Resources - Dialect

The following is a list of resources for writing dialect. This goes in conjunction with today's craft chat on dialect.

• Writing Dialect: It's in the Rhythm by Cameron Michaels
• How to Avoid Writing Dialect in Plays
• Dialect Survey Maps - A collection of maps showing the regional variations in terms and pronunciations in the US.
• Writing Dialect in Fiction by Tony Burton - Contains several examples from classic literature.
• Using Dialect in Fiction by Jennifer Jensen - Another discussion of use of dialect.
• Writing Accents and Dialects by Charles Carson - Includes some caution that how you write accents and dialects may say more about you than about the characters.
• Write stuff: Avoid using dialect, phonetic spelling by Rusty Lang - Advice on using dialect and phonetic spelling in journalistic writing.
• The International Dialects of English Archive - "IDEA was created in 1997 as a free, online library of primary source recordings for the performing arts." Includes transcripts of the audio samples. Note: Each audio sample begins with the person reading a passage. You may want to skip past this to the unscripted speech.
• Internet Archive - Contains many freely available movies and audio recordings. May require some digging to find the dialect you’re looking for.
• radio-locator and Web-Radio - Search for radio stations; results will show you which ones you can listen to over the Internet. Both include search by state.

Craft Chat- Dialect and Critique Workshop

Date:  Sunday, December 14, 2008
Time:  11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Location: Chico Branch of the Butte County Library System
Address: 1108 Sherman Avenue, Chico (cross street is 1st Ave)

Agenda

11:00 AM  Brief introductions for all members, welcome guests and new members

11:15 AM  Craft Chat: Dialect

Even when we all speak the same language, we don't all speak it the same way. Dialects are particularly tricky to write. We'll talk about some ideas for getting dialect down on the page, as well as a neat exercise for learning dialectic speech patterns.

11:45 AM  Critique Workshop
In queue:

• Screenplay by B. C.
• Short Fiction by R. S. A.

This event is for members only and those whom have received an invitation.  If you desire to join our group or would like more information, please visit our main website at http://www.ejourn.net/cwg and leave a comment with a current, functioning email address (never published) and we will be in touch with you shortly. 

Upcoming Meetings

Saturday, December 27, 2008
2:00 - 4:00 PM
Chico branch, Butte County Library

Manuscripts are due by Thursday, December 18, 2008 and will be distributed to members in good standing on Friday, December 19th.

This is a member-only event.  For further information, please visit our main website at http://www.ejourn.net/cwg and leave a comment with your current, functioning email address (never published) and we will be in touch with you shortly.

Deadline for Manuscripts Approaching

All Chico Writer's Group members take note! Your manuscripts for our meeting Sunday, December 14th are due this coming Friday, December 5th by 5:00 PM.  This is only open to current members in good standing.  If you are new or interested in learning more about our group, you are welcome to attend, however, manuscript critiques are reserved for current members in good standing. 

The format for manuscripts (and other pertinent information):

• Maximum 10 pages (max. 20 for any type of play)
• 10-12pt serif font
• Please, no cover pages.  Include author's name, phone number and/or email address on the first page, top corner (your choice on corner)
• One and a half to double spaced
• 1" margins all around
• Saved in one of the following file formats (listed in order of preference):
  - *.doc
  - *.txt or *.rtf
  - *.pdf (Adobe Portable Document File.  Readers are available for free by going to adobe.com/downloads)
• Any comments, specific things you'd like the critiquers to look at or not look at, etc. may be sent in the body portion of your email with the attached manuscript
• Please note in the body of your email if the content is not appropriate for minors

Also, manuscripts will be due for our Saturday, December 27th meeting (from 2-4pm) on Friday, December 19th by 5:00 PM.

Craft Chat, Critique Workshop and End of NaNoWriMo Celebration

Whether or not you even participated in the tenth anniversary of National Novel Writing Month or won the challenge of writing 50,000 words in 30 days, it's time to celebrate this momentous event!  We'll be having a pot luck this coming Sunday, November 30th from 1:00 to 3:00 pm at the Chico branch of the Butte County Library.  RSVPs are required.  Please leave a comment below if you haven't already received an email invitation and would like to attend.

