On July 13th, our speaker is one of our own: Westley Turner, past president of our club, will be discussing what a story is and some techniques to improve it.

Westley Turner enjoys editing and analysing the written word, where he focuses on helping others achieve their potential. Having been raised by two schoolteachers (his mother taught English, his father, music), he grew up understanding the importance of education and proper communication. “If you aren’t doing something else, read something,” was oft heard around his house, and cereal boxes were regularly passed around the breakfast table for close perusal.

His knowledge of grammar serves him well in the various critique groups he attends as he not only comments on manuscripts, but also guides writers in story development. He has also studied book formatting and layout, including front and back matter, so when your narrative is ready for print, he can give helpful hints there, too.

He expresses his creative side by escaping into the world of writing and is currently working on a series of books that take place in the same universe. The stories in those books began as bedtime tales told to his children, and as the children grew up, so did the stories.

Initially not knowing that writer groups actually existed, Westley happened upon SSWC many years ago and fell in with fellow writers, for a few years fulfilling the role of president of the club. Branching out to other writer groups in the area, he has served as a non-member judge for Northern California Publishers and Authors Books Awards for the last few years and has spoken at both the California Writers Club Friday meeting and the Gold Country Writers Wednesday meeting. His most recent speaking engagement was at the Conference on Creative Writing held on the UOP campus in Stockton, where he had been asked to speak on what he looks for in judging book contests.

The topic of his talk at SSWC is What is a Story? and How You Can Improve It. Westley hopes to share some insights into the structure of stories and mention some specific details that will help you make your story more engaging to your readers. There may also be some easy-to-remember tips on self-editing.