May 2024 Newsletter
Hello Writers!
Welcome back to the newsletter!
I thought it would be fun to introduce our board members over the next few newsletters and who better to start with than, well, me! My name is Kristen Nyholm and I am the Social Media Chair and a member of the ReWrites critique groups. I am currently writing a historical fiction novel set in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s about a woman who marries into a circus family. I’m originally from Baraboo, so I essentially grew up with the circus in my backyard and I decided to take my knowledge of and passion for the circus to tell the lesser known stories of women in the circus. I’ve been working on this novel for about 5 years, but I am determined to finish in 2024!
Next month, we’ll feature another board member. Until then, keep reading for motivation, news from the guild, a writing prompt, and guild events!
Motivation
From Jami Attenberg’s Newsletter, Craft Talk, on editing:
Sometimes I get asked about the words I throw away, too. Where do I keep them, do I worry if I’ll need them again, do I think about them when they’re gone? Do I remember what I left behind?
I am here to tell you: You’ll never miss a thing. Maybe you’ll mourn them a little bit before you cut them. I did. I couldn’t believe I had to say goodbye. For a few days, I actually had a sense of embarrassment. That I couldn’t make the book work the way I had wanted to. That I had failed at my ambitions. That I hadn’t honored these characters and my choices. All those dreams watered-down and faded.
Then I realized I had done the thing I had set out to do: I had written that version of the book. Now I was going to write a new one, a better one, more concise and to the point. I was going to clear away all the extraneous stuff and tell the core story. Goodbye extra words. It was nice knowing you.
You won’t miss a thing when they’re gone. You won’t sit up nights wondering about where those words are now. And anyway, you know where they are. They were written, they had a life, and they helped you to figure out the current universe of your story. In my mind the few characters I cut in the book still existed in the story of the book — we just didn’t meet them on the page anymore. But they still informed the lives and choices of my main character. I learned about the bigger story through the act of writing them. So I said goodbye to them even if I don’t have to say goodbye to the lessons learned.
Send your motivational memes, tips, tricks, and resources to mvwguild@gmail.com
Victory! News from the Guild
Kristen Nyholm, MVWG Social Media Chair (and writer of this newsletter), will be attending Hay Festival in Hay-on-Wye, Wales this month! Hay-on-Wye has become world famous for its secondhand and antiquarian bookshops. Founded by Mr. Richard Booth in 1961, it has become the World's largest Secondhand and antiquarian book center. Follow Kristen’s journey by connecting with her on Facebook.
Have a victory you want to share? Let us know!
Writing Prompt
What’s a place you’ve always wanted to visit? It could be local, national, out of the country, or even out of this world. Pen a pretend postcard to a friend from that location.
The 1-Minute Writer: 396 Microprompts to Spark Creativity and Recharge Your Writing, by Leigh Medeiros
Guild Events
Artspire 2024
Saturday, June 8th, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Riverside Park
The guild will be sponsoring a booth at Artspire this year. Sign up for a shift and help us encourage, experience, and share the written word. Authors are welcome to sell their books during their shift!
Save the Date: June 15th
Half-Day Writing Retreat at Cabin Coffee. More details to come!
Help us plan more events by completing the member survey!