If you weren’t able to join us for the second installment of our writers’ education Zoom for 2025, we’ve made a video, and it’s available now.
Host: Jim Tritten
Presenter: Nancy Arbuthnot
Subject: Write Your Story, Setting
See our Writers’ Education page for a list of all our educational video presentations.
click to sign up for your free copy
Don’t pass up a chance for a free book! Visit our book giveaway page to sign up.
Here are the available books as of today:
The Road to War: Duty & Drill, Courage & Capture by Steven Burgauer
SAMS and NIGHT CARRIER LANDINGS by Roland McLean
Sparks in the Ether; A True Story about a Pioneer Radioman by Valarie J Anderson
Circle of Service: Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne and the Family Business by Rick Bessette
Available to MWSA members only.
MWSA is happy to announce another new member benefit: book giveaways. There are similar programs out there–Goodreads immediately comes to mind–offering a way to get free copies out to your readers. As you know, book giveaways are a good way to generate buzz about a new book premiere or to rekindle interest in a book you published a while ago.
Unlike our review swap program, there is no requirement to write a review after receiving a free copy. Of course, it’s always a welcome result when any author gets a new review. To learn more or to start giving away copies of one of your books, see this page on our website: https://www.mwsadispatches.com/book-giveaway
MWSA is still seeking submissions for its 2025 anthology. Prior guidance has been provided and can be reviewed again at https://www.mwsadispatches.com/anthology-submissions.
We recommend taking advantage of this opportunity, especially if you are a new author. Having something published in an anthology can only enhance your “resume.” Please make sure your dues are up to date and get writing!
Questions are always welcome and should be submitted to anthology@mwsa.co.
MWSA hosted the first of five Writers Education Series educational webinars on January 19. If you haven’t seen that presentation, you’ll find a video of Jim’s Zoom presentation here.
The series will continue on Sunday afternoons at 5:00 PM Eastern, 4:00 PM Central, 3:00 PM Mountain, and 2:00 PM Pacific as follows:
March 16, 2025, Setting – Nancy Arbuthnot
May 18, 2025, Starting Your Story/Characters – Jack Woodville London
July 27, 2025, Telling – Narration and Dialogue – Bob Doerr
August 17, 2025, Plot and Story Arc – Jim Tritten
If you would like to nominate a fellow MWSA writer for our Writer of the Year award, you can nominate someone using the form on this page: https://www.mwsadispatches.com/mike-mullins-woy
The page also has details associated with the award and a list of past winners. Please submit your candidate by June 15.
Thanks to a generous donation from longtime MWSA member and prolific author Joe Badal, we’re offering reduced-price memberships for new members and six-month dues expiration extensions for existing members.
Who qualifies for the discount, and how do I get it?
Recruit a new member–the newly recruited person can join with a 50% discount, while the recruiting MWSA member gets a six-month dues extension.
Attend a Write Your Story seminar.
Contribute to our Dispatches magazine or 2025 anthology.
For a limited time, existing associate members can upgrade to a full member at a 50% discount.
Visit our website for more details or to apply for this exciting new membership deal: https://www.mwsadispatches.com/membership-discounts.
We will soon be opening registration for our MWSA Annual General Membership Conference to be held in Kansas City, MO, Sep. 25 – 27, 2025. A big thank you to MWSA board member Rob Lofthouse, who volunteered to be our MWSA 2025 Conference Chair. Stay tuned!
If you weren’t able to join us for our inaugural writers’ education Zoom for 2025, we’ve made a video, and it’s available now.
See our Writers’ Education page for a list of all our educational video presentations.
97 books and 26,597 words—what a surprise!
After posting the latest book submitted to MWSA for our 2025 season on Goodreads, I discovered a page I’d never seen before: My Year in Books.
This new (for me) feature includes many interesting tidbits and is worth a quick perusal.
