Hey, all of you with websites and blogs! We need your help. To maximize our internet exposure, we'd like the conference to be listed on as many websites and blogs as possible. This will push us up the priority list when potential attendees perform Google searches for conferences.

Please put this link http://myscww.org/2007_conference.htm under a line of text that reads "The Best Writers Conference of 2007" so that we'll pop up in a general Google search on any of those words.

After you've done this, email a link to your site to s.cureton@myscww.org. We'll include your name on a conference "hit list" web page with a link to your site (to increase your Google visibility), and include you on the list of Contributors to the conference in the conference notebook.

Thanks!

Susan & Sarah

The Harriette Austin Writers Conference will be held on July 20-21, 2007 on the University of Georgia Campus in Athens, Georgia. See www.harrietteaustin.org for details.

From their brochure:"This is [their] fourteenth year of helping new writers write better, and helping good writers get published. New session topics this year include freelance writing, inspirational fiction, poetry, and web site design."

Members of our chapter are fully represented in the Spring 2007 Issue of moonShine review (Volume 3, Issue 1.) The issue includes:

"Caverns of the Mind" by Bob Strother,
"The Road Ahead" by John Migacz,
and
"Flying Jenny" by Bob Strother

moonShine review publishes short fiction, flash fiction, and creative non-fiction. They publish work from anywhere, but preference is given to artists from Charlotte, NC, and the Southeast. Their goal is to bring about understanding through art and writing by providing a venue for unique voices. They are interested in work that conveys an honest and individual perspective.

moonShine review sells for just $6 (plus $1.50 shipping.) To purchase a copy, make checks payable to THRIFT Press and mail to: THRIFT Press, Book Orders, PO Box 5424, Charlotte, NC 28299 or go to www.thriftpoeticarts.com.

Bob Strother's short story, "Bobby and Me and Five-Cent Cigars" has been accepted for July publication by the literary magazine Pointed Circle, published by Portland Community College in Portland, Oregon.

Volume 4 of the national literary journal, Buffalo Carp, including Kevin Coyle's story, "Puck Magnet," is now available for sale. The journal is published by QUAD CITY ARTS, (www.quadcityarts.com/literary.asp) "a regional arts agency serving counties in Illinois and Iowa."

Part two of Kevin Coyle's "Boys of Summer" is now on-line in RAGAD: A Literary Journal (at www.ragadzine.com/currentissue1.htm.) RAGAD publishes "short fiction of 2500 words or less from new writers and established names, as well as anyone in between."

Enjoy the exciting conclusion!

Here's fifty online writing tips ranging from "Riffing for Originality" to our good ol' "Show Don't Tell." The tips at www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/fifty-50-tools-which-can-help-you-in-writing.html are funny, well written and informative. Check 'em out.

Hey, Greenville Chapter! I want to talk to y'all about food - one of our favorite subjects, right? Traditionally, dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings at our October conference has meant dinner out. Because the Friday night welcome reception has not historically included dinner - just light hors d'oeuvres - many of us have gone for more food afterwards. And the banquet on Saturday? Well - as a group, we haven't had high attendance every year, opting instead to hit the Myrtle Beach restaurants.

Things are going to be much different this year, and Sarah and I are hoping all of you will participate. Forget Sarah and me - you won't want to miss this!

Friday evening will start with a happy hour on the Hilton pool deck, then migrate indoors for an island-themed buffet dinner, which will include, among several other items, Roasted Pork with Sweet and Sour sauce, Polynesian Chicken, Toasted Sesame Stir-fry Vegetables, Gingered Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Calypso Rice, and salad. I promise you, there will be no need to go out to a restaurant afterwards. Besides dinner, on Friday evening we'll be recognizing the contributors to The Petigru Review, and will have two keynote speakers.

On Saturday evening, you get to choose between Steak Diane, Chicken Picatta, and a vegetarian Tri-Color Tortellini dish. Also during Saturday evening's festivities will be the agents' panel discussion, the Carrie McCray Awards, and McNair Wilson, a self-described professional third-grader, who is not only hilarious, but a great motivational speaker for writers.

