write angles december 2012

8/13/2019 Write Angles December 2012

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Two years ago I began composing writing-related holiday poems. The first one I shared at CWCs holiday luncheon,and last year I published it in Write Angles. I would like to continue that tradition.

Holiday Submission Blues

Tanya Grove

I went to a conference around mid-October where agents and editors said,

You have three months to send us your writingwe promise that it will be read.

To surpass the slush pile? A guaranteed reading? The rules are so simple, its sary.

!imply mention the on"erene where you heard them spea# and submit it by mid$%anuary.

Then &alloween ame with its pump#ins to arve and o" ourse hildrens ostumes to sew.

'ut no need to worry(ve still got ten wee#s and two manusripts ready to go.

They arerather di""erent so ( should hoose well whih story ( send out to where.

)ne is a humorous early$grade reader* the other is middle$grade "are.'ut "amily is oming. (m hosting Than#sgivingso muh "ood to buy and prepare+

lean up the guest room and get out the linens and somehow "ind one e-tra hair

As soon as ( lear all the ups and the plates and the le"tovers get put away,

( hit the malls early to "ind the best bargains on retailers big shopping day.

)ur "amily has not one, but twoholidays to elebrate this year/

&anu##ah songs and dreidle games will blend with Yuletide heer.

The menorah is in the window and the wreath is on the door.

0eighbors will surely wonder at the mi- o" our d 1or.

2rapping presents, "rying lat#es, going to parties and plays$$

3very minute is ta#en up "or twenty$seven days+And even when the trees been plaed, "orgotten, on the urb,

The #ids are still at home and dont #now how

to not disturb.

( had three months, but now (m down to one

wee# and a day.

( ant allow this opportunity to slip away+

(" ( an onentrate, ( #now that ( an get it

done.

4aybe i", instead o" two, ( "ous on 5ust one.

'ut whih to pi#? This has beome a sort o" !ophies hoie.

!ubmit the one "or younger #ids or send the stronger voie?)ne has made the rounds already. (ll wor# on the other.

'ut a twinge o" guilt ma#es me "eel that (m an aw"ul mother.

0ow to "ind the guidelines buried somewhere in my notes

(n one o" several binders inside one o" many totes.

2hih bag did ( arry to the on"erene on that day?

0ow (ve missed the deadline, and all that ( an say

1

December2012

Contents:President's Message 1

Old Friends 2Is Email Writing? 3

Lets Meet Up! 3

Poetry Page

oo" #e$ie% &

P( ytes )

Mont*ly Writers +ontest ,

Mem(er -e%s . /id(its 0

Mar"et lae 1

Presidents Message

UpcomingEvents

12/8 Holiday Luncheon

1/15/13 Fifth-Grade StoryContest opens

1/1/13 Jack Londons

Birthday

1/2!/13 "eetin#

1/2/13 $or%shop &'()*


2/12

Write Angles Page 2 of(s ( an write on the hottest o" days and revise when it is "ree6in

'ut ( ant seem to get anythingdone during the holiday season

Reacquainting with Old

Friends

Alon Shalev

ast month, Three Clo!er "resssent me the galleyproofs for Unwanted Heroes. I was instructed toread through the manuscript carefully and pickout any light changes# spelling, grammar, wordchoice, etc.

$eading a galley proof is like preparing your kidfor college %admittedly, I ha!en&t done this, but Ido work with uni!ersity students'bear with me(.It is a last chance to make sure e!erything is as

you want it to be before you send them out intothe big, wide world. )ou want to make sure theyha!e e!erything they need, are prepared for e!eryscenario they might face. It is the same with abook'a last chance to get e!erything right.

Well o!er a year has passed since I last readthrough the manuscript. The no!el was written acouple of years before that, and since then, I ha!ewritten four other manuscripts.

I ha!e mo!ed on, right* Wrong.

O!er the ne+t two weeks, I did not e+pect to feel

the emotional rollercoaster that played out. Ofcourse I remembered the plot. There are sensiti!escenes that I ha!e read, edited, reread, andreedited a doen timesbut that was back then.

o why am I getting teary-eyed as I read themagain now* Why do I find myself rooting for thecharacters that I got so close to back then*/dmittedly, my relationship with these characterscontinued into the se0uel that I wrote last yearand into the notes I ha!e made for the third in theseries, both of which are also emotional roller

coasters.When I am writing a no!el, I become !ery closeto the characters. They accompany me on mycommute, in the gym, and I often dream aboutthem at night. I worry for them, get frustratedwith them, and 1ust between us, I often argue

with them.

