TBeaulieu

Our November speaker is Lucy A. Snyder. She will be presenting a workshop on how to write a good first paragraph.

Check out Lucy’s books here or at your local library.

And Then the Murders Began: Writing Great First Paragraphs – Author Marc Laidlaw recently wrote, “The first line of almost any story can be improved by making sure the second line is, ‘And then the murders began.’” While often true, most writers can’t actually use this technique. In this module, we will examine the first paragraphs of recent award-winning short stories to show why (and how) they work to hook readers. Afterward, we’ll work on improving paragraphs in progress.

Lucy A. Snyder is the Shirley Jackson Award-nominated and five-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of 15 books and over 100 published short stories. Her most recent books are the collection Halloween Season and the forthcoming novel The Girl with the Star-Stained Soul. She also wrote the novels Spellbent, Shotgun Sorceress, and Switchblade Goddess, the nonfiction book Shooting Yourself in the Head for Fun and Profit: A Writer’s Survival Guide, and the collections Garden of Eldritch Delights, While the Black Stars Burn, Soft Apocalypses, Orchid Carousals, Sparks and Shadows, Chimeric Machines, and Installing Linux on a Dead Badger. Her writing has been translated into French, Russian, Italian, Spanish, Czech, and Japanese editions and has appeared in publications such as Asimov’s Science Fiction, Apex Magazine, Nightmare Magazine, Pseudopod, Strange Horizons, and Best Horror of the Year. She lives in Columbus, Ohio. You can learn more about her at www.lucysnyder.com and you can follow her on Twitter at @LucyASnyder.

Register Here

The Fall writing contest has been extended to November 15.

*Please read guidelines carefully.*

Contest Details

Theme: Letting Go

We are accepting Fiction and Nonfiction

Word count limit is 1200-words or less (firm)

Poem limit is up to three (3) poems

Prizes for Fiction and Nonfiction entries only are as follows:

• First Place           $200
• Second Place      $100
• Third Place         $50

Ways to Submit your Story and/or Poem

• Put your story in the body of the email (preferred)
• Send as a Word (.doc) or
• Other file types accepted are .pdf or .rtf format.
• Please Indicate fiction or nonfiction.

How to Submit your Story and/or Poem

• Font type and size should be Courier or Times New Roman font 12 point double-spaced.
• One entry per email.
• No simultaneous submissions – this means you cannot send your story/poem elsewhere for consideration.
• Multiple submissions are okay for fiction and nonfiction stories only – this means you can submit more than one story, fiction or nonfiction, up to three.
• Sample submission subject line should read – Subject line: Fall Contest/Author/Title/Type
• Email submission to – submissions@writersofkern.com

Writing Science in your Fiction, Nonfiction, and Beyond

Register Here

Have a science question? Is an earthquake shaking up the landscape in your fiction? Solar wind knocking out the satellites? Learn how to improve the science in your current work of fiction.

Applicable to all forms of fiction, genres, and nonfiction, from the murder mystery to the paranormal romance. Depicting more accurate science can elevate your story to the next level.

This workshop includes:

• Scientist for Fiction

• Writing science

• Utilizing your resources

Mika began her science communication efforts as a Master’s student at UBC, after answering a call from the producers of the television show Stargate: Atlantis for a physicist who could help with accurate scientific justifications for the show’s science fiction plots. After graduation, she pursued a career in science communication that included popular science writing and continuing her consulting role on the television shows Stargate: Atlantis and Stargate: Universe. More recently, McKinnon has consulted on Doomsday: 10 Ways the World Will End, No Tomorrow, Madam Secretary, and Star Trek: Discovery. In a profile with her alma mater, UCSB, she says that her interest in communication stemmed from the media’s misrepresentation of a major landslide in the Pacific Northwest.

She was a contributing editor for Gawker Media, providing coverage on popular science topics for io9 and later became a science writer for Gizmodo. Her bylines cover topics including space exploration, dinosaur discovery, the convergence of science and art, and disaster preparedness. Her writing is in publications including Wired UK, Smithsonian magazine, Ars Technica, and Astronomy.

She volunteers for the National Academy of Sciences Science & Entertainment Exchange, providing subject matter expertise to the entertainment industry for more accurate depictions of science in the media.

WOK Monthly Meeting September 2021

Join the Writers of Kern with a lively discussion with Henry Barajas as he goes through his writing process. If you have an interest in memoir or graphic memoirs, this is a discussion you won’t want to miss.

Henry Barajas is a Latinx author from Tucson, AZ. He is best known for his graphic memoir about his great-grandfather Ramon Jaurigue titled La Voz De M.A.Y.O. Tata Rambo and Helm Greycastle. He has contributed to anthologies that benefit mass shooting Route 91 victims and The Southern Poverty Law Center such as Where We Live and The Good Fight. Currently, Barajas is the Sales Manager at Oni Press in Los Angeles, CA.

Click here to register for the event.

WOK Monthly Meeting August 2021

“Heroes and Villains”

Last month we were fortunate to have best-selling author Cecil Castellucci present her workshop, Heroes and Villains. A valuable workshop for writers of all levels and genres. Using iconic characters, Cecil walks us through the process of creating memorable heroes and villains. Below is a recording of the workshop.