But the best reason to stick around The Hilton for dinner is because that is where the faculty will be. They'll each be hosting a different table, making it easy to go and talk to that agent, editor, author or poet you've been hoping to meet. After the General Session/Dinner on both nights, we'll have plenty of time to socialize in the hotel bar - or wherever. The bar at The Hilton is open to the entire mezzanine level, and there are many places to congregate and have that nightcap. The rumor that John is buying the first round both nights has proven false, but don't let that stop you...

See y'all there!

Editor's Note: See www.myscww.org for more details.

That may just be the case for the Greenville Chapter's critique group if our newest member has anything to say about it. And no, he's not from the musical group Styx; he's James Raff, who is, among other things, a poet. The revolution began Thursday evening when James read four of his poems to the group: "Revolution," "Sauna," "Train Pennies," and "April."

"Revolution" dealt with the mentally impaired being released from institutions around the country. "Sauna", with our desire for wisdom and the "baggage" we all carry. "Train Pennies" spoke of the relationship between a group of children and a physically deformed, simple-minded man. "April" - well, I don't really know what "April" was about. But I still found it to be a pleasing piece of work.

Poets have been in short supply recently and our group is a little rusty on the intricacies and nuances of that particular literary form. As usual, though, that didn't stop us from voicing our opinions. Most were very positive. I heard the words profound and breathtaking used - not at all a bad way to start. On the nit-picking side, it was suggested that the first stanza be deleted from "Sauna " and there was a question about whether "rucksack" should be one word or two. (Both Webster's and the ultimate authority - L. L. Bean - agree completely on that issue: one word.)

So bear with us, James, while we get up to speed on poetry. Rest assured, we'll soon be picking at your work like a pack of hyenas, and you'll fit right in with the rest of us. In the meantime, we'll also look forward to hearing your prose.

John Migacz read his short story, "The Paddy." One suggestion would be to change the title to "Rice Paddy." A listener was expecting a story about an Irishman! Or maybe something like "Friendly Fire." But would that give away the ending?

As a clueless reader, I needed an explanation for military jargon. PRC-25 was later defined as a 26-lb. radio, but until then I wasn't sure what it was. MPC was another unknown to me. L-T was another stumbling block for this reader. Giving readers help would not detract from the story. It would keep us going.

Several sharp listeners told John to change Sergeant Barnes' name. He was the bad guy in "Platoon."

Once I got past these hurdles, I was caught up in this story. It came across to me as a good example of an anti-war piece. That is strictly my opinion.

It is well written and makes one think about what war really is all about.

Another suggestion was to omit several sentences that seemed to be telling the reader how to feel.

As usual, John's writing is excellent and keeps the reader engaged. Keep the stories coming, John. Just remember that a few readers need help with understanding acronyms.

I always enjoy installments of David Burnsworth's novel, Palmetto Heat. He and I share a literary landscape - the Charleston area - and Palmetto Heat is a detective story, a genre that I fancy.

The story picked up with Trent, the PI protagonist, recovering from a conk on the head by an intruder at his friend Annie's hotel. Table conversation was lively, and covered a few minor technical things that I'm sure were marked on individual copies. Consensus was that David should make it clear who is speaking at the beginning of the scene, something easily done by restructuring the paragraphs to match action with dialogue.

Several, myself included, thought that David should either make Trent's dream on the bottom of page fifteen something a bit more outlandish, or cut it. We all got a good laugh out of the question regarding description of clothing and the "second man" on page sixteen. If a writer describes a man's attire as "a wife-beater and workboots," do we infer that he isn't wearing pants? Personally, I thought that was fine. I had visualized that he wore jeans. But who knows? I guess some readers might be left in doubt.

Most of our discussion centered around the section at the beginning of chapter three - the scene where we are out of the protagonist's head and given an omniscient view of what's going on with the bad guys. The group thought this section written in too understated a manner to support the action. "If folks are getting shot, punch it up a bit," we said. I think these sections, common in thrillers - but I'm not so sure about detective novels - are best kept short and fast paced. Get in, kill who needs killing, and get out. Keep the sentences short, descriptions to a minimum. The person the reader cares about is Trent.

All of that said, because that's why we meet - to help each other sniff out potential problems - Palmetto Heat has all the elements of a book I'd carry to the check out at Barnes and Nobel. Get it finished, David, chop-chop!