I would like to tell you that I ha!e control ofthese characters. What I type onto the com-puter decides their actions, attitudes, anddestiny. 2ut they and I know this is only partiallytrue. They are part of the creation, part of theprocess, and an integral part in how the plotplays out.

3any writers claim that the plot defines thecharacters. That has always puled me and, Isuspect, leads to either shallow characters orob!ious stereotypes. The reader in!ests incharacters. 4i!en we all cra!e a twist or two atthe end of the book, it is for the protagonistthat we root, and our commitment to him5her iswhat sends us scurrying to buy the ne+t book inthe series.

This is why reading a galley proof is so muchmore than scanning for errors or word choices. Itis reac0uaintance with old friends, people withwhom we shared so much, people with whom we

laughed, lo!ed, and cried. 3y charactersstepped outside their comfort one to try tocreate a better world. 6or them, we, the readerand author, bear witness.

$eading the galley proof is so much more thanscanning pages of words.

7777777777777777777777

This article was originally a blog post on eft Coast 8oices%http#55leftcoast!oices.wordpress.com5(,reprinted with
http://www.threecloverpress.com/http://www.threecloverpress.com/


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Write Angles Page 3 ofpermission from the author.

The CALIFORNIA WRITERS CLUB is a !"#c$ #%$ e&'cational nonpro(it) &e&icate& to e&'catingmem*ers an& the

p'*lic+at+large in the cra(t o( ,riting an& in the mar-eting o( their ,or-),,,)c,c+*er-ele.)org

Is EmailWriting?Sasha Futran

I was once hired to redo a !ideo by adentist who had a tra!el dental kit tomarket. /s things e!ol!ed, he decidedthat redoing the complete !ideo wastoo e+pensi!e. Instead, he decided Ishould write a new script, and wewould produce a new audio toaccompany the e+isting !ideo. Tellinghim that wouldnt work because hismouth would be mo!ing one way and

the words another didnt seem to bemaking an impact. o I decided to write him a memoabout the problem.

There was, howe!er, an additional issue# themalfunctioning keyboard on my computer. It didntreally matter what I wr t b caus h would n t be abl tr ad it anyway. 9ote# I!e cheated here and gi!en you afew more letters than he got so you can pule thingsout.

What can you e+pect from a dentist who had a giantsmiling tooth wa!ing a toothbrush chained to the front

door of the office* It was wonderful and highly enter-taining, though, for the short time it lasted. :e tookme out to lunch e!ery day and to his tailor for suitfittings, and the whole staff went salsa dancing and hewas 0uite good. I played the !ideo he had already madefor friends at home and got a lot of mileage out of it.3y best friend actually fell off the couch.

Clearly, this was not going to be a long-term way to pay the

mortgage, but it did keep me

funded and laughing whilecontinuing the 1ob hunt.

I ha!e dreams of writing a memoir.I!e had a number of weird1ob e+periences and alsoended up becoming apolitical acti!ist ande+ercising that acti!ism onthe 1ob, media 1obs. Thosedidnt e+actly end up inpromotions, but did makefor more stories to tell. It

also e+plains why I had toresort to earning a few dollars from a dentist witha large smiley tooth.

Of late I!e been suckered into ser!ing on radiostation boards--first ; and now ;"6/. Im stillmulling o!er the possibility of a sitcom treatmentfor the latter, but in the meantime what I write isemail about ;"6/s problems. ong, well-thought-out, analytic ones. hort, pithy, pointed ones.Others are 1ust plain sarcastic. 3any breakaccepted format and ha!e odd beginnings andendings that finally tie things together. When I

think about my email, I think of it as writing, but isemail e!er really Writing*

Sasha Futran is a troubled soul about to be released from doing si! years of hard time on the"#FA board. $f you want to %now who to vote forin the "#FA board election& it's guaranteed she'llWrite bac%.sfutran?pacbell.net

Lets Meet Up! Kymberlie Ingalls

4reat things are coming to our branch of the CaliforniaWriters Club@

We always encourage our authors to di!e headlong intothe world of social media'this is what dri!es the3arketing 4roup that meets each month before ourpeaker =!ents. We ha!e been working to e+pand theweb presence of the club with 6acebook, Twitter,inkedIn, and of course our spectacular website.

