November Newsletter

NOVEMBER WRITE ON! CONTEST – Write Your Turkey
Write On! Online’s monthly contests are designed to encourage you to give those writing muscles a workout.

THE NOVEMBER CHALLENGE: WRITE YOUR TURKEY

Sometimes the best ideas are ones that started out as bad ones. Pick what you think is your worst idea, and write a short story. You may end up with a hidden—or not so hidden—gem. OR you may just have a fun time writing something that normally wouldn’t receive any creative energy. Most writers censor themselves way too much—they only want to write something perfect. When you start out by eliminating that “perfect” option, you have no choice but to revel in the joy of the written word. Who knows? You may end up with the start of a new treatment, novel, or screenplay.

PRIZES

1st Place: A medium-length (or 21,000 word) one-reader iScript, and have your story published on Write On! Online
2nd Place: Save the Cat!® Strikes Back by Blake Snyder
3rd Place: The Pocket Screenwriting Guide by Mario Moreno and Anthony Grieco, compliments of The Writers Store

Submit a 300 to 400 word short story on what you believe is your worst idea in the body of an email to debra@writeononline.com by Monday, November 30. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, December 8, 2009, in the December Write On! Newsletter.

NEWS
Congratulations to the Winners of the Write On! Online October Challenge: Boo! Write in a Genre that Scares You.

1st Place:
Cara Holman

2nd Place:
Aimee Laine

3rd Place:
Susie MacEldowney

The 1st Place Story by Cara Holman – “The Eyes Have It” – is posted on Write On! Online!
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Congratulations to PJ Perez, November winner of an iScript, for posting goals on Write On! Online. Post your December goals on Write On! Online or Facebook Fan Page and be entered in the monthly drawing to win a FREE iScript.

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Ask Al A Carte (aka Alexandra Anne Carte) is collecting recipes for her upcoming ebook. Send your favorite recipe – along with a paragraph telling why it’s your favorite. You can even include a pic! Send to askalacarte@cs.com. By submitting, you are giving permission for your essay to be published.

Movie Buffs: Read Suzi Doll’s weekly column on the TCM’s Movie Morlock’s Blog

Laurie Dinnerstein, faculty advisor for the students at Ivy Academia, reports that her NaNoWriMo Club has 16 members, all of whom are hard at work on their novels. “It’s an exciting month of writing, and it’s inspiring to watch my students dive in head first,” she says.

Victoria Dixon recently started reviewing for The Historical Novel Review.

Break the Block: Debra Eckerling is offering mini-consultations for writers who need a push in the right direction – determining goals, brainstorming, jump-starting your blog. Meet via phone or Skype. Email Debra@writeononline.com for rates and more information.

Colleen Keene just started her new entertainment company SevenCees. One of their clients – Jorn Farschou, a Danish actor/director/producer – is bringing a group of Danish Film School grad students over to the U.S. in April. Any Write On! members, who have a script (TV or film) that has been produced and are interested participating in a writers roundtable with the Danes on the differences between the two countries with respect to production, email colleen@sevencees.com.

Congrats to Anne Lower, who just posted her first “The Insiders” industry interview on the Save The Cat!¬Æ website.

Mason’s poetry book – NEW WINE & Black Men’s Feet – was just released by Red Hen Press. Congratulations. “If any one of you guys reads my poetry book, write me and let me know your FEELINGS not your thinking,” he requests.

Read Ally Tracy’s new blog, featuring creative entrepreneurs and artists.

Mark Wolsky’s story – “Winter’s Coming” – was recently published in Our Stories. Read it here.

Read the Family-Friendly Entertainment themed November StoryLink eZine, which also includes an interview with Melissa Rosenberg, who wrote the screenplays for Stephanie Meyers Twilight series and is head writer and producer for Showtime’s Dexter.

For even more author interviews, check out the Virtual Blog Tour – Writers On the Move. VBT’s November Anniversary Tour features great information and opportunities to win prizes.

Also:
Enter the Tableread My Screenplay contest for a chance to have your screenplay read by professional actors. Other grand prizes include a trip to Los Angeles, a “Private Session” with Gary Goldstein (producer of Pretty Woman), the PRO Series (six-month intensive screenwriting course worth $1000). Late deadline is December 15th.

