Next Meeting: Thursday, 19 February, at 6:30 p.m.
at the Tustin Marketplace Corner Bakery (13652 Jamboree Road, Irvine)
22 Mar meeting notes; 29 Mar reading list
22 MARCH MEETING NOTES
Ten members attended: Burt, Casey (read a chapter from Francine Stein), Glenda (read a reworked Part 1 of her short story “Golden Shadows”), JoAnne, Jonathan (read a reworked Chapter 1 of Bummin’ It), Lance, Maddie, Rosie, Shari and Stace.
News & Notes
Maddie mentioned that Dean Koontz will appear at the Laguna Playhouse on 2 April, 5:30-8:00 PM. Tickets are $50 for general admission and $40 for Laguna Playhouse Women.
29 MARCH 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 (3/22)
Maddie (3/22)
Melodye (3/15)
JoAnne (3/22)
Jo (3/15)
Julia (3/15)
Dena (3/15)
Rosie (3/22)
Burt (3/22)
Lance (3/22)
Shari (3/22)
Glenda (3/22)
Casey (3/22)
Jonathan (3/22)
15 March meeting notes; 22 March reading list
15 MARCH MEETING NOTES
Twelve members attended: Burt, Dena, Glenda, Jo, JoAnne, Jonathan, Julia, Lance (read four chapters from Identity), Melodye, Rosie, Shari (read three chapters from Lost in Dance) and Stace.
News & Notes
Dena reminds us of the 6th Annual Literary Orange conference at UC Irvine (see seperate post).
Glenda forwards this year’s Southern California Writers’ Association speaker schedule (see seperate post).
Jonathan mentioned a Romance University post by agent Sara Megibow of Nelson Literary Agency discussing the problems associated with representing a previously self-published novel.
The OC Romance Writers of America Romancing the Pages anthology will be released in late spring in ebook format. Rosie’s short story “Melting the Ice” will appear in this anthology, which showcases short romantic fiction of all subgenres.
22 MARCH 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 (3/15)
Maddie (3/1)
Melodye (3/15)
JoAnne (3/15)
Glenda (3/15)
Jo (3/15)
Casey (3/1)
Julia (3/15)
Dena (3/15)
Rosie (3/15)
Burt (3/15)
Jonathan (3/15)
Lance (3/15)
Shari (3/15)
8 March Meeting Notes; 15 March Reading List
8 MARCH MEETING NOTES
Eight members attended: Burt (READ 3 CHAPTERS FROM WORRY MAN), Glenda, JoAnne, Jonathan (READ 2 CHAPTERS FROM BUMMIN’ IT), Melodye, Rosie, Shari, and Stace.
News & Notes
Glenda heard that Barbara DeMarco Barrett has a memoir-writing symposium coming up sometimes around May, possibly at the S.C.A.P.E. Gallery in Corona Del Mar. Stay tuned for more updates.
Melodye mentioned that our email list might need a little spring cleaning. This week, we will discuss the weaning process as well as an ethical approach to keeping and/or distributing the email list to members for our own marketing purposes WHEN we get published.
15 MARCH 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 (3/8)
Maddie (2/23)
Melodye (3/8)
JoAnne (3/8)
Glenda (3/8)
Jo (3/1)
Lance (2/23)
Casey (3/1)
Shari (3/8)
Julia (3/1)
Dena (3/1)
Rosie (3/8)
Burt (3/8)
Jonathan (3/8)
1 March Meeting Notes; 8 March Reading List *REVISED*
Oops! The 8 March Reading List has been updated, in order to reflect everyone’s last date of attendance.
1 MARCH MEETING NOTES
Eleven members attended: Casey, Glenda, Jo, Maddie, Melodye, Rosie (read from ON THIN ICE), Shari, Burt, JoAnn, Dena (read from A NOVEL IDEA), and Melodye.
News & Notes
Dena discussed her experiences at the San Diego Writer’s Conference.
