New members added to 'Our Members' page

Hi, writers! I want to thank JJ Gow and Katherine Sartori for adding their bios to the "Our Members" page. If your bio isn't there, and you'd like it to be, please send me a 150-word or less bio and a little photo of yourself. You can send them to me as a pm here, or to my direct email (deanna@deannacameron.com). Doesn't matter if you've published, doesn't matter if you just joined. Everyone who is on the OCWriters.org mailing list, the Meetup.com site, and/or our Facebook group is welcome :)

Writing Opportunities for LitCentral | OC

Hi, writers! Lit Central | O.C., a new online magazine for local writers at LitCentralOC.com, will launch on Monday, and I wanted to let you know what kind of writing opportunities there will be for those who might be interested in contributing. 

You can find them here:

We are actively seeking submissions for the following kinds of articles:

* Interviews with Orange County-based authors (750 to 1,500 words)

* Reports on Orange County literary events (Did you attend a local book-signing, author lecture, writing workshop or book fair? We’d love to hear about it — 250 to 500 words)

* Reviews of writing craft books, writing software or other writerly tools. (500 to 1,000 words)

* Essays or articles on the writing life, writing or publishing in general, or something else related to the field. This could be a one-time thing, or developed into a monthly, weekly or occasional column. (500 to 1,500 words)

* A 500- to 1,000-word short or scene from a piece of fiction that has been self-published or still in progress for our Fiction Friday feature.

If you’d like to write something but aren’t sure what, I'm happy to work with you to craft an assignment. Also, if you want to pitch something else entirely, I'm all ears. Let’s talk.

We require that all non-fiction submissions be original and unpublished, and ask that they not be republished elsewhere for at least a month after the posting date on Lit Central | OC.

Fiction submissions must be the intellectual property of the authors submitting them. We ask that it not be republished elsewhere for at least a month after the posting date on Lit Central | OC.

There is no compensation for the use of articles or stories, and all rights to submitted articles and stories remain with the author.

If you're interested, please email DeAnna Cameron at litcentraloc at gmail dot com.

Introducing WRITELY SO, the new O.C. Writers Newsletter

Moments ago I sent out the very first WRITELY SO, a new monthly newsletter for O.C. Writers. If you signed up for the O.C. Writers Mailing List (on the right side of the screen), you should have received it by email moments ago. If you aren't on the mailing list, and would like to get the newsletter, please sign up.

Happy new year!

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