November 12, 2019
Behind the Pen: Meet Board Member Samantha Hoffman
Interview by Meryl D'Sa
Samantha Hoffman wears many hats: she is a writer, editor, private chef, traveler, VP of the Chicago Writers Association, and also the Executive Director of Let’s Just Write! An Uncommon Writers Conference. Having been a writer all her life and seeing the value in good writing, Samantha has been instrumental in helping the writing community in Chicago grow. She also has a blog that focuses on life in Chicago…
November 5, 2019
Behind the Pen: Meet CWA Board Member Shawn Shiflett
Interview by Jessica Mack
As a writer, Shawn Shiflett knows you have to keep moving and putting in the work in order to find success. With a couple of published books under his belt, he is currently working on a few projects while juggling a career of teaching future writers about their value in…
October 29, 2019
Writing Conferences - Why Go?
by guest blogger Maggie Smith
My name is Maggie Smith and I have a confession: I’m a writing conference junkie.
I love attending seminars, workshops, and gatherings with other writers and I’ve got the lanyards to prove it. I’ve put Fire in my Fiction with Donald Maass. I’ve let Story trump Structure with Steven James.…
October 22, 2019
Behind the Pen: Meet CWA Board Member Charlie Monte Verde
Interview by Jessica Mack
As founder of Cult of AMERICANA and EDO Trains, Charlie willingly and fully disappears into art, often at the expense of his reality. He’s currently working on his first based-on-a-true-story novel which will be available...hopefully someday. That part of his bio has remained unchanged for many years now. His day…
October 18, 2019
Gatekeepers
by guest blogger Dave King
Originally posted by our friends at Writer Unboxed
In a recent interview for a writing blog, I was asked how publishing has changed since I’ve been an editor. The obvious answer is the rise of self-publishing and e-publishing. But these are only symptoms of something deeper.
Most publishing houses…
October 8, 2019
Making Memories at a Writers Conference
by Samantha Hoffman
If you're a writer or an editor or a book publisher, or if you're a reader who wants to be a writer, you need to get yourself to a writers conference. There's no group more supportive and encouraging. You learn, you work, you get motivated, and there's nothing better than…
October 1, 2019
Behind the Pen: Meet CWA Board Member Dan Burns
Interview by Meryl D'Sa
Author, poet and screenwriter Dan Burns is a jack of all trades when it comes to writing. He is a disciplined writer and is constantly exploring different genres. He believes the best way to be a writer is to keep writing, in one form or another, and to find inspiration…
September 24, 2019
Turning Points Propel Your Story
by guest blogger Tim Storm
Turning points are crucial to scenes. In fact, it’s more than that. Turning points are why scenes exist. So it’s essential to understand how and why they work within your story.
What are scenes?
They're everywhere. No matter what kind of story you are writing, you will have scenes.…
September 17, 2019
5 Book Cover Design Principles for Nonfiction Authors
By guest blogger Bennett R. Coles
The bar for nonfiction book-cover design is much higher than that for most other genres. Unlike works of fiction, where the primary goal is to entertain a general audience, nonfiction books are much more serious in nature. Whether your goal is to help your audience at a personal level or…
September 10, 2019
Behind the Pen: Meet CWA board member Rick Kaempfer
Interview by Meryl D'Sa
Interview with Chicago Writers Association board member, Rick Kaempfer
Rick Kaempfer, author of four books and co-founder and publisher of Eckhartz Press, has a wide range of writing experience from writing for radio, hosting a weekly podcast, to writing fiction, nonfiction, and collaborating on novels with fellow writers. Kaempfer…
