Sorry for the delay. We’ve had a Comcastic! day here without internet service. X|

First off, my fellow writers, I have to say that I personally cannot attend 1st Thursday Field Trip. My son is very ill with an acute case of bacterial pneumonia and I have to stay close to him. But I encourage all of you to go. I know that Vicky really wanted to go, so perhaps contact her if you want to carpool and make it a great day/evening. Stay tuned for more opportunities for artistic field trips. Feed your creativity. Get inspired. It’s all a part of being a writer.

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Our next work session is this Sunday, July 10. We will be concentrating on making dialogue great and moving the story forward. We may also do a speed round of collaborative story writing in preparation of our Write Now! event. Please RSVP if you’ll be there this Sunday at 3 p.m. at the north Bend Library Meeting Room, so that I may plan accordingly.

A few notes on our upcoming calendar….

July 24 is our next session. I need a substitute moderator, as I have to be out of town that day. If you’re interested in beefing up your “writing” resume with some workshop leadership, this is a great opportunity. We have a friendly group as you know, so take a shot. Let me know and we can strategize on what your session would look like. 

August sessions are unusual as well…. 

Our August 14 session will be replaced with our efforts at the Festival at Mount Si and our Write Now! event in the Arts Hall during that entire weekend (Aug. 12-14). So no work session will occur that Sunday (Aug. 14). But we will be writing! I need a total of 16 authors to commit at least one 2 hour and 15 minute timeslot during the festival hours. (FRIDAY 6 TO 9, SATURDAY 11 TO 7, SUNDAY 11 TO 4) Yours truly will kick us off, with Sheri Kennedy MC’ing the start on Friday. We also need help with set-up and tear down if you’re feeling shy. When we finish this collaborative story — we will publish it. Come get your publishing cred. Our first two literary journals did well and I expect that this project will do even better. Please Email me sooner than later if you want to be a part of this. It will be a great time, I promise. We also are in need of equipment for the event — primarily a projector that hooks up to a laptop. Depending on Si View’s ability to provide a wireless network, we may need some aircard donations as well. 

On August 28, the meeting room at the library will still be a staging area from the library’s book sale. We are plotting a social pot-luck gathering. If anyone is interested in hosting that or has a line on an inexpensive hall we could get, please let me know. This –SnoValley Writes! and its members — is your support network to help your writing become successful. Get to know each other.  This will be a great opportunity for this. Food, Fun, Writing Talk and more! I’m thinking I need to pull out the prize pack just because. If you want to help plan this with me, please let me know. 

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Also of administrative nature, we will bid farewell to April LaLande. She is moving to the beautiful San Juans and has resigned her position as treasurer of the Board of Directors for SnoValley Writes! The Board is, therefore, looking for someone qualified to take her spot as chief money watcher and recordkeeper. If you’re interested, please let me know. The commitment is for one year, minimally. Of a social nature, we will bid her adieu. As I write this, I’m still trying to determine April’s availability to be in attendance at a farewell event for her. So, look for a separate email on that.

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And now the most important reason why we are here…writing!

Today’s prompt involves a three-legged dog. (Three is the Magic Number) is our theme for our upcoming Word Jazz at Boxley’s in September. So, it’s time to start drafting a piece you’ll read before a packed house. 

“You see a three-legged dog…” Tell me a story about this dog or how you (or a character) interacts with that dog. Write a short story of no more than 1500 words or a poem or a one-act play. Get it together. Where did that 3-legged creature get to? What’s it doing? Why are you compelled to follow it? How did it lose its leg?

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And now your moment of Writing Zen:

“Being a writer is like having homework every night for the rest of your life.” 
Lawrence Kasdan 
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What did you Write today?
~Casz

Casondra Brewster
Moderator/Founder
Sno Valley Writes!
Helping Writers Reach New Literary Peaks Since 2008
http://www.snovalleywrites.org
Check us out on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/SnoValleyWrites

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink, 
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces 
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron

Writers:

Welcome some new folks to our SnoValley Writes! fold. We’re happy to have you here. I promise you nothing but great support for your writing — the art that makes so many of our lives so special.

For those who are new and as a refresher for those who have been around since our inception in 2008, repeat after me:  I am a writer.

Ah, come on. Don’t just read it, say it out loud:  I AM A WRITER.

That’s better.

