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MEETINGS |
Chapter Meetings
RCRW meets the second Saturday of each month at 10:00 a.m. at Portland Community College - Sylvania Campus, room HT 123. Each meeting begins with a brief business meeting and is followed by a guest speaker. Author booksignings are often scheduled during the break. Check the Home Page for current speaker and meeting information.
From I-5 South, take Capitol Hwy exit (295). Follow Capitol Hwy uphill through five lights (it will become SW 49th). Main campus entrance is on the right. From I-5 North, take Haines St. exit (293). Turn right at the end of the ramp onto Haines St. Turn left at the four-way stop. Back entrance to the campus is a quarter of a mile up, just past a curve. Tri-Met bus lines #5 and #78 serve the campus. To find HT 123: turn right at the main campus entrance and park in lots P12 or P13 on the downhill side of the campus. If you use the back entrance, turn right into the campus then right again at the next three-way stop. Parking is on the left across the street from the Health Technology (HT) building or in front, if you happen to arrive early enough. Room HT 123 is NOT located inside the main multi-door entrance. The entrance to HT 123 is located on the outside of the building, to the left of the main doors. No parking fee is charged for Saturday parking. |
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A detailed PCC-Sylvania campus map may help you to locate the building.
If you're interested in joining us as a guest and would like more information, please e-mail our V. P. of Membership, Jessie Smith. As membership chairman, Jessie can also provide information on how to become a member. Please check out our Membership page for a list of benefits that come with joining the chapter.
All programs and speakers are approved by the Board and arranged by our V.P. of Programs. The V.P. of Programs plan programs from June-June each year. Our outgoing V.P. of Programs, Darcy Burke, has planned the 2008 list through June. The incoming V.P. of programs will be planning for programs beginning in July. If you have any comments or suggestions for future speakers, please e-mail Denice Gordon.
Mark your calendars now!!
2008 Speakers
JANUARY 19th
DEB DIXON
Book in a Day: Goal, Motivation, Conflict with the Hero’s Journey
Location: Hotel Lucia in Portland
FEBRUARY 9th
TERRI REED
Go Deeper: The Anatomy of a Well Layered Story
Location: Regular Meeting Room, Portland Community College Sylvania Campus
Multi-published author Terri Reed will show writers how to layer their stories from plot to polish. She’ll discuss plot as the skeleton that holds the story together and reference several sources such as The Plot Doctor by Carolyne Green, Technique of the Selling Writer by Dwight Swain, and The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler. Then, she’ll discuss the muscle of the story which gives power to the plot. This will consist of characterization with references to resources including The Plot Doctor, GMC by Debra Dixon, and Techniques of the Selling Writer. Next, I’ll talk about the life-giving blood of the story which keeps the story from being boring and listless. We’ll build on characterization, but will delve deeper into the characters’ emotions and backstory. I’ll talk about the skin that gives the story its appeal by using description and setting. Finally, I’ll discuss the polishing touches of revising to make the story ready for public viewing.
Please bring a rough draft page of your story.
MARCH 8th
HEATHER HIESTAND and JENNA BAYLEY-BURKE
Resurrecting your Rejected Manuscripts
Location: Regular Meeting Room, Portland Community College Sylvania Campus
Forget following the guidelines, nailing the word count, and mirroring the tone of the line. If an editor doesn’t see a slot for your book within the line you’ve targeted, it doesn’t mean your story isn’t worth hearing. Join two multi-published authors in examining why your story didn’t fit, how to make it work in another form, and where it may eventually find a home.
If you are a category writer, please email Heather the first two (2) pages (double spaced, manuscript format) of your rejected manuscript plus a blurb/back cover copy/query letter/whatever that has a brief description of your story so we can brainstorm a new life for your manuscript.
APRIL 12th
LYNN JORDAN
Using Technology for Promotion
Location: Regular Meeting Room, Portland Community College Sylvania Campus
In publishing today writers are expected to handle most of the promotion themselves. Fortunately, technology makes it easier than ever before to connect to and build a relationship with readers. Find out how to use technology to reach more readers, build your brand, and increase your sales.
Lynn Jordan left her career in Information Technology to pursue her life-long dream of writing. However, she still can't leave technology behind. She enjoys playing with, I mean studying, the latest in high tech and helping other writers conquer their technological problems.
