We will meet at someone’s home at 7 pm, and the address will be in the distribution email. Use the contact form if you need me to add you to the distribution.
Discord and Meetups for Noble Pen
The Discord app provides another way for us to discuss. If you want to check it out, ask for an invitation link that will let you join. Also look for Creative Writing on Meetups.com for Cedar Rapids and make us look active there.
Victories
We’re celebrating several victories this week!
1. Xander finally got rid of his outdated desktop computer, replaced it with a laptop, and now has a dedicated writing space. To celebrate his new found freedom, he did his critiques digitally this week.
2. Ted got his Christmas letters out.
3. Dylan bagged a commission for a fan fiction piece-anime from the 1980’s-for about 10,000 words. It will earn him roughly $1,000.
4. Robyn pulled out a middle grade book she finished about four years ago, refreshed it, and plans to have it up on Amazon by the end of February. It is designed to be a chapter series featuring a host of forest critters. The first book introduces an owl family.
We also have several pieces of literary news.
1. Amazon has been publishing more and more books written completely by AI and many authors are pushing back, unhappy with that trend.
2. Bill is finding that much AI-created content in newsfeeds and specifically YouTube are not accurate. His caution is to always check any facts AI presents the reader with.
3. Xander read that non-fiction sales are in a slump for the first time in a decade. Part of that is due to podcasts, which are free, as opposed to books, which cost. The other reason is that people, in general, are looking for escapism. Therefore, fiction markets are expanding. Good for us fiction writers! Romance, historically the biggest sellers, continues to gain traction.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYONE!
Schedule
Jan 8
Aime
David
Jeff
Jan 15
Aime
Xander
Robyn
Jan 22
open slots
Jan 29
open slots
Feb 5
open slots
Keep Writing,
Robyn