Oct 22, 2021 facilitated by JoLynne Buehring Our second annual Prose Readaround. This is an event not to be missed! Both published and unpublished authors will read and discuss their work. Also contains the annual election of officers for two positions on the Board of Directors of the Diamond Valley Writers' Guild: President, and Treasurer.

Sep 25, 2020 presented by Lynne M. Spreen Tired of watching the months go by with no new book under your belt? Frustrated by a lack of productivity? Do you envy those writers who crank out book after book while it seems to take you years to produce one? The Diamond Valley Writers’ Guild has a solution. This year, take the NaNoWriMo challenge! Join millions of other writers worldwide who use NNWM to produce a 50,000-word manuscript during the month of November. Whether you end up with a good first draft or simply break out of a rut, whether you’re a plotter or a pantser, and whether you’re writing fiction or non-, the NaNoWriMo experience will empower you as a writer. Using NNWM, Lynne M. Spreen has produced three full-length novels. Although she is a dedicated plotter, her presentation is geared for pantsers as well. After a career in Human Resources, Lynne M. Spreen reinvented herself as an author, speaker, blogger, and teacher. She enjoys speaking about the positive side of aging, and writes uplifting novels and short stories featuring main characters in the second half of life. Lynne’s debut novel, Dakota Blues, tells the story of two woman who embark on a life-changing road trip. The novel won an award for excellence in women's fiction.

Aug 22, 2020 facilitated by Howard Feigenbaum A selection of poetry Readings by Guild Members and participants.

Jun 27, 2020 presented by Rebecca Farnbach Where to find historic information How to resolve differences in narratives How to write a historic narrative How to organize historical material for enjoyable reading Consideration of the audience in telling the stories Rebecca’s first big break into publication was an article in Seventeen magazine when she was seventeen years old. Later, she wrote a recipe pamphlet for the Federal WIC (Women Infant Child) nutrition program. Over a ten years period she wrote six books in the Images of America series. In 1998, Rebecca started a writers’ critique group that still meets. The group has published over 130 books. The San Diego Christian Writers Guild honored Rebecca with several awards, including Writer of the Year, and she has received several poetry awards from other organizations. Her most recent publication is Dancing with Prayers in My Feet, a collection of her best poetry and prose. The publication of her collaborative Flavors of the Temecula Valley Wineries and Portraits of the Temecula Valley Wineries is in the works.

Jul 24, 2020 presented by Michelle Bassett Bruce Deciding where to start your story is one of the most important and challenging decisions you must make as a writer. Many readers, including editors and agents, determine within the first few sentences if your story is worth their valuable time. As a writer, your goal is to keep them reading. Together, we will explore what makes a good (or bad) opening sentence. Michelle's love affair with speculative fiction began between the pages of a hand-me-down copy of Frank Herbert's Dune. Currently, she is seeking representation for Minstrel's daughter, an adult epic fantasy novel. Her 2020 goal: To write short fiction ... and learn to tell a compelling story in less than 100,000 words.

May 23, 2020 presented by Jonathan Maberry How to craft a short story – the basics and some useful insider tips. The best ways to find markets for your short fiction. Understanding Submission Guidelines. Writing outside your comfort zone to stretch as a writer and open up new sales opportunities. Media Tie-in for short fiction (writing in worlds like CSI, Star Trek, etc.) Thoughts on the short story contract. JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times bestselling author, 5-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, and comic book writer. His vampire apocalypse book series, V-WARS, was a Netflix original series. He writes in multiple genres including suspense, thriller, horror, science fiction, fantasy, and action; for adults, teens and middle grade. He is the editor of many anthologies including The X-Files, Aliens: Bug Hunt, Don’t Turn Out the Lights, Nights of the Living Dead, and others. His comics include Black Panther: DoomWar, Captain America, Pandemica, Highway to Hell, The Punisher and Bad Blood. He is a board member of the Horror Writers Association and the president of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers. Visit Jonathan online at www.jonathanmaberry.com

Apr 25, 2020 presented by Karen Robertson Karen is a wife, mother, grandmother, a retired educator and administrator, a clown named Ditzy and a standup comic. As a freelance writer, she has published articles in over 70 magazines and newspapers. She's published four non-fiction books and one novel, with a second one in the oven. She's traditionally published and has also self-published by three different methods. With all that, magazine writing is still her favorite and she's going to tell us why.

Jan 23, 2021 presented by Tim Riter Develop a laser focus on your writing that keeps you on track. Discover how “hard writing” will make what you write easier to read. Learn four basic principles that can elevate your writing to the echelon of excellence. Tim has two Master’s Degrees and ten traditionally published books. He has given thirty keynote addresses, and he has presented various workshops at about 100 writers’ conferences. When his last book came out, it was the number one Kindle New Release in Motorcycles. His teaching career includes sixteen years at Azusa Pacific University, Hope International, and Oxnard College along with eleven years teaching English at the high school level. He is a nonfiction book panelist on The Writers’ View. His blog, Unconventional, has an annual audience of 12,000.

Mar 26, 2021 presented by Kathi Macias Many of Kathi Macias’ books take place in foreign countries, which she has never visited. Find out how she does the research to write the most authentic story. No matter where your stories take place, the information in this presentation can polish your writing to the level it deserves. Kathi Macias, experienced author, speaker, and editor, is the winner of the 2011 Golden Scrolls Award for Best Novel, as well as the Angel Award for Excellence in Family Books. She has fifty-seven books to her credit, some of them published in Spanish, German, Korean and Polish, and has collaborated on several others. Experience has taught her the value and necessity of good editing. Learn how to polish your work for the best presentation to readers and publishers.

May 22, 2021 presented by Michelle Deerwester-Dalrymple Michelle Deerwester-Dalrymple is a college writing professor and award-winning author of sixteen books and several articles for homeschooling magazines and journals. She once wrote an online essay that was so widely viewed it crashed video game news websites. Her indie-published book, To Dance in the Glen, won a Top Ten Book Academy Award for romance in 2019. It consistently reaches #1 and Top Ten status in Amazon rankings. Her second book, The Lady of the Glen, was a winner in the Top Fifty Indie Book awards of 2019. Since then, she has published five more books in that series, started three other series, and is working on a fairy tale retelling historical series, set for release later this year. She is also working as a co-writer/editor and publisher for her husband, who recently published his first book, a military paranormal novel titled Chain and Mace. So, if anyone has time-management challenges, it’s Michelle.

Aug 28, 2021 facilitated by Howard Feigenbaum A selection of poetry readings by Guild Members and participants.

Jul 24, 2021 presented by Mary St. John-Putnam Whether you just have an idea, a completed manuscript, or several books published, right now is the perfect time to market yourself and your works. While some publishers will do a little promotion for you, more likely, you’ll need to get the word out yourself. In this presentation, Mary shares with us how to select the appropriate tools for online marketing while making the most of your time and dollars based on your personal comfort level. With suggestions and exercises for beefing up your pitch, your personal brand, and your marketing plan, she’ll share her tips, tricks, and tactics on how to put the fun back in marketing fundamentals. Mary has spent years working in technology for such organizations as NASA/JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratories) and Amazon. In 2009, recognizing that she enjoys working with humans more than computers, she switched from engineering to marketing where she did video production, blogging, social media, writing, and technical training within those organizations. In 2019, she left corporate life to join her husband, retired cop-turned-bestselling-author David Putnam, helping authors tell and sell their stories. Mary does online media as well as hands-on grass-roots book promotions. She enjoys finding fun and creative ways to get your word out, whether through technical online methods or graffitiing the side of her house!