Rome Writers Forum coming up on March 11
Continuing its mission to foster collaboration among writers and improving their skills, the Rome Area Writers will hold their 2017 Writers Forum Saturday, March 11, at the Winshape Foundation on the Berry College Campus.
The annual Writers Forum brings together writers f r om across t he Northwest Georgia region for a full day of speakers and discussion that provide inspiration, new insights and new skills for their personal projects.
This year’s event features Eric Haney, Andrew Plattner, and Raymond L. Atkins.
Haney is a novelist, best known for his work “Inside Delta Force,” is also the writer, producer and technical advisor for the television series “The Unit” as well as the author of “No Man’s Land,” and “Beyond Shock and Awe.” Haney will speak about how writers can best craft action scenes f or t heir prose and screenplay projects.
Plattner is a Flannery O’Connor Award winning novelist and short story writer. His works include “Winter Money, A History of the Run for the Roses,” and “A Marriage of Convenience,” as well as pieces published in The Paris Review, Epoch and Sewanee Review, among others. Plattner’s talk will focus on how to create conflict among characters and how such conflict can improve a story.
Atkins is a two- time Georgia Author of the Year and a Ferrol Sams Award-winning novelist. An English instructor at Georgia Northwestern Technical College, Atkins is a local author who released his first creative non- fiction book, “South of the Etowah” in 2016.
His presentation will center on how writers can add humor to their writing while avoiding cliches and other pitfalls.
“We are excited to present such a great group of writers this year at the Writers Forum,” said RAW President Paul Moses. “Each one is uniquely suited to talk about their topics, which are useful for all writers no matter what they’re working on. It really is a treat to have them all here in Rome for one day.”
The forum will start at 8 a.m., with a continental breakfast running through 9. Haney will speak from 9 to 10: 30, Plattner from 10: 30 to noon and Atkins from 1: 30 p. m. to 2: 30, taking t i me f or a 15- minute break, and then resuming from 2:45 to the forum’s end at 4.
Registration for the 2017 Writers Forum is now open and will run through March 4.
Registration will cost $75 for the general public, $50 for RAW members and $25 for students. The prices increased by $10 after Feb. 15, when the early registration ends.
Those interested may register or want more info on RAW’s website www. romeareawriters. com. Payment is accepted via Paypal, cash or check. Prices include a catered lunch as well as snacks offered throughout the day.
Founded in 1999, RAW is a nonprofit, volunteer association in Rome, Ga. organized to encourage and assist members with their writing interests, regardless of genre. RAW is affiliated with the Rome Area Council for the Arts and the Georgia Writers Association. RAW issues an annual publication, the “Lavender Mountain Anthology,” a collection of members’ writings for the year. RAW meets monthly on the second Thursday of each month from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Rome/Floyd Library.