Next Meeting: Thursday, 19 February, at 6:30 p.m.
at the Tustin Marketplace Corner Bakery (13652 Jamboree Road, Irvine)
24 Oct meeting notes; 31 Oct reading list
24 OCTOBER MEETING NOTES
Eleven people attended: Burt (read the finale of Jocks), Casey, Glenda, Jo, JoAnne, Lance, Maddie, Richard, Rosie, Shari and Stace.
News & Notes
We once again discussed Maddie’s idea to branch out and emulate San Diego Writers, Ink by organizing events geared toward the larger writing community in Orange County. This could involve workshops, author events, and writing salons. We’d need to take care not to duplicate what other groups, such as SCWC, are doing. Homework: PFL members should consider what kinds of events they’d (a) enjoy and (b) support. We’ll go over ideas in a couple weeks.
Yes, we are meeting on Halloween.
31 OCTOBER READING LIST
Stace (10/24)
Richard (10/24)
Casey (10/24)
JoAnne (10/24)
Rosie (10/24)
Glenda (10/24)
Lance (10/24)
Jo (10/24)
Shari (10/24)
Maddie (10/24)
Burt (10/24)
17 Oct meeting notes; 24 Oct reading list
17 OCTOBER MEETING NOTES
Eight people attended: Burt (read three chapters from Jocks), Casey, Lance, Maddie (read a chapter from Hit Me), Richard, Rosie, Shari (read three chapters from Raised to Win) and Stace.
News & Notes
Rosie reminds us there is a slate of pre-NaNoWriMo activities scheduled hereabouts to get you set up for NaNo madness in November. Meetups and events are posted in the Nano website’s Orange County North forum.
Shari has volunteered to host the PFL Holiday Party. The tentative date is Wednesday, 11 December. More to follow.
Maddie brought up the idea that a way to grow the group — and to help promote indie authors, of which we have three in our normal rotation — is to take a page from San Diego Writers, Ink and consider organizing events geared toward the larger writing community in Orange County. This could allow us to make connections with the various other writers’ groups in the county, as well as provide value-added for ourselves and prospective members. She’ll gather some ideas from SDWI, Pen on Fire, and other similar efforts. Consider this, and we’ll discuss it in a couple of meetings.
24 OCTOBER READING LIST
Stace (10/17)
Richard (10/17)
Casey (10/17)
JoAnne (9/26)
Rosie (10/17)
Glenda (10/10)
Lance (10/17)
Jo (10/10)
Shari (10/17)
Maddie (10/17)
Burt (10/17)
Joe H. (9/5)
10 Oct meeting notes; 17 Oct reading list
10 OCTOBER MEETING NOTES
Seven people attended: Burt, Casey, Glenda, Jo (read a chapter from Moonspell), Lance (read two chapters from South), Rosie and Stace.
17 OCTOBER READING LIST
Stace (10/10)
Richard (10/3)
Casey (10/10)
JoAnne (9/26)
Rosie (10/10)
Shari (10/3)
Maddie (10/3)
Glenda (10/10)
Burt (10/10)
Lance (10/10)
Jo (10/10)
Joe H. (9/5)
3 Oct meeting notes; 10 Oct reading list
3 OCTOBER MEETING NOTES
It’s autumn — ten people attended: Burt (read five chapters from Jocks), Casey, Glenda (read a short essay, “The Treetoppers”), Jo (read a chapter from Moonspell), Lance, Maddie (read a chapter from Hit Me), Richard, Rosie, Shari and Stace.
News & Notes
If you’re interested in joining the NaNoWriMo madness fast approaching, you can attend the NaNo Write-Ins hosted by Rosie at our very own Panera Bread, Fridays 6-9 p.m. The Write-Ins are both instruction and support groups for NaNo participants.
10 OCTOBER READING LIST
Stace (10/3)
Richard (10/3)
Casey (10/3)
JoAnne (9/26)
Rosie (10/3)
Shari (10/3)
Lance (10/3)
Maddie (10/3)
Glenda (10/3)
Burt (10/3)
Jo (10/3)
Joe H. (9/5)
26 Sep meeting notes; 3 Oct reading list
26 SEPTEMBER MEETING NOTES
Eight people attended: Burt, Casey (read a query for the novel formerly known as Francine Stein), Glenda, Jo, JoAnne, Lance (read three chapters from South), Maddie and Shari (read a chapter from Raised to Win).
