Penny Warner He said... She said...Bring your story to life through dynamic dialogue. In this presentation, we’ll “talk” about the purpose of dialogue in fiction, how to differentiate between speakers, what “not” to say, dealing with slang and dialect, and how to make your characters sound like real people. Penny Warner is the author of […]
Christopher Locke The Power of Book Reviews & How to Garner Them Excellent reviews can greatly increase your book’s chances at success, but garnering reviews can be a challenging endeavor in this saturated book market. Independent Book Publishers Association Director of Membership & Member Services & author publisher Christopher Locke will discuss strategic planning for […]
Jaime Cortez Gordo, a Steinbeck Country Comedy in 11 Tragic Chapters Join us as Jaime Cortez reads and discusses selections from his short story collection, Gordo. Set in a migrant workers camp near Watsonville, California, in the 1970s, the stories, alternately tragic and comical, introduce readers to a cast of rambunctious kids, rebellious adolescents, and the […]
May 17, 2022 Jordan Rosenfeld Evoke Emotion in Every Scene From fast-paced thrillers to contemplative literary novels and everything in between, readers need to connect with your characters to create a page-turning story. Emotion is the thread that binds readers to your characters’ experience. This presentation will help you use sensory cues, powerful imagery, character […]
Booktoberfest! CCW is sticking with our tradition of hosting Booktoberfest in October. Seven of our members will be readers. Each reader will be allotted approximately 8 minutes of reading time.
Why We Need More LGBTQ+ Historical Fiction Shannon Pufahl grew up in rural Kansas and teaches at Stanford University, where she was a Stegner Fellow in Fiction. Before this, she worked for many years as a freelance music writer and bartender. Her essays, on topics ranging from eighteenth-century America to her childhood, have appeared in […]
January 17, 2023 John Byrne Barry Setting That Works - How Memorable Setting Can Advance Plot, Reveal Character, Echo Theme, and More. The primary job for setting is to immerse readers in the scene, but the most memorable settings do more than that — they advance your story, echo your theme, and convey mood and […]
March 21, 2023 Paul Zeidman Screenwriting 101: Learning The Basics, And A Little More Every film begins with the script and knowing the basics of writing a screenplay can set you on the right path. Among the topics covered in this presentation are: the importance of “show, don’t tell,” what should and shouldn’t be on the page, what […]
April 18, 2023 Kevin Fisher-Paulson With a Trowell not an Axe: The Gentler Way of Editing A good writer knows that editing is a part of the process, like gardening is to the growth of flowers. But some go at their gardening with indifference, and some go at it with an axe. This presentation will […]
May 16, 2023 Geri Spieler Advanced Internet Research for Writers: Skills All Writers Should Know How do you start your research process? What words do you use to find information? Do you know how to gauge when a website is genuine? In this presentation, you will learn the main topics of "Online Research Methods," which include […]
June 20, 2023 Andrea Firth In A Flash: The Art and Craft of the Short, Short Story In this presentation, learn what flash fiction (and flash nonfiction) writing is and isn’t, how it breaks the rules, and why and how flash shorts are “hot” from the first sentence. Discover the keys to the flash form--urgency, conflict, […]
July 18, 2023 Mary Buckham Writing Active Hooks--or How Many Hooks Are Enough? Ready to learn what exactly a hook is, and what a hook isn’t? The simplest way to avoid a sagging middle, and to keep a reader reading, is to understand how to continually build hooks into your writing. In this presentation, explore […]