6 Aug meeting notes; 13 Aug reading list

6 AUGUST MEETING NOTES

In a great improvement over last week, nine people attended: Burt, Casey, Donna (read a chapter from Running with Hounds…and an English Degree), Jo, Lance (read a chapter from the Fake reboot), Lisa W. (back from a one-year-plus sabbatical), Marianna (read a chapter from Red Snow, Gold Clouds, plus a query and synopsis), Rosie, and Rosie’s guest Wendy V., a writer of steampunk and Regency romance (though not at the same time).

News and Notes

We once again discussed reading a writing-related book starting in September. When we did this in the past, we’d pick a book and set aside one reading slot (50 minutes) per month to discuss a certain number of chapters; discussion leadership circulates among members. The list of the last few books we read is available here. Qualifications:

• The book is widely available online or in bookstores;
• The author is/was a working writer who wrote things other than books about writing;
• The subject should be applicable to a wide range of genres; and,
• The book should be practical rather than theoretical.

Books nominated so far:

• How Not to Write a Novel, by Howard Mittelmark & Sandra Newman
• Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder
• Screenwriting Tricks for Authors, by Alexandra Sokoloff
• Inside Story: The Power of the Transformational Arc, by Dara Marks
• How to Write Dazzling Dialogue: The Fastest Way to Improve Any Manuscript, by James Scott Bell
• Blueprint Your Bestseller: Organize and Revise Any Manuscript with the Book Architecture Method, by Stuart Horwitz

The next LIT UP! will be held on 18 August at Kean Coffee in Tustin. Find more details on the LIT UP! Facebook page.
13 AUGUST READING LIST

Rosie (8/6)
Shari (7/9)
Maddie (7/23)
JoAnne (7/23)
Jo (8/6)
Steve J. (6/18)
Mark H. (6/25)
Burt (8/6)
John M. (7/23)
Glenda (7/16)
Casey (8/6)
Marianna (8/6)
Donna (8/6)
Lance (8/6)
Lisa W. (8/6)