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Write Now! is approaching very fast. Don’t remember what Write Now! is? That’s our event during the festival at Mount Si where we’re all as a group going to write a story before the eyes of amazed fest-goers. A few of us are getting together early Saturday morning to make some initial outlines and make sure we know at what point we need to have things like point of no return, climax, ending, etc. in the confines of the fair’s schedule. You’re welcome to join us (9:30 a.m. at my house in North Bend), just let me know if you want to be part of the planning. If you can’t join us but have ideas, please send them my way via Email.

Also, these are the folks (in addition to myself) I have down definitively to participate (meaning you’ve sent me an email saying ‘count me in’):

Vicky Bastedo

Kathleen Gabriel

Kelly Goscinski

Sheila Hunter

Sheri Kennedy

Takako Wright

I’m sure that the seven of us could whip something up, but it would be a lot more fun to have more of you involved. Please consider joining us and declare to the world that you are a writer.

That is today’s prompt, too. Is to seriously consider participating in this. Challenge yourself. It’s only when you go out of your comfort zone that you grow. So push yourself and grow as a writer and participate in Write Now! Aug. 12-14 at the Festival at Mount Si.

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And now your moment of Writing Zen:

“Develop interest in life as you see it; in people, things, literature, music — the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself.” — Henry Miller

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What did you Write today?
~Casz

Casondra Brewster
Moderator/Founder
Sno Valley Writes!
Helping Writers Reach New Literary Peaks Since 2008
http://www.snovalleywrites.org
Check us out on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/SnoValleyWrites

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron

Writers:

This is going to be down and dirty, because my home has been invaded by out-of-town family and they currently are waiting on me to finish my writing work and head to Snoqualmie Falls.

So that is the theme of today’s prompt — family. What does it mean? What does it mean to your character? Is it by blood or by choice? Urban or Genetic? Stories that only you have that are stranger than fiction….Write.  If your story also includes a central theme of “three” you’re killing two birds with one stone.

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Administrative stuff:

Regular Work session this Sunday at 3 p.m. Please RSVP so I can plan our time accordingly.

Write Now! event for Festival at Mount Si, I only have one person outside of the board that has said, “Yes and can I be there two days?” This is a great opportunity to push your skills, prove to the world that writers are artists and that we work hard at our craft.

Don’t be afraid. It’s a few hours and you can drink a beer or have an elephant ear afterwards!

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And now your moment of Writing Zen:

“All sanity depends on this:  that it should be a delight to feel heat strike the skin, a delight to stand upright, knowing the bones are moving easily under the flesh.” — Doris Lessing

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What did you Write today?
~Casz

Casondra Brewster
Moderator/Founder
Sno Valley Writes!
Helping Writers Reach New Literary Peaks Since 2008
http://www.snovalleywrites.org
Check us out on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/SnoValleyWrites

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron

Dear Writers:

I started this yesterday morning and then because I’m in the midst of leaving a more than 19-year career, things got a little hectic and I didn’t finish. My apologies.

Today’s prompt is this, simply (I’m all about the simple lately, I know):

CHANGE

The words is used and abused by politicians, rock stars and priests.

It’s your turn to use and abuse it.

Tell me a poem about change, write a short one-act play, or a short story —

Write about a change in your life, your characters lives, your children’s lives, the life of the panhandler on the street, or even the planet’s life.

Haven’t been writing? Change that!

Aren’t committed enough to your art? Change that!

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You will likely receive a notice from Takako about the DayTrippers time for writing on Friday at 9:30 at Toad’s in North Bend. I plan to be there. I’d be so happy if you would come and celebrate with me as tomorrow will be my first day living as a fulltime writer.

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If you’ve sent something out last month or in April, have you followed up with the editor/agent? If you haven’t you need to remember your follow-up column your writer’s spread sheet. Haven’t sent anything out? I challenge you to do so before the month is up!

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August 12-14 is the Festival at Mount Si. As in years past SnoValley Writes! will be participating in the Arts Hall. We will be writing together as a group! One continuous story. Write Now! will let festival goers and literary lovers see the writing process up-close and personal. Please let myself or Sheri Kennedy know if you would like to participate in this. We will be sending out more information in the next coming weeks. Some of you have expressed great angst over such an endeavor. Let me tell you, the energy alone, the support, the sheer thrill of it will buoy you into success. So, don’t be afraid. Join us and have some fun doing what you love even for just a few hours over the festival weekend.

