Hello to all, and welcome to AtlantaWrites.com. We’ve talked about launching this site for a while and here it is!
We will still use Meetup.com for scheduling our meetings and allowing people to discover our group, but AtlantaWrites.com is where the community gets to breathe a little, have fun, and stay current with developments within the group.
IN THIS MONTH’S LETTER
Get to Know Your Organizers
Quick Rundown of this Site
On the Horizon
Meeting Updates
Job Lead: Publications Writer
GET TO KNOW YOUR ORGANIZERS
Katina is a French-Canadian freelance writer, literary translator in the making, and the organizer of Atlanta Writes. In 2012, she inherited the group (formerly known as 10 Days Before…) from previous organizers and has kept it going with the help of other dedicated members who’ve joined the organization team.
She is published on WritersDigest.com, WriterUnboxed.com, and in Vinings Lifestyle Magazine. Her current interests in creative writing revolve around short stories, flash fiction, and fast-paced writing contests.
Terra has written for humorous websites, professional blogs and has been a ghostwriter for CEO’s of several technology companies. She recently served as the Director of Awards for the Georgia chapter of Romance Writers of America, and she volunteers regularly at the Atlanta Writers Conference.
Her unpublished novel, Cutting Chords, is already a 2019 Maggie Award finalist, and winner of the 2018 Fool for Love contest.
Beyond the pen, Terra is a coffee addict and an inactive activewear wearer.
Mary has been hosting the Thursday critique sessions since 2015. She loves getting to know local Atlanta writers and hearing their stories (fact or fiction). She’s been published in Deep South Magazine and has had a short play produced at the Atlanta Cuban Club (thanks to the wonderful talent behind Merely Players Presents). She’s currently working on achieving her 2019 New Year’s Resolution — finish the stinkin’ novel before the end of the year!
DeShawn is a novelist, avid traveler, and a little bit of a daredevil. She began her writing career in 2010 and continued to build a career as a freelance writer, going on to publish several works including, novels, short stories, and a series of children’s books. Her most recent adventure has landed her in Sydney, Australia where she continues to host meetings under Atlanta Writes and while continuing to pen stories colored by her travels.
NEW EVENT ORGANIZERS
We are happy to welcome Lee, Amber, and Marc to the AW team.
Lee enjoys meeting others with a shared interest in writing. She knows that in order to become a better writer, one has to write; so with this in mind she hosts Write-In sessions every Sunday morning. Join her once a week to make progress on your current work, or create something new based on the writing prompts we provide. Click here to view our calendar of events and RSVP for the next Write-In.
Amber loves the Atlanta literary scene and wants writers to draw inspiration from the many events happening locally. From stand up comedy to the showdown at Write Club, if Amber posted it to the Meetup Calendar, it’s worth checking out!
Marc is a tabletop role-playing game enthusiast who knows firsthand how much writing goes into putting a campaign together. He is inviting old-school dungeon masters and new school game masters to join him for round table discussions and writing sessions. Click here for more info.
QUICK RUNDOWN OF THIS SITE
The site is mostly skin and bones right now, but we’re going to fatten it in three phases.
PHASE 1: Our immediate goal is to share information effectively with members of Atlanta Writes and promote an active writing lifestyle. With that in mind, we’ve published these few pages:
- Newsletter: Not quite a blog at this point, but used for simple updates as needed. Members who subscribe directly to AtlantaWrites.com will be automatically notified when new content is posted to the site, including future blog posts, articles and interviews planned for the second phase of our roll out. Members not subscribed to the site will get notifications through Meetup.com when the latest newsletter has been posted to the site.
- Writing Tips: We’ve posted a “starter pack” of videos from indie author Chris Fox. He does an excellent job of teaching the craft while keeping the business side of writing in mind. Please check out his YouTube channel for additional content.
- Writing Prompts: Check here every Friday for a new prompt. We’ve got an initial set of eleven for you to enjoy.
- Events: This is our meetup calendar at a glance. Details of the events, like the location and meeting descriptions, are still visible to members only through Meetup.com.
- Suggestion Box: We want to hear from you. What do you think of the site? What features would you like to see? Check out what we have on the horizon and let us know if we should include anything else.
- Featured Novelists Sidebar: We are using this space to promote local authors, both within the group and beyond. We have not been paid to promote these books, nor do we post affiliate links to their sales pages. The books are here because we feel they are worth the read.
