The monthly magazine of SF/Peninsula Writers, a branch of California Writers Club

San Francisco/Peninsula Writer

Writers helping writers

since 1909

November 2011

President’s Message By Christopher Wachlin

More than a few times since being elected president of our branch, I’ve had people ask me questions about critique groups. Most of the questions have related to putting together a group that’s effective, a group that’s truly helpful. It occurs to me that more of us might have questions about critique groups. So, this month I’m writing about what I think is important for building a helpful critique group. Forthrightness is an important quality of the critique groups I've been in. I've only been in three, but forthrightness has been common to them all. Before each of these three groups began, I told my potential fellow group members that they won’t help me if they don't tell me the truth about what they think of my writing. That means I have to be willing to hear the truth. And when it comes to their writing, I have to be truthful. All it takes is a little bravery and trust, but sometimes that's tough, especially when a group is just getting rolling. It’s as if we have to convince others that it's okay to be forthright. But in every group I’ve been in, including the current one, once the this isn’t good or this part isn’t good or I don’t understand this bridge is crossed, there’s an almost palpable relaxation that occurs. Real work can (continued page 3)

Dates to Remember In

November 16 Wednesday

November 19 Saturday

Open Mic at 7:30 pm Dove and Olive 178 South Blvd San Mateo

November Meeting 10:00 am at the Belmont Library with Clare Mullen

December 3 Saturday

Save the Date! Holiday Party

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November  19,  2011

Clare  Mullin  Begin with the end in mind. Set goals to personally and professionally develop your career as an author by presenting your topics to audiences before your book is

finished. By involving an audience in your presentations, their feedback and ideas can help you in the creative process. An audience can also motivate and stimulate to complete a project. Those story enhancements can be used for audience

connections. At the same time, develop speaking skills to later enable an author to more professionally market their book.

Clare Mullin is a TV Producer, Host, Trainer, Speaker and Consultant. Clare began her public speaking training over twenty years ago and is the originator of The ColorWheeling™ Life Planning Program. In 2005 she created “Colorful Journey of Success” a community TV talk show. Guests share their story of success and how they help others succeed. Clare also produces and hosts “Visions Unlimited”. Clare will present techniques to help writers move ahead in their writing career.  

Fault Zone: Stepping Up to the Edge

An Anthology of Stories

Your Fault Zone team is staggering toward the finish line. Editor Lisa Meltzer Penn and Chris Wachlin have conferred, edited, corrected and reread multiple drafts. Tory Hartmann via Sand Hill Review Press is putting the layout together and the contest judges, Bardi Koodrin, Martin Dowd, Ann Foster, and James Hanna are winnowing through the ten contest finalists (these are the people outside the club) and trying to pick a winner.

So circle December 3rd on your calendar and we'll try to have the books ready for autographs. What a party it will be!

New Fault Zone Out Soon

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Secrets of a Blockbuster Plot: An Afternoon with the Plot Whisperer Hosted by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) SF South Chapter Saturday, November 12th, 4 – 6 pm, First Congregational Church of Palo Alto Join us as we welcome plot expert Martha Alderson for a speed course on creating powerful, marketable, blockbuster plots! Martha will unveil plot essentials that writers can apply to all genres, from picture books to novels. She will also show us how to use the power of the Universal Story to maximize suspense, reveal character, and keep young readers engaged from beginning to end. Afterwards, partake in a wine and cheese reception, mingle with fellow writers, and buy a copy of Martha’s newest book: The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master, available for sale at the event. This SCBWI San Francisco South Saturday Series event is FREE for SCBWI members and $15 for non-members. Please RSVP at http://blockbusterplots.eventbrite.com. About Martha: Martha Alderson is an international plot consultant and award-winning author who has helped thousands of writers master this elusive craft. Popularly known as The Plot Whisperer, she has dedicated herself to teaching the development of plot and structure for writers to achieve maximum reader connection and enjoyment. For more information, visit her website at http://www.blockbusterplots.com or her blog at http://plotwhisperer.blogspot.com.

Events and Announcements

(continued from page 1) begin. It should happen the first night, but as long as it does happen, that’s what matters. Be frank about the things you like, too. Sure, do it to be nice, but remember that a passage that you think is good, or even outright awesome, might be something the writer is ambivalent about, or actually against. You’re helpful when you say positive things, too. But this is a model for just one kind of group. And that’s a key thing: you have to be in a group that’s right for you. You have to share goals with your fellow group members, not necessarily genres. Your goal might be to produce high-quality work. If someone else's goal is to express himself or herself, without much regard for how well or how poorly he or she does it, you might have critiques of that person's writing that he or she doesn't find helpful. At the same time, that person’s critiques

simply might want to be careful about being in the same critique group. Find people who share goals and it won’t, within reason, matter that one person writes memoir, another poetry, and three others fiction. Don’t get me wrong—there are benefits to sharing genres. But pay at least as much attention to people’s goals, specifically their goals concerning how good they want their writing to be, and how hard they’re willing to work to get it to that level. And don’t forget fun. There’s a lot of fun in a good critique group, too, as many of you probably know already. When my group most recently met, it had been a while since our previous meeting; we wasted an entire hour shooting the breeze. But it wasn’t a waste at all. It was a blast. We were having fun. We knew we’d get to the work. And we did.

