To march means to walk quickly with an air of determination. It hints at striding toward goals in relentless pursuit of progress. It’s a journey from where you are now to a specific destination. As a writer, what’s your goal this month? Write it on a sticky note, or pin it to a bulletin board …
March 2011 President’s Message from Violet Carr Moore Read More »
Some writers keep a file of plot ideas, or characters they want to explore. Some have whole scenes written, waiting for the right project to wrap around them. I have a list of titles waiting for a story. Some come from placards. Museums are great places to get title ideas – I found Nodding Onion …
Where did all the commas go, long time passing? Where did all the commas go-o, long time ago? Where did all the commas go? Gone to hyphens every one. When will they ever learn; when will they e-e-ver learn? Elaine Schmitz wrote that for our critique group after I sent them this quote from the …
Where have all the commas gone by Lani Longshore Read More »
Sprinkled with groundhog traditions, valentine hearts and flowers and a presidential holiday, February blends white snow and black top hats, red roses and chocolates and grayscale history. Twenty-eight days with sunrise one minute earlier and sunset one minute later every day except February 20. That Sunday morning, the sun will rise two minutes earlier. Celebrate …
February 2011 President’s Mesage from Violet Carr Moore Read More »
“Albert,” I said, “I wrote up a sketch from our conversation about your experiences during the 70s. I don’t want to overstep, but if you’re okay with it, I’ll type it up and email it to you so you can take a look at it.” Albert laughed, “I might I steal it.” “That’d be great …
Three more Tri-Valley Writers members have publication announcements: Jamuna Devi Advani’s book, Land of the Dancing Deer, is part reflections, part memoir. Available at www.lulu.com in soft cover edition or PDF download. Coming to www.amazon.com in mid-to-late March. Fred Norman shares a secret of his teen years in Schwinn Thirteen, published on-line at Writer Advice. …
Jamuna Devi Advani, Fred Norman and Sharon Svitak published Read More »
The countdown. The sparkling ball drops in Times Square and revelers celebrate the new year. Morning light of the first day demands action for writers. Will it be the first words in a new journal? A soul-stirring winter poem? A revision of a short story that becomes an award-winning anthology entry?
At the December CWC meeting, several of us got to talking about characters. In particular, character voice and how to keep each character separate, different, unique. Several days later as wrapping paper flew; a common theme emerged in my residence. With a baby girl celebrating her first birthday and Christmas, the play area was awash …
Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords, will provide an information–packed primer on ebook publishing. Attendees will learn best practices to easily produce, publish, distribute and market an ebook. The presentation draws upon Mark’s experience helping over 11,000 Smashwords authors publish and distribute over 25,000 ebooks. Smashwords is based in Los Gatos. The company operates the world’s …
Mark Coker, Smashwords – The Seven Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success Read More »
A new year is a good time to give thanks, and I give thanks to literature. After all, I owe my existence to a novel. My mother’s people are Russian pacifists. Late in the 19th century their commitment to peace clashed with the Tsar’s commitment to a large army, with predictable results. Leo Tolstoy was …
The Count, the Quakers, the Queen, and me by Lani Longshore Read More »
