August Newsletter

SAVE THE CAT!

Blake Snyder, screenwriter, mentor, and author of the Save the Cat! series, died suddenly on August 4, 2009, of a pulmonary embolism. Blake loved helping writers. I feel fortunate to have interviewed him on behalf of Write On! just last month. Read the Q&A here: http://bit.ly/3M8TWr. A celebration of Blake’s life is being planned—details to come—and a memorial fund has already been set up. Details at www.blakesnyder.com.

NEWS

Congratulations to Chris Veeneman, August winner of an iScript, for posting goals on Write On! Online. Post your September goals on the Write On! Online Facebook Page, and be entered in the monthly drawing to win a FREE iScript.

Congratulations to poet Alemayehu T Alemayehu on his book Haiku, released on August 2.

Gregory Jacobs’ “Rude Crew” Videos are available on the Write On! Facebook page, as well as YouTube.

CJ Larson is singing in a new band called Greenlight (www.greenlightsound.com) and is performing at various venues this month. Also, CJ had an article that was first introduced at a Write On! meeting published in the current issue of Whole Life Times magazine this month. It’s on page 50.

Angel Murchison’s radio show “Destiny Moments with Angel Murchison” airs Friday afternoons in Albuquerque, NM at 2:30 mountain, 4:30 eastern, 3:30 central. For more info, go to www.mykkim.com.

Check out horror author and film producer Lia Scott Price’s new blog and Creative Writing Student Fund at http://liascottprice.blogspot.com. Price created the blog to help aspiring filmmakers and writers in the horror and sci fi genre.

Producer John Paul Rice had two very successful screenings of his film One Hour Fantasy Girl in Louisville, KY. The film is now available to rent or own on Amazon VOD.

Write On! Member Richard Rossi just signed a contract with Savant Books to publish his first novel, Stick Man. Congrats!

Deborah Reber (https://writeononline.com/2008/12/02/author-qa-deborah-reber-chill/) created and edited a series of teen-authored memoirs for HCI Books. The series—Louder Than Words—features three incredibly talented young women who penned their memoirs and are making their debuts as published authors.

Pamela Redmond Satran’s new book How Not To Act Old, based on her blog, was released last week. A novelist, non-fiction author, and journalist Pamela participated in a Write On! Q&A last April.

Paul Sinor sends regards from Florida, where he is currently teaching at the University of West Florida.

John West’s book—The Last Goodnights—has been adopted by two different UCLA classes, and is being considered by several other classes there, as well as other universities and colleges. Check out the Write On! interview with John.

The August StoryLink eZine theme is Humor Writing.

EVENTS

Write On! Breaking Through Writers Block will be on Saturday, August 15, starting at 1:30 pm, at The Learning Garden at Venice High School. The workshop will offer strategies for brainstorming, project management, and staying on track! Bring paper, pen, and your favorite excuses for procrastinating! Suggested donation $25! RSVP by August 14th. For details: check out StoryLink (http://www.storylink.com/event/writeonwritersblock) or the Write On! Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/writeononline). Or email writeononline@yahoo.com.

Great Kids Event: Author (and Write On! member) Elaina Redmond and Illustrator Scott Stewart (flying in from Tennessee) are launching their new children’s book, The Power of the Penny, at 1 pm on Saturday, August 15, at Barnes & Noble, The Grove, 189 The Grove Drive in Los Angeles. For more information, contact elainared@aol.com.

The next MedioBistro Mixer—a book release party for Kristin Harmel’s Italian for Beginners—and hosted by Michelle Thatcher, Beth Howard, and Debra Eckerling – will be at ECCO Lounge in Hollywood from 7pm – 9pm on August 19. For details and to RSVP: http://www.ersvp.com/reply/cocktailpartyla

The UCLA Writers Faire, presented by the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, will be on Sunday, August 30, from 11 am – 3 pm at the Young Hall Courtyard on the UCLA campus. The event includes 24 mini-panels and lectures on the art, craft, and business of writing. Admission is FREE. Parking on campus in Lot 2 is $10.

Meditation Thursday Nights at the Learning Garden. Gates open at 7 pm; Meditation begins promptly at 7:30 pm. Please dress in layers and bring a blanket and cushion to sit on. Meditation goes for about 40 minutes around a fire in the peaceful surroundings of the Garden. Donations go to the Learning Garden. For more information contact Camille at (310) 382-4323.

Want to hear your work read? AltScreenPlay meets on Thursdays 7:30 – 10 pm, at Beyond Baroque, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, CA, and is moderated by Matt Byrnes, mbbyrnes@gmail.com. First reading starts at 8 pm; and readings begin in the order in which the author arrived. Bring 1-10 pages of your screenplay, and make enough copies for each role. No RSVP necessary. Feel free to sit in without bringing any material of your own. For more information: http://inscreenwriting.com.

The Los Angeles Public Library now has a Screenwriters Workshop four Saturdays of the month at different branches, from 10:30 am – 12 pm, and every Sunday in the Farmers Market community room from 3 – 5 pm, hosted by Sasha Karova. Learn format and workshop original material (screenplays, 1/2 hour sitcom, and 1/2 hour and 1 hour episodic) with an open reading or read-through. Open reading is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please RSVP to WritersUnblock@aol.com.

Writers Boot Camp hosts networking breakfasts on Wednesdays each month: breakfast starts at 7:45 am, speakers begin at 8:30 am. Mention Write On! and receive the Write On! Breakfast rate of $15 (regular price is $25). Write On! members also receive a discount on enlistment in Writers Boot Camp. http://www.writersbootcamp.com/29distinction.asp. For more information and/or to rsvp to the business breakfast, contact Christine Baroumand at 800/800-1733 ext. 313, or christine@writersbootcamp.com.

WRITE ON!
Our September Meeting will be on Wednesday, September 9. Please have newsletter items to me by September 7.

Write On! Online Author Q&As are now every Tuesday and Friday. Check out the columns posted since the last newsletter:

Susan Doll, Elvis for Dummies

Filmmaker Justine Jacobs, Paper or Plastic?

Jennie Bentley, Spackled and Spooked
Barbara Ransom & Joel Harris, Smooshy Strawberries
Blake Snyder, Save the Cat®! Series
Animation Writer Brooks Wachtel
Sci Fi Writer Bruce Golden, Evergreen
Martha Burns, Belly Dance! Celebrating the Sacred Feminine
19-year-old Author Isabel Kaplan, Hancock Park

William Rabkin, Psych: Mind Over Magic

Published authors: Share your knowledge by participating in a Write On! Q&A. Email writeononline@yahoo.com for more information. Also, if you have previously participated in an Author Q&A, please keep us posted on current projects!

Also, read “Jen’s Gems … for the Healthy Writer: A Pain in the Neck” by Seattle-based movement and fitness coach Jennifer Waak.

FINAL NOTE

A new Write On! Contest is coming soon! Watch the website and Facebook Page for details!