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San Diego Writers/Editors Guild

San Diego Writers/Editors Guild

Category Archives: Meetings

Upcoming Guild Events

25 Friday Nov 2016

Posted by Sandra Yeaman in Meetings, Programs

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Diane Hinds, holiday party, Mark Reichenthal

Calendar by Farid Iqbal, on Flickr
“Calendar” (CC BY-NC 2.0) by Farid Iqbal

December 12, 2016: Holiday Party (note this is the 2nd Monday, not the 4th!)

IN THE NEW YEAR…

February 2017: Diana Hinds on launching your book, PR, and top tips for social media.

March 27, 2017: Mark Reichenthal, attorney for literary matters, to discuss contracts between authors and agents, publishers and others.

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What You Missed

22 Tuesday Nov 2016

Posted by Sandra Yeaman in Meetings, Programs, Resources

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Jonathan LaPoma, screen writing, tips from author

JLaPomaBY MARDIE SCHROEDER

From the November issue of The Writer’s Life.

At our October meeting, speaker Jonathan LaPoma presented points to consider on screenwriting.

You need strong characters. People have to care about them. What are their inner and outer goals? What’s going on underneath? And goals can change.

You need a theme. It should be concise, structured, and short (100 pages). If you have these, then you have a story.

When getting started, consider working in layers, i.e. rough drafts. Just get the ideas down, and don’t try to write it perfectly at first. Consider the ending first and work backward.

Dialog should move the story forward, communicate information, create conflict, and move the audience to tears, laughter, or other emotion. Dialog should reveal the characters in the way they speak. Don’t have huge chunks of dialog (3 lines max). Show and don’t tell. Do as much as you can without dialog. Don’t repeat anything the audience has just watched happen onscreen.

Being Successful

Write a great script. Enter contests, competitions, and go to film festivals (a great way to network).

Write a short film. Horror and thrillers are easier to get produced than dark dramas.

Learn how to pitch your work. Research production companies that film your kind of script. You don’t need an agent.

Final Note

No matter how well crafted the script, it will end up entirely different on screen once the director, producers, actors, and others put in their two cents’ worth.

Resources

  •   Story by Robert McKee
  •   The Screenwriter’s Bible by David Trottier
  •   Save the Cat by Blake Snyder
  •   Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman

Websites

  •   The Black List: https://blcklst.com
  •   Filmfreeway: https://filmfreeway.com
  •   Inktip: https://inktip.com
  •   Movie Bytes: http://www.moviebytes.com
  •   Nicholl Fellowship: http://www.oscars.org/nicholl
  •   Stage 32: https://www.stage32.com

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The Guilded Pen Anthology Launch

21 Monday Nov 2016

Posted by Sandra Yeaman in Anthology, Meetings, Programs

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anthology launch, Marketing Support Group, The Guilded Pen, writers read

From the November issue of The Writer’s Life.
anthology-cover-fifth-editionJoin us Monday, November 28, for the launch of the fifth edition of The Guilded Pen, an anthology of the works of members of the Guild. Because the program will include selected readings of pieces in the anthology, the meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m., earlier than usual.

Copies of The Guilded Pen will be on sale for $15 per copy. Payment may be by cash, check, or credit card. If paying by cash, please bring exact change.

Registration will be open at 6:15 p.m., with time for networking until the program begins at 6:30 p.m. A Marketing Support Meeting precedes at 5:30 p.m. Admission for all attendees this month is free, and light refreshments will be served, so bring a friend!

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Membership Benefit – Meetings

02 Wednesday Nov 2016

Posted by Sandra Yeaman in Meetings, Membership, Resources

≈ 2 Comments

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benefit of the month, membership benefit

Human Rights Speaker Series - June 18, 2 by WehoCity, on Flickr
Creative Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic License
   Photo by  WehoCity 

Each month, on the fourth Monday but adjusted for federal holidays when necessary, the San Diego Writers/Editors Guild invites speakers to share their experience as authors, editors, publishers, publicists, and marketing specialists. There is no cost to SDW/EG members for these presentations. A $5.00 fee is requested from non-members.

