Scribbles 

California Writers Club — Central Coast Writers Branch centralcoastwriters.org

November 2019

 

Tuesday, November 19 News Matters 

Derek Moore is a Napa-based freelance writer who was awarded a Pulitzer Prize along with staff of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat (Sonoma County) for breaking news coverage of the Northern California wildfires in 2017. As a daily news reporter, Moore covered numerous national and international events, including the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, the September 11 terror attacks, and the 2014 South Napa Earthquake. Moore is president of the Pacific Media Workers Guild, which represents hundreds of journalists and court interpreters on the West Coast and in Hawaii.

 

  

 

Sunday, December 8 Holiday Party 

Save the date! December 8 is the day to mark for our annual members-only (plus one guest) holiday event at the Natural History Museum, 165 Forest Avenue in Pacific Grove, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Bring your favorite potluck holiday dish. Water provided. BYOB if you would like to have wine, beer, or something else. Unlike the summer BBQ, there is no donation, no need to bring chairs, and there is plenty of street parking!

WHAT’S INSIDE

Announcements 4-5

CCW President’s Letter 2

Contests and Conferences 9

If the Shoe Fits 10

Member Profile 6

Booktoberfest 3

The Last Word 11

The Poetry Corner 8

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CCW President’s Letter By Laurie Sheehan

 

Culture

  

A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. —Anonymous, Greek Proverb

Some of you know that my time at the University of Washington garnered me a degree in Cultural Anthropology. My studies were weighted heavily to archaeology with some forensic science tossed in for fun, but there was still a lot of discussion about culture. Culture is a difficult concept to explain. People often associate it with a night spent at the opera, but really it’s more about a certain set of beliefs that guide any group or society and prompt their actions. The world is a crazy place containing people with disparate views. We might not always agree with the opinions of a different group, but no one set of ideas or ideals is more valid than another (within reason, of course). When asked for the short description I often say that cultural anthropology is basically the history of sociology—it works to explain why it is that people do the things that they do. That same idea can be applied to writers. We write because we hope to create something that can be put into the world for others to experience. Each book has its own set of circumstances, its own characters, and its own culture. Books are the trees that we plant, and we hope that the sapling is strong and will survive and grow tall. It doesn’t really matter whether we write fiction or nonfiction, we all pull from personal experience when we create our stories. I’m pretty sure I’ve said this before, but I think it’s important for writers to believe that once we’ve written a book it no longer belongs to us. As soon as a reader steps into a tale they are on their own journey through our words. In some ways, our job as writers is to interpret cultural mores, create characters, and describe settings in just enough detail so that readers with myriad backgrounds can easily transport themselves into the story. It is, of course, wonderful for a writer to learn that they have succeeded in this task, but the world is filled with tales of artists and writers who didn’t become famous until after they were dead. Their metaphoric tree was planted, and it grew, but they never experienced the shade it provides to others. In some ways that makes it even more extraordinary, and it goes a long way toward explaining the philosophy of writers. Sometimes we just need to tell stories, and it doesn’t really matter what happens after that. I’m exceedingly happy to be associated with a group that shares that culture. So, keep writing, and it’s my sincere hope that your trees will grow tall while you find happiness in the shade of trees planted by others.

Write on,    Laurie   

The CALIFORNIA WRITERS CLUB is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit, dedicated to educating members and the public-at-large in the craft of writing and in the marketing of their work.

    

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 Booktoberfest

 Booktoberfest Fun 

The CCW general meeting in October is Booktoberfest—a time for our members to shine! Nine members with published books (in the last three years) signed up to read from their books for about 6 minutes. As always, it was a wonderful event for both readers and listeners alike.

Booktoberfest readers and their published books (from left): DS Kane, Brain Bender , Harold Grice, Halloween Story , Joan Maiden, F*ck Old Age , Brian Paone, Truly Yours, 2095, Don Rose and his pal Rock, When the Day Ends... and Dreams Begin…, Wanda Sue Parrot, Path of the Prophet , Nikki Lewen, Three Sisters: A Tale of Survival , Jason Warburg, Never Break the Chain , Janet Tezak, "Loss" and Found, A Blip of Time .

