About Us

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Fairfield, Queensland, Australia
Fairfield Writers Group is a mix of beginner and experienced writers who meet the second and fourth Saturdays of the month at the Brisbane City Council Library in Fairfield Gardens Shopping Centre, Fairfield road, Fairfield, Queensland. Our passion is writing and we work hard at our craft. Our aim is to encourage, support and help each other to reach new heights in our writing. New members are always made welcome and usually whisked off to the local coffee shop at the end of meetings for sustenance and socialisation with the rest of the crew.

Welcome to Fairfield Writers Group

We hope you will stop for a while and browse our site and if you like what you see, please visit us again soon.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Newsletter 27th February 2010

In this issue:
Minutes of meeting – Novel/Short Stories Group
Motto/Slogan Competiton
Monthly Newsletter
Submissions to FWG’s Blog
Meeting Dates

February 2010
Volume 1, number 1-2


Minutes of Meeting for Novel/Short Stories Group 27th February 2010

Present: Helga, Findlay, Lorraine, Carol

Apologies: Anna, Yolanda

Although the meeting was small in numbers today, we were big on enthusiasm and had a great time with helpful feedback given and writing problems resolved. Helga, Lorraine and Findlay are progressing well with their novels and I am steadily working towards the completion of my children’s book.

Afterwards it was coffee and conversation at our usual venue

Motto/Slogan Competition:Please find attached the entry form. I hope you will all decide to participate. This is the first time FWG has run a competition, so let’s make it a successful one and see what we can come up with. The winning motto/slogan will appear wherever our logo is shown e.g. letterhead, bookmarks, flyers, posters etc. I’m sure it will be included whenever we publish another anthology too.

Monthly Newsletter:
As of March there will be only one newsletter emailed out, with minutes of both the Exercises Group and the Novel/Short Stories Group meetings included. This will be sent to you after the meeting on the fourth Saturday of each month.

In the meantime, anything that requires your immediate attention will be emailed to you in the usual manner.

Submissions to Blog FWG’s:


As you know, everyone is more than welcome to submit something to our blog. I’m always looking for ‘writing things’ to post. Your Short Stories, poems, articles on writing plus good writing sites or anything you think maybe of interest to other members would be most welcome. Just remember – don’t send in anything that you intend to submit to a publisher. As I’ve mentioned before, I believe publishers have issues with work already published on the Internet.

Please send your submissions to me at annerleyoldie@yahoo.com.au

March Meeting Dates:

Exercises Group – 13th March 2010
Novel/Short Stories Group – 27th March 2010

Until then, happy writing everyone.

Carol

Fairfield Writers Group Competition

FAIRFIELD WRITERS GROUP

Motto/Slogan Competition

Closing date Friday, 26th March 2010

Prize - Copy of FWG’s anthology ‘Beginnings: Queensland Stories’
Or for the winner who already has a copy of our book, a $15.00 gift voucher from the American Bookstore


Write a motto/slogan for Fairfield Writers Group to be used in conjunction with our logo.
________________________________________

Conditions of Entry
1. Entries open to all members of Fairfield Writers Group only.
2. No more than five entries per member.

ENTRY FORM

Entry form to be emailed to Carol annerleyoldie@yahoo.com.au no later than Friday 26th March 2010
Name of member……………………………………………………………...
Address……………………………………………………….Postcode……..
Phone No………………………………

1……………………………………………………………………………….

2……………………………………………………………………………….

3……………………………………………………………………………….

4……………………………………………………………………………….

5……………………………………………………………………………….

Winning entry to be selected at next Novel/Short Stories Group meeting Saturday, 27th March 2010.

Winner advised by email.

QUOTE FOR THE WEEK



Why do writers write? Because it isn't there.
Thomas Berger

Sunday, February 21, 2010

QUOTE FOR THE WEEK



I have never started a poem yet whose end I knew. Writing a poem is discovering. Robert Frost

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Newsletter 13 February 2010

Newsletter 13th February 2010
Fairfield Writers Group
Website http://fairfieldwritersgroup-queensland.blogspot.com/

In this issue:
Minutes of meeting – Exercises Group
Fees
April Exercise
Copies of Anthology
Guest Speaker
Lorraine - great news
Contributor to blog for March
Meeting Dates

February 2010
Volume 1, Number 1-1

Minutes of meeting Fairfield Writer’s Group – 13 February 2010
Present: Anna, Carol, Helga, Pam, Rosemary, Lorraine

Apologies: Leanne, Findlay, Gayle, Yolanda

Meeting chaired by Anna

Fees
If members choose to attend a single meeting per month the fee is $3.00
If members choose to attend both meetings per month the fee is $4.00 payable at the first meeting.