We'll be writing more flash fiction as a writing exercise on Sunday after our last experience went quite well.  Our topic for the craft chat will be the use of a metaphor to convey a theme.  Be sure to bring your laptop and/or a pad of paper and pen along with you as we'll be writing!

We also have 4 pieces to critique, a short story that came from a writing exercise and 3 poems.  Chico Writer's Group members have already received their copies and are expected to have read them, commented upon them and bring the printed out copy to our meeting to discuss and then return, with comments, to the original author.  If you did not receive a copy but would like to attend, leave a comment here (be sure to use a working, valid email address) and we'll confirm your reservation.

NaNoWriMo Write-Ins

The Chico Writer's Group will be holding several write-ins throughout the month of November for writers to work on their novel for National Novel Writing Month (or just to write on whatever their current work is.)  We will be foregoing the critique workshop mid-November and use that time for a write-in and resume our workshops on Sunday, November 30th. 

The schedule for write-ins won't come with advance notice but we'll attempt to post them here as time and opportunity presents itself.  Here are the current write-in dates and times and places:

Wednesday, November 5th: 9am - noon at Augie's (250 Salem Street, next to St. Augustine's church, corner of 3rd Street and Salem in downtown Chico).

Sunday, November 16th: Time and location to be announced.

You do not have to be a member of the Chico Writer's Group to attend but it would be greatly appreciated if you would contact us to let us know you plan to attend.  These meetings may be cancelled if there isn't enough interest generated, so please check with our website before heading out! 

To learn more about the National Novel Writing Month, visit http://www.nanowrimo.org.  As the site is being hit hard now that the event is in full-swing, if you're receiving an error, please try back later.  There still is time to register and get in on the fun, so visit today!

Craft and Critique Workshop Sunday, Nov. 2nd

This workshop promises to be exciting as we'll be using our first half of the workshop trying our hand (or for those who've done this before, dazzling us) at flash fiction!  Mark your calendars now, this is one not to miss!

Date: Sunday, November 2, 2008
Time: Noon to 3:00PM (Note the time change)
Place: Chico Branch of the Butte County Library
Addy: 1108 Sherman Avenue (cross of First Ave.), Chico 
NOTE: The off ramp at First Avenue may be CLOSED.  Please use the links to the maps below if you need directions using an alternate route.
Maps:   Google  |  MapQuest  |  Microsoft  |  Yahoo

12:00 Noon - 1:00 PM Craft Workshop
We'll be trying out a workshop using flash fiction where writers are given a topic to write on for a few minutes and then discuss. This should be a very fun activity!
     After the exercise, we'll discuss the focus of the writing exercise, a specific element of the craft of writing. A sure winner for all genres of fiction!

1:00 - 3:00 PM Critique Workshop
Manuscripts need to be submitted to [kathie dot blog at gmail dot com] on or before noon Saturday October 25, 2008 and will be distributed to members who have attended meetings consistently and are in good standing. If you plan on attending but have not done so previously, you may request a copy be available to you when you arrive, however, we will not be distributing manuscripts to non-members for privacy and copyright purposes.
For more information, contact the organizer, Kathie Leung (pronounced Lee-young) at 521-4264 or [kathie dot blog at gmail dot com].

RSVPs requested! (You may use the "comment" link below to RSVP.  Just please be sure to provide a valid email address.  RSVP comments and general inquiry comments are not published and email addresses are never published.)

Craft and Critique Workshop

Event Info
Host: Chico Writer's Group
Type:Meetings - Club/Group Meeting

Time and Place
Date: Sunday, October 19, 2008
Time: 2:00pm - 5:00pm

Location: Butte County Library - Chico Branch Meeting Room (across from circulation desk)
Street: 1108 Sherman Avenue
City/Town: Chico, CA
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Contact Info
Phone: 521-4264
Email: kathie dot blog at gmail dot com

Description

2:00 - 2:30 PM Review "Tense" Writing Exercise & Discuss
Writing exercise: Write a scene that incorporates the character's past, present, and future.

2:30 - 3:00 PM Craft Workshop: Tense
Tenses make us all tense sometimes. How do you talk about the past, the present, and the future? How do you talk about the future from the past or the farther past from the past? We'll look at how to do all of this without losing your mind.

3:00 - 5:00 PM Critique Manuscript(s).
Short manuscripts (2-5 pages) may be brought to the critique workshop with sufficient number of copies to distribute to members.