Upcoming Events

If you are a member of SJVW, you will automatically receive Zoom information for any event via email.

January 2024

Saturday, January 13, 12:00-2:00 p.m. “Imagine Your 2024 Writers Journey.” June Gillam, presenter. Via Zoom. www.junegillam.com

Tuesday, January 30, 6:00-7:00 p.m. “Writing Memoir.” Al Watt, presenter. Via zoom. www.lawriterslab.com

February 2024

Saturday, February 10, 12:00-2:00 p.m. “Writing Contests and Ekphrastic Writing.: Jennifer O’Neill Pickering, presenter. Via zoom. www.shepaintsandwrites.com

Monday, February 12, 4:00-6:00 p.m. Great Valley Writing Workshop begins. There will be a total of four workshops, meeting on Mondays (Feb 12, 26 an March 11, 25). For information contact June Gillam at gorillagirlink@gmail.com

March 2024

Saturday, March 9, 12:00-2:00 p.m. “Why you write what you write.” T.E. Watson, presenter. Via zoom. https://www.tewatsononline.com

Saturday, March 23, 12:00-2:00 p.m. Craft Chat (formerly The Gab Fest). Topic: "Captivating First Lines." Join us as we consider what makes opening lines grabbers and why we want them and what purpose they serve. Ideally, bring the opening line or lines of a story or novel you’ve read and/or the opening line or lines of a story or novel you’re working on. (Papapavlo's, Lincoln Center Stockton)

April 2024

Saturday, April 13, 12:00-2:00 p.m. “Talk, talk, talk: Making dialogue work in fiction,” presented by Bill VanPatten, multiple award-winning author of novels & short stories, mostly contemporary adult fiction. https://www.billvanpatten.net. Via Zoom.

Saturday, April 27, 12:00-2:00 p.m. Craft Chat. "Creating Memorable Characters." Please bring three tips to share regarding how YOU develop your compelling characters. For those who have more ambition and time, please bring a character profile (from their own work or a favored published work). The character profile is a bullet list of TEN things about THAT character, FIVE of which should be things about that character that are revealed through their actions; the remaining FIVE should be about the way he/she speaks. Come join us for a fun and interactive session.

May 2024

Saturday, May 11, 12:00-2:00 p.m. “The business of writing: 101.,” presented by Terry Wells Brown, author of a romantic suspense series, a contemporary fantasy series, & a feature writer for Best Version Media. https://twellsbrown.com. Via Zoom.

Saturday, May 25, 12:00-2:00 p.m. Craft Chat. Due to this date being a holiday weekend (Memorial Day), Craft Chat will not be held to allow members to enjoy the long weekend.

June 2024

Saturday, June 8, 12:00-2:00 p.m. “Writing and Marketing to Get Great Reviews,” presented by Matt Abraham, author the Black Cape Case Files series and Northland Mysteries, set in the San Joaquin Valley. https://tinyurl.com/3737rxew. Via Zoom.

Saturday, June 15: 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Workshop on "The Ins and Outs of Self-Publishing." For details, click here.

Saturday, June 29, 12:00-2:00 p.m. Craft Chat. "Pitfalls in POV (Point of View)." Establishing and maintaining POV in a scene or story is a staple of writing. In this chat, we will briefly review why this is important and how we sometimes subtly change POV without thinking. Participants are encouraged to bring a few lines or a paragraph in which they aren't sure if a POV switch has occurred. (Papapavlo's, Lincoln Center Stockton) NOTE: BECAUSE OF A SCHEDULING CONFLICT, THIS CRAFT CHAT WILL BE HELD ON THE LAST SATURDAY IN JUNE RATHER THAN THE REGULAR FOURTH SATURDAY OF THE MONTH.

Tuesday, June 25. CWC High Desert open to other branches. “Writing Memoir, Part 2,” presented by Alan Watt. https://lawriterslab.com/alan-watt-2. Via Zoom.

July 2024

Saturday, July 13, 12:00-2:00 p.m. "Book Promotion: Finding Readers without Spending Money,” presented by Dan Klefstad, who has 30 years of broadcasting & book marketing experience to his credit.

Saturday, July 27, 12:00-2:00 p.m. Craft Chat. "Self-editing Tips." Keeping things tight is fundamental to all kinds of writing. Join the discussion on looking for adverbs, adjectives, passive voice, filler words, and other writing gremlins that contemporary writers should eliminate or replace. Participants are encouraged to bring one-half page of double spaced writing to "go on the hunt." (Papapavlo's, Lincoln Center Stockton)

August 2024

Saturday, August 10, 12:00-2:00 p.m. “Everything You Wanted to Know About Modern Publishing But Were Afraid to Ask,” presented by ML Hamilton, author of 70+ books & coordinator of the CA State Fair Authors Booth. https://www.authormlhamilton.net. Via Zoom.

Saturday, August 24, 12:00-2:00 p.m. Craft Chat. "A Tale of Two S's: Setting and Senses." What does setting (e.g., time, geographic location, social or cultural context, weather) do for a story? And what does it mean to engage "all the senses" in your writing? Come for a lively discussion as we explore answers to these questions. Suggestion: bring a short 50 word summary of a setting in something you've written or have read. Alternatively, bring in a paragraph (max! no more than a paragraph!) from something you've written or have read in which the setting is featured or you demonstrate the use of a particular sense. (Papapavlo's, 501 Lincoln Center Stockton)

September 2024

Saturday, September 14, 12:00-2:00 p.m. “Author Website Starter Kit,” presented by Pauline Wiles, professional website designer. https://www.paulinewiles.com/bio. Via Zoom.

Saturday, September 28, 12:00-2:00 p.m. Craft Chat. “What Going on in your Character’s Head?” Join us to examine the value of using internal dialogue in your storytelling. Internal dialogue is a useful tool that makes your characters three-dimensional, makes them more relatable to the reader, while increasing tension. (Papapavlo's, 501 Lincoln Center Stockton)

October 2024

Saturday, October 26, 12:00-2:00 p.m. Craft Chat. "Being Flashy." Have you ever written flash fiction? Would you like to try? In this Craft Chat we will explore the A,B,Cs of flash fiction such as length, to what extent it conforms to standard story structure, among other things. We will also explore where to publish flash fiction.

November 2024

Saturday, November 9, 12:00-2:00 p.m. Celebrating Success! Come join us for our celebration of members' achievements and successes. Click here for details.

December 2024

San Joaquin Valley Writers