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    • Tuesday, October 01, 2024
    • 12:00 AM
    • Monday, October 21, 2024
    • 11:59 PM
    Register


    Announcing our next Writing Contest

    October Contest: Jumping to Conclusions


    Contest Registration Opens: October 1, 2024
    Submission Deadline: October 21, 2024

    About
    Write 500 words (maximum) on the prompt and submit for chance to win $50 or free registration to a Writing Lab or In-Person Workshop (winner's choice). Winning essay will be read at next Writers Forum, and may be posted to website if winner wishes.


    PLEASE SEE THE RULES AND JUDGING CRITERIA BELOW.

    We look forward to reading your entries!


    Entry Submission Rules

    Be sure to comply with all requirements. As with most professional writing submissions, there is no leeway on the rules. Questions? Please contact: VPPSWG@GMAIL.COM.

    1. Must be a member of Palm Springs Writers Guild with current, active status.
    2. Entries accepted between the opening date and submission deadline posted above.
    3. Please enter contest by registering online for each entry. You may enter up to 3 times. Submit multiple entries separately.
    4. Each entry is 500 word maximum
    5. Must be submitted as a MS Word document
    6. One inch margins, double-spaced
    7. 12-point Times Roman or Times New Roman
    8. Indented paragraphs
    9. Title must be included in the document header. You may not use the contest theme as your title
    10. Pagination must be included in the document footer.
    11. Do not include your name anywhere on the submitted document, only in the body of your e-mail.
    12. Please submit your entry as an email attachment and send it to 
    VPPSWG@GMAIL.COM, no hard copies accepted. 
    13. The subject line of your email will read the title of your work (not the contest theme name)
    14. Blind submission entries are judged by the PSWG Board.
    15. Winner will be announced at the next Writers Forum.


    Judging Criteria

    1. Adherence to all rules above.
    2. Adherence to the theme or prompt.
    3. Compelling and original plot:
      a. Traditionally consists of a beginning (exposition), middle (development), and end (climax and resolution).
      b. However, if your piece is fiction, very short pieces often consist of a “slice of life.” The narrative should still exhibit a plot-like arc so that the story feels self-contained and complete.
    4. Compelling and original characters
      a. At a minimum, the viewpoint character has dimension, with a substantial stake in the story’s resolution, making the reader care.
      b. Dialogue is believable and suited to each character.
    5. Consistency of narrative voice:
      a. Point of view; first, second, or third person.
      b. Level of omniscience: omniscient or all-knowing narrator, limited-omniscient narrator, or non-omniscient “objective” narrator.
    6. Fundamental writing skills:
      a. Spelling. Punctuation. Grammar. Usage.       
    7. The writer’s “secret sauce” that, when blended with the above criteria, makes the story stand out. For example:
      a. Artistry and clarity of language.
      b. Creation of mood through setting, description, and detail.
      c. Distinctness of voice.
    Interested in becoming a PSWG Member? Click this button JOIN
    • Saturday, October 05, 2024
    • 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    • The Mizell Center, 480 S Sunrise Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262
    Register


    Announcing or upcoming

    October Writers Forum



    In-person monthly gathering. Come experience our new panel discussions and member-to-member knowledge sharing!

    Witchcraft to Wordcraft: A Halloween Spectacular
    with bestselling authors Ariella Moon and Jayce Carter



    Whether you're captivated by fantasy or drawn to grounded fiction, we will let you in on the secrets that transform your narrative ideas into fully realized, spellbinding stories.

    REGISTER

    Meeting begins at 11:00 a.m. and ends at noon. Refunds are not available for this event.

    We may take photos and/or videos at any of our events for promotional purposes.

    Ready to become a member of the Palm Springs Writers Guild? Please click here.

    Event Contact: Eduardo Santiago
    santiagogo@aol.com

      • Saturday, October 05, 2024
      • 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM
      • The Mizell Center, 480 S Sunrise Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262
      Register


      Announcing our next In-Person Workshop

      Making Your Settings Sizzle: The Power of Place
      Ruth Nolan



      About Ruth Nolan

      Ruth Nolan, former wildland firefighter and longtime Professor of Creative Writing at College of the Desert, writes about the Mojave Desert, where she’s lived for most of her life. Her books include After the Dome Fire (Bamboo Dart) and No Place for a Puritan: the Literature of California’s Deserts (Heyday). She is the project director of the award-winning humanities project, Fire on the Mojave: Stories from the Deserts and Mountains of Inland Southern California. She writes columns about desert culture and the environment for KCT Los Angeles and News from Native California. Her newest writing is published in Writing the Golden State: The New Literary Terrain of California (Angel City Press) and in Desert Forest: Life with Joshua Tree (Inlandia Books), both published in 2024


      Description of talk:

      Join Ruth Nolan to be inspired to find ways to light your settings on fire in ways that give a stronger burn to your writing, whether you are writing fiction, poetry, memoir and/or everything in between. We’ll look at samples of published works where setting jumps off the page and helps propel narrative, tone and excitement and in turn, focus on igniting our own work by tapping into the power of place!

