July Speaker – Robert S. McCarthy

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Speaker: Robert S. McCarthy
Topic: How to Create a MS Office Video Presentation
July 22, 2023, 10 a.m. to Noon In person and Zoom Register here for Zoom attendance.

Tired of being the publishing world’s best-kept secret?  Want to catch the attention of agents and increase the audience for your writing?

Here’s an easy way for existing and aspiring writers, editors and others to get noticed, expand readership and sell more books. It’s called YouTube.

Robert S. McCarthy

On Saturday, July 22, 2023, during Gulf Coast Writers Association’s (GCWA) monthly meeting in south Fort Myers, Robert (Bob) S. McCarthy, a veteran writer, editor, and GCWA member, will demonstrate how to create a MS Office video presentation and upload it to YouTube for the world to see!

Winners of GCWA’s Annual Writing Contest, now in its second decade, will also be announced at the meeting. This year’s awards will go to winners in four categories.

The meeting will be held at the Word of Life Church, 6111 South Pointe Blvd., Fort Myers, FL 33919 from 10 a.m. to noon.  General admission is free for first-time visitors,

$5 for subsequent visits, and free for members. The meeting is also available on Zoom. Register here for Zoom attendance.

McCarthy’s talk is part of GCWA’s ongoing series on marketing for writers.  In this series, previous presenters have focused on how to find a literary agent and on preparing to publish.  

July Speaker – Robert S. McCarthy

by -

Tired of being the publishing world’s best-kept secret?  Want to catch the attention of agents and increase the audience for your writing?

Here’s an easy way for existing and aspiring writers, editors and others to get noticed, expand readership and sell more books. It’s called YouTube.

Robert S. McCarthy

On Saturday, July 22, 2023, during Gulf Coast Writers Association’s (GCWA) monthly meeting in south Fort Myers, Robert (Bob) S. McCarthy, a veteran writer, editor, and GCWA member, will demonstrate how to create a MS Office video presentation and upload it to YouTube for the world to see!

Winners of GCWA’s Annual Writing Contest, now in its second decade, will also be announced at the meeting. This year’s awards will go to winners in four categories.

The meeting will be held at the Word of Life Church, 6111 South Pointe Blvd., Fort Myers, FL 33919 from 10 a.m. to noon.  General admission is free for first-time visitors,

$5 for subsequent visits, and free for members. The meeting is also available on Zoom.

McCarthy’s talk is part of GCWA’s ongoing series on marketing for writers.  In this series, previous presenters have focused on how to find a literary agent and on preparing to publish.

June Speaker – Allie Pleiter

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June 2023

Speaker: Allie Pleiter
Topic: FINISH THAT BOOK with The Chunky Method!
June 17, 2023, 10 a.m. to Noon
In person and Zoom – Register Here
Meeting Location: Map
Word of Life Church
6111 South Pointe Blvd.
Fort Myers, FL 33919

FINISH THAT BOOK with The Chunky Method

Do you feel like you can never find the time to write? Have you been chipping away at the same manuscript forever without much progress? Do you need a system that can get you to typing “The End” with success and satisfaction? Wrangling a fickle muse to meet a deadline—or just to get rid of that looming blank page—is a life-skill for everyone who wants to get serious about their writing.
Allie Pleiter, the bestselling author of over 40 books, shares the nuts and bolts of how to manage your muse. You’ll learn how to set goals and deadlines that reflect your personal writing style and speed–and smart ways to get faster when you need it. Join the thousands of other writers who have mastered the writing process using Pleiter’s popular Chunky Method. With a useful mix of the practical, the inspirational, and the nitty-gritty real life of it all, this workshop gives aspiring or working writers the tools they need to make the magic happen.

What others have said about The Chunky Method Workshop:

Implementing the Chunky Method has charged my writing with confidence, quadrupled my productivity, organized my days, and enhanced my enjoyment of life. Allie is my hero! — Linda H.

“I was overwhelmed, but now I feel fantastic” — Michelle S.

Before The Chunky Method, I spent years worrying about how I was ever going to finish my novel, let alone a series of stories, with a busy schedule and a demanding day job. I feel far more confident now, and the method works – it’s my custom method, after all. I’ve already written far more than before the Chunky Method. — M.V.

