PROGRAMS
Helping your writing and your career
AWG
provides several benefits to writers of all genres in all media. Click
below for information about particular programs.
Click here for a calendar of this month's
programs.
General
Membership Meeting (GMM)
Special
Interest Groups (SIGs)
Coverage
Exchange
Member Web
Pages
AWG Member Yahoo! Group (requires moderator approval)
General Membership Meeting
(GMM)
On the
first Saturday of each month, AWG invites novelists, screenwriters, TV
writers, agents, producers and other industry professionals to share their
experience with our audience. It’s a great opportunity to learn about the
art and business of writing, and to network with fellow writers. All GMMs
are free and visitors are welcome. See the home page for details on the
next GMM.
Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
Throughout each month, AWG hosts several small workshops, where members
share their ideas and written work and help each other improve their
craft. Click here for a calendar of our upcoming SIGs. Click below for
full descriptions of each SIG.
Story
SIGs
Brainstorming
Zoom Out!
Script
SIGs
Ten-Page
Act One
Whole Script
A-to-Z
Literature SIGs
Fiction
Novel
Professional SIGs
Freelance
Project
A-to-Z SIG
Moderated by
Demetrious Polychron
First
and Third Sundays at 4:00 pm
Plummer Park Community Center, Room 4
7377 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood
24 attendees maximum
If you
want to write a mainstream studio spec script and you want to cover
every major point of the process, this screenwriting SIG is for you.
This SIG welcomes true beginners and advanced screenwriters. We will be
following all the rules of proper spec script writing; this is not the
workshop for writers with an independent/experimental film mindset. We
expect all attendees to have read The Screenwriter’s Bible by
David Trottier
Act One SIG
Moderated by
Brian McCarthy
Third
Mondays at 7:00 pm
15 attendees maximum
The
Act 1 SIG focuses specifically on the first 30 pages (or less) of your
screenplay. Our goal is to ensure that you have a well-defined and
compelling first act that introduces the reader to the world of your
story, grabs their attention and propels the characters and reader
through the next 90 pages. We pay special attention to:
* Does
your story have a clear protagonist and antagonist?
* Are
all of the characters introduced and clearly defined?
* What
is the inciting incident? Does it create a clear and compelling crisis?
* Does
your protagonist make decisive shift that will drive act 2?
Brainstorming SIG
Moderated by
Karl Iglesias, UCLA Instructor and author of Writing For
Emotional Impact and The 101 Habits of Highly Successful
Screenwriters.
Second Mondays at 7:00 pm
15 attendees maximum
This
SIG is all about pooling individual brain power into one gigantic brain
that can muster great ideas for each member. Look at it as 15 potential
writing partners helping you develop ideas. After attending this SIG,
you’ll be energized and motivated to write.
All
you need is the germ of an idea, whether it’s a concept for a
screenplay, novel, play, or short story, developing a theme into a
meaningful story, solving character problems, etc. You may also test any
concept for coolness and marketability by the reaction it gets in the
group.
Fiction SIG
Moderated by
Heather Ames
Fourth
Sundays at 7:00 pm.
12 attendees maximum
If you
write novels, short stories or poetry, the Fiction SIG is the place to
get feedback for up to ten pages each session. The SIG welcomes fiction
writers of all levels of experience, but please read the
Fiction SIG
Participation Guidelines.
Freelance SIG
Moderated by
Donnie Dale
Second
Fridays at 8:30 am
20 attendees maximum (but we don’t turn anyone away!)
When
you make a living as a writer, as many of this SIG's members do or
aspire to do, writing becomes a huge part of your life. Our meetings are
about the business and lifestyle of the professional writer, whether
you’re writing articles, public relations, novels, screenplays or song
lyrics. This SIG is for both accomplished and starter writers are
welcome. We take everyone seriously, because we take all writing
seriously.
Novel SIG
Moderated by
Karen Cooper
Second
Sundays at 7:00 pm
12 attendees maximum
The
only SIG dedicated to long form fiction. Each month we evaluate up to
thirty pages of two authors' work, providing both written and oral
commentary at the meeting. Members must participate in three
consecutive meetings before your work can be critiqued. Please read the
Novel SIG Participation Guidelines.
Ten-Page SIG
Moderated by
Doug Miller
Fourth
Mondays at 7:00 pm
15 attendees maximum
Bring
up to 10 pages of your script, enough copies for all the parts, and hear
it read aloud. Then we'll analyze format, scene structure, character
voicing, style, and some plot development. Please review these
participation guidelines before your first meeting.
