"And oh the change is gonna do me good"

You probably remember Honky Cat, the old Elton John song where he sang,

They said get back honky cat

Better get back to the woods

Well I quit those days and my redneck ways

And oh the change is gonna do me good

I don't know about you, but I often have to remind myself that change is gonna do me good although I sometimes have a hard time believing it. Like the Serenity Prayer which asks for the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, we're reminded daily that life is all about change and we should learn to accept it.

All of that is preamble to a couple of changes affecting FWA members in our area and across the state. The first change comes from the nation's oldest city where WG Leader Randy Cribbs has built one of the largest and most succesful writers groups in FWA. The Ancient City WG meetings attract 25 to 30 local writers each and every month, and it's still growing. After more than a year as Group Leader, Randy has decided he'll pass the reins on to others after the July meeting. However, he promises he'll still be around to lend a helping hand. Committee members Dianne Ell, Mike BonDurant, Pat Behnke, Karen Harvey, Ann O'Roark, Nancy Quantrano, Jeff Swesky and Judy Weber are working to fill Randy's very large shoes.

Here you see Randy (on the left) during a break at the May 19 Conference speaking with Karen Harvey and Hank Racer. Randy probably didn't know what he was getting into when I asked him to lunch and told him I thought he should start a new FWA chapter in St. Augustine. But he accepted the challenge like the natural leader he is and ran with it, calling on his friend Peter Guinta to assist him.

FWA is stronger because of Randy and people like him--a perfect example of Writers helping Writers. Thanks so much for all your efforts during the past year or so. And thanks to Dianne, Mike and the other members of the Ancient City Chapter for your part in building this chapter. I know there are more great changes coming.

Change #2 isn't quite as dramatic. Jim Morgan, leader of the Amelia Island WG surveyed his group about finding a better time for their meeting. The consensus was to move to a weekday evening meeting rather than Saturday morning. So, in the future the folks up in Nassau County will meet on the third Tuesday of the month at 6PM. Jim is another natural leader, a former police and fire chief now using his skills to motivate writers. Thanks Jim.

Another change that will do us all good is happening at the FWA website, http://www.floridawriters.net/. If you haven't checked it out lately, take a look and see what IT Committee chair and software engineer Dan Strohschein has done. While you're at it, register to participate in the forums. There are 13 different forums covering everything from the annual conference to many facets of the craft of writing. Got a question you need answered or just want to chat, FWA has the place for you.

Now back to our NE Florida Writers Groups. Here's what's happening in the torrid month of July.

• Central Jax WG continues to meet on the 2nd Tuesday at 6PM at the SE Regional Library off Gate Parkway at Deerwood Park Blvd. Judy Connolly, judy.connolly@comcast.net, is the group leader and welcomes new writers. On Tuesday, July 10, the group will hear from novelist Sandra McDonald who will present, "Building Stories Like a House." Sandra was the hit of the May 19 Conference and if you missed her this is a good time to hear this exceptional speaker. Remember FWA members may attend any and all Writers Group meetings.
• Jim Morgan's Amelia Island WG will meet at 6PM on July 17 as reported above, but they're looking for a new location. Not sure if they have a speaker or will do only critiques. Contact Jim at drjpm1999@yahoo.com.
• Ancient City WG meets at 10AM at the Downtown Library in St. Augustine on Saturday, July 21. Their speaker for this month is Dr. Dick Rettig. For now you can still email Randy Cribbs with any questions, sacriver@bellsouth.net.
• Ponte Vedra WG normally meets on the 4th Saturday of the month at 10AM, but this month will be one of those changes I referred to. On Saturday, July 28 we'll meet at the PV Library as usual, but at 11AM instead of 10AM. And instead of our normal program, we're turning the meeting into an awards ceremony to announce the winners of the 1st Annual Lighthouse Book Awards. Contest chair Terri Ridgell and I will be making the grand announcements and acknowledging the winners and their achievement. We're inviting everyone to be there and help us celebrate and congratulate them. Here's the list again in case you've forgotten who the finalists are:

Mystery/Suspense/Thriller Who Killed Fidel Castro? - David Pereda Forty Percent Gray - Mary Kilgore
The Dachshund Caper – Jean Osborn (Honorable Mention - A Bone in Her Teeth - Ann McAllister Clark)

General Fiction Charley Gets His Halo - William Barbour Jess, A Confederate - Leonard Emmel War Drums of Afghanistan - John Holley (Honorable Mention - Such A Dreamer - Jeff Swesky)

Young Adult Wolf Girl - Suki Litchfield Shard of The Dark Star - Gertie Poole Run Away Home - Karen Harvey (Tie) Hidden Treasures - Bill Dougherty (Tie) (Honorable Mention -The Last Days of Camelot - Eugene Orlando)

What else is happening of interest to writers?

• If you missed Frank Green at last month's PV WG meeting, you missed a scholarly presentation on the structure of a story including the 5 "C's" -- Character, Conflict, Complications, Crisis, and Conclusion. Frank also gave us four of his Great Rules of Writing, which are: 1. There are no rules; 2. Thou shalt not bore the reader; 3. Thou shalt not confuse the reader; and 4. Thou shalt not get caught writing.
• Janet Walter reports that she and other members of SCBWI have started a critique group for Middle Grade & Young Adult Novelists. Theyll be meeting at the Borders on Southside Blvd. They're not looking for beginning writers, however, but authors who have completed their novels and working to get them in shape for publication or submission to an agent or editor. Most of the group have written several novels already. If you're intereted and think you might fit into the group, contact Janet at jgwalter@comcast.net.
• Member Pat Behnke reports she won two awards from the Florida Press Association for two of her columns published in Senior Times Magazine. Congratulations Pat.
• If you're a thriller writer, you might want to attend ThrillerFest 2007. It's presented by the new Thriller Writers Association on July 12-15 in NYC. Not close to home, but packed with sessions by seemingly every bestselling thriller writer. Go to
  http://www.thrillerfest.org/ for details.
• Speaking of conferences, don't forget to register for FWA's 6th Annual Conference coming November 9 - 11 to the Cornonado Springs Resort in Walt Disney World. The Early Bird Deadline of July 31 is fast approaching so don't miss out. You'll also be happy to know the deadline for the Royal Palm Literary Competition has been extended to August 1. Go to the FWA site for details and to register for the conference.

That's it for now folks and since this blog has been about change it's only fitting I leave you with this quote by none other than Pablo Picasso ~

“I am always doing that which I can not do, in order

that I may learn how to do it.”