#2 - WEP Get Together - March 2024

 

Hello fellow WEPpers and friends!

Welcome to the second WEP Get Together! Starting in April, we go bi-monthly. 

The WEP team decided to keep in touch with each other and any of you who wish to meet each month and chat about our lives, or ask for help in publishing or anything, really. We learn from each other.

The options for participation are - 

- create a blog post with the lovely badge we use above and send us the link in comments.

- put the link in our C-Box which is found in the sidebar,

- write us a story in comments.

We don't want this post to be rigid. No specific topics. The topic is up to each of us. Share what's burning in your heart at the moment. It may not be writing related at all! That's totally fine. There's no word limit, but let's try to keep it down.

The writing world changes constantly and is not without its challenges. 

For example, 

- have you discovered something about your writing/publishing journey that you'd like to share? Please tell us! 

- have you found a way around a problem that others may be facing?

- have you found a fabulous editor who gets you?

- or share an interesting factoid - have you been nominated for the Nobel Peace prize???

- have you found a beta reader who made all the difference to your manuscript? 

Don't forget to access the 'How-to' posts which will remain in the sidebar. 

~~

Nila’s roundup of events:

Hi folks! Nila here, logging in from Lucknow.

Glad and relieved to report that the eye op went well, the right eye is done. I'd thought the other one would be done at a two week gap, -so that the whole tiresome process would be over by end Feb. The surgery gods must have been rolling on their respective heavenly floors laughing at my cluelessness.  The left one will be scheduled after I get back, meanwhile I'm struggling with temporary eyeglasses in various denominations. Writing or reading smoothly is still an elusive dream!

Jama Masjid in Old Delhi. Built 1650s.
By the same chap who built the Taj Mahal.

Also meanwhile, officialdom decided they needed to see us physically for various odd requirements, so we've had to zoom up to Delhi. Not that I'm complaining, Delhi is one of my favouritest cities in India - I've spent my some of my growing up years there.  I visited some old haunts, some of the famous monuments and caught up with friends and family there. I've now landed up in Lucknow, also a historic city - known for its refinement, chikankari embroidery, a major school of Urdu poetry and amazing kebabs - a foodie paradise. 

Son-e-Lumiere at the British Residency in Lucknow. Built
1780-1800. Main site of the Siege of Lucknow in 1857. 

My February has just whizzed past. Hoping March will be a little less hectic, but that's just wishful thinking. More eye op coming up and attendant houha. 

Hope everyone is doing well. Stay well, keep writing and keep in touch! 

Hi all! Denise here. This is my month in a nutshell:

UPDATE on last month.

The heatwave has lost its grip somewhat. Quite bearable to be honest. Still cyclones hovering, but no more vicious damage as of now.

Which has made the writing less of a challenge.

I've spent most of the month editing Angelique's Paris Cookery School so I can catch the superfluous bits before sending to our very own Development Editor, Renee. 

A quick mock up cover from Canva so this space is not empty and sad without an image.

AI in writing is on my mind thanks to the IWSG question of the month. I use it as I suck at blurbs. Here is an AI-generated first paragraph of a blurb for my novel:

In the enchanting city of Paris, where the aroma of freshly baked croissants fills the air, Angelique Ravello has decided to revive her beloved cookery school after a devastating loss. Determined to start anew and heal her wounded heart, Angelique has sworn off men, focusing solely on her culinary passion.

Other than study posts from the gazillion Facebook writing/editing groups I'm a member of, that's about it for me.

Congratulations to those of you who have powered on and published and promoted books.

Don't forget to share with us!

I have posted for the IWSG HERE....for Wednesday 6th ... The optional question is: Have you "played" with AI to write those nasty synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI's impact on creative writing?

Now that's a controversial topic ...

~~**~~~~**~~~~**~~

Hi everyone! Jemi here😊

We've moved through 1st winter, false spring, 2nd winter, 2nd false spring, and are currently on 3rd winter... all typical for Northern Ontario!

In writing news, I've filled plot holes and corralled the commas in No Good Deed. With Yolanda Renée's help, I'm now doing the same with No Going Back (book 2 in the No Fail Heroes series). Renée's comments are SO helpful!

Hope everyone is doing well and can't wait to read your updates!

______________________

Hey everyone! Renee here 👋

Update on last month's news regarding Conundrum: I did not place in the top three, but I'm still a runner-up. And I'm still celebrating.

Since our last post. I've been working and not writing. In fact, the only thing I wrote was a poem for Sue @ Elephant's Child called An Angel. I'm sharing it here.

