Next Meeting…

CONTRAST AND PACING

All elements of writing – characters, settings, conflicts, dialogue, etc. – need contrast to hold a reader’s attention. Slow vs. fast, bright vs. dark, loud vs. quiet. In each element of writing, we need to make choices that illuminate the external from the internal. 

Join us for a presentation/discussion on how to use contrast and pacing to up your game and make your story more interesting and provocative.

From the HSW President 

In our March meeting, we’ll tackle a topic we’ve never approached before: Pacing. We’ll take that idea and apply it to various writing elements, expanding beyond the concept of time to look at how contrast is essential in every facet of writing.

Next month our guest is Grammar Girl, Mignon Fogarty, who in a few short years took an esoteric little podcast to the heights of the NYT bestseller list. She’s going to show us how she used and uses social media to carve out her ever-expanding niche in the publishing world.

We’ll also have First Pages this month, so drag in the beginnings of those novels you started as New Year’s resolutions.

Matt

April Meeting –

Making Your Social Media Work for You

As previously announced, Mignon Fogerty, aka Grammar Girl, will be presenting a class on how to use social media to grow your business. We asked last month and are asking again: How do you use these to grow your readership? How can you turn your handful of followers into people who want to read your books?

On April 13th, Mignon will present an all-day workshop on social media. So, bring your laptops and power cords and be prepared to harness the power of these often-times elusive platforms. 
 
The morning session (FREE and open to the public) will consist of an hour-long, introductory presentation by Mignon. In the afternoon, she’ll help us navigate through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc so we can better utilize those mediums for promoting/marketing our books.
 
Please note!!! The afternoon session is not for beginners! You need to have at least a semblance of a social media presence in order to make the most of Mignon’s presentation.
 
Cost for the afternoon session is $30 for HSW members; $50 for non-members. If you have any questions, please contact Linda Enos at enoslinda@sbcglobal.net.

To register for the workshop, please go to this page at the High Sierra Writers website. The payment button links to PayPal for processing. You do not need a PayPal account to register if you use your credit card.

May Meeting Information

Looking ahead, we have another exciting workshop coming up in May. 

Would you like to know how to edit your manuscript to a professional level before self-publishing or submitting to an agent?  Do you wish you had a clear understanding of how to tell whether your story works, and what to do if it doesn’t?  Or are you planning to hire an editor, but could use a leg up to get the best bang for your buck by sending them the best draft you can?  

Join us for our May 11th meeting when Story Grid Certified Editors Anne Hawley and Rachelle Ramirez will join us for our regular meeting and an extended workshop to teach us about the Story Grid editing method, based on Shawn Coyne’s powerful book on how to level up your craft and write a story that really works! 

During the regular meeting, the editors will share with us what the Story Grid method is all about, explain the different levels of editing, and give us the Five Commandments of Story. 

After lunch, in the paid session, we’ll have a short break for lunch (BYO), then dive deeper as they dissect two of our scenes and take it through a Story Grid examination.   They’ll leave us with information about Story Grid editing services, and how to build our own Super Hardcore Editing Groups. 

The first 35 paid participants will also leave with a hard copy of the Story Grid ($28 on Amazon)!

For current HSW members, the afternoon workshop is $20, and non-members are $30.  We will begin taking registrations in April. A news blast will be sent to current HSW members when registration is opened.

Two scenes will be chosen by the presenters to use in the analysis session. Interested HSW members (only) may submit a scene to be considered to Nicole@Frens.Land 

TMCC Writers’ Conference

Coming up on April 13 at the college’s Dandini campus. The event begins at 9:40 am and runs until about 4:15 pm. With several guest speakers, including our own Jacci Turner, the topics will cover crafting a page turner, building memorable characters, developing your brand, and more. Participants also have the opportunity to connect with agents for a small fee.

Regrettably, this conference overlaps with the HSW’s April meeting and presentation by Mignon Fogerty.

For more information, go to TMCC’sconference page.

Tips for Using a Writers’ Conference

When you attend a writers’ conference, you’re going to learn a lot, but one of the most important benefits is often overlooked or not followed up on promptly. Networking. Conferences are a great opportunity to meet other writers, publishers, and agents and connect with them to begin building a relationship that may benefit you down the line. Make these contacts a priority.

Here’s a little Do and Don’t list that conveniently landed in my email inbox as I started to write this. Agent Irene Goodman covers a good list of things to do and not do in this article.