Booksellers Jeffrey Whitmore, Brian Paone, Jason Warburg, Deej Smith, Wanda Sue Parrot, Marina Romani, D.S. Kane,

Nikki Lewen, and Linda Mutty 

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Announcements 

Welcome to our new CCW members: Robert Feist, Gaye Freedman, Rebecca Lorentz  

Member Congratulations Marcia Rosen has a new collection of stories, written with her son Jory Rosen. The Gourmet Gangster: Mysteries and Menu by The Family (Level Best Books) will be published November 5, 2019. Hiding in the shadow of attempted legitimacy The Mob Boss ran an organization which included racketeering, prostitution, gambling, extortion, drugs, and, of course, the oldie but goodie, murder. Marcia says, “My son Jory and I had a great time collaborating on this book. I wrote the mysteries and he provided the recipes.” Don’t miss their Open House Event at River House Books at the Crossroads, Carmel, December 1, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Free Donuts.

The mysteries are malicious. The recipes are delicious. —John Klopfenstein, Criminal Defense Attorney, California

Scene Mastery Workshop Submitted by Dorothy Vriend

Our friend and speaker C.S. Lakin is having a 3-day workshop here from November 3 - 6. She writes: "It's a super intensive, fun boot camp in which writers not only learn deep technique for crafting powerful scenes, but also read scenes, work and rework them, applying what's taught, to end up with scenes that are terrific. The process is so helpful because once writers get how to write scenes that will move readers emotionally, they can use all these techniques for all future writing, fiction and nonfiction.

"Here's the info on the boot camp writingforlifeworkshops.com/workshops/scene-mastery. The max is 20 people, and since you all are in the area, you can come for the day sessions (Monday-Wednesday, 8:30-4:30) instead of having to book a room."

Those who have attended her workshops rave about them!

Manuscript Typing

$3.00 per page $4.00 per page for light copy editing

30 Years as an Admin. Asst. Contact Wendy at wjbrees2006@hotmail.com

Photography at Meetings California Writers Club, Central Coast Writers Branch, provides this notice to inform our members and guests at our events that still photographs are often taken during meetings. These pictures are occasionally posted on our website and in this newsletter. If, for some reason, you don’t want your likeness used, you must notify us in advance. If you are a new or returning member, Clarissa Conn is willing to take your photograph to use with the profile you can submit on “Member’s List & Profiles” on our Central Coast Writers website . Add yours this month! Use the link “Add your profile” at the top of the Member Profiles page. Already have a profile? Sometimes life changes and your profile should, too. Use the link “Update your information” to submit your current profile.

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Scholastic Art and Writing Contest Is Coming Soon! Opportunity could be knocking at your door!

Submitted by Dennis Hamilton, Chair HS Writing Contests As most of you know, CCW participates in a national awards program for high school students. Scholastic Art and Writing Awards had 340,000 entries last year from all over the country. We at CCW are a small part of making the contest a success. We provide jurors, fifteen active and five back-ups. The jurors are each given a panel of writings to judge, based on guidelines that are provided by Scholastic. We have two weeks to read our panels. The panels usually take a day to read. The judging is entirely digital. No comments are required, so the process is pretty clear-cut. I find it is actually fun to do the evaluations part, and the reading is more than entertaining. It can be truly inspiring. I get a little jealous when I encounter a better writer than I am, a “natural” writer, original, captivating, emotional—and they are still in high school! Judges choose one or two genres from the following categories: Critical Essay Dramatic Script Flash Fiction Humor Journalism Novel Writing Personal Essay & Memoir Poetry Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Story Writing Portfolio (graduating seniors only) You can usually get your genre choice to judge. By having CCW volunteer judges, Scholastic Art and Writing pays CCW $2500. That is a significant part of our budget and it provides all the costs for CCW to run our own county-wide short story writing contest in February. So it is important that we do a good job for them. At our last meeting ten people signed up to be judges. We need five more and five alternates. All of the names, info, and preferences need to be turned in before our December 8th gathering, so I will see you at our November meeting to twist arms, appeal to guilt, flirtation, bribe, blackmail, whatever it takes. We will get our judges one way or another. If you want to sign up ahead of time and avoid the coercion, email me or call me any time: revdennishamilton@mac.com or 831-643-5093. Thanks to you all.

Sunday, November 3, 2 a.m.