8 MARCH 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 (2/23)
Maddie (2/23)
Melodye (3/1)
JoAnne (3/1)
Glenda (3/1)
Jo (3/1)
Burt (3/1)
Julia (3/1)
Lance (2/23)
Casey (3/1)
Shari (3/1)
Jonathan (2/23)
Dena (3/1)
Rosie (3/1)
23 Feb meeting notes; 1 Mar reading list
23 FEBRUARY MEETING NOTES
Ten members attended: Casey (read a chapter from Francine Stein), Glenda, Jo, Jonathan (read two chapters from Bummin’ It), Lance, Maddie, Melodye, Rosie, Shari (read 1.5 chapters from Lost in Dance) and Stace.
News & Notes
Rosie’s short story “Melting the Ice” was selected for publication in the OC Romance Writers of America Romancing the Pages anthology. The anthology showcases short romantic fiction of all subgenres. Congratulations!
1 MARCH 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 (2/23)
Maddie (2/23)
Melodye (2/23)
JoAnne (2/16)
Glenda (2/23)
Dena (2/16)
Jo (2/23)
Burt (2/16)
Rosie (2/23)
Julia (2/9)
Lance (2/23)
Casey (2/23)
Shari (2/23)
Jonathan (2/23)
16 Feb meeting notes; 23 Feb reading list
16 FEBRUARY MEETING NOTES
Eleven members attended: Burt, Dena, Glenda, Jo, JoAnne, Lance (read four chapters from Identity), Maddie, Melodye, Rosie, Shari and Stace.
News & Notes
Rosie’s short story “Melting the Ice” was selected for publication in the OC Romance Writers of America Romancing the Pages anthology. The anthology showcases short romantic fiction of all subgenres. Congratulations!
If you write the old-school way (in pen, on paper), Melodye recommends the 24th Annual Los Angeles International Pen Show in Manhattan Beach, 16-19 February.
23 FEBRUARY 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 (2/16)
Maddie (2/16)
Melodye (2/16)
JoAnne (2/16)
Glenda (2/16)
Dena (2/16)
Jo (2/16)
Burt (2/16)
Rosie (2/16)
Casey (2/9)
Julia (2/9)
Shari (2/16)
Jonathan (2/9)
Lance (2/16)
9 Feb meeting notes; 16 Feb reading list
9 FEBRUARY MEETING NOTES
Nine members attended: Burt, Casey, Jo, JoAnne, Jonathan (read two chapters from Bummin’ It), Julia, Lance (read one reworked and one new chapter from Identity), Rosie and Shari (read two reworked chapters from Lost in Dance).
News & Notes
Jonathan’s Easter Island-set YA novel Eyes Like Gods is now available on Kindle from Amazon.
16 FEBRUARY 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 (2/2)
Maddie (2/2)
Melodye (2/2)
JoAnne (2/9)
Glenda (1/12)
Dena (1/26)
Jo (2/9)
Burt (2/9)
Rosie (2/9)
Casey (2/9)
Julia (2/9)
Shari (2/9)
Lance (2/9)
Jonathan (2/9)
2 Feb meeting notes; 9 Feb reading list
2 FEBRUARY MEETING NOTES
Eleven members attended: Burt, Casey (read a chapter from Francine Stein), Jo, Jonathan (read two chapters from Bummin’ It), Lance, Maddie, Melodye, Rosie, Shari, Stace and the long-awaited return of Julia.
News & Notes
Jonathan’s Easter Island-set YA novel Eyes Like Gods is now available on Kindle from Amazon.
9 FEBRUARY 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 (2/2)
Maddie (2/2)
Melodye (2/2)
JoAnne (1/19)
Glenda (1/12)
Dena (1/26)
Shari (2/2)
Jo (2/2)
Burt (2/2)
Lance (2/2)
Rosie (2/2)
Casey (2/2)
Jonathan (2/2)
Julia (2/2)
26 Jan meeting notes; 2 Feb reading list
26 JANUARY MEETING NOTES
Nine members attended: Burt (read the beginning of his novella Worry Man), Casey, Dena, Jonathan (read two chapters from Bummin’ It), Lance (read two chapters from Identity), Melodye, Rosie, Shari and Stace.
