PresidentsMessage

ANewBeginningIsontheHorizon

Kymberlie Ingalls

When I first met my husband, his mantra was (and still is) Change is good, change is
your friend. I have never subscribed to this theory; I hate it. It signifies some kind of
loss to me.
Change, however, is necessary.
Despite our disagreement on it, I concede that nothing lasts forever, nor should it.
When I took on this role of Presidency for the Berkeley Branch, it was with much trepidation and fear. I have fallen down on the job, I have failed at times, and have had to
rely heavily on others to get things done. Im not always a fan of policy or procedures
and am looking forward to getting back to my rebellious roots, but I now understand the
need for such things in any organization. At the end of the day, it promotes teamwork.
What Ive learned through your words is that as much as I have failed, I have succeeded
as well.
Im thankful for the support Ive been shown. Ive learned from those whove disagreed
with me. In the face of adversity, Ive developed skills such as diplomacy, delegation,
and most important, Ive learned how to ask for help when I need it and to listen even
when I think I already have the answer.
What we need now is a new energy, a new direction, and we still need your participation. I hope that our new President, Karma Bennett, will have your support because I
believe she has the power and determination to revitalize our group, but she wont be
able to do it alone.
I feel a bit of sadness, perhaps just as I was beginning to figure this whole thing out, to
step away, but I have projects to tend to, and sometimes we have to do whats best for
the greater good. Change will be for the betterment of us. It was a challenge, and Im
proud that Ive done the best I was able to do.
I need to continue to challenge myself if Im to move forwardwe all do. Given the
legend of the adventurous spirit of our founders, I think Ina, Joaquin and Jack would
approve.

June 2016
Contents

President'sMessage

JuneSpeaker

FromtheEditorsDesk

AuthorsFindingReaders 4
MemberNews&Tidbit

OtherBranchesNews

JLLegacyEvents

SpeakerFlyer

CWCPicnicFlyer

Upcoming Events
6/4 5th Grade Story Contest
Awards Ceremony
6/19 Meeting: David Colin Carr
What Editors Do
7/1 Membership Fees Due
7/23 CWCs Annual Picnic

Besuretocheckourwebsite:
www.cwcberkeley.org

The CALIFORNIA WRITERS CLUB is a 501(c) (3) educational nonprofit. Dedicated to educating members and
the public-at-large in the craft of writing and in the marketing of their work.

Write Angles

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June Speaker

CarrPresentsWhatEditorsDo

Did you know you can read ratings of professional editors on Yelp? David Colin Carr, the speaker at our next
meeting, gets five stars on his Yelp page. No doubt he knows his stuff, as Carr has been helping writers perfect
their craft since 1988.
Writers often wonder at what point they should hire an editor, how much it costs, and how the heck they should
decide who to hire. On June 19, Carr will address these questions and more, in his talk at Connexion in Jack
London Square. You'll learn how to make the most of working with a freelance editor. His red pen tackles a
diversity of projects, including dissertations, memoir, literary fiction, and nonfiction. Be sure to bring the
questions and challenges you currently face so you can apply Carr's many years of experience to your own writing.
ConneXion Jack London Plaza, 520 Third St., #109, Oakland
Meeting Schedule
12:001:00 p.m. Author Support Group
1:002:00 p.m. Marketing Group
12:302:00 p.m. Social Hour
2:002:30 p.m. Break & Book Sales
2:303:00 p.m. Club Business & Announcements
3:003:15 p.m. CWC author reading
3:154:00 p.m. David Colin Carr
Until we see you at our June meeting, check out Carr's website at davidcolincarr.com
- Karma Bennett
publicity co-chair & president-elect