Click on the image to the right, or visit this link:
https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2024/69843339
After that, have a look at our Tips and Tricks section for another recommended article covering Goodreads’ “Tips for Authors.”
Remember, Goodreads is a great way to market your books. Learn as much as you can, and start selling those books!
This final membership-wide News Blast of the year is definitely packed with news and information. Your MWSA board is excited to wrap up this year and to bring in 2025 with new opportunities and benefits to our members.
From all of us at MWSA, we wish you a festive and joyful holiday season and a productive and writing-filled New Year!
Thanks to a generous donation from longtime MWSA member and prolific author Joe Badal, we’re offering reduced-price memberships for new members and six-month dues expiration extensions for existing members.
Who qualifies for the discount, and how do I get it?
Recruit a new member–the newly recruited person can join with a 50% dues discount, while the recruiting MWSA member gets a six-month dues extension.
Attend a Write Your Story seminar.
Contribute to our Dispatches magazine or 2025 anthology.
For a limited time, existing associate members can upgrade to a full member at a 50% discount.
Visit our website for more details or to apply for this exciting new membership deal:
https://www.mwsadispatches.com/membership-discounts
Contact our membership secretary (membership@mwsa.co) if you have any questions.
Cue the music, with Fats Domino singing, “I’m going to Kansas City. Kansas City, here I come.”
Although our voting resulted in a near three-way tie, the MWSA board selected Kansas City for our 2025 conference. The deciding factor was that one of our board members lives nearby and has offered to head up our conference planning. A big shout-out to fellow board member Rob Lofthouse!
As soon as Rob’s planning allows us to nail down the hotel venue and date, we’ll let everyone know so you can start marking your calendar and making your travel plans.
In addition to voting for a conference location preference, we asked survey takers several questions about how we run our conferences. We also solicited input on other MWSA member benefits and programs. Click on the link below to see the responses.
https://www.mwsadispatches.com/2025-conference-membership-poll
MWSA will host five educational webinars during 2025 on the following topics:
January 19, 2025, Writing Your Story – Jim Tritten
March 16, 2025, Setting – Nancy Arbuthnot
May 18, 2025, Starting Your Story/Characters – Jack Woodville London
July 27, 2025, Telling – Narration and Dialogue – Bob Doerr
August 17, 2025, Plot and Story Arc – Jim Tritten
All webinars are on Sunday afternoons at 5:00 PM Eastern, 4:00 PM Central, 3:00 PM Mountain, and 2:00 PM Pacific. You'll also find these webinars listed on our website's Events page.
These are the same topics that were presented by these same people at the Admiral Kidd Club in San Diego on September 26th as our Write Your Story Workshop. Our intent is to record these presentations and make them available for others who want to use them for local presentations elsewhere. Events will be scheduled and links posted on our MWSA website and MWSA Facebook pages as we approach the dates listed. If anyone has any questions, contact Jim Tritten at jimtritten@comcast.net.
Tis the season to make resolutions about losing weight, exercising more, being a better spouse, family member, friend, etc., and then forgetting about the promises you made to yourself two weeks later. How about trying one or two (or more) of the following resolutions to make your 2025 a brighter and more literature-filled one?
Here are a few suggestions to get you started—MWSA style.
Help an author get their book a bit more polished before it’s published by offering feedback via our Beta Reader Program.
Buy an MWSA author’s book at least once this year.
Try browsing through our award winners to help you pick something worthwhile: https://www.mwsadispatches.com/award-winners
Have someone on your gift list you can’t imagine a present for? Buy them an MWSA author’s book as a gift.
Order a paper copy of an MWSA book. Read it and then donate the copy to your local library to help someone else discover their new favorite author.
Promote a fellow MWSA author’s book.
Tell your friends and family
Write about it in your author's blog
Mention it in your communications with your readers
Write a review and post it on Amazon, Goodreads, Facebook, or wherever.
