California Writers Club, Sacramento Branch

Dedicated to Educating Writers of all Levels

September 2023 at Cattlemens

Mark your calendar for another exciting Cattlemen’s meeting Saturday, September 16!

BUILDING YOUR STORY STRUCTURE: So the rest doesn’t come crashing down!

Featured speaker:  Jennieke Cohen

Jennieke Cohen
Jennieke Cohen

Does your story sometimes fall flat and you’re not sure why? That could be because it’s missing the fundamental building blocks of structure. In this workshop, we’ll discuss the basics of story structure and how to apply them to your own writing—whether you’re revising or starting a project from scratch. Using some well-known books and movies, we’ll pinpoint the difference between a satisfying story and one that’s easily forgotten and leave you with the tools to apply structure to your own writing.

What you will learn:

  • Dealing with structure early can save a lot of aggravation in revision.
  • If you’re working on structure after the book is written, make sure all the appropriate story beats are present.
  • Knowing what kind of story you’re writing not only helps with structure, it’s important to know how to sell your book to readers, agents, and editors.
  • It’s easy to get off track in the middle—we’ll discuss how having structure can prevent the dreaded saggy middle.
  • There’s no one way to write a book. But almost all strong stories have a strong underlying structure.

Jennieke Cohen is the author of two young adult historical novels, both of which have been translated into multiple languages. Her debut book, DANGEROUS ALLIANCE, was a Junior Library Guild selection, and her latest, MY FINE FELLOW, is a 2023 Sydney Taylor Award Honor Book. She’s worked as a nonfiction ghostwriter and as a writing consultant to Silicon Valley tech companies. A UC Davis graduate, Jennieke also has a master’s degree in professional writing from USC.

Visit Jennieke’s website at www.JenniekeCohen.com

Dangerous Alliance
Dangerous Alliance
My Fine Fellow
My Fine Fellow

Program Itinerary

Networking & Coffee: 11:30 am.

Lunch: 12:00 noon.

Featured Speaker: 1:00 pm.

Post Meeting Presentation: 2:30 pm, See below for details.

Prize Draw: Time as appropriate.

We will also have a book display – Bring a copy of your book to display and SELL!

Meal: Plated, with vegetarian option

Meeting cost: $32, advance purchase; walk-in, $37. Required of all attendees, receipt available which can be tax deductible. Sadly, our prices have gone up to cover bank charges.

Purchase Tickets

Post-meeting presentation & club fundraiser: A 30-minute presentation, tips, and Q’s & A’s! (Attendees who stay are encouraged to give a donation to the club!)

Amplifying Your Author Brand:

Tips for Pitching Print and Online Magazines

CWC member Brina Patel will discuss how authors can write for print or online magazines to publicize their books or build their writing portfolios. Learn effective strategies for writing a compelling pitch and honing in on your impactful story ideas. You’ll walk away with Brina’s 7-step pitching process that’ll help you send your story ideas off with confidence!

Brina Patel is a content writer whose bylines have appeared in several publications including Business Insider, Byrdie, Well+Good, and Verywell Mind. Brina also edited the Rituals anthology with Bell Press Books, and her creative nonfiction has been published in Heartwood Literary Magazine and LEVITATE Magazine. In her free time, Brina enjoys traveling, reading, going on adventures with friends, and sharing writing tips on her blog at:

www.brinapatelwriter.com.

Brina Patel
Brina Patel

 

Monthly meeting at Cattlemens

Mark your calendar for another exciting Cattlemens meeting Saturday, June 17!

TELL ME WHY: CREATING REALISTIC & BELIEVABLE MOTIVATION FOR (ALL) YOUR CHARACTERS

Featured speaker:  Anna J. Stewart, USA Today Bestselling Romance Novelist

What you will learn:

  • What is motivation and how does it apply to character.
  • Why motivation is important to your characters and your story as a whole.
  • Film and TV examples of strong (and not so strong) character motivation.
  • The difference in creating motivation for villains versus heroes.
  • Motivation examined in relation to goals and conflict.

Networking & Coffee: 11:30 am.

Book display – Bring a copy of your book to display and SELL!

Book giveaway – Bring a used book you think others might enjoy.

Meal: Plated, with vegetarian option

Meeting cost: $32, advance purchase; walk-in, $37. Required of all attendees, receipt available which can be tax deductible.
Sadly, our prices have gone up to cover bank charges.

Purchase Tickets

Native Californian Anna J Stewart is the author of more than 50 romance novels and novellas. Currently under contract with Harlequin and ArcManor, she writes sweet to spicy happily ever afters across the romance genre. A former Holt Medallion winner, a Daphne, and National Readers’ Choice finalist, she’s also been lucky enough to have one of her books optioned for a TV movie.

Special post-meeting club fundraiser: “Public Speaking Tips for Writers,” by member Linda Champion, Toastmasters District Champion, Speech Evaluation, a 30-minutes verbal presentation, written tips, and plenty of time for questions! (Attendees who stay to hear Linda are invited to give a donation to the club!)

Purchase Tickets

 

Monthly Meeting, May 20 – Beginning Again: Putting Fun Back Into Writing

Saturday, May 20 2023

 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Arden-Dimick Library
891 Watt Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95864

Free Meeting – Open to the Public

Zoom link

Come see your fellow writers! Hear what everyone’s working on! Find new friends who share your genre!

 

Kirsten Casey
Kirsten Casey

with

Kirsten Casey

Author 

Beginning Again: Putting Fun Back Into Writing.