Photo by Nico Frey on Unsplash

AN ANGEL

I know an angel

of earthly fame

many seek her confidence

life is tough

living can become rough

this angel understands

many lose hope

but her light's bright

her words pure

this angel

with a heart so true

offers love and advice

recognized truth

means sorrow

disappears

promise returns

her magic works

happy folks

all recognize

her blessing

God's messenger of love

the restorer

of damaged souls

this holy vessel of perfection

but she knows sorrow

and immense pain

more profound than most

suffering despite

her heavenly calling

her beauty shines from within

and still

she gives all

despite her grief

this spiritual being

a guardian angel

of hope.

***

Yolanda Renée Stout © 2024

I send my thanks to Jemi again, for letting me be part of her team on No Going Back, book 2 of her No Fail Hero series. Jemi is an amazing writer! Anyone interested in a Developmental Edit just follow the link! 

Anyone interested in Jemi's books follow the LINK!

As always, I'm sending hugs and positive vibes to our writing community. Please let us know how you're all doing!

*****~~~~*****

Hello everyone! Sonia here.

We are slowly slipping into spring in Delhi, but it continues to play hide and seek with winter refusing to give way any time soon. In writing news, I finished the first draft of a short story for a writing grant and am now going to start with the edits. I've also submitted a poem for an annual anthology that features Indian poets. This is a special submission for me. My poems have been rejected for the last three years but I refuse to give up. Fingers crossed for 2024!  

This is picture from the World Book Fair at New Delhi. Fancy, isn't it?

I have a new post on the blog about book fairs (I visited World Book Fair at Delhi in February). It highlights how and why they aren't quite a reader's paradise and the things that didn't work for me. It's called NEW DELHI BOOK FAIR- A LONG & TIRING SWIM.  How was your writing month? I look forward to the 'catching-up' this March!

***************

Tbat's it for most of the team this month. Looking forward to your posts. 

Denise and Sonia for ...

#WEP December Challenge "Over to You" The Movie That Inspires and must-read news!

Welcome to the December Challenge

for WEP - Write...Edit...Publish...,

Over to You!

 

Can you believe this year's ending and the holidays will soon be upon us?! The year's simply zipped past!

Hello writers, this is Nila with you with our December Challenge. A few things are different for this month's WEP Challenge – okay, correction, a lot is different. We are leaving the fun and creativity in, taking the pressure out. It’s an open prompt this month – it’s Over to You!

 

Think of your favourite movie - whichever film inspires you - and shape your entry around it. And there’s no time squeeze either, post anytime between 1^st and 15^th , we’re leaving the linky open for an extended period because...well, it’s the festive season and year end and family visits and travelling out and a hundred other things besides, so how can a three day period be enough to fit the writing in, right?

 

This Challenge is purely for the love of writing - a celebration of the creativity that bubbles and fizzes here for each Challenge and blows us away every time. Even when the numbers are down or there are other, unforeseen spanners hampering the works. We will be reading and commenting  as and when we can, many of us are travelling or otherwise away from our devices, so bear with us. There will be no prizes this Challenge, this is purely a blogfest to showcase our passion for our craft and to get together to enjoy each other's blogs.

 

Now for the less pleasant difference. Many of you will have noticed already that there is no mention of next year’s challenges – that’s because there aren’t going to be any. So this Challenge will also be our swan song – I’ll hand you over to Denise in a minute, who is the founder member and has been the creative vision, the driving force behind WEP from start to finish. She will explain how we’ve reached here and what happens going forward, but before that I’d just like to say – this is the very last time we’re getting together, so let’s make this party rock! 

XXX XXX

This is our final WEP challenge, as after 13 years, WEP is closing down.

 

This is partly due to the stressors on the team which have been relentless since Covid and are ongoing, and partly because of the drop in the number of participants this year.  We know many WEP members are experiencing their own stressors in the form of health challenges in themselves or family members which impacts writing time.

 After much consideration, the WEP team concluded that this is the time to finish. Not exactly on a high, but not exactly at the bottom of our game.

 For thirteen years we have been a light for many struggling with their writing life, and many of you credit WEP with the improvement in your writing and confidence when submitting your work to publishers. This is what WEP set out to do and we can be happy in that we achieved the supportive writing community we set out to create. I know we could have done better in some areas, but due to time constraints we could not follow every avenue we would have liked.

 Thank you to all who have visited our website over the years and offered us words of encouragement and thank you to those who took up the challenges which made the hard work rewarding. Our wonderful judge, editor/formatter Nick Wilford, attests to the quality of WEP writing when he judges each challenge, so it’s not just us. Nick never asked for a financial reward, so if you appreciate what he has done, please feel free to say thank you by buying his latest book, The Becalmer. 