Although everyone knows that it’s better to give than to receive, giving AND receiving is even better. Use MWSA’s Review Swap Program to GIVE a review for another author’s book and RECEIVE a review of yours.
Reach out to another MWSA author.
Post on their author page, social media account, or website
Send them an email
Go to an MWSA conference and talk to them in person
Recommend an MWSA book to your book club.
Share news about a fellow MWSA author’s success.
Make sure you support your local bookstore.
Yes, buying online from Amazon is easier, but the trip to your local bookstore will pay dividends—to the struggling owner and you. You might even talk them into stocking one of your books.
Attend another author’s event at the bookstore.
Request that the bookstore stock one of your favorite MWSA books. While you’re at it, do the same thing at your local library.
Help a fellow author by reviewing for MWSA.
If you’re not a reviewer, become one! (https://www.mwsadispatches.com/mwsa-reviewer-signup)
If you’re already a reviewer, recommend someone else to join our reviewing team or review “just one more book” during the season.
Every writer knows that reviews are a vital component of their book marketing and sales efforts. MWSA authors submit their books to our review and awards program and pay a $45 submission fee to cover the costs of running our program and hosting our annual awards banquet. The reviews generated by this program are the “official MWSA review.” But that’s only one review; authors need more reviews–many of us need a lot more reviews. What happens when we run out of friends and family to beg for reviews?
MWSA created its Review Swap program to allow members to purchase or borrow each other's books and exchange reviews after reading them. You can consider this MWSA program as an online venue where our members can “meet” and agree to whatever review-swapping methodology they consider mutually convenient.
To learn more or to submit your book for swapping, visit our Review Swap page:
https://www.mwsadispatches.com/review-swap
Notes:
In order to participate, you must be an active (dues current) member, and you have to sign in to your MWSA account to participate.
Click on the Subscribe button to get notifications when new review swap opportunities are added.
MWSA does not monitor these individual transactions between our members, and the reviews represent the individual opinions of our members.
Although we've received several submissions since our window opened on December 1, it's not too late to submit your contribution to our 2025 anthology.
For further details, please visit our Anthology Submission page.
MWSA members can submit ads to Dispatches for inclusion in each edition; we accept three free ads, first-come, first-served. We currently plan on offering free ad space to our members once a year. If you’d like to advertise more than once a year, you might want to take advantage of our special half-off sale. Visit our Dispatches submission page (https://www.mwsadispatches.com/dispatches-submissions) for details and to submit your ad.
Of course, we’re also always looking for content, so please feel free to submit your latest short story, poem, or article!
The submission window for MWSA's 2025 review and awards season will open on January 2. If you're planning on submitting your book, you'll find the details on our main awards page.
If you'd like to join our reviewer team, we'd love to have you join us! If you're interested, please email us or visit the page below:
MWSA held a recent election for the board of directors. The results of the election are:
President, John Cathcart
Vice President, Valerie Ormond
Secretary, Jim Tritten
Treasurer, Hugh Simpson
At-Large Directors: Ruth Crocker, Annette Langlois Grunseth, Rob Lofthouse, and James Rosone.
Bob Doerr has also agreed to remain on the board as an ex-officio member as Past President, and our Founding Director, Bill McDonald, remains on the board. Thank you to those who ran, voted, and served in the past. We look forward to welcoming new members with new ideas. The new board took office at the end of the annual conference in San Diego.
Here is a link to the new board’s bios.
https://www.mwsadispatches.com/leadership
During our recent conference in San Diego, award-winning author Joe Badal, MWSA’s 2020 Writer of the Year, offered to share his writing rules with MWSA members.
http://www.josephbadalbooks.com/
Click on Joe’s photo or the button below to send him an email asking for your free copy.
About 70 MWSA members will gather in San Diego, CA, for our conference and awards banquet in a little over a week. Although all MWSA members are invited to each of our annual conferences, we understand that not everyone can join us each year.
