Writing a crime scene or police story?

Just got this in:

What a great idea for those of you writing police or crime-based stories.

Writer's Homicide School

Are you writing a thriller, mystery, crime or police based story? Want to make sure that your action and dialogue is as authentic as possible? Then The Writer's Homicide School is a must for you.  Detective Derek Pacifico, a 22-year vet of of the San Bernandino County Sheriff's Department will go over proper police protocol for reading crime scenes, doing forensics, interrogating suspects and much, much more.

When: June 2-3, 2012, 9AM-3PM

Where: The Satellite, 3110 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405 (3rd Floor)

Price: $299 with discount code WHS (normally $350)

Go to www.filmmakerjunction.com/events/writers-homicide-school/ to purchase tickets and see the topics Detective Pacifico will cover.

Our writing craft book club selection

This May / June we are reading How to Write a Sentence and How to Read One by Stanley Fish.  Read and discuss with us online or in person at our Meetup Group:  http://www.meetup.com/Los-Angeles-Books-About-Writing-Book-Club/

Get email updates here

Hermosa Beach writers group starts Tuesday night

This is just a quick reminder that the Hermosa Beach writers group starts on Tuesday, April 10th (7:00pm - 9:30pm).

 

Sign up or get more info here

Also the next Writer Monkeys! show is Sunday, April 22nd at 7:00pm at M.i.'s Westside Comedy Theater.

Hello, Santa Clarita!

We wish our Santa Clarita, California charter writers group participants a fabulous and creative first night! Thank you and wishing you many creative writing nights to come!!

Article on how to be funny when writing comedy

It's not very often I come across an exceptional blog article that helps aspiring comedy writers improve their craft. Comedy writing often presents as easy to write because usually the writer or speaker makes it look so damn natural and easy.  It seems like magic. On more than one occasion, I've found myself gazing admiringly into a writer's eyes who just wrote something that lead my writers group into unexpected gasping and snorting fits of laughter. My many stand-up comedian friends used to say, "Comedy is serious business." So naturally, comedy writing must be REALLY serious business. Today Writer's Digest published an article called, 10 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR WRITING WHILE THINKING LIKE A COMEDY WRITER helps simplify it just a little bit, and every little bit helps.  The article lists ten excellent tips on penning with a more comedic angle. Do you know of any other good comedy writing blog posts or articles floating around on them there interwebs?  If so, please post them in the comments for our other readers to check out.

Our February Writing Craft Book Club Selection

    

Many thanks to everyone who showed up to our writing craft book club meeting today at NextSpace in Culver City to discuss:  Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them (P.S.). We were lucky to have a fantastic and intelligent group of writers attend, making the discussion both informative and interesting.  If you read the book but were not able to attend you can visit the message board and participate in an online discussion about the book.

Our February writing craft book club selection is:

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print

If you'd like to participate, join our free meetup group.

Love letters written to Brenda Ueland, a new book called Brenda, My Darling

For those of you who are eternally devoted fans of Brenda Ueland and her book, If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit as I am (if you are not, then you should read it immediately), then the new book release, Brenda, My Darling: The Love Letters of Fridtjof Nansen to Brenda Ueland edited by Eric Utne and published by the Utne Institute might be your next purchase.

Love letters to a writer?  A brave task indeed.  One that apparently, Ueland's lover, Fridtjof Nansen did with exceptional talent.

The book reprints love letters written to (not from, sadly) Brenda from the Norwegian explorer, humanitarian and winner of the 1922 Nobel Peace Prize Fridtjof Nansen from the time they met in New York City in 1929 until his death a year after their brief love affair.

Here is a link to Brenda, My Darling on sale from the publisher (the hardcover is not available yet on Amazon.com).

Here is a link to the kindle edition of Brenda, My Darling: The Love Letters of Fridtjof Nansen to Brenda Ueland on Amazon.com.