lcrwpres Presentation described

Writing Sexuality

You are writing a romance and want to include “sex scenes.” How graphic do you want the descriptions without them becoming smutty? What if you only want to include imagery that happens above the neck? What is the industry standard that is expected in the romance genre? Are there tricks to let the reader imagine what you only hint at?

Our long-time member, New York Times best-selling author Kathryn Shay, will answer these questions during her presentation on Saturday, August 23. We are fortunate to have an author with over 100 published romances in our midst who shares her expertise so freely.

Come visit our group for the business meeting that starts at 9:00, or join us at 10:00 and participate in the presentation. We invite visitors to attend one meeting for free before becoming a member. Our dues are only $20.00 a year. For that small amount, you get seven presentations, three peer critique sessions, and a December holiday party. Our location and meeting times are prominently displayed on the first page of this website.

lcrwpres Presentation described

Character Development

Have you ever wanted to take a class from a New York Times best-selling author? On April 26, Kathryn Shay will present the basics on how to develop characters for your story, whether it’s a short one or a novel. The basics for doing this don’t change, so she will be sharing her methods with the group.

If not already a member of our group, you are welcome to visit one time free of charge.

The time and location of our meeting are given on the home page of this website.

lcrwpres Presentation described

Critique Guidelines

Our first of three critiques is coming up on Saturday, March 22. This is a great time to get a manuscript of up to 2500 words looked at.  If you aren't a member, this is a fantastic opportunity to see what LCRW can do for you (in addition to the six presentations we have each year.)

This is a LCRW function.  You may participate one time only if you are a non-member. You must be a member to critique.

          ALL manuscripts must be emailed to the moderator, Steve Yates at writingsbysay@yahoo.com by MIDNIGHT on Wednesday, July 12th.  (Note, this is ten days before the critique session.)  Any submissions received after that will be handled as time permits, at the end of the critique session.

          Critiques will be discussed in the order they are received.

          You will be receiving a manuscript from each participant and are expected to print it out and have your critique of their work at the meeting, or email the author your notes, and attend the meeting also.

          Your manuscript must be formatted using: Times Roman, Courier, Tahoma, or Verdana font at 12 points.  Margins should be to one inch.  Double space.

Be sure to number your pages (Insert / Page Number).  Also, it makes critiquing easier if you insert line numbers (Open the Page Layout ribbon / Click Line Numbers in the Page Setup section / Select your options from the pop-up menu.)

Save your document in: .doc, .docx, or .rtf formant.  (All major word processing programs have this capability.)  All manuscripts will be converted to .pdf by the facilitator, with line numbers inserted if you have not already done so.

          Please limit your submission to about 2500 words.  (You may send as many words as you like. The person critiquing may stop at any time after 2500 words.)

          Starting time is 9:00 AM Saturday, March 22th. Please be ready to start then.

          1605 Buffalo Rd, Rochester, NY 14624 Enter via the Police Annex door at the back of the building. There is plenty of parking. We meet in the first room on the left.  

          Please do not submit first drafts.  Spend some time editing before you send it out.  Also, it is requested you don’t send a modified copy of your manuscript after the original has been dispersed. (When Steve receives a manuscript, he will send it out to those who have already submitted. He will send all the manuscripts at the deadline.

          Everyone who submits a manuscript will be expected to critique all other entries and ensure they receive a copy of your comments.  (You are not required to send your critique to the recipient before the critique, but it is useful.)  In addition, we always have people who wish to share their knowledge of writing, yet not submit.  

          NEW: It was decided at the last critique that, no matter how many entries and volunteers we have, we will all be at one table. That may force us to extremely limit your time to present your critique. Therefore, you must be sure to have everything you wish to say on the paper copy to return to the author.

 

The following information should be on the first page, before your story begins. (You may wish to copy/past this to your manuscript and answer them.)

·       Please include your name and email address at the top of the page.

·       Genre: (Fantasy, Romance, etc.)

·       Demographic (target audience):

·       How long is the final piece (short story, novel):

·       Is there back story we need to know to understand what is going on:

·       Where does this fit in your manuscript (i.e.: two-thirds of the way through):

·       What questions do you want answered:

          When critiquing, consider:

·       Are the characters developed.  (You may not get to this in a limited piece)

·       Is there a strong sense of the setting/time.

·       Is it original (Not a requirement.  Some of the best stories are a retelling.)
lcrwpres Presentation described

Show, Don’t Tell

Every author has to learn to write prose that lets readers experience the story by using their five senses. It’s not as easy as it sounds because telling what is happening in a scene is how we generally write, but it leaves the reader feeling uninvolved. In some circumstances, showing is more challenging than in others. The meeting presentation on Saturday, February 22, will be Leslie J. Hall explaining how to show instead of tell by sharing great examples.

If you have heard this topic discussed before, I still encourage you to join us. There may be some tidbit of information spoken in a different manner that will help you incorporate showing into your writing more naturally.