To facilitate a wider audience for the conference, we plan to livestream several of the events at the conference. Our main focus will be on our membership meeting (Friday, Sept 27 at 3:45 PM PDT) and the awards banquet (Saturday, Sept 28 at 6:30 PM PDT).
As always, our broadcast will depend on the hotel's internet connection and our technical savvy—both of which are not guaranteed (especially the latter).
Look at our conference agenda (on the conference page) to see what’s happening in San Diego and when. Then, click the button below or the image above to go to our Facebook live video page to see if we’re broadcasting live.
If you’re one of our 2024 award finalists and miss our awards banquet livestream, we normally post medals won on our 2024 season page shortly after the awards ceremony. All award finalists will receive email notification of their award later that evening.
MWSA announced our 2024 Awards Finalists this Saturday, July 6, via a recorded video announcement.
If you missed watching live (or “listening” live during our watch party), the announcement videos are available on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.
Visit our 2024 season page to see a list of all the finalists and their books. That page also has links to the video announcement on each of the social media platforms mentioned above. You can also see a copy of the press release announcing our finalists.
MWSA will announce our 2024 Awards Finalists this Saturday, July 6, at 8 PM Eastern (7 Central, 6 Mountain, 5 Pacific Daylight Time).
The announcement will be broadcast on our Facebook and Instagram accounts at that time. You can watch the video live by yourself using the Facebook and Instagram links below.
But why watch by yourself when you can watch it with your fellow MWSA authors at a live online watch party? ;-)
Zoom Watch Party
This year, we’re trying something new: a finalist announcement watch party on Zoom. Join us 5-10-15 minutes before the scheduled time. Then, we’ll watch the video together live at the times listed above (8 PM Eastern).
After the video airs, we’ll spend another 15-30 minutes congratulating this year’s winners and/or fielding any questions you may have. Use the link below to join us on Zoom.
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89879264354?pwd=0sqzjCEtps9AJ0OS3PggXPxVsIEoF9.1
https://www.facebook.com/MWSA.MembersPublic/live_videos
https://www.instagram.com/mwsa.member/
If you miss the live presentations, we’ll post the video on our website and our allied social media sites. We’ll also publish a list of our finalists on our 2024 season page shortly after the live video announcement (https://www.mwsadispatches.com/2024-season)
Good luck to all our 2024 authors!
Did you know a wealth of wisdom is posted on the MWSA website? Recordings of writer education webinars and presentations made by specialists willing to share their knowledge, all with information on how to draft your story in various genres—from memoirs to short stories to screenplays—provide plenty of food for thought. Let’s review where you can find these nuggets and how you can learn about upcoming virtual events sponsored by our organization.
First, recordings of previous events can be accessed on the MWSA website, usually within one day of the live event. On your computer or smartphone, navigate to https://www.mwsadispatches.com/writers-education, where all is revealed. A link to this URL is also posted on the Facebook MWSA Public Page and in all announcements or invitations.
Currently, on the MWSA website, you can find five presentations by Greg Elliot, screenwriter/author/editor, that address story structure, emotion, and writing for big and small screens. Next is a four-part series by Dawn Brotherton, where she outlines the steps we all should take before drafting a book that we intend to submit to an agent, a publisher, or even to our reviewers. Dawn covers character traits, backstory, point of view, and punctuation (just in case you were not paying attention in High School English). Next, Ruth Crocker addresses Navigating Nonfiction, Jim Tritten has a presentation on Writing Short Stories, and Wendy Meyerhoff walks us through making websites winners.