3 OCTOBER READING LIST
Stace (9/19)
Richard (9/19)
Casey (9/26)
Maddie (9/26)
Glenda (9/26)
Joe H. (9/5)
JoAnne (9/26)
Burt (9/26)
Rosie (9/19)
Jo (9/26)
Shari (9/26)
Lance (9/26)
19 Sep meeting notes; 26 Sep reading list
19 SEPTEMBER MEETING NOTES
Nine people attended: Burt, Glenda, Jo (read a revised chapter from Moonspell), JoAnne, Lance (read two chapters from South), Richard, Rosie, Shari (read two chapters from Raised to Win) and Stace.
News & Notes
The Independent Writers of Southern California meet at the Tustin Library on the third Thursday of every month. According to their website, IWOSC “provides writers of the greater Los Angeles area with several opportunities to get together with other writers each month.”
26 SEPTEMBER READING LIST
Stace (9/19)
Richard (9/19)
Casey (9/12)
Maddie (8/29)
Glenda (9/19)
Joe H. (9/5)
JoAnne (9/19)
Burt (9/19)
Rosie (9/19)
Shari (9/19)
Lance (9/19)
Jo (9/19)
12 Sep meeting notes; 19 Sep reading list
12 SEPTEMBER MEETING NOTES
Eight people attended: Burt (read two chapters from Jocks), Casey, Glenda, Jo (read a chapter from Moonspell), Lance, Rosie (read a revised chapter from On Thin Ice), Shari and Stace.
News & Notes
Casey got the PFL Twitter feed going (@pureficleague). The tweets are now reflected in the timeline on the PFL website sidebar. If you don’t have a Twitter account, you can still see the feed at http://www.twitter.com/pureficleague. Good job, Casey!
19 SEPTEMBER READING LIST
Stace (9/12)
Richard (8/22)
Casey (9/12)
Maddie (8/29)
Glenda (9/12)
Joe H. (9/5)
Shari (9/12)
Lance (9/12)
JoAnne (7/25)
Burt (9/12)
Jo (9/12)
Rosie (9/12)
PFL’s on Twitter!
The @pureficleague Twitter feed is now live, and tweeting about things writerly or literary.
If you’re in Twitter, follow @pureficleague. If you’re not, go to https://twitter.com/pureficleague on your browser, or come to the website and read the tweets on our new Twitter timeline widget.
Many thanks to Casey for getting this going.
5 Sep meeting notes; 12 Sep reading list
5 SEPTEMBER MEETING NOTES
Seven people attended: Casey, Joe H., Lance (read a chapter from South), Rosie, Shari (read three revised chapters from Raised to Win) and Stace.
News & Notes
After more discussion, Casey will begin to implement a PFL Twitter feed. It will be used to pass on writing-related Web discoveries and tweets that could benefit both members and outsiders. It could also raise the group’s visibility, which could bring in new members. Once the account is set up, Lance will add a Twitter timeline to the PFL website’s right-hand sidebar so non-Twerps can see what’s gone out.
Joe H., having just joined PFL, will be going off to his own three-month writer’s retreat in the wilds of coastal British Columbia. Watch out for the bears.
12 SEPTEMBER READING LIST
Stace (9/5)
Richard (8/22)
Casey (9/5)
Burt (8/1)
Jo (9/5)
Rosie (9/5)
Maddie (8/29)
Glenda (8/22)
Joe H. (9/5)
Shari (9/5)
Lance (9/5)
JoAnne (7/25)
29 Aug meeting notes; 5 Sep reading list
29 AUGUST MEETING NOTES
A cozy six people attended: Casey, Joe H. (read part of the first chapter of Anywhere But Here), Lance (read a revised chapter from South), Maddie, Rosie and Stace.
News & Notes
Casey floated the idea of a PFL Twitter feed. It could be used to pass on writing-related Web discoveries and tweets that could benefit both members and outsiders. It could also raise the group’s visibility, which could bring in new members. WordPress.com allows for widgets that display tweets from a single account, so we would be able to display the PFL tweets on the blog. We’ll discuss this further next time.
Maddie brought up the issue that PFL is hosting fewer readings these days. Members who drive some distance during rush hour to get to our meetings would appreciate getting an entire meeting for their trouble. She pointed out that the group guidelines allow members to read twice during a single meeting if there’s an empty spot that would otherwise go unused. She encouraged members who can do so to bring a “standby” reading in case there’s a hole to be filled.
5 SEPTEMBER READING LIST
Stace (8/29)
JoAnne (7/25)
Richard (8/22)
Casey (8/29)
Burt (8/1)
Jo (8/22)
Rosie (8/29)
Maddie (8/29)
Glenda (8/22)
Shari (8/22)
Joe H. (8/29)
Lance (8/29)
22 Aug meeting notes; 29 Aug reading list
22 AUGUST MEETING NOTES
Nine people attended: Casey, Glenda (read Part 2 of the revision of her short story “The Ancestor Train”), Jo, Joe H., Lance (read a chapter from South), Maddie, Richard, Shari (read a reworked chapter from Raised to Win) and Stace.