The time and location of our meeting are given on the home page.

lcrwpres Presentation described

Happy 2025

Our January 25th meeting will find us planning for 2025. As President, still, I will be asking what you hope to gain by being a member of the group, What areas of the writer’s world you would like explained in presentations, and who do you know who can share their expertise.

We will discuss some ideas about what more the members could be doing for each other as fellow writers. Plus, there should be time for a fun writing exercise just to get the creative thoughts working and some words written.

I wish each of you, members and non-members, who follow our website and give life to the group a happy, healthy 2025.

Sue Spitulnik

lcrwpres Presentation described

November 23 Meeting

President Sue Spitulnik will be sharing her favorite conference takeaways from the year. One has to do with how to sell more books when you, as the author, are the guest speaker. Another concerns using that stored notebook you have waiting for a special occasion. (Bring it with you, please.) We will also discuss the importance of utilizing on-line conferences and why to go to live ones. One more item will be how to use the group to advertise your new books and/or anthologies before they are published and once they are.

Visitors are always welcome at Lilac City Rochester Writers. We hope you’ll come check us out. Our meeting location and meeting time are listed on the first page of this site.

lcrwpres Presentation described

Book Banning

Our presentation on April 27 will be hosted by Emily Clasper, the Associate Library Director at the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County. She will be sharing information that might surprise you about who is behind trying to ban certain books that we have come to think of as classics and why.

Our group welcomes visitors who are writers interested in learning more about the craft, publishing trends, and all things books.

lcrwpres Presentation described

September Presentation

Steve Yates, LCRW’s treasurer extraordinaire, likes to learn shortcuts for accomplishing things in Word and Windows without using his mouse. He will be sharing those tips and tricks with us at our September 23 meeting. And yes, he also knows how to do it on Mac. He makes his presentations fun, so bring your laptop and we’ll all learn together.

lcrwpres Presentation described

Critique Rules

Our second of three critiques is coming up on Saturday, July 22. This is a great time to get a manuscript of up to 2500 words looked at.  If you aren't a member, this is a fantastic opportunity to see what LCRW can contribute (in addition to the six speakers we have each year.)

This is a LCRW function.  You may participate one time only if you are a non-member. This applies to writers and guest critiquers.

          ALL manuscripts must be emailed to the moderator, Steve Yates at writingsbysay@yahoo.com by MIDNIGHT on Wednesday, July 12th.  (Note, this is ten days before the critique session.)  Any submissions received after that will be handled as time permits, at the end of the critique session.

          Critiques will be discussed in the order they are received.

          You will be receiving a manuscript from each participant and are expected to print it out and have your critique of their work at the meeting.

          Your manuscript must be formatted using: Times Roman, Courier, Tahoma, or Verdana font at 12 points.  Margins should be to one inch.  Double space.

Be sure to number your pages (Insert / Page Number).  Also, it makes critiquing easier if you insert line numbers (Open the Page Layout ribbon / Click Line Numbers in the Page Setup section / Select your options from the pop-up menu.)

Save your document in: .doc, .docx, or .rtf formant.  (All major word processing programs have this capability.)  All manuscripts will be converted to .pdf by the facilitator, with line numbers inserted if you have not already done so.

          Please limit your submission to about 2500 words.  (You may send as many words as you like.  The person critiquing may stop at any time after 2500 words.)

          Starting time is 9:00 AM Saturday, July 22th. Please be ready to start then.

          1605 Buffalo Rd, Rochester, NY 14624 Enter via the Police Annex.  We are the first room on the left.  Parking is in the rear.

          Please do not submit first drafts.  Spend some time editing before you send it out.  Also, it is requested you don’t send a modified copy of your manuscript after the original has been dispersed. (When I receive a manuscript, I will send it out to those who have already submitted. I will send all the manuscripts at the deadline.

          Everyone who submits a manuscript will be expected to critique all other entries and ensure they receive a copy of your comments.  (You are not required to send your critique to the recipient before the critique, but it is useful.)  In addition, we always have people who wish to share their knowledge of writing, yet not submit.  Those wishing to only critique are always welcome.

          NEW: It was decided at the last critique that, no matter how many entries and volunteers we have, we will all be at one table. That may force us to extremely limit your time to present your critique. Therefore, you must be sure to have everything you wish to say on the paper copy to return to the author.

 

The following information should be on the first page, before your story begins. (You may wish to copy/past this to your manuscript and answer them.)

·       Please include your email address at the top of the page.

·       Genre: (Fantasy, Romance, etc.)

·       Demographic (target audience):

·       How long is the final piece (short story, novel):

·       Is there back story we need to know to understand what is going on:

·       Where does this fit in your manuscript (i.e.: two-thirds of the way through):

·       What questions do you want answered:

          When critiquing, consider:

·       Are the characters developed.  (You may not get to this in a limited piece)

·       Is there a strong sense of the setting/time.

·       Is it original (Not a requirement.  Some of the best stories are a retelling.)