SJWG Member Roundup for September 2015

Compiled by Jessica A. Walsh, Mieke Zamora-Mackay, and Glenn Walker

There is so much talent in the South Jersey Writers Group, and as we've mentioned in the past, so many bloggers. And many of these bloggers produce content on a fairly frequent basis, so we thought it would be a cool idea to highlight some of each month's more intriguing and interesting blog posts and present them here.

Please give a click and a read, and we hope you will like the samples enough to become regular readers. Check them out!

Kristin Battestella reviews some interesting Spooky, Suspenseful, Short-Lived Shows.

Dawn Byrne shares a lovely memory of Grandma in Brown Vinyl and Gray Drawers.

Joanne Costantino honors a lovely lady named Kathy.

Fire in the Woods by Jennifer M. Eaton is up for an award!

South Jersey Muicipal Liason MK England's got some pretty cool printables for NaNoWriMo.

Jord Fox is letting go and redirecting his efforts to something better.

Steampunk Granny Marie Gilbert reminds us that when we jump off ledges, we give ourselves a chance to soar.

Barb Godshalk welcomes September… Well, sort of…

Sarah Hawkins-Miduski presents an 'apples to apples' comparison of attractions at Disneyland vs. Disney World. Which on reigns supreme?

New member, Jessica Hunter, shares 6 Exercises To Find your Character’s Voice.

Victoria M. Lees shared her ideas for the beginning of her memoir and asked her readers for some opinions regarding at what point in her life to drop the reader. Beginnings are tough.

K.A. Magrowski reviewed At Day’s Close: Night in Times Past over at her “sort of blog” Literary Debauchery.

New member Peter N. Milligan, author of Bulls Before Breakfast, shared his interview with NPR about his book.

Robin Renee wrote about her recent travels, traveling companion and how she navigates polyamory. Also check out the post for some upcoming tour dates.

Randy Ribay debuted his first novel, An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes. Check out the book trailer, then be sure to pick it up.

Kevin Stephany memorialized Nobel Prize winning author William Golding.

Loretta Sisco toured the memorabilia of monsters and serial killers here and here.

Shelley Szajner published a short story in one of the latest Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies. You can buy Dreams and Premonitions here.

Rich Voza posted two more chapters of his work in progress, Dreamlands, here and here.

With the new TV season in full swing, Glenn Walker has picked up reviewing "The Flash," "Doctor Who," "Arrow," and "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Jessica A. Walsh continued to uplift us all with her blog, The Cracking Nut, teaching us the language of love and support, and reminding us that meeting our goals is possible and attainable

We hope you liked this month's selections from SJWG member blogs, and will not only read more at their respective sites, but also come back here next month for more. Don't forget to Like the South Jersey Writers at Facebook, Follow us at Twitter, and check us out on Pinterest. Thank you!

Announcing the Biff Bam Pop! Podcast Network

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Toronto, Ontario/Marlton, New Jersey - Pop culture website Biff Bam Pop! today announces the launch of the Biff Bam Pop! Podcast Network, an umbrella to house and promote a host of podcasts featuring various members of the BBP staff. Please meet us after the jump for the details.

“For the past two years here at Biff Bam Pop!, we've featured The GAR! Podcast, the work of myself, and my partner Ray Cornwall,” says Biff Bam Pop! Senior Editor and Writer Glenn Walker. “Recently it occurred to us here onsite that I was not the only one who had a hand in the world of podcasting. We should organize the podcasts of our writers under one umbrella, adding to each show's promotional power for the betterment of everyone. Each time a new episode goes live, it would be featured here onsite. Thus was born the Biff Bam Pop! Podcast Network.”

The currently running podcasts that will now fall under the Biff Bam Pop! Podcast Network umbrella include:

The Audacious Eleven Podcast featuring Wendy Sheridan, Mary McGinley, Donna Juzva, and Biff Bam Pop's own, SJWG member Robin Renee. The show is described as a reality podcast that ventures from Pagan spirituality and life empowerment to technology, entrepreneurship, love, sex, and fandom.

The Biff Bam Popcast is our own video roundtable recorded from Google Hangouts that features BBP staffers and occasional guests talking about the pop culture topics of the day in film, television, comics, gaming, books, and music.

