next meeting - november 1st at 7pm

The next meeting of the Downtown Writers Group is scheduled for Thursday, November 1, 2007 at 7:00pm, at the DLANC Outreach Center at 450 S. Main Street (between 5th and Winston Streets), Los Angeles, 90013, next to the Regent Theater.

This week we have two screenplays and a short story to review, as well as new members and a guest to welcome, so it should be a lively meeting.

Please consider joining us if you are an emerging or professional writer, are interested in meeting other downtown writers, or are interested in participating in a peer-reviewed writing group.

If you have a work-in-progress that you would like feedback on, please bring copies.

When: Thursday, November 1, 2007 at 7pm

Where:
DLANC Outreach Center
450 S. Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013


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hand-off, mini-meeting, and good press

I hope you've been writing, because this Thursday is the due date for submitting material for review during our next meeting. We weren't able to fully review two screenplays from our last meeting, so this Thursday will also serve as a mini-meeting where we can discuss and review Brady's and Kristin's screenplays. Map and directions to the meeting venue are below.

To facilitate discussion between our members, at least online, I established a Google group, a private mailing list so that we can email questions, critiques, announcements, etc. to the group. Our web address for the Downtown Writers Google Group is http://groups.google.com/group/downtown-writers-group. If you're already a member (I emailed out the invitations moments ago), then you can email the group using this address: downtown-writers-group(at)googlegroups(dot)com

If you get a chance, read Steve Lopez's article in the LA Times about one of the members of the Downtown Writers Group, Brady Westwater. We discuss Brady's screenplay this Thursday, so please make sure you've read it and have your notes ready!

What: Downtown Writers Group Hand-Off and Mini-Meeting

When: October 18, 2007 at 7pm

Where:
DLANC Outreach Center
450 S. Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013


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next meeting - october 4th at 7pm

The next meeting of the Downtown Writers Group is scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 7:00pm, at the DLANC Outreach Center at 450 S. Main Street (between 5th and Winston Streets), Los Angeles, 90013, next to the Regent Theater.

Just a reminder, we have four screenplays to discuss. If you have scripts in your possession (I hope you've read them), be ready to share your suggestions, critiques, and questions. I've read all the scripts - there's a lot of good stuff here - and am readying my notes, I hope you are too.

Please consider joining us if you are an emerging or professional writer, are interested in meeting other downtown writers, or are interested in participating in a peer-reviewed writing group.

If you have a work-in-progress that you would like feedback on, please bring copies.

When: October 4, 2007 at 7pm

Where:
DLANC Outreach Center
450 S. Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013


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there goes half my novel

E. E. Knight has posted a list of 20 genre writing sins to his blog. He writes:

"It's amazing how many of the same mistakes you see over and over again. Different authors, same flaws.

Anyway, here's a list of errors I (and some editors I know) see over, and over, and over again, ad desperandum. Plus a few that maybe just bug me."

I especially like:

2. Logorrhea: Having something between two and a dozen words pull the weight of one. I can't tell you how often I read stuff like "Thinking back on her past, she remembered her childhood of twenty years ago, when as a six-year-old..."
and:

16. Plot on rails: Too often amateur writing sets up what the protagonist has to accomplish at the beginning of the story and sticks to that right to the end. That may work for some shorts, but in a novel you want events to move the goalposts. It allows the character to discover what she or the world really needs, rather than what was thought at the beginning. Remember, Frodo didn't set out from Bag End thinking he'd have to go to Mount Doom, he was just trying to get the ring out of the Shire and meet Gandalf. A story is not a baseball game, objectives and rewards can change with the character and situation. Go watch Run Lola Run if you don't believe me.

niche l.a. screens: the crimson kimono

A member of our Downtown Writers Group, Nic Cha Kim, hosts a wonderful film screening series every Wednesday at his downtown gallery, Niche L.A. and if you haven't had a chance to check it out yet, this Wednesday night's screening could be the night.

