The meeting was called to order at 1:30 PM. District 5 sponsored theKAC speaker this month.
Amy Williams lives in Havan, Kansas, and states that she wrote her first “novel” at age 11. She has “always been wired” to write series, though, over the years, she has learned and has had to correct many of her techniques. She has written twenty novels, several of which are in series. Her favorite genre is sci-fi fantasy, which lends well to series. Her career history also includes having run a publishing company for ten years.
Her tips for writing a series include: Writing a series takes some planning. You must make sure you have a large enough structure to carry a series. Each book or story in the series must not only have its arc but must also carry its part in the arc of the series. There must be arcs for the antagonist, the protagonist, and other characters important to the story, and each character may change positively or negatively or remain static. Still, these changes must progress through the series if you will hold the reader’s enthusiasm.
Amy recommends you ask these questions before starting a series: Is your concept large enough to support a series? Is the plot layered enough? You will need more than one story to carry a series. Is the protagonist complicated enough to carry three books? Most series come in threes, with a total arc similar to a three-act play. Is the antagonist potent enough to keep the tension high? Is your “world” complicated enough to carry three books?
When considering a series, ask yourself these questions: What is the series about? (The central theme), Who is the series about? What primary goal do your characters need to achieve? Where does the action take place? Amy advises taking special care with scene descriptions to ensure your reader can visualize the “world” you are presenting.
After a short break, our local program was presented by April Pameticky, an English teacher, poet, and collaborator with poets and other creative folks in Wichita. April was born and raised in Tulsa and earned her college degree in broadcasting and journalism. She reported that she “fell into teaching” and enjoyed it more than following tragedies and doing interviews with hurting people. She moved to Wichita in 2003. She is the editor of River City Poetry, an online poetry journal. Through the Wichita Broadside Project, she facilitates collaborations between poets, artists, dancers, and other creative folks for various local projects. April says she became a poet “because I am not a planner of books” and that “poetry attempts to make sense of the inexpressible that words cannot express adequately,” which is why she created the Broadside Project. Along the way, to facilitate her work with other artists, April has become a successful grant writer. She shared some of her poetry with us, and we enjoyed sharing the enthusiasm of this bustling and creative personality. You can find April online at aprilpameticky.com to learn more about her creativity.
We had a short business meeting following the presentations. We welcomed Carmaine Ternes as a new member. We also “welcomed” Tyler Henning’s baby daughter, Amelia, with a photo of her with daddy shortly after her birth yesterday afternoon. Twenty-one attended in person today. Sandee reminded us of our annual KAC Writing Convention, October 4-6, at Rock Springs Ranch, Junction City, KS.
President Sandee Taylor reminded us of the Kansas Book Festival on September 28 at the Washburn University Library. Also, Sandee is planning a table for District 5 at the Kansas Association of Teachers of English conference at the Drury Hotel here in Wichita on November 1 and 2. She would like some volunteers to help her man the display.
Our next meeting will be on October 19th at the Evergreen Library, 2601 N. Arkansas. Samantha Barrett, D5 member and a creative writer, will present the local program. Please submit your offering to the 2025 KAC Yearbook by October 15 through Submittable.
Connie White
Secretary
Amy Williams lives in Havan, Kansas, and states that she wrote her first “novel” at age 11. She has “always been wired” to write series, though, over the years, she has learned and has had to correct many of her techniques. She has written twenty novels, several of which are in series. Her favorite genre is sci-fi fantasy, which lends well to series. Her career history also includes having run a publishing company for ten years.
Her tips for writing a series include: Writing a series takes some planning. You must make sure you have a large enough structure to carry a series. Each book or story in the series must not only have its arc but must also carry its part in the arc of the series. There must be arcs for the antagonist, the protagonist, and other characters important to the story, and each character may change positively or negatively or remain static. Still, these changes must progress through the series if you will hold the reader’s enthusiasm.
Amy recommends you ask these questions before starting a series: Is your concept large enough to support a series? Is the plot layered enough? You will need more than one story to carry a series. Is the protagonist complicated enough to carry three books? Most series come in threes, with a total arc similar to a three-act play. Is the antagonist potent enough to keep the tension high? Is your “world” complicated enough to carry three books?
When considering a series, ask yourself these questions: What is the series about? (The central theme), Who is the series about? What primary goal do your characters need to achieve? Where does the action take place? Amy advises taking special care with scene descriptions to ensure your reader can visualize the “world” you are presenting.
After a short break, our local program was presented by April Pameticky, an English teacher, poet, and collaborator with poets and other creative folks in Wichita. April was born and raised in Tulsa and earned her college degree in broadcasting and journalism. She reported that she “fell into teaching” and enjoyed it more than following tragedies and doing interviews with hurting people. She moved to Wichita in 2003. She is the editor of River City Poetry, an online poetry journal. Through the Wichita Broadside Project, she facilitates collaborations between poets, artists, dancers, and other creative folks for various local projects. April says she became a poet “because I am not a planner of books” and that “poetry attempts to make sense of the inexpressible that words cannot express adequately,” which is why she created the Broadside Project. Along the way, to facilitate her work with other artists, April has become a successful grant writer. She shared some of her poetry with us, and we enjoyed sharing the enthusiasm of this bustling and creative personality. You can find April online at aprilpameticky.com to learn more about her creativity.
We had a short business meeting following the presentations. We welcomed Carmaine Ternes as a new member. We also “welcomed” Tyler Henning’s baby daughter, Amelia, with a photo of her with daddy shortly after her birth yesterday afternoon. Twenty-one attended in person today. Sandee reminded us of our annual KAC Writing Convention, October 4-6, at Rock Springs Ranch, Junction City, KS.
President Sandee Taylor reminded us of the Kansas Book Festival on September 28 at the Washburn University Library. Also, Sandee is planning a table for District 5 at the Kansas Association of Teachers of English conference at the Drury Hotel here in Wichita on November 1 and 2. She would like some volunteers to help her man the display.
Our next meeting will be on October 19th at the Evergreen Library, 2601 N. Arkansas. Samantha Barrett, D5 member and a creative writer, will present the local program. Please submit your offering to the 2025 KAC Yearbook by October 15 through Submittable.
Connie White
Secretary
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