New Policy Changes – effectively immediately

The Chico Writers Group was founded in January of 2008 and has been going strong ever since. We’ve changed quite a bit since we first started and are presently in the process of changing our format to meet the needs and wishes of the current membership. This is an incredible, bold move and yet one that we are greatly excited about. For the time being, until we iron out the kinks, make sure that our plans for changes work as well in application as they did in conception, we won’t be entertaining any new members.  Come January 2011 we will decide on whether the revisions need more time and work or if we will begin accepting new members. Look for more news and information here in the future regarding the outcome.

[Revised Wednesday, October 6, 2010]

Our upcoming meetings are:

• Saturday, May 15, 2010 from 2:30 – 4:30 pm [RSVP here]

• Chat Topic: Genres

• Chat Topic: To Be Determined

We are a no-fees, no membership dues writing group open to serious writers ages 18 and older. For more information, please contact us by writing to TheChicoWritersGroup@gmail.com

EVENT: Chico Writers Group Craft Chat and Critique Workshop

DATE:   Saturday, December 19, 2009

TIME:    1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

LOCATION: Butte County Library, Chico Branch, Meeting Room
                  1108 Sherman Ave., Chico (cross street: First Ave.)

CONTACT:  
                  (530) 521-4264

AGENDA:

1:00 – 1:15 PM – Free write.
                         Bring along your pad of paper and pen or laptop and spend the first portion of our meeting writing to a prompt that will tie into our Craft Chat.

1:15 – 1:30 PM – Craft Chat: Point of View

1:30 – 3:00 PM – Critique Workshop – manuscript has been sent out to all members in good standing for review. Critique to be conducted round-robin fashion.

Next Meeting: Saturday, January 2, 2010

Happy holidays and a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year to all!

Agenda

1:00 – 1:30 p.m.  Free Write
1:30 – 1:45 p.m.  Craft Chat: How do you get ideas for your next piece?
1:45 – 3:00 p.m.  Critique Workshop: Two pieces have been selected to be critiqued during this session. All members in good standing should have a copy and be prepared to review them at our meeting.

Next meeting: Saturday, December 19, 2009 1-3 pm @ Chico Branch – Butte County Library

]]> http://ejourn.net/cwg/2009/11/28/where-do-you-get-ideas-craft-and-critique-workshop/feed/ 3 http://ejourn.net/cwg/2009/11/12/writers-workshop-the-end-all/ http://ejourn.net/cwg/2009/11/12/writers-workshop-the-end-all/#comments Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:13:42 +0000 Kathie http://ejourn.net/cwg/2009/11/12/writers-workshop-the-end-all/ Probably one of the most difficult things for writers, or should we say, storytellers, is learning how and when to come to an end. When and how exactly does one end the story? For most of us burgeoning novelists, this is the caveat, the one single solitary thing that keeps us from flourishing in the world of becoming published. You do, after all, need an ending to your novel, right? Well, step right on up, fetch some coffee and maybe a scone, grab a chair and listen to the story we’re about to tell. The topic for this coming meeting is “How – and when – to end your tale.” Catchy title, isn’t it? Have faith, it’s better than the other one that came to mind.

Our meeting will be held Saturday, November 21st from 1:30 – 3:30 pm at a location to be disclosed later. If you’d like to receive an email regarding the location, leave a comment here, just be sure to use a working email address.

Agenda

1:30 – 1:45 pm Free Write
Writers are encouraged to spend the first 15 minutes of our session writing from the prompt given (which often ties into the craft chat topic) and afterwards, share with the rest of the group.

1:45 – 2:15 pm Writer Share and Craft Chat – “Endings”; selection of topic for upcoming session (Saturday, December 5, 2009)

2:20 – 3:30 pm Critique Workshop
Selected authors will be sharing their current work and receiving feedback from other authors in the group. Manuscripts have already been selected and distributed. Please note that only members in good standing are eligible for having their work critiqued and members who have been in attendance previously and are planning on attending the upcoming session have been sent the selected manuscripts to read and prepare for the critique workshop.

For more information about the Chico Writers Group, click on the tabs at the top or use the navigation links.

The following are held at the Butte County Library, Chico Branch (1108 Sherman Avenue, cross street First Ave.), Public Meeting Room (directly across breezeway from the Circulation Desk).