Nevada County Poet Laureate, Kirsten Casey, wants you to enjoy the process of writing, even if you feel undisciplined and blocked. Her approach to writing will entertain you and inspire you. Remember why you started to write and come to renew that sense of inspiration.

I will boost your creativity, through a glimpse into the ways I find inspiration, and I will provide prompts to renew your curiosity and love for writing.

You will learn where to look for inspiration when you don’t feel inspired.

  • the internet is your friend, the internet is your enemy.
  • accountability in writing, what does that mean to you?
  • fun prompts that are useful in any genre of writing.
  • encouragement without judgment, learning to accept your own approach.

Kirsten Casey is the current Nevada County poet laureate, and an active California Poet in the Schools. As laureate, she is writing poems celebrating local historical places, people, and events. She is also holding community workshops to promote poetry and to make the process of its creation more accessible. Her second book of poetry (with the working title Instantaneous Obsolescence) explores historical and literary characters struggling with social media. Kirsten Casey.

 

Luncheon, June 16 – Pep Talk for Writers

Develop Your Creative Mojo and Write, Write, Write!

Grant Faulkner
Executive Director, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)
Author, Pep Talk for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo

11 AM–1:00 PM

10:15 Discuss & Share: Book Covers that Draw Readers.
Bring a cover you think is either fabulous or that needs improvement
Facilitated by Pretty Road Press Publisher Ted Witt

Cattlemens, 12409 Folsom Blvd, $15 members/$20 guests (includes lunch)

 First 50 people who don’t have Grant’s book will get a free copy!

So many things conspire to keep you from achieving your goals as a writer. Self-doubt, lack of discipline, time management, writer’s block, creative solitude, fear of rejection…the list goes on and on.

But just because you’ve been struggling with one or more of these challenges doesn’t mean you have to abandon your creative goals and give up your dreams.

Grant Faulkner, executive director of National Novel Writing Month and author of Pep Talk for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo, will show you ways to banish your inner editor, dive into your work with creative abandon, write boldly on the page and develop your self-confidence.

Among Grant’s articles: “The Writer as Seducer,” Writer’s Digest 2/18; “Imagination Under Pressure,” Poets & Writers 1-2/18;  “How to Beat Writer’s Block,” IngramSpark 11/9/17; “Why You ARE the Creative Type,” Goodreads 11/1/17; “How a Month of NaNoWriMo Can Lead to a Lifetime of Better Writing,” Writer’s Digest 11-12/16; “Naked (On the Page) and Afraid,” Writer’s Digest 7-8/15; and “Writing Flash Fiction: Telling a Story with What’s Left Out,” Writer’s Digest 5-6/15.

In this session, you’ll learn how to:

  • Set an audacious goal and a deadline.
  • Track your daily progress.
  • Connect with others in a creative community.
  • Write what you love, not what you should.
  • Find and nourish your muse.
  • Use writing games and challenges to overcome writer’s block.
  • Deal with feedback and rejection.
  • Achieve writing mastery.

 

 

 

Luncheon Information

  • Monthly Luncheons are open to the public
  • Cost is $15 for members, $20 for nonmembers
  • The meeting fee includes speaker,  lunch and beverage
  • Cattlemens Restaurant, 12409 Folsom Blvd., Rancho Cordova, CA

The restaurant is located just east of Hazel Ave. at the northeast end of the Nimbus Winery complex along Highway 50. Cattlemens offers CWC a spacious meeting room with free WiFi, quality AV equipment, free off street parking and excellent food.


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Luncheon, May 19 – Marketing and Monetizing Your Writing Specialty

Marketing Your Writing Specialty: Tips for Making Money

from Your Writing/Photography in Any Genre

 

Lee Foster, Writer & Photographer

11 AM–1:00 PM

10:15 Early Bird Session, Great Starts:
Bring a first sentence or paragraph to discuss and share.  

Cattlemens, 12409 Folsom Blvd, $15 members/$20 guests (includes lunch)

 

It is good to create, it is better to create and publish, and it is best to create, publish, and monetize.
This “truth” is followed by Lee Foster, who will share 11+ tips for writers and guests on May 19.

By studying the steps that Lee has taken, attendees can better plan their futures, whether their genre is memoir, historical novels, fantasy, or nonfiction.

Lee has published travel writing/photography in every major U.S. travel magazine/newspaper. He advocates a strong website and Social Media presence. Lee has 18 books (listed on his Amazon Author Page), 13 of which are “traditionally published.” Two of Lee’s books sell as ebooks in China via Lee’s USA Amazon Author Page. Lee has converted some of his books to audiobooks.

In order to be artistically and financially sustainable, authors and “content creators” need to understand the revolutions occurring and position themselves as beneficially as possible.

Attendee Takeaways
– how to create excellent and artistic content;
– how connect with an audience; and
– how to earn income.

 

 

Luncheon 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Early Bird special 10:15

 

 

Luncheon Information

  • Monthly Luncheons are open to the public
  • Cost is $15 for members, $20 for nonmembers
  • The meeting fee includes speaker,  lunch and beverage
  • Cattlemens Restaurant, 12409 Folsom Blvd., Rancho Cordova, CA

The restaurant is located just east of Hazel Ave. at the northeast end of the Nimbus Winery complex along Highway 50. Cattlemens offers CWC a spacious meeting room with free WiFi, quality AV equipment, free off street parking and excellent food.


View Larger Map