Margaret Lucke, Noted Novelist, Editor, and Writing Teacher, June 15, 2024

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Tension, pacing and suspense are essential aspects of successful storytelling. Join noted author, editor, and writing teacher Margaret Lucke at our June 15 meeting to explore these three important topics. Whether you are writing fiction, creative nonfiction, or memoir, this discussion will provide you with valuable tips, and techniques for crafting a powerful and rewarding story.
Every great story is a suspense story, no matter what its genre might be. Suspense is the artful balance you create between the readers’ hopes and doubts, between their concern for your characters and their uncertainty about what lies ahead. The flip side of suspense, and just as important, is tension—the means by which you induce your reader to make an emotional investment in your story.
Pacing, the tempo or rate of speed at which your story moves, is one of your key tools for building and controlling tension and suspense and giving your reader the kind of powerful experience that is the goal of storytelling.
In this presentation, we will look at ways you can make your readers ask, “What happens next?” and keep them turning pages in their eager quest for the answer.

HSWC Awards Ceremony, Keynote: Penny Warner, May 19, 2024

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Join Tri-Valley Writers on Sunday, May 19, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. at the Livermore Library as we celebrate the winners of the 13th annual “My Story, My Vision” high school writing contest. High school students in Danville, Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton, and San Ramon submitted works in fiction, poetry, or nonfiction. As writers know, and as TVW Member Patricia Boyle once said, “It takes great courage for students to submit writing to strangers to evaluate and comment on it. I’m proud of the students who entered the contest and took the risk of sharing their work.”

So come support local high school students’ successes as the winners receive their awards and read their submissions. This event is free and open to the public.

Keynote Speaker Penny Warner will impart wonderful encouragement and knowledge to the students and audience alike. Penny has published over 80 books, including the three-time award-winning middle-grade mystery series, THE CODE BUSTERS CLUB. She has also written the award-nominee The Official Nancy Drew Handbook, and is the author of three adult mystery series, including Dead Body Language, How to Host a Killer Party, and Death of a Chocolate Cheater, as well as a newspaper column on family life for 30 years. She and her husband, Tom, create fund-raising murder mystery events for libraries across the country. She can be reached at pennywarnerink@yahoo.com.

National Poetry Month: Dublin Style

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Dublin, CA has been transformed into a poetry lover’s dream for National Poetry Month (April). Twenty-Five poets from Dublin, the SF Bay Area, and beyond have “Poetry Posters” featured in 25 Dublin local businesses. The following TVW members are included in this event:

Constance Hanstedt for “Dry Season” at Bagel Street Café; Marie Anne Poudret for “Desire” at The Wave; Patricia Boyle for “Soap Bubble” at Fresh Millions Restaurant; James Morehead for “Listen|Dream|Imagine|Rise|Read|Remember” at Dublin Civic Center; Abbey Lynne Rays for “Call On Our Daughters” at Athens Burgers; Marilyn Dykstra for “Our Tuesday Walks” at Destination Baby and Kids; Monique Rardin Richardson for “shifts of sanity” at Ace Hardware; and Linda Drattell for “Compliment” at United Car Stereo.

Eva Barrows and Lila LaBine, Editors, May 18, 2024

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Two editors, Eva Barrows and Lila LaBine, will present “Get Ready to Publish: Selecting the Right Editor for Your Writing Project” at the Tri-Valley Writers May 18, 2024, meeting. Eva Barrows is a developmental editor and content manager, and Lila LaBine is a novel and screenplay editor. Whether taking the traditional publishing route or striking out on your own self-publishing journey, working with a professional editor is essential. An independent editor partner can provide the invaluable feedback needed to revise and put the final polish on your manuscript. Increase the probability of hooking readers and holding their attention all the way through your manuscript with the guidance of editorial feedback.

In this presentation, Eva Barrows and Lila LaBine will introduce the different types of editing professionals who can help writers through various stages of the writing process. Big-picture developmental editors look at the structure, flow, and reader experience, while copy and line editors get into sentence-level details. Discover which type of editor you need now.

They’ll explore how to find an editing professional you jive with and what the ideal editor/author partnership entails. Learn about interviewing potential editors, what deliverables to expect, and how to support your editor partner. Gain confidence in what step to take next in your publishing journey.

Member Success: Publications

Member News / By

Monique Richardson’s  book, Despina, has been published and can be purchased at Barnes and Noble and Amazon. She was also on the SolFul Connections podcast talking about her memoir. Her poem, “Now She Knows,” was published in The Wingless Dreamers Poetry on Life anthology.

Member Success

Member News / By

George Cramer will be attending Left Coast Crime in Seattle. He will be a panelist discussing Talking About Tough Topics: Writing About Addiction, Mental Illness, PTSD, etc. George and renowned Police Psychologist Dr. Ellen Kirschman are offering Coffee with a Cop for a no-holds-barred conversation about cops, both real and fictional. Free ticket reservations for Coffee with a Cop will open on March 1st at
https://CoffeeWithCop.eventbrite.com

Gillian Wegener, Poet, April 20, 2024

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Gillian Wegener, published poet, and president of the Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center, will present “The Relevance of Poetry in Our Everyday Lives, or Poetry and Why it Makes Our Lives Better,” at the Tri-Valley Writers April 20, 2024, meeting. We turn to poetry in times of grief and in times of celebration. It comforts us, it inspires us, and it connects us to each other. Every year someone says that poetry is dead or dying, and every year, they are proven wrong. Poetry is relevant every day, everywhere, and for just about everyone.