On the list of to-dos is a )ouTube channeldesigned to feature past speakers, member book

trailers, and

author readings. /lso coming soon, in time tolaunch for the new year, is a page on 3eetup.

3eetup.com is a social website that hoststhousands of groups across the country.3embership is free and easy. Aust go to the site,type in your interest and ip code, and up comes a
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Write Angles Page oflist of groups and e!ents. Our goal is to help create asort of personal calendar for you, enabling you to easilykeep up with and $8" to our !arious e!ents, such asmonthly meetings, workshops, and social e!ents likethe upcoming annual holiday luncheon.

;eep your eye out for these great features. :ope tosee you soon on the web@

!O"F#SS$O"%& PO#'S $$( 'heodore Roeth)eAlysa Chadow

Theodore $oethke %BDE-BFG( was a contemporary of $obert owell %see 9o!ember WriteAngles( whose work not only won the "uliter "rie and 9ational 2ook /wards, but influenceda generation of poets, including yl!ia "lath. $oethke was born in aginaw, 3ichigan, and spentmuch of his childhood working in his familys greenhouse. This e+perience, along with hisuncles suicide and fathers death from cancer infused much of his poetry.

$oethke earned an /. 2. and 3. /. in =nglish from the Hni!ersity of 3ichigan and taught inse!eral colleges in "ennsyl!ania and 8ermont before 1oining the faculty at the Hni!ersity ofWashington. :e died of a heart attack in a friends swimming pool on 2ainbridge Island. Thepool was e!entually filled in and is now the site of a en rock garden.

W. :. /uden and tanley ;unit were 1ust two of the poets who praised $oethke for his aus-tere yet lyrical style. JThe WakingK was published in BLG and contains his signature naturalimagery.

The WakingI wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.I learn by going where I have to go.

We think by feeling. What is there to know?I hear my being dance from ear to ear.I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.

Of those so close beside me, which are you?God bless the Ground I shall walk softly there,!nd learn by going where I have to go.

"ight takes the Tree# but who can tell us how?The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair#I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/172106#poem%23poemhttp://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/172106#poem%23poem


5/12

Write Angles Page * of

Great $ature has another thing to doTo you and me# so take the lively air,!nd, lovely, learn by going where to go.

This shaking keeps me steady. I should know.

The Place that Inhabits Us:

Poemsof the San FranciscoBay Watershed

edited by members of %i&teen 'ivers (ress

(ohn ). *c+onald,-mcdearthlin%.net

M"laceM has become a catchword for a certain kind ofwriting. =n!ironmental, architectural, nature writing and

memoir, all are enhanced by a strong sense of "lace. Thereprobably is no place that is not a "lace if looked at in theright way. The an 6rancisco 2ay /rea, of course, has agrander sense of place than many others. Its naturalbeauty, connectedness to the en!ironment, the setting ofits cities, all contribute to a uni0uely attracti!e region thathas drawn people for centuries.

i+teen $i!ers "ress, named for the number of ri!ers andtributaries to the bay, has compiled this outstanding!olume of poetry. =ach piece connects in some way to an

6rancisco and the "acific Coast. :ere also is a broadspectrum of poets, from relati!ely unknown writers, toprie winners like Ceslaw 3ilos, and famous names backto ;enneth $e+roth and Walt Whitman. It is a finecollection, touching on the beautiful setting of this place, but also on lo!e, loss and death,the usual realms of poetry. It is all organied in this !olume behind an insightfulintroduction by 2erkeley&s own $obert :ass, with a co!er featuring a stunning print by Tom;illion and an o!erarching tone familiar to people who know and feel connected to the an6rancisco area.

The term MwatershedM in the subtitle implies a focus on the natural setting, but thecollection is broader than that. To a reader who knows the 2ay /rea, the book can be acompelling, warm, and in!iting 1ourney. To others, it might be less engrossing, but there isenough e+tremely fine poetry in this collection to warrant any discerning reader&sattention. /t the !ery least, it is an introduction to i+teen $i!ers, an artful andproducti!e local poetry collecti!e.

The 'er#eley 'ranh meets on the third !unday o" eah month 7e-ept %uly, August, and 8eember9

Book Review
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


6/12

Write Angles Page + ofat :/;; p.m. in the 'radley . 2alters ommunity


7/12

Write Angles Page , ofsomething e+pressi!e about using an old-fashioned fountain pen and paper where the inkshowed his emotional states# ennui, transcendentalism, or pure unadulterated wickedness.:e didnt know if he was going to make the LD,DDD-word goal, but he didnt really seem tocare.

#ub /ytes continued

/t the an $amon restaurant, I met I+y "i+y, the liaison for the =ast 2ay $egion. he was in agroup of 9anowrimos huddled around a table in the middle of a busy restaurant. he was gi!ingpep talks to the writers and from time to time hollered, J;eep writing@K

/t the table were ongoing discussions about publishing, character de!elopment, and popularno!els. Tim said that he had finished his first no!el, the epilogue, and was ramping up for thestart of his second no!el, a book of poems that he wanted to sell on /maon. We congratulatedhim with applause.

8eronica mentioned that she wanted to write her cousin into her work. he described him as a

despicable, dishonest cheat once sought by the 62I for money laundering. he had repeatedlytried to write him into her science-fiction no!el but after awhile stopped because she thoughtno one would belie!e someone could be such a dark character'e!en for a !ampire.

Aim asked if anyone hadplanned the flow of the no!elbefore starting. 3ostresponded negati!ely, andwriting resumed. I left aftertwo hours and felt inspired bythis group of 4eneration who came out on a stormy

6riday night to participate ina community of writers.

In week three, I decided todo all-nighters and typed intothe wee hours of themorning. itting in front ofthe window, I watched a slew

of characters wandering through the backyard. There was the random pack of raccoons thatbounced and bounded o!er the porch sca!enging for food and plantmaterial. /s theydisappeared from the scene, a feral cat crept by on its daily so1ourn to pilfer lefto!er food from

the cat bowl. 3ost unusual and une+pected was the appearance of a solitary creature with along white snout that lurked around the porch furniture, emitting clicking sounds as it graedfor seeds and scraps. 6or the first time in my life I saw a possum close up, and I realied he,too, had come out of his comfort one to befriend another nocturnal creature to e+perience9anowrimo.

9ational 9o!el Writing 3onth is the perfect e!ent to pull indi!iduals out of their nomadic worldof creati!e writing and to e+perience writing as a collaborati!e and social acti!ity, where themission is not simply to write LD,DDD words but en1oy the process with fellow creatures. Writing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant


8/12

Write Angles Page - ofconnects us all.

)onthly Writers* +ontest

nfortunately, we received no entries for $ovember*s contest. We*re going to tryagain with a new theme. %o if youre interested in entering Decembers contest,the theme is The Cliff.

=ntries should be PLD words or fewer and can be any genre. "lease send your entry toynne at writeangles?gmail.comand write WA Writers Contest in the subjectline. Entries are due no later than December 15.

.onthly /riters0 !ontestecember 212

THEME THE C!"##

Cartiipate in the lub

2eEre waiting "or you to author that artile, poem, story, or artoon.

-or the +lub

+ontribute to the +lubnewsletter and oin themerry band of writers.

-or your Writing "ife

We/re all in thistogether. Writing willimprove you and give

you something to replywhen someone asks youwhat you do and where.

-or the 'eward
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


9/12

Write Angles Page ofThe work you do will benoticed. In fact, there

could be a pot of gold atthe end of the rainbowor most likely a gift to

cherish because youwon the monthly writing

contest.


10/12

Write Angles Page 1 of

.ember "ews

/er%eley /ranch members are encouraged to send us writingrelated news. #lease write Member

News in the subject line and send to Anne atwritefo!aol.comno later than the

15

th

of the month.

Thomas 0urchfields >racula no!el +ragon's Ar%has won $unner-up for 2est :orror 9o!el atthis years :alloween 2ook 6esti!al. This marks the third award +ragon's Ar%has won thisyear.

1eff 2ingmanwas a national finalist this fall in the 3idwest Writing Centers poetry contest,with two poems published in their 1ournal, 0ff 1hannel. /nother poem of Aeffs waspublished in issue QP of loball.

'isa $yedebuts as 3s. 2arstool in the 9O: section of /er%eleyside'

http#55www.berkeleyside.com5NDBN5BB5BP5raising-the-dead-at-re!i!al-bar-kitchen5 Tempting tips on tasting and tippling.

1o!nn %mith !insworthwill join other historical romance authors for a chat on12/13/12 1 !.m. Eastern" at the #amhain Caf$. %he& will chat about writin' and

!ost e(cer!ts. http#55groups.yahoo.com5adultconf*destRSN6groupSN6samhaincafeSN6messages" )ublic in*ited.