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And now your moment of Writing Zen:

And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise.  The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.  ~Sylvia Plath

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What did you Write today?
~Casz

Casondra Brewster
Moderator/Founder
Sno Valley Writes!
Helping Writers Reach New Literary Peaks Since 2008
http://www.snovalleywrites.org
Check us out on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/SnoValleyWrites

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron

Has your motivation to write been under some sun psychosis? Has the clouds that moved in made your inspiration stay in bed?

TOO BAD.

You are a writer. You write. If you don’t write. You’re not a writer.

It’s really as simple as that.

So pull out the literary drill sergeant hat and kick that muse into shape. Tell private inspiration he needs to get is boutokus out of the bunk and get marching along in word count!

Not sure your’e a writer. Then take on this challenge this week (adapted from The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron):

Live an imaginary life. If you had five other lives to lead, what would you do in each of them? I would be a professional motorcyclist, a fine arts painter, a rock-n-roll guitarist, a search-and-rescue mountaineer and a marine biologist. Whatever you think of first write it down. Then take each one and jot down what skills they should have. Good balance, an eye for color, supple hands, stamina, no fear of water. Then go write a story where the new you actually works on that skill. What conflict gets in the way of the imaginary life you reaching your goal? Are there nay-sayers? Do you need to exercise more? Does your imaginary you need to go to school? Write the story. Have fun with it. Don’t be afraid. Don’t think it’s silly (or I’ll pull out the literary drill sergeant again!). Just do it. Let your imagination, the dreamer in you go wild.

You never know what might happen. You may even find you’ve written a good deal of a word count and satisfactorily call yourself a writer again.

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Remember Sunday is the work session and you all need to bring something to work on. A manuscript, a poem, one chapter, a short story, an article. Bring it in. Best if you have at least one hard copy of it; but on a digital screen is fine, too. Do RSVP and let me know if you plan to attend so that I may prepare adequately.

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Board Meeting Friday (June 10) @ 5:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend.

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And now your moment of Writing Zen:

“Undoubtedly, we become what we envisage.” ~Claude M. Bristol

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What did you Write today?
~Casz

Casondra Brewster
Moderator/Founder
Sno Valley Writes!
Helping Writers Reach New Literary Peaks Since 2008
http://www.snovalleywrites.org
Check us out on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/SnoValleyWrites

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron

Writers:

Are you connected? Are you connected to writers? Local? Regional? National? Do you follow a blog? Have you sent a charming note as of late? What authors or other literary artists do you support?

If you answered “no,” or, worse, “Huh?” to those question:  ‘You gots some ‘plaining to do Lucy!’

Pay it forward. Support someone like you would want them to support you and your art!

Attend a signing; comment on a blog, send a charming note. Or something bigger even — however that may look.

That’s your prompt for today. Send out the good energy of support and watch it return to you three fold.

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Speaking of Support. If any of you are gun shy to blog on your own and would love to blog about writing, the writing life, being an artist in 2011 anything along those lines (if you have other ideas, just let me know) and would like to ‘guest blog’ on the SnoValley Writes! site, please let me know. Starting July 6 we’re going to have a weekly blog — hopefully not just our weekly prompts but additionally information, fun, etc. to build our mission of helping writers reach literary peaks. Please let me know if you want to blog — or if you have a piece already worked out — just send it to me!

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This week our writing contest for the fall will be released to the schools; I will also send it to you. Please feel free to share with the circle of your world. Stay tuned.

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Next work session is June 12 at 3 p.m. at the North Bend Library. Do bring a piece of your work — no matter its state (rough, finished, etc.) to work with for our exercises. Do RSVP so I can plan accordingly for the workshop.

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And now your moment of Writing Zen:

And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world it is best to hold hands and stick together.
Quotation of Robert Fulghum

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—
What did you Write today?
~Casz

Casondra Brewster
Moderator/Founder
Sno Valley Writes!
Helping Writers Reach New Literary Peaks Since 2008
http://www.snovalleywrites.org
Check us out on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/SnoValleyWrites

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron

Writers:

No, I wasn’t swept away by a tornado, but the disasters in the rest of the country affect my day-job working making things kind of hectic. So, my apologies for the delay. I’m blaming the weather.