Niche.LA Video Art and Lodestone Theatre Ensemble invite you and a guest to attend a free movie screening of The Crimson Kimono by Sam Fuller on Wednesday, Sept 26th, 2007 at 7:30PM.

The Crimson Kimono (1959) – Sam Fuller
Unavailable on video or DVD, this is a rare chance to catch director Sam Fuller's B-movie potboiler about two LAPD detectives who are best friends and blood brothers--Japanese American James Shigeta and Glenn Corbett. But while investigating the murder of a Hollywood stripper, the two friends find themselves falling in love with the same witness bringing out a racial tension none of them knew existed. Set against the backdrop of 1950's Little Tokyo with an action-packed climax filmed during the actual 1958 Nisei Week parade, this is quintessential Sam Fuller--the acknowledged "godfather" to current maverick filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino. Running Time: 82 min.

WHAT: Free Film Screenings

WHEN: September 26th @ 7:30PM

WHERE: Niche.LA Video Art is located on the 4th floor of the Spring Arts Tower @ 453 S. Spring St. #443, LA, CA 90013 (corner of 5th and Spring in Downtown LA).

Space is limited, so please RSVP to nck(at)niche(dot)la or call/text (213) 247-0002.

Please bring your own refreshments.

Info on parking/directions here.

Restaurants within walking distance:
Banquette 400 S Main Street 213.626.2768
Pete’s Café 400 S. Main Street 213.617.1000
Pit Fire Pizza 108 W. 2nd. Street 213.808.1200
Li Li Ya China Bistro 108 W. 2nd Street
Warung Café 118 W. 4th Street 213.626.0662
Blossom Vietnamese Restaurant 426 S. Main Street 213.623.1973

sitcom secrets revealed by ken levine

For those of you interested in writing for television, Ken Levine will be holding a FREE teleseminar on Tuesday, October 2nd from 4-5pm PDT. Who's Ken Levine, you ask? From his blog:

"Ken Levine is an Emmy winning writer/director/producer/major league baseball announcer. In a career that has spanned over 30 years Ken has worked on MASH, CHEERS, FRASIER, THE SIMPSONS, WINGS, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, BECKER, DHARMA & GREG, and has co-created his own series including ALMOST PERFECT starring Nancy Travis. He and his partner wrote the feature VOLUNTEERS. Ken has also been the radio/TV play-by-play voice of the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres."

If it isn't already on your blogroll, check out Ken's blog, By Ken Levine, which is "The world as seen by a TV comedy writer". He's been holding a punchline contest, which if you'll read the submissions so far, just goes to show how hard it is to write good comedy.

Did I mention that the teleseminar is FREE? Ken writes:

"I’ve been looking for a way to meet my readers – not easy to do since you’re spread out around the world. But I found a way to at least connect by phone. Next Tuesday, October 2nd from 4-5 P.D.T. I’m going to hold a teleseminar. It’s absolutely free, will accommodate the first 150 people, and did I mention it’s free? I’ll be answering your questions about writing – the kind of stuff I’ll be doing in print today, talking about specs, getting agents, tips, whatever you want."

I'm already signed up. He has room for 150 people to participate in the call and you can email your questions to him directly. So if you want to write comedy, write for sitcoms, or just make your writing funnier, I suggest you sign up here. The teleseminar is already half full, so sign up soon if you're interested.

reminder: hand-off this thursday

Just a quick reminder that the Downtown Writers Group will be meeting briefly this Thursday, September 20, 2007 at 7pm (at the DLANC Outreach Center on Main Street, next to the Regent Theater between Winston and 5th Streets) to distribute pages for review.

I am still in Germany, so Brady Westwater will open the office, and collect/distribute material for review by our group. Bring at least seven copies of the work you want reviewed, and you will receive a copy of everyone else's work. Kristin will collect my copies and give it to me upon my return, so I will be able to participate in this first review.

We will review everyone's submitted material at our next meeting, which is scheduled for Thursday, October 4th at 7pm (venue TBA). If none of this makes sense, I blame it all on jetlag.

three classic films and their writers

Want to spend a day with the writers who created some of your favorite films?

