When the car passed in the dark street, my first thought was, “What sort of story will that driver tell about us later today?” My husband, son, and I trundled through the dark and cold, way-before-dawn, to view the eclipse of the Blue Blood Moon. Our neighborhood is filled with street lights, but within a …
Point of View and People Watching Me by Lani Longshore Read More »
Mark Coker, a former Silicon Valley publicist, started Smashwords in 2008 with the lofty goal of using technology to democratize publishing—allowing writers to appeal directly to readers without having to deal with gatekeepers such as agents and editors. To date, Smashwords has published over 475,000 books. Smashwords is a no cost, no frills, way to …
Mark Coker “How to E-Publish and Sell Your Book” March 17, 2018 Read More »
Every January offers a chance to reinvent yourself, including your writing self. If you aren’t satisfied with where you are and what you are doing as a writer, now is the time to try something new. 1. Create your own writing prompts. As you go through your day, jot down the odd questions that pop …
Three Steps to Become A Better Writer by Lani Longshore Read More »
Alan Rinzler, a consulting editor, will speak to local writers Saturday, Feb. 17, about “how valiant agents and publishers are still taking chances on debut writers despite the dwindling unit sales and net profits of the book business today.” Rinzler will also discuss his 56 years of experience as Assistant Managing Editor at Simon and …
Alan Rinzler presents “Once More Unto the Breach,” February 17, 2018 Read More »
Shameless self-promotion alert, I’ll have a new book coming out in the next couple of months. I’m evaluating ways to promote it, and Julaina Kleist-Corwin gave me a suggestion: try video. Julaina leads the Tri-Valley Writers Social Media Group. Each month she presents great tips about building your platform. Her research indicates that more and …
Jordan Bernal published her middle-grade spin-off fantasy novel, Reluctant Paladin, in October. Set in a modern day Ireland, protected by dragons and their riders, Reluctant Paladin is a coming-of-age story about a boy who must confront the school bully and keep the dragon clan secret while caring for an injured, wingless, newborn dragonet. Ruth …
Jordan Rosenfeld, who presented a workshop for Tri-Valley Writers on character and point of view, gave a brief writing exercise on creating new metaphors and similes. She presented a list of phrases that had become cliches and challenged us to create something fresh. I thought a different way of saying right as rain could be …
Similes, Metaphors and Phrases by Lani Longshore Read More »
Celebrate the new year with others whose passion for writing is as strong as your own! Our Winterfest celebration will be a member-led Workshop à La Carte. The workshop is designed to help writers polish their work for anthologies such as Tri-Valley Writers fourth anthology to be published in late 2018, writing contests, collections of …
Author Sofia Grant will speak to writers about how to create emotional depth in a novel at our final meeting of the year. This presentation offers an overview of emotion’s relationship to plot and character and introduces a variety of ways to add emotional depth. Learn to avoid common pitfalls and create your character’s “emotion palette.” …
Sofia Grant presents How to Create Emotional Depth in a Novel Read More »
I have a pad of paper on a magnet on the refrigerator for the grocery list. There are stacks of scrap paper by the telephone, and a legal pad on my nightstand for ideas that wake me from a sound sleep. One could believe I am a die-hard devotee of paper as the perfect writing …
