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Health & Fitness

Library Provides Networking for Aspiring Writers

The library hosts Authors Day on Saturday, providing a unique opportunity to meet and network with published writers.

What do Laurell K. Hamilton, William S Burroughs and Jonathan Franzen have in common?  Besides being incredibly successful writers, they are also all from the St Louis area. 

It might be hard to get a start in the writing world, but living in our area clearly doesn't stand in the way. How can you go from scribbling furiously in your journal at night to being an acclaimed author with your latest work on Oprah’s Book Club list?  Well, hard work and a bit of luck certainly come into play.  But another big part is networking with others in your area.

On Saturday, July 23, the Northwest Branch of the Jefferson County Library offers its annual Authors Day. This day is designed for anyone interested in writing, publishing or books in general. Several local authors will be on hand from 10 to 11 a.m. They will have books for sale, but they will also be available to answer questions from other writers about their process, their publishing experiences or the topics of their books.  At 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. there will be a roundtable discussion hosted by those authors.

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There’s a really diverse group of writers lined up for Authors Day.  Joe Schwartz, author of the hit collection of short stories, Joe’s Black T-Shirt, will talk about the healing power of fiction. Julie Failla-Earhart will lead the group in some fun writing exercises. Anita Henehan wrote two books documenting her travels across the country in an RV. She will discuss the writing of non-fiction and self-promotion but will gladly answer questions about the interesting topic of RVing, too.  Juanita Nobles will discuss how to preserve your memories when writing life stories.  Finally, Diana Davis and Judy Merrill Larsen will both offer different perspectives on how to get published. 

If that’s not enough incentive to stop by this Saturday, there will also be a drawing for a $75 writer’s gift basket.  It includes a gift certificate to Barnes & Noble, a journal, tons of gourmet chocolate, and library odds and ends.  (Entries will only be accepted that day, and the winner must be at the library when the drawing occurs at 1 p.m.)

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Interacting with other writers is essential to success. "What publishers would be interested in my particular type of work?" "How would I publish a work by myself?" "What do I do when I have a thousand copies of my book--how do I sell them?" These are questions you might find some answers to in a book, but the most useful thing would be to ask a person who has been there, done that.  Especially writers from our area--they will know what worked for them and what didn’t, and maybe you can learn from their mistakes! 

The library strives to support local authors--published and struggling alike. There is a weekly writer's group that meets at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the library. All adults are welcome to stop by, bring a piece of their work and get feedback from others with similar ambitions. 

Teens, too, have a new writing group they can join for inspiration. One Thursday a month, teens ages 11 and up are invited to bring their writing to share with each other, play writing games, and interact with other teens who enjoy writing. 

If you or some friends are interested in writing, the best thing to do is come to the library this Saturday and meet other writers. Their names might not be as familiar as those mentioned at the beginning of this article, but they have found success and joy in doing something they love. That is no easy feat, and anyone with a dream can benefit from finding out how they pursue theirs and refuse to give up.

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