Holiday mixer update

Hello! Some of us will be gathering tomorrow at the bar in Peppino's Pizzeria, which is next door to  Panera in Lake Forest. The original time was 6:30 to 9:30, but I'm moving the time up an hour -- to 5:30 -- because we have some party animals who like to get started early  RSVPs aren't necessary, but you can get more info here:http://www.meetup.com/OC-Writers/events/154086972/

Launching the O.C. Writers Workshop with WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL WORKBOOK

ANNOUNCEMENT: Starting January 6, I'll be tackling the Donald Maass "Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook" over at OCWritersWorkshop.wordpress.com. One section (they're short!) each week until we run out of sections (26 weeks? 36 weeks? Can't remember exactly and the book is still in packing boxes). I'll put up a post about each section, and we can share, ask questions, commiserate, etc. in the comments section. Also, the blog will be closed so only participating members can see the content to protect those concerned about privacy and sharing story ideas with the general public. If you're interested in trying this experiment with me, please email me at deanna at deannacameron dot com.

Vote on an Official Group Name

I've been thinking about how to grow O.C. Writers and new things we can add next year. But, there's one thing I've heard from a few people that I'd like to discuss first: our name. A few of you have suggested that "O.C. Writers" sounds like a nickname, but not an official name. So, to the right you'll see a poll with a few options for an official name. Want to weigh in? 

O.C. Writers Anniversary

O.C. Writers turns 1 this week! I can't believe it's been a full year since I started this forum with the hope that there were others looking for a motivated, supportive and encouraging writers group in O.C. Between the Facebook group, the Meetup.com group & the folks who stay connected through OCWriters.org, we have well over 150 members. And we've done some awesome things. Nyx leading the Meetup group, the critique group & a weekly write-in is a huge part of that. Jennifer shepherding the anthology is another huge part. And the people like Skylar, Wendy and Frank who lead write-ins is also huge. 

I think we've only scratched the surface of what's possible, though. I've put together a small survey to find out what people want most and where we should focus our efforts. If you can, please take a moment to fill it out. There are only a few questions, so it won't take long. And thank you in advance 

Click here to take survey
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7N5PNYT

Mid-October Update

Hi, O.C. Writers!

We've had several new members sign up recently, so I think it's a good time for an update.

* We are now up to 80 members on Facebook (www.facebook.com/groups/ocwriters), and a dozen more on the OCWriters.org mailing list!

*  We have at least three member-run write-ins -- two in Santa Ana, one in Lake Forest-- scheduled every week. In November, to help members participating in Nanowrimo (www.nanowrimo.org), a Friday night write-in in Orange will be added to the lineup. Details on all this and more can be found at http://www.meetup.com/OC-Writers. Also, we're happy to help anyone who wants to organize other write-ins. If you don't see something that is convenient for you, there's a good chance you're not alone. Pick a time and a spot, and I'll be happy to help you get the word out among other O.C. Writers.

*  We have a critique group that meets from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in Santa Ana. It's run by Nyx. And again, I'm happy to help anyone who wants to get another critique group going. Let's talk!

* The anthology of member-written stories that Jennifer Levine has been spearheading is entering the editing phase, and may even be completed and ready in time for holiday gift-giving. Hurray!

* Twelve members attended our first-ever Plotting Workshop, which was held at Kas's house on September 21. Kas & I shared information and handouts on several plotting methods, and then did a viewing and story analysis of "Pretty Woman" based on the notes I took in a workshop with the excellent writing coach and screenplay consultant Michael Hague. It was great, and we could certainly do this kind of thing again, if members want it.

* The June 22 bonfire write-in Nyx organized at Newport Beach was such a success that Jennifer is planning a follow-up full moon write-in at her home in Dana Point THIS SATURDAY! All are welcome. You can get details and RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/OC-Writers/events/138571782/.

Finally, I have two things I'd like to get your feedback on:

1. Would you be interested in participating in a holiday get-together? And if so, what times do (or absolutely do not) work for you?

2. Since we now have so many members who are published and so many more who are very close, I'd like to find out how many of you would be interested in doing a book-signing at the L.A. Times Festival of Books in April. An O.C. Writers booth could feature book-signings by one or two members at a time, and we could divide the time (and cost) among the authors who want to participate.

Here's an example: Featuring two authors each hour, we'd have 30 spots available. Booths cost about $1,500, so that would cost $50 per hour to be one of two featured authors, or $100 for a solo author spot. It's steep, I realize. That's why I'd like to get the ball rolling on this if it is something you'd like to do. I'll provide an O.C. Writers banner and extra table, and probably anything else we might need.

Please feel free to comment here, or to send me a private message at ocwritersnetwork at gmail dot com.

 I think that's it for now.

Thanks!

DeAnna

Possible Plotting Workshop

Hello!

A couple members had the great idea to hold an O.C. Writers Plotting Workshop to help us prepare for Nanowrimo. The likely day is Sat., Sept. 21 and it will probably take place over a few hours at a private home.

We're thinking we'll begin with a discussion/refresher on various plotting methods (traditional 3-Act, 8-sequence, notecarding, etc.) and then watch a movie to see them in action. (I have extensive notes from writing coach Michael Hague's analysis of Pretty Woman, but that doesn't have to be the movie if the consensus of people prefer something else...)

Anyway, we're just trying to get a sense of whether others would be interested in joining us for this....

 

Please send an email to ocwritersnetwork@gmail.com by Tuesday, Aug. 13, if you would like to be included.

Happy writing!

