Login to see member resources.
Register
Please Click Event Name or >> Show details to learn more.
Announcing our next Challenge
What is your antagonist's back story?
About Write 500 words about "What is your antagonist’s back story?" Write it in first person so you and your reader know why this character is the way he/she is. And get written feedback from a professional editor!
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: kathy.weyer@att.net.
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 with a $15 entry fee for each entry; you can 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 kathy.weyer@att.net, 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 critiqued by a professional editor. 15. Entries will be returned with edits and feedback on your story and presentation. 16. There are no refunds for this event. Judging Criteria
Camaraderie, Creativity & Cocktails
Free Write and Mingle
Location:La Quinta Cliffhouse Grill and Bar78250 Highway 111La Quinta, CA 92253 (760) 360-5991
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 7:30 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: Matt Lancellotti pswg@geographilia.com
Location:849 Restaurant and Lounge849 N Palm Canyon DrPalm Springs, CA 92262
Protagonist left the scene.
About Write 500 words about "Protagonist left the scene." What would happen to your antagonist if your protagonist left the scene or died? And get written feedback from a professional editor!
Location:P.F. Chang’s71800 CA-111 Ste C-104Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
Announcing our
January Writers Forum
In-person monthly gathering. Come experience our new panel discussions and member-to-member knowledge sharing!
Meeting begins at 11:00 a.m. and ends at noon. Refunds are not available for this event.
Event Contact: Eduardo Santiago santiagogo@aol.com
Announcing our next In-Person Workshop
Triggering Memory Lisa Napoli
About Lisa Napoli
Lisa Napoli had a long career in print, radio, TV, and online journalism. She has worked at the New York Times, Marketplace, MSNBC, and KCRW. She is the author of Radio Shangri-La, Ray & Joan, Up All Night, and Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie.
Description of talk:
Triggering Memory
You’ve been living a fascinating life. Or, at least one you’d like to record, in some form or fashion, for the next generation. How do you collect your thoughts & achievements when you can’t even remember what you had for lunch yesterday? Lisa Napoli will help you. A skilled biographer with four books under her belt, Lisa’s been working as a “memoir coach” to help trigger memories and focus them for the personal memoir. Come spend a few hours with her and hear some key tricks.
Five things you will learn:
What you should bring
A key family photo or artifact.
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.
Meeting begins at 12:30 p.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m.
Announcing our next Online Lab
Creating A+ Content Amanda Matthews
About Amanda (Mande)Amanda L. Matthews is a multi-award-winning cover artist, a 25+ year design veteran and branding specialist, and an international bestselling author. www.amdesignstudios.net www.mandematthews.com
Creating A+ Content for Authors: A Masterclass
Amazon A+ Content is a feature that allows your book to stand out from the crowd by adding enhanced product descriptions, brand story, high-quality lifestyle images, in-action shots, and more. Step-by-step guide from an award-winning cover artist using Canva.
Unlock the power of standout A+ content in our masterclass designed exclusively for authors! Led by an award-winning cover artist with over 25 years of design expertise, this course will unveil the secrets of branding and design, ensuring your book captures and captivates its audience. Dive deep into the versatile world of Canva and transform your book's presentation from mundane to mesmerizing. Join us and make a lasting impression that will truly captivate and engage your readers!
Six Things You'll Learn:
Location: Zoom Online
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.
Event Contact: Ariella Moon authorariellamoon@gmail.com
Stop protagonist from their goal.
About Write 500 words about "Stop protagonist from their goal." What is stopping your protagonist from getting what they want? And get written feedback from a professional editor!
February Writers Forum
The Case For The Novella Sara Marchant
About Sara Marchant
Sara Marchant received her Masters of Fine Arts from the University of California, Riverside/Palm Desert. She is the author of The Driveway Has Two Sides, published by Fairlight Books. Her memoir, Proof of Loss, was published by Otis Books. Her latest novel Becoming Delilah was published in August 2023 and her essay Haunted was a Notable Mention in Best American Essays and Nonfiction 2021. Sara is a founding editor of the literary magazine Writers Resist.
The Case For The Novella
Eduardo Santiago: What's so Novel about the Novella? Sara Marchant: Well, nothing really. Novellas have been with us since the beginning and, with their new resurgence, they will last as long as humans do. Let's talk about how novellas are different (better?) than novels and do a few exercises to get one (or two?) started.