Set exercise for April
Helga to set the exercise – Carol to send the compendium of exercises to Helga.

Copies of the anthology
There are still a few copies available for purchase.
Helga to bring a few copies to meetings for display and sale.
Lorraine has received an order from NSW through the ISBN database for two copies – this was unexpected but a pleasant surprise.

Lorraine – great news
Lorraine had been so impressed by a particular software that she contacted the company and told them that she had begun a book on how to improve business administration and management based around the use of the software. She was asked to send a summary of her work. The company was so pleased that they requested her to complete the book and they will be publishing it world–wide. – Congratulations, Lorraine!

Guest speaker
Carol has been liaising with Fairfield Library who is arranging a guest speaker for May/June. The Library will fund the event. It will be open to the public and held at Fairfield Library.
The likely topic will be motivational and there may be a workshop element as well.

This will be an opportunity to hand out some flyers publicizing the FWG and to perhaps sell some copies of the anthology.

Next meetings:
27 February – Novel/short story
13 March – Set Exercise

The exercise for March is poetry (any style) – theme: the Reflection in the Mirror.

Work sample for the blog for March will be Anna’s.


Rosemary

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Writing Exercise - Poetry

EXERCISE: Write a poem about a reflection in the mirror.

Writing poetry - Ideas that may help you to write poetry

· Decide on the subject you wish to write about. Start with a familiar subject and then go on to some obscure subjects that you have previously never given much thought to
· Think about something special or unique to the subject
· List some descriptive words which may provide some clear information to the reader
· Try to create pictures in the reader's mind - your aim is to fire the imagination
· Express your feelings
· Convey your feelings by the tone of your poetry
· Bind the words and ideas together. Connect them by the use of rhyme which will provide your poetry with the element of repetition of identical or related sounds
· Get some rhythm into your poetry - the number of lines and your choice of poetry form will help you with this. Song lyrics are poetry set to music - tap out the beat or rhythm when you are writing poetry, or reading poetry
· Visual patterns - does your written poetry create a good pattern on the page?
· Patterns of Sound - using alliteration, assonance and onomatopoeia can create sound effects. (Sorry about the use of these words but were back to the literary terms again!)
· Read your poetry to a friend!
· If you receive some constructive criticism don't be afraid to change your poetry accordingly!
· Enjoy yourself - Writing poetry should be fun!

Definitions:
Alliteration
The repetition of the same or similar sounds at the beginning of words such as tongue twisters like 'She sells seashells by the seashore'

Assonance
The repetition or a pattern of similar sounds, as in the tongue twister "Moses supposes his toeses are roses."

Onomatopoeia
A figure of speech in which words are used to imitate sounds. Examples of onomatopoeic words can be found in numerous Nursery Rhymes e.g. clippety-clop and cock-a-doodle-do.

Please refer to website: http://www.poetry-online.org/writing-poetry.htm

QUOTE FOR THE WEEK




Are we, who want to create, in some way specially talented people? Or has everybody else simply given up, either by pressures of modesty or laziness, and closed their ears from their inner need to create, until that need has died, forgotten and abandoned? When you look at children, you start to think the latter. I still haven't met a child who doesn't love - or who at least hasn't loved - drawing, writing or some other creative activity.

Natalia Laurila

Monday, February 8, 2010

Poem: Plight of the Outback by Helga

Seven years without a raindrop
Seven years is much too long
Farmer Joe and his sick missus
Had worked hard for just a song.

The wind had taken all the top soil
Spinifex was all that’d grow
How he’d now pay back the bank loan
Farmer Joe, he did not know.

All his lifestock gone to market
Yet the bills came flooding in
If it didn’t rain tomorrow
He’d commit a mortal sin.

Instead of rain the debt collector
In his air conditioned car
Came to the homestead uninvited
Farmer Joe saw it afar.

In the shed and from the rafter
Farmer Joe hung by a rope
‘t was better than the hardship
Without assistance or of hope.

But the banks, now even richer
With the farm that they would own
Didn’t care the farmer’s missus
And baby Jack were now alone.

Author: Helga













Sunday, February 7, 2010

QUOTE FOR THE WEEK

The faster I write the better my output. If I'm going slow I'm in trouble. It means I'm pushing the words instead of being pulled by them. Raymond Chandler