Author: Springfield Writers' Guild

Springfield Writers' Guild was formed in 1943 to encourage new writers and hone the skills of the writing craft. The group meets every fourth Saturday of the month (except December) at The Library Center, 4653 S Campbell Ave, Springfield, Missouri (10:00 a.m.). Visitors are welcome.
Contest

2024 SWG Summer Writing Contest

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It happened at the beach…

It’s summer time and what better destination than the beach,

RULES:

  • Write a short story or poem that takes place at the beach.
  • 500 words or less (Title is not included in the word count)
  • Any genre
  • Must be a member to enter
  • Only one entry per member
  • No A.I.
  • Send entries to SWGContests@gmail.com. Please include a title for your story or poem.
  • Prizes
    1st Place = $75.00
    2nd Pace = $50.00
    3rd Place = $25.00
    Honorable Mention

See more FREE writing contests!

CONTEST ENTRIES (In order of submission)

A Day At The Beach
My Day At The Beaches






Resource Tips

Plotting: Knowing Which Scenes to Include

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writing in notebookHow do writers know which scenes to include and which ones to summarize?

Jody Hedlund, best-selling author of over a dozen YA medieval novels, offers a few great tips on writing scenes.  She says:

“Obviously we can’t write every scene that takes place over the time period of our books which usually spans weeks or months. We have to narrow down how much of our story and character’s lives we reveal on the page. That means we often have to summarize events or leave them out entirely with the assumption that our readers will piece everything together without having to know every detail.

There’s not a hard, fast rule or formula for which scenes to write out in detail and which ones to summarize, but there are a few principles we can keep in mind when choosing scenes to include in our books… 

Read more

Source: jodyhedlund.blogspot.com

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SWG MEMBERSHIP

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Resource Tips · Writing Tips

Crafting a Winning First Page

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A good writer grabs their readers and makes them hang on until the end –
either gripping the edge of their seat or panting all the way.

How do you do that?

The first step in hooking your reader is nailing the first page. Zip over to
One Stop for Writers and download this powerful first-page cheat sheet: https://buff.ly/3pY7rsr

Contest

2024 SWG SPRING Writing Contest

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Hook Your Reader Challenge Winners

A great story opening plunges the reader into the story instantly. The SWG Spring Writing Contest challenges you to write an opening scene that grabs the reader and makes them want to keep reading. 

  • 1st Place – The Torn Sky – Chris Howald
  • 2nd Place – The Woman On Derry Street – Alden Stewart
  • 3rd Place – The Ditty Box – Renee Vajko Srch
  • Honorable Mention – Escape – Dorthey Davidson

See more FREE writing contests!

CONTEST ENTRIES (In Alphabetical Order)

7 Crows Publishing – Lauri Mays
Belonging – Linda Harper
Bob – Sean Rutherford
Canadian Nocturne – David Hampton
Chapter 1 – Cessnock, NSW – Andy Tarbox
Collect On Delivery – Mathew Henderson
Devilfish First Chapter – Michael Story
E. E. Lang -Marilyn Smith
Escape – Dorthy Davidson
Found – Michael Rothe
Keep Moving – The Parking Lot –  Ladonna Greiner
Promise of the Eternal Tree – Liz Verity
Sadie Jane – Shirley Gilmore
The Brink – Michael George
The Conundrum – Cathy Mastrantuono
The Ditty Box – Renee Vajko Srch
The Torn Sky – Chris Howald
The Turn – Kelli Delong
The Twin Kingdoms – Curse Of The Gifted – Amanda Fletcher
The Woman On Derry Street – Alden Stewart
Therra’s Quest – Lynn Combs