WriteAngles
Editor
Copyeditors

Tanya Grove
Anne Fox & Lynn Fraley

Contributors: Karma Bennett, Linda Brown, Lloyd Lofthouse

Write Angles

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FromtheEditorsDesk

PartingIsBittersweet
Tanya Grove

When I joined CWC in 2009, I was a copy editor who wrote for children. Although I
knew the book business from the editorial side, I was excited to learn all I could about
it from the author side. Through CWC, I discovered blog-writing, found out how to
build my author platform, received great marketing advice (unfortunately for my book
that was never published), and figured out how to produce a newsletter.
But more important than any skills I procured were the friendships I made in the club. I joined with my dear
friend Deb Frisch (who lost her battle with cancer over two years ago). And I treasure the short time I got to
spend with Al Levenson (AL), who brought me into the fold with his great charisma. Lucille Bellucci and Barbara
Ruffner welcomed me right away, which sparked my sense of belonging to this writing community.
I got to know Berkeley Branch members at meetings, critique groups, and social events. Although we never met
face to face, I became pen pals with Dirk Wales, our only member who resides in New Mexico. And beyond our
branch, I am proud to claim as my friend Ray Malus, fellow newsletter editor (of the Valley Scribe) and webmaster for the club as a whole.
As president for two years, I came to depend on my vice president and friend, Kymberlie Ingalls, whenever
running the club required support or a sympathetic ear.
As the newsletter editor, I was grateful for David Baker, a consummate professional, who for years submitted
eloquently written articles on time. I also had the pleasure of working with Alysa Chadow, our tireless Poetry
Page editor. And I must thank Lynn Fraley, the newest member of the Write Angles team, who took over
proofing the galleys, a job that had previously fallen on our hard-working copy editor.
But I think I will miss working with Anne Fox most of all. She has been the Scarecrow to my Dorothy, my rock,
my confidante, my eagle-eyed grammarian, and my mentor. Thank you, Anne. I couldnt have produced Write
Angles these last six years without you.
I leave, no longer hoping to make my name as a childrens writer but as a playwright, which means my new
community lies in Bay Area theater. I embrace the adventures that await me and accept the inevitable
disappointments as well. I hope to stay in touch with as many of you as I can. I look forward to seeing your
names out in the blogosphere and on book spines when I visit my favorite independent book stores. And perhaps one day, Ill see you in the audience, watching one of my plays.

CheckoutCWCsstatewebsite(http://calwriters.org/),
thewebsiteforNorCal(http://www.cwcnorcalwriters.org/),
andtheoneforCWCSouth(www.socalwritersshowcase.com).

Write Angles

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AuthorsFindingReaders(PartV)
- Lloyd Lofthouse

I belong to Authors Den, write reviews for Amazon

Vine, LL Book Review, and leave comments on other
Blogs for posts that interest me (the posts I leave
comments on have to really interest meif they do
not, I don't leave a comment).
I belong to other on-line social networks such as
Facebook, Twitter, Historical Fiction eBooks, and
the Independent Authors Guild, to name a few
where I spend time commenting in chats, etc.
One fact for sure: there is no
guarantee that anything an author
does will attract a sizable reading
audience. In fact, there is no
guarantee that the Blog/ Internet
platform I'm building for my next
novel, Running with the Enemy, will
succeed in finding readers interested
in that story.

3. Eighty percent of U.S. families did not buy or read

a book last year.
4. Seventy percent of U.S. adults have not been in a
bookstore in the last five years.
5. Fifty-seven percent of new books are not read to
completion.
Then, according to a 98-page, 2007-study by the
National Endowment for the Arts, reading is
declining as an activity among teenagers.
1. Less than one-third of 13-year-olds are daily
readers.
2. The percentage of 17-year-olds who read nothing
at all for pleasure has doubled over a 20-year period.
3. For age 9, fifty-four percent read for fun almost
every day; for age 13, thirty percent read for fun
almost every day but by age 17, only 22% do.

Unless an author belongs to the rarified A-list of the

most successful authors that have sold hundreds of
thousands or millions of books, each book an author
publishes is another venture into the unknown. For
example, one of the most successful Indie authors is
Amanda Hocking, and it took her about nine years of
hard work building her platform before she graduated
to the A-list that most authors will never join.

4. The percentage of college graduates who read

literature was 82% in 1982 down to 67% by 2002, and
65% of college freshman read for pleasure for less
than an hour per week or not at all.

In conclusion, I want to share a few more depressing

thoughts: According to Mental Floss, Where
Knowledge Junkies Get Their Fix, in the United
States:

6. Deficient readers are far more likely than skilled

readers to be high school dropouts. Half of American's Below-Basic readers failed to complete high
schoola percentage gain of 5 points since 1992.

1. One-third of high school graduates never read

another book for the rest of their lives.

Now do you understand why writers and authors

have to promote to find their readers?

2. Forty-two percent of college graduates never read

another book after college.

5. Literary readers are more than twice (43%) as

likely as nonreaders (16%) to do volunteer or charity
work.

Write Angles

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MemberNews
Berkeley Branch members are encouraged to send us
writing-related news. Please write Member News in the
subject line and send to writeangles@gmail.com no later than
the 15th of the month. Note: Write Angles is not published
in July or August.

Mary Luersen was the winning storyteller at the April

30, 2016 San Francisco Laugh Lines story-telling event
about the experience of getting older. The event was
part of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services
Brain Health campaign held in major U.S. cities. Mary
previously told a love story at the Piedmont Arts Center
in February.

CWCBBmemberFrancineHowardworkstheCWCauthorsbooth
attheOaklandBookFestivalthispastMay.Photocourtesyof
LindaBrown.

CWC-BBs monthly meetings are open to the public and feature a guest speaker and a CWC author.

