Newsletter November 2007 Guild Gram Newsletter: PALM SPRINGS WRITERS GUILD Newsletter serving writers of the Coachella Valley November 2007 CHANGE of MEETING LOCATION and TIME! Sunday, November 4, 2007, 1:00-3:30 PM RANCHO MIRAGE LIBRARY 71-100 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage, CA PRESIDENT’S LETTER by Dawn Huntley Spitz Greetings Guild Members! Well, if our opening talk of the season is any indication, this year’s Guild programs are off to a rollicking start! Chris Lopez, managing editor of The Desert Sun, charmed us with candid accounts of his career covering news events, from elections to the tragedy of Columbine for which his team won the Pulitzer Prize. His will be a hard act to follow but next month’s program will be equal to the task. It will feature Andrew Neiderman, author of 86 books, six of which have been made into screenplays. How could anyone think up 86 plots? We’re looking forward to learning some of his secrets.. In addition, Neiderman will disclose the news we’ve all been waiting for—the winners of the Guild Short Story Contest! It will be of great interest to hear the three best stories read by professional actor Bob Berk. November’s meeting will be a departure from our usual format. It is being sponsored by the Rancho Mirage library and we expect a large number of guests. We hope that when they see the caliber of our program, it will pique their interest in the Guild. To top off the afternoon, we will have a special catered reception following the program. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE MEETING WILL BE AT 1 P.M., NOT THE USUAL 2:30! I urge you to come on time to be sure to get a good seat and preferred parking. You won’t want to miss any of this special event. Because of the number of guests expected, I ask each of you to make the newcomers feel welcome. The Guild’s purpose is to promote and nurture the craft of writing. We can best do that by encouraging potential writers with good programs and good fellowship. I’ll see you on November 4. SPEAKERS REVIEW by Joanne Hardy Christopher Lopez of The Desert Sun began his address to Guild members by saying that he was not a public speaker, after which he quickly warmed to his subject, hit his stride and delivered an hour’s worth of solid information in journalistic writing. First, be organized. You have to learn how to open a story – a lead – then write it from the top to end. You can always go back and edit, but get it down. Organization comes from the material found in your notebook after an interview. During an interview he writes what it feels like around him, sounds like, smells like – in the setting of the interview as well as what the subject of the interview says. All of this goes into the notebook. He says he “dumps” information in the notebook. Once back at his desk, the organization aspect begins. “If you put everything in that you dumped in your notebook, you overwrite.” A writer should pick the best from his notes. You are in control of your story. Try to do it without direct quotes; you are the authority of the story. Writer often uses “loaded” words or phrases; this takes a news story into the writer’s perspective. Regarding the interview itself, usually you want to put the subject of the interview at ease. The more comfortable, the more they will trust you and reveal themselves, like peeling back layers. In some cases you do not want them to be at ease. If you are interviewing someone who has broken a public trust and the interview is to hold them accountable, put them on the hot seat. A good ploy in this circumstance: use two reporters and play “good reporter, bad reporter.” Self-editing is a very important skill to learn. A newspaper reporter does not have time to write in depth, always pressed for time. He said he has had good editors and bad editors. Bad editors can take critiquing to criticism and break the writer’s spirit. A heavy-handed editor may want to take over the story – make it his own. They take away your style and voice. He said he never considered himself a great writer, rather he thinks of himself as a good writer, but he is a great reporter. As part of a reporting team at The Denver Post, he covered the Columbine School massacre. That team received the Pulitzer Prize. Two weeks later, however, he covered the National Rifle Association Convention. In both cases, he said you have to