The GAR! Podcast is the Glenn Walker and Ray Cornwall weekly podcast where they talk unrehearsed about whatever happens to come to mind. It’s an audio-zine for your mind, a nerd exploration of a nerd world, coming to you from across the vastness of suburban New Jersey via Skype.

Gobbledygeek features hosts Paul Smith and AJ Wiley and focuses on a variety of entertainment subjects, with our hosts and special guests frequently discussing films, comics, and television. BBP staffers K. Dale Koontz and Ensley F. Guffey are frequent guests.

The Make Mine Magic Podcast features Jenn Walker and her husband SJWG member Glenn Walker talking about Disney, parks, movies, travel advice, characters, Marvel, Star Wars, Studio Ghibli, etc., if it’s Disney, it’s fair game.

The Official Popshifter Podcast, features Popshifter managing editor Less Lee Moore and featured contributor Jeffery X Martin shifting the tone of pop culture criticism and tackling the fields of film, music, and rest of the genre world.

Along with these shows, beginning on October 15th, we will launch the monthly Biff Bam Podcast. The inaugural edition will feature interviews with Kane Hodder and Brandi Cyrus, the stars of the new horror film Old 37, along with a roundtable discussion on the best movies to watch for Halloween, and contributions from various BBP staff writers.

“We’re very excited to be bringing Biff Bam Pop! to the podcasting world,” says Editor-In-Chief Andy Burns. “After seven years of writing on the web, we’re now going to entice your ears with our brand of pop culture talk.”

For more details on the Biff Bam Pop! Podcast Network, and the Biff Bam Podcast, contact Andy Burns or Glenn Walker.

Established in 2008 in Toronto, Canada, Biff Bam Pop is a pop culture website that features writers from across North America. Find us online at www.biffbampop.com, facebook.com/bbpcanada and via Twitter @biffbampop.

The Biff Bam Pop! website features the work of SJWG members Marie Gilbert, James Knipp, Loretta Sisco, Robin Renee, Sarah Hawkins-Miduski, Glenn Walker, and soon, Mieke Zamora-Mackay.

SJWG Member Roundup for August 2015

Compiled by Jessica A. Walsh, Mieke Zamora-Mackay, and Glenn Walker

There is so much talent in the South Jersey Writers Group, and as we've mentioned in the past, so many bloggers. And many of these bloggers produce content on a fairly frequent basis, so we thought it would be a cool idea to highlight some of each month's more intriguing and interesting blog posts and present them here.

Please give a click and a read, and we hope you will like the samples enough to become regular readers. Check them out!

Kristin Battestella reviewed four Arthurian enchantments. King Arthur fans should check these out.

Dawn Byrne shared a brief but eloquent story about how she knows when she’s home.

Joanne Costantino shared her wisdom about the importance of letting go in her post, “Repurposing Bitterness, Cutting Loose the Emotional Ball and Chain.”

Jennifer M. Eaton posted a wrap-up of the ten-week series with guest author Donna Galanti on getting your manuscript past the gatekeeper. In this post you will find links to all ten parts, including topics such as character development, world-building and pacing and tension. Very helpful stuff!

While MK England awaits exciting news, she distracted herself by participating in the #PimpMyBio Contestant Blog Hop and elaborated on who she is, throwing in some .gifs for fun!

Mark Galarrita writes first drafts of short fiction and he’s posted another one this month called, “It’s Really Not a Big Move.”

Ron Geraci lost his mother to lung cancer on August 16. She was his best friend and best editor, and we offer Ron our deepest condolences. He wrote a beautiful tribute to his mother and posted information for how you can donate in her memory to the Joan Geraci Memorial Scholarship fund, which will help to support a Rutgers University student at the School of Social Work in Camden in New Brunswick.

Everyone's favorite Steampunk Granny, Marie Gilbert, had her first book signing since Saving Solanda, the second book in her Roof Oasis series, was published. She changed her look for this novel and her robot companion, Patty, who stars in the series, was dressed to match!