ON THE HORIZON
We mentioned “fattening” the site in three phases and here is what we have next on the menu:
PHASE 2: The goal here is to empower members with the information they need to go from draft to published author. The next round of pages will be:
- AW Blog: This blog will include: info about traditional and indie publishing, book marketing tips, pointers for doing well at conferences, interviews with local industry professionals and more. We will also solicit articles from members of Atlanta Writes and post guidelines for anyone interested in submitting a story.
- Podcasts: In the same way we promote the books of local authors, we also want to promote podcasts that are produced by local content creators covering all matters related to writing.
PHASE 3: This is where the magic happens!
- AW Classifieds: This will be the “Craigslist” of our site, connecting writers with local editors, beta-readers, artists, etc.
- AW Contest: This is probably the most exciting development to come―the big fat turkey in the oven. Terra is bringing to us her experience as Director of Awards for the Georgia Romance Writers of America to help us launch our first short story contest. Stay tuned for more!
MEETING UPDATES
New Submission Deadline
In response to member feedback, the submission deadline for the Saturday critique group has been bumped up to the Tuesday before we meet. We’ve updated guidelines and meeting descriptions to reflect this change.
Location, location, location!
If you’ve attended a Saturday meeting, then you know we are experimenting with different locations. Marley’s (where we usually meet) is great, but a little difficult to manage during soccer season, or when the group swells to 20+ members. We’re looking for venues that have a space dedicated to meetings as well as a reasonable menu.
For those of you who attended meetings at The Corner Cup Coffee, please let Katina know what you thought were the pros and cons of this location. Also, if anyone happens to know of a place that has the features we’re looking for, please share your recommendation using the suggestion box!
Job Lead : Publications Writer
Adecco is currently assisting a local client in their search to fill a Publications Writer job in Atlanta, GA paying $26/hour. If interested please e-mail your resume to:
Julie Bruce, Recruiter
Julie.Bruce@adeccona.com
Office: 631.844.7635
Apply now if you meet the qualifications listed below!
Job Summary:
The primary responsibilities of the publications’ writer will include researching, developing, writing, editing and proofreading content for UPS newsletters and publications. Articles written by the publications’ writer may be used in either print or electronic communications. Additional duties may include providing writing expertise for special communications projects such as executive speeches, customer letters, video case studies and customer-facing presentations and brochures. In this role, the publications writer must work closely and collaboratively with both the UPS communications staff and the publications agency.
Responsibilities:
Write clear, compelling copy for HR portal: review current articles housed in the UPSers.com employee portal and rewrite content in a friendly, how-to style that encourages employees to take action. Conduct thorough research and interviews: requires research and interviewing of experts and individuals to identify specific steps required to reach desired outcome, develop/utilize additional collateral related to subject, review Standard Operating Procedures build by process, and to identify best methods to communicate necessary steps through a digital platform.
Collaborate with Subject Matter Experts: requires collaboration with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to write and rewrite HR content, Including identifying missing information, gaps in the article(s), and developing new content based on new processes and policy changes. Research and convert U.S.-centric processes to country-specific content: includes rewriting US content into country-specific content as well as development of new country-specific content for 21 countries in scope Interact with Global Stakeholders: requires connecting, updating and informing global stakeholders to incorporate country-specific and enterprise-wide processes and procedures throughout the portal.
Coordinate translation of content: requires coordination of translations for any collateral which requires additional languages (8 languages currently in scope).
Qualifications for the Publications Writer job:
Ability to write clear, persuasive copy with a distinct voice. Ability to interpret briefs to understand project requirements. Collaborate with employee communications, human resources, Subject Matter Experts, and other professionals to respond to top employee questions Conduct high-quality research and interviews. Edit and proofread copy as needed Use SEO principles to maximize copy’s reach. Source images and other content. Ability to research simple and complex subjects to identify clear, concise steps to resolution.
Requirements:
Proven experience as a copywriter or related role. Knowledge of online content strategy and creation. Excellent writing, editing and proofreading skills. Experience with SEO preferred. Strong research skills. Creativity and collaborative spirit. Excellent time-management and organizational skills. BSc/BA in Marketing, English, Journalism or related field preferred.
Additional Details:
Type: Full-time (40 hours / week) contract
Length: 12 months
Pay: $26.00 / HR
Shift/Hours: 8A – 5
That about wraps up this newsletter.
As always, thank you for being a part of Atlanta Writes and for allowing us to be a part of your development as a writer. Do no hesitate to reach out to your organizers with any questions, suggestions, or concerns you have.
Happy reading and happy writing.
Very cool site and newsletter! Looking forward to seeing this grow, especially with the short story contest. Might actually have to write one!
This looks awesome! Great job! I’m looking forward to being more active with the group.
Great newsletter!