Thursday, March 07, 2024

Lakefly Writers Conference Preview

Below is a preview of the 2024 schedule of programs at the Lakefly Writers Conference, May 3 and 4, at the Oshkosh Convention Center. Register before March 10 and save $15!

Me Talk Good For Money

Actions speak louder than words, but it’s the great one-liners we all remember. Novel and comic book writer Shaun Harris, will take you through the 10 Ironclad Rules of Dialogue and why they should be broken. Expect some group participation and on the spot work-shopping.

Developing and Revealing Three-Dimensional Characters

To ring true to readers, characters need to be as unique as the people around us. If filling out pages of character interviews to flesh out a hero or heroine sounds daunting, join this session. From using photos to inspire unique physical descriptions to consulting personality types, attendees will come away with a variety of strategies for creating well-thought-out characters readers can root for. We’ll also discuss how to reveal layered characters in a way that intrigues readers into turning pages. Led by Emily Conrad.

 
Self-Publishing on a Shoestring

What are the must-haves of self-publishing? What things aren’t worth your time early on and what are essential? What does it mean to go wide and when do you get paid? Learn the basics and more in this session led by Bailey Hansen about launching your writing career on a shoestring.

Back by popular demand, forensic anthropologist Dr. Jordan Karsten is one of three subject specialists. Co-host of Cold Case: Frozen Tundra, the UW-Oshkosh professor consults on death investigations for law enforcement agencies across Wisconsin, including the FBI and Wisconsin State Crime Lab.

Sarah Read
Bram Stoker Award winner Sarah Read will present The Art of Anxiety: How to introduce tension
into your writing and keep the reader turning pages.
She will address story structures, character development, dialogue, and sentence-level techniques that contribute to raising the stakes on the page. Each technique includes a mini writing exercise that builds throughout the lesson, so the students have a completed scene written by the end. The desired outcome is that students will have learned techniques that they can intentionally employ in order to make their writing more engaging and exciting.

The Lakefly Writers Conference is sponsored by the Oshkosh Public Library, in partnership with the Oshkosh Community Foundation, Wisconsin Arts Board, and the Oshkosh Area Writers Club.

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Meeting reminder: March 2

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 2, in the lower level conference room of the Oshkosh Public Library.

New members welcome!

Monday, February 26, 2024

Lakefly 2024: Keynote Speaker Holly Day

 Holly Day will be the keynote speaker at the 2024 Lakefly Writers Conference, May 3-4 at the Oshkosh Convention Center.

Holly has worked as a freelance writer for over 30 years, with over 7,000 published articles, poems, and short stories and 40 books and chapbooks—most recently, the nonfiction books.

She offers workshops and classes to writing centers all over the country, including the Flatiron Writers’ Center in North Carolina, the Hampton Roads Writers group in Virginia, Hugo House in Seattle, and the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis.

The Lakefly Writers Conference is sponsored by the Oshkosh Public Library, in partnership with the Oshkosh Community Foundation, Wisconsin Arts Board, and the Oshkosh Area Writers Club.

 

Sunday, February 18, 2024

Open Mic - Feb. 29

Join us at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 29 at the New Moon Cafe for open mic. Hosted by member/Oshkosh Poet Laureate Thomas Cannon, the night is sure to be fun!



Saturday, February 17, 2024

Member News: Feb 2024

Congratulations to Bailey R. Hansen on the final installment of the A Monster By Any Other Name trilogy, a paranormal romance. Freedom is available on Kindle and paperback. 
 
Joyce Frohn recently had a short horror story accepted for publication in the anthology Leadership Gone Right, a collection of tales intended to transport readers to new realms where leadership shines brilliantly or takes a haunting turn.
 
Cara Salazar recently had a piece published in the anthology Start
with Welcome: The Journey toward a Confident and Compassionate Immigration Conversation
by Bri Stensrud. Cara shares the powerful and moving story of her late husband that led to his immigration to America.

Member Roberta Stuemke, who has been absent for the past year or so due to health problems, passed away on Feb. 3. Roberta worked for many years at Polk Library, UW-Oshkosh, and enjoyed writing science fiction. Our heartfelt condolences to her family!