"A mother need only to look around her and see subject material no one else can provide!" says Pat Stewart, and right she is. In "Dead Bodies in the House" she channels Edgar Allen Poe, known for his ghoulish tales of concealed cadavers. But in this case, no foul play was involved, only a foul odor which prompted extra diaper diligence. When that didn't help, and a mouse jumped out of a closet, the cause became clear and WARfarin was declared against the invaders.

Pat's two descriptions of D-Con's active ingredient, an anti-coagulant beneficial to many heart patients but deadly on rodents, are good, but by bringing them together into one, she can increase the impact of a shocking discovery. When daughter Nancy probed beneath the sofa cushions for a lost comb, she discovered a petrified mouse!

Rodents weren't the only little stinkers discovered in the house. When another persistent odor prompted a toy-box shakedown, daughter Diane found her long lost purse. Inside she found a prize she had stashed for safe keeping: a frog that had long since croaked. Another mystery solved, another tale to tell! As Pat says, "They are the stuff of my life."

Short stories come in all shapes and sizes. Bob Strother's work sometimes incorporates a hook that catches the reader off guard. When being read in the SCWW group meetings, smiles appear around the room as the tug begins. Smiles turn to grins as the magnitude of the sinisterness is revealed.

"Crossing Patterns" is one such story. A delivery man arrives at a home with a package addressed to a man. The addressee's wife invites him in and coyly attempts to seduce him. At this point, the true profession of the delivery man and his reason for being there are revealed. He was hired by the woman's husband to kill her. Afterwards, the story follows the killer to a meeting for his next job. A woman wants to hire him to kill her husband.

The group's initial comments for this story followed the comments made about much of Bob's previous work: "Very good, as always." Many liked the descriptions used in the actions and scenery. However, there were some minor suggestions for changes or improvements.

On page two, the story hinges on the woman inviting in the delivery man for the murder to take place. The group felt that this might have seemed presumptuous for the killer. Also, a Lincoln-Mercury dealership was described in a specific county. The group felt that keeping the marques but losing the location would be a safer move. There was a long sentence at the bottom of page five that some thought should be broken up.

Other critiques involved wanting more explanation. Why was the woman the killer met for the next job working at a club if her husband had so much money owning the aforementioned car dealership? Why doesn't she just divorce him instead of having him killed? Lastly, the group felt that a certain line used by the killer, "I get that a lot," could carry more mileage if used as a catch phrase. Otherwise, nice effort Bob! Looking forward to more of your stuff.

Steve Stewart's novel, Unto The Least of These, takes place on the waterfront of 1842 Charleston. Hopefully, he is well along with the story, but it will be 2042 before our group hears it all at the pace we are going at the meetings. The good news is that we are finally past pages one through five.

This reviewer has been impressed with the potential of the story since our first reading. The characters are interesting, and the plot could go in many different directions. Steve does a great job of setting the scenes, and the dialogue seems appropriate for the period. Earlier reviewers have noted that Steve needed to work on those elements that keep readers turning the pages. In that regard, pages six through eleven did pretty well. Main character Steven Taylor brought terrible news to bride-to-be Ann, but he had to stall until her father came home. Because he is the POV character, maybe a glimpse of his inner turmoil would be a wise addition. Certainly, the potential for romance between Steven and Ann later in the story draws the reader in.

Steve Stewart has probably already corrected a few points noted by the group: far too many references to Mrs. Agnew (six on page seven alone), and a time-line snag with the wedding (groom still on the return voyage from England). Steve's personal time-line for completing the story will speed up if we can move deeper into the plot in each future meeting. So, wrap up Chapter 1 and give us more. We're anxious to see where this story goes.

Kevin Coyle, as our land guide, lead us farther into the Icelanders' New World exploration. The two totally different cultures cautiously learn one another while establishing their comfort levels and examining their options.

The Icelanders take up camp at the island hunting grounds of the Skrealings and cause reason for concern. In council meeting, Pequawus orders a message of warning sent to the squatters. This is done in their custom of arrows wrapped in snakeskin. The Icelanders make a similar response but with arrowheads made of iron.