News & Notes
Joe H. told us about Authonomy, an online community for authors run by HarperCollins. According to their FAQs, “Authonomy invites unpublished and self published authors to post their manuscripts for visitors to read online. Authors create their own personal page on the site to host their project – and must make at least 10,000 words available for the public to read.” Readers then can rate and review the excerpts. The site also occasionally sponsors themed writing-related contests. HarperCollins editors may use this site as their slush pile.
29 AUGUST READING LIST
Stace (8/22)
JoAnne (7/25)
Richard (8/22)
Casey (8/22)
Burt (8/1)
Jo (8/22)
Rosie (8/8)
Maddie (8/22)
Joe H. (8/22)
Lance (8/22)
Glenda (8/22)
Shari (8/22)
15 Aug meeting notes; 22 Aug reading list
15 AUGUST MEETING NOTES
Seven people attended: Casey, Glenda (read Part I of the revision of her short story “The Ancestor Train”), Jo, Joe H. (now an official member), Lance, Maddie (read a chapter from Hit Me), and Shari (read a reworked chapter from Raised to Win).
News & Notes
Casey shared a post on Lit Reactor written by Chuck Palahniuk about “thought verbs” and how to replace them with shown action. Lit Reactor features a number of essays on writing topics written by working authors.
The Red Line is an online zine publishing short fiction. Its selection process takes the form of a contest: writers send in submissions of up to 3500 words, the entries are culled down to 6-8 per bi-monthly edition, then a panel of judges selects the best, which wins £50. If you’re interested, check the site’s Submissions page.
22 AUGUST READING LIST
Please review this list for accuracy. If you discover any mistakes or omissions, please let us know in advance of the meeting.
Stace (8/1)
JoAnne (7/25)
Richard (8/8)
Casey (8/15)
Burt (8/1)
Jo (8/15)
Rosie (8/8)
Lance (8/15)
Glenda (8/15)
Maddie (8/15)
Shari (8/15)
Joe H. (8/15)
8 Aug meeting notes; 15 Aug reading list
8 AUGUST MEETING NOTES
Eight people attended: Casey, Glenda, Jo, Lance (read two chapters from South), Maddie, Richard, Rosie (read a revised chapter from On Thin Ice) and Shari.
15 AUGUST READING LIST
Please review this list for accuracy. If you discover any mistakes or omissions, please let us know in advance of the meeting.
Stace (8/1)
JoAnne (7/25)
Richard (8/8)
Casey (8/8)
Glenda (8/8)
Maddie (8/8)
Shari (8/8)
Burt (8/1)
Jo (8/8)
Rosie (8/8)
Lance (8/8)
1 Aug meeting notes; 8 Aug reading list
1 AUGUST MEETING NOTES
Eight people attended: Burt, Casey, Glenda, Lance (read two chapters from South), Richard, Rosie (read a chapter from On Thin Ice), Stace, and potential new member Joe H.
News & Notes
Casey mentioned this post on author Lydia Sharp’s blog concerning the top three things agents ask when making The Call, and the three things that authors obsess about that agents don’t ask about.
8 AUGUST READING LIST
Please review this list for accuracy. If you discover any mistakes or omissions, please let us know in advance of the meeting.
Stace (8/1)
JoAnne (7/25)
Richard (8/1)
Casey (8/1)
Glenda (8/1)
Maddie (7/25)
Shari (7/25)
Burt (8/1)
Rosie (8/1)
Lance (8/1)
Jo (6/27)
25 July meeting notes; 1 Aug reading list
25 JULY MEETING NOTES
Eight people attended: Burt (read three chapters from Jocks), Casey, Glenda, JoAnne, Lance (read three chapters from South), Maddie, Shari and Stace.
News & Notes
Burt passed out notes from James Scott Bell’s presentation at last month’s Sisters-in-Crime Crime Writers’ Conference in Pasadena.
Casey spotted this article in The Atlantic featuring a lengthy discussion by Stephen King on how he approaches opening lines in his work.
1 AUGUST READING LIST
Please review this list for accuracy. If you discover any mistakes or omissions, please let us know in advance of the meeting.
Stace (7/25)
JoAnne (7/25)
Richard (7/11)
Casey (7/25)
Jo (6/27)
Glenda (7/25)
Rosie (7/18)
Maddie (7/25)
Shari (7/25)
Burt (7/25)
Lance (7/25)
Pure Fiction League 