 A special thank you to those of you who have been with us for the whole journey and we’re sorry that closing down WEP will have a great impact, but all is not lost. #Read below.

 Your writing success has made us proud.

 

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

 #The WEP site will remain open, and the team and anyone else who wishes may return to the site on the 1^st of each month (beginning February 2024) to chat about the ups and downs of our writing and family lives.

 

- Have you had a book/short story/flash fiction published?

- What challenges are you facing in your writing?

- Share an extract from your WIP and we will happily give feedback.

 We'd love to hear from you!

Remember the WEP How-to posts which we collated on the site to help you in your publishing and marketing. 

 

THE FUTURE OF THE WEP ANTHOLOGY

 The anthology is going ahead at this stage, but as yet we do not have enough entries to take it forward. The end of December is the close of submissions, but if you intend to submit, please send Nila your information. We need at least 20 more submissions to make the anthology viable. It will be a precious keepsake, so if you want to see your story included for perpetuity, gain a publishing credit, send it in! (Check out the information on the WEP Pages above.

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

Tweet if you will ...

#WEPFF DECEMBER ’23 #OVER TO YOU #amwriting,#favoritemovie,#WEPfinal writingchallenge, @DeniseCCovey @SoniaDogra16 @yolandarenee @jemifraser #amwriting #nocontest #flashfiction https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/11/wep-december-challenge-over-to-you.html

Come say hello and goodbye to the #WEPteam, #finalstories, DECEMBER’23 @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser #amwriting #flashfiction #nocontest https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/11/wep-december-challenge-over-to-you.html

Grab the Code

<!-- start InLinkz script -->

<script type="text/javascript" src="https://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=829659"></script>

<!-- end InLinkz script -->

 

Thank you once again for being here, thank you for making WEP part of your writing journey and making it the lively, supportive, creative community it has been all these years. 

We'd love to hear your WEP stories if you have one. How has WEP helped you over the years? 

 

With heaps of best wishes for the holidays and New Year 2024 to all of you -

 

Denise and Nila for the team:

#June WEP Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Welcome to June's WEP CHALLENGE!

Close Encounters!

Hello! - it's Nila here, along with my co-host Jemi, we're excited for the June Challenge! This month's prompt is "Close Encounters" based on an iconic movie title/poster. Before we get into the challenge, I'd just like to clear up a small point that came up last month. Hey listen, there is no homework given out around here!  

None of our prompts require any prior awareness or deep knowledge of anything. 

We are a diverse community spread across the world, from Australia right round to America. The primary thing that binds us together is NOT any specialist knowledge of movies, art or books, but our love for writing. That's what we get together here to celebrate and to nurture and support. You don't have to be published or perfect (heck, who is?!) to write with us at WEP, all you need is love.  For writing. 

This year, our prompts happen to be based on movies -  I'll  say it again -

You don't have to know any background, nor watch the movie, nor write to that specific genre or plot. 

All you need to do is to bring your imagination and a writing device. Look at the title, look at the poster if you like and run with whatever element inspires you.  The suggestions are just that - suggestions. We're uber happy for you to ignore them and come up with your own interpretations.

   "Close Encounters"+ YOU is all that's needed.  

We look forward to where this Challenge takes all of us!

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

* Did you catch our second 'How-to' post? We started with HR Sinclair's guide to publishing on Google Play. Catch Holly's article HERE.

** Did you take note that WEP winners will be invited to submit to the WEP Flash Fiction Anthology, an ebook, out in 2024 (date to be announced)? After submissions are collated, there may be room to offer more members a place. Submissions will not be automatically accepted, and if they are, will go through an editing process so they're publication ready, following the rigorous process used by the IWSG Anthology team. A WEP committee will be formed to expedite the stories for publication. So if you've not been published, this is your chance to gain a publication credit. 

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

WHAT INSPIRES?

Photo by Daniela Paola Alchapar on Unsplash

Close Encounters of the Third Kind is an iconic 1977 Spielberg movie, in fact Ray Bradbury called it the greatest sci-fi movie ever made. The storyline combines three threads in parallel - broadly reflecting the three kinds of encounters, i.e. sighting, evidence and contact with alien life. An ordinary electrician sees an UFO and has his life upended. A little boy finds his toys operating spontaneously and is later abducted, his mother believes by aliens.  Meanwhile, a group of scientists are trying to establish contact with lifeforms in outer space and are nonplussed with the response they get. All three converge to a spot where the climax - a monumental event unparalleled in human history, unfolds. The film tells the story of the first contact between non-invading aliens and earth. It is characterised by opulent sets and mind boggling special effects and many instances of Judeo-Christian imagery. For all the opulence and slick effects, it is a simple, engaging story compellingly told. 