Anyhow, there was a piece not too long ago on This American Life (note:  I highly recommend you listen to this NPR programming as great example of storytelling.). It was all about the Prom. One of the “Acts” describes a prom, appropriately so, that was affected by a tornado. One of the teens interviewed said, “You step out of the safe zone and reality hits.” It’s a reoccuring theme that I’m seeing with many of you. When you go out of your comfort zone, when you push yourselves, that’s when you create incredible stories.

So today is all about going out of your comfort zone. Write something different. Write a poem if you never have before. Write romance if you’ve always written horror. Write a sceenplay (even just one act) if you’ve never attempted. And write it somewhere different. If you normally write in a cafe, try a park today. If you write at the kitchen table, move to the couch. Mix it up. Stir it up. Change the temperature — go deep, bring it up high and don’t forget to make it real. You will find that you are watching a tornado of creativity building. Let it roar.

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It’s clear we can’t get the folks we need to participate in the Warrior Dash. So, I will be contacting the organizer this weekend and withdrawing our participation. Maybe next time.

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And now your moment of Writing Zen:

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What did you Write today?
~Casz

Casondra Brewster
Moderator/Founder
Sno Valley Writes!
Helping Writers Reach New Literary Peaks Since 2008
http://www.snovalleywrites.org
Check us out on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/SnoValleyWrites

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron

Where did the day go? For me, not a whole lot of it was spent writing. Those aren’t my best days. But, they are necessary days.

Speaking of necessary days and ways… When was the last time you organized your writing? Moved files around either on the desk top or in the desk? Are you keeping a spreadsheet of when you’re sending stuff out and following up either with those you sent it to or sending it out again? No?

Well, that’s your prompt this week. Set up a spread sheet for your writing. What piece did you send? To whom? Contact info? Date sent? Follow-up Date? Did you follow up? Did you move it along to another prospect?

Operation Organization is your goal. Give yourself 15 extra minutes of guilty pleasure time if you complete this task.

Next on the list of “writing to-do’s” is attending our regular work session on Sunday at 3 p.m. We will start the meeting with a state of the organization (aka annual meeting). Lots of great things to report and then we’ll have some work session. I need everyone to bring a piece they are working on. If you don’t bring a piece you’ve been working on….well, just bring a poem, chapter, short story, non-fiction article. OK?

And now for your moment of Writing Zen:

“Words are a form of action, capable of influencing change.” ~Ingrid Bengis.

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What did you Write today?
~Casz

Casondra Brewster
Moderator/Founder
Sno Valley Writes!
Helping Writers Reach New Literary Peaks Since 2008
http://www.snovalleywrites.org
Check us out on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/SnoValleyWrites

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron

Greetings Wonderful Writers!

Although I’m sure many of us are sad to see the rain return, it does seem to make us put our butts in the chair and write more. There isn’t all that Vitamin D to distract us.

So did you work on the space story last week? If you want something rooted more on your home planet, then you’ll love this week’s prompt. At least the rubber will be rooted on this planet. I want you to think about bicycles. When did you learn to ride? Do you still ride? Has a bicycle taken you on an adventure that is story-worthy? In honor of Bike-To-Work Week next week have some fun and write a story where a bicycle is a focal point. When you’re done, post it to your personal blog. What? You don’t have a personal blog? Well, you better get on that! If you’re the type that likes to have instructions before embarking on something like that, stay tuned because there will be opportunities to learn all about blogging.

Your SnoValley Writes! board of directors will be meeting Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Toad’s in North Bend. Anyone is invited to attend and join us in creating a group that is strong and focused on helping you reach new literary peaks!

Still need volunteers for the Warrior Dash’s offer to really boost our organization’s kitty with some much needed funds.

Also, do plan to come to our next regular work session at the North Bend Library on May 22 at 3 p.m. A secret project to challenge you and bring your writing to yet another level will be announced then. You don’t want to miss it.

Have some writing successes? Send them my way for our Web site and Facebook.

And now for your moment of Writing Zen:  “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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What did you Write today?
~Casz

Casondra Brewster
Moderator/Founder
SnoValley Writes!
Helping Writers Reach New Literary Peaks Since 2008
http://www.snovalleywrites.org
Check us out on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/SnoValleyWrites

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron

P.S. There’s a writing work shop this Saturday at Si View — real cheap and intensive writing work out — but if there isn’t a few more folks to sign up by noon on Thursday (yes that’s tomorrow) it will be cancelled. It’s run by yours truly.