Next Meeting: Thursday, 8 October, at 6:30 p.m.
at Great Park Ice (888 Ridge Valley, Irvine)
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)
17 Nov meeting notes; 1 Dec reading list
17 NOVEMBER MEETING NOTES
Nine people attended: Burt (read three reworked chapters from Head First), Dena (read a chapter from A Novel Idea), Glenda, Lance, Maddie, Melodye, Rosie, Shari (read the reworked final chapter of Lost in Dance) and Stace.
News & Notes
More NaNo inspiration, via Maddie: “Sometimes you have to take the leap and build your wings on the way down.” (Yoji Yamada)
Our annual Holiday Party will take place starting 6:30 PM on 15 December at Burt’s place in Newport Beach. Our tentative speaker is Cheryl Arguile, who writes Victorian mysteries as Emily Brightwell. Directions will be distributed at the next two meetings. 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 not meet on 24 November. We will meet on 1 and 8 December, after which we’ll take our annual holiday hiatus. We resume our weekly schedule on 5 January 2012.
1 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 (11/17)
Stace (11/17)
Melodye (11/17)
JoAnne (11/3)
Rosie (11/17)
Jo (11/3)
Lance (11/17)
Maddie (11/17)
Casey (11/10)
Jonathan (11/10)
Burt (11/17)
Dena (11/17)
Shari (11/17)
Blog re DEAR BULLY book event at Vroman’s Bookstore
For those who couldn’t make it, I’ve posted a brief summary of our standing-room-only book event at Vroman’s. I’ve also uploaded some pictures…
http://newport2newport.livejournal.com/298309.html
~Melodye
10 Nov meeting notes; 17 Nov reading list
10 NOVEMBER MEETING NOTES
Eleven people attended: Burt, Casey (read a chapter from Francine Stein), Dena, Glenda, Jonathan (read a chapter from Bummin’ It), Lance, Maddie (read two chapters from Hit Me), Melodye, Rosie, Shari and Stace.
News & Notes
More NaNo inspiration: “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” (Pablo Picasso)
From Jonathan: Scrivener is now available for Windows.
Our annual Holiday Party will take place on 15 December at Burt’s place in Newport Beach. Our tentative speaker is Cheryl Arguile, who writes Victorian mysteries as Emily Brightwell. Directions will be distributed at the next four meetings. 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 not meet on 24 November. We will meet on 1 and 8 December, after which we’ll take our annual holiday hiatus. We resume our weekly schedule on 5 January 2012.
17 NOVEMBER 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 (11/10)
Stace (11/10)
Melodye (11/10)
JoAnne (11/3)
Burt (11/10)
Rosie (11/10)
Dena (11/10)
Jo (11/3)
Shari (11/10)
Lance (11/10)
Maddie (11/10)
Casey (11/10)
Jonathan (11/10)
Writer’s Digest books free on Kindle
By: Les Edgerton (Writers Digest Books)
Available for free in: United Kingdom, United States, Africa, Asia & Pacific, Australia, Canada, India, Middle East, Latin Am. & Caribbean
Updated: 11/06/2011 01:05am
Story Structure Architect
By: Victoria Lynn Schmidt (Writers Digest Books)
Available for free in: United Kingdom, United States, Africa, Australia, Canada, India, Middle East, Latin Am. & Caribbean
Updated: 11/06/2011 01:05am
The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing: Everything You Need to Know to Write, Publish, Promote and Sell Your Own Book (Complete Guide to Self-Publishing Everything)
By: Marilyn Ross (Writers Digest Books)
Available for free in: United Kingdom, United States, Africa, Asia & Pacific, Australia, India, Latin Am. & Caribbean
Updated: 11/06/2011 01:05am
The Complete Handbook Of Novel Writing: Everything You Need to Know About Creating & Selling Your Work (Writers Digest)
By: Editors of Writer’s Digest Books (Writers Digest Books)
Available for free in: United Kingdom, United States, Africa, Asia & Pacific, Australia, Canada, India, Middle East, Latin Am. & Caribbean
Updated: 11/06/2011 01:05am
How to Be a Writer: Building Your Creative Skills Through Practice and Play
By: Barbara Baig (Writers Digest Books)
Available for free in: United Kingdom, United States, Africa, Asia & Pacific, Australia, India, Latin Am. & Caribbean
Updated: 11/06/2011 01:05am
Getting the Words Right
By: Theodore Cheney (Writers Digest Books)
Available for free in: United Kingdom, United States, Africa, Australia, India, Latin Am. & Caribbean
Updated: 11/06/2011 01:05am
3 Nov meeting notes; 10 Nov reading list
3 NOVEMBER MEETING NOTES
Ten people attended: Burt, Dena, Glenda, Jo (read a chapter from Moonspell), JoAnne, Lance (read 2.5 chapters from Identity), Maddie, Melodye, Shari (read two chapters from Lost in Dance) and Stace.