I feel empowered. I feel much more in control of the process now. I feel good that I have a plan and schedule that work with me. I feel like I am going to achieve success, and in a timely manner instead of a scattered one. Thank you again for some of the most valuable, and applicable information I’ve received in over fourteen years of conferences and online classes.” — Becki

Allie Pleiter bio:

Award-winning bestselling author Allie Pleiter writes both fiction and non-fiction working on as many as four books at a time.  She teaches writers how to be consistently, dependably productive and create the content today’s market requires. The author of over 60 published titles, Allie has spent a decade in the publishing profession with over 1.6 million books sold worldwide.  In addition to her own writing career, Allie maintains an active writing productivity coaching practice and speaks regularly on resilience, the creative process, authorship, and her very favorite topic—The Chunky Method of time management.

Links:

website: alliepleiter.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alliepleiterauthor/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/alliepleiter

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allie-pleiter-6a021b139

Twitter: https://twitter.com/alliepleiter (@alliepleiter)

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/453346.Allie_Pleiter

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Allie-Pleiter/e/B001H6IEUO/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1

Click the link below to review a short video of Allie promoting the Chunky Method Webinar on Jun 17, 2023

https://youtu.be/8AorlkO1a70

 

May Workshop – The First 100 Words

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May 2023

Workshop: The First 100 Words
Topic: The Importance of the First 100 Words
May 20, 2023, 10 a.m. to Noon
In person – No Zoom Offered
Claudia GeaganMeeting Location: Map
Word of Life Church
6111 South Pointe Blvd.
Fort Myers, FL 33919

You only have one opportunity to make a memorable first impression.  “The First 100 Words” is based on a book by the same name, written by Stephen Parish and editors at Lascaux Books, a literary publishing house.  According to the blurb in the book, the first 100 words of a manuscript are as important as all the words that follow.  They comprise a first impression.  If poorly chosen, they may be the only words an editor reads.
“This is a workshop, not a lecture,” says Claudia Geagan.  May’s attendees should bring notebooks and fast-writing pens and be prepared to participate.What distinguishes being a scribbler from a genius?  Claudia’s workshop may provide you with some insight in that direction; she is a master at word minimalism.
After a financial career in major corporations in big cities, Geagan retired to South Carolina and later to Southwest Florida.  She began authoring personal essays and a smattering of flash non-fiction and poetry and has been published in at least eight Literary Journals.
While at Furman University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Geagan taught “Writing the Personal Essay” and has been nominated three times for a Pushcart Prize.  Pushcart is the most honored literary project in America!
Geagan is one of the judges for this year’s GCWA Writing Contest.  “If your work doesn’t get past the first readers, it doesn’t go anywhere.  In the case of Literary Reviews, these first readers are often bored grad students.  The opening must intrigue.”

April Workshop – Tell Your Hurricane Story

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April 2023

Workshop: Tell Your Hurricane Story
Topic: Develop Your Hurricane Ian Story
April 15, 2023, 10 a.m. to Noon
In person Only – No Zoom
Jeanne MeeksMeeting Location: Map
Word of Life Church
6111 South Pointe Blvd.
Fort Myers, FL 33919

Plan to attend our meeting on Saturday April 15, 2023.  This program is a workshop to help us develop our stories about the Hurricane Ian experience.  Prose or poetry – whatever your favored writing style – the only rule is that it must be true (or mostly true).
Jeanne Meeks and Mary Charles conduct memoir workshops in their home communities.  They’ll bring some of their experience and advice, along with some challenging exercises, to our April 15th meeting.  It will be a fast-paced hour in which we’ll each develop or refine a story about the September 28, 2022 storm.
The stories you write on Saturday will become part of the permanent record of Hurricane Ian.  We’re creating an anthology of storm stories to be printed before the anniversary of Ian’s visit.  In partnership with the Alliance for the Arts, we intend to have this book on display and for sale during their planned month-long exhibit in September 2023.Join us this Saturday, April 15, 2023 at 10:00 am.  Because it’s a hands-on workshop, we’ll be meeting in person only.  There will not be a Zoom component this time.