1-3 pm Saturday, October 24, 2009
1-3 pm Saturday, November 7, 2009
1-3 pm Saturday, December 5, 2009
1-3 pm Saturday, December 19, 2009
1:30-4:00 pm Saturday, January 2, 2010
1:30-4:00 pm Saturday, January 16, 2010
1:30-4:00 pm Saturday, January 30, 2010

We will also be holding closed session meetings, only open to active members in good standing. The locations are to be announced via email prior to the session. The tentative dates for these sessions are as follows:

Saturday, November 21, 2009
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010

Our meetings are structured in the following format:

15-30 minutes (by member/participant votes) free writing from prompt followed by with sharing (optional, not required)
30 minutes craft chat – each session we will be talking about various elements of the craft of writing on topics selected by member interest during the previous session followed by a selection of the upcoming meeting’s craft chat topic
Remainder of time is spent critiquing manuscripts that have been distributed to the current, active members of the group whom are in good standing. New and interested members are more than welcome to stay for the critique portion of the meeting (unless an author scheduled for critique prefers not to have their work discussed with others outside of the current group), however, we regret we are unable to provide extra copies of the manuscripts selected nor are we able to distribute manuscripts to anyone prior to the session as we do require all recipients have attended at least one full meeting due to privacy and copyrights.

For more information, take some time and browse this site as we have published a number of articles and links to supporting documents and sites pertaining to our group.

Write-Ins

During the month of November when many of our writers participate in the National Novel Writing Month, otherwise known as NaNoWriMo (visit http://www.nanowrimo.org for more information and registration), we typically beef up our write-ins. These are open sessions for writers of all kinds, ages, genres, etc. It’s a time to set aside and meet at an agreed upon location to do little more than write. It’s a great motivational event, if you haven’t done this before, give it a try!

Because this was popular and a great motivator, we’ve continued to hold write-ins. We usually meet every Wednesday from 9:30 to 11:30 am at the Butte County Public Library, Chico Branch (1108 Sherman Avenue, Chico, cross street is First Ave.) at the very back tables just before the magazine and newspaper section. As the attendance varies, we suggest you leave a comment here to let us know you plan on attending. Also leave your current, working email address and check prior to attending as we do sometimes cancel and don’t always publicize cancellations for a number of reasons.

Do you have to arrive and leave on-time? Absolutely not! This is your time to write.

Can we chat while we’re attending a write-in? Generally this is frowned upon as (a) we’re in a library and (b) we’re there to write.

For more FAQs on this topic, see our post: Upcoming Write-Ins and What is a “Write-In”?

The Chico Writer’s Group will be hosting a Craft Chat Saturday, September 12, 2009 on the topic of how to describe a setting through the character’s eyes. This is a free event, writers of all walks, all levels of experience, are invited to attend.

Craft Chat and Critique Workshop

Coming Saturday, September 26, 2009: Writing Conference Review. Chico Writer’s Group members who have attended writing conferences over the summer will be sharing useful information with us. This is also a free event, open to the public. If you are interested in attending this special presentation, please contact us (you may leave a comment here, just be sure to provide a working email address so we can reply. Email addresses are never published publicly.) as space is limited.

The Chico Writer’s Group, is not affiliated with the Meetup Group with a similar name.

A list of commonly used adverbs: Moms Who Think (http://www.momswhothink.com/reading/list-of-adverbs.html)

And while you’re there, slip over to the list of verbs, also located on that site and linked to the aforementioned page.

Topic: Adverb Abuse and How To Avoid It
Host: Chico Writer’s Group
Date: Saturday, August 22, 2009
Time: 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Location: Butte County Library, Chico Branch – Meeting Room
Street: 1108 Sherman Ave.
City/Town: Chico, CA
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*****AGENDA*****

1:00 – 1:20 pm Free write exercise
During this time, members will be given the opportunity
to write from prompts provided and then share (voluntarily) with others at the end. Be sure to bring writing tools (paper and pen or laptop, stone tablets work well but can be a bit noisy)!

1:20 – 1:40 pm Craft Chat: Adverb Abuse and How To Avoid It
This is a step beyond and ten times better than Schoolhouse Rock!
As writers, we sometimes slip into a habit of using and then abusing adverbs. How many times can your character be found looking, glancing, frowning, smiling, catapulting or picking the hairs out
of his ears? Learn some of the tools of the craft and how to
avoid adverb abuse during this insightful chat session.
Handouts will be distributed at the close.

1:40 – 3:00 pm Critique Workshop
(open to members in good standing, guests and visitors are
invited to listen, but we are unable to provide copies of
the scheduled author’s work)
Members: Remember to have your manuscript in to Ruth
by Thursday, August 13th. This is a strict deadline.