!lon %halev*sUnwanted Heroes%hree Clo*er )ress" is now a*ailable on +indle and#mashwords. %he !a!erbac, is to come out in -anuar&. or more on the boo, !lease

clic, here. #ee Alons blo' on !a'e 2 of this Write Angles.http#55www.alonshale!.com

3eborah -rischs story, JIsaiahs Inauguration,K will appear in the Aanuary56ebruary issue ofS%ipping Stones, a many times honored multicultural childrens magaine. The publicationcoincides with "resident Obamas second inauguration.

'idbit

It was a small but li!ely gatheringat the last0an'in ut with Writers at the er,ele&

arina. Cliff 0ui and his crac, team of

stor& starters !enned the first !ara'ra!h of

a fictitious no*el and those of us who'athered to hear it offered !ossible titles.

After Cliff wrote down all su''estions we

*oted on the one we li,ed best. or

+&mberlie 4n'allss winnin' title of

!cream" #ou !cream she became the !roud

owner of half a toilet seat one that loo,ed

sus!iciousl& li,e the other half of the that

one ar& 5uersen won at an earlier 0an'in ut with Writers.
mailto:[email protected]://www.berkeleyside.com/2012/11/14/raising-the-dead-at-revival-bar-kitchen/http://groups.yahoo.com/adultconf?dest=%2Fgroup%2Fsamhaincafe%2Fmessageshttp://groups.yahoo.com/adultconf?dest=%2Fgroup%2Fsamhaincafe%2Fmessageshttp://www.alonshalev.com/http://www.alonshalev.com/mailto:[email protected]://www.berkeleyside.com/2012/11/14/raising-the-dead-at-revival-bar-kitchen/http://groups.yahoo.com/adultconf?dest=%2Fgroup%2Fsamhaincafe%2Fmessageshttp://groups.yahoo.com/adultconf?dest=%2Fgroup%2Fsamhaincafe%2Fmessageshttp://www.alonshalev.com/http://www.alonshalev.com/


11/12

Write Angles Page 11 of$hoto courtes% of N& 'i(


12/12

Write Angles Page 12 of.ar)et4lace

/er%eley /ranch members are welcome to ad)ertise their writing*related ser)ices. $lease

write Mar+et,lace in the subject line and send to Anne atwritefo!aol.comno laterthan the 15thof the month.

+harlotte +ookoffers story editing, prepublishing ser!ices, and workshops for writers offiction, creati!e nonfiction, and screenplays. /lso a!ailable is office5retreat space for classesand meetings. www.adaptingsideways.comor charlotte?adaptingsideways.com.

Tatana Greineroffers de!elopmental editing for all genres of fiction and nonfiction. =mailher at workshop?mac.com. 3ore information at# http#55tat1anagreinerwordshop.com .

!nne -o&, Write Anglescopyeditor, offers copyediting ser!ices for all le!els of fiction andnonfiction. $eferences a!ailable. writefo+?aol.com

Thomas 0urchfieldoffers editing and proofreading ser!ices for fiction and nonfiction books byCWC 2erkeley members. 6or details, !isit his webpage, e-mail him at tbdelu+e?sbcglobal.net,or call LBD-EB-PPGN.

For Sale: / great computer for a writer@ i3ac 4L running OBD.L. %JeopardK(, loaded with 3icrosoft Word, 9otebook, andother great programs. /!ailable online for UPLDV for sale to aClub member for only UGDD. 3any good books were written on it%and a lot of Club business done@(V it will definitely bring youluck. In good condition with memory upgrades, working C>burner5>8> player and a new power supply. Writing software

plus installation C>s are included. Call ;risten at LBD-LGP-BPBLor write kbc?littlepig.comwith 0uestions.

/rite %ngles

Editor /anya ro$e

Mont*ly Writers +ontest . P( ytes - L Fi4

+opyeditor5Mem(er -e%s5/id(its 6nne Fo4

7pea"er Pro8ile 9a$id a"er

Poetry Page Editor 6lysa +*ado%

+ontri(tors: ;ym(erlie Ingalls< 6lon 7*ale$< 7as*a Ftran< =o*n > M9onald
mailto:[email protected]://www.adaptingsideways.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://tatjanagreinerwordshop.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.adaptingsideways.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://tatjanagreinerwordshop.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

write angles december 2012

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