Speakers and programs in the past two years have included the following:

  • Neil Senturia and Barbara Bry, Humor in Business Writing
  • Charlene Baldridge, My Writing and All It Entails
  • Carolyn Wheat: Author of Suspense and Mystery
  • Richard Lederer: Celebrating Shakespeare
  • Margaret Harmon: Character-Building: Literary Games
  • Ingrid Croce and Jimmy Rock: the Jim Croce Story
  • Alan Kilpatrick, Ph.D.: Crafting Plays
  • Kathleen B Jones, Ph.D.: Biography and Hannah Arendt
  • Larry Edwards: How He Did It (Self-publishing and marketing)
  • Richard Lederer: Monsters Unleashed
  • Kathi Diamant: The Art of Giving and Receiving Critiques
  • Judy Reeves: “First Paragraphs and What They Must Do”
  • Hutton Marshall: editor of the San Diego Uptown News
  • Zoe Ghahremani: The Arc of a Writer
  • Bonnie ZoBell: Writing What Happens
  • Donna Eckstein: Telling Your Story
  • Alan Russell: Ghostwriting
  • Jefferson Parker: Writing a Hometown Story
  • Richard Lederer: American Presidents
  • Martin Kruming: Legal Issues for Authors
  • Gered Beebe: Creative Non-Fiction
  • Marnie Freedman: 7 Essential Writing Tools
  • Dennis Lynch, Leslie Johansen Nack, and Lauri Taylor: Panel of Memoirists
  • Wendy Patrick: The Darker Side of Social Media
  • Antoinette Kuritz: The Business of Writing
  • David Wogahn: Metadata, Registration, and ISBNs
  • Jonathan LaPoma: Screenwriting

The Board of Directors is always interested to know of speakers members would like to invite for meetings. To suggest a speaker, send a message to sandiegowriterseditorsguild@gmail.com.

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Top Ten Takeaways–Jonathan LaPoma

25 Tuesday Oct 2016

Posted by Sandra Yeaman in Meetings, Programs

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Jonathan LaPoma, Laura Roberts, screenplays, scriptwriting, top ten takeaways

buttontapper-press-300SDW/EG member and The Writer’s Life newsletter editor, Laura Roberts, provided the top ten takeaways from Jonathan LaPoma’s presentation on scriptwriting at the October meeting on her blog, Buttontapper Press, shared below.

Last night I attended the monthly meeting of the San Diego Writers and Editors Guild. The guest speaker was Jonathan LaPoma, author of Developing Minds: An American Ghost Story, and winner of 101 screenwriting awards. He spoke about his screenwriting process, as well as giving the audience tips for punching up the drama in a script, and creating great dialogue. Here are my Top 10 Takeaways from his speech: Read more . . .

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Upcoming Guild Events

25 Tuesday Oct 2016

Posted by Sandra Yeaman in Meetings, Programs

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anthology launch, Diane Hines, holiday party, Mark Reichenthal

Calendar* by DafneCholet, on Flickr
“Calendar*” (CC BY 2.0) by DafneCholet

November 28, 2016: Anthology launch
December 12, 2016: Holiday Party (note this is the 2nd Monday, not the 4th!)

IN THE NEW YEAR…
February 27, 2017: Diane Hinds, How to Promote Your Book
March 27, 2017: Mark Reichenthal, attorney for literary matters, to discuss contracts between authors and agents, publishers and others.

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Jonathan LaPoma Presents Screenwriting

17 Monday Oct 2016

Posted by Sandra Yeaman in Meetings, Programs, Writing

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Jonathan LaPoma, screenwriting

JLaPomaJonathan LaPoma is an award-winning novelist, screenwriter, songwriter, and poet from Buffalo, NY. In 2005, he received a BA in history and a secondary education credential from the State University of New York at Geneseo, and he traveled extensively throughout the United States and Mexico after graduating. These experiences have become the inspiration for much of his writing, which often explores themes of alienation and misery as human constructions that can be overcome through self-understanding and the acceptance of suffering. His eight screenplays have won over 80 awards/honors at various international screenwriting competitions, and his novel DEVELOPING MINDS: AN AMERICAN GHOST STORY won the 2015 Stargazer Literary Prizes for best Visionary and Metaphysical Fiction. He lives in San Diego and teaches at a public secondary school.

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Top Five Tips: David Wogahn on Metadata

17 Monday Oct 2016

Posted by Sandra Yeaman in Meetings, Publishing, Resources

≈ 1 Comment

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copyright, David Wogahn, ISBNs, metadata, registration

davidwogahnSeptember’s guest speaker was David Wogahn, author of Register Your Book: The Essential Guide to ISBNs, Barcodes, Copyright, and LCCNs. He spoke about metadata, which is information about information, and focused specifically on its relationship to publishing and marketing books. Here are five helpful tips to take away from his speech:

Metadata is important

While we might chalk up metadata as being optional, it’s really not. In fact, metadata is what helps readers find your book online. So if over half of all print books are purchased online (and they are!), then you want to be sure your metadata is helping steer readers to your book instead of driving them away.

