While I cling to the last three weeks of summer, the writer in me yearns for autumn to brush the earth with a palette of hued oranges, reds and browns. Images of leaves on a sun-baked path skitter across my imagination and fade. A reddish splash is real, not imaginary as Tri-Valley Writers joins the …
September 2010 President’s Message from Violet Carr Moore Read More »
August is back-to-school time; real time or online. I’ve enjoyed several semesters of writing classes from Las Positas College. This fall, no LPC for me. I’ll take time out to coordinate a dedicated volunteer team of Tri-Valley Writers board members and committee leaders. Together we’ll orchestrate monthly meetings, produce the newsletter, update the
Patriotism soars with flag-waving at Independence Day celebrations as sounds of John Phillip Souza intermingle with tastes of hot dogs, ice cream and lemonade. Red, white and blue are reminders of our first amendment rights, the safeguard of free speech that protects our right to be heard, or read, without reprisal. Whether we choose story-telling, …
July 2010 President’s Message From Violet Carr Moore Read More »
This time of year I often forage for breakfast in the raspberry canes. As writers, we sometimes find ourselves foraging amidst the prickly canes of our imaginations, hoping that shimmer of color really is ripe fruit. Only after we reach out, risking scratches from thorns and bites from hidden spiders, will we know if the …
June 2010 President’s Message from Lani Longshore Read More »
I have a writing fantasy where I spin out a best-selling novel on the Oregon coast. The hotel of my dreams exists, with huge windows facing the ocean. Someday I’ll rent a room there and let the water inspire me as it dances under a winter storm. For now, I’ll find a dramatic oceanscape for …
May 2010 President’s Message from Lani Longshore Read More »
April seems a good time to ask about your writing resolutions. Are you keeping up with your journal? Have you entered a contest? Queried an agent? Artists across America are preparing for the fairs and festivals that seem to occupy every weekend from now until Halloween. Why not join them, and call this Contest/Query season? …
April 2010 President’s Message from Lani Longshore Read More »
If you find inspiration in celebrations, this month we have St. David’s Day (3/2), Pi Day (3/14), the Ides of March (3/15), St. Patrick’s Day (3/17), the vernal equinox (3/20), Palm Sunday (3/28), and Passover (3/29). There’s also Canberra Day (3/8), an Australian holiday commemorating the founding of the federal capital. I’m not sure how …
March 2010 President’s Message from Lani Longshore Read More »
If wisdom is knowing what to do next, then we become wise by being foolish, and experimenting until we see what works. In our writing, that might mean letting our characters, or even story arcs, wander about a little, until the true path is revealed; keeping patience until the wise agent who recognizes our value …
February 2010 President’s Message from Lani Longshore Read More »
Every year I clear my closet of clothes I haven’t worn for awhile. Occasionally a treasure surfaces, but usually I find items that really need to go. Perhaps we should try the same thing with our writing – go through old notes, ancient outlines and scraps of ideas. If there’s a hidden treasure lurking in …
January 2010 President’s Message from Lani Longshore Read More »
The holiday rush can spell the end of hard-won routines. Family and friends might take it personally if you disappear with your notebook (paper or electronic) growling, “I need to write!” So this year, instead of being the resident Scrooge, use your time to observe. Drink in the smells, the sounds, the sights, and draw …
December 2009 President’s Message from Lani Longshore Read More »