MAY 10th
LISA JACKSON and NANCY BUSH
Making it to the Top – Q&A with bestselling authors
Location: Regular Meeting Room, Portland Community College Sylvania Campus
Ever wondered how someone becomes a bestseller? Does it happen over night? How hard do you have to work to get there? What about staying there? These two sisters consistently hit the bestseller lists with their novels. This is your chance to ask them questions about the business, and to get insider tips on making it to the top. With over 30 years of publishing behind them, and 150 books between them, they have the experience and the knowledge to share with you. This is a moderated Q&A session that is not to be missed.
Bios:
NY Times bestseller Lisa Jackson can’t keep away from murderers, especially serial killers. She’s been killing people everywhere from Savannah and New Orleans to San Francisco and the Pacific Northwest. Lisa Jackson’s novels include the recent LOST SOULS and the best sellers Absolute Fear, which will be published in paperback for the first time in March, Hot Blooded, Cold Blooded, The Night Before, The Morning After, Deep Freeze, Fatal Burn, and Almost Dead. A writer who began with Harlequin Silhouette and continues to write contemporaries and historicals, she has over 100 books published.
Bestseller Nancy Bush has finally found her way to writing the novels she loves to read--mystery. But her road to mystery began in Young Adult, including Nancy Drew mysteries, then she chick-lit and romantic suspense. She even did a stint in New York writing for the daytime serial All My Children in 2002 and 2003. Now over 40 books later she is using all of her talents in romance, chick-lit, and suspense to power her mysteries.
JUNE 14th
LINDA SMITH
Get it Read, Get it Write!
Location: Regular Meeting Room, Portland Community College Sylvania Campus
Joining a critique group creates great opportunities to practice
generosity, experience group storytelling, and face growth and change
in your writing. Learn how to find and nurture a critique
relationship, as well as give and receive criticism. Experience a
sample critique session and for those searching for partners, join in
CP speed dating! Bring 3-5 pages for evaluation.
JULY 12th
MAGGIE LYNCH w/a MAGGIE JAIMESON
The Critical Eye
Location: Regular Meeting Room, Portland Community College Sylvania Campus
How do you judge someone else's manuscript? What about your own? Ever wonder why a manuscript places first in one contest but then can't even final in the next? It's all about having a consistent critical eye. Throughout August and early September RCRW members will be > judging Golden Rose contest entries. We'll look at how to be a good judge, and how having a critical eye and giving constructive criticism > can help you with your own writing.
AUGUST 9th
Professionals Day
Firefighters, policemen, special agents, oh my. Ever wanted to talk to professional heroes. This will be your chance. The details and specific speakers are still being worked out. But check back and we will update this site as we get more info.
SEPTEMBER 13th
Delilah Marvelle
Sex, Then and Now
Delilah Marvelle will be discussing sex in a historical context and not only how it has changed the way we look at sex, but how we write it.
Understanding the history of sex is not only important for historical accuracy, but also important from a creative standpoint. Delilah intends to touch upon everything from kissing, to courtship, from naughty word origins, rituals and the act itself from medieval times through today. All in an effort to not only help educate writers about “naughty” history, but lay out a wealth of fascinating resources that will enable them to further their research and in turn, expand their horizons not only for themselves, but for their characters.
OCTOBER 11th
TBA
NOVEMBER 8th
Kristin Hannah and Megan Chance
Ten Things I Wish I'd Known and Five Things I've Learned along the Way
Location: Regular Meeting Room, Portland Community College Sylvania Campus
Kristin Hannah and Megan Chance discuss the opportunities and pitfalls they've encountered in the strange and rarefied world of publishing. Bring your questions and comments. This is an interactive, question-and-answer forum that will provide you with tons of insider information. It's your chance to ask two award winning, multi published authors anything that relates to writing.
Bios:
No one writes novels like Kristin Hannah, an author who vividly explores the intricate bonds of family and friendship, love and loss. As Tami Hoag said: Kristin “touches the deepest, most tender corners of our heart.” A New York Times bestselling author of 16 novels, including Between Sisters, The Things we Do for Love, Magic Hour, and the newly released Firefly Lane. Her books have garnered accolades from the beginning of her career. In 1996, Home Again was named a Best Book by both Publisher's Weekly and Library Journal. More recently, Between Sisters was chosen by CBS’s The Early Show as one of the best books of the summer.
Megan Chance is the critically acclaimed, award-winning author of 11 historical novels, including The Gentleman Caller, A Season in Eden, Susannah Morrow, and her 2008 release The Spiritualist. She has a talent for exploring the lives of women who do not fit into society's standards and are on the verge of breaking free of its strictures. Her first book, x, won Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award for excellence in Romantic Fiction. Since then, her novels have received several more awards.
DECEMBER 13th
Holiday Party! Location yet to be determined