California Writers Club, Sacramento Branch

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Writers Network, January 7 – Screenplay Adaptation

Writers Network Meeting
January 7, 2022

10 – 11 a.m. via Zoom (open for chat 30 minutes before meeting)

 

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.

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Filed Under: Writers NetworkTagged With: california writers club, cwc sacramento, writers club

Writers Network, December 3 – Picture Book Basics

Writers Network Meeting
December 3, 2021

10 – 11 a.m. via Zoom (open for chat 15 minutes before meeting)

 

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.

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Filed Under: Writers NetworkTagged With: california writers club, cwc sacramento, writers club

Writers Network, November 5 – Plot Flows from Character

Writers Network Meeting
November 5, 2021

10 to 11 a.m.

One-hour Zoom meeting

 

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).

In this presentation, you will learn:

  • The difference between contrived and organic plots.
  • How to create main characters that are “round” instead of “flat”.
  • How your characters can grow and change as a result of the choices they make and the events they cause and/or experience.
  • How to create surprises and less predictable storylines, making the plot more satisfying to readers.
  • When and how to use stock characters, versus unique individuals whom you can bring into your stories.

Scott Evans has taught writing at the University of the Pacific for over 25 years. He is the author of three “literary” murder mysteries titled Tragic Flaws, First Folio, and Sylvia’s Secret, as well as a collection of Hemingway-esque short stories, Green Seasons, and two coming-of-age novels, The Complex and Pearl Street. Evans is also the Editor and Publisher of the Blue Moon Literary & Art Review. Father of three, he lives in Davis, California, with his wife, Cindy. Please visit his websites at www.scottevansauthor.com and www.bluemoonlitartreview.com.

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Filed Under: Writers NetworkTagged With: california writers club, cwc sacramento, writers club

Writers Network, October 1 – My Pantser Writing Journey

Writers Network Meeting
October 1, 2021

10 to 11 a.m.

One-hour Zoom meeting

 

Laura Jensen Walker

Award-Winning Novelist

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

 

Overcome your fear to write the book(s) you were meant to write—whether you’re a plotter or a pantser.

  • – Don’t let fear stop you from writing in a new-to-you genre.
  • – Learn a sure-fire way to eliminate creaky dialogue.
  • – How to write a compelling, heartfelt memoir to grab your reader.
  • – Let your character drive the plot.
  • – Journalism tips to make an editor love you.

Former journalist and award-winning writer Laura Jensen Walker is the author of 20 books, including THANKS FOR THE MAMMOGRAM! Her first mystery, MURDER MOST SWEET (“fearlessly funny”) was nominated for a 2020 Agatha Award. Publishers Weekly called her latest cozy, DEADLY DELIGHTS (2021), “an entertaining sequel [with a] twisty plot.”

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Filed Under: Writers NetworkTagged With: california writers club, cwc sacramento, writers club

Writers Network, September 3 – Find Your Flow

Writers Network Meeting
September 3, 2021

10 to 11 a.m.

One-hour Zoom meeting

 

 

 

Featuring:

Jessilyn Gale, Award-Winning Journalist and      

Lesley Gale, English Professor and Meditation Teacher

 

 

Engage in Mindfulness to Find Your Flow
and Ignite Your Inspiration

Overcome writer’s block by tapping into your flow through mindfulness practices.

  • Gain clarity and focus.
  • Still your mind.
  • Find your flow.
  • Practice mindfulness meditation.
  • Engage in writing with enhanced sensory perception.

Jessilyn teaches English and Communications at Cosumnes River College (CRC). Much of her work has focused on mental health. She has written articles about mental health and mindfulness for multiple online publications—including a piece about mental health in young adults that won “Best Feature Series” from the Utah Press Association Better Newspaper Contest in 2017.

Lesley has taught composition and literature at CRC for over 20 years and participates in the campus-wide creative writing group. She has practiced mindfulness since 2014 and received training in teaching mindfulness from Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield.

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Filed Under: Writers NetworkTagged With: california writers club, cwc sacramento, writers club

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