Dear Guild Members:
From the Guild’s inception in 1977, educationally and inspirationally supporting all levels of writers has been one of the main goals. The bylaws state that eligibility in the Guild shall be extended to all writers, published or unpublished. Another goal has been to provide information to its members on the art and craft of writing.
Some may wonder if there’s a distinction between the art of writing and the craft of writing. I believe so, and our February speaker, Lisa Steadman, identified the differences. She stressed that the art of writing comes from the soul, the source of inspiration that exists in everyone. It is from the source that writers follow the flow of their pen, write intuitively, and trust what shows up on the page.
Ms. Steadman also spoke about the craft of writing. She stressed that all writers need to learn and apply the skills of editing, revising, and formatting. If a writer wants to be published and recognized as a serious writer, the writer must apply proposal and publication guidelines to the finished manuscript. Aspiring writers need to finish and polish their work, as well, as they build a portfolio of work that illustrates a commitment to writing.
It was for these very reasons that the Guild established submission guidelines for its Short Story Contest and more recently, for the Monthly Writing Challenge. It recognized that a polished piece of writing demonstrates what the author has learned, if not yet mastered, about the art and craft of writing.
For those who are new to the Guild or those who want to continue refining their art and craft, there are four more General Meetings and three workshops to service these purposes. There is still time to hear speakers and workshop leaders describe their writing knowledge and experience. Attendance, like writing, requires that the writer shows up.
Sincerely,
Dolores Carruthers
President
Reminders from Your President
Learn “How to Get Your Book Out of Your Head and Onto Paper” from author Ann McIndoo at the March 6th General Membership meeting at the Rancho Mirage Library from 2-4pm. The web site lists time and location of all meetings and workshops.
Make a countdown calendar for the March 1st submission deadline for the Short Story Contest. Leave time to edit and polish your work. Check the contest rules on our web site one last time to be sure your submission meets entry guidelines.
Put a star next to March 15th as the day to check the Guild web site. It’s the official start date for the first PSWG Professional Service Provider page. Consider adding your name to the provider list if you have a writing service you want to offer.
Write your Humor and Fast Food story for the March Monthly Writing Challenge.
All entries must be submitted at the March 6th General Membership meeting and include a $5 cash entry fee.
Begin a daily writing plan if you haven’t done so. Think about it this way: Any writing is better than no writing. Any writing can be edited. A blank page cannot!
The Crow’s Nest
by Mishael Patton
 Carol Mann spoke to the Sage-ing Writers' Club in La Quinta, California, in mid-January, about creative nonfiction. She demonstrated how a memoir event can be brought to life by using literary techniques.
Got something to crow about? Inspire others by sharing your victories and successes. To be in the next issue, send an email to Mishael.PSWG@hotmail.com
Palm Springs Library Writers Event
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010. 6:30 PM
Book Publishing 1-2-3: From the Writers Fingers to the Readers Hands with Laurie Gibson.
Learn how a manuscript actually becomes a printed book. Laurie Gibson (editor) will describe the step-by-step journey, and share some practical tips to help writers improve their chances of getting published (including ideas for finding and successfully connecting with literary agents). The program is FREE and will be held in The Learning Center (TLC), seating is limited. The Palm Springs Public Library is located at 300 S. Sunrise Way, on the corner of Baristo and Sunrise in Palm Springs, 760-322-READ, www.palmspringslibrary.org
"NEWS FOR CLUES"
By Dawn Spitz
If you're desperate to find a new plot,
And you're looking for something that's hot,
Watch the news! It's so dreadful
You'll soon have a head full
Of ideas, more likely than not.
Monthly Writing Challenge
The winner of the January Writers’ Challenge, with the theme of New Beginnings,” is Dotti Reiss for her poem, “A Beginning.”
Contests / Writer Events
by Jack McLaughlin
Tom Howard/John H. Reid Short Story Contest
http://www.winningwriters.com/contests/tomstory/ts_guidelines.php?google-writingcontest&gclid=CKqDjs7Ctp8CFSgtawodeQUg0A
Any types of original short story, essay or other works of prose are eligible. Entries accepted to March 31, 2010.
PAGE International Screenwriting Awards Competition
http://pageawards.com/the-contest/how-to-enter/
Society of Southern Authors Categories: short story, personal essay, memoirs, and poetry
http://www.ssa-az.org/
At a Journal Workshop
http://www.intensivejournal.org
Desert Dreams 2010 Writers Conference April 16, 17, 18, 2010
Open to any writer in any fiction genre
http://thebrainpan.wordpress.com/2009/12/29/phoenix-desert-rose-presents-desert-dreams-2010-writers-conference/
24th ANNUAL WRITERS CONFERENCE - SAN DIEGO February14 & 15, 2010
http://www.writersconference.com/schedule.html
MEMBERS: MEET YOUR PEERS “IN THE SPOTLIGHT”
by Dodie Cross
Spotlight on Renewed Member, Joanne Hardy
“As a teenage army wife living off base in a southern Alabama town and often alone, I discovered reading – real reading. I read everything. Once when I finished a book, I thought, ‘I could do better than that.’ That’s when I discovered how hard it is to write. I loved to play with words, though, and never stopped writing. I remember taking my secreted chapters out of the linen closet while my babies napped.”
This paragraph is taken from a memoir by Guild member, Joanne Hardy. I felt it begged to be printed. Joanne is the ultimate optimist. At age thirty-five she decided to continue her education. When she applied to college, a counselor told her she was too old. She silently thumbed her nose at him and went on to get her Bachelor of Arts and Masters Degrees in Education and History. She went on to teach, and in 1986 was named Teacher of the Year. How’s that for being too old?
Joanne joined the Guild in the mid-80s, and has served on eight Boards of Directors. She has written several articles for Desert magazine, and was commissioned to write the 50 Year History of Angel View Crippled Children’s Hospital. She is currently marketing her novel The Girl in the Butternut Dress and hard at work on her novel Boom. Joanne is also writing the first of four books about the drama of life during her teaching years.
Joanne says, “If I could start over, I would honor the writing muse that walks with me, give it more prominence, more respect, and never keep it in the closet.”
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Spotlight on Bonnie Cloer
Bonnie Cloer has lived in the Valley since June 1995 and has been a volunteer with Shelter from the Storm for 12 years. Bonnie’s volunteer efforts are numerous: she is a past president of La Quinta Rotary, past president of Palm Springs Republican Women Federated, a member of her HOA Board, and a docent at Whitewater Preserve.
Bonnie is also an entrepreneur. She owns Business Support Services (BSS). BSS produces newsletters, mailings and business related items that small businesses need to subcontract. Included in her business offerings is that of Notary Public.
Before opening her own business, Bonnie was an elementary and special education teacher, followed by 30 years as an office administrator for both CPA and engineering firms before starting Business Support Services in 2004. All positions required considerable writing.
Bonnie began writing her memoirs early in 2009 and has a long way to go. She had heard about Pen Women several years ago, but through the Palm Springs Writers Guild found that she could join without the full credentials of paid publishing. Bonnie has published articles for a tourist magazine in the Valley, and other articles through the years for various publications.
Bonnie is originally from the Boston area, graduated from Manhattanville College in New York, married, and created a wonderful family of many children and grandchildren.
~ Special Thanks to our February Guild Gram Writers ~
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