I have a standing date with my computer on Monday night for the last five years. During the previous week, I take notes, compile thoughts and research. I spend at least two hours crafting a cohesive essay. Once finished, the piece is uploaded to Female in Motion’s Blogger site and Networked Blogs sees that it…
Author: KWA
The mission of KWA is to inform, support, encourage and promote the writer. We have more than 100 members who write in all genres, in fiction and non-fiction, who publish traditionally and online. Let us help you hone your skills, polish your work, network with other writers, and put you on the path to publication.
The Dramatica Theory to Story Structure
Plot, climax, rising action, falling action, structure; all terms writers use when talking about stories, but often their exact definitions tend to elude us. One would think that with all the brilliant minds that have written stories over the course of history, we would have found one definitive method of writing that worked for everyone,…
Sliding Doors Between Reality and Fiction
You’re halfway through the climatic final scene in your work-in-progress. Typing furiously