News & Notes
Dear Bully, the anthology to which Melodye contributed an essay, has been nominated for the 2012 Teen Choice Book of the Year Award. The link explains the award, lists the nominees and provides you an opportunity to vote for the finalists.
Jonathan told us about the new Apple iBooks Author software for creating multimedia e-books. It’s positioned for the textbook market now, but will likely move into commercial publishing soon.
2 FEBRUARY 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 (1/26)
Maddie (1/12)
Melodye (1/26)
JoAnne (1/19)
Glenda (1/12)
Rosie (1/26)
Dena (1/26)
Shari (1/26)
Casey (1/26)
Jo (1/19)
Burt (1/26)
Jonathan (1/26)
Lance (1/26)
Word count guidelines by genre
Posted in Colleen Lindsay’s blog The Swivet. Colleen is part of the business development team at Penguin Group (USA), a former agent, and community manager at Book Country. Originally written in 2008, she updated the information in late 2010.
The post: http://theswivet.blogspot.com/2008/03/on-word-counts-and-novel-length.html
19 Jan meeting notes; 26 Jan reading list
19 JANUARY MEETING NOTES
Nine members attended: Burt, Casey, Jo (read a chapter from Moonspell), JoAnne, Jonathan (read two chapters from Bummin’ It), Lance (read five chapters from Identity), Melodye, Rosie and Stace.
News & Notes
Dear Bully, the anthology to which Melodye contributed an essay, has been nominated for the 2012 Teen Choice Book of the Year Award. The link explains the award, lists the nominees and provides you an opportunity to vote for the finalists.
Also from Melodye: Nicola Morgan (UK author of 90+ books & is a writing consultant) just released her newest work, Write a Great Synopsis: An Expert Guide. From now until the end of January, you can download it to your Kindle for $1.50.
Glenda recommends Pico Iyer’s defense of the long and winding sentence, recently published in the Los Angeles Times.
26 JANUARY 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 (1/19)
Maddie (1/12)
Burt (1/19)
Melodye (1/19)
Jonathan (1/19)
Lance (1/19)
JoAnne (1/19)
Glenda (1/12)
Rosie (1/19)
Dena (1/12)
Shari (1/12)
Casey (1/19)
Jo (1/19)
Jonathan (1/19)
Lance (1/19)
12 Jan meeting notes; 19 Jan reading list
12 JANUARY MEETING NOTES
Eleven members attended: Burt, Casey (read a chapter from Francine Stein), Dena (read two reworked chapters from A Novel Idea), Glenda, Jo, Jonathan, Lance, Maddie, Rosie, Shari (read four reworked chapters from Lost in Dance) and Stace.
News & Notes
The latest edition of Barbara DeMarco-Barrett’s Pen on Fire Writers Salon will feature a return engagement of T. Jefferson Parker, who will discuss his newest book The Jaguar. The Salon takes place at the Scape Gallery in Corona del Mar. The event is currently sold out, but you can send an email to ask to be placed on a waiting list.
19 JANUARY 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 (1/12)
Maddie (1/12)
Burt (1/12)
Jo (1/12)
Melodye (1/5)
Jonathan (1/12)
Lance (1/12)
JoAnne (1/5)
Glenda (1/12)
Rosie (1/12)
Dena (1/12)
Shari (1/12)
Casey (1/12)
5 Jan meeting notes; 12 Jan reading list
5 JANUARY MEETING NOTES
We started the year with every active member (all 13): Burt, Casey, Dena, Glenda (!)(read part one of her long short story “Golden Shadows”), Jo, JoAnne, Jonathan, Lance, Maddie, Melodye, Rosie (read a short-story spinoff from On Thin Ice, “Melting the Ice”), Shari and Stace. Not only did everyone show up, but seven people brought readings, which is probably a record.
