E-Newsletter | Issue: 2022-12-31

President’s Letter

From the writing desk of Nicole R. Locker

Dear CRW Members,

As 2022 draws to a close this New Year’s Eve, I wanted to take a moment to reflect over this past year for CRW. 2022 was our first year as a standalone writing organization, and I am so proud of our 2022 Board and all the volunteers who helped us run this organization over the past 12 months. We have a great team of people who really care about CRW members and that we provide value to each and every one of you. My hope is that each of you will take a look at all the things we offer throughout the year and resolve to get involved in whatever way you’re able and interested.

In my own reflections, I think back to a time when I first joined CRW, several years ago. I started out as just a lurker. I’m not a social media person. Heck, I’m not really a social person, period! It takes effort on my part, and I found that when I did start plugging into the happenings, the workshops, the town halls, I started feeling like I was getting a lot more out of my membership. I got out of it what I put into it. I’m glad I did because I truly enjoy the connections I’ve made and continue to make here.

So my challenge to you all this coming year is to show up! Show up to volunteer for any of the many volunteer opportunities we have. Show up to a Sprint session or let us know when you start an impromptu one! Show up to a free Members-Only webinar. Show up to a bi-monthly New Member Welcome meeting. Mentor an unpublished/under-published author, or request a mentor this year. Make a new friend or few! In whatever way you can, widen that comfort zone just a little bit and join us as we continue to grow in our writing endeavors.

New Members

Please join me in extending a big, warm welcome to our newest members of CRW:

• Theresa Thurman
• Cara Tanamachi
• Jenifer Boles
• Margaret Schneider
• Ashley Winters
• Anna Shepherd
• Kate Becker
• Alyssa Ellis
• Betsy Barker

Please be sure to join our next New Member Welcome meeting to find out what CRW offers and ask any questions you may have about your new membership.

NEW MEMBER WELCOME MEETING

Sunday, Feburary 12, 2022 – 4:00 p.m. ET | 3:00 p.m. CT | 2:00 p.m. MT | 1:00 p.m. PT
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86370330299?pwd=SEhkdHRHcjdlZm5ELzc3UjhpeUZSQT09
Add to your Google Calendar

Novel Celebration 2022 Winners

This year in our Novel Celebration Contest, we had 30 members participate with 65 books written or published in 2022. Of the individual books submitted, 58 were published in 2022 and 7 were written but not yet published during the specified timeframe. Way to go on all the hard work you are doing writing your books!

The five winners of a Free CRW Membership for 2023 are:

• Cher Underwood Forsberg
• Annee Jones
• Sarah McGregor
• Christi Barth
• Caro Carson

Congratulations, well-deserved.

Stiletto Contest Committee Needs Just 3 More Volunteers!

Can you help? If so, please complete the volunteer form to let us know.

Stiletto Contest Coordinator
Under the direction VP Programs, responsible for overall management and coordination of the contest. Directs other committee members’ work. Collaborates with VP Programs on larger decisions and can escalate decisions to CRW board as needed.

Time required: Approximately 2 hours per week, February through June

Specific responsibilities include:

• Establishing contest rules, scoring rubric, and schedule
• Helping Judge Coordinators recruit final-round judges
• Creating contest entry and judge volunteer forms
• Assisting entry coordinators as needed to sort and distribute entries to judges
• Ensuring judge training is in place, focusing on unbiased judging
• Communicating finalists to CRW VP Communications for announcement on social media
• Communicating winners to CRW President for prizes and announcement

Entry Coordinators
Under the oversight of the Contest Coordinator, responsible for accepting contest entries and communicating with contest entrants.

Time required: Approximately 4-6 hours per week, March and April, another brief spurt in June to coordinate finalists’ final entries

Specific responsibilities include:

• Accepting entries and checking that they meet entry guidelines
• Answering questions from entrants
• Organizing entries for judge coordinator receipt
• Notifying finalists and accepting revised finalist submissions

Judge Coordinators
Under the oversight of the Contest Coordinator, responsible for recruiting and communicating with judges.

Time required: Approximately 2 hours per week in February to recruit final-round judges then 4-6 hours per week in April through June

Specific responsibilities include:

• Recruiting first and final-round judges
• Sending entries and scoresheets to judges
• Answering questions from judges
• Quality-checking judge comments and ensuring lack of bias and overall positive tone of judge comments
• Following up with judges as needed
• Organizing scoresheets and determining finalists
• Sending finalist entries to final judges
• Determining winners and communicating those to Contest Coordinator

Writing Sprints

Join in on our CRW-led writing sprints. We share reminders in the member Facebook Group and Slack.

Every Tuesday: 12pm ET | 11am CT | 10am MT | 9am PT
Sprints with Tanya on Zoom

Every Wednesday: 5:30am ET | 4:30am CT | 3:30am MT | 2:30am PT
Sprints with Cheryl on Zoom

Every Thursday: 7:00am ET | 6am CT | 5am MT | 4am PT
Sprints with Nicky on Zoom

Every Friday: 11am ET | 10am CT | 9am MT | 8apm PT
Sprints with Dayna on Zoom

Every Saturday: 12pm ET | 11am CT | 10am MT | 9am PT
Sprints with Michelle on Zoom 

Want to run sprints at a different day/time? Let us know!

January Workshops

Make this the year you invest in yourself! Here is the lineup of workshops we have for January 2023.

Member New Releases

Have a new release? Share it on our site and in an upcoming Member Newsletter here, and be sure to take a look at all the new books from CRW members published in 2022.