by CWC Marin administrator | Apr 2, 2014 | Classes and Workshops, Events
Catamaran Writing Conference
Pebble Beach, California
August 13 – 17, 2014
Catamaran will host its first annual writing conference at the Robert Louis Stevenson School in Pebble Beach, California.
The conference offers morning workshops in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction in small groups of 5-12.
Registration includes four nights lodging at the Stevenson school and twelve meals in a group setting.
Improve your craft with these award-winning instructors:
Poetry: Joseph Millar, Kim Addonizio
Nonfiction: Jonah Raskin, Jane Vandenburgh
Fiction: Gina Ochsner, Elizabeth McKenzie
Science and Nature Writing: John Moir
Register now to save $250 for early registration.
Learn more about the instructors and an overview of the conference on Catamaran’s website: Catamaran Literary Reader.
by CWC Marin administrator | Mar 6, 2014 | Events
SET YOUR CHARACTERS FREE
The pitfalls and unexpected rewards of turning memoir into fiction.
with
Mary-Rose Hayes
Sunday, April 13, 2014
2:00-4:00 p.m.
Book Passage – 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera
Mary-Rose Hayes will discuss writing her new novel WHAT SHE HAD TO DO; the reasons it took so long (more than ten years) and how that was a blessing in
disguise; 
why the characters in the book didn’t seem real until she stepped out of their lives and allowed them to develop on their own; and how, by the time she had typed “THE END” for the final time, she had surprisingly come to terms with past issues of her own.
British-born Mary-Rose Hayes is the author of eight previous novels including the TIME/LIFE best seller AMETHYST, and two political thrillers co-authored with Senator Barbara Boxer.
by CWC Marin administrator | Feb 25, 2014 | Events, Newsletters
The tenth book by Priscilla Royal in her medieval mystery series, Covenant With Hell, is now out in paper and book versions. 
Publishers Weekly has given it a starred review and Sharon Kay Penman her highest praise.
A native of Washington State, Priscilla Royal grew up in New Westminster, BC. She graduated with a BA in world literature from San Francisco State University.
In 2000, she retired from the federal civil service and now writes medieval mysteries full time. Medieval literature and history have fascinated her for almost half a century, and she delights in finding details that aren’t usually mentioned in most fiction. As one example, her main characters belong to the very real Order of Fontevraud, a double house of monks and nuns, run by a woman in an era when conventional wisdom said that women were weak, illogical and should never rule men. The characters remain true to their time but exhibit universal character- istics.
Although a fan of theater, modern mysteries, and fiction of lesser violence, she was inspired to write about medieval crime and punishment by the works of both Ellis Peters and Sharon Kay Penman.
Visit her website at www.priscillaroyal.com and her blog postings on The Lady Killers blog (www.theladykillers.typepad.com).
by CWC Marin administrator | Feb 10, 2014 | Classes and Workshops, Events
2014 SAN FRANCISCO WRITERS CONFERENCE
and WRITING INTENSIVE CLASSES
February 13th-17th
Celebration of Craft, Commerce and Community for Writers
11th Annual Event
The InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel
Featuring:
- Julie Kagawa, USA Today & NY Times bestselling author of The Iron Fey series
- NoViolet Bulawayo, Caine Award winner and author of We Need New Names
- Chitra Divakaruni, international bestselling author of The Mistress of Spices
- Barry Eisler, author of the bestselling Rain and Treven series
- Dan Millman, of Peaceful Warrior fame and The Creative Compass
- Rhys Bowen, Agatha and Anthony award-winning author of the Molly Murphy series
Take your writing career to new levels. Immerse yourself in the quality inter- action with 100+ literary agents, editors, publishers and bestselling authors. Exhibit hall, bookstore and a special evening presentation with Julie Kagawa will be open to the public.
The SFWC Pre/Post Event Classes are open to non-attendees. Get details—including a full presenters list and online registration and opt-in for the SFWC Newsletter at www.SFWriters.org.
by CWC Marin administrator | Jan 29, 2014 | Events
Plarachterization
The Intersection of Plot and Character
Sunday, February 23, 2014, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Book Passage – 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera
Joshua Mohr
Plarachterization is a strategy that will help any writer. The best plots aren’t controlled by an authorial presence but spring from the characters themselves. The more we program ourselves to think of it in this way — that our protagonists are sovereign beings with independent consciousnesses from our own — the better prepared we are to traverse “plarachterization.” Will also includes characters’ decision making, the causality between plot points, and how to include specific tactics for constructing a present action and how to fold back-story into it.
Joshua Mohr is the author of four award-winning novels: Damascus, Some Things that Meant the World to Me, Termite Parade, and his latest – Fight Song, for which the Huffington Post called him “A brilliant and skilled story teller…”
He lives in San Francisco and teaches in the MFA program at USF.
www.joshuamohr.net
California Writers Club is a nonprofit 501(c)3 educational corporation. CWC Marin events are open to the public for a $10 non-member charge per meeting. The charge for CWC members is $5 per meeting. Learn more about this month’s speakers, future events, or how to join CWC Marin at http://www.cwcmarinwriters.com.
