• Don’t out your critique partner(s)/group
• Use the hashtag #bwcs for followers (best/worst critique story)
• Keep tweets open for all readers (in other words, don’t start your tweet with @user, you may include @user after the first character)

Can’t make it then? Tweet your critique story any time, just be sure to use the hashtag #bwcs so it shows up in the search!

Hope you can make it, this should be fun! 

Host:  CWG: Chico Writer’s Group
Type: Education – Workshop
Date: Sunday, April 5, 2009
Time: 11:00am – 2:00pm
Location:  Chico Branch Meeting Room, Butte County Library
Street: 1108 Sherman Avenue
City/Town: Chico, CA
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Agenda

11:00 AM – Craft Workshop: Getting the Most from Critiquing and Being Critiqued

You’ve written your heart and soul out. Worked long, tireless hours perfecting your manuscript and now you ache for feedback other than from Grandma, the cat and your significant others. Fellow writers, perhaps. A critique group. But the size, type and availability of these groups might be far and few between, how can you go about getting the most out of your time spent with them and get the valuable insight you crave and desire? How do you, in turn, provide enough feedback to other authors so they are equally rewarded? We’ll be presenting effective, useful methods which will help you and your fellow writers achieve their goals during this session which is free to the public.

12:00 pm Closed session (members only) Critique Workshop
Manuscripts have been already sent out and members should be in receipt and have responded to the like. The order of these is: R.S.A. followed by K. L.

Our next meeting is scheduled for Saturday, April 18th, 2009 from 3:30 – 6:30 pm

The format for manuscripts (and other pertinent information):

• Maximum 10 pages (max. 20 for any type of play)
• 10-12pt serif font
• Please, no cover pages.  Include author’s name, phone number and/or email address on the first page, top corner (your choice on corner)
• One and a half to double spaced
• 1" margins all around
• Saved in one of the following file formats (listed in order of preference):
  – *.doc
  – *.txt or *.rtf
  – *.pdf (Adobe Portable Document File.  Readers are available for free by going to adobe.com/downloads)
• Any comments, specific things you’d like the critiquers to look at or not look at, etc. may be sent in the body portion of your email with the attached manuscript
• Please note in the body of your email if the content is not appropriate for minors

Also, manuscripts will be due for our Saturday, December 27th meeting (from 2-4pm) on Friday, December 19th by 5:00 PM.

We’ll be writing more flash fiction as a writing exercise on Sunday after our last experience went quite well.  Our topic for the craft chat will be the use of a metaphor to convey a theme.  Be sure to bring your laptop and/or a pad of paper and pen along with you as we’ll be writing!

We also have 4 pieces to critique, a short story that came from a writing exercise and 3 poems.  Chico Writer’s Group members have already received their copies and are expected to have read them, commented upon them and bring the printed out copy to our meeting to discuss and then return, with comments, to the original author.  If you did not receive a copy but would like to attend, leave a comment here (be sure to use a working, valid email address) and we’ll confirm your reservation.

The schedule for write-ins won’t come with advance notice but we’ll attempt to post them here as time and opportunity presents itself.  Here are the current write-in dates and times and places:

Wednesday, November 5th: 9am – noon at Augie’s (250 Salem Street, next to St. Augustine’s church, corner of 3rd Street and Salem in downtown Chico).

Sunday, November 16th: Time and location to be announced.

You do not have to be a member of the Chico Writer’s Group to attend but it would be greatly appreciated if you would contact us to let us know you plan to attend.  These meetings may be cancelled if there isn’t enough interest generated, so please check with our website before heading out! 

To learn more about the National Novel Writing Month, visit http://www.nanowrimo.org.  As the site is being hit hard now that the event is in full-swing, if you’re receiving an error, please try back later.  There still is time to register and get in on the fun, so visit today!

Date: Sunday, November 2, 2008
Time: Noon to 3:00PM (Note the time change)
Place: Chico Branch of the Butte County Library
Addy: 1108 Sherman Avenue (cross of First Ave.), Chico 
NOTE: The off ramp at First Avenue may be CLOSED.  Please use the links to the maps below if you need directions using an alternate route.
Maps:   Google  |  MapQuest  |  Microsoft  |  Yahoo

12:00 Noon – 1:00 PM Craft Workshop
We’ll be trying out a workshop using flash fiction where writers are given a topic to write on for a few minutes and then discuss. This should be a very fun activity!
     After the exercise, we’ll discuss the focus of the writing exercise, a specific element of the craft of writing. A sure winner for all genres of fiction!

1:00 – 3:00 PM Critique Workshop
Manuscripts need to be submitted to [kathie dot blog at gmail dot com] on or before noon Saturday October 25, 2008 and will be distributed to members who have attended meetings consistently and are in good standing. If you plan on attending but have not done so previously, you may request a copy be available to you when you arrive, however, we will not be distributing manuscripts to non-members for privacy and copyright purposes.
For more information, contact the organizer, Kathie Leung (pronounced Lee-young) at 521-4264 or [kathie dot blog at gmail dot com].

