July 31, 2011

Dear Members, Participants, and Supporters,

As many of you know, I have been participating in The Writers’ Gallery functions from afar for the last 18 months. My hope all along has been that “once things settle down” I would be able to reengage and become an active participant in the community again.

Unfortunately, my life has taken me further and further from having the time to participate in The Writers’ Gallery. So, it is with a sad heart that I will be stepping down as director of the community.

I am so grateful for all my experiences with the community. We have had the pleasure of having some wonderful presenters for workshops including Diane Adams, Brenda Hill, Kimberly Seilhammer, and others! We had the joy of watching each other successfully publish over the last two and a half years. And, finally, all of us have improved as writers in our given genre.

I want to assure everyone involved that the community will continue with Andrew organizing the groups and other activities.

I hope you will keep me posted on your future successes so I can say, “I knew him/her when…”

If you would like to keep in contact with me, please visit my website, dianemierzwik.net or follow my blog at weeklyaffirmations.com.

Best of luck to all of you,

Diane Mierzwik

July 5, 2011

Dear Members, Participants and Supporters,

What with hosting a wedding at the house, my son graduating, my son’s birthday, my wedding anniversary and a much needed vacation during June, I actually made it to a critique group on Monday the 27th. It was great to see familiar faces and to meet some new area writers!

As most of you know, I have been pretty much out of circulation for the last year and a half, but feel like I am ready to rejoin the fray. Armed with an official Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Non-fiction degree, I will really be insufferable now.

All kidding aside, I hope you are writing and well. I also hope to see you at a critique group on a Monday night.

Write, write, and write some more.

Best,

Diane

April 3, 2011

Hello Members, Participants, and Supporters,

There have been some exciting successes the last month.

One of our supporters, Sharilyn Christensen, is happy to announce the publication of her book, “Dream Keepers.” Here is the blurb:

Keli has the awesome responsibility of saving the dream world from total demise. She experiences a fine line between the world she lives in and a dream world beyond her wildest imagination. read more
by Sharilyn L. Christensen ~ 0-7414-5935-3 ©2011
Price: $13.95
 and here is the link to buy it: http://www.buybooksontheweb.com/product.aspx?ISBN=0-7414-5935-3.

It’s a wonderful fantasy story, appropriate for all ages. I enjoyed reading the book immensely. Sharilyn’s imagination is amazing, not to mention her storytelling skills.

Second, our favorite workshop leader, Diane Adams, is offering a course through UCR Extension, which starts this week.

Here’s the link for that: https://www.extension.ucr.edu/enroll/catalog/olr_course_details.php?crsid=21572.

I am almost done with my Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Next to find a publisher for that thesis.

I hope your writing projects are progressing. One of  my favorite writing teachers, Helena Mira Viramontes, said the key to becoming a writer, and the hardest obstacle to becoming a writer are the same: sitting down to write every day.

The calendar is updated

February 13, 2011

Dear Members, Participants and Supporters,

My only excuse for this newsletter being so late is that I have been busy writing – and it’s true!

So often the hardest advice for writers to accept is that they must write, even when it means ignoring household chores, mowing the lawn, exercising, and writing friendly newsletters to your fellow writers.

I am hard at work on a manuscript and it is truly consuming most of my brain space, not to mention all my “free” time. I hope you know what this feels like and have sympathy for me.

And, if you are at a place in your writing when feedback is essential, be sure to attend the Monday night critique groups which begin at 6:30 pm in the back of Darcie Lynn’s Paperback Exchange. Bring copies of 5 pages, double-spaced 12 font, to share with the group for invaluable input.

If you are at a place in your writing when research or inspiration are on order, be sure to go by Darcie Lynn’s Paperback Exchange to pick up a book to fill these needs.

Either way, keep writing.

The February and March calendars are posted – just in case I fall behind next month too.

Best,

Diane

Hello Members, Participants and Supporters,

As we begin the new year, it is a good idea to take stock of what we were able to accomplish last year and set our sights on what we would like to accomplish this year.

Looking back allows us to reflect on what we were able to get done. I keep a weekly calendar by my desk and record in it when I send work out for publication consideration and when I am able to successfully complete a writing project. It is so easy over the course of 12 months to forget all you’ve done. So, today, when I organized my 2011 calendar, I spent a few moments to flip through my 2010 calendar and to read through what I had accomplished. It felt good and invigorated me for meeting my goals for this year. Of course my first goal is to record in my calendar when I write.

Looking forward allows us to begin to manifest the year we want. I listed my ten goals for the year and have them posted by my desk. That way, when I sit down to work, my goals are there reminding me of what I’m working toward. What’s the old saying, “If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you get there?” I know where I’m going and am looking forward to checking off each goal as I accomplish them.

Whatever your writing goals for the new year, it is important to surround yourself with people who are working toward the same goals. Working with a community of writers is the best way to help each other write.