The Writers Guild Foundation Presents:

LIVING LEGENDS: THREE CLASSIC FILMS AND THEIR WRITERS

When: Saturday September 15, 11:00 am - 9:30 pm

Where: Writers Guild Theater, 135 S. Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90211

What: Screening & conversation with three legendary writers (and possible surprise guests)

Screenwriter Irving Brecher in person, Screening of "Meet Me in St Louis" - 11:00am
Q&A following with moderator Robert L. Freedman
Screenwriter Fay Kanin in person Screening of "Teacher's Pet" - 3:00 pm
Q&A following with moderator Robin Schiff

RECEPTION 6:00pm - 7:30pm (Bar sponsored by Hahn Estates)

Millard Kaufman in person Screening of "Bad Day at Black Rock" - 7:30 pm
Q&A following with moderator Phil Alden Robinson

TICKETS: www.wgfoundation.org or (323) 782 - 4692.
See all 3 films and attend the reception - $30
See 1 film (your choice) and attend the reception - $20
Individual film tickets - $8

***WGA, Senior and Student pricing available

Presented by the WGAW, premier sponsor Variety, the Writers Guild Foundation and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

storyquarterly fiction contest - deadline extended

The deadline for the StoryQuarterly Fiction Contest has been extended to November 30. The contest offers a First Prize of $2,500, a Second Prize of $1,500, and a Third Prize of $750. And ten Finalists will each receive $100.

"The StoryQuarterly Fiction Contest is open to all writers. We welcome pieces in the following categories: short stories, short short stories, and novel excerpts. Entries must be previously unpublished, whether in print or online, and no longer than 8,000 words."

They only accept online submissions and although there is a $20 fee for each entry, you'll receive six months free access to Narrative Backstage. Contest guidelines can be found here. Good luck!

membership, meetings, participation

Last week, we had our first meeting and figured out a few things:

1) The Downtown Writers Group will meet once a month, on the first Thursday of the month at 7pm.

2) Meetings will be at the DLANC Outreach Center, but we are open to alternate venues with food/beverage service within walking distance if you have suggestions.

3) To participate in the review process, members must submit their own pages for review.

4) No more than fifteen writers in each category/genre (i.e., screenwriters, novelists, playwrights, poets, etc.)

Our next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 7pm at the DLANC Outreach Center on Main Street (by the Regent Theater). As it stands now, there will be two screenplays and a few short stories to review, but I'm hoping there will be other submissions.

Pages submitted for review must be distributed at least two week prior to the next scheduled meeting, so that members have adequate time to read submitted material. We will meet briefly on September 20th at 7pm to "hand-off" copies of your material to participating members at the DLANC Outreach Center.

Please take a moment to introduce yourself to the rest of the group by leaving a comment below.

first meeting scheduled

The first meeting of the downtown writers group is scheduled for Thursday, September 6th at 7pm, at the DLANC Outrech Center on Main Street, between 5th and Winston Streets, next to the Regent Theater.

Please consider joining us if you are an emerging or professional writer, are interested in meeting other downtown writers, or are interested in participating in a peer-reviewed writing group.

If you have a work-in-progress that you would like feedback on, please bring copies.

welcome downtown writers!

Welcome to the Downtown Writer's Group, a recently-formed group of screenwriters, playwrights, novelists, short story writers, poets, movie trailer copywriters, and other writers who live and/or work in downtown Los Angeles.

We haven't put together a mission statement yet, but this is not a workshop for people who want to learn how to write. There are many other places that we can recommend, many online and in Southern California. This is a group for professional and aspiring writers with some level of experience and/or expertise. Several of us are in the final stages of projects, a few of us write professionally. However, our goal is to expand and develop forums and sub-groups so that everyone downtown who is interested in writing, no matter what level or genre, can learn and work with other fellow downtown writers.

If you're a writer, living and/or working in downtown Los Angeles and are interested in joining the Downtown Writer's Group, stay tuned for announcements on meeting dates/times and venues. Or you can always email me with questions, concerns or your desire to join us.