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Member Profile By Michelle Smith

“It Starts with Coffee Klatch”  Andrew Donald McPhail

 

In search of a dream, they come from far and wide to navigate the cut-throat environment of the land of make-believe known as Hollywood. In 2015, Andrew Donald McPhail, a CCW member since December, made that journey when he transitioned from an international business career to writing. “As a great fan of Raymond Chandler, hard-boiled detective fiction, and film noir, I love mid-century Los Angeles,” Andrew says. “For this reason, living in Hollywood is a dream come true.” A British American, Andrew attended college-prep school (Cate School) near Santa Barbara. He subsequently earned a B.A. in political science from Middlebury College in Vermont, an M.A. in Spanish from the Middlebury School in Madrid, and an international M.B.A. from Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona. He also attended European Business School near Wiesbaden, Germany as an exchange student and found success in the European sporting goods industry as a soccer licensing manager for Nike and business unit manager of Puma motorsports. He was also a brand consultant for Diadora, an Italian clothing manufacturer. While earning his master’s in Madrid, Andrew was inspired by William Faulkner and Gustave Flaubert’s influences on Latin American novelists. “As much as I loved literary criticism, it was the writing itself that fascinated me,” he says. Now, he works in shared office space called the Hatchery Press in the Larchmont neighborhood of Los Angeles where a typical twelve-hour day finds its start with coffee klatch among a diverse group of retirees at Peet’s Coffee on Larchmont Blvd. Then it’s off to his desk by 11:00 a.m. to write television pilots. “I start with script work. When I start to drag, I read a chapter in a book, then return to script work. The next break is poetry. The third is essay work. This cyclical multitasking propels me forward.” Andrew writes drafts in streams of consciousness then “adapts” his manuscript as if “molding amorphous clay into sculpture.” He recommends Lajos Egri’s The Art of Dramatic Writing as a study in character development. “It’s about playwriting,” he says. “But it applies to all storytelling and gets to the essence of what makes stories great.” Though he’s yet to be credited for his TV pilots, Andrew would like to be the “showrunner” of a TV drama. In his spare time, he writes poetry and political essays, which, he says, come more naturally than fiction. “My pilots are good from a plot point of view but need to be more character driven. For this reason, I’m considering a day job at the Los Angeles Times, NPR, or KPCC.”

Michelle Smith’s articles have been published in a variety of magazines. Her website is theebonyquill.com .

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The Poetry Corner

By Nancy Jacobs

Nikki Giovanni 

Yolanda Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni is one of the world's best known African American poets. Born on June 7, 1943 in Knoxville, TN, she was raised in Cincinnati, OH. This is how she describes herself. “I am a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech. I don't have a lot of friends but I have good ones, I like to cook, travel and dream. I am a writer.” Some other quotes are: “There are things you stand up for because it's right.” “We love because it is the only true adventure.” Her story is one of many achievements. She has become famous for her love poems, life, and children. Her work consists of poetry anthologies, poetry recordings, as well as nonfiction essays. Her subjects are diverse, from race and social issues to children's literature. In 1960 Giovanni attended Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee where she worked with the Writer's Workshop and edited The Literary Magazine . Post-graduation in 1967, she organized the Black Arts Festival in Cincinnati. After the festival’s success, Giovanni decided to continue her education by enrolling in graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania, and then at Columbia University. She received a Fellowship from The National Endowment for the Arts in 1970. Giovanni founded NIK Tom Ltd. a publishing cooperative, from which Gwendolyn Brooks, Margaret Walker, Carolyn Rodgers, and Marie Evans all benefited. She received the Martin Luther King Jr. Award for Dedication and Commitment to Service (2009), more than 20 Honorary Degrees, and other assorted numerous awards. In 1973 Giovanni was nominated for the National Book Award for biography. She won The Langston Hughes Medal, the NAACP Image Award (2008), and was nominated for a Grammy for her poetry album, The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection . She also received the American Book Award (2008) and the Literary Work Fiction Award (2003). Giovanni was the first recipient of the Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Award (2001 and again in 2002). She has been a judge for the National Book Awards. Oprah Winfrey named her one of 25 "Living Legends." In the 1990's Giovanni suffered from lung cancer. In 2005, she wrote the introduction for the anthology Breaking the Silence, Inspirational Stories of Black Cancer Survivors .

