February 8
Perfect Pitch
6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Member News + Craft Articles + Interviews + Upcoming Events
‘Aliens Crashed in My Back Yard,’ by Mike Van Horn, Now Available on Amazon
Aliens Crashed in My Back Yard, Book 1 of Mike Van Horn’s trilogy, has just been published on Amazon. Selena M, a singer who fears she’s going over the hill, rescues the surviving—very non-human—alien. She decides to nurse it to health and send it back home. Turns out...
Kitty Baker Wins Second Place in Redwood Writers Young Adult and Middle Grade Contest
Redwood Writers selected CWC-Marin member C.M. (Kitty) Baker as second place winner in their annual Young Adult/Middle Grade writers contest for her novel-in-progress, "Scenes in Syncopated Time." (You can read the first two chapters here.) Originally from Minnesota...
The Puzzle of Book Cover Design — An Interview with Andrew Benzie
Andrew Benzie, who will be presenting at the February 24 meeting, is a book cover designer and marketing strategist. I spoke to him on the phone recently to find out more about how he got where he is and how he does his work. (His presentation is on “Promoting Your...
‘The 10 Key Scenes That Frame Up Your Novel’ [Special Workshop March 24 with C.S. Lakin]
[REGISTER HERE] In March, we’re hosting a special workshop with C.S. Lakin—"The 10 Key Scenes That Frame Up Your Novel." You’ll learn: How to know exactly where to start your story and how to set up your premise What the ten key scenes are that serve as the framework...
Promoting Your Book: Building a Successful Marketing Strategy
In February, we welcome book designer and marketing strategist Andrew Benzie, for "Promoting Your Book: Building a Successful Marketing Strategy" There’s never been a better time for authors to publish their work, but unless you’re Steven King, you have to market it....
The Hero’s Journey and How It Serves as Blueprint for Transformative Stories
Mythologist Joseph Campbell believed that there was a myth that crossed all cultural barriers—the Hero’s Journey, which he described in The Hero with a Thousand Faces. David Kudler, publishing director of the Joseph Campbell Foundation, and author of Risuko: A...
CWC Holiday Party December 9
We’re hosting our annual CWC Marin Christmas Party on December 9 this year. Come celebrate with us. Please bring an appetizer or favorite beverage to share at the festivities. RSVP to cwcmarin@gmail.com if you want to read for the Open Mic. (Eight minutes or...
Setting That Works
How Memorable Setting Can Advance Plot, Reveal Character, Echo Theme, and More [This post is distilled from a November 2018 CWC-Marin workshop I led at Book Passage in Corte Madera.] Flash Flood In my first novel—Bones in the Wash: Politics is Tough. Family is...
Setting That Works — How Memorable Setting Can Advance Plot, Reveal Character, and Echo Theme
The best setting is more than a pretty, or gritty description. It’s lean and strong, because it’s working two or more jobs—pushing your story along, helping us get to know your protagonist better. Join us for Setting That Works on November 11. In this hands-on...
What is the Opening Act?
If you look again at the flyer above for the October meeting, you’ll see that the main meeting at 2 pm is preceded by the Opening Act at 1 pm? The goal of Opening Act is to give people a chance to contribute and get to know each other. It’s more sharing than...