New Writers Group Forming

I received the following from Michael Brim (who writes as Michael Goldcraft) regarding an attempt to form a  new Panama City Chapter of the Florida Writers Association. Sharing it here in case you're interested:

"We are creating the chapter on Thursday evening, February 28th at 6:30 p.m. We invite you to visit us in the Bay County Library that evening and become involved in the Chapter’s creation. The library is located at 898 W. Eleventh Street.

"THE FLORIDA WRITERS ASSOCIATION

"Come out to the meeting, learn about the state-level Florida Writers Association, and then decide if you would like to join.  You can join FWA any time after the meeting. Just visit their website to become a member. Membership is just $55 for the first year and $45 for renewed memberships. The benefits are myriad and valuable and I'll be discussing all the benefits at the meeting.  Then you can decide if the FWA is a good investment for you. There is no charge for being a local chapter member after you join the state Association!

"READ ON, MY FRIEND!

"If you want to get more out of your writing experience and learn all about the complexities associated with the publishing industry, this is the place for you.

"The FWA motto is “Writers Helping Writers”

"Our chapter members will (on February 28) collectively decide the chapter priorities and goals at this first meeting. We’ll be listing any and all topics of interest under two broad categories: “The Craft” and “The Industry.” I'll explain the voting process you will take part in at this point in the meeting. The more votes per topic, the higher the chapter priority. The topics receiving the highest votes will form our list of priorities. For example, the list of topics may look something like this. 
THE CRAFT                                            THE INDUSTRY
Plot Development                                      Finding an Agent
Characters, Three Dimensional                   Finding a Publisher
Believable Dialogue                                   Professional Organizations
Point of View                                            Marketing, Marketing, Marketing
Scenes and transitions                               Social Network Marketing
The Inciting Incident                                  E-Books and Audio Books: launching and promotion
Research                                                   Books signings - Inside and Outside of Bookstores
Descriptions you can see, taste, and smell    Independent Publishing
Editing and Completing a Manuscript         Finding a Script Agent
Your Author's Reading Group                   Ways to learn about and network within the industry


"Our Agenda for the meeting is simple:
6:30 -6:35 Welcome and Introductions, Carole Bailey
6:35 - 6:55  The Florida Writers Association Presentation - Benefits, Membership, and Lots of Friends, Michael Brim
6:55:7:00 BREAK
7:00 - 8:00 Chapter Creation, Voting on Priorities, Open Discussion, Leadership - Bailey and Brim
8:00 - 8:30 The Social Half-Hour - Visiting with Your Fellow Writers
8:30 END MEETING

"We hope to see you on the 28th. I'll be at the Bay County Library at 4:30 .. just knock on the (left) side entrance. Anyone is invited to come early to discuss anything."