Monday, September 30, 2019

Hock Tjoa Book Reading & Greek Mythology Discussion | October 9th 2019


Hock will read from his book "Agamemnon Must Die" and then lead a Q&A and discussion about Greek Mythology with a focus on Cassandra.

To sail against Troy, Agamemnon
sacrificed his virgin daughter Iphigenia.
 Ten years later, he returns victorious,
hoping that Queen Clytemnestra
has forgiven him. He is so wrong.


He will also talk about the intricacies of interweaving mythology and history in a work of historical fiction.


Hock Tjoa turned to writing, after eight years as a history teacher and twenty-five years in banking and finance. After he retired, he thought of studying Mandarin but soon got bored with text books and started translating "real stuff." One of the items was a famous book called The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, said to be the best introduction to traditional Chinese culture. From that study, four years later, came The Battle of Chibi, his first book.
Learn more about Hock on his website.

Monday, September 2, 2019

Open Read | Membership | Networking - Sept. 11th, 2019

September's meeting will start with 30 minutes of social / networking time.

It's 2019/2020 Membership Renewal time


Membership funds pay for meeting space rental and modest speaker payments.

Visit the Membership page to renew, sign-up, or use PayPal to pay ($35) electronically. At the meeting, paper sign-up forms will be available and we'll be accepting checks.


Open Read 

Sierra Writers Open Reads are intended to be a safe place for writers to experiment with craft, share vision, and develop voice. 


Guidelines:
  1. Bring a single copy of your piece, double-spaced, Times New Roman (or similar) font. Reading from electronic devices is not allowed.
  2. Limit your piece to 750 words (2 to 3 pages), double-spaced, or about 3 minutes, read aloud. If submitting poetry, no more than three short poems.
  3. Work should be anonymous. Please be sure author’s name or other identifying information is removed
  4. Work can be whole pieces or excerpts, poetry or prose. If it would help the group, please feel free to indicate the genre or tell us it is from a larger work. The piece will be critiqued on its own.
Please consider these suggestions for how to get the most out of the Open Read:
  • Be gentle, kind, and supportive.
  • Be an active listener. Take notes; be prepared to be specific with your comments.
  • Begin with a positive comment. In order to grow as a writer, it is important to be able to identify what is working in a piece, even if you don’t like the topic, have issues with the voice, etc. What is the author doing that is working well? Where is the energy? What images are potent and interesting?
  • Keep your criticism constructive. “I didn’t like it” is not helpful to a writer, but “I disagreed with the point the author was making, which made me lose interest in the piece. Maybe the author could look for a way to make it more accessible to people with diverse opinions.” Another example: “It was hard to follow” isn’t nearly as helpful as “The point of view moved from person to person very quickly, which I had a hard time following.” Follow up with specifics from your notes about where this happened in the piece, if possible.
  • Focus on the writing. Our goal is to give the author feedback on their writing. If you find you are talking more about yourself and your own experiences related to the topic in the piece, consider talking with the author about those after the Open Read is over. Give the writing and the writer the attention during the few minutes that are allotted to their work, and engage on a personal level afterward.