Next HSW Meeting 

Saturday July 10th  at 10 am via Zoom. 

No word yet on whether we can resume in person meetings at Scheels, so as of this writing, we are doing a Zoom meeting for July. Even if we do go back to in-person, we will continue to do Zoom meetings for those who live out of the area and those who are not ready to socialize in a group. 

Our guest for the July meeting is Anne Hawley from Pages and Platforms, the same folks who came down for a full-day workshop two years ago on The Story Grid. This time Anne will be talking about editing your own novel and other related things. She’s a great speaker and you’re going to learn a lot, so don’t miss this meeting.

FIRST PAGES

Matt will be doing First Pages at this meeting.  If you have a first page you would like feedback on, please send it by Friday, July 9 to MattBayan@aol.com  For easy reading, please use 12 point Times New Roman and double space.  Do not include your name on the page, but indicate the genre. 

GUEST SPEAKER FOR JULY

Here’s a shorter version of the article from last month about Ann Hawley’s presentation.

Pages & Platforms presents: “Can You Edit Your Own Novel?”

Join certified developmental editor Anne Hawley of Pages & Platforms for a one-hour presentation about editing your own book. This presentation explores the levels of editing, and focuses on understanding and solving the most common problems authors have in developing and structurally editing their own work.

Anne will cover:

• The three most common structural problems she finds in her clients’ work: Story Type confusion, pacing problems, and manuscript length.
• The 7 Story Types that are essential for editing your book;
• Scene analysis techniques to help you find where your story isn’t working and where you can cut;
• Tips and tricks for calculating the right length for your story.

Anne will also provide a downloadable packet for everyone who attends the meeting. 

 Anne Hawley is a developmental editor certified in the Story Grid method. She specializes in literary historical fiction, action stories in fantasy and science fiction settings, and indie screenplays.  She is the author of the historical love story Restraint, and the forthcoming The Footman. Anne lives in Portland, Oregon.

Are you a mystery writer looking for a critique group? Linda has a critique group looking for mystery writers. So if you’d like to see if you can join in, then Contact Linda, your Critique Group Wrangler, to join this one or another Reno-based group this year!   lynda.r.bailey@gmail.com   Do we have any poets in the group who’d like to form a critique group? Recently, a couple of people have inquired about poets. So, if you write poetry and would like to connect with other poets, please let Linda know and let Rene know since she gets inquiries as well. RPAverett@gmail.com   Eastern Sierra Book Festival    If you’re looking for a live event to sell print copies of your book, here’s a great deal for you from the Eastern Sierra Book Festival at Mammoth Lakes, California. They will introduce you to their audience and sell your book.  You set the price, and 60% of the retail price goes back to you. The other 40% will benefit the Southern Mono Historical Society. Unsold copies are returned to you. The date of the festival is Sunday, July 18, 2021 at the beautiful Hayden Cabin in Mammoth Lakes. It looks like a great program with speakers throughout the day and ending with an authors’ variety show where you can pitch your book, introduce yourself, or perform if you prefer.  To find out more information or to register as an author, go their website.  Eastern Sierra Book Festival A Word of Warning Paula Riley sent this article from the Authors’ Guild to  alert everyone to a scam in case you’re tempted. Authors Beware of the Silver Ink Literary Agency Scam  It has come to our attention that a scam outfit by the name of “Silver Ink Literary” agency is emailing authors to solicit book proposals for publication with major publishers. The scammers are using the Authors Guild’s logo on their letterhead, as well as the logos of leading publishers, to solicit the “book proposals” and charging authors up to $6,000. The letter also claims that the Authors Guild is chairing a “task group” that oversees the editorial and publishing process.   This is a scam. We strongly advise you not to correspond with the sender. We are in the process of taking legal action against the scammers.    If you or someone you know have received this email, please contact us immediately at staff@authorsguild.org. Hyphens and Dashes Ever wonder when you should use a hyphen versus a dash? Do you know the difference between an en dash and an em dash? Why do they call them that anyway? In this article from Pro Writing Aid, you can get the answers to those questions and more.  Click this link to go to the article.