The Skrealings are taken back by this new material they have no knowledge of but have seen in the armor of the newcomers. Pequawus shows her wisdom by not being intimidated by this perceived superiority and councils the others to sit in wait.

The story line is developing well as the two mix of humans learn and fell out each other. The reader senses the underling conflict and fear of uncertainty. Reading group members have expressed concern in the difficult to pronounce tribal and character names and that they slow or distract when read. Kevin explains that there is historical and authentic basis for these names.

Bob Strother started the meeting by finishing up his story "Crossing Patterns." Hired killer, "Mr. Smith", makes arrangements with one of his targets to kill Abby, the target's wife, for twice the price she was going to pay to have her husband killed. Smith arrives the next week, tells the husband that Abby is dead, and collects his payment. Then he pulls out a gun and kills the husband. Forty-five minutes later, Abby comes home to find Mr. Smith sitting next to her dead husband. She pays Smith, and he shoots her dead as well, setting it up to look like a jealous wife came home intent on a deadly confrontation. Finally, he heads over to see the husband's business partner, "whose wife just happened to be screwing Abby's husband on a fairly regular basis... He'd [Smith] always believed in linkages, one thing leading to another and another, and so on. This time, exploring those linkages had proven most beneficial."

Mack Clarke's piece, called "Poem #6", explored the political implications of the verb "to blow." Starting with
      "President Bush said he would blow over there and smoke out the enemy,"
we blew through
      "New Yorkers blew Mrs. Clinton into the U.S. Senate,"
and
      "'An ill wind blows no good' is a stupid statement."
We ended at
      "Given all the blowing in Washington, a politician's life should be a breeze."

In Jim McFarlane's novel, Long Island, Penelope helps to avoid violence between English villagers and the Dutch soldiers in charge of the village of Gravesend. The soldiers arrest two English troublemakers, and Penelope helps the soldiers to "restore their flag's dignity" while preventing them from desecrating the English flag. She sobers the crowd by pointing out how reckless the dissenters were ("When the lead ball missed you, whom would it have hit?") Then she has a respected townswoman serve beer to the soldiers to further ease the tension.

Inspired by Phil's elvisblog from the previous meeting, Paul Garrett read part of his story, "Elvis is Coming." Sandy, the owner of the Goldmine restaurant, has just gotten an unexpected phone call: Elvis Preseley will be arriving at 3:00 AM to pick up eighteen "Pot O' Golds" at $50 a sandwich. Sandy sets to work finding the ingredients - eighteen Italian rolls, nine gallons of peanut butter, six gallons of grape jelly, and a whole pile of bacon.

Phil Arnold entertained us with "Elvis Commentary Mini-Nuggets - 4," including tidbits like the day Priscilla Presley realized how famous Elvis was as she watched fans taking her discarded eyelashes out of a garbage can. The editor's favorite mini-nugget: the anagram - "Elvis Aaron Presley = Seen alive? Sorry, Pal."

In his second piece, "Scotty Moore - The Last Man Standing," Phil argues that just as Graceland is a National Historic Landmark, Scotty Moore should be a National Historic Person. Scotty will be headlining two tribute concerts, entitled "Scotty Moore - The Last Man Standing," at Elvis Week 2007.

In Palmetto Heat, David Burnsworth's hero, Trent, is stopped by Officer Taylor, a policeman he knows and respects. Taylor gives him the tapes of the port entrance taken during the robbery and tells him that Police Lieutenant York leaked the story about Trent to the press. Back in his office, Trent takes heat and threats from the Mayor's lackey, Morris. "If the Fed's solve the case before you, I'll make sure you never work in this town again."

The Saga of Snorri the Priest, by Kevin Coyle, resumed with the skraeling leader, Pequawas, leading Snorri and his slave, Kormak the Christian, to the top of a high ridgeline to a view of almost all of Snorrafjord. They discuss the possibility of using the old tower to signal the skraelings in the event of an attack, and Pequawas points out the benefits to the Icelanders if they form an alliance with her. She also insists that the settlers on Illugastrand vacate immediately since it is their sacred burial ground. Later, Snorri, Steinraud the Strong, and Thorodd the Tribute-Trader pay Illugi the Black a visit at his new home.

