The California Creative Writing Conference
The CCWC begins this Friday at 6:00 pm. Here is the full schedule http://www.wcwriters.com/ccwc/program.html
This will be a virtual event on Zoom and like the last one, it will go on for nine days. With a full schedule on the weekends and evenings on the weekdays. If you are new to Zoom conferences, make sure to catch the first panel on Friday, February 26th at 6:00 pm, “How to Use Zoom Technology for the Virtual Conference”.
The reason these conferences go on for nine days is that there is only one track of programming so no one has to miss anything. Here are some of the topics I’m especially looking forward to:
Sat. Feb 27, 9:30 am, “Saturday Orientation and Updates”: Sometimes the schedule changes. This is where to find out if it does.
Sat. Feb, 27, 10:00 am, “How To Pitch an Agent or Publisher”: Always a great, informative panel on how to approach an agent or publisher with your novel or screenplay. The panelists often share their horror stories, so you don’t become one of them.
Sat. Feb, 27, 11:45 am, “Wake the Story that Slumber Inside of You”: As part of the description says: It is meant to assure those who are writers at heart but not (yet) by trade that yes, writing is worthwhile, that success comes in many ways and shapes and forms. It is meant to celebrate our craft. It is meant to honor the process rather than bow to results.
Sat. Feb, 27, 1:00 pm, “Finding the Heart of Your Story by Shaping Your Original Idea”. Story, story, story. It’s got to start with a great concept.
Sat. Feb. 27, 4:45 pm. “World Building: Are you ready to play God?”. Looks like I’m moderating that one, so I’ll be there. I’ve moderated this one before. It’s a fun topic.
Sat. Feb. 27, 6:00pm. “Plotting vs. Pantsing”. I’m definitely a plotter. Pantsing can be fun, but you can waste a lot of time and work. How can you drive your story to its destination if you haven’t figured out what the destination is first?
Sun. Feb. 28, 1:00 pm, “How to Make Your Character Come Alive!” You got to have characters reader/viewers care about.
Mon. Mar. 1, 7:30 pm. This conference will have a number of documentaries. This is the first one, “The Genius of Mary Shelly”.
Tues. Mar 2, 7:30pm. Documentary, “The Genius of Phillip K. Dick”, this one is hosted by director Ridley Scott.
Thurs. Mar. 4, 7:30 pm. “The Overlooked Fundamentals of Platform”. I’m trying to build my platform. That’s what this blog is about.
Sat. Mar. 6, 10:00 am. “Powering You Story Through Inciting Incidents”. Your hero is going along in his normal life, then something happens that turns his world upside down. That’s the inciting incident.
Sat. Mar. 6, 11:00 am. “The Perfect Ending”. Part of the description reads The end of your story can be just as important as the beginning. I think it can be more important. People read books and go to movies to experience something, to feel something. The last feeling you give them is the one they will carry with them out of the theater or close the book on. It will make the difference if they rave about your story to their friends or not. Have you ever read a book or watched a move just to have the whole thing ruined by a bad ending?
It’s not too late to join the conference. Just go to http://www.wcwriters.com/ccwc/aboutregistration.html Tell then Dennis sent you. It won’t get you anything, but at least I’ll know someone is reading this.
Dennis Amador Cherry
49th article completed.
First Steampunk novel: 72,282 words, First Draft DONE – Chapter 7 – 9 rewriting chapter 7.
First Steampunk screenplay: Updated with notes from the novelization.
Second Steampunk screenplay: 114 pages
Second Steampunk novel: 0 words.
I’ll be giving up another week of writing, but it will be worth it.
Leave a Reply