Newsletter, April 2023
WGT Newsletter, April 2023
Next Meeting: April 17th
WHEN: Monday, April 17 @ 7pm
TOPIC: Research Tips for Writers with Marj Atkinson
DESCRIPTION: As an author, you know the importance of research when it comes to writing. At times, you may find yourself researching for hours and still not getting the results you need.
Don’t sweat it! We’re going to Ask Marj for help!
👩💻🧑💻 Grab your notepads and charge your laptops! Don’t have a laptop? Well, thanks to advances to technology, we have the World Wide Web at our fingertips with tablets and smartphones. Whatever computerized doohickey you have to access on the internet, please don’t forget to that you’ll need it on April 17th because…👇
Research expert, Marj Atkinson, has designed a workshop session to help you understand the basics of research and how to perform effective online research for your writing projects, including keyword techniques to get more precise results. Why do we need to bring our laptop or fancy computerized doohickey? For doing research exercises together, but of course.
We will take a close look at the process involved in performing online research and how to use the information found on specific online resources. We will utilize search engines like Google and also navigate the public library databases. We will cover the fundamentals of research, including the importance of taking the time to consume what we’ve found and how it can help us discover new ways to search for information!
We will also discuss how to use AI tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google Bard, Bing Chat, including their pros and cons.
By the end of this session, we’ll will be able to:
Understand the fundamentals of research and how to perform effective online research
Identify reliable online resources
Discover new search techniques to find relevant information
Combine ideas to create comprehensive content for writing projects
Utilize new AI such as Google Bard, Bing Chat, and ChatGPT to assist with writing projects
WHERE:
In-Person: Richardson Public Library (basement program room)
[no registration needed to attend in-person]
OROnline: Zoom, but you must register for the link.
2022 Flash Fiction Contest
2nd Place Award Winner:
"Bjorn Was Here"
by Tiffany Seitz
Bjorn stood at the helm of his decades-old light star cruiser, Icarus, ignoring the console’s flashing lights and incessant alarms. Glued together by his own blood and spit, the single-manned vessel had seen better days, but none so great as this. Today, he would reach his ultimate goal—Arrokoth—winning glorious accolades and wagered fortunes. The flat, snowman-shaped planetoid floated with Pluto in the icy Kuiper Belt beyond the rings of Neptune. No one had yet bothered to send a manned expedition to the Belt, deeming the frigid temperatures too dangerous.
Bjorn had nothing to lose in this quest—except maybe his cruiser and his life—but even his grandfather’s good name would not vanish from the annals of time thanks to this endeavor. He would be the first to do the unthinkable.
He checked the cartograph for the umpteenth time, then gave it a solid whack. Another alert lit up, but otherwise, nothing changed. His stiff hands gripped the wheel to keep a steady course. Visions of the Vikings of old crossed his mind. He caught his reflection in an uncracked window of the cockpit. He imagined himself as a sturdy Norseman, with frigid wind streaming through his unbound hair and a braided beard beating at his chest, commanding his longboat against nature’s unruly tempests in search of adventure and unplundered lands. A man whose name and claim on history were lost for eternity.
No one believed Bjorn could do it. Most predicted his ship would fall to its namesake’s fate. He ignored the lesser mortals who ridiculed his goal and doubted his fortitude. No one supported his success. Wagers had been placed with all odds on the manner of his failure and demise. He had ignored all the nay-sayers. He had evaded all attempts to capture his cruiser and put him in an asylum.
And now he had arrived.
The unwelcoming Belt of Kuiper aimed to freeze the innards of the Icarus, while Arrokoth sat alone in space—fused together by a primeval force—its gray stone bland and barren. He drew the ship close to the smaller end of the planetesimal and released the anchor. The chain rattled through the chamber until a resounding thunk told him the ship was secure. A yellow warning light now blinked red. Bjorn gave it the same attention he gave the others. The chunk of floating, red-hued rock awaited him.
He could simply take pictures and return in triumph, but that would not be proof enough. No. Like the explorers of old, he would leave his mark for all to ponder.
Outfitted for the cold and burning with determination, Bjorn approached the portal. A small window creaked opened at his command. The sub-zero atmosphere filled the chamber. With the cruiser’s mechanisms glaciating, he worked quickly. Once finished, he secured the portal and returned to the warm helm to thaw and resume the course home to collect his due.
Glancing back from the cockpit as the Icarus raised anchor, he admired his handiwork. Etched in the rocky surface of the trans-Neptunian rock were the words meant to secure his immortality:
Bjornsson was here.
