California Writers Club, Sacramento Branch

Dedicated to Educating Writers of all Levels

First Friday, July 6 – Presenting the Written Word

Beyond Technicalities:

Extending Your Image as an Artist

through Self-Publishing Products

with

Todd Boyd

Coordinator & Host, “Writers on the Air”

First Friday Network
July 6, 2018
9-11 AM Coco’s, 7887 Madison Avenue, Citrus Heights
Bring Market Leads & Marketing Tips

Put aside the technical/business side of publishing to discuss the creative and artistic side of the written word with Writers on the Air host Todd Boyd.

Writers on the Air is a monthly venue where attendees read their work in an open mic format and  are recorded, then aired on an internet channel, KUBU, 96.5 LP-FM and streamed at accesssacramento.org. Each month features two local writers as well as an open mic which is open to the public at the Sacramento Poetry Center. Featured Readers have included local novelists and short story writers, such as Amy Rogers, Azi Sametipour, Katya Mills, Frederick Foote and many other published and unpublished poets and storytellers, most well representing the Sacramento writing community. WOA also produces an iTunes podcast called The Writers On the Air Show.

Previous open mics and featured readers can be listened to at www.writersontheair.com.

Todd has been a carpenter, a railroad worker, and a social studies teacher. He self-publishes his work in various formats, hosts an internet radio show and open mic events, and blogs. He will bring samples of different ways to present the written word. A poet, Todd has also written a novel, two poetry chapbooks, a collection of short stories, and a journal of personal history. Some of his work in audio form can be found at www.writersontheair.com and at his blog- www.saylavproductions.com.

Todd is a strong advocate of the written word and other artistic media, allowing each person to create and experiment with his or her personal vision.

 

The California Writers Club–Sacramento Branch Networking Meeting is held the first Friday of every month at Coco’s Restaurant, 7887 Madison Avenue, Citrus Heights, at the corner of Madison and Sunrise,  starting at 9 a.m. Meetings are free. Attendees pay for their own breakfast.

Questions? Ask via our Contact page.

Luncheon, June 16 – Pep Talk for Writers

Develop Your Creative Mojo and Write, Write, Write!

Grant Faulkner
Executive Director, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)
Author, Pep Talk for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo

11 AM–1:00 PM

10:15 Discuss & Share: Book Covers that Draw Readers.
Bring a cover you think is either fabulous or that needs improvement
Facilitated by Pretty Road Press Publisher Ted Witt

Cattlemens, 12409 Folsom Blvd, $15 members/$20 guests (includes lunch)

 First 50 people who don’t have Grant’s book will get a free copy!

So many things conspire to keep you from achieving your goals as a writer. Self-doubt, lack of discipline, time management, writer’s block, creative solitude, fear of rejection…the list goes on and on.

But just because you’ve been struggling with one or more of these challenges doesn’t mean you have to abandon your creative goals and give up your dreams.

Grant Faulkner, executive director of National Novel Writing Month and author of Pep Talk for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo, will show you ways to banish your inner editor, dive into your work with creative abandon, write boldly on the page and develop your self-confidence.

Among Grant’s articles: “The Writer as Seducer,” Writer’s Digest 2/18; “Imagination Under Pressure,” Poets & Writers 1-2/18;  “How to Beat Writer’s Block,” IngramSpark 11/9/17; “Why You ARE the Creative Type,” Goodreads 11/1/17; “How a Month of NaNoWriMo Can Lead to a Lifetime of Better Writing,” Writer’s Digest 11-12/16; “Naked (On the Page) and Afraid,” Writer’s Digest 7-8/15; and “Writing Flash Fiction: Telling a Story with What’s Left Out,” Writer’s Digest 5-6/15.

In this session, you’ll learn how to:

  • Set an audacious goal and a deadline.
  • Track your daily progress.
  • Connect with others in a creative community.
  • Write what you love, not what you should.
  • Find and nourish your muse.
  • Use writing games and challenges to overcome writer’s block.
  • Deal with feedback and rejection.
  • Achieve writing mastery.

 

 

 

Luncheon Information

  • Monthly Luncheons are open to the public
  • Cost is $15 for members, $20 for nonmembers
  • The meeting fee includes speaker,  lunch and beverage
  • Cattlemens Restaurant, 12409 Folsom Blvd., Rancho Cordova, CA

The restaurant is located just east of Hazel Ave. at the northeast end of the Nimbus Winery complex along Highway 50. Cattlemens offers CWC a spacious meeting room with free WiFi, quality AV equipment, free off street parking and excellent food.


