Looking for an Agent?

It's so hard to tell whether an agent is reputable or not. We are thrilled to be offered representation, but is this person the right agent for us? 

Here's a link to a terrific article at Writer's Digest on the five questions we writers should ask a potential agent.

Writer's Digest article: 5 Things Writers Should Ask Potential Agents.

Keep on writing, friends!! We'll have a Saturday Write-In scheduled in July--details to follow.  

The Writer's Symposium by the Sea 2015

"The Greek" Amphitheater at Point Loma Nazarene University, home of The Writers' Symposium by the Sea.

Point Loma Nazarene University will host its 20th Annual Writer's Symposium by the Sea in late February. The amazing writers who have attended and shared their thoughts on the craft of writing over the last two decades have been phenomenal: Ray Bradbury, Amy Tan, Anne Lamott, Donald Miller, Philip Yancey, Kathleen Norris, Frederica Mathewes-Green, Eugene Peterson, Calvin Miller, and other journalists, novelists, poets, bloggers, and non-fiction writers, both Christian and secular. A good number of videos of past featured writers at the Symposium are available via UCSD-TV's Writer's Symposium page. 

The news was just released that to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Writer's Symposium by the Sea, Dean Nelson (my former creative writing professor and kindly office mate when I taught there) will be having a conversation with Joyce Carol Oates. The announcement with details may be seen here if you scroll down a bit (and ignore the "19th Annual" heading): Joyce Carol Oates at Writer's Symposium.

Dean has outdone himself in obtaining such a major figure in American literature to celebrate the Symposium's 20th anniversary. I am so thrilled that Joyce Carol Oates will be coming on February 26. 

Tickets will go on sale in November, and I'll be one of the first in the virtual queue. Meanwhile, I have a copy of a small book I snatched from the library shelves last week to read (once I finish teaching Romeo & Juliet at Brave Writer this Friday!): First Love. It's a small, illustrated Gothic novelette, and I'm very much looking forward to perusing it as my first book on my Summer Reading List. 

We also are hoping to have another of our popular Write-Ins next month to coincide with July's Camp NaNoWriMo  so that we can enjoy coffee, tea, treats, and a few bursts of creative conversation while we tap away on our keyboards or scratch away in our notebooks for a few hours, usually from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. As soon as we have a date cleared with the Pine Valley Library for the use of their Community Room, I'll post the date here. 

We hope to see you at our upcoming Writers' Workshop meetings this summer, the second Tuesday of each month: June 10, July 8, August 12, and September 9. Mark your calendars and join us! 

Happy Writing, Everyone! 

Next Writers' Workshop Meeting: June 10th!

Our next Writers' Workshop meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 10 at 7:00 PM in the Community Room of the Pine Valley Library.

Bring 6-8 copies of a poem or a few pages of prose to share with the group and to receive written as well as oral feedback. 

As always, feel free to bring along any friends interested in learning more about the art and craft of writing. 

See you in June!!

Writing with you,

"We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect."
~Anais Nin

Next Writers' Workshop Meeting: May 13!!

The next meeting of the Mountain Empire Creative Art Council's Writers' Workshop is Tuesday, May 13 in the Community Room of the Pine Valley Library at 7:00 PM. 

Please bring 6-8 copies of your work to share--a poem, a few pages of fiction or nonfiction, song lyrics, etc. We'll read our work aloud while the group makes notes, and then we'll discuss what we think is effective and where improvements may be considered. 

We're an encouraging group, with several of our number published, including Maureen Brown's The Exile of Cain, Judith Dupree's living with what remains, and Teresa Travis's Fourteen Flamingos and Smedley. 

New writers or just people interested in learning more about the art and craft of writing are welcome to attend; we would love to get to know you!! 

NOTE: Writer's Digest magazine has listed three writing contests with June deadlines. Click here for more information: WD Writing Contests. 

So we hope to see you on the second Tuesday in May when we meet again to share our writings and encourage one another in pursuing the art of written word. 

"Writers ought to write and I take up my pen in the hope that it may loosen my spirit."  ~E.M. Forster

Warmly,

Next Writers' Workshop Meeting: April 8!

The Writers' Workshop branch of the Mountain Empire Creative Arts Council (MECAC) will be meeting on Tuesday, April 8 at 7:00 PM in the Community Room of the Pine Valley Library.

Bring 6-8 copies of a couple of pages of your work to be read and discussed by the group, and friends interested in the art and craft of writing are always invited to attend.

Don't forget the East County Magazine Writing Contest which closes April 30! Here's the link for more information: East County Magazine 1st Annual Writing Contest.

We hope to see you on Tuesday evening!!

"The mind of a writer can be a truly terrifying thing. Isolated, neurotic, caffeine-addled, crippled by procrastination, and consumed by feelings of panic, self-loathing, and soul-crushing inadequacy. And that's on a good day." 
~Robert DeNiro, introducing the screenwriting nominations at the 2014 Academy Awards

Next Writers' Workshop Meeting: March 11!

The next meeting of the Writers' Workshop, part of the Mountain Empire Creative Arts Council, will be Tuesday, March 11 at 7:00 PM in the Community Room of the Pine Valley Library. 

Anyone remotely interested in writing or in learning more about writing is encouraged to attend. Writers may bring around six copies of two to three pages of their work to share. Work will be read aloud by the author, and then attendees will offer suggestions for improvement and encouragement. Those who would like to listen and comment without bringing anything to read are more than welcome to do so. 

Keep in mind that information regarding the Writer's Symposium by the Sea (February 20-28) and the East County Magazine Writing Contest (deadline April 30) are posted below this entry. 

We hope to see you on March 11!!

"Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That's why it's so hard."

~David McCullough

Writer's Symposium by the Sea: February 20-28

Greek Amphitheater, Point Loma Nazarene University

The last week of February marks the 19th Annual Writer's Symposium by the Sea at Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU). This year's symposium is entitled Writing That's Raw.

Among the evening speakers at this year's symposium are author, professor, and New York Times columnist Samuel Freedman (February 20), author of three memoirs Jeannette Wall (February 26), the delightfully witty Anne Lamott (February 27), author of Bird by Bird, Traveling Mercies, and Operating Instructions, plus the 2nd Annual Storyline Conference featuring Donald Miller (February 27-March 1). More information for all of these events, including cost and ticket purchasing, may be found on the Writer's Symposium by the Sea webpage.

If you have to choose only one writer to see, I have to highly recomment Anne Lamott. I've seen her at a previous Writer's Symposium in 1997 (link to the one-hour YouTube video of her talk here: Anne Lamott 2007), and she's simply magical. 

I would LOVE to be able to attend the Donald Miller Storyline Conference, but it's sold out. Perhaps next year. 

ENJOY!!