News & Notes
More NaNo inspiration: “A writer is someone who finishes.” (Thomas Farber)
The next author event for Dear Bully (the anthology to which Melodye contributed) will be at Vroman’s in Pasadena on 9 November at 6:00 PM. Several of the contributors (including Melodye) will be present at the event.
Our annual Holiday Party will take place on 15 December at Burt’s place in Newport Beach. Our tentative speaker is Cheryl Arguile, who writes Victorian mysteries as Emily Brightwell. Directions will be distributed at the next four meetings. 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…)
Our final meeting of 2011 is 8 December, after which we take our annual holiday hiatus. We resume our weekly schedule on 5 January.
10 NOVEMBER 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 (11/3)
Stace (11/3)
Melodye (11/3)
JoAnne (11/3)
Maddie (11/3)
Burt (11/3)
Casey (10/27)
Rosie (10/27)
Jonathan (10/27)
Dena (11/3)
Jo (11/3)
Shari (11/3)
Lance (11/3)
Julia (9/22)
27 OCT. MEETING NOTES; 3 NOV. READING LIST (amended)
This entry corrects the 3 November reading list in my last posting. Sorry for the confusion! ~MS
27 OCTOBER MEETING NOTES
Nine people, a full docket of readings: Burt, Casey, Dena (read Chapter 1, THE NOVEL PLAN), Glenda, Jo, Maddie, Rosie (read Chapter 10, ON THIN ICE), Jonathan (read Chapters 15-16, BUMMIN’ IT), Melodye.
News & Notes
Need some NaNo inspiration? Here’s a ditty from Humpty Dumpty, via Jo:
“In autumn, when the leaves are brown / Take pen and ink, and write it down.” (Humpty Dumpty, in Through the Looking Glass)
On 3 November, we’ll determine the date for our annual holiday party. Check your availability against these dates: December 15, 28, or 29.
Our final meeting of 2011 is 8 December, after which we take our annual holiday hiatus. We resume our weekly schedule on 5 January.
How do you critique a critique group? Murderati takes a stab at the question, here (via Lance):
http://www.murderati.com/blog/2011/10/21/so-what-about-critique-groups.html
3 NOVEMBER 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 (10/27)
Stace (10/20)
Melodye (10/27)
JoAnne (10/20)
Jo (10/27)
Shari (10/20)
Maddie (10/27)
Burt (10/27)
Casey (10/27)
Lance (10/27)
Julia (9/22)
Rosie (10/27)
Jonathan (10/27)
Dena (10/27)
20 Oct meeting notes; 27 Oct reading list
20 OCTOBER MEETING NOTES
Lots of people, not so many readings: Burt, Casey, Dena, Glenda, Jo, JoAnne, Lance (read two chapters from Identity), Maddie, Melodye, Rosie, Shari and Stace.
Following the reading, the group engaged in a lengthy discussion about other activities we could engage in during meetings (such as craft-related readings or discussions of current projects).
News & Notes
During the 27 October meeting, Burt will propose some possible dates for the annual PFL holiday party. Be sure to bring your calendars so you can vote on the date.
Rosie (a South OC leader for NaNoWriMo) says it’s still not too late to sign up for NaNoWriMo on their newly-revamped website. If you’re interested in finding out more about NaNoWriMo, check the website or talk to Rosie.
Maddie says that Samuel Johnson said, “A novel is a long work of prose with something wrong with it.”
27 OCTOBER 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 (10/20)
Stace (10/20)
Melodye (10/20)
JoAnne (10/20)
Jo (10/20)
Shari (10/20)
Maddie (10/20)
Rosie (10/20)
Burt (10/20)
Casey (10/20)
Jonathan (10/13)
Dena (10/20)
Lance (10/20)
Julia (9/22)
13 Oct meeting notes; 20 Oct reading list
13 OCTOBER MEETING NOTES
Back into double digits with ten people attending: Burt (read the first chapter of his new project The Last Season), Casey (read a chapter from Francine Stein), Dena (now officially on our list), Glenda, Jonathan (read a chapter from Bummin’ It), Lance, Maddie, Melodye, Rosie and Stace.
News & Notes
Burt handed out a copy of the October 2011 Writer’s Digest annual hot list of agents.
Rosie (a South OC leader for NaNoWriMo) says the NaNoWriMo website has been retooled with more capacity and functionality. If you’re interested in finding out more about NaNoWriMo, check the website or talk to Rosie.
