San Francisco Peninsula Writer
Writers Helping Writers Since 1909
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I don't have much to say this month, primarily because I am still wearing the hat of newsletter editor--which explains why this newsletter is late and isn't much of a newsletter.
Yes, we still need marketing help!
In other news, I and several other CWC members I know are participating in
NaNoWriMo
. In case you are unfamiliar with this non-profit/activity/obsession, it's described as follows:
"National Novel Writing Month began in 1999 as a daunting but straightforward challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel during the thirty days of November. Now, each year on November 1, hundreds of thousands of people around the world begin to write, determined to end the month with 50,000 words of a brand-new novel."
This is the first time I've
participated in the madness taken up the challenge. Instead of a novel, I've committed to writing 50,000 words worth of stories.
What I've discovered in the first few days is
- Having a challenging word-count goal every day is motivational. I've been getting up early to get my word count in before becoming enmeshed in other activities.
- Focusing ONLY on writing--rather than on reviewing or editing--is liberating.
- Having buddies is a big help. Several people in my critique group are participating, and the San Mateo Public Library is offering space for NaNoWriMo participants on several Saturdays this month.
Have you ever participated in NaNoWriMo or a similar challenge? Why or why not? Let us know
on our Facebook page.
Hope to see you soon, and happy writing.
Audrey
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November Meeting
Public Speaking Skills for Today’s Authors
Pitfalls to Avoid, Practices That Pay Off
Betsy Fasbinder Graziano
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From the time they go to their first writers’ conference, prospective authors learn that they need to start building their “author’s platform." They spend all kinds of time, energy, and even money creating their websites, their social media presence, and sometimes spend thousands on a publicist to book events to increase the visibility for themselves and their books. But nobody tells us that once we build that platform, we’re going to be the ones standing on it…speaking…in public.
Book launch events, readings, panels, Facebook Live events, even TED Talks are all opportunities for writers to gain exposure for themselves, their books, and the ideas and causes that matter to them most. Skilled speaking helps authors to find readers, fans, and even super fans that help promote their books for them.
Lots of people believe that skilled public speaking is a gift that some got, and others just didn’t. In truth, the ability to speak with confidence to audiences of any size requires a few simple skills, some practice, and some mental shifts that transform a “meh” talk into a dynamic, engaging, even inspirational presentation.
In this short presentation, those who attend will:
- Gather the two most powerful tips for engaging audiences
- Learn of the variety of kinds of speaking opportunities and why to use them
- Understand the value of skilled public speaking for writers, before, during, and post-publication
- Get a handful of mental shifts to manage nerves and approach speaking opportunities with a sense of fun instead of fear
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Saturday, November 16, 2019 at 10:00 a.m.
FREE to first-time attendees!
$10 Members; $15 Non-Members; $5 Students/ID
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Think Tank: Outlining Strategies
moderated by Megan McDonald
immediately following the meeting at 12:00 p.m.
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SF Peninsula Literary Reading and Salon
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We are pleased to partner with Bay Area Generations to bring their acclaimed Literary Salons to the Peninsula. Please join us in November to hear
poets, writers, playwrights, authors, memoirists, and musicians
in paired readings!
Bay Area Generations Edition #75
November 21, 2019
7:00 p.m.
ABOUT BAY AREA GENERATIONS
If you attended our September club meeting, you saw the wonderful Amos White speak about how to present your work to an audience. Amos is president of Bay Area Generations and will be co-emcee’ing our first salon. You won’t want to miss this event!
Find out more at the Bay Area Generations website.
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CWC ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARTY
Sunday, December 15, 2019
2:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Members, watch your email for more details
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SHUT UP & WRITE
Every Tuesday in Foster City
9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Every Thursday in San Mateo
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
OPEN MIC
4th Tuesday of every month
7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
November 26
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WRITERS HELPING WRITERS
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Speaker: Laurel Ann Hill
Topic: Painless Book Promotion
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Speaker: Geri Spieler
Topic: Super Sleuthing: Internet Research Skills Everyone Should Know
Stay up to date on CWC events... Check out our
on the website
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Marketing Team
Calendar Master - Keep our master Google calendar up to date with club and other activities
Event Promoter - Posting our events to Facebook and/or MeetUp (familiarity with FB helpful)
Marketing Strategy - Help oversee our marketing efforts.
Fault Zone
Book Launch Team
We need help to get our wonderful new anthology and the whole
Fault Zone series to a broader audience with readings and book sales.
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Writers Helping Writers
Our monthly series takes place at two local libraries. We've featured topics from studying short fiction to marketing your book. What topic are
you
passionate about that you'd like to share with other writers?
To participate, you need to:
- Be comfortable preparing and leading an interactive 1.5-hour class.
- Prepare a class with handouts or hands-on help with practice sets for new writers.
- Provide a short description of your topic to include in our newsletter and library listings.
- Provide a short bio including your writing experience.
- Choose the month and library where you would like to present.
San Mateo Library – Second Wednesday of the Month
San Carlos Library – Third Wednesday of the Month
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Check out the
Writers' Corner
page on the SF Peninsula CWC website, where you'll find a list of resources to help you write and get published. Listings include publications and small presses founded or edited by branch members, literary magazines where members' work is published, local writing conferences and contests, and local writing organizations.
There is also a
list of branch members
who provide writing-related services for a fee: editing, coaching, and more.
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To submit an ad related to a writing need or service, send your submission to:
Subject line: "CWC Newsletter - Classified Ads"
Free for club members.
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Executive Board
President: Audrey Kalman
Vice President: Geri Spieler
Secretary: Korie Pelka
Treasurer: Jean Morrow
Additional Voting Positions
Membership Chair: Mark Dooley
Marketing & Outreach Chair: OPEN
Newsletter Editor: OPEN
Fault Zone Editor-in-Chief: Laurel Anne Hill
Immediate Past President: Lisa Meltzer Penn
State Board Rep: Geri Spieler
NorCal Rep: Carole Bumpus
Committee/Individual Contributor Positions
Volunteer Coordinator: Lisa Meltzer Penn
Memberships: Tim Flood, Margaret Nalbach
Web Manager: Mindy Yang
Hospitality: Megan McDonald
Think Tank: Geri Spieler
Parliamentarian: Alisha Willis
Member-at-Large: Bette Houtchens
SMCF Literary Stage Coordinator: Megan McDonald
SMCF Literary Stage Consulting Coordinator: Sue Barizon
Critique Group Contact: Lisa Meltzer Penn
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Submission Guidelines
Want to see your article, ad or poem published here?
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Keep in Mind:
- You must be a current member of the club.
- Your article or news must be related to writing.
- Your piece shall not exceed 350 words.
Format Requirements:
- Include "CWC Newsletter submission" in subject line and add what you are submitting (i.e. Member News, Article, Critique Group, Member Resources, Think Tank, Event, Classified, etc.)
- Use MS Word or write text within the body of the email.
- One space (not two) at the end of sentences.
- Edit and proofread carefully before sending. If accepted, your article will be printed as submitted.
- If you have a picture, send as a jpeg attachment to your email.
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