UPCOMING FOR 2018
Hey, welcome! This is Patrick Stuart, the upcoming 2018 SICCO President taking over the reins so that our 2017 President, Kristin Crump, can spend a long sabbatical recuperating relaxing after an incredibly successful year. To recoup; in 2017, we had several successful speakers, including Cleveland author and winner of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award D.M. Pulley (February), Pulitzer Prize-winning author and novelist Julia Keller (June), and a field trip to the Ohio Fire Marshal Forensics Laboratory (August). In addition, we dissected the book Girl On A Train (January), watched and discussed the movie Chinatown (March), and had our annual member writer’s workshop (May). And, oh yeah . . . our daylong BIG EVENT in September, with speakers including Peter Tobin (U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Ohio), Gary Wilgus (Special Agent with the Ohio BCI Forensic Underwater Dive Team), Mitchell Seckman (detective with the Columbus Division of Police), and keynote speaker Andrew Welsh-Huggins (Associated Press reporter and author of the Andy Hayes mystery series). Holy bovine . . . no wonder Ms. Kristin is wore out. And this year proves to be just as exciting and intriguing. Here’s a small teaser:
For 2018, the SICCO board decided to spend the year focusing on (drumroll); writing. This will be a year spent getting back to basics and supporting one another for the sole purpose of getting published. So instead of one critique meeting, we’ll now have (3) . . . tentatively February, May and October/November (also NaNoWriMo month). However, this doesn’t mean we’re abandoning our regular speakers. We have a way-cool list of speakers and/or trips where we’re still finalizing the details (see our Events category for regular updates and changes). Once we get confirmation we’ll put it out there, but in the meantime we don’t want to jinx ourselves. In addition, we’re in the last stages of finalizing our Manuscript Critique group. Need beta readers? Contact us. If a rough draft of your manuscript is complete, we’ll distribute it among member volunteers for a healthy critique. Because we want to see more authors exchanging words for filthy lucre. And in order for this to happen, you need resources. So once we get the details finalized, it’ll be another resource available to you as a member. Because although we’re already part of a national organization with over 3600 members across the country, and our local chapter already has award-winning members, NYTBR authors, etc., we want more. We’re just weird like that. Helping to get you published makes us a little, well . . . giddy. We like giddy.
So come join us for 2018. If you’re unaware, we typically meet the last Saturday of each month, at a local central Ohio library location, with the exception of the occasional field visit or day-long special event. And after our monthly meeting, we typically hit a local restaurant or diner to liquor up engage the speaker, commiserate over writerly obstacles, and basically offer group therapy. In other words, we’re social. Let’s face it: writing is a monastic pursuit, and you need a place to get out of your shell occasionally. So let us be it. Come see what we’re about and hang for awhile. Meet up with like individuals and talk about craft, writing the perfect query letter, finding an agent, navigating the rewards/perils of self-publishing, trading research tips, or just to have an excuse to get out of the freaking house and leave the pets/kids/spouse/significant other behind for a couple of hours. Or four. Whatever. We’re writers . . . not mathematicians.
So stop by in 2018. Attend gratis for one or two meetings and kick the tires. Give us a test drive. Check under the hood (enough with the car metaphors, Patrick, we get it!). Sheesh, all right . . . you don’t have to yell. But give us a look-see. You just might like us.
Patrick Stuart: SICCO 2018 President