Blog

Information and News from Los Angeles Writers Group Headquarters

Transitioning from Fanfiction to Original Fiction

When I was 11 years old, I wanted to be a writer; specifically, a playwright. I wanted to be like Neil Simon, living in New York above an Italian deli run by a kindly old woman who would sneak me cannoli. I imagined I would ascend to my writing loft, careful not to knock over […]

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CRAFT CLASSICS: A Swim in a Pond in the Rain

CRAFT CLASSICS is Born One of the high points in my life was hearing novelist and poet Denis Johnson read his work and answer questions about writing. I remember when an audience member was in the middle of asking a question and Johnson interrupted to say, “… well, when I was reading through one of […]

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The Difference between Alpha Readers and Beta Readers

I used to think of writers as solitary creatures, writing their books in isolation, until I heard about Alpha Readers and Beta Readers. I didn’t realize how collaborative the creative writing process really is until I became serious about writing. The moment you allow someone to take a look at your work, you’re no longer […]

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Call for Submissions: Poetry: Heroines Anthology

Call for Submissions: Poetry: Heroines Anthology

Deadline: December 18, 2023: Women poets are invited to submit poetry that reimagines women in myth, fairy tale, folklore, or legend, poems that tell women’s lost histories or untold stories, to the Heroines Anthology and Women’s Writing Prize. This will be the Heroines Anthology Submissions close on the 18TH DECEMBER 2023.

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Final Workshops of the Year, Discounts, 2019 FDI

A few updates for y’all. Happy Holidays to everyone.  First-Draft Incubator – New 2019 Session  Did you know that if you got a book deal today, your book wouldn’t come out until 2020? This is why it’s important to write that draft as soon as possible. Because the 2018 session of the First-Draft Incubator was […]

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Five Terrible Things People Tell Writers

1. Write Every Day This adage causes so much self-hatred and guilt in writers that I’d like to banish it from our vocabulary entirely. So let me say this with gusto: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WRITE EVERY SINGLE DAY OF YOUR LIFE. What you do need to do, is write consistently. Pick a schedule […]

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Tomorrow: Meditation & Memoir. Plus an Anti-Ode to Typos

A quick reminder about the memoir and meditation workshop tomorrow. It’s not too late to sign up. Lighting up the Past: A Memoir Writing Workshop This Saturday from 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and every other Saturday after that. Cost: $45 for first-time attendees. Writing with Spirit: A Meditation and Writing Workshop This Saturday from 11:00 […]

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