tell the story with fairness in mind, expressing all points of view. Advice to new writers: write, write, write – anything. Do not try to make every story the “great” story. Get it down and get it out. About being “objective,” he says, a writer should be objective, but when you write you have to have your own slant or idea. Don’t let editors rob you of your voice or style. Fairness works best rather than objectivity. Christopher Lopez can be reached at Christopher.lopez@thedesertsun.com or 760-285-8487. The Crow’s Nest By Dodie Cross Hi fellow writers: As our members slowly return to our warm climate, I hope we will get more emails telling of the wonderful things they wrote or published over the summer. Here’s one of the first from Mardiyah Tarantino: She was published in the Pen Journal and got an Honorable Mention for a nonfiction piece on the occasion of Ashville's (Pen) 70th anniversary. Member Cynthia Slater has commissioned original art for her book "Q-tu-tu Follows Through" -- a story of an African Basenji who is a sleuth. She is correcting the galley now and hopes to have the book out at the end of October. Another success story from Greg Neimann, who sent this to us: “My book Palm Springs Legends has been so well received that publisher Sunbelt Publications is currently doing a second printing less than two years after initial publication. My newest book, Big Brown: The Untold Story of UPS, published by Wiley & Sons, is already in its second printing, and some foreign rights have also been sold. Thought members might want to know that a retirement hobby can eventually reap benefits.” Thanks Greg, that’s got to stir some of us into action! Vicki Mills brings humor to our techie age with her poem “Computerese” in the October issue of The Desert Woman magazine. Marci Stillerman strikes again! The editors of Long Story Short have accepted her story, Blackbird, to be published in their November issue. The newsletter and e-zine are published the 7th of each month, so you can view her story at that time. Marci tells me the L.A. Times ran her MR. NONSENSE--BIO of EDWARD LEAR on Sept 16th in the LA Times Children's Page. You Go Girl! Kathryn Jordan writes: “I've been in my writing cave, but now have crawled out into the light. After 13 months and 328 pages, Gladys and Capone is done! Now for publication (and a gala launch party) hopefully by the end of '08 or early '09. Stay tuned. The launch will be at Two Bunch Palms, of course. I'm thinking a Roaring Twenties / Gangster theme - what else? Get out your flapper dresses. :) Meantime John Walton, Gladys Walton's son for whom I wrote the book, is producing a pre-publication collector's copy for sale at our Two Bunch talks. Through all this, Hot Water is still hot! Keeps selling out at local book stores. Recent articles in the Indio Desert Sun, soon to be in the Features section of the regular Desert Sun. Plus an online video of a reading, footage of Two Bunch spliced in. http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=video Got something to Crow about? E-mail me and inspire others dodiecross@dc.rr.com www.abroadinthailand.com Special Meeting this month! Celebrity author! Contest awards! Rancho Mirage Library Meeting place! Reception afterward! Mark your calendars, Sunday, November 4 -- 1:00 PM. Don’t miss this one. Andrew Neiderman is the author of 36 published novels and one screenplay. He has 62 published novels as V.C. Andrews. Numerous feature films and movies are also a major part of his experience. A few titles: The Devil’s Advocate, Perfect Little Angels, Rain, The Maddening, and Duplicates. Maybe he will reveal a winning formula. With that kind of a record, he’ll have lots to share. Always exciting, we will be announcing this year’s contest winners. Stories of the three top winners will be read by a professional actor. Finally, we will end the afternoon with a reception for Mr. Neiderman and our contest winners. Don’t forget, we will meet at the lovely new Rancho Mirage Library at 1:00 PM. Bring guests. It will be an outstanding meeting. by Phyllis Costello Program Chairman SHORT STORY CONTEST Winners will be announced at the November meeting. With the next issue, the Guild Gram will accept personal ads pertaining to writing. Anyone wishing to advertise for editors, ghost writers, or offering similar services, please send your copy to Palm Springs Writers Guild, Box 947, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270. Enclose a check for $5 per ad. Copy limited to 35 words. Deadline--13th of each month. Critique Group Requirements: Must be a paid up, current member of the PSWG. Many published authors credit their Critique Groups for the support and excellent feedback that helped them write on to success! We welcome new and current members of the Writers Guild to all critique groups! The National League of American Pen Women luncheon is Nov. 20, 11:30 a.m. at Desert Falls Country Club in Palm Desert. Kathryn Jordan will be speaking about her research for Gladys and Capone. Come hear her tapeworm story. To sign up call Joan Petit-Clair at 760-341-7265 or Estelle Shanley at 760-771-5849 or estelleshanley@aol.com. GREAT PROGRAM LINEUP THIS YEAR DECEMBER 2 JUDI WEIGLE Author, publishing and entertainment marketer will share information on how to network; another opportunity to buy her book Sell Your Book with a Winning Marketing Platform. JANUARY 6 JEFF KAYE Author; police officer; undercover agent; present book subject: drugs coming into the country through Mexico and money going back across the border to fund terrorist cells. FEBRUARY 3 CLAUDIA SUZANNE Author; ghostwriter; publishing and marketing; motivational speaker; she will speak on ghostwriting; humorous. MARCH 9 JOHN JAMISON, Mountain man; Wall Street banker; former minister; author; very funny. APRIL 6 SHELDON SALTMAN Well-known promoter for over fifty years: sports, politics, entertainment, business; he has the inside knowledge. MAY 4 NORMAN MARK Author; wine columnist; movie reviewer; talk show host; nominated three times for the Pulitzer Prize; winner Discovery Award for novel at Hollywood Film Festival. JUNE 1 STEPHEN LINSTEADT Author books, films; naturopathic doctor; nutritional consultant; will talk on the process of getting your film made by a major studio. Member Profiles by Mary Barrer COLIN WEBSTER-WATSON A veteran Guild member, Colin Webster Watson, passed away in his New Zealand home in September where he had gone for medical treatment. Colin left his native country to perform on the London stage as an actor and dancer. During that era, he dated Sarah Churchill, daughter of Sir Winston Churchill, wartime prime minister. He soon changed careers and began his life work in art and sculpture. He gained international fame with his art, having exhibited in galleries in Europe, U.S. and South America. He maintained studios in New York and Rome, Italy. In l990, when his wife passed away, he joined our community in the desert and soon became a dynamic, creative force. As a member of the Palm Springs Writers Guild, he was both inspiring and motivating. He won first place in the Guild's short story contest in 200l. His literary endeavors include four plays, 18 short stories, a novella and 50+ poems. He performed one-man shows, reading his plays to enthralled audiences here and in Los Angeles. Colin hosted a memorable Christmas party that drew wall-to-wall revelers. The ceilings and walls of his home in Palm Springs were filled with thousands of programs, props, art, reviews, and other mementos. It was a startling combination of a Fellini film and movie museum. Colin prepared the gourmet party food, drinks, music and co-hosted the event with his faithful canine companion, Andrew, and welcomed each guest as they arrived. Miss T, who is preparing an anthology of his art and literary works, reports that his last public appearance was in Welllngton, New Zealand in June. He appeared at a children's theater, performing one of his colorful puppet shows. Colin's memory will live on in his words and works. We will remember him as the brilliant genius who graced us with his presence. CONTESTS AND ACTIVITIES By Mel Harter I’m pleased to report that this column has survived. So far it has even thrived because some of you have called and emailed me with great leads for this month’s column. In particular, I want to thank Fran Kaplan and Marcie Stillerman. Surely more of you have leads for me to assure survival for another month. I’m waiting to hear from you at 760-777-1391 and harter@dc.rr.com. I welcome fresh leads on upcoming contests and activities of interest to our members as well as suggestions on how to make this a better column. And now, it’s Showtime: CONTESTS CEZANNE’S CARROT “RETURN OF THE LIGHT” CONTEST PRIZE: $100 each (literary fiction & nonfiction fitting theme “RETURN OF THE LIGHT”) and publication in CEZANNE’S CARROT. SUBMISSION Fiction, (1,000-3,000 words); Flash Fiction: (100-1,000 words); Creative Non-fiction: (100-3,000 words.) Multiple submissions welcome, none previously published. Visit website www.cezannescarrot.org/contest.html for definition of theme. Entry fee; $10.00 per story. ADDRESS: Must be submitted with completed submission form on website. DEADLINE: November 21 * * * POINT OF LIFE LITTLE GOODY TWO SHOES CONTEST* PRIZE: $500 and publication in The Point of Life Global Newsletter and on Point of Life website: www.pointoflife.com/goody-contest.html. SUBMISSION: Story about anyone who does compassionate act of kindness and requires no thanks. ENTRY FEE: None ADDRESS: Email story with your name, address and telephone number to mikmiki@aol.com DEADLINE: December 31 *Reprinted from “The Book Marketing Newsletter,” a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http:/www.amarketingexpert.com * * * WRITERS DIGEST POETRY AWARDS PRIZE: First: $500, publication of name & title in August 2008 Poet’s Market Second: $250 publication of name & title in August 2008 Poet’s Market Third: $100 publication of name & title in August 2008 Poet’s Market Fourth through Tenth: $25 publication of name & title in August 2008 Poet’s Market Eleventh–Twenty-Fifth: $50 plus gift certificate for WD Books plus free 2008 Poet’s Market SUBMISSION: Maximum of 32 lines, self-contained & titled; in English, not previously published. On separate sheet: line count; name and address, contact phone(s) and email. (No contact information on poem.) (More details and entry form at: www.writersdigest.com/contests/poetry/ ENTRY FEE: $10 first submission/$25 each subsequent submission. ADDRESS: Snail Mail with completed downloaded form to: Writers Digest Poetry Awards, 4700 Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236 DEADLINE: DECEMBER 20 * * * WRITERS DIGEST SHORT-SHORT CONTEST PRIZES: First Place: $3,000, publication in May/June WD and free “Best Seller Publishing Pkg. from Trafford Publishing plus free 8th Annual WD Novel & Short story Competition, Markets and Agents, Editors & You, Second: $1500 plus 8th Annual WD Novel & Short story Competition, Markets and Agents, Editors & You. Third: $500; Fourth-Tenth: $100; Eleventh-Twenty-Fifth: $50 WD gift certificate. All winners’ names and story titles in AD and 20% discount on Trafford publishing packages. SUBMISSION: Maximum 1,500 words in English and unpublished. On first page type your name, address, phone and email. Visit webpage for details: www.writersdigest.com/contests/short short story/ ENTRY FEE: $12.00 per manuscript ADDRESS: By snail mail with completed downloaded form: Writers Digest short, short story competition, 4700 Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236. (Enclose self addressed postcard for notification of reception.) By email: Visit website for address of email www.writersdigest.com/contests/shortshortstory/ DEADLINE: December 3 * * * ACTIVITIES At Peppertree Book Store, 111 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9 @ 7pm Thomas M. DeFrank, author of Write It When I’m Gone: Remarkable off-the-cuff conversations with Gerald R. Ford. * * * SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11 @ 3pm Irene Spencer, author of Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist’s Wife. Doctors Agree Word doctors recommend joining a Palm Springs Writers Guild critique group as the right tonic for improving your writing health. Get rid of those stale verbs, pale nouns, and overworked adjectives. Reinvigorate your prose. Email pscritgrp@yahoo.com, or call Gordon Gumpertz at 346-3429. Membership forms can be found on our web site. FREE TUTORING LESSONS in Publisher Software for someone willing to assist me in creating and designing this newsletter once a month! Publisher software is easy to use — I created my own book covers, designed many graphics for my books, my own business cards, stationary and much more using this software. Contact Vicki Mills for details. 760-250-1897 Vamills@aol.com Renew Membership or become a Member - click here New BOARD Fall 2007 -- Summer 2008 - click here Palm Springs Writers Guild P.O. Box 947 Rancho Mirage, CA 92270 PalmSpringsWritersGuild.org ^ posted by Webmaster @ 10/25/2007 07:25:00 AM Pacific Time Powered by Blogger. |