RSVPs requested! (You may use the "comment" link below to RSVP.  Just please be sure to provide a valid email address.  RSVP comments and general inquiry comments are not published and email addresses are never published.)

Time and Place
Date: Sunday, October 19, 2008
Time: 2:00pm – 5:00pm

Location: Butte County Library – Chico Branch Meeting Room (across from circulation desk)
Street: 1108 Sherman Avenue
City/Town: Chico, CA
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Contact Info
Phone: 521-4264
Email: kathie dot blog at gmail dot com

Description

2:00 – 2:30 PM Review "Tense" Writing Exercise & Discuss
Writing exercise: Write a scene that incorporates the character’s past, present, and future.

2:30 – 3:00 PM Craft Workshop: Tense
Tenses make us all tense sometimes. How do you talk about the past, the present, and the future? How do you talk about the future from the past or the farther past from the past? We’ll look at how to do all of this without losing your mind.

3:00 – 5:00 PM Critique Manuscript(s).
Short manuscripts (2-5 pages) may be brought to the critique workshop with sufficient number of copies to distribute to members.

RSVPs are still requested.  If you need further information, directions, or would like to RSVP simply post a response here or find us on Facebook by searching "Chico Writer’s Group."

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Contact Info
Phone:530.521.4264
Email:kathie dot blog at gmail dot com

Description

NOTE: Location is tentative. Please check back with us prior to the meeting for the exact location. It would be helpful to have a firm headcount (please don’t say you’ll be there if there’s a good possibility you won’t be) by Thursday, September 18th.

AGENDA
2:00 PM Craft Workshop: Dialogue

Writing exercise:
     Write a conversation between two characters where they are both lying. Never directly state that they are untruthful; instead write it so the reader figures out the characters are lying exclusively from the dialogue.

Give it a go and bring your finished product with you (preferably with a few copies) to share with the others and talk about what hurdles you may have come across, what doors you might have opened and other writer chit-chat sort of things.

2:30 PM Craft Chat
A CWG member will be giving an informative presentation on the topic of dialogue:
     "Effective dialogue moves the plot forward, reveals character and punches up conflict and tension. So how does a writer shape dialogue to sound more real life? Our craft chat will explore various strategies in writing compelling dialogue."

3:00 PM Critique Workshop
Two manuscripts will be critiqued by the group. Lead critiquers will have been assigned prior to the meeting to help move the discussion along. (Note: Manuscripts will only be sent to members in good standing, meaning you must have attended at least one Meet & Greet session and/or a writer’s group meeting. If you have not, you are still very welcome to attend AND participate!)
     For more information, more writing prompts, information about contests and upcoming meetings, please browse this website or leave us a comment.

Event Info
Host: Chico Writer’s Group (Link leads to our Facebook Club page where members can RSVP. *)
Time and Place
Date: Sunday, September 7, 2008
Time: 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Location: Empire Coffee Shop
Street: 434 Orange Street
City/Town: Chico, CA
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Contact Info
Please use the comment form below and be certain to use a valid address so that we may respond.  Your email address will not be published.

Meeting Info
If you’re new to the group, please come by at 1:00 p.m. where you can have the chance to meet us, ask any questions you might have and share with us a bit about you.

2:00 PM Share and discuss writing exercise
     Exercise will be published on here when the information becomes available and will be sent out to current members with the reminder email.

Note: Writing exercise from our meeting 8/16 may be worked on, but for time and space considerations, if you’d like to share and discuss, please do so via email or after the meeting Sunday.

2:30 PM Craft Chat: Topic is Place and Setting
     The specifics will be published here when it becomes available. Current members will receive an email with the information prior to the meeting.

3:00 PM Critiques
     Currently R. will be leading the critique of Kathie’s piece from 8/16 (manuscripts will only be shared between current members for privacy and copyright concerns)
     Members wishing to have their work critiqued must email it to Kathie by Sunday, August 31st. The earlier, the better as this allows members ample time to read and make notes for the discussion. If you require more information regarding our guidelines, please refer to the following articles:

• About the Chico Writer’s Group
• Critiquing Tips, Hints and Guidelines
• The Ten Commandments of Critiquing

Also, please refer to the links in the navigation column here on this site for useful information.

*About Facebook Club Page:  If you aren’t a member of Facebook, consider joining.  It’s free and a great way to keep abreast of upcoming events, activities and other features of the Chico Writer’s Group.  There are two Chico Writer’s Group pages online at Facebook.  Make sure you are adding to the CLUB and not the FAN page as the FAN page will most likely be closed down in the very near future.  Once you’ve added the club page, navigate to the Administrator (Kathie) and add yourself as a friend (maybe add a comment you’re a new member of the writer’s group) so that you are receiving invitations.