Upcoming Events
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If you are a member of SJVW, you will automatically receive Zoom information for any event via email.
January 2025
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Saturday, January 11, 12:00-2:00 p.m. “Submit, submit, submit." Bill VanPatten will present ideas on submitting your work to anthologies, contests, and will also do a walk-through of Submittable. Be prepared to share your ideas and work as well. Via Zoom. For more information about Bill, www.billvanpatten.net.
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Saturday, January 25, 12:00-2:00 p.m. Craft chat. “How to Avoid Information Dumps.” Join us to quickly review what an information dump is and then participate in activities to fix them. If you think you have an information dump, bring your sample to share and get suggestions! (Papapavlo's, 501 Lincoln Center, Stockton)Papapavlo's (501 Lincoln Center, Stockton)
February 2025
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Saturday, February 8, 12:00-2:00 p.m. “Writing Memoir: Short and Long,” presented by Becky Ellis, award-winning author Little Avalanches. https://beckyellis.net Via Zoom.
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Saturday, February 22, 12:00-2:00 p.m. Craft Chat. “Lines that Make Your Heart Swell.” What do you think the secret is to writing a line that sings and makes readers’ hearts flutter? Bring a line or lines and tell us why you like the line – the wording, the language, the idea. (Papapavlo's, 501 Lincoln Center, Stockton)
March 2025
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Saturday, March 8, 12:00-2:00 p.m. “Writing Conferences,” presented by Deborah Grochau. Deborah will offer tips on what to look for when choosing whether to attend a writing conference and strategies on how to get the most out of any conference. https://www.deborahjoangrochau.com. Via Zoom.
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Saturday, March 22. No Craft Chat. Instead, members are invited to support the new partnership with Lodi Library for an event from 2-4 p.m. For details, see below.
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April 2025
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Saturday, April 12, 12:00-2:00 p.m. “It’s Poetry Month!” Cassi Nesmith. Come write and enjoy forms of poetry from all over the world. Learn how to enhance your prose using poetic elements. Cassi is a published writer, poet, and educator. She studied Yeats and poetry in Sligo, Ireland, with a grant through Tuleburg Press. https://writewithcassi.com. Via Zoom.
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Saturday, April 26, 12:00-2:00 p.m. “Desires --> Motivation --> Story.” Writers create wildly imaginative internal/external motivations for their characters. Some are blatantly obvious, as in “Dodge the bullet” (survival). Others less so. We will focus on the unmet needs from childhood to add depth and complexity to your protagonists—and antagonists. Bring the names and short descriptions/motivations of any characters you would like to share. (Papapavlo's, 501 Lincoln Center, Stockton)
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May 2025
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Saturday, May 10, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. “The Ins and Outs of Self-publishing."
This full-day workshop will cover a variety of topics from self-publishing vs.
traditional publishing to how to use KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) on Amazon.
Lodi Public Library (201 W. Locust Street, Lodi)
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Saturday, May 24, 12:00-2:00 p.m. “Power Up Those Verbs!” In this session,
we’ll talk about weak verbs and strong verbs. Weak verbs fail to conjure a clear
image in the mind of the reader, often requiring adverbs to shore them up.
Strong verbs are vivid and create action, meaning, and imagery. Bring an
example of your writing (maximum 300 words) for feedback and discussion.
(Papapavlo's, 501 Lincoln Center, Stockton)
June 2025
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Saturday, June 14, 12:00-2:00 p.m. "Writing a Realistic Crime Novel." Adam Plantinga, an SFPD sergeant and author, will give you the rundown on everything from bullets to fingerprints to help writers give their crime novels an authentic feel. Bring your criminal questions to the discussion! Lodi Public Library (201 W. Locust Street, Lodi)
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Saturday, June 28, 12:00-2:00 p.m. TBA
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