Clicking the above link will take you to the library of past presentations. What about where to see the next live presentation? If you are a member of MWSA or follow the Facebook MWSA Public Page: https://www.facebook.com/MWSA.MembersPublic/, you should get an eBlast via the email we have in our database, or you should receive a Facebook Notification or invitation to the event. Here is an example of a Facebook posting for our next Writer Education event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1852762208497164/, on Saturday, June 15th, which is also Valdemarsdag—Danish Flag Day. Events are also posted on the MWSA website. Here is a link to the next event: https://www.mwsadispatches.com/events/2024/4/writing-for-screens-big-and-small-part-3
To attend a live event, click on the URL in any announcement or invitation. Right now, that URL is always https://us06web.zoom.us/j/2245629439?pwd=Sk92UXVZNzBpK1Z3NWd1TWtPcUM3UT09, but please check the most current notification to make sure it did not change. Once you click the link, your participation will be like any Zoom meeting. The moderator will mute everyone while the speaker is making the presentation. Questions or comments are best handled by putting them in chat, and they will be dealt with at the end of the presentation by the speaker or the moderator. Once the live event is completed, a link to watch it will be posted to the library, as explained above. Generally, all the slides or other materials used in the presentation are also posted.
Please take advantage of these informative events put on by your organization. Writers Education is a great resource. If you have any suggestions about additional speakers (including yourself) or new topics, contact anyone on the board or, if you like, directly to me at jtritten121@comcast.net.
The Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) is soliciting price quotes for 2024 MWSA Publications
Title: MWSA Magazine Dispatches
Opening Date: 01/01/2024
Closing Date: 02/01/2024
For details, click here (or on the image to the right).
Use your military service—and your DoD ID (or local library card)—to get this valuable freebie.
Go to https://libbyapp.com/ to set up your account, or download the Libby app from your device’s app store.
Once you’re at their website or have downloaded the app, go to the Library section (icon with three horizontal lines at the bottom of the screen)
Select or add the Department of Defense library and then “DoD MWR Libraries.”
You’ll then go to an authentication section where you’ll enter your DoD ID number and date of birth (they may also ask for the last four of your SSN).
Start borrowing!
If you don’t have a DoD ID, you can still set up an account by using your local library card, but this process may require a call to your local librarian to figure out their system. I had to call my library to figure out what my PIN was. My card uses the last four digits of my library card account number, but your card might be different.
Heck, it’s free and worth the effort.
We’re sharing presentation slides that Jim Tritten (our 2023 MWSA Writer of the Year) made which cover some details about writing for and about the military.
You can browse the slides below, or click on the image to the right to download your own copy.
Thanks Jim!
We’ve received several requests for the slides that MWSA Awards Director Betsy Beard used for her briefing during this year’s general membership conference in New London.
Click on the image to the right to download a copy in PDF format.
Visit our Facebook page tomorrow (September 16) at 6PM Eastern for a livestream of our awards banquet.
https://www.facebook.com/MWSA.MembersPublic/live_videos
If you miss the live presentation, the recording should be available on the link above.
We hope to post all the medal winners on the 2023 Season page shortly after the banquet.
MWSA is seeking viable candidates for copyediting and layout services for the 2024 editions of Dispatches magazine. See the details below.
The Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) is soliciting price quotes for Dispatches magazine
Opening Date: 09/05/23 | Closing Date: 10/14/23
Scope of Work: Scope of Work: MWSA Dispatches Magazine: Copyediting, Layout, Design, Publication, Distribution, and Marketing Support.
Period of Performance: 10/16/2023 – 11/20/2024. This includes four issues of the magazine to be published: 04/15/2024, 07/15/2024, 10/15/2024, and 01/15/2024.
Option Years. At the Sole discretion of the MWSA Board of Directors, this contract may be extended for a total of not more than three option years. If an Option Year is exercised, it will include a maximum of a 2.5% inflation rate.
Option Year 1: November 2024 – November 2025
Option Year 2: November 2025 – November 2026
Option Year 3: November 2026 – November 2027
About MWSA
MWSA is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation to support military writers. The purposes of the organization are to help military service members, veterans, their families, supporters, and historians record history and the complexities of military life, and to encourage writing as therapy. The organization focuses on using the writing of MWSA members to educate the general public, students, and the military community.