(continued page

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2012 GREEN BOOK FESTIVAL CALL FOR ENTRIES SAN FRANCISCO (September 21. 2011) _ The 2012 Green Book Festival has issued a call for entries to its annual competition honoring books that contribute to greater understanding, respect and positive action on the changing worldwide environment. The 2012 Green Book Festival will consider published, self-published and independent publisher works in the following categories: non-fiction, fiction, children's books, teenage, how-to, audio/spoken word, comics/graphic novels, poetry, science fiction/horror, biography/autobiography, gardening, cookbooks, animals, photography/art, e-books, wild card (anything goes!), scientific, white paper, legal, business, mystery and spiritual. Entries can be in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese or Italian. Our grand prize for the 2012 Green Book Festival is $1500 and transportation to our May awards in San Francisco OR an equivalent amount donated in your name to the environmental charity of your choice. A panel of judges will determine the winners based on the following criteria: 1) The overall writing style and presentation of the work; 2) The potential of the work to enhance understanding of the environment and its issues; TO ENTER: Entry forms are available online at http://www.greenbookfestival.com or may be sent to you by emailing GreenBookFestival@sbcglobal.net. The Green Book Festival is produced by JM Northern Media LLC, producers of the Hollywood Book Festival, New York Book Festival and DIY Convention: Do It Yourself in Film, Music & Books.

NEWS ABOUT PUBLISHING PATHWAYS

Publishing • Traditional publishing houses - large, medium and small * Independent publishing * E-Publishing * Self-publishing formats Marketing • Platform creation • Branding • Marketing

Resources *Writers Organizations * Skills Bank * Speakers * Editors * Agents *Marketing Consultants *Books, articles and websites

CWC NorCal has created a new website to provide publishing, selling and marketing support for CWC writers. The website contains information on:

Each CWC branch has a Publishing Pathways Mentor who will guide branch members who need help. Our Mentor is Renee Rojas. You can contact her at renee@reneerojas.com.

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The  Central  Coast  Writers  Branch  of  the  California  Writers  Club    

Spring  2012  Writing  Contest  _________________________________________________________________________________________________

$1000 Total Awards Four winners (two in each category of Poetry and two in each category of Prose) will receive $250 apiece. The winning work will be published (print and online) in the Spring 2012 Homestead Review produced by Hartnell College. CATEGORIES Poetry categories are Unrhymed Poems (free verse, blank verse, cameo, cinquain, haiku, shadorma, story stanza, etc.) and Rhymed Poems (couplet, triolet, triplet, sonnet, rondeau, vignette, etc.) no longer than 50 lines. Prose categories are Non-Fiction (essays, articles, memoirs, etc.) and Short Fiction (writer’s choice mystery, romance, western, etc.) each no longer than 2,500 words. FINALIST JUDGES (Details about the judges’ publications appear at the bottom of page 2.) Poetry, Unrhymed: Maria Garcia Teutsch, editor-in-chief for Ping-Pong magazine and the Homestead Review. Poetry, Rhymed: Lee Ann Russell, author of “How to Write Poetry” and 7th place winner in 2011 Writer’s Digest Poetry Contest. Prose, Fiction: J. Roderick Clark, publisher and editor of Rosebud magazine. Prose, Non-fiction: Barbara Callahan Quin, founding publisher and editor of Great Spirit Publishing.

Contest Rules Eligibility: Open to all work not previously published. Simultaneous submissions allowed, but you must notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere. Our contest is open to all writers—you do not need to be a member of California Writers Club/Central Coast Writers branch to enter. Entry Fees: There are two classes of entry fees: Non-member and Member. A Non-member is an entrant who does not belong to any branch of California Writers Club regardless of whether he/she has been a member in the past. A Member is any person who is a current paid-up member of Central Coast Writers, or any other branch of California Writers Club, and whose CWC membership qualifies him/her for a contest-fee discount. Non-member Fees: Prose: $10 per entry (fiction/non-fiction); Poetry: $5 1st poem; $3 2nd and subsequent poems. Member Discounts: Prose: $8 per entry (fiction/non-fiction); Poetry: $3 1st poem; $2 for 2nd and subsequent poems.