Some of our most beloved classics are, indeed, novellas: Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens Animal Farm – George Orwell Metamorphosis – Franz Kafka The Turn of the Screw – Henry James
AI for Authors Ariella Moon
About Ariella Moon, Author, YA
Award-winning author Ariella Moon draws upon her experiences as a shaman to create magical Young Adult fiction. She won the Aspen Gold Readers’ Choice Award for Best Romantic Short Story for “Covert Hearts,” which appears in Second Chances: A Romance Writers of America Collection. Discover her medieval Two Realms fantasy series and her contemporary Teen Wytche Saga novels at online book retailers and at www.ariellamoon.com.
In addition to teaching writing labs, Ariella Moon leads seminars on healing, women’s spirituality, and Defense Against the Dark Arts at local and international women's conferences. She lives a nearly normal life doting on her extraordinary daughter, two shamelessly spoiled dogs, and a media-shy dragon.
What Every Writer Should Know About AI
In the rapidly developing field of artificial intelligence, authors and other creatives may be tempted by AI’s promise of shortcuts and easy money. But using AI the wrong way can pose several risks to your publishing contracts, your copyrights, and your monetary interests.
Award-winning author Ariella Moon will walk registrants through the current issues involving generative AI and how (and why) some authors, and several author and creator-led organizations, are fighting to protect writers’ intellectual property and copyrights in the United States and Europe.
What you will learn:
Character self-sabotage
About Write 500 words about "Character self-sabotage" How does your character (any of them) sabotage themselves? And get written feedback from a professional editor!
March Writers Forum
Getting UnStuck Andy Cohen
About Andy Cohen
Andy Cohen is a published author of two books; including a New York Times Recommended read. His expertise is in creativity and decision-making. Andy's lectured at TEDx New York Times, Google Talks, and the World Innovation Conference. He is also an Executive Educator working with the country's top Universities including Duke, New York University, UC Berkeley, and Cornell. Prior to his career as a worldwide lecturer/speaker, he founded an advertising agency that generated multiple creative accolades including the London Film Festival, Clios and Effies.
Writers often get in their own way because of the unconscious biases driving their decisions. What are these dangerous biases and assumptions? How do you recognize them if they are subconscious? How can you manage them to enhance your overall writing experience? This workshop empowers you to identify and explore these roadblocks to unleash your creativity and success. And most importantly; get UnStuck.
This interactive workshop explores your unconscious biases that affect key components:
Creating Protagonists & Antagonists 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.comand https://www.facebook.com/Margaret.Lucke.Author/
Worthy Opponents: How to Create Memorable Protagonists and Antagonists What you will learn:
Payoff for not achieving goal
About Write 500 words about "Payoff for not achieving goal" What's the payoff for NOT achieving the goal? And get written feedback from a professional editor!
April Writers Forum
When Art Worlds Collide Lisa Teasley
About Lisa Teasley
Lisa Teasley is the author of two story collections, the newly released FLUID and the award-winning GLOW IN THE DARK (Cune Press), as well as two critically acclaimed novels, DIVE and HEAT SIGNATURE (Bloomsbury). As a visual artist, Lisa’s paintings have exhibited widely in museums and galleries such as the Marie Baldwin Gallery, LACMA, Watts Towers Art Center and the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. www.lisateasley.com.
The instructor will speak of her experience balancing the written word and the visual arts and will provide both writing and painting prompts to access from the infinite of imagination. Any level of visual art creativity is most welcome and appreciated. Materials recommended: a journal, a favorite writing pen and pencil. If you have color pencils and/or crayons, great.
Takeaways:
Not a Heroine's Journey Stacey Simmons, PhD
About Stacey Simmons
Stacey Simmons is a writer and psychotherapist who lives and works in Los Angeles. She discovered an analog to the Hero’s Journey that is NOT a heroine’s journey by examining myths, films, sacred literature, and stories. In her practice at Hope Therapy Center she specializes in the unique needs of creative professionals. You can learn more about her writing here.
Not a Heroine’s Journey: Don’t Tell Your Women-Centered Story like a Hero’s Tale! What you will learn:
What's your ending?
About Write 500 words about "What's your ending?" Write the first half the way you've planned it, then switch it around to an alternative ending. And get written feedback from a professional editor!
May Writers Forum
June Writers Forum
