Schmooze: Writing what you don't know

It's hard to believe that it was Saturday a week ago that Irene Latham came and did our schmooze entitled "Writing What You Don't Know."

I learned that it's okay to immerse your self in your subject and I also learned to call enough when you have saturated yourself with the subject. I have been reading up up on writing nonfiction so I was pleasantly surprised to see how much research had gone into Irene's "Leaving Gees Bend". Even more important, I learned how she kept it all straight and that she even uses her material for school visits. So if anyone is out there wondering what to get me for Christmas a notebook to keep all my research organized would make a nice gift. Hint hint.

Now for all those that are farther along than I am in their writing, here is a contest for you.
It is in the Jan 2010 Writer's Digest magazine. Pacific Northwest Writers Association Literary Contest. The entry fee seems a little steep until you consider that you will get not one but two critiques of your manuscript (providing you follow submission guidelines.
So here is the website to go to for the guidelines and entry form.
www.pnwa.org and good luck.