      Takeaways:

      • Discover why the purposeful development of “place” is one of the most powerful, yet often overlooked, literary devices authors can use to their advantage.

      • Learn how to cast “place” as a character with its own motivations in your work.

      • Learn some of the techniques used by established writers known for their powerful evocations of setting and place in their work.

      • How to use “places you know” to your advantage in the consideration of choosing a setting for your work.

      • Practice breathing life into a chosen setting for a work you are writing or planning through several guided prompts given during the lecture.


       
      REGISTER

      To receive a full refund minus a $25 cancellation processing fee, attendees must cancel their registration 5 days before the event. No refunds will be given after that time. To cancel your registration, go to palmspringswritersguild.org and click on the blue icon at the top right of any page. Enter user name and password and click "LOG IN". On the next screen click "My event registrations". Select event and cancel registration. 

      We may take photos and/or videos at any of our events for promotional purposes.

      Meeting begins at 12:30 p.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m. 

      Ready to become a member of the Palm Springs Writers Guild? Please click here.

      Event Contact: Jayce Carter
      hfheyns@gmail.com

        • Friday, October 11, 2024
        • 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
        • Zoom Online Meeting
        Register


        Announcing our next Online Lab

        The Art of Suspense: How to Keep Your Readers Turning the Pages
        Margaret Lucke



        About Margaret Lucke

        Margaret Lucke flings words around as a writer and editor in the San Francisco Bay Area. She writes tales of love, ghosts, and murder, sometimes all three in one book. She is the author of four novels—House of Desire, House of Whispers, Snow Angel, and A Relative Stranger (an Anthony Award finalist)—and is the editor of Fault Lines, a short story anthology from the Northern California chapter of Sisters in Crime. She is a former president of Mystery Writers of America NorCal.

        Margaret has also published two how-to books on the craft of writing and more than 60 short stories, feature articles, and scripts for mystery weekends. For many years she has taught fiction writing classes for UC Berkeley Extension and other venues. Visit her at www.margaretlucke.com.



        Description: 

        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. It is the essential quality that makes your readers ask, “What happens next?” and keeps them turning pages to find out the answer. This workshop reveals the secrets of creating suspense, using techniques like tension and pace effectively, and earning that cherished accolade: “I couldn’t put it down.”

        Takeaways: 

        • How to structure your story to keep your readers at the edge of their seats
        • The three key words that define a suspenseful plot
        • The difference between suspense and tension, and why a successful story needs both
        • Eight techniques for creating intense suspense
        • Tools you can use to make any story more suspenseful and compelling to read


          Location:
          Zoom Online Meeting

          To receive a full refund minus a $25 cancellation processing fee, attendees must cancel their registration 5 days before the event. No refunds will be given after that time. To cancel your registration, go to palmspringswritersguild.org and click on the blue icon at the top right of any page. Enter user name and password and click "LOG IN". On the next screen click "My event registrations". Select event and cancel registration.

          REGISTER

          Unable to attend, no problem, all paid registrants will receive a video replay.

          You will receive an invitation to the Zoom online meeting after you have registered and payment is complete.

          We may take photos and/or videos at any of our events for promotional purposes.

          Ready to become a member of the Palm Springs Writers Guild? Please click here.

          Event Contact: Ariella Moon
          authorariellamoon@gmail.com

          • Tuesday, October 15, 2024
          • 3:30 PM - 7:00 PM
          • 849 Restaurant and Lounge 849 N Palm Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92262


          Camaraderie, Creativity & Cocktails

          Free Write and Mingle



          Join fellow members to write and socialize!  We will have writing prompts to spark our imagination, then transition to happy hour! 

          Location:
          849 Restaurant and Lounge
          849 N Palm Canyon Dr
          Palm Springs, CA 92262

          Registration is not required for this free event.

          Members only. Feel free to bring a guest.

          Free Write begins at 3:30 p.m.
          Mingle begins at 5:00 p.m. and ends at 7:00 p.m.
          Attend either or both.

          We may take photos and/or videos at any of our events for promotional purposes.

          Ready to become a member of the Palm Springs Writers Guild?
          Please
          click here.

