What a wonderful weekend for writers. And what wonderful writers they were. Typically, as the SCWC is renowned for instead of being a scattershot “Writing 101” event but one that addresses several specific levels above the basics, we get a lot of quality storytellers attending. This time around, however, the overall bar of commercial-grade storytelling was raised considerably–great stories in a variety of genres, great people writing them.
Though tough to single ‘em out, let’s check the awards…
The SCWC*LA 12 Award Recipients
OUTSTANDING FICTION (YA Fantasy)
Destiny’s Thief
by Jason Ard of Tucson, AZ
OUTSTANDING FICTION (Science Fiction)
Horseplay
by D. Cameron Daly of Burlingame, CA
OUTSTANDING FICTION (Romance)
At First Glance
by Marissa Hughes of Irvine, CA
OUTSTANDING TOPIC STORY
Suck Less!
by Patricia Rinker of Diamond Bar, CA
Congratulations, all. We’ll be back in Orange County next September with one notable change, the reveal of which is contained in my big 3-ring conference binder. Thanks to our special guest speakers, Ryka Aoki, Tonilyn Hornung, Dete Meserve, Isla Morley, and Tom Zoellner. Big shout out to all the SCWC workshop leaders, advance submission readers and front desk staff. Above all else, a robust and especially big spoon to all the conferees who entrust us with their work and aspirations. It’s genuinely our honor to be a part of your writing community.
Discounted pre-registration for San Diego 29, which takes place Presidents’ Day Weekend, February 13-16, 2015, is now open. Registration for our new Sunriver Writers’ Summit, which takes place May 2-3, 2015 in Central Oregon, is also open. We look forward to seeing you there. In the meantime, aim for excellence, settle only for exceptional, and take a moment to read Pat Rinker’s LA12 Topic Award-winning entry, “Suck Less!”
–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC
Each year the SCWC*LA holds a writing contest in which all conferees are invited to participate. The rules are simple: Write a piece in any form you wish of no more than 250 words based on the topic announced Friday night. The topic for the 12th annual Los Angeles conference (in Newport Beach) was “Move.” Patricia Rinker of Diamond Bar, CA is the writer of this year’s winning entry.
Suck Less!
By
Patricia Rinker
[Note: This is a parody of the tune “Rawhide,” originally composed by Dimitri Tiomkin in 1958 and used as the theme song for the popular TV show.]
Keep ‘em movin’, movin’, movin’
Though they’re disapprovin’
Keep those fingers movin’
Suck less!
Don’t try to understand it
Just write, rewrite and edit
A thesaurus, ready by my side.
My heart’s palpitating
My agent still waiting
Waiting for the end of my book
CHORUS
Move on, reread
Reread, move on
Move on, reread
Suck less!
Type it up, rip it up
Rip it up, type it up
Type it up, rip it up
Suck less!
Dates for our 13th SCWC*LA are Sept. 25-27, 2015. We’ll be returning to one of our most favorite conference venues, now the Wyndham Irvine. Discounted pre-registration will open up March, 2015. If you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to our periodic updates on the upper right navigation bar to receive important announcements and other vital, writerly news. You can also join the conversation on our Twitter feed and Facebook wall.