PLEA FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE? by Donna McCrohan Rosenthal The California Writers Club has leveraged Jack London’s name for the better part of 100 years. The CWC began as informal gatherings of London and his friends. We cite these stellar origins constantly. Now California State Parks has initiated closure proceedings for Jack London State Park.If we as writers have a voice, we might want to use it now. If we do, we stand to benefit right along with Jack. This is because PR teaches one lesson above all others: People do not want you telling them what to be interested in. No. They want you to tell them more about what interests them already. So here we have a unique opportunity. Published and unpublished members alike can attract an editor’s eye, or a search engine, by writing about state park closures. The fact that California will shut down 70 state parks constitutes a hot topic. Submit an essay on the subject to a newspaper or magazine and you greatly improve your chances of acceptance. At the same time, you get to wax eloquent about the CWC, and you come away with a publishing credit. Arguably, we owe Jack London. Consider us one aspect of his legacy. We’d do well to champion the rest of it, including his ranch, cottage and yes, even his gravesite. For more information, see http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/02/fall-of-the-wild/, http://jacklondonpark.com/ and http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=712. If you place an article, please let me know.

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SF/PEN BRANCH OFFICERS 2011/2012

President,  Christopher  Wachlin  Vice  President  and  Programming  Chair,  

Linda  Okerlund  Secretary,  Arnette  Bourla  Treasurer,  Renee  Rojas  Past  President,Tory  Hartmann  State  Board  Representative,                 Martin  Shane  Dowd  NorCal  Representative,  Geri  Spieler  Board  Member,  Bardi  Rosman  Koodrin  Board  Member,  Eve  Visconti  Membership  Chair,  Elise  Frances  Miller  Publicity  Chair,  Wendy  Walter  Parliamentarian,  Martin  Shane  Dowd  Open  Mic  Chair,  James  Hanna  Reservations  Chair,  Ann  Foster  Newsletter  Editor,  Tory  Hartmann  

Lo

Open Mic at Dove and Olive 178 South Blvd, San Mateo

Next Open Mic is Wednesday, October 16, at 7:30pm. Sign up with Jim Hanna at openmic@sfpeninsulawriters.com. If youʼre not reading, come to enjoy the good stories. The atmosphere is warm and friendly and we know you will have a great time. Every writer loves an audience!

Now in its second printing! Need copies? Contact Chris Wachlin or drop into Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park. We’re nearly sold out!

An Anthology of Short Stories and Poems from

Carole BumpusJo CarpignanoTia CreightonMargaret Davis

Ann FosterDarlene FrankJames HannaTory HartmannLaurel Anne Hill

David HirzelBardi Rosman Koodrin

Cheryl S. Levinson

Ida LewensteinElise Frances Miller

Diane MoomeyLucy Ann MurrayLinda Newman

Lisa Meltzer PennMil Pribble

Martha Clark ScalaEve Visconti

Christopher WachlinOllie Mae Trost Welch

FAU

LT Z

ON

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FaultZone

Words!from!the!Edge

An Anthology of Stories

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MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS

Calling All Authors Do you have a book in print? Want to help the club and maybe yourself? The great people at Dove and Olive said that they would be happy to give us a shelf for our member’s books. I’ll get a label that says “Local Authors.” Here is what we are thinking, but if you have a suggestion, please tell us!

Donate two books. Tell us what the price is. We will co-ordinate the split between the shop and us. Hopefully, your book has a barcode on the back! The club will get the proceeds from these two books, but if your book sells out, and you put in two more, the sale of the next two books will go to you! (Actually, they will write the check to the club and the club will reimburse you.)

What do you think? Wouldn’t it be nice to see an entire shelf filled with Local Authors’ Books from SF/Peninsula Writers? If you are interested in this, please email Tory Hartmann at toryhartmann@hotmail.com. Let’s do it!

Update: Several members have sent Tory books. We'll wait a little longer to put them at Dove and Olive. There's still time!!

CWC NorCal has created a new website to provide publishing, selling and marketing support for CWC writers. The website contains information on:

*Books, articles and websites

President's Message, continued from page 3

But it’s not all fun. It’s inevitable that you’ll feel pangs of hurt when somebody says something. Someone’s going to say something, and it’s going to hurt. And that’s okay. Wouldn’t you rather feel a sting when sitting around a table with a few people you trust? I would. My guess is you would, too. It beats having every agent and acquisitions editor on the planet brush you off not because they’re mean-spirited, but because you deserve it. Listen to the group. If what they say hurts, it won’t be on purpose; it will be incidental. It will be incidental to their care and compassion—yes, care and compassion—for you and your work. To me, that sounds a lot better than a bunch of politesse that can be taken straight to the trash.

But in my opinion you have to be compassionate in all aspects if you want it to work. This includes compassion for your readers. So if you write memoir, and a lot of it is about your brothers raping you or one of your parents committing suicide, if your fellow group members are tongue-tied, you have to take the next step. You already knew your material was brutal. This is their first time reading it.

Even if you told them there would be brutality.

Christopher Wachlin