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First Friday, Jun 1 – Avoid the Blogging Blues

HOW TO NAVIGATE SOCIAL MEDIA

Without Sidetracking Your Writing Time

 

Erika Mailman

Friday,  June 1, 2018

9-11 AM Coco’s, 7887 Madison Avenue, Citrus Heights

 

Everyone claims that authors must be involved in social media to help promote their books—but how do you do this without feeling like you’re stealing time away from producing new work? Join us to hear novelist Erika Mailman give tips to engage in short, effective bursts and to grow a follower base. This presentation will be of interest to writers of novels, nonfiction books, short stories, memoir, poetry, and dramatic formats.

Erika is the distinguished author of four historical novels: The Witch’s Trinity, a San Francisco Chronicle Notable Book which Khaled Hosseini called “gripping”; Woman of Ill Fame, which is about a Gold Rush prostitute; House of Bellaver, which is a literary ghost story set in Oakland; and now The Murderer’s Maid: a Lizzie Borden Novel. With an MFA in poetry from the University of Arizona, Erika has been a Yaddo fellow and has also served as a juror for the Shirley Jackson Awards. Under the pen name Lynn Carthage, she writes Y.A. fiction. Her websites are www.erikamailman.com and www.lynncarthage.com.

The California Writers Club–Sacramento Branch Networking Meeting is held the first Friday of every month at Coco’s Restaurant, 7887 Madison Avenue, Citrus Heights, at the corner of Madison and Sunrise,  starting at 9 a.m. Meetings are free. Attendees pay for their own breakfast.

Questions? Ask via our Contact page.

Luncheon, May 19 – Marketing and Monetizing Your Writing Specialty

Marketing Your Writing Specialty: Tips for Making Money

from Your Writing/Photography in Any Genre

 

Lee Foster, Writer & Photographer

11 AM–1:00 PM

10:15 Early Bird Session, Great Starts:
Bring a first sentence or paragraph to discuss and share.  

Cattlemens, 12409 Folsom Blvd, $15 members/$20 guests (includes lunch)

 

It is good to create, it is better to create and publish, and it is best to create, publish, and monetize.
This “truth” is followed by Lee Foster, who will share 11+ tips for writers and guests on May 19.

By studying the steps that Lee has taken, attendees can better plan their futures, whether their genre is memoir, historical novels, fantasy, or nonfiction.

Lee has published travel writing/photography in every major U.S. travel magazine/newspaper. He advocates a strong website and Social Media presence. Lee has 18 books (listed on his Amazon Author Page), 13 of which are “traditionally published.” Two of Lee’s books sell as ebooks in China via Lee’s USA Amazon Author Page. Lee has converted some of his books to audiobooks.

In order to be artistically and financially sustainable, authors and “content creators” need to understand the revolutions occurring and position themselves as beneficially as possible.

Attendee Takeaways
– how to create excellent and artistic content;
– how connect with an audience; and
– how to earn income.

 

 

Luncheon 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Early Bird special 10:15

 

 

Luncheon Information

  • Monthly Luncheons are open to the public
  • Cost is $15 for members, $20 for nonmembers
  • The meeting fee includes speaker,  lunch and beverage
  • Cattlemens Restaurant, 12409 Folsom Blvd., Rancho Cordova, CA

The restaurant is located just east of Hazel Ave. at the northeast end of the Nimbus Winery complex along Highway 50. Cattlemens offers CWC a spacious meeting room with free WiFi, quality AV equipment, free off street parking and excellent food.


View Larger Map

First Friday, May 4 – Publishing Decisions

“To Publish or not to Publish,

That is the Question.”

with

Al Zagofsky

Publisher, California Update

Friday,  May 4, 2018

9-11 AM Coco’s, 7887 Madison Avenue, Citrus Heights

 

So you write. Have you been published? Do you want to be published? Do you want to make money from publishing? As someone once said, Be careful what you wish for, as there may be important things to consider. Speaker Al Zagofsky will review emotional, financial and time considerations of being published.

Al teaches journalist techniques to writers desiring to improve. He has had a varied career. In addition to being a prolific writer and oral storyteller, Al has given storytelling seminars. For the past 15 plus years, he has been a print journalist, an online magazine publisher, a storyteller, and a movement awareness teacher. Al is an interesting presenter. He sometimes uses humor in both writing and speaking.  His original training was as a mechanical and project management engineer. He has also worked as a raft and kayaking guide.

The California Writers Club–Sacramento Branch Networking Meeting is held the first Friday of every month at Coco’s Restaurant, 7887 Madison Avenue, Citrus Heights, at the corner of Madison and Sunrise,  starting at 9 a.m. Meetings are free. Attendees pay for their own breakfast.

Questions? Ask via our Contact page.