News & Notes
Scrivener for Windows is now a real product.
The Writer’s Store is offering a free downloadable Don’t Break the Chain calendar. You use it to set your word goals for writing, and to try not to break the chain of writing every day.
Alicia Raslet at Edittorrent offers a primer on using sensory input for scene-setting.
Terrible Minds’ Chuck Wendig wrote a much-Tweeted list of 25 things writers should stop doing (right f**king now). As you might be able to tell, operatic profanity is involved.
Finally, The Simpsons took on the business of writing blockbuster YA novels. As a bonus, there’s an animated Neil Gaiman involved. Enjoy.
12 JANUARY 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 (1/5)
Maddie (1/5)
Burt (1/5)
Dena (1/5)
Shari (1/5)
Jo (1/5)
Casey (1/5)
Melodye (1/5)
Jonathan (1/5)
Lance (1/5)
JoAnne (1/5)
Glenda (1/5)
Rosie (1/5)
8 Dec meeting notes; 5 Jan reading list
8 DECEMBER MEETING NOTES
Nine people attended our final meeting of 2011: Burt, Glenda, Jo, Jonathan (read 1.5 chapters from Bummin’ It), Lance (read 2.5 chapters from Identity), Maddie, Melodye (read a partial chapter from Can I Have a Witness?), Rosie and Stace. Jo brought home-made almond roca!
News & Notes
Our annual Holiday Party will take place starting 6:30 PM on 15 December at Burt’s place in Newport Beach. Our speaker will be Cheryl Arguile, who writes Victorian mysteries as Emily Brightwell. Remember what you signed up to bring.
Another of Glenda’s works will soon be published. The First Line Literary Journal will print her essay “To the Stars and Back” early next year. The essay speaks to Jack London’s The Star Rover, one of her favorite novels. Congratulations, Glenda!
We’ll resume our weekly meeting schedule on 5 January 2012.
5 JANUARY READING LIST
Please review this list for accuracy. If you discover any mistakes or omissions, please let us know in advance of the meeting.
Glenda (12/8)
Stace (12/8)
Rosie (12/8)
Maddie (12/8)
Burt (12/8)
Dena (12/1)
Shari (12/1)
Jo (12/8)
Casey (12/1)
Melodye (12/8)
Jonathan (12/8)
Lance (12/8)
JoAnne (11/3)
1 Dec meeting notes; 8 Dec reading list
1 DECEMBER MEETING NOTES
Eleven people attended: Burt, Casey (read a chapter from Francine Stein), Dena, Glenda, Jo (read a partial chapter from Moonspell), Lance (read 1.5 chapters from Identity), Maddie, Melodye, Rosie, Shari and Stace.
News & Notes
Our final NaNo writing prod, via Maddie: “Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.” (Haruki Murakami)
Another of Glenda’s works will soon be published! The First Line Literary Journal will print her essay “To the Stars and Back” early next year. The essay speaks to Jack London’s The Star Rover, one of her favorite novels. Congratulations, Glenda!
Our annual Holiday Party will take place starting 6:30 PM on 15 December at Burt’s place in Newport Beach. Our speaker will be Cheryl Arguile, who writes Victorian mysteries as Emily Brightwell. Directions will be distributed at the next meeting. A food signup will also appear at the next meeting so we can ensure we don’t end up with ten different desserts (although it’s unclear why that’s a problem…)
We will meet on 8 December, after which we’ll take our annual holiday hiatus. We resume our weekly schedule on 5 January 2012.
8 DECEMBER READING LIST
Please review this list for accuracy. If you discover any mistakes or omissions, please let us know in advance of the meeting.
Glenda (12/1)
Stace (12/1)
Melodye (12/1)
JoAnne (11/3)
Rosie (12/1)
Maddie (12/1)
Jonathan (11/10)
Burt (12/1)
Dena (12/1)
Shari (12/1)
Jo (12/1)
Lance (12/1)
Casey (12/1)
Pure Fiction League 