          Event Contact: Eduardo Santiago
          santiagogo@aol.com

            • Friday, November 01, 2024
            • 12:00 AM
            • Thursday, November 21, 2024
            • 11:59 PM
            Registration is closed


            Announcing our next Writing Contest

            November Contest: A Cynic Begrudgingly Writes a Gratitude Journal


            Contest Registration Opens: November 1, 2024
            Submission Deadline: November 21, 2024

            About
            Write 500 words (maximum) on the prompt and submit for chance to win $50 or free registration to a Writing Lab or In-Person Workshop (winner's choice). Winning essay will be read at next Writers Forum, and may be posted to website if winner wishes.


            PLEASE SEE THE RULES AND JUDGING CRITERIA BELOW.

            We look forward to reading your entries!


            Entry Submission Rules

            Be sure to comply with all requirements. As with most professional writing submissions, there is no leeway on the rules. Questions? Please contact: VPPSWG@GMAIL.COM.

            1. Must be a member of Palm Springs Writers Guild with current, active status.
            2. Entries accepted between the opening date and submission deadline posted above.
            3. Please enter contest by registering online for each entry. You may enter up to 3 times. Submit multiple entries separately.
            4. Each entry is 500 word maximum
            5. Must be submitted as a MS Word document
            6. One inch margins, double-spaced
            7. 12-point Times Roman or Times New Roman
            8. Indented paragraphs
            9. Title must be included in the document header. You may not use the contest theme as your title
            10. Pagination must be included in the document footer.
            11. Do not include your name anywhere on the submitted document, only in the body of your e-mail.
            12. Please submit your entry as an email attachment and send it to 
            VPPSWG@GMAIL.COM, no hard copies accepted. 
            13. The subject line of your email will read the title of your work (not the contest theme name)
            14. Blind submission entries are judged by the PSWG Board.
            15. Winner will be announced at the next Writers Forum.


            Judging Criteria

            1. Adherence to all rules above.
            2. Adherence to the theme or prompt.
            3. Compelling and original plot:
              a. Traditionally consists of a beginning (exposition), middle (development), and end (climax and resolution).
              b. However, if your piece is fiction, very short pieces often consist of a “slice of life.” The narrative should still exhibit a plot-like arc so that the story feels self-contained and complete.
            4. Compelling and original characters
              a. At a minimum, the viewpoint character has dimension, with a substantial stake in the story’s resolution, making the reader care.
              b. Dialogue is believable and suited to each character.
            5. Consistency of narrative voice:
              a. Point of view; first, second, or third person.
              b. Level of omniscience: omniscient or all-knowing narrator, limited-omniscient narrator, or non-omniscient “objective” narrator.
            6. Fundamental writing skills:
              a. Spelling. Punctuation. Grammar. Usage.       
            7. The writer’s “secret sauce” that, when blended with the above criteria, makes the story stand out. For example:
              a. Artistry and clarity of language.
              b. Creation of mood through setting, description, and detail.
              c. Distinctness of voice.
            Interested in becoming a PSWG Member? Click this button JOIN
            • Saturday, November 02, 2024
            • 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM
            • The Mizell Center, 480 S Sunrise Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262
            Register


            Announcing our next In-Person Workshop

            Finding Time to Write Amidst the Chaos
            Barbara DeMarco-Barrett



            About Barbara DeMarco-Barrett

            Barbara DeMarco-Barrett is editor of, and contributor to, Palm Springs Noir (Akashic). Her stories are in Coolest American Stories 2022, CrimeReads, USA Noir: Best of the Akashic Noir Series, Rock and a Hard Place, and Dark City Crime and Mystery magazine. Her short story, “Rowboat,” was published in Kelp Journal (2023), and nominated for a Pushcart. She received a Distinguished Instructors award from UC-Irvine and teaches at Gotham Writers Workshop and Saddleback College’s Emeritus Institute. Pen on Fire was a Los Angeles Times bestseller. She hosts the award-winning podcast Writers on Writing.


            Description of talk:

            If you find it hard finding time to write or taking time to write, or if getting started eludes you, this workshop is for you. We’ll talk craft and write. By workshop’s end, you’ll be motivated to continue.

            Takeaways:

            • Learn how to become a completionist, not a perfectionist

            • Learn techniques for getting yourself going

            • Use things around you for prompts

            • Learn how photos can inspire you to write

            • Experience how a timer helps you to get words on the page


             
            REGISTER

            To receive a full refund minus a $25 cancellation processing fee, attendees must cancel their registration 5 days before the event. No refunds will be given after that time. To cancel your registration, go to palmspringswritersguild.org and click on the blue icon at the top right of any page. Enter user name and password and click "LOG IN". On the next screen click "My event registrations". Select event and cancel registration. 

            We may take photos and/or videos at any of our events for promotional purposes.

            Meeting begins at 12:30 p.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m. 

            Ready to become a member of the Palm Springs Writers Guild? Please click here.

