Price is Right

On October 2 and 3, there is a very affordable writer's conference taking place in San Luis Obispo.

It is named the Central Coast Writers' Conference and is located at Cuesta College there. The description below is taken from part of the website at :

http://www.communityprograms.net/wc/wcteaser.htm

Enrollment is limited and the cost ranges from $40 to $149, depending upon how much you want to participate. See

http://www.communityprograms.net/wc/conf-fee-reg.htm for more information.

32 workshops covering fiction, nonfiction, memoirs, freelancing, poetry, writing for children and screenwriting

A special rate for Teen Writers (High School/Jr High)

Friday night reception & Saturday continental breakfast

Table Talks with the faculty

Manuscript critique and contest

More Advice About Writing a Book

Last Tuesday, at a meeting of the South Bay Writers, I had the privilege of hearing Katie Hafner speak about her writing and book: "A Romance on Three Legs." The South Bay Writers is the largest chapter of the California Writers Club. You can learn more about the organization at:

http://www.southbaywriters.com/

Katie Hafner has been a journalist for years for some impressive periodicals. She wanted to write a book and offered the advice that "Not only should we write about what we know, but about what we are truly passionate." She adds, " It brings out the best in us." Hafner also chose to "stay within my comfort zone," and wrote a non-fiction book. Finally, she spoke about writing as if the reader knew nothing about the topic and gearing your book towards what the reader wants to know.

All this insight is from experience, which, as they say, is the best teacher.

The success of Katie Hafner's book about "Glenn Gould's Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano," testifies to her wise counsel. The book is a fast read, well-written, and hard to put down. You can obtain your copy at "http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1596915242/httpwwwkatieh-20

Colleagues

It is important to network and meet people in the same field. Pat Nipper is someone I met at a class which focused on starting your own critique group, led by Martha Alderson. Pat went on to do just that, start a critique group. I became her first member. Because of her leadership of the group, the growth of my writing was facilitated.

Pat and I became good friends as well as associates. She has sent ideas and listings of writing opportunities my way.

Recently, she passed on a gem I wanted to share. We were talking about writing books, ( and Pat has had several creations published), and she said that the question that is asked by most authors when they tackle that project is: "What If?" At the time we were chatting about the book, "The Time Traveler's Wife." In that particular case, the question the author posed was "What if time travel were possible?"

Pat Nipper's website is www.patdeckernipper.com/index.html She is also quite the grammar guru.

July/August Saturday Evening Post

"America" is a poem by Ray Bradbury. It was published most recently in the July/August issue of the Saturday Evening Post. Bradbury turned 89 on August 22. In the September/October issue of the Post, there is a new story by the renowned author entitled "Juggernaut." See
http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2009/06/25/art-literature/fiction-poetry/ray-bradbury-america.html should you choose to comment on the poem.

America
By Ray Bradbury

We are the dream that other people dream.
The land where other people land
When late at night
They think on flight
And, flying, here arrive
Where we fools dumbly thrive ourselves.
Refuse to see
We be what all the world would like to be.
Because we hive within this scheme
The obvious dream is blind to us.
We do not mind the miracle we are,
So stop our mouths with curses.
While all the world rehearses
Coming here to stay.
We busily make plans to go away.

This is just an excerpt of the stirring poem.