The San Diego Writers Festival is gearing up for their 4th Annual event starting  October 8.

This year the festival  will be held both online and in-person. Most of the sessions will be in person at the beautiful Coronado Public Library Performing Arts Campus

If you would like to present or be on a panel, you can submit for consideration right now. The earlier you submit, the better - but the deadline to submit this year is May 1, 2022.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The 2022 Festival will only be offering 12 sessions this year so space is extremely limited. Programming announcements will be made by mid-June 2022. If your event is not selected for the 2022 festival, we encourage you to consider submitting again next year or showcasing your work as a sponsor. As a 100% volunteer-run organization, we also hope that you will consider serving as a volunteer.

Fill out the submission forms here.

Reviewed by Penny Paugh

Written by the award-winning freelance journalist, Mark Stephen Clifton, “The Mayor of O.B.,” taps the author’s personal experience as a surfer, martial arts instructor, and resident of San Diego. The novel gives the reader an in-depth look at the late 1960s surfing and drug culture in northern California and Ocean Beach.

Clifton brings his journalistic strengths to play and steeps us in the lingo, attitudes, and lifestyles of that time. We are immersed in the drug culture, following Paul and Angelina to San Francisco and back on LSD buying trips, and Captain Alfonso (Al) Marutas with his Mexican cocaine and “crank”. Along the way, we are introduced to cultural icons like Timothy Leary and the Hells Angels. We are also witness to the harm done by LSD.

The story turns ugly with the death of a surfer, Angela’s disappearance, treachery,  murder accusations, and arrests.

Can Al forgive his old friend Pops and find inner peace? And might Al intend Pops additional harm? Read Clifton's book to find out, and deeply experience the late 60s culture with its many repercussions.

East County Magazine, an award-winning, nonpartisan community news agency, covers San Diego’s inland region. They are looking to hire freelance reporters and also accept volunteers. Reporters are needed to cover East County news including actions by County Supervisors and other public boards, investigative reporting, events, and features.

In addition, the magazine seeks reviews of books by San Diego area authors who have recently published via a traditional publishing house. They accept reviews of all genres.

Occasionally, East County Magazine reviews a book by a non-local author if it meets one of these other criteria: the novel is set in San Diego County (such as a mystery in Ramona’s wine country), the topic is of strong local interest (such as border issues, wildfires, etc.), appeals to a large population here (such as our Iraqi Chaldean population or military veterans), a prominent author is stopping in our region on a book tour, or the topic is a high-level topic of national interest such as a presidential election.

Contact Miriam Raftery at editor@eastcountymagazine.org or call (619)698-7617.

Here are some points you need to hit in order for your story to WOW the Reviewers and Editors of the SDWEG Anthology.

1. There is a difference between written and verbal dialogue. Know which to use.
2. Be sure you understand what POV (point of view) means. Know how to use it.
3. Can you write a great opening HOOK?
4. Ensure your main character (protagonist) has a specific need or want that conflicts with their goals or circumstances.
5. Do not be nice to your protagonist. Make it really hard for them.
6. Make sure there is growth in your main character(s). Otherwise, it is a boring story.
7. What is the theme of your story? Try using symbols, motifs, etc. to remind the reader of it.
8. Don’t spend a lot of time in description unless it furthers the story.
9. Don’t forget your grammar and formatting skills. These are the foundational elements that could get your piece eliminated immediately.
10. Make an emotional connection with the reader. What do you want them to feel when they finish reading your story?

IN-PERSON & ONLINE CLASSES 

Join the Writers' Workshop for in-person and online classes for beginning and experienced writers. Classes meet on Saturdays, 10-3:30 pm, with a lunch break. Registration is in advance only at www.twwoa  Classes are $80 each, and financial assistance is available for low-income writers in exchange for volunteering. (For in-person, the limit is 6 participants, vaccinated.

FEB. 19:  FICTION WRITING & REVISING with Karen Ackerson  

Writers of fiction and creative non-fiction books and stories will learn how to revise and polish their works before submitting to an agent or publisher. Techniques will be taught on how to grab the reader's interest by eliminating unnecessary details, building tension, and fine-tuning dialogue and descriptions. Participants may bring five pages (double-spaced) to the class for discussion. Ackerson is Senior Editor at The Renbourne Editorial Agency (renbourne.com), and has edited hundreds of novels, memoirs and creative non-fiction stories.  

You can learn more at The Writers' Workshop / www.twwoa.org

As you start thinking about your submission to the 2022 Guilded Pen Anthology, it is worth considering the essential elements that will make your story brilliant and a standout piece. 