Jessica is breaking the rules here and simply linking to Sarah Hawkins-Miduski’s August posts because how can she possibly choose one Disneyland post out of five!? All the food, all the photos - she is ready to pack her bags and leave this roundup mid-sentence. Who else wants to stow away in Sarah’s luggage?

New member Jessica Hunter shared some excellent advice for dealing with writer’s block. Take it scene by scene.

Funny man James Knipp wrote about current events in a sense with his post on the awkward conversations thousands of men are having with their wives this month thanks to hackers.

Victoria M. Lees talked about restructuring her memoir over at her Adventures in Writing blog.

Lisen Minetti wrote an open letter to literary agents, examined her dreams, and fought in the Pitch Wars.

Gail Priest wrote a terrific blog post on her Three Tips for Getting back to Writing.

In between gigs in New Jersey and Ohio, Robin Renee continued to record with her podcast partners at Audacious Eleven this month for four new episodes. You can check them out here.

Randy Ribay has had a busy August, was interviewed by Geekadelphia right here, and is prepping for the release of his first book, An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes, on October 16th.

Kevin Stephany reviews Merrily We Roll Along presented by the Burlington County Footlighters.

Loretta Sisco shares the plight of the poor old black cat. Show a black cat some love on Black Cat Appreciation Day.

Our dear Vince Sparks haplessly finds himself in the middle of the US Women’s World Cup ticker tape parade.

Author Cassandra Ulrich shares with us why she wrote A Beautiful Girl.

As writers, it is incumbent upon us to elevate our writing to a professional and mature level. Rich Voza shares a few examples of how to show that your piece is written by a grown up.

Glenn Walker and the team at Biff Bam Pop! honor the late Wes Craven.

Jessica A. Walsh continues her journey of self discovery through her empowering post "Story-telling: The Work 101."

Inspiration Sunday returns to Mieke Zamora-Mackay's blog, Love and Joy, in the hot month of August.

We hope you liked this month's selections from SJWG member blogs, and will not only read more at their respective sites, but also come back here next month for more. Don't forget to Like the South Jersey Writers at Facebook, Follow us at Twitter, and check us out on Pinterest. Thank you!

SJWG Member Roundup for June 2015

Compiled by Jessica A. Walsh and Glenn Walker

There is so much talent in the South Jersey Writers Group, and as we've mentioned in the past, so many bloggers. And many of these bloggers produce content on a fairly frequent basis, so we thought it would be a cool idea to highlight some of each month's more intriguing and interesting blog posts and present them here.

Please give a click and a read, and we hope you will like the samples enough to become regular readers. Check them out!

Kristin Battestella shares the New Jersey Author Network's upcoming events in this post

Dawn Byrne reminisces about boring Saturdays at Grandma's in "Faith, Science, Cigarettes, and TV Tea Leaves." She has also recently joined Twitter, Follow her here.

Joanne Costantino channels her father when she suddenly declares the kitchen a "No Phone Zone."

Jennifer M. Eaton shares exciting news that her novel Fire in the Woods was picked up for national distribution by Barnes & Noble in this post. She also explains what an option book is here

MK England recommends 25 books for summer reading. See the list here.

Ron Geraci shares some thoughts on iconic news personality Brian Williams, and liars in general in this post.

Survivalist Marie Gilbert lives to tell the tale after a tornado and getting lost at her grandson's graduation over at Gilbert Curiosities. She also continued reviewing the television series: "Penny Dreadful," "Defiance," "Twin Peaks," and "Orphan Black" for Biff Bam Pop!.

Traveler Sarah Hawkins-Miduski recaps her recent trip to California with posts on Balboa Park in San Diego and the Welk Resort in Escondido

Amy Holiday reviewed five books this month, including The Fault in Our Stars and Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time.

James Knipp expresses thanks to everyone who attended the Philadelphia Writers' Conference this month at the PWC blog here. He also finished weekly reviews of "Game of Thrones" for Biff Bam Pop!. You can read the Season Five finale recap here. Now, Jim is reviewing "True Detective" for the site - check out the first episode of the second season here.

Victoria M. Lees reflects on her desire to go back to school later in life on her Adventures in Writing. She also shares what summertime means to her and her family at her Camping with Kids blog.

