Category Archives: Writing

blogging, Journal, marketing, Minutes, networking, plan to market, self-publishing

Writers’ Mill Minutes 201710 Book Marketing with Walt

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Writers Mill Minutes October 15th

On October 15th 2017 the Writers’ Mill celebrated its 10th birthday! There was cake! Two delicious gluten-free chocolate cakes, with candles – Thank you Jean! And there was a great speaker, Walt Socha sharing his expertise in creating, publishing and marketing books. Around 25 members were there to enjoy the experience. For the rest of you, Walt’s notes can be found in two downloadable files at http://www.waltsocha.com/WM./ – a private page that you won’t find just by going to his website. Continue reading Writers’ Mill Minutes 201710 Book Marketing with Walt →

anthologies, book reading, events, genre, Guest Speakers, Minutes, novel, poetry, publishing, Writing

Writers’ Mill Minutes 201707

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Writers’ Mill Minutes, 16th July 2017

  1. Are you reading this on the website? Did you receive the email? If you did not receive the email, please check your spam, deleted, update and other random folders. Try using “search” on your emails for admin@portlandwritersmill.org, then set is as a “safe sender.” And if none of the that helps, contact admin@portlandwritersmill.org
  2. Send journal entries to journal2017@portlandwritersmill.org before the end of the month! Read on to learn more details
  3. Send 100th contest suggestions to admin@portlandwritersmill.org before the 1st of August!
  4. Send What If…? Contest entries to contest@portlandwritersmill.org before the end of August 6th. Read on to learn more details.

Continue reading Writers’ Mill Minutes 201707 →

Critiquing, exercise, Minutes, Writing

Writers’ Mill Minutes 201704

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Writers’ Mill Minutes April 23rd 2017

Guest speaker Zita Podany was unable to attend due to illness, but has been rescheduled for August 20th – mark your calendars. With the off-schedule timing for the meeting (due to Easter) causing a lower attendance this month, let’s hope for more people to be here when Zita joins us in August. Meanwhile around twelve of us enjoyed a BYOS meeting (Bring your own snacks, and bring your own speaker), with an impromptu writing exercise taken from the Creative Writer’s Notebook ($8.98 from Barnes and Noble) inspired by our next contest. We also enjoyed receiving contest awards filled with wonder for the Wonder contest, pondering contest entries for the next few months, and critiquing the third enticing chapter of Matthew’s novel. Continue reading Writers’ Mill Minutes 201704 →

Guest Speakers, inspiration, memoir, Minutes, plot, story structure, Writing

Writers Mill Minutes 201703

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Writers’ Mill Minutes March 19 2017

Twenty people enjoyed a fantastic workshop from Nancy Linnon (http://www.themovingpen.net/) on March 19th at the library. A gifted speaker, teacher, editor, writer, writing coach and more, Nancy came armed with excellent handouts including a great list of resources, and she invited us, right from her very first question, to look more deeply for stories in our own lives and those of our characters. Lots of members left energized and excited to realize they just might have a story worth telling in their past. Continue reading Writers Mill Minutes 201703 →

Guest Speakers, inspiration, poetry

Writing and Appreciating Poetry with Carolyn Martin – from her talk in February 2017

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Writing and Appreciating Poetry with Carolyn Martin

Carolyn began her talk with some groundrules:

  1. Don’t believe everything you hear unless it resonates in you.
  2. Ask lots of questions
  3. Daydream – she once went to a poetry reading and became distracted by a poem she needed to write … called Purgatory!

Continue reading Writing and Appreciating Poetry with Carolyn Martin – from her talk in February 2017 →

Guest Speakers, inspiration, Minutes, poetry

Writers Mill Minutes 201702

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Writers’ Mill Minutes, Feb 19th 2017

We may have started the year late but we started it in style with a wonderful February meeting where everyone participated, everyone had something to say, and everyone learned something. Carolyn Martin’s talk was such a success we’ve asked her to return in November, so if you missed this one, make sure you don’t miss the next one! Continue reading Writers Mill Minutes 201702 →

Editing, exercise, Guest Speakers, inspiration, Minutes, Writing

Writers’ Mill Minutes 201609

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Minutes from Portland writers mill, Sunday September 18th

Nearly 20 members, plus a few guests, were at the Cedar Mill library on Sunday September 18th to listen to Brian Doyle’s presentation on writing. We had an amazing, wonderful time, and I shall do my best to make sense of my notes at the end of these minutes. Continue reading Writers’ Mill Minutes 201609 →

Editing, exercise, Guest Speakers, inspiration, Research, resources, Writing

That Strange Thing Called Writing, from Brian Doyle’s Talk in September

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Notes From Brian Doyle’s Talk On Writing

Brian Doyle has pages and pages of books listed on Amazon, including Martin Marten, Mink River, Chicago, The Plover and more, and he needs no introduction from me. He introduces himself, educates, entertains, has us in stitches, has us almost in tears, reveals his feelings, his history and his stories, and then says he’s not a teacher and he doesn’t do seminars and workshops. If you missed this one, you missed a very special treat. Continue reading That Strange Thing Called Writing, from Brian Doyle’s Talk in September →