Contract Performance Work Statement for MWSA Dispatches Magazine
This MWSA Request For Quote (RFQ) seeks a Price Quote and relevant experience qualifiers from knowledgeable individuals and businesses to become a compensated provider, working with MWSA volunteers to provide services to compile, format, edit, publish, and market MWSA 2024 Dispatches magazines. Specific services will include:
1. Work with the MWSA Publication Chair/Editor-In-Chief and other volunteers to produce the MWSA quarterly Dispatches magazine.
2. Produce magazine softcopy, providing copyediting and layout and design services
3. Provide eMagazine layout and design
4. Provide eBook layout and design (as needed)
5. License and supply graphic content (as needed)
6. Photo restoration (as needed)
7. High-resolution image conversion (as needed)
8. Provide cover art design for MWSA approval.
9. Supply complete versions for review and approval to MWSA Publications Chair
a. PDF for print version
b. PDF for eBook w/embedded cover version (as needed)
c. PDF w/cover for eMagazine version
10. Provide upload to the Print house for distribution.
a. Amazon/KDP
b. Ingram (as needed)
11. After Publication Marketing
a. Provide cover art jpgs of hi-res and web for MWSA IT/Social Media
b. Supply designs, jpgs, pngs, PDFs as requested for marketing via IT/social media marketing
12. Set up MWSA sales account through Print house.
a. Ensure all sales royalties are paid directly to the MWSA Treasurer
b. Ensure all ad royalties are paid directly to the MWSA Treasurer
c. Ensure control by MWSA board over title (active or retired)
d. Changes to document (as needed) in case of misprint or error
13. Provide quarterly royalties statements to MWSA Treasurer as requested.
a. Note: No royalty or administrative costs will be retained by the contractor. All proceeds from sales after print cost will be paid directly to MWSA. Contractor will provide documentation of such upon request.
14. Offerors will provide all names of individuals who will support this effort. Updates to names shall be provided to the MWSA Publications Chair throughout the period of performance.
15. This effort can be canceled at any time for the good of MWSA. Offerors may terminate after thirty days’ written notice.
Please provide Price Quote for this project including the following:
16. Examples of experience with similar projects in the past five years.
17. Two work reference points of contact (name, email, and phone number).
Email proposals to the MWSA Contacts listed below by 10/14/23.
MWSA Contact:
Gary Zelinski, MWSA Publications Chair. communications@mwsa.co
Click to visit website
From the Cuddy Foundation for Veterans website (not affiliated with MWSA):
Our foundation accepts original submissions from veterans, active duty personnel, and anyone who wishes to help us develop this creative outlet.
Purchases of our journals will directly benefit the missions of The Cuddy Family Foundation for Veterans! Moving forward, we will try to release poetry and short story journals twice a year.
Here are the submission deadlines for future journals:
August 30, 2023 - Volume Six
February 29, 2024 - Volume Seven
August 30, 2024 - Volume Eight
Guidelines
Submissions should be sent in the body of an email to this address: info@tcfffv.org
No attachments, please.
While we have not established a line or word count limit for submissions, please use discretion as we anticipate a large volume of entries for each quarterly edition.
All submissions should be original works that have not been previously published.
Please include your full name, mailing address, phone number, branch of service (if applicable), and any relevant social media or author links in the email with your poem(s). Poets are welcome to submit more than one poem per submission period.
Please include your full name, mailing address, phone number, branch of service (if applicable), and any relevant social media or author links in the email with your poem(s). Poets are welcome to submit more than one poem per submission period.
Many thanks to the organizations and individuals that have helped to spread the word about our poetry and short story journals to veterans and others!
Your Dispatches editorial staff has created a new section on our website to help MWSA members submit articles or advertisements for publication in our quarterly magazine.
In this new section of our website, you’ll find a
Submission form with requirements and instructions
includes a contact form and a file transfer portal to send documents and files
Click here to email our Dispatches staff with general inquiries or comments