 

Giovanni currently works at Virginia Tech. One of her students was Seung-Hui Cho, the mass murderer who killed 32 people at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007. Giovanni described Cho as being mean and menacing and told the department chair that she did not want Cho in her class. She was willing to resign rather than continue to teach him. Later when she heard of the mass shooting, she suspected that it might be Cho. She was recruited to give the speech at the memorial. Her speech sought to illustrate that many terrible things happen to good people and evoke a sense of unity. Giovanni received a standing ovation from the over-capacity crowd, which included then President George Bush.

Knoxville, Tennessee by Nikki Giovanni

I always like summer best you can eat fresh corn from daddy's garden and okra and greens and cabbage and lots of barbecue and buttermilk and homemade ice-cream at the church picnic and listen to gospel music outside at the church homecoming and go to the mountains with your grandmother and go barefooted and be warm all the time not only when you go to bed and sleep

© 1994 Nikki Giovanni

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Contests and Conferences By Patricia Watson

CONTESTS Fresh.Ink Contest Deadline: December 1, 2019, midnight EST Entry Fee: Free Website: fresh.ink/contest Prizes: One 1st Prize in each of four categories: Short Story under 7500 words - $1000.00, Novelette 7500 to 17,499 words - $1500.00, Novella 17,500 to 39,999 words - $2000.00, Novel 40,000 words and over - $3000.00. Judge: All judging will be done by teams of Beta readers. Guidelines: See website for complete guidelines and submission link. No fanfiction or other derivative work accepted. Multiple submissions allowed. Both published and unpublished work accepted. Authors retain all rights. This is a one-time contest to introduce a new Beta reader clearing house service. No purchases are required and no publishing contracts are offered. The 2020 St. Martin's Minotaur /Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition Deadline: January 3, 2020, 11:59 p.m, EST Entry Fee: No fee or purchase required to enter Website: mysterywriters.org/about-mwa/st-martins/ Prize: $10,000.00 publishing contract with St. Martin's Press. Guidelines: See guidelines for full details. Authors with no previously published novels only. All manuscripts submitted: a) must be original works of book length (no less than 220 typewritten pages or approximately 60,000 words) written in the English language, b) must be written solely by the entrant, who may not be the author of any previously published novel, c) must not violate any right of any third party or be libelous, and d) must generally follow the Guidelines. Enter as early as possible due to large volumes of entrants. The 2020 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing Deadline: January 31, 2020 Entry Fee: $50.00 Website: library.stanford.edu/projects/william-saroyan-international-prize-writing Prize: Title of Winner of The William Saroyan International Prize for Writing Guidelines: Works of fiction (novels, short story anthologies, or drama) or nonfiction (biography, history, or memoirs) by authors from around the world and first published during 2018 or 2019 are eligible for consideration for the 2020 Saroyan Prize. See the complete guidelines for nominating a work on the site. This prize is for literary writing. WORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES

LOSCON 46, L.A.’s longest running annual Science Fiction Convention Dates: November 29 to December 1, 2019 Entry Fee: Adults (13 & up) $55.00, kids (6-13) $25.00, kids under 6 (free). Fees may change after October 31. Purchase your membership for the event prior to booking a room to get the online room group discount. Website: loscon.org/46 Hotel: The Marriott Los Angeles Airport Hotel, 5855 W. Century Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045. Complimentary shuttle from LAX. $125.00 per night rate excludes taxes but includes wi-fi and reduced rate $17.00 per day car parking with in-and-out parking privileges. Event: Guest of Honors include Moshe Feder, consulting editor of acquisitions at Tor Books, a division of MacMillian Publishers, author Howard Waldrop, and fan guest Edie Stern.

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If the Shoes Fits… By Jonathan Shoemaker

 

“Asimov Column”  (continued from last month)

   

It’s not for us to reason why, Or care what critics have to say; We write what happened and what was said. Readers will take it their own sweet way.

A nurse rushed into the VA Hospital’s only smoking area. “Who’s got a cig? I quit smoking, but I need one NOW!” As a male patient lit one for her, she said, “I can’t take this job anymore. That sweet little woman smiled into my eyes and said ‘You’re an angel.’ and died. I don’t know if it was terrible or beautiful.” He said, “You are an angel.” He played her the video of She’s an Eagle When She Flies by Dolly Parton on his cell phone. She smiled and cried as she watched; then hugged him hard…”So are you!” Her cell phone rang. “Yeah, I’m okay. Be right there.” She hugged him again, and ran back toward the ER. There were “high 5’s” in the smoking area. “Hey, she didn’t even smoke it!” “Dude! I know! She’s cured!” “Nah, she just doesn’t need it now.”

