I read a cultural history of Saint Petersburg, Russia, that reminded me of how much place influences character. Almost all of my favorite composers, from the 1800s well into the 20th century, were born and/or trained in Saint Petersburg. I was amazed at how many of the 20th century musicians either stayed or returned despite the Bolshevik Revolution and the horrors inflicted on … [Read more...] about Place, History and Character Development by Lani Longshore
World-building from the News by Lani Longshore
I write science fiction, so I'm always looking for ways to improve my world-building skills. Sometimes I find my best examples in the news. Consider this item from an article in Foreign Affairs: “Since the beginning of written history, Chinese society has relied on extended kinship networks to cope with economic risks. Yet a rising generation of urban Chinese youth is made up … [Read more...] about World-building from the News by Lani Longshore
Brooke Warner, Publisher of She Writes Press & SparkPress, November 16, 2019
Brooke Warner will present a “What You Should Know about Hybrid Publishing" workshop for Tri-Valley Writers’ November meeting. The publishing process is mysterious to many writers. How do agents determine what's commercial and what's not? What if your writing is not commercial? Are there options other than commercial publishing and self-publishing? Brooke will demystify the … [Read more...] about Brooke Warner, Publisher of She Writes Press & SparkPress, November 16, 2019
Camille Minichino, Author of 26 mystery novels, October 19, 2019
Camille Minichino will discuss “Hacks for Writing Suspense” as Tri-Valley Writers October speaker. Whatever the genre, suspense is an important component of fiction. We’ll examine ways of creating suspense through all the elements of a good scene: action, dialogue, setting, internal thoughts, and physiological response. Camille is a retired physicist turned writer. She’s the … [Read more...] about Camille Minichino, Author of 26 mystery novels, October 19, 2019
2019 Recipient – G. Karl Kumfert
On July 21, G. Karl Kumfert received the California Writers Club Jack London Award in appreciation and gratitude for his many years of exemplary service to Tri-Valley Writers (TVW). Karl started volunteering as Tri-Valley Writers’ webmaster almost as soon as he joined in late 2012. A technology entrepreneur with a Ph.D. in Computer Science, he picked up WordPress quickly, … [Read more...] about 2019 Recipient – G. Karl Kumfert