DeAnna

July Update

* Work is progressing on the O.C. Writers anthology. The call for stories between 2,500 and 4,500 words with an Orange County connection went out a few months ago, and the writers who answered that call are doing their final edits. When the stories are finished and submitted to anthology coordinator Jen Levine, the next phase of editing will begin.

*  We're still looking for O.C. Writer members interested in contributing to a group blog.

* The Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/OCWriters/) continues to be our primary means of communication, but member Nyx Goldstone has launched an ancillary group at http://www.meetup.com/OC-Writers to help track the weekly write-ins and crit group meetings.

* Member Wendy Van Camp has started offering a Flash Fiction Friday prompt for anyone wishing to participate. She has also set up an OC Writers Flash Fiction Group at
http://www.writing.com/main/handler/item_id/1940220-OC-Writers-Flash-Fiction-Group where the flash fiction can be posted and critiqued. (To use the group you will need a free account on writing.com. After starting your account, ask to join the group).

If I've missed anything, feel free to post it in the comments section.

Thanks, and happy writing!
DeAnna

Goal May-nia

I'm posting this late here, but this is something some of us are doing over on the Facebook forum....

WHAT IS IT?
Goal-Maynia is 31 days to complete a writing goal

... HOW'S IT WORK?
1. Declare your goal in the "Goal May-nia Goals" file in the Facebook group's "Files" section (right below the strip of fabulous O.C. Writer faces above, and next to "About," "Events," and "Photos")
2. Note the reward you promise to give yourself when you complete your goal.
3. Chip away at your goal every day like a good Goal May-niac, or at least as often as possible.
4. Every Friday, we'll have a check-in post so we can root for each other.
5. On May 31, be prepared to enjoy that well-deserved reward.

So, that's all there is to it. Easy, right?

EXTRA STUFF:
* For anyone looking for a little extra motivation, I'm going to start a daily writing sprint that will run from 10 to 10:30 a.m. every weekday in May (I'm sure there will be a few exceptions). I'll post the start and end times on Facebook, and at the end we'll post whatever progress we've made (word count, pages edited, queries written, whatever)

* If anyone else wants to run a regular sprint time at another time, feel free! We can never have too much motivation or encouragement, imo :)

Thanks!
~DeAnna

We're Making Progress

We had a planning meeting on May 1 to talk about some of the things we have in progress and some new ideas. Here's a recap:

A. Online write-ins / Jessica
Jessica wasn't present, so this is on hold. Someone suggested Second Life might be an option.

B. Ongoing search for someone to lead an in-person critique group / all 
Nyx has tried to get one started but participation is very low. She'll be trying again soon through Meetup.com to see if that generates more interest.

C. Writing buddies list / DeAnna
There's a "Writing Buddies" document in the "Files" section of the Facebook group site for anyone who seeks a one-on-one critique partner. 

D. OCWriters.org/OCWriters.net / DeAnna 
The website is up and running, with static pages about members, member books, writing resources, etc. already up. The group blog will be included here when it gets going. Feedback on what's there and what could or should be there is always welcome. Also, we hope more people will send in brief bios to be included on the Member page. 

E. Group blog / Jennifer 
Jennifer included a great update in the news feed on May 1, so I won't repeat it. Basically, she has a great plan to get this going and would love to get some volunteers to contribute original content for the blog. In addition to her post, there have been suggestions to include a weekly roundup of links to what O.C. Writers are publishing on their personal blogs, or elsewhere on the web. 

F. Group Anthology / Jennifer 
Again, Jennifer included a great update in the news feed on May 1, so I won't repeat it. She has a plan for a theme (Nanowrimo & O.C.) and wants to include fiction and non-fiction. She needs to know who is interested, and it seems there's already many who are.

G. Webinars and podcasts / Greta and Wendy. 
Wendy wants to develop an author reading podcast, where 3 authors would read excerpts of their work for 5 or 6 minutes each. There will be a link to this collection on the O.C. Writers website. And, perhaps it could tie in with the anthology. The webinars are on a back-burner for now.

H. O.C. Writers Bulletin Board / DeAnna
It's up in the "Files" section of the Facebook group, and anyone is free to post announcements about writing-related events or other information that you think might get lost in the regular news feed.

I. Book fair & festival presence / all
This is still a source of much interest and is likely something we will do. Currently, it seems the best way to make it work will be for authors who are interested to share the work and expense of making it happen. Costs for booth space run from $200 to $1,500, depending on the festival. There is a list of book fairs in SoCal in the "Writers Resources" document in the "Files" section and on the "Writers Resources" page on the OCWriters.org website. If you know of any that are missing, please send me the info and I'll add. (deanna at deannacameron dot com).

II.  NEW BUSINESS

* Wendy suggests we look into forming a micro-publishing venture to help our indie authors. Anyone know more about how to go about doing this, or is interested in leading this effort?

* Our one-year anniversary will take place during the last week of Nanowrimo. So, we'll probably plan some kind of special get-together in early December to celebrate.

Thanks!
~DeAnna 

What's to come

We had a terrific planning meeting on March 6 that generated a lot of ideas about how to grow this group. Some of it is going to take some time to research and get in place, though. In the meantime, here's a list of some of the things we want to do:

* Create a website home independent of Facebook (And, congratulations! You've just found it.)
* Create a group blog featuring original content produced by O.C. Writers members (We're hoping to present that here by summertime)
* Add a critique group.
* Add an online write-in group, and possibly an online critique group as well.
* Produce an anthology of member-written stories.

And that's just the beginning!

Stay tuned for more exciting updates.

~DeAnna

Coming Soon!

We're hard at work ... Check back soon!