Readers will interpret a situation in our writing according to their own beliefs or their personal take on life. One might view a scene pragmatically while another feels it to be spiritually inspiring. When observing the result of an act of kindness, some people might consider it a near miracle, whereas others will simply accept it as what Mom or Dad taught them about “how we treat people.”

I once quoted Black Elk in a poem: Black Elk Speaks The Creator dwells in the core of the earth. In the core of each one of us He dwells. In each creature’s heart dwells the Spirit of God, The spring from which peaceful compassion wells.

Compassion and peace from the heart of each; Peace and compassion toward others. Peace in one’s heart, from which we impart True compassion toward each of our brothers.

And if we want peace among all mankind, Among all the nations on Earth, we must start Showing peace and compassion, from one to the other. But first we must each feel true peace in our hearts.

This message from Black Elk comes down through the years. Let us share in his wisdom, and not in his tears.

Okay, it might be a crazy idea, but what if angels really visit people with advice and encouragement, or speak through us to help others? Many cultures have various words to express something inside us that inspires us; or a voice or spirit that comes as a dream or vision. Or could it be that we simply react to a situation because “it’s just the right thing to do?” Whether we’re writers, firefighters, police, priests, or just plain folks, we live to give; and we care to share—or not.

Be well, and do good work,  Jonathan 

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The Last Word Lana Bryan 

My Hero 

CCW EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

President Laurie Sheehan Vice President Sharon Law Tucker Secretary Joyce Krieg Treasurer Clarissa Conn Programs Chair Nancy Middleton CCW Workshops Sharon Law Tucker Membership Maria Skyttä Publicity Jason Warburg Hospitality Sarah Pruitt Newsletter Lana Bryan Webmaster Ken Jones Assistant Webmaster Kemberlee Shortland Writing Contests Dennis Hamilton Central Board Representative Laura Curry

Scribbles is the official monthly publication for members of Central Coast Writers, a branch of the California Writers Club, a registered non-profit corporation. All material is copyrighted ©2019 by California Writers Club and may not be reproduced without permission. Opinions expressed under individual bylines do not necessarily represent an official position of, or endorsement by, Central Coast Writers or California Writers Club. Scribbles is published by: Central Coast Writers, Post Office Box 997, Pacific Grove, CA 93950 Editorial Staff Lana Bryan Editor Nancy Middleton Speaker Report Nancy Jacobs Poetry Corner Michelle Smith Member Profiles C. Jonathan Shoemaker If the Shoe Fits Patricia Watson Contests and Workshops Leslie Patiño Proofreader

CCW Website centralcoastwriters.org

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For anything Scribbles related: Contact Scribbles editor Lana Bryan:

lana.bryan@writeteam.com

Not yet a member of CCW? You can join at a monthly meeting or online at:

centralcoastwriters.org

Have you met Billie, my mother-in-law? No? Well, too late, as she died nearly at the age of 94 in 2015. A life-long learner and teacher, she had a master’s degree in Education. I was thrilled to have a mother-in-law who was well read, abreast of current events, and fun. When she met my parents and my daughters (5 and 7 years) prior to my marriage to her son, she sang “Oh, Eliza!” in our living room, jumping up with hands in the air on the refrain. The girls and I were delighted; my parents a bit stunned I think. In her 80’s, she decided that her large house was too much for her and enlisted her nearby daughter to help her sort through all the family stuff. It took them a full summer, but they found it enjoyable to reminisce and laugh through the task together. My husband received in the mail his old chemistry set and many elementary school papers and youthful drawings. How satisfying for Billie’s children not to have that huge and infinitely more sad task thrust upon them after her death. Billie sold her house, chose her retirement community, and moved, all in the space of two or three years. She handled every decision and her finances by herself. She is my model and my hero. My daughters say to me: “Please do what Billie did!” And that is my intention.

Billie Marie Whitsitt October 23, 1921 - October 4, 2015

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California Writers Club Central Coast Writers Branch Post Office Box 997 Pacific Grove, CA 93950  

Tuesday, November 19

5:30 p.m. - DINNER 6:30 p.m. - MEETING

Point Pinos Grill 79 Asilomar Boulevard, Pacific Grove

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