Whole Script SIG
Moderated by
Chris DelliCarpini and Colin Brownlie
Second
and Fourth Sundays at 4:00 pm
25 attendees maximum
Continuing the process of the Ten-Page and Act One SIGs, here we devote
each meeting to a single member’s script, conducting a full “table read”
and critiquing the entire script. This is a tremendous benefit not only
to the presenter but to all attendees, as we learn from each other how
to improve our writing. Please review these
participation guidelines
before your first meeting.
Zoom Out! SIG
Moderated by
Doug Miller
Third
Thursdays at 7:00 pm
10 attendees maximum
Whether you’re working through an existing story or starting a new one,
the Zoom Out! Story Structure SIG is for you. The function of this SIG
is to help create cohesive, logical stories that “feel right.” No cookie
cutters, just good sense story structure! Short story writers,
novelists, poets and screenwriters are welcome.
Zoom
Out! helps you with the broadest strokes of your story: the protagonist,
the problem, the antagonist, the denouement. The sense of the thing. We
might even look at subplots. We want to get away from (hence the name
Zoom Out!) the minutiae of stories and see the big picture, the shape
and feel of the story as a whole. We will focus on the story concept and
story building: how the parts work together, how they support each
other, how they grow out of each other, and the logic of the entire
piece. We will also look at archetypes and how they apply to all
stories.
Zoom
Out! participants should come prepared with:
•
One-sentence answers to the following questions:
1.
Who's your hero?
2.
What is his goal?
3.
Who's trying to keep him from achieving that goal?
4.
What are the consequences if he fails?
• A
one-page synopsis
• An
open mind
• Lots
of note paper
• A
sense of humor (God knows we need it!)
Coverage Exchange
Coordinated by
Julia Bergeron
IIf
you want feedback on your script, get it at the Alameda Writers Group
Coverage Exchange. This type of coverage normally costs between $50 and
$500, but it's free to AWG members.
It doesn't matter what stage your project is at, as long as you agree to
read two scripts and give coverage on them before getting coverage on
yours. The AWG provides guidelines and the handy AWG Screenplay Coverage
Report.
Simply email your script as a PDF file to
Julia Bergeron,
the Coverage Exchange Moderator, and include the title, logline, genre,
page count, and where you are in the writing process (first draft,
intermediate draft, polish, etc.) Julia will send out an invitation to
the membership, asking for coverage. Each AWG member assigned your
script has one week from their receipt of the script to read it, fill
out a Screenplay Coverage Report, and return the form to Julia.
Once Julia receives the Coverage Form, she will email it to you.
It's that simple!
Member Web Pages
The AWG
Member Pages program is the easiest way to get a web presence. Writing may
be your passion, but it's also a business. Writers need to market
themselves, and the web is the easiest way to start. The AWG Member Pages
program lets you promote yourself and your work online, 24/7.
What
does it cost?
The
AWG Member Pages program is free for all AWG members. Your page will
remain online as long as you remain an AWG member.
What
should I write?
The
text on your member page can be very short, or up to 750 words in
length. Typically, the content will be divided into sections like these:
*
ABOUT (your bio and background)
* CREDITS (your published or produced works, such as books,
articles, short stories, films, TV shows, plays, etc.)
* AWARDS (any honors bestowed on you or your work)
* READ (an excerpt of your work and/or a link to your work elsewhere
online)
* CONTACT (email address and any other contact info such as a
website, blog, agent info)
Divvy
up your text any way you’d like. You can have all the sections or just
two or three. It's your page. To see other member pages, click the
appropriate links in the member roster.
When
will my member page be online?
Depending on the number of members in queue, it will take a little as a
week and as long as a month for your page to be uploaded. You will have
the chance to review your page before we link it to the member roster.
How
often can I update my member page?
Plan
to update your page once a year. Don’t use relative dates like “last
fall” or “next month.” Say "Fall 2008" or "December 2009." However, if
your contact information changes, we’ll update it as soon as possible.
Do I
have to have a photo?
No. If
you do not want a head shot, we'll use a generic photo. If you do want
your photo on your page, we'll crop and size your photo for you. Or, if
you prefer, provide a 140 pixel by 180 pixel .jpg file saved at 72 dpi.
Can I
add extra photos and graphics or choose my own colors and fonts?
No. We are using a single template for all member pages. The color
palette and font selections will be standard throughout.
What
if I want to have more than 750 words online?
You
may want to investigate other options such as the simple websites
available through some ISPs (AOL, Earthlink and others).You can post
longer works elsewhere and include a link on your AWG member page. Our
program is a simple showcase for members.
How
do I get started?
It's
easy! Email your content (as a .rtf or Word document) and photo (.jpg
files, please) to our
webmaster.
Ready to join the AWG? |