Robin Renee celebrated Marriage Equality and reminisced about Joan Armatrading's classic album Track Record.

You can preorder Randy Ribay's new book An Infinite Number of Parallel Universe here.

Kevin Stephany remembers the late Yes founder Chris Squire on his blog here.

Loretta Sisco writes about the perseverance of Twisted Sister, and the evil of The Night Stalker.

Vince G. Sparks breaks the stigma of mental illness and celebrates marriage equality.

Rich Voza's serialization of his latest work in progress, Dreamlands, continues with chapters 21, 22, 23, and 24.

Glenn Walker remembers Christopher Lee and Patrick Macnee, and tries to get a President on his podcast.

Jessica A. Walsh makes an emotional admission, then forms a plan of attack to make things better. .

We hope you liked this month's selections from SJWG member blogs, and will not only read more at their respective sites, but also come back here next month for more. Don't forget to 'Like' the South Jersey Writers at Facebook, 'Follow' us at Twitter, and check us out on Pinterest. Thank you!

SJWG Member Roundup for May 2015

Compiled by Jessica A. Walsh and Glenn Walker

There is so much talent in the South Jersey Writers Group, and as we've mentioned in the past, so many bloggers. And many of these bloggers produce content on a fairly frequent basis, so we thought it would be a cool idea to highlight some of each month's more intriguing and interesting blog posts and present them here.

Please give a click and a read, and we hope you will like the samples enough to become regular readers. Check them out!

Jennifer M. Eaton wraps up her wonderful series Lessons from a Manuscript Red Line, so much to learn here!

MK England's great two-part feature on the pros and cons of fan fiction can be found here and here.

Ron Geraci compares cooking to writing here.

Marie Gilbert took a look at church, trains, the film Ex Machina, and also found time to interview Snake Blocker.

Barb Godshalk ponders motherhood in her special Mother's Day post here.

Amy Holiday of Hypothetical Press reviewed the Young Adult books Vagabonding, Still Just Grace, Fangirl, and No Passengers Beyond This Point at her blog here.

Victoria M. Lees talks about revision over at her excellent Adventures in Writing blog, and you can read that post here.

Rosanna Martella talks about Our Macrobiome on her blog right here.

Patti O'Brien rails against traffic and traffic radio in this post.

Robin Renee remembers B.B. King by reminiscing about interviewing him in 2004 in A Few Words with B.B. King.

Randy Ribay shares a personal story about a recent tragedy in Nobody Taught me to Mourn.

Kevin Stephany had a busy month reviewing several books and plays performed in the South Jersey area, including Bonnie and Clyde: A New Musical at Burlington County Footlighters.

Loretta Sisco uncovers the truth of James Franco and Jonah Hill in True Story for Biff Bam Pop in this post.

Vince Sparks writes about ageism in this post.

Rich Voza shares Chapter 16 of Dreamlands.

Glenn Walker continues reviewing "Marvel's Daredevil" on Netflix here.

Jessica A. Walsh holds the first-ever Cracking Nut Contest. Enter by June 1 for a chance to win one of two prizes.

Janice Wilson shares a song that soothes her and reflects on personal motivation and missions in Mission (almost) Complete.

Mieke Zamora-Mackay shares exciting news of her new venture teaching private knitting classes in Handmade Love & Joy.

We hope you liked this month's selections from SJWG member blogs, and will not only read more at their respective sites, but also come back here next month for more. Don't forget to Like the South Jersey Writers at Facebook, Follow us at Twitter, and check us out on Pinterest. Thank you!

Biff Bam Pop! at the SJWG

By Glenn Walker

The internet is a funny thing. The internet is bringing our world closer together, making communication easier. You can get to know people, build friendships and relationships, having never met the people involved. I have known Andy Burns for six years, talk to him nearly every day, consider him one of my best friends - all thanks to the internet - but never met him face to face until just this past week.

Even though Andy lives and works in Toronto, he's well known to the members of the South Jersey Writers Group, not just through me, but seeing as a half-dozen of our members write for his pop culture website Biff Bam Pop!, Andy has achieved something of rock star status among our little group.