Go HERE to our Challenges 2023 Page to read about ALL our prompts for the year!

Post - June 21st - 23rd 2023

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

WEP NEWS!

We at Team WEP want to make your experience writing for us as fulfilling as possible. We pride ourselves on being a supportive writing environment so we're always open to feedback.

The response was good. So far, one of the main points, was that you are busy people and cannot find the time to write to every challenge. We totally get this and are delighted whenever you turn up. 

THIS IS WHAT YOU SAID:

- I don't enjoy continuation stories based on prompts. I'd like to see something new and original from those writers.

- Please don't make rules - as they've done in the A-Z ... let us just do our thing at whatever level we're at ... 

- Don't make us do FB, or Tw, or anything else - 

- If it doesn't suit - move on ... don't criticise ... 

- Thanks - it's great - and I enjoy it ... and do what I can ...having committed to write WEP prompts ....

- The prompts such as the music prompts were about a song, but with all the possibilities suggested, I was confused on what you were actually looking for...

- Anthology could be cool. Would probably have to be a .99 cent one, because those rarely sell very well. But they're great for running a giveaway with as a prize.

- I'm still participating but I think it would be great to offer an anthology, and not just to the winners, but give a theme and accept submissions.

THIS IS WHAT WE SAY:

We hear you. 

We try to be as rule-free as possible. Some don't like the 1,000 word limit, but that is the Flash Fiction limit. We don't mind if entries are over 1,000 words at times - we don't count them.

We don't make you do social media. Some like it, so by pre-writing tweets it makes it easy for those of us who like to tweet. Also it brings more readers to your stories.

We get that some are finding the music prompts confusing. Nila has dealt with that above.

We are working on the concepts of the anthology and a theme has been mentioned rather than strictly adhering to the year's prompts. And we'll see how the words go and may well open for submissions to all members. Not all submissions will automatically be accepted. We're looking for well written and well edited work. An editorial team will read each entry and decide.

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

 

 CRITIQUE PRIZE

This month's prize is from Lynda Dietz from Easy Reader Editing. 

Lynda says:

I’m a wife, mother, and worship leader from northwest PA. Though my kids don’t think I’m funny, I make myself laugh frequently. Everyone in my family lives, breathes, and eats music, so I’m always picking up some new instrument and giving it a try. I edit books with the help of my four assistants, all of whom are cats.

 Links:

Easy Reader Editing

Facebook

Twitter

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

COMMENTING

Commenting is the lifeblood of WEP. We are a supportive writing environment where you are welcome to try new ideas, take risks, and put forth your latest WIP for feedback.

If you have trouble commenting on blogs, please continue to leave a comment here (we're fortunate that Google hasn't messed up our commenting here) or on our C-Box. And if your blog comments are down and you have a blogger blog, consider changing your comment settings to Pop-ups, not embedded, temporarily, until google provides a fix.

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

We'd love if you'd Tweet or post to FB or any social media site where you network!

WEP movie #writingprompt June 2023s "Close Encounters" @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser  https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/06/june-wep-close-encounters-of-third-kind.html Sign up & post-June 21st thru 23rd! #amwriting #flashfiction #WEPFF #poetry #nonfiction

Get your thinking caps on for June 2023s movie prompt "CLOSE ENCOUNTERS" @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser  https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/06/june-wep-close-encounters-of-third-kind.html Sign up & post your entry June 21st thru 23rd! #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

Join WEP @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser, for the third movie Challenge of 2023, "CLOSE ENCOUNTERS". Sign up and post your entry JUNE 21 thru 23rd https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/06/june-wep-close-encounters-of-third-kind.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction.

Check out #stories of #love, #loss, #firstcontact, & #closeencounters @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee, @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser, for the JUNE movie challenge "CLOSE ENCOUNTERS" https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/06/june-wep-close-encounters-of-third-kind.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

 

 To Post Our Link Please Use the Code Below:

<!-- start InLinkz script -->

<script type="text/javascript" src="https://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=829656"></script>

<!-- end InLinkz script -->

Wishing you a fabulous June. 

Bring on the entries!

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

Our next movie prompt is for August. How about this? Sure to be a favorite~

Post - August 16th to the 18th 2023

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

Nila & Jemi for the team: