Next Meeting: December 13!

The writers of the Mountain Empire Creative Arts Council (MECAC), will be meeting this Tuesday evening, December 13, in the Community Room of the Pine Valley Library from 7:00-8:30 PM. 

Everyone interested in learning more about writing and publishing is encouraged to attend. Beginning writers are extremely welcome! 

Please bring a poem or fewer than a thousand words of prose to share with the group. If at all possible, please make 6-8 copies if you would like to receive written as well as oral feedback on your work. 

The Greek Theatre, Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego

We'll also update everyone on the upcoming Writer's Symposium by the Sea this February at Point Loma Nazarene University. The theme of the 2017 symposium is "Resonates," and poet laureate Robert Pinsky will be featured as well as author Tracy Kidder. The symposium runs February 21-23 here in San Diego. Tickets are inexpensive ($10-$15 each), and Judith and I have very much enjoyed the symposium for years. Elaine accompanied us in 2016, and we all had a lovely time. 

So we hope to see you this Tuesday evening! Take care and keep writing! 

Next Meeting: November 8!

The writers of the Mountain Empire Creative Arts Council (MECAC) will be meeting next on Tuesday, November 8 at 7:00-8:30 PM in the Community Room of the Pine Valley Library.

Please bring 8-10 copies of either a poem of 1-2 pages of prose to share. Authors read their word aloud and then receive encouragement and constructive criticism both in discussion and in written form. But if you don't have anything new to share this week, please come to offer suggestions to other writers as they share their work.

Please come join us--and bring a friend! Everyone interested in learning more about writing is welcome to attend!

We may also set up a Saturday write-in for mid-month as part of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) if enough people are interested. 

Happy Writing!

Next Meeting: October 11!

In addition to meeting this Tuesday, October 11 in the Community Room of the Pine Valley Library at 7:00-8:30 PM as usual, we have an important event later this month. 

On Thursday, October 20, from 6:00-8:00 PM, Judith will be featured at an Author Talk at the Alpine Library to celebrate the release of Sky Mesa Journal. In addition to talking about how she came to write this book which she started 25 years ago, Judith will also be selling and signing copies as well. 

So if at all possible, let's all attend to give Judith a full house and support her in the publication of her book! 

Currently her book is available through the publisher Wipf and Stock as well as on Amazon. 

I'll bring copies of the flyer to our October meeting, or you may e-mail me for a copy. 

"A book, too, can be a star, a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe." ~Madeleine L'Engle

Happy writing, everyone!!

Next Meeting: September 13!!

The writers of the Mountain Empire Creative Arts Council (MECAC) will be meeting next on Tuesday, September 13 at 7:00-8:30 PM in the Community Room of the Pine Valley Library.

Please bring 8-10 copies of either a poem of 1-2 pages of prose to share. Authors read their word aloud and then receive encouragement and constructive criticism both in discussion and in written form. But if you don't have anything new to share this week, please come to offer suggestions to other writers as they share their work.

Please come join us--and bring a friend! Everyone interested in learning more about writing is welcome to attend!


We hope to see you on September 13!!



Writing with you,

Next Meeting: August 9!!

From the British TV Show Sherlock

The writers of the Mountain Empire Creative Arts Council (MECAC) will be meeting next on Tuesday, August 9 at 7:00-8:30 PM in the Community Room of the Pine Valley Library. 

Please bring 8-10 copies of either a poem or 1-2 pages of prose to share. Authors read their work aloud and then receive encouragement and constructive criticism both in discussion and in written form. But if you don't have anything new to share this week, please come to offer suggestions to other writers as they share their work.

We have some exciting publication news regarding several of our writers, so don't miss out on this meeting! We also have plans for a Saturday writing workshop in September in which we'll work on building our writing skills. 

We hope to see you Tuesday evening!! 

Writing with you, 

Next Meeting: Tuesday, July 12!

The Mountain Empire Creative Arts Council (MECAC) Writers' Workshop meets the second Tuesday of each month in the Community Room of the Pine Valley Library at 7:00 PM.

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, July 12, 2016. Anyone and everyone interested in learning more about writing and publishing are welcome to attend. 

If you would like to receive feedback on your writing, bring 8-10 copies of a single poem (or two if they're really short) or 1-2 pages of prose. Writers read their work aloud while listeners jot comments onto the copies they are reading along with, and then encouragement and suggestions are offered. 

So we hope to see you on July 12, so let's get writing and share our work!

"Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words." 

~Mark Twain 

Writing with you,

Next Meeting: Tuesday, June 14!

The writers of the Mountain Empire Creative Arts Council (MECAC) will be meeting next on Tuesday, May 10 at 7:00-8:30 PM in the Community Room of the Pine Valley Library. 

Please bring 8-10 copies of either a poem or 1000-1500 words of prose to share. Authors read their work aloud and then receive encouragement and constructive criticism both in discussion and in written form. But if you don't have anything new to share this week, please come to offer suggestions to other writers as they share their work.

I'm sorry that I haven't been able to send any other writing information this month, but I've been beyond swamped. However, I will report on the first staff meeting for the company I work for, Brave Writer, and some wonderful tips we learned from the well-known writing teacher, Peter Elbow.

So we'll see you on Tuesday!! And please consider bringing any friends who are interested in learning more about writing! 

Our writing quotation for the month: 

"It's an unnecessary burden to try to think of words and also worry at the same time whether they're the right words." ~Peter Elbow


Writing with you,

Next Meeting: Tuesday, May 10!

The writers of the Mountain Empire Creative Arts Council (MECAC) will be meeting next on Tuesday, May 10 at 7:00-8:30 PM in the Community Room of the Pine Valley Library. 

Please bring 8-10 copies of either a poem or 1000-1500 words of prose to share. Authors read their work aloud and then receive encouragement and constructive criticism both in discussion and in written form. But if you don't have anything new to share this week, please come to offer suggestions to other writers as they share their work.

I hope that the post on "crutch words" and the free videos on improving dialogue from BookBaby have been helpful. We'll chat briefly about the articles/videos at the beginning of our meeting. (Also, if you click on the link above, an e-book on how to market our e-books on Amazon is available...for FREE.)

We'll also discuss the possibility of doing some short writings either at the beginning of our meeting or sending a brief prompt to the group a couple of weeks before the next meeting, and we'll share our results when we meet.

So let's get writing, shall we?   

Writing with you,

Next Meeting: April 12!!

The Mountain Empire Creative Arts Council (MECAC) Writers' Workshop meets the second Tuesday of each month in the Community Room of the Pine Valley Library at 7:00 PM.

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, April 16, 2016. Anyone and everyone interested in learning more about writing and publishing are welcome to attend. 

If you would like to receive feedback on your writing, bring 8-10 copies of a single poem (or two if they're really short) or 1-2 pages of prose. Writers read their work aloud while listeners jot comments onto the copies they are reading along with, and then encouragement and suggestions are offered. 

So we hope to see you at our meeting this Tuesday! 

QUOTE FOR THE MONTH:

"Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words." 
~Mark Twain

Writing with you,

Our Next Meeting Is Tuesday, March 8!

The Mountain Empire Creative Arts Council (MECAC) Writers' Workshop meets the second Tuesday of each month in the Community Room of the Pine Valley Library at 7:00 PM.

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, March 8, 2016. Anyone and everyone interested in learning more about writing and publishing are welcome to attend. 

If you would like to receive feedback on your writing, bring 8-10 copies of a single poem (or two if they're really short) or 1-2 pages of prose. Writers read their work aloud while listeners jot comments onto the copies they are reading along with, and then encouragement and suggestions are offered. 

Unfortunately, we need to postpone the all-day Writing Workshop featuring Dr. Dean Nelson, the man behind the 21 years of the Writer's Symposium by the Sea, the founder of the journalism department at Point Loma Nazarene University, and the author of at least thirteen books and innumerable articles in just about every publication imaginable. We will get you all the new date as soon as possible. 

So we hope to see you at our meeting this Tuesday! 

QUOTE FOR THE MONTH:

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." 

~Maya Angelou, from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Writing with you,

Next Meeting: February 9!

The Mountain Empire Creative Arts Council (MECAC) Writers' Workshop meets the second Tuesday of each month in the Community Room of the Pine Valley Library at 7:00 PM.

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, February 9, 2016. Anyone and everyone interested in learning more about writing and publishing are welcome to attend. 

If you would like to receive feedback on your writing, bring 8-10 copies of a single poem (or two if they're really short) or 1-2 pages of prose. Writers read their work aloud while listeners jot comments onto the copies they are reading along with, and then encouragement and suggestions are offered. 

Keep in mind that the 21st annual Writer's Symposium by the Sea at Point Loma Nazarene University is coming up on February 16-19. Featured speakers include African-American female poet Nikki Giovanni and sports writer/broadcaster Dick Enberg, among others. Prices are quite reasonable at around $15 for the sessions featuring the "big names" and much less for other sessions. Check out the details at Writer's Symposium by the Sea. 

We also have big news regarding an upcoming writing workshop featuring Dr. Dean Nelson, the man behind the 21 years of the Writer's Symposium by the Sea, the founder of the journalism department at Point Loma Nazarene University, and the author of at least thirteen books and innumerable articles in just about every publication imaginable. Save the date: Saturday, March 19, and we'll get you more details as they become available!  

So we hope to see you at our meeting this Tuesday! 

QUOTE FOR THE MONTH:

Your intuition knows what to write, so get out of the way." 
~Ray Bradbury

Writing with you,

Next Meeting: January 12!

The Greek Theater on the campus of Point Loma Nazarene University, home to the Writer's Symposium by the Sea. 

The Mountain Empire Creative Arts Council (MECAC) Writers' Workshop meets the second Tuesday of each month in the Community Room of the Pine Valley Library at 7:00 PM.

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, January 12, 2016. Anyone and everyone interested in learning more about writing and publishing are welcome to attend. 

If you would like to receive feedback on your writing, bring 8-10 copies of a single poem (or two if they're really short) or 1-2 pages of prose. Writers read their work aloud while listeners jot comments onto the copies they are reading along with, and then encouragement and suggestions are offered. 

We also have big news about the acceptance of one of our regular members' manuscripts for publication, so don't miss out! 

Keep in mind that the 21st annual Writer's Symposium by the Sea at Point Loma Nazarene University is coming up on February 16-19. Featured speakers include African-American female poet Nikki Giovanni and sports writer/broadcaster Dick Enberg, among others. Prices are quite reasonable at no more than $15 for the sessions featuring the "big names" and much less for other sessions. Check out the details at Writer's Symposium by the Sea. 

So we hope to see you at our meeting this Tuesday! 

"Fiction is like a spider's web, attached ever so lightly perhaps, but still attached to life at all four corners." ~Virginia Woolf

Writing with you,