Tidbit
Readers' Favorite Book Reviews and Award Contest offers reviews that are free of charge, with a 10-12-week return. Short-term responses run from $65 to $109. They will email you when the review is complete. If you receive a
review rating of 4 or 5 stars they will post your review on their site, Barnes & Noble, Google Books, Facebook,
Twitter, Pinterest and Google Plus. Their elaborate, well-presented submission page can be found at readersfavorite.com.

NewsfromOtherBranches
Mt.DiabloHostsHarvardProfessor

LeeAnne Krusemark will present Writing Irresistible

Query Letters at the next meeting of the Mt. Diablo
Branch of the California Writers Club (CWC) on Saturday, June 11, 2016 at Zio Fraedos Restaurant, 611
Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill.
LeeAnne Krusemark will discuss what to include and
leave out, how to establish credibility in your query,
how to create an effective elevator pitch and other
query letter essentials.
She is an adjunct online publishing professor for
Harvard, and more than 1,000 other facilities worldwide, a speaker, former journalist, editor, and author

of magazine articles and several business books. She

also represents writers as an editor and agent.
Sign-in is at 11:15 am. Luncheon is at 12:00-12:45 pm.
Speaker 1-2 pm. Registration is $25 for CWC members,
$30 for guests.
Reservations are required and must be received no
later than noon on Wednesday, June 8th. Contact Robin
Gigoux at cwcrobin.gigoux@yahoo.com or at (925) 9339670. Expect confirmation only if you e-mail your
reservation. For PayPal, click Buy Now on Mt. Diablo
website: http://cwcmtdiablowriters.wordpress.comnext-program/. Add
a $2.00 transaction fee.
The California Writers Club Mt. Diablo Branch web
address is http://cwcmtdiablowriters.wordpress.com/.

Write Angles

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AyearlongCelebrationofOaklandsmostfamousauthor
Born:January12,1876Died:November22,1916
Checkthesesitesforwhatisgoingon

http://jacklondon.ouroakland.net
Facebook:JackLondon'sLegacy
JackLondonExhibitatOaklandCityHall,1FrankOgawaPlaza
OpenMay2016
MoreprogramsatJackLondonStateHistoricParkinGlenEllen
www.jacklondonpark.com
JackLondonSocietyBiennialSymposiuminNapa,September1517,2016
www.jacklondonsociety.org
Contactus:jacklondonlegacy@gmail.com
5104971876

You cant wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.
Jack London

A CWC Event

get there. This book is

PRECISELY: WHAT EDITORS DO

with David Colin Carr

Editors can provide support for

every aspect of the writing process:

CALIFORNIA WRITERS
CLUB
BERKELEY BRANCH

Sunday,
June 19, 2016
124 p.m.

ConneXion@JLP
520 Third St. #109
(buzz for entry)

Oakland

Outlining
Developing great/logical structure
Voicing
Rich and efficient language
Keeping the writing flowing
Proofreading
Connecting to agents or designers
and production people
How to choose an editor
What to expect from the
experience
Costs
What you need to prepare

Please bring your challenges and

questions.

Entrances on both Third and Fourth Streets.

ADA accessible entrance on Fourth.

Use City Center BART, or there is parking

on the street and in the garage by the
movie theater.

Our monthly meetings open to the

public. Each month we feature our
spotlight members as well as
industry experts. Find out more
about our meetings, contests,
workshops, writing groups, and
more at
cwcberkeley.org

The CALIFORNIA WRITERS CLUB is a 501(c) (3)

educational nonprofit dedicated to educating
members and the public-at-large in the craft of
writing and in the marketing of their work.

Honor a CWC founder during the

Jack London Legacy Celebration
2016. Find writing events at the
CWC calendar online.

MEETING SCHEDULE:

12-1 p.m. Author Support Group
1-2 p.m. Marketing Group
Simultaneously:
12:30 - 2 p.m. Social Hour
2 - 2:30 p.m. Break, Book Sale
2:30 3 p.m. Announcements
3 - 3:15 CWC Featured Member
3:15 4 p.m. CWC Speaker
Program

FEES:

All CWC Members: $5

NonMembers $10

David Colin Carr has been freelancing fiction and non-fiction

since 1988 with writers as far
flung as Beijing and Johannesburg, as well as doctoral candidates around the US. He works
collaboratively with clients to
bring forth their passionwith
clarity and coherence, while preserving their distinctive voice.
David values outlining to develop
logical structure; strives for
lively, efficient language; and
uses humor to turn bad news into
an exciting challenge. He is dedicated to projects that manifest
the beauty of this planet and the
mystery of our heartsoffering
compassion, counseling skills, and
creativity to bring forth the
brilliance of both the writing and
the collaborative relationship.
Visit here for more information:
www.davidcolincarr.com

Next Meeting: September 18! See calendar for updates.