Gini Grossenbacher, M.Ed.

Award-Winning Indie Novelist, Certificated Editor, Small Press Publisher

Tips for Creating and Maintaining
Effective Critique Groups

Tired of critique groups that drain your energy and leave you sad about your writing? Learn strategies for changing the negative to the positive so you experience the joys of strengthening your writing process.  

• -How to select and invite critique group members
• -How to establish safe space boundaries for critiques
• -How to distribute work and receive input
• -Working with style manuals
• -Leader and participant roles and responsibilities
• -Maintaining smooth teamwork over time

Gini Grossenbacher (she/her), novelist, poet, certificated editor, educator, publisher, founded Elk Grove Writers and Artists and JGKS Press. Former CWC Vice President-Membership, Gini has thirty-six years of experience teaching English/language arts to adolescents and adults. Her debut American Madams series novel, Madam of My Heart, was a silver medalist for historical fiction in the 2018 Independent Publisher awards; Madam in Silk was runner up for historical fiction in the 2020 National Indie Excellence Awards. Her next novel, Madam in Lace is being published in 2021, and Glimpses, her first poetry collection will release in April 2022. As well as offering virtual fiction workshops for aspiring writers, Gini provides developmental, copyediting, and assisted publishing services to novelists and poets. She received the Jack London award for service to the California Writers Club.  

Website: http://ginigrossenbacher.com/  
https://www.facebook.com/ginigrossenbacherauthor

Sarah Armstrong-Garner

Author and Screenwriter

The Road to Adapting a Novel to a Screenplay

Sarah will tell us about tips and tricks for a successful adaptation and how to pitch to networks. She will cover the following topics:

• Screenwriting 101
• Examining a story to discover what format it fits into (Feature or TV)
• Finding the heart of the story and fitting it into a format
• How to research production companies
• The art of pitching

Sarah Armstrong-Garner was raised in a small California Gold Rush town, surrounded by ghost stories and superstitions that greatly inspire her writing style – usually set in fantasy and horror. Her training consists of the Feature Film Program at Brooks Institute, Screenwriting U Pro Series, and Roadmap Writers’ Career Writer Program. Her recent 1-hour fantasy drama pilot, The Soul of a Witch, is in the top 6% on Coverfly (www.coverfly.com), and received a “Recommend” through Roadmap Writers’ consultation program (www.roadmapwriters.com). Sarah is also the YA fantasy author of two books, Sinking and Drifting.

Christine L. “Chrissi” Villa

Award-Winning Children’s Book Author and Publisher

Discover the Basics Any Aspiring Picture Book Author Should Know

Have you been dreaming of writing a children’s book? Do you have a character idea or plot waiting to come to life in a child’s imagination? Come and discover the basics that any aspiring picture book author should know.

• What is a picture book and what are the general characteristics of a picture book?
• What are the first steps in becoming a picture book writer?
• How do you come up with unique story ideas?
• Ten guidelines in writing your unique story
• Exploring the key ingredients of a successful picture book
• How to create a main character who wins the hearts of your readers.
• How to find your voice and style.
• How to craft a compelling plot and draw your readers into the scene.
• How to revise or rewrite your story by using checklists.

Christine L. “Chrissi” Villa is a children’s book author, publisher, poet, speaker, mixed media artist, and photographer. Her books, poems, photographs, and artwork have won recognition and several awards. She is the founder of Purple Cotton Candy Arts, a business that offers publishing services such as editing, proofreading, illustrating, rewriting, formatting, and book trailers. She teaches a workshop titled “Essentials of Writing a Picture Book”.

See: www.christinevilla.com. Contact Chrissi at chrissivilla@gmail.com.

Scott Evans

University of the Pacific Writing Professor, Author and Editor

“Plot Flows from Character”

There are two kinds of plots: Contrived and Organic. The contrived plot is imposed upon the
characters.  Most disaster movies use this type of plot.  A bunch of random characters are
forced to deal with some kind of disaster—a forest fire, a flood, the destruction of the earth by
an asteroid (Independence Day, 2012, Day After Tomorrow). While such stories can be
entertaining, they are rarely enduring because the characters are usually not fully developed
and they have little control over their fates.  Often, stock characters are used. These characters
contribute little—they are like stage props
 
The organic plot grows out of the main characters’ traits, and the characters’ strengths and
weaknesses cause events to take place.  Thus, the characters have much more influence over
the events of the story (whether they realize it or not), so the plot is less predictable and,
consequently, more satisfying (Hamlet, The Death of a Salesman, To Kill a Mockingbird).

Laura Jensen Walker

Award-Winning Novelist

Writing By the Seat of My Pants:
From Memoir to Mysteries