Tag: KathrynShay

Any public group depends on volunteers to keep the organization active and worth attending. In a non-profit like LCRW, the officers, coffee maker, room set-up crew, and providers of edible goodies are all volunteers, and we are proud of them. Oftentimes, the monthly educational presenter is a group member and thus, also, a volunteer. We firmly believe in “authors helping authors.”

If you are a regular visitor to the LCRW website, you may have noticed the presentation titles and presenter names have been jumping around on our calendar. That’s a side effect of depending on volunteers. Life happens, as we say, and people need to juggle responsibilities. It’s all right. We do what’s necessary to keep the calendar full and the information flowing. By leaving all the monthly listings up, anyone can see what types of subjects we cover.

On Saturday, June 27, the presentation will be given by New York Times Best Seller Kathryn Shay. She will explain HOW to add conflict to your story. I, for one, need this class. I can write a good soap opera-type scene, but adding a separate conflict that the character has to overcome or solve and that keeps the reader turning the pages is one of my weaknesses. (So are long, wordy sentences.)

If you know Kathryn Shay as a romance writer, you are fortunate. May I also recommend her book, The Perfect Family. It’s an in-depth look at what happens to a family and its circle when one of the children comes out as gay. Until I read this warm, natural account, I did not understand the ripple effect.

And this blog post is also a grand example of how easy it is for a writer to change topics mid-essay. I think I need a class on how not to do that! The culmination remains: LCRW has many different levels of writers and wonderful volunteers that make our group worth belonging to.

Come visit us. Your first time attending is always free, and our dues are only $20.00 a year. Did you notice how I just changed topics again? It’s all right in this type of writing.