As I said, we had never met until last week. When I picked him up at the airport, he got in the car and we shook hands, then kinda laughed and rolled our eyes. This was not a first meeting or an introduction. It wasn't even a blind date. Andy and I have known each other for years. We were soon talking as if we had last talked hours before, which though electronically, we had. He settled into our home for a week as if he was family, more than a friend or colleague.

When he attended the May general meeting of the SJWG as my guest, he felt like family with our little group as well, and what was even cooler, the friendships were bound even closer when we went out to a bar later that night. As the days went by, Marie Gilbert took Andy on a ghost hunt, as well as a tour of historic Philadelphia. With Loretta Sisco and her husband we attended a viewing of the new Poltergeist remake. French fry fanatic me took him to all the cool places to eat like the British Chip Shop for the best fries, got him a real cheesesteak, and all of us got together for a breakfast at Collingswood's Pop Shop.

By the time we parted after that last breakfast, we were all family, despite having never met before last week. So the internet is not such a bad thing, it builds friendships and connections not just here in South Jersey, but also as far away as the mean streets of Toronto.

Andy Burns is a verified expert of the television series "Twin Peaks" as evidenced in his book Wrapped in Plastic. Twin Peaks. His pop culture website Biff Bam Pop! can be found here, you can Follow him on Twitter here, and Like the site on Facebook here.

Among the South Jersey Writers who are also members of Biff Bam Pop! East are senior writer Marie Gilbert, whose work includes reviews of "The Walking Dead," "Penny Dreadful," "American Horror Story," and "Orphan Black" among others; Loretta Sisco, who dazzles us with tales of horrors and serial killers; Robin Renee, our mistress of music; Jim Knipp, our official "Game of Thrones" reviewer; and Sarah Hawkins Miduski, who will be taking on the upcoming "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell" TV series. And then there's that Glenn Walker guy, associate editor and contributing writer at Biff Bam Pop!. He reviews "The Flash," "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," and "Avengers Assemble."

We loved hosting Andy, and we're hoping to get together again in person real soon, perhaps a trip to Canada next. Until then, thank you, internet, and thank you, Andy!

SJWG April Blogfest

Every third Sunday of the month the South Jersey Writers' Group gets together for a work session dedicated to the art of blogging. If you noticed in the SJWG Social Media Database (seen here and here) many of its members are also bloggers. This month, once again, we have decided to put our money where our mouths are, so to speak, and promote here, on the SJWG Blog, what we accomplished at this monthly work session.

Loretta Sisco spotlighted her cat Ozzy on her blog/website The Mirth and Madness of My Mind (and Other Musings). You can read this terrific love letter here.

Writer/editor Patti O'Brien returned to her blog A Broad Abroad with a post about her recent car accident. You can read it here.

Marie Gilbert worked on an upcoming piece for Intertainment Hub.

Marie, Loretta, Jenny, Joanne, and Kahlil hard at work.

New member Howard Kleinman used the friendly peer pressure of the write-in style work session to get him working on rewrites for his novel.

Kahlil Weston of Mad Writer Publishing continued editing on a book set for release later this year.

Joanne Costantino crafted a new post for her blog The Life we Claim we Didn't Sign Up For.  

Jenny Barnes revised chapters of a novella she has been working on.

Glenn Walker helped out a couple new members, and also wrote and posted an entry for two of his blogs. He reviewed the Logan's Roadhouse franchise in Florida for French Fry Diary, and a recent episode of "Arrow" for Welcome to Hell. Please click on the links to check them out.

And that's just some of the creative magic that happened at this month's Blogfest work session…

SJWG March Meeting: Grammar and Punctuation Issues

By Dawn Byrne

Do you know when to use italics instead of quotation marks when naming something in a manuscript? What about when to use 'whom' instead of 'who'? Or if a question mark should stand inside or outside quotation marks? Member Rich Voza answered these questions and more while addressing the SJWG's March meeting.

After graduating from William Paterson University, Voza taught English, language arts, and writing for over twenty years. He stepped down from education a few years ago to take his writing more seriously. This resulted in two publications: When the Mirror Breaks from Whiskey Creek Press, and Connecting Flight from Start Publishing.

