" affair. Minutes of the previous meeting
are distributed, the officers present short reports and everything
is formally approved, seconded, and voted on. Any chapter business,
such as financial matters, is approved and voted on by the membership.
In addition to the introductions of visitors, each month they
present silk roses to those who have just sold a book (any book-not
just first sales, and not just romance), and quills to those with
an achievement in the field to announce-it could be a mention
in a magazine article, a new book tour, or the launch of a website.
From the conversations, I gathered that vases of quills and roses
are quite the popular desk decoration among the membership.
The
meeting then gives way to a "short program"-a topic presented
by a chapter member. Vijaya Schwartz presented a session on Dialog
the night I was there. These sessions are not only to present
information to the chapter members, but are also geared to provide
public speaking experience in front of a friendly audience. After
the short program, a "Guest Speaker" is introduced, to speak for
60-90 minutes on a topic. My visit featured a woman from the CSI
lab of Phoenix, who talked about DNA evidence, techniques, and
some fascinating recent investigations.
The
other interesting thing about attending this meeting was that
they were as intrigued by my description of our meetings as I
was with theirs. "All day on SATURDAYS? Does anyone go?" "How
can you "not do" minutes every month?" "Wow! Not having to vote
at every meeting? I could like that..." vs. "Not getting to vote
at every meeting? Hmm, I don't know about that..." And "How can
you not have it in the same place every month?"
The
Desert Rose Chapter does a number of monthly fundraisers for literacy
charities. They have a "floating used book sale"-boxes of books
that are available on an honor system for five for a dollar (non-romances
are free).
The
$1 per ticket monthly raffle collection goes to literacy as well.
Anyone who wants to donate something brings in an item. They draw
as many tickets as they have items. There's one "perpetual" item:
a basket of "stuff", and the person who chooses it has to refill
the same basket with whatever she chooses and bring it back next
meeting. The day I was there, there were probably fifteen items
up for raffle.
"Mentoring"
is available for $10 (for literacy, of course, minus mailing costs).
When you are ready to send a book to an editor or agent, you can
get matched with someone published in that genre who will "review
it like an editor" as a final pass. It's a one-shot deal per book
and per mentor, which encourages participation.
They bring permanent name
tags in plastic holders to each meeting. They have stickers for
published authors (a heart), other genre published (a star), and
their RWA Chapter Service pins attached to the holders.
If you're interested in
attending a meeting somewhere else, let me make a couple of suggestions.
First, contact them ahead just to be sure guests are allowed and
what the procedures are, if any.
And,
second, keep in mind my geography "duh" of the month: I learned
that the Greater Phoenix Area is much like the Greater Washington
Metropolitan Area--it's all suburbs. Without the invitation from
my friend from my critique loop, it never would have occurred
to me to check a map to see how far the Desert Rose meeting site
actually was from my hotel-I just assumed that since it was listed
on the RWA Chapters website as being in Tempe, it wouldn't work
with a meeting in Scottsdale. It turns out I had less than a 20-minute
commute "through" Phoenix.
I
really enjoyed branching out and seeing how other chapters work.
I made some new friends and expanded my network of professional
contacts at the same time. It also livened up some travel that
hadn't started out being "writing related." Next time you travel,
consider being a bit more adventurous, and contact the local RWA
chapter as well as the local bookstores.
--
Robin L.L.
Allen is the Program Coordinator for WRW. She's working on a contemporary
romantic suspense novel that is a finalist in the 2004 Maggie
Contest, and hopes to soon add Georgia Romance Writers to the
list of chapters she's visited.
Are
You Invisible?
By
Maggie Toussaint
Tired of being
invisible? Here's a practical solution. Write an article
for your chapter newsletter. After you finish reading this, you'll
want to get started right away. Here's why:
Writing Sharpens
Your Skills. Crafting articles about the writing profession
forces you to focus on your subject material. It helps define
and perfect your strategy for the art of story crafting. Every
time you sit down to write, you flex creative muscle. Just as
athletes practice to improve their skills, writers must write
to reach and maintain peak performance levels. Empowered writing
increases reader interest and improves the likelihood of publication.
Shared Experiences
Bring Fellowship. Through sharing your writing journey with
others, you lessen the sense of isolation within this solo profession
and build camaraderie. Like a candle shining in the darkness,
an article can bring inspiration and hope to those who struggle
with similar issues. Fellow authors hunger for details from those
overcoming hurdles, those just published, those building a name
for themselves, and especially from those at the top of the heap.
Articles
Cure What Ails You. It's admirable to write about things you
do well. But, if you go one step farther and write about subjects
that give you fits, you might come up with solutions to formerly
insurmountable obstacles. Writing about your weaknesses helps
you focus on what needs to be changed in your writing and is instrumental
in devising solutions. Got a problem with integrating setting
into the flow of your story? Research the problem, write about
it, and before you know it, you'll be following your own advice.
Publication
Reinforces the Dream. Writing is what we do. It is an affirmative
response to our unrelenting urge to tell stories. Newsletter publication
won't suddenly transform you into a literary guru, but it does
build confidence that you can do this. Your article can be the
first step to opening many doors in the publishing business. Best
of all, your published article is a valuable highlight on your
writing bio.
Articles
Build Name Recognition. Let's face facts. Name recognition
drives book sales. Your newsletter article will be in front of
your chapter members, available to internet surfers who visit
the chapter website, and available to every RWA newsletter editor
through posting on an editor email link. These editors may choose
to reprint your article or forward it to a chapter email loop.
One article may seem like a small stone in a big pond, but the
ripples that occur can be far reaching.
Editors Need
Submissions. There is a high demand for chapter member articles.
Chapter newsletter editors want to feature and promote their members.
Each newsletter issue brings with it the demand for new material.
The good news is that the incidence of rejection of newsletter
articles is relatively low. Send that article in and chances are,
you'll have a publication pending. Newsletter editors need article
writers.
The Sky Is
The Limit. A brief bio runs with each newsletter article.
Included in this bio are titles of your upcoming or recent books,
contest wins, or website contact information. You might also consider
becoming a regular columnist. Several columnists from different
chapters have developed niche columns (on market news, research,
contest opportunities, etc.) that are in such high demand that
they are published simultaneously in multiple newsletters every
month. Believe me, these folks are very visible.
There you have
it. Seven compelling reasons to craft that article you've been
thinking about. Writing newsletter articles builds self-confidence
and raises skill level. It gives you immediate visibility. Get
your name out there and see if your fiction doesn't start attracting
more attention.
-- Maggie Toussaint is the newsletter editor
for Update, the newsletter of Washington Romance Writers. She
writes contemporary romance and cozy mysteries.
