SWG Home

MENTOR HOUR – 10:00-11:00 SPEAKER – 11:00-12:00 BUSINESS MEETING – 12:00-1:00

MENTOR HOUR

  • Up to 3 pages, double-spaced, ONE SIDE ONLY. Use 1-inch margins, in 12pt Times New Roman font *(This allows for members to comment.)
  • Please email your submission to springfieldwritersguild@gmail.com by Thursday before the meeting.
  • Members only
  • Submissions are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis

COMING 2024

May 25 – MEMBERS’ FAMILY PICNIC at Phelps Park Pavilion, Springfield (SIGN UP at springfieldwritersguild@gmail.com)
June 7-9 – Between the Pages Writers Conference 2024 – Springfield
June 22 – Floyd Wray, Thriller Author – “Creating the SMARTBOOK and Duplexed Narrative”
July 27 – Shirley Gilmore, Fantasy Author – “Blending Fact With Fantasy”
August 24 – Clarissa Willis, Children’s Author – “Writing for Children”
September 28 – Steve Johnson, Editor of the Buffalo Reflex – “The Power of a Well-Written Article”
October 26 – Shirley McCann, Mystery Author – “Planting Clues & Writing Backwards”
(plus Annual Elections of Board Members) **Different meeting place -TBD
November 23 – Annual Holiday Celebration & Awards

*(Topic titles may be subject to change)

BETWEEN THE PAGES WRITERS CONFERENCE

JUNE 7-9 at the Doubletree Hotel, Springfield
SIGN UP NOW! to get the early bird price – (Valid until April 30)
Reserve your hotel room at the Doubletree at conference prices.

SIGN UP SOON! FREE CASH-PAYING CONTESTS! 10 Speakers – 17 Workshops – Entertainment!

2024 SWG BOARD

Become a Beta Reader

How would you like to receive a FREE new book to read each month? You can by becoming a beta reader for authors.

WHAT DO BETA READERS DO?

Authors seek beta readers who give an honest first opinion of their story. The book may not be completely polished at this point. They don’t need you to edit spelling, grammar, or punctuation. That comes later from an editor. Authors need beta readers to tell them how the story flows. Does the plot make sense? Did any questions pop up as you read? Did you like it…or do you have suggestions?

If you love books and want to be a beta reader, click here to get on the list. Authors will contact you!

How Do I Write and Sell Short Fiction?

What is the difference between crisis and climax in a traditional short story? Should I send a query for my short stories? The Beginning Writers’ ANSWER BOOK will tell you this and much more. Free download!

SWG TRIVIA

Did you know that Springfield Writers’ Guild is one of the OLDEST writing groups in the area? (We were established in 1943). We are also one of the LARGEST writing groups in the Ozarks with over 100 members! SWG features a Mentor Hour where writers can have their work critiqued, and the opportunity to join a Genre Group for extra help in their field. Springfield Writers’ Guild has men and women of all ages, all genres, all stages of writing development. If you love to write, with membership so economical, why not join us?

C.A. Simonson, President

WRITING RESOURCES

Are you an editor, book cover designer, formatter, or reader who would love to help a writer? Give a shout on the contact page to be added to a list.

SWG PINTEREST
JOIN US ON THE FACEBOOK SWG FORUM PAGE!
READ PAST NEWSLETTERS ON THE MEMBERS-ONLY TAB *(Use the contact page if you need the password)

PLOTTING: Which Scenes to Include?

When you begin a story, there’s character development, the main character’s back story, setting description, and so much more. How many scenes should be descriptive? Or, should some only give hints of what’s ahead? Is it okay to summarize?

A typical writer question. Here are some suggestions:

 Read more:

18 thoughts on “SWG Home”

  1. Superb blog! Do you have any tips and hints for aspiring writers?
    I’m hoping to start my own blog soon but I’m a little lost on everything.
    Would you propose starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I’m totally overwhelmed ..

    Any tips? Thank you!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Yes, you could begin with WordPress, Blogspot, or any of the other free blogsites. Most are simple to use and you don’t need any technical knowledge. Get your stories out there. Provide good content people want to read!

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  2. I have read so many articles or reviews regarding the blogger lovers except this piece of writing is really a good article, keep it up.. Really plenty of great data!

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  3. I like the helpful information you provide for your articles. I’ll bookmark your blog and take a look at once more right here regularly. I’m moderately certain I will learn plenty of new stuff proper here! Best of luck for the next!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. You have a very nice and informative website. I’ve been away from the Guild for years and just joined again this evening (although I marked “new member”). I’ll be there at the meeting on August 26th–hopefully with something for critique.

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  5. I have written what I hope to be 2 children’s books but have no idea how to go about having them published. They are written in ryhme and I know they would need illustration. I self published once but that was poetry and wasn’t very successful. I would really like these 2 books to be noticed. Any suggestions on what I should do?

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    1. Come to our meetings. We have illustrators, editors, and publishers there who will point you in the right direction to finish your books. We meet every fourth Saturday at McAlister’s in Springfield. (See map at bottom).

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  6. Hello I’m Mia Huskisson I’m an aspiring writing working towards becoming an author Would you allow me to observe a meeting to see if your group might be a good fit for me?

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    1. Anyone is welcome to visit the group at no charge. If you want to become a member, you have that option. The next meeting is at McAlisters (Battlefield and Kansas) on Feb. 22, starting at 11:00 a.m.

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  7. I am close to completing a non-fiction book. I’m 86, so I don’t expect it to be the first of many. I know zip about getting a book edited and printed. I need to engage someone who will help me these things. How should I go about finding the help I need?

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      1. I am a bit unconfident though I have written quite a few pages towards a book. So, how do I gain confidence in my wordsmithing?

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  8. I would like to come and what you guys can teach me about writing I’m just starting and I need all the advice I can get thanks

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    1. You are welcome to join our writers’ group at any time. We will begin meeting again in January. Keep checking the SWG website for information, or look on our Facebook page – Look for Springfield Writers Guild forum. Our group is diversified with young, old, men, women, published, and beginners.

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  9. My wife and I are performing Singer-Songwriters, we perform 5 to 10 gigs a month. We have a collection of songs that we believe could be the heart of a musical or musical comedy and are looking for a referral to a play writer who might like to create the book to bring it all together.
    Thank you
    Jan & Bob Alder
    Nixa, MO
    417-593-3438

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    1. We had a playwright in our group at one time. Currently, there aren’t any. However – the Between the Pages Writers Conference that will be held in June has a songwriter/author. It may be worth your time to attend the conference and meet up with him.

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