Voza's title for his presentation for the evening was "Grammar and Punctuation Issues." These subjects can be dry while reading or listening to instruction on the nasty nuances of our written language. But Voza surprised us by used humor to wet his explanations, making them entertaining, and the information memorable. His honesty, in that even he makes errors in grammar and punctuation, was refreshing.

Beforehand Voza collected questions from SJWG members, which he addressed at the meeting. Members comfortably asked additional questions during Voza's descriptions of particularly pesky grammar and punctuation puzzles. Then he continued on through his list of twenty-one popular errors that people make in writing.

The number one boo-boo he sees, is using a comma with a conjunctive. Usually, we shouldn't place a comma before a conjunctive (and/but/or) if that conjunctive is followed by a phrase. Reading the sentence out loud can help one hear the natural pause. I'll use Voza's example: I used to drink a lot of beer, but now I'm into wine. Contrast that with: He used to drink a lot of beer but not much wine.

Some situations are stylistic. Voza doesn't use capital letters in informal writing situations. e.e. cummings, who did this in his professional work, comes to mind here. But don't break the rules unless it makes what you're doing better. Rules changed by the literary powers that be, are changed for a specific reason. For instance, when too many people have done something grammatically wrong for a long time, it can be accepted.

Voza also explained that punctuation outside quotes are a British thing. And I never knew that some British words were Americanized, like 'colour' to 'color,' simply to irritate the British.

Misconceptions abound, and I can't figure out why. Why, for instance, I thought using a parenthesis or semicolon in dialogue is never correct. Not true. In addition to the hand-out from Voza, I'll make sure to check english.stackexchange.com while editing my work. It's the site he referenced for further help.

The meeting ended before touching on each list item. Jennifer M. Eaton and Loretta Sisco commented that this fellow member should return to speak again on the topic. I agree. His fun savvy with his subjects made the presentation seem more of a stand-up performance than a lecture on grammar and punctuation. And his handling of audience interruptions didn't fluster Voza, but added to his repertoire of keeping the issues from getting confusing and musty.

About today's guest blogger:

Dawn Byrne, a grandmother, writes inspirational and fictional stories about families from her New Jersey home. She's a member of the South Jersey Writers' Group, facilitates the Juliette Writers' Group, and teaches Sunday School. Dawn strives to leave a small carbon footprint, reads classical literature, blogs here, and has stories featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories for Wives: 101 Daily Devotions to Comfort, Encourage, and Inspire You and Chicken Soup for the Soul: It's Christmas!: 101 Joyful Stories about the Love, Fun, and Wonder of the Holidays . Her website is www.dawnbyrne.yolasite.com.

SJWG March Blogfest

Every third Sunday of the month the South Jersey Writers' Group gets together for a work session dedicated to the art of blogging. If you noticed in the SJWG Social Media Database (seen here and here) many of its members are also bloggers. This month we decided to put our money where our mouths are, so to speak, and promote here, on the SJWG Blog, what we accomplished at this monthly work session.

Loretta Sisco posted this entry about her 'pocket pets' to her blog, while working hard on her next article at Biff Bam Pop! about this past weekend's Monster Mania convention in Cherry Hill NJ. You can check that out later this week here and here.

Kahlil working hard at this week's Blogfest

Robin Renee wrote this terrific post for her blog about working and living in mixed media. You can read it here.

Rich Voza, besides leading an energetic discussion about teaching and movies with Glenn Walker, produced a blog post consisting of more of his famous one-minute book reviews. You can see it here.

Kahlil Weston of Mad Writer Publishing worked on his upcoming book on bullying, as well as edits for a forthcoming book by another of his authors.

Glenn Walker wrote and posted an entry for each of his three blogs. He reviewed Crunchy Cookie Chips for French Fry Diary, the new phase of the Simpsons Tapped Out game for the Non-Gamer's Gamer's Blog, and the Danish giant monster movie classic Reptilicus for Welcome to Hell. Click the links to check them out.

