Upcoming Workshops and Presentations

Grow a Great Character, Grow a Great Plot!

10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Sat., June 9, 2012
Book Passag
51 Tamal Vista Blvd.
Corte Madera, CA
(415) 927-0960>br> (800) 999-7909

People aren't simply vehicles for stories, they are the stories. That's what participants will learn when they come to this free workshop and grow their own characters from the ground up, whether for a memoir, novel, screenplay or other project. Through discussion and writing exercises, I'll explain what makes a character great and how his or her actions create a riveting plot and an unforgettable story. The bookstore will have Growing Great Characters From the Ground Up and my novel, The Wind Thief, available for sale.

Enough With Show, Don't Tell Already!
What Does That Mean, Why is It Necessary and How Do We Do It?

1 to 4:30 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 20, 2012
Four Points by Sheraton
5115 Hopyard Rd.
Pleasanton, CA
To register, contact the Tri-Valley Branch of the California Writers Club

Show, don't tell has got to be one of the most oft-spoken phrases in all writerdom and one that dogs determined scribes without mercy. We think we're showing, showing, showing, when really we're telling, telling, telling.

So why not tell? Look at all the fabulously famous writers who do!

Then again, if we're not fabulously famous and want to be, or if we just want to be the best writers possible, should we really succumb to telling readers exactly what our characters are thinking at all times?

Come find out, and when you do, be sure to bring pen and paper for writing exercises designed to help determine whether to show or tell and when.