The new calendar is posted and critique groups continue to meet at 6:30. We hope to see you there.

Happy writing,

Diane

Dear Members, Participants, and Supporters,

Well, the holidays are upon us and, in my experience, the holidays really sort us all out, in a number of ways.

First, the holidays sort out the committed writers from the hobby writers. The committed type write right through the holidays, never using the excuse that there is too much to do or to many distractions to concentrate. The committed writer writes, no matter what. Of course, continuing to write during all the chaos of the holiday season might be enough to have you committed!

Second, the holidays usually are a time for reflection. It is writer legend that most of us have been told, or at least read somewhere, that if you can make a living any other way; if you can find creative endeavors that are less laborous than writing, than do so. During this time of approaching the end of another year, many of us are reflecting – has our time writing been well spent? This is a time for us to sort out how we spend our time – at the writer’s desk or doing other things, then deciding, where are our priorities for the upcoming year. Sort it out, while you still have time, then prepare for that New Year’s resolution.

So, as I sort through my many gifts of the season, I hope this newsletter finds you writing and committed to writing.

Calendar has been updated and groups are meeting all month.

Happy writing,

Diane

Dear Members, Participants and Supporters,

I am happy to share with you that our very own Brenda Hill has collected several of her articles on the craft of writing and published them on Kindle and Smashwords. And the Smashwords edition is free.  The title is “Writing Your Novel” and the link for the free version is https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/24010. Thanks to Brenda for sharing this wonderful news and resource with us.

The November calendar has been posted. Check it out for meeting times and days.

Happy writing,

Diane

October 10, 2010

Dear Members, Participants and Supporters,

There is much to be said for moving beyond your comport zone, but there is also something to be said for sticking with what you are good at. Joseph Campbell called it “following your bliss.”

Have you ever seen someone complete a task and you thought, that looked easy. I can do that, then you tried? Well, I find myself in just such a situation now.

I am taking a class in screenwriting. I have no plans of moving to Hollywood, thank goodness, because I am failing miserably at it. The other students kindly tell me, “I think the assignment was to…” and I respond, “I thought that is what I did.”

Alas, I am sure I will learn some valuable writing tools that I can then apply to those things I like to write, but in the meantime I feel like I’ve begun to build a brick wall, having thought, how hard can that be, and if I don’t abort soon, or call in the experts, I may have a disaster on my hands.

Michael Steinberg, author of Still Pitching, and writing-in-residence at Solstice/Pine Manor College recently said, “Writing in any genre is hard enough. Finding the form that is right for you is the best advice I can give any would-be writer.”

Well, I definitely know what is NOT right for me.

Keep writing so you may find your perfect form.

The calendar is updated and the critique group is meeting on Mondays.

Diane

Dear Members, Participants and Supporters,

As our children go back to school, perhaps you are thinking it is time to recommit to that writing project you’ve been working on, contemplating writing, or dreamed of completing. Nothing helps me with follow through on my writing projects like having made a commitment, and then sticking to it.

For instance, since 2006 I have been contemplating writing a curriculum for high school students which taught them how to write while involving family members. As we writers know, you should write what you know and as Flannery O’Connor pointed out, “Anybody who has survived his childhood has enough information about life to last him the rest of his days.” 
I kept putting the project off, or working on it in baby steps, collecting ideas, creating a book of ideas, trying out the ideas on students, but not writing the book.  Then, in January, I got a great idea, if I was speaking at a conference on the subject, I would have to finish the book. I submitted my application and waited to see if I was accepted.

I was accepted to present and had to get in high gear to complete the book, “Writing with Home: Year One” (available at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Home-High-School-Projects/dp/1453763228/ref=sr_1_13?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1284329055&sr=1-13).

Now, I am happy to report that the writing project is done. I spoke at the conference which was fun and I met some great teachers/parents. And, I’m ready for my next project.

Which leads me to The Writers’ Gallery. Nothing says committed like showing up weekly with pages for your peers to read and critique at our Monday night Criticique Groups. We start at 6:30, ask you bring up to five pages to share, at lest three copies for reading by your peers, and be prepared to learn.

The calendar is updated and we hope to see you there.

Happy writing,

Diane

August 1, 2010

I am happy to announce that one of our members, Yvonne L. Stegman, has published her book, The Clearsong Chronicles, The Wizard Enlightened. The story is about young Ross Miller who was a bit of a daydreamer until a deadly, fire-breathing dragon destroyed his small village. After spending time with the elves, he grew up to be a powerful wizard seeking revenge on the dragon. But, had he known the price of his revenge, he would never have paid it.

You can get the book by following this link: http://www.amazon.com/Wizard-Enlightened-Book-Clearsong-Chronicles/dp/0557164850/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280721183&sr=8-1.

Congratulations to Yvonne, or Boni as we all know her!

I hope you are all writing. The new calendar is posted.

Happy writing,

Diane