And that's just some of the creative magic that happened at this month's Blogfest work session…

SJWG and The Storyteller Cards

Ever since our SJWG President Amy Holiday discovered the Storyteller Cards, she has been telling us all in the group how cool these writing prompt tools are. Last week at our February meeting, we all got to find out firsthand and meet the man behind these awesome cards, Jason Tagmire.

From the Storyteller Cards website: "Each card features an illustration with 4 unique elements. There is a character, holding an item, completing an action, in a location. Each of these elements can be used to create something new, get you out of a mid-project slump, or just to have some creative fun with family and friends."

The game we all played at last week's meeting was the task of taking one card, and writing a 25-word story about what was happening in the card. Below are some of our stories.

The two above were by writer Loretta Sisco.

 

The one above was writer by Christine Nelson.

The two above were by writer Mark A. Smith.  

These two above come from writer and blogger Barb Godshalk.  

And the final two above are by me. 

Perhaps we'll have more, but until then, please check out Storyteller Cards, great games, great fun, and great for breaking writers block.

A Day of Writing, Blogging, Schmoozing Over Coffee

By Marie Gilbert

I'm having some "me" time with my fellow members of the South Jersey Writers' Group. We are at Audubon, New Jersey's Treehouse Coffee Shop and we are all either working on our blogs, or learning how to set up a blog, or writing period. Amy Hollinger is at one table helping new bloggers set up their blogs and giving helpful hints on how to manage and share their posts.

While our president is busy doing this, Glenn Walker, better known around the writing community... oh okay... to the other members of South Jersey’s writing group as the ever patient, ever helpful, all knowing Patron Saint of Blogs, is helping the already established bloggers with any problems that we may have with our blogs.

Blogging is fun, especially, if you know what you’re doing and if you are somewhat tech savvy, but if you’re like me and a few of the other bloggers in our group, blogging is somewhat of a challenge; not the writing part, because I have plenty of ideas, but the settings, links and whatnots that help you to share or enhance your blog. This is where St. Glenn Walker, shines!

He helps everyone sitting at his table with whatever questions they have, and let me tell you, we all appreciate his help, and glancing over to the other table where Amy is helping the new bloggers, I’m seeing three very happy faces. Amy has launched a new troop of bloggers. Welcome aboard!

If you are a writer and you want to publish or have already published a book then you need to promote yourself by blogging, Facebooking, Twittering and Googling and you should belong to a writers’ group. Trust me, this is important.

Writers who attended today’s blogging meet-up: Victoria Marie Lees, Robert Repici, Kahlil Weston, Rosanna Martella, Loretta Sisco, Krista Magrowski, Linda Deininger, Kevin Stephany, Robert Schmus, Katrina Janco, Michael Christopher, Alex Jones, Patti O’Brien, Bob Cook, Marie Gilbert, and of course our heroes for today, Amy Hollinger and Glenn Walker.

2013 Fall Writers' Retreat

Post by Sarah Hawkins Miduski

Last Weekend (November 15th-17th) the South Jersey Writers' Group held their 2013 Fall Writers' Retreat.

The retreat took place at the Weisel Hostel, located in Nockamixon State Park, in Quakertown PA; It was a fantastic venue to hold a writers' retreat, as the one hundred year old farm house and beautiful grounds provided a great amount of scope for the imagination.

The retreat was equal parts productivity and relaxation.  Some attendees worked to boost their NaNoWriMo word counts, while others worked on editing and/or other writing projects.

It was a great chance to let the words flow freely onto the page without the interruptions and distractions of normal everyday life.  Plenty of writing was accomplished and it was estimated that at least 40,200 were written during the course of the weekend.

There was also plenty of coffee/tea, snacks and other food consumed, after all writers need to keep up their strength and stamina. There was also time for a s'mores break.

When a difficult part of a story  needed to be mentally worked out or some fresh air was required, the retreat goers headed outside.  The weather turned out to be pleasant with just the right amount of fall nip in the air.  The hotel's grounds and stone bridge trail offered an excellent opportunity to get some exercise while resting overworked fingers.

The fall retreat was wonderful and all of the attendees were able to make some writing progress while relaxing and having fun.

If you are a current group member, keep an eye out for upcoming retreats. If you are not a member, now is the perfect time to sign up and enjoy all of the activities the group has to offer.