NEXT HIGH SIERRA WRITERS MEETING IS AT RENO POP CULTURE CONVENTION

… on Saturday, November 9th at 10 am. If you did not contact Rene to request admission, you are now responsible for getting your own ticket into the event.  (See Matt’s letter for more details.)

Rene sent a confirmation email back to each person who emailed her to get on the list. If you sent an email and did NOT get a confirmation, please contact Rene immediately to confirm she got the email. 

Our guest for this meeting, Alexanne Stone is scheduled to speak at 11 am, but do get there early to get a good seat. Alexanne is an expert at interpreting body language and will give us a preview of what understanding body language can add to our quiver of writing arrows. If everyone is interested, we will schedule her for a workshop with the group in our 2020 plan.

In addition to our meeting, you will find many other reasons to attend. Unlike most other media conventions, the RPCC is presenting a whole track of writing programs to encourage writers and provide information. Several of the HSW members are on panels (see schedule below) and book signing opportunities are included. If you’re just interested in the guests, actors from various television shows, including Star Trek, Arrow, Firefly, Star Wars, Stranger Things, and Torchwood, are appearing for photo opportunities and panels.

If you like comics, they have panels on those and some of the artists. Voice actors for animated films, such as the Disney films are also doing panels. They will have a dealer room with all kinds of media-related items from comic books to cosplay items to jewelry and sci-fi weaponry. A few HSW members will be selling books and autographing them in Author Alley and you can also check out Artist Alley to see some beautiful fantasy and science fiction art. Costumes are welcomed if you feel so inclined. Bring the kids, they get in free with you, and have a great time.

One note, get your tickets in advance from RenoPopCultureCon.com. You order online and redeem at the door. They are not selling tickets at the event. If you’re undecided until the last minute, you can purchase them via your phone on the internet from the parking lot.

From the HSW President Matt Bayan

Our focus for November is Reno Pop Culture Con. We were invited to participate because much of the focus of the event focuses on authors and writing. Guests at the Con will include TV and movie personalities, bestselling authors, sci-fi, and the usual stuff you would expect from something similar to Comic Con.

Here’s a chance to meet other local writers. Since we’re having our monthly High Sierra Writers meeting at the Con (and we’re on the conference program schedule), we might pick up some new members.

Since this is a regular meeting for us please bring First Pages. Show off your material to what should be a wider audience than just our members.

Also, our members will be participating in and leading numerous writing panels over the three-day event. See the separate listing below.

Our paid members, who notified us by October 31st, will have a free badge for all events on Saturday, November 9, the date of our monthly meeting. To get your badge, meet me at the main entrance of the Convention Center at 9:30 AM. I’ll hand out the admission tickets until 9:45 AM. (Our meeting starts at the regular time: 10 AM in Room A11/A10). If you arrive after 9:45, you’ll have to pay the day rate to get in, or go home. Sorry, but if you snooze, you lose.

This could be an annual event if this first Con is successful. Authors Alley gives local authors the chance to showcase their work; the panels offer interaction with successful writers; plus all kinds of entertainment are offered. So, invite friends and have a great time. RenoPopCultureCon.com

Scheduled Writing-related Panels for RPCC

Most panels have five to six panelists. I’ve listed all the panels and where HSW members are on a panel, I’ve listed who. For those who don’t know, Lindy Bailey is Linda Enos, Elise Manion is Teri Green, and Lillian Wolfe is Rene Averett.

Friday:
Noon  – Local Authors Round Table – includes Jacci Turner
1 pm  – Got Plot – Lynda Bailey, Nicole Frens, Matt Bayan
1:30  – World Building a “Serious” Story
2 pm  – The L and S Words in Genre Fiction – Lynda Bailey & Elise Manion
4 pm  – Self Publishing Your Novel – Matt Bayan & Lillian Wolfe
5 pm  – NaNoWriMo – Jennifer Baumer, Kelli Heitstuman-Tomko, Lillian Wolfe

Saturday:
10 am – High Sierra Writers Meeting with Alexanne Stone speaking at 11 am. Matt Bayan
Noon  – The Only Game In Town – Alternative Publishing – Lynda Bailey
1 pm  – Vampires, Ghosts, and Witches – Matt Bayan
2 pm  – Building a Better (Super) Hero – Lynda Bailey & Matt Bayan
3 pm  – Fight Like a Girl: Female Protagonists
5 pm  – Can We Write and Read Books that Speak to Teens? Jacci Turner
6 pm  – Is There a Sci-Fi-Book in Your Future? Matt Bayan

Sunday
10 am – How to Design the Perfect Murder – Lynda Bailey, Matt Bayan, Elise Manion
11:30 – Sci-Fi & Fantasy Every Age Group Will Enjoy
Noon  – Authors Critique Group Round Table – Lynda Bailey, Jacci Turner, Lillian Wolfe
1 pm  – Paranormal & Urban Fantasy Romance – Building Worlds and Relationships
2 pm  – Synopsis Writing – Lynda Bailey
3 pm  – Writing & Reading Eye-Roll-Proof Books for Kids & Teens – Matt Bayan
3:30  – Romance is on the Rise – Lynda Bailey, Elise Manion, Lillian Wolfe

HSW Novel Contest Winner! 

Congratulations to Maria Palace, who won the HSW novel contest, giving her the prize of getting her novel seen by an acquiring editor at one of the major publishers. It’s a terrific opportunity and we wish her all the best in getting an acceptance from it. I asked Maria how she felt about it and what she hoped to see. Here’s her reply:

 As you can imagine, it was a thrill to hear my name announced as winner of the HSW 2019 Manuscript Contest.

I am exceedingly hopeful that my win will lead me to a publication deal, as my love for writing is unquenchable, and I have the incredible members of the High Sierra Writers to thank for continuing to teach and inspire me to never give up

Many thanks to Donna Stegman for setting up this unique winner’s prize and adjudicating the first round. 

NaNoWriMo is Here! As of 12:00 am on November 1st, NaNo for 2019 kicked off. The first online write-in was scheduled for midnight, so those NaNos who wanted to leap right in, they’re probably at least 2000 words into the process, if not more, by the time you read this. But those 50k words are a long game, so it’s a task of writing everyday. If you’re part of the group, you know this already, but to the new people and those of you who may want to try it, the key is to keep writing. You only answer to yourself when it comes to getting the words down.  If you want to join in at any point during the month, you can register your project at the NaNo web site: www.nanowrimo.org and get started. If you need encouragement, you can join the community for Reno and you can also join our Facebook groups. Sprints and write-ins are posted at both locations so you can get as involved as your choose.