            Event Contact: Jayce Carter
            hfheyns@gmail.com

              • Friday, November 15, 2024
              • 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
              • Zoom Online Meeting
              Register


              Announcing our next Online Lab

              The Devil is in the Details
              Bob Balmer



              About Bob Balmer

              Bob Balmer is a freelance writer and workshop leader. His writing, often humorous, has appeared in the Smithsonian, Golf Illustrated, ZYZZYVA, the Oregonian, the Seattle Times and other print media. It has aired on MarketPlace, the Savvy Traveler and Oregon Public Radio and television. He has an MFA in creative writing from Portland State and taken classes at Second City in Chicago, the Iowa summer writing program and Tin House among others. He leads workshops on the West Coast.




              Description: 

              The Devil is in the Details highlights the power of specifics to differentiate place and characters. Whether it’s Gatsby calling Tom Buchanan “Old Sport” or acute anxiety in George Saunders character Morse in “The Falls” or Sally Rooney’s squabbling characters in “Conversations With Friends,” details differentiate characters, which in turn drives plot. We will look at how brands, quirks, geography, mannerisms, dialogue… work to define people and places. We will also discuss the benefits of showing vs telling as we practice using details to enhance our writing.


              Takeaways: 
              • Show vs Tell—what it means and how to use it.
              • Brands and what they say about a person—Birkenstocks and their connotation for one
              • Mannerisms in speech
              • How a town creates an identity, which affects a story—“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, Leavenworth, Washington and its German theme
              • How a character’s appearance affects them and others


                Location:
                Zoom Online Meeting

                To receive a full refund minus a $25 cancellation processing fee, attendees must cancel their registration 5 days before the event. No refunds will be given after that time. To cancel your registration, go to palmspringswritersguild.org and click on the blue icon at the top right of any page. Enter user name and password and click "LOG IN". On the next screen click "My event registrations". Select event and cancel registration.

                REGISTER

                Unable to attend, no problem, all paid registrants will receive a video replay.

                You will receive an invitation to the Zoom online meeting after you have registered and payment is complete.

                We may take photos and/or videos at any of our events for promotional purposes.

                Ready to become a member of the Palm Springs Writers Guild? Please click here.

                Event Contact: Ariella Moon
                authorariellamoon@gmail.com

                • Friday, January 10, 2025
                • 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
                • Zoom Online Meeting
                Register


                Announcing our next Online Lab

                The Economics of Freelancing
                Margaret Lucke



                About Margaret Lucke

                Margaret Lucke flings words around as a writer and editor in the San Francisco Bay Area. She writes tales of love, ghosts, and murder, sometimes all three in one book. She is the author of four novels—House of Desire, House of Whispers, Snow Angel, and A Relative Stranger (an Anthony Award finalist)—and is the editor of Fault Lines, a short story anthology from the Northern California chapter of Sisters in Crime. She is a former president of Mystery Writers of America NorCal.

                Margaret has also published two how-to books on the craft of writing and more than 60 short stories, feature articles, and scripts for mystery weekends. For many years she has taught fiction writing classes for UC Berkeley Extension and other venues. Visit her at www.margaretlucke.com.



                Description: 

                Writing can be a passion, a joy, and (let’s admit it) sometimes a frustration. Can it also be a way to earn a living or at least a lucrative side gig? Samuel Johnson famously said, “No one but a blockhead ever wrote except for money,” but sometimes the payday from writing can be elusive. What are the various ways a writer can earn an income? How do you decide if it’s time to quit your day job? This workshop explores ways in which you might make your writing a more lucrative endeavor in 2025.

                Takeaways: 

                • What forms of writing bring in the most money, and which ones you do for love
                • The four types of book publishers, and how to determine which publishing model is best for you
                • Best practices for submitting your work so that it gets a warm reception
                • The 3 R’s—rights, royalties, and records—and why it’s important to understand them
                • How to approach your writing endeavors like an entrepreneur


                  Location:
                  Zoom Online Meeting

                  To receive a full refund minus a $25 cancellation processing fee, attendees must cancel their registration 5 days before the event. No refunds will be given after that time. To cancel your registration, go to palmspringswritersguild.org and click on the blue icon at the top right of any page. Enter user name and password and click "LOG IN". On the next screen click "My event registrations". Select event and cancel registration.

                  REGISTER

                  Unable to attend, no problem, all paid registrants will receive a video replay.

                  You will receive an invitation to the Zoom online meeting after you have registered and payment is complete.

                  We may take photos and/or videos at any of our events for promotional purposes.

                  Ready to become a member of the Palm Springs Writers Guild? Please click here.

                  Event Contact: Ariella Moon
                  authorariellamoon@gmail.com