Dear Bully was featured in the 3 October issue of People magazine as a Top Pick for Kids and Teens. Also, CNN American Morning tapped co-contributor Janni Lee Simner to talk about her bullying experience (and Dear Bully) on 10 October.
20 OCTOBER 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 (10/13)
Stace (10/13)
Melodye (10/13)
JoAnne (9/29)
Lance (10/13)
Jo (10/6)
Shari (10/6)
Maddie (10/13)
Rosie (10/13)
Burt (10/13)
Casey (10/13)
Jonathan (10/13)
Julia (9/22)
Dena (10/13)
6 Oct meeting notes; 13 Oct reading list
6 OCTOBER MEETING NOTES
A compact seven people attended: Burt, Jo (read the reworked first chapter of Moonspell), Jonathan, Lance, Maddie (read a chapter from Hit Me), Rosie (read a reworked chapter from On Thin Ice) and Shari (read two chapters from Lost in Dance).
News & Notes
The OC branch of the California Writer’s Club will celebrate California Writers’ Week on 15 October with a free meeting at the Orange Public Library and History Center. Martin Smith, editor-in-chief of Orange Coast Magazine and writer of both fiction and non-fiction, will be the guest speaker. Details are available on the CWC Orange County website.
13 OCTOBER 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 (9/29)
Stace (9/29)
Julia (9/22)
Burt (10/6)
Melodye (9/8)
Casey (9/29)
Jonathan (10/6)
JoAnne (9/29)
Lance (10/6)
Jo (10/6)
Shari (10/6)
Maddie (10/6)
Rosie (10/6)
29 Sep meeting notes; 6 Oct reading list
29 SEPTEMBER MEETING NOTES
Ten people attended: Burt, Casey, Glenda, Jo, JoAnne (read Part 2 of her novella A Figment), Lance (read two chapters from Identity), Maddie, Shari, Stace and potential newcomer Dena.
News & Notes
Glenda passes on information about an unusual writing contest by Esquire magazine: write a short story with exactly 78 words by 7 October. Finalists win round-trip airfare to New York City, lodging and a writing workshop courtesy of the Aspen Writers’ Foundation. Rules are available on the Esquire website.
6 OCTOBER 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 (9/29)
Stace (9/29)
Julia (9/22)
Jo (9/29)
Burt (9/29)
Melodye (9/8)
Shari (9/29)
Maddie (9/29)
Rosie (9/22)
Casey (9/29)
Jonathan (9/22)
JoAnne (9/29)
Lance (9/29)
22 Sep meeting notes; 29 Sep reading list
22 SEPTEMBER MEETING NOTES
Nine people again: Burt, Casey (read a chapter from Francine Stein), JoAnne, Jonathan (read a revised chapter from Bummin’ It), Julia, Lance (read a revised chapter from Identity), Maddie, Rosie and Stace.
News & Notes
Glenda passes on information about the Scribbler’s Retreat Writer’s Conference 10-12 Nov 2011 on St. Simon’s Island, Georgia. Thriller writer Jamie Freveletti will be a featured speaker. Registration is $395. For more information, visit the conference website.
29 SEPTEMBER 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 (9/1)
Stace (9/22)
JoAnne (9/22)
Julia (9/22)
Jo (9/15)
Burt (9/22)
Melodye (9/8)
Shari (9/8)
Maddie (9/22)
Rosie (9/22)
Casey (9/22)
Lance (9/22)
Jonathan (9/22)
15 Sep meeting notes; 22 Sep reading list
15 SEPTEMBER MEETING NOTES
Nine people attended: Burt, Casey, Jo, Jonathan (read a revised chapter from Bummin’ It), Julia, Lance, Maddie (read two queries and a synopsis for Hit Me), Rosie (read a revised chapter from On Thin Ice) and Stace.
News & Notes
Check the Events page for upcoming book signings for DEAR BULLY: 70 Authors Tell Their Stories (6 Sep 2011, HarperTeen). NPR recently featured Dear Bully on the 7 Sep edition of Talk of the Nation. Several SoCal authors are featured in DEAR BULLY, including PFL’s Melodye Shore. You can read the reviews and learn more about the anthology at http://dearbully.com/.
22 SEPTEMBER 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 (9/1)
Stace (9/15)
JoAnne (9/8)
Julia (9/15)
Jo (9/15)
Burt (9/15)
Casey (9/15)
Melodye (9/8)
Lance (9/15)
Shari (9/8)
Maddie (9/15)
Jonathan (9/15)
Rosie (9/15)