John Migacz finished up with a flash fiction piece called "Night Raid." Two men in green camouflage face paint crawl on their bellies toward their objective. The tension mounts, they make the grab, and they get away clean. If you weren't at the meeting, you'll have to buy the book to find out what their objective was!

The next meetings of the Greenville Chapter of SCWW are as follows:

• Thursday, June 7 - First Thursday Meeting, 6:00 p.m. at The Open Book
• Tuesday, June 19 - Third Tuesday Meeting, 6:00 p.m. at The Open Book

All genres welcome at both meetings. Suggested limit for reading selections is five double-spaced, typed pages, although longer selections may be possible if time permits.

The Open Book, 110 S Pleasantburg Drive, Greenville, SC

As I mentioned, we're proud of the food we're going to have at the conference this year. But, as you might expect at a writers' conference, that's not the main course. Over the next few months, Sarah and I will give you snapshots of different pieces of the conference. Here is a list of all the workshops you'll get to choose from on Saturday morning, first session (session 6 of the conference)!

Session 6: Breakout Sessions / Workshops
8:45 - 10:15 am (1.5 hours)

1. The Beat Goes On: Techniques for Using Dialogue Tags and Beats, George Singleton
2. Painting Your Fictional Landscape: Settings and Descriptions, Mindy Friddle
3. Humor Sells: Putting the Fun into Your Fiction, Karin Gillespie
4. Using Fiction Techniques to Write Non-Fiction, Robert Morgan
5. Poetry Openings, Closings and Form, Marjory Wentworth
6. How to Select Which Poems to Send to Magazines, Carol Ann Davis
7. The Perfect Query Letter, Jacky Sach
8. Perfect Pitch: What to Say if You Meet an Agent or an Editor in the Elevator, Rose Hilliard & Emily Sylvan Kim
9. Five Things That Make a Good Story Great, J. L. Miles
10. Slush Fest: Science Fiction (bring 2 pages on transparencies), Liz Scheier & Lucienne Diver
11. Openings and Closings in Children's Literature, Melinda Long
12. Translating Your Idea Into a Book, Ray Blackston
13. The Art of Diversion: Creating Red Herrings in Your Mystery, Joyce & Jim Lavene
14. The Author as Speaker, McNair Wilson
15. Your Author Brand, C. Hope Clark
16. Creating Compelling Villains, Lee Lofland

Please note: Although unlikely, any workshop with enrollment of less than 5% of the total conference enrollment may be cancelled or substituted without notice.

What, you might ask, is a "Slush Fest?" The most exciting new thing we're offering this year, that's what! They offer an opportunity for you to get invaluable feedback from the pros on your work. These are interactive workshops, most with two faculty members - usually an editor and an agent - who will comment on participant submissions. There are thirteen of them throughout the conference, some targeted to specific genres, some general.

For any prose session, bring your query letter and the first page of your manuscript or the first 2 pages of your manuscript on transparencies. For poetry sessions, bring a poem on a transparency(ies). As you go into the class, your transparencies will be collected at the door, and selections will be picked at random, put on the overhead projector and feedback will be given to the class. This will all be done anonymously. Do not put your name on your transparencies, and no one will know which one is yours except you. (Unless, of course an agent or an editor says, "This is the best thing I've ever read! I must sign this author! Who wrote this?" In which case, after you've been revived, you will identify yourself.) The idea is for faculty members to discuss what catches their attention - and what doesn't - and why.

Most copy shops (Kinko's, UPS Store, countless others) will make a transparency of 2 pages for a minimal charge. Should you need assistance, we will have transparencies at the conference, and the Hilton will make them for a small fee. You can also make them yourself in the Hilton business center.

You must bring your work to these sessions on transparencies for it to be critiqued. Please do not bring more than 2 pages total.

We can't wait! See you there!

Printed Matters is the newsletter of the Greenville Chapter of South Carolina Writers Workshop.

Thanks to our contributing writers and news reporters:
Bob Strother, Pat Stewart, Susan Boyer, Leland Beaudrot, David Burnsworth,
Phil Arnold, Steve Stewart, Kevin Coyle, John Migacz, and Sarah Cureton

Copyright 2007 by Marcia Migacz, Editor. Contributing writers retain all rights to their work.

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