Enjoy the article by Sarah Gribble linked below, and happy writing.

Like many creatives, I love to create and write and I don’t love to market myself. I’ve written dozens of books as a ghostwriter and didn’t have to be concerned about marketing or building a platform. That was up to my clients, and most were as clueless as me.

Yet with the books I’ve written and those I still want to write as I build a career as an author, I know I am the one to sell these books. So I had to bite the bullet and study up on marketing, primarily building a platform from scratch. I knew I had to build a fan base, because few of who I consider my ideal readers know who I am, and won’t know about my books unless I find a way to let them know.

Build a platform

So to build a following–a platform—I purchased Build Your Author Platform With a Purpose. I “met” Mimika Cooney on a few webinars and was impressed by her energy and knowledge. She was helpful in teaching in a way that even the beginning author would understand what was needed to create a presence before publishing a book.

Mimika covers a lot of ground from the what and why of building a platform and author branding to the significance of building a mailing list and the value of social media. “In today’s society, the term platform simply means how you stand out in a crowded marketplace.” She stresses that anyone can stand out and create a presence online. She says, “Many people think that you have to be a celebrity or a big name to have influence.” She explains that it’s a myth, and with the ease of reaching people through social media, anyone can build a following. 

She places a lot of emphasis on building an email list of raving fans. One of the best ways to do that is to create a “freebie” or as some call it a “lead magnet.” She also stressed how important it is to automate as much of your marketing as you can, such as an automated email marketing sequence.

Additionally, Mimika touches on the value of social media, video, publicity, guest blogging, podcasts, and paid advertising. Indeed as authors, we have myriad opportunities to market our books.

Be discoverable

She stresses that because every author feels what he/she has to say is valuable, it’s vital to find a way to “show up in the right places and be present. You need to put the effort into being discoverable.” Mimika outlines strategies any authors can follow so they can implement the right actions at the right time to the right audience.  

With Mimika’s guidance through her book and valuable handouts, I’ve stepped into the journey of authorship with more confidence. I see this book as an essential guide for first-time authors to get over their fears and build their confidence in marketing their books so they can realize their writing dreams.

What comes to mind when you think of the San Diego Writers and Editors Guild? You might remember an informative workshop, an engaging open mic night, or a great short story in a past anthology. Whatever comes to mind for you, our goal is that it’s part of the Guild’s larger mission: Creating a community of writers of all skill sets with a focus on improving people’s lives.

The 2022 SDWEG board recently held a virtual retreat to engage in blue-sky thinking about the Guild’s past, present and future. It was an inspiring conversation, driven by each member’s passion for the Guild and its members. What consensus emerged from the discussion? These three truths:

1. We serve writers of all backgrounds, ages and skill levels.
2. We foster strong community connections among our members.
3. We do so with a passion for positively impacting others.

We’d love to hear from past, present, and (we hope) future members about what you would look for from the San Diego Writers and Editors Guild. What do you appreciate about SDWEG? Where could we improve? And what might we start doing that we aren’t doing now?

Please feel free to communicate with me directly at president@sdwritersguild.org. I’d love to hear from you!

The virtual Kauai Writers Conference begin their 2022 offerings with  sessions by Jamie Raab,  Susanna Porter, and Sally Kim, three of the leading figures in the publishing world. The knowledge they share will be a tremendous help to writers looking to find the most direct path to successful publication of their work.

Literary agent extraordinaire Andy Ross will moderate their discussion on Breaking Into the Publishing World.

Sessions begin Sunday, January 9, and continue every Sunday thereafter with workshops and discussions on the craft of writing and the fast changing publishing landscape. Faculty are chosen for the excellence of their writing and their outstanding teaching skills. They include both winners and judges of the world's most important literary prizes.

Author Mentor Match (AMM) provides mentorship for finished manuscripts for middle grade, young adult, and select adult projects. Select mentors will accept graphic novels.

January 12-14, 2022, AMM will post a questionnaire for mentees to fill out which the mentee will send to up to four possible mentors listed on the website. To help mentees prepare before the form is posted, a list of possible questions is provided on the website that could be on the questionnaire.

Additionally, between January 12 and 14th, mentees are also to send a query letter, the first three chapters or first 50 pages (whichever is longer) and a 1-2 page synopsis to the addresses indicated on the website for Middle-Grade, Young Adult or Adult. (If you are submitting a YA project with crossover appeal to an adult mentor, send your submission package to both the YA and Adult emails (using a CC is fine).)

To learn more go to: https://authormentormatch.com/.

Thanks to Pennell Paugh for writing this alert.