EVENTS
Basics and Beyond: Marketing through Blogging and Social Networking will be on Saturday, November 14, at 11:00 am, at The Writers Store in Westwood. The workshop, given by Debra Eckerling, will offer strategies for marketing yourself on the web, including why and how to create a blog, using social networking effectively for self-promotion, enewsletters, and more! Price: $49.95 includes an assessment of your blog and additional recommendations. To register go to StoryLink or email debra@writeononline.com.

Also, this month at The Writers Store, 2040 Westwood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025:

* Meet StoryO, Thursday, November 12, 3 pm – 7 pm

* An Evening with Movie Magic, Thursday, November 19, 7 pm – 10 pm

The Writers Guild Foundation’s last session of the series entitled Notes on Craft, will be next Tuesday, November 17, at the WGF/WGA offices – 7000 W 3rd St, LA 90048 7:30 pm to about 9 pm: “Rewriting and Polishing” with John August (Big Fish), Jack Epps, Jr. (Top Gun; Dick Tracy, Go), and Scott Frank (Out of Sight, Minority Report). Go here for prices and event details.

On Thanksgiving Day, November 26th, from 11 am to 2 pm, The Learning Garden at Venice High School, 13000 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles (on the corner of Walgrove Ave and Venice Blvd.) hosts the staff and clients of Program for Torture Victims for a traditional American Thanksgiving Feast. Everyone is invited to bring a traditional food item. The clients of PTV, though they are our guests, often bring foods from their home country: Columbia, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia. (The clients of Program for Torture Victims are people who were either tortured by their own government or by factions fighting that government; PTV has helped them settle in America and provided assistance as they seek political asylum in the US.) For details on The Learning Garden Thanksgiving Celebration contact David King, The Learning Garden’s Gardenmaster, at 310.722.3656 or email learninggardenmaster@yahoo.com.

The Christmas Princess by Write On! member Arthur Jolly returns for its third revival – this time at The Promenade Playhouse in the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Saturdays and Sundays, December 5th through 20th at 2:30 pm and 5:30pm – fun for all ages! “An original fairy tale – a spoiled Princess must find three magical christmas gifts for her parents if she is to escape an arranged marriage to the world’s stupidest Prince.” You can get discounted tickets – in advance – online at http://www.cruthaighproductions.com or go to http://www.arthurjolly.com.

ONGOING
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.

The Los Angeles Public Library now has a Screenwriters Workshop four Saturdays a 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 offers Write On! members a discount on enlistment. For more information, contact Christine Baroumand at 800/800-1733 ext. 313, or christine@writersbootcamp.com.

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 lasts 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.

WRITE ON!
Our December Meeting/Holiday Potluck will be on Wednesday, December 9. If you plan to bring food to share, please let me know. Also have newsletter items to me by December 7.

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

Writer/Screenwriter Paul Sinor

Public Relations Specialist Lana Rushing

Howard J Morris & Jenny Lee, Women are Crazy, Men Are Stupid

Horror and Sci Fi Novelist Lia Scott Price

Danek S. Kaus, You Can Be Famous!

Rona Edwards & Monika Skerbelis, I Liked it, Didn’t Love It

Jon Wuebben, Content Rich

Mario Moreno & Anthony Grieco, The Pocket Screenwriting Guide

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

Also, here are links to the Write On! Columns posted since the last newsletter:

“Techno Tools for Writers: Writing Wirelessly with MiFi” by freelance writer Heidi Leder

“Jen’s Gems … for the Healthy Writer: The Three Ps – Plan, Practice & Pace” by Seattle-based movement and fitness coach Jennifer Waak.

FINAL NOTE
National Novel Writing Month Participants: Read last month’s “Moving Write Along: Advice from the Experts – NaNoWriMo,” where UCLA Extension Instructor Ian Randall Wilson shared tips for succeeding during National Novel Writing Month.

Also, participants, share your NaNoWriMo user name on the Write On! Facebook Page, so we can connect and cheer each other on. Good luck! You are doing a fabulous job!