Metadata can help you research the competition

Why would you want to research your competition? Two reasons: 1) To learn how to market your book, and 2) To understand the audience for your book. Wogahn noted that successful self-publishers look for audiences first, instead of writing books willy-nilly. So how can you make use of metadata here? Find out what categories you can put your book into on Amazon, check out the keywords your competition is using in their titles and subtitles, learn more about how series books are described, figure out how to best price your book, and even find potential reviewers and blurb writers.

Write the back cover copy first

It may sound counterintuitive, but Wogahn recommends writing the back cover copy first. It will help you summarize your book, figure out how to best approach your audience and sell them on the benefits of your book, get your point across quickly, and be crystal clear about what you’re really writing about. Another bonus? You can use the back cover copy as your Amazon description of the book, too!

Personal metadata should be consistent

When it comes to personal metadata, Wogahn mentioned content topics (what you talk about in your book and on social media), bios and “about” pages, imagery, and a branded email address. Accurate and consistent metadata is the key to success, so he recommended starting a file for author bios and another for metadata, so you can be sure every piece of information will be the same across all platforms, including social media, publishers, distribution channels, and aggregators. Remember to stay on topic when blogging and using social media, and continue to develop your brand with an email address that reflects your website’s name.

Metadata is forever

Metadata is forever, so be sure these pieces of information are absolutely decided upon before you upload any information about your book: Book Title,
Subtitle, Publisher Name, and Assigned ISBN. You should also be sure you own and control each of the following: Domain Names, ISBNs, LCCNs, and Copyrights. If you’ve got each of those pieces of the puzzle put together, you’ll live happily ever after.

BONUS: Check out David’s Self-Publishing Flowchart at http://www.authorimprints.com/publishing/ for a timeline of all the different steps you’ll need to take, whether you’re planning to create an ebook or printed volume.

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The Annual Election of Board of Directors Is Coming Up

14 Friday Oct 2016

Posted by Sandra Yeaman in Board of Directors, Meetings, Uncategorized

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Board of Directors, Bob Doublebower, Gered Beeby, Marcia Buompensiero, Rick Peterson

Board of Directors SDW/EG has four positions on its Board of Directors expiring at the end of this year. These are two-year commitments. The Nominating Committee has named the following four members as the slate for the positions:

  • Bob Doublebower
  • Marcia Buompensiero
  • Rick Peterson
  • Gered Beeby

According to our bylaws, the positions are open to all members, and we will be accepting nominations from the floor during our October 24th general meeting. The election of Board members will also be held at the October meeting.

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Ten Takeaways from David Wogahn’s Presentation

30 Friday Sep 2016

Posted by Sandra Yeaman in Meetings, Programs, Publishing, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Barcodes, copyright, independent book publishing, ISBN, LCCN, Library of Congress Control Number, metadata, registration

SDW/EG member and newsletter editor, Laura Roberts, shared the following thoughts about Monday evening’s presentation by David Wogahn on her blog, Buttontapper Press. Because she said it so well, I’m letting her words speak for themselves.

buttontapper-press-300Last night I attended the monthly meeting of the San Diego Writers and Editors Guild. The guest speaker was David Wogahn, author of Register Your Book: The Essential Guide to ISBNs, Barcodes, Copyright, and LCCNs. He spoke about metadata, which is information about information, in relation to publishing and marketing books, packing in a ton of information in just an hour. Here are my Top 10 Takeaways from his speech: Read more. . .

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Next meeting – December 12, 2016

Join us at our December potluck holiday party to mark the end of another successful year in the life of the Guild. Copies of the 2016 edition of The Guilded Pen, the Guild's anthology will be available for sale at $15.00. Limited numbers of earlier editions will also be available for purchase. Registration begins at 6:30, a short business meeting at 6:45, with celebrations to follow. There will be no Marketing Support Group meeting in December.

Our meeting location

We meet each month at the San Diego County Health Services Center, 3851 Rosecrans, San Diego, CA 92110.

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Contact Us

Our mailing address is SDW/EG, P. O Box 881931 San Diego CA 92168-1931 Our e-mail address is sandiegowriterseditorsguild @gmail.com

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  • The Guilded Pen Anthology Launch November 21, 2016
  • National Novel Writing Month Events November 20, 2016
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Disclaimer

Information posted on this site is offered to the writing community by the San Diego Writers/Editors Guild. Sources may include information from a number of different guest contributors. All are presented in good faith, as-is and without warranty as to correctness, nor imply any guarantees to our users.
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