Writing News

Writers In The Grove Author Book Sale

UPCOMING EVENT – SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2022 11am-5pm

Find your next favorite read. Visit Writers in the Grove Book Sale on Saturday, September 17, 2022.  Our booth at the Forest Grove Corn Roast and Fall Festival on the Pacific University campus will be filled with Writers in the Grove author books. The following are just a few of the gems you’ll discover.

Adams, Paula Sheller, A Bear in My Sky, illustrated children’s literature

Adams, Paula Sheller, this little space, poetry

Farley, Ann, Tell Her Yes, poetry

Field, Susan K, Grit: A Biography of Phyllis (Phillips) Koenig, nonfiction

Gessner, Greg, A Gentle Rage, poetry

Greathouse, Lowell, Rediscovering the Spirit, From Political Brokenness to Spiritual Wholeness, nonfiction

Lubarsky, Diana Kay, Dante’s Angels, fiction

Lubarsky, Diana Kay, Fighting the Dragon, poetry

Nordgren, MaryJane, The Nandria Series, three historical fiction novels

Stackkpole-Cuellar, Anne, Fidelia’s Friends, illustrated children’s literature

Stackpole-Cuellar, Anne, Sculpting the Art in Music, Observations of a Flutist, nonfiction

TAWK Press, Seeds of … An Anthology of Pacific Northwest Writers, anthology

and more!

Author Robert Grandpa Kratz will give away children’s stories. He will print a story on demand, and each will include the child’s name printed in it as the main character. Now, how fun is that?

The Forest Grove Corn Roast and Fall Festival features the 31st annual Valley Art Chalk Art Festival in the morning; vendor booths, entertainment, and some four tons of local corn to eat from 11am to 5 p.m.

See you there!

Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest

We don’t often promote writing competitions, but this one was too good to pass up. It is the Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest.

The deadline is April 1, which should give you a hint as to the 17 year old poetry contest topic. Prizes total $2250, and the winners will be published online.

There are no restrictions, no limits. Just make it humorous.

Enjoy!

Treat Yourself and The Writer in Your Life to the 2018 Author Conference

Foot steps on leaves and announces Writers in the Grove 2018 Author Conference.

Not sure of what to get the writer in your life? Consider one or more tickets to the 2018 Authors Conference January 27, 2018, 9am-4pm, in Forest Grove, presented by Writers in the Grove.

So many of us travel to Portland and further for such a conference. Writers in the Grove is bringing the experts to you. The line up of speakers and topics represents the best in publishing expertise, professional fiction and technical writing, and professional writing and poetry teachers in Oregon. This is a fundraiser for the Forest Grove Senior and Community Center as well, our way of giving back to our community while offering access to the best writing and publishing advice for a low ticket price.

The day-long conference includes lunch and snacks, as well as individual and small group extra sessions for one-on-one help with your writing and publishing, available during the event.

If you are a published author or want to become one, or know one, this is the perfect conference for you.

Register today for the 2018 Authors Conference in January before we run out of seats.

About Writers in the Grove 2018 Authors Conference

This is a fundraiser for the Forest Grove Senior and Community Center, a non-profit community center and the host of Writers in the Grove weekly meetings. The Center provides free and low cost meals through their dining services and Meals On Wheels outreach program, as well as a wide range of educational, recreational, wellness, and community events and educational opportunities.

Writers in the Grove is a free weekly workshop for those wishing to develop their creative writing skills. The group meets Mondays at the Forest Grove Senior and Community Center on Mondays from 9-11am, and on the second Saturday of the month at the Forest Grove Public Library from 10:30-noon. Writers in the Grove supports the freedom of expression and creative writing spirit in Forest Grove, Oregon, and around the world.

WordCrafters Writers Conference August 25-27, 2017

WordCrafters conference in Eugene, Oregon, is August 25-27, 2017, and a must-attend for writers and fans of mysteries, thrillers, police procedurals, and crimes of passion this year. Each year the conference has a theme, and this year is for the who-done-it writers.

The conference is a part of the amazing work of WordCrafters in Eugene, offering extensive literacy and writing programs to the adults, children, prisoners, special interest groups, and the public in general.

We are writer and readers. We believe in the power and value of the written word and seek to help others to express themselves through their writing. We believe we are the keepers of the literature and the chroniclers of our times, and to do that effectively, we must write effectively. Wordcrafters is about the craft of writing.

This year’s conference fe3atures a wide range of sessions including “Into the Mind of a Killer,” “Pyschological Sleuthing,” “Forensics Unmasked,” and “Plotting the Perfect Murder.” Special speakers include D.P. Lyle, Forensic MD and author, and Katherine Ramsland, Forensic Psychologist and author.

Register now for a place at this great writer’s conference.

Joseph Campbell Foundation

The Joseph Campbell Foundation recently released a new website filled with events and educational information about the famous author, Joseph Campbell, author of The Hero with a Thousand Faces, The Masks of God, Historical Atlas of World Mythology, The Power of Myth, Myths to Live By, The Inner Reaches of Outer Space: Metaphor as Myth and As Religion, and so many more, many of these considered text books on writing on mythology, religion, culture, psychology, and history.

The foundation was established to continue his vision through educational. They offer a wide range of conferences, workshops, and work with academia to further his work.

If you write on mythology, science fiction, religion, or really want to dive into world building culture and character, his works are a must read on your list. Check out the new site and subscribe to keep up with their activities and events.

National Poetry Writing Month 2016

Like NaNoWriMo, there is a NaPoWriMo, the National Poetry Writing Month for the entire month of April.

The goal of the project is to write a poem of day every day for 30 days in April.

There are many tips and techniques on their site and other poets and writers are offering tips and prompts throughout the month.

NaNoWriMo Novel Template for Scrivener

We’ve several members prepping for NaNoWriMo this year, the annual National Novel Writing Month where writers commit to write 50,000 words in 30 days through the month of November. We’ve put together “It’s NaNoWriMo Time: How To, Tips, Techniques, and Survival Advice” to help you as well.

For those using Scrivener to write and track their daily targets of 1,667 words, Scrivener is not only offered for 20% off during NaNoWriMo, but they also have a NaNoWriMo Novel Template to help you keep track of your progress.

Download and install the free (or paid) version of Scrivener. You will find all the information including tutorials and the template file on their Scrivener NaNoWriMo 2015 Offers web page.

NaNoWriMo Novel Template Setup.To install the NaNoWriMo Novel Template:

  1. Scroll to the bottom of the 2015 offers web page and look for the title The NaNoWriMo Novel Template
  2. Click or right click and save the ZIP file for the version of Scrivener you are using (Mac or Windows)
  3. Extract the scrivtemplate file to the directory where Scrivener is installed and the subdirectory called ProjectTemplates.
    • The location on your computer is typically C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Scrivener\ProjectTemplates
  4. Open Scrivener and go to File > New Project
  5. Switch to the Fiction Templates
  6. Look for a template titled NaNoWriMo Novel Template and select it
  7. Type in a file name such as “My November 2015 Novel Draft” and choose the folder in which to store the files within your Documents folder
  8. Click Create
  9. The first document you will see contains all the instructions you need to understand how to use the template during NaNoWriMo.

NaNoWriMo Novel Template Instructions.

To get started on November 1, go to Project > Project Targets and drag that pop-up window to a location where it doesn’t interfere with your writing. Start writing, and glance over after 45 minutes or so to see how you are doing. (more…)

A Prompt a Day for NaNoWriMo

To honor NaNoWriMo and members and fans of Writers in the Grove, our members are submitting a prompt-a-day for the entire month of November.

The prompts cover everything and anything. They might include an image for a wordless prompt or a quote or suggestion.

You may do what you wish with these prompts. You may twist them around to meet the needs of your story, characters, or plot. You may use them as a tangent writing project to help you break out of a blocked thought or walled-off idea. The word count still goes into your official ledger.

If you would like to join us for NaNoWriMo, we’ve put together “It’s NaNoWriMo Time: How To, Tips, Techniques, and Survival Advice” to help you ensure a successful month of writing in November.

You will find all the prompts in our Prompts post category. Follow/Subscribe to the site to keep up with these throughout the month of November during NaNoWriMo. You may unsubscribe at your leisure afterward, or keep being inspired by the great weekly prompts and activities from Writers in the Grove.

If you live in the Forest Grove, Washington County, Oregon, area, we invite you to join us. We meet weekly on Monday from 9-11am at the Forest Grove Senior and Community Center, and monthly at the Forest Grove Library, typically the second Saturday of the month at 10AM.

NaNoWriMo Prompts for November

The following will be a list of the NaNoWriMo Prompts on this site for the month of November 2015, starting the morning of November 1.

Come join the fun and write, write, and write some more!

Scrivener Update Released

Literature and Latte, makers of Scrivener, have just released a new update. When you launch Scrivener, it will offer to update. Please do. If you have Scrivener open, either close and reopen it or go to Help > Check for Updates and install the latest update.

There are a few things you need to know about this update.

  • Not Backwards Compatible: If you create a project in Scrivener 1.9 (new version), it will not be readable in an older version of Scrivener. They have made signifant changes, so if you have Scrivener installed on multiple computers such as your desktop and laptop, update all of them.
  • Scrivener moving toward mobile version: The changes in the new update to Scrivener is a move to ready it for a mobile version.
  • Project File Names: In the past, project.scriv was the generic project file name. It will now use the project folder name rather than “project” to help you keep track of the project files better.
  • Inspector: The Inspector has been changed a bit to allow easier usage. A View > Inspect submenu has been added for different Inspector tabs, and multiple Inspector comments and footnotes maybe expanded and collapsed using the View > Outline commands.
  • Compile: Compile now recognizes tabs and carriage returns.
  • Tutorial Updated: Updates to the tutorial build into Scrivener now includes recent modifications and a new “Quick Start” collection.

Other improves include adjusting for Windows 10 and a wide variety of bug fixes to help Scrivener work better and run smoother.

As usual, when a maintenance or major version of Scrivener is released, it is free to registered users and it is essential to update immediately. Some of these updates may include security fixes. Also, Scrivener just keeps getting better and you don’t want to get left behind.

They’ve also updated some of their Scrivener Video Tutorials to help you stay updated or learn new techniques in Scrivener.

We will be adding more Scrivener tutorials to the site soon, and plans are in work for another Scrivener workshop coming to Forest Grove, Oregon, soon.

Don’t have Scrivener yet? Scrivener will be on discount in anticipation of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Regularly USD $40, NaNoWriMo participants may buy Scrivener for 20% off. If you complete and win NaNoWriMo (write 50,000 words in 30 days), they will send you a coupon for 50% off Scrivener.

NOTE: Scrivener requires Microsoft C++ Runtime to be installed on your computer. If you are having problems with the installation, ensure that it proberly installed and reboot your machine before running Scrivener or the installation/update again.

Write to Publish Conference in Portland, Oregon

Write to Publish by Ooligan Press and Portland State University is January 30, 2016, in Portland, Oregon. The all day conference is a fundraiser and features non-credit workshops, speakers, panels, vendors, and presentations by author and professionals in the writing and publishing industry.

The focus of the conference is about writing to publish, and navigating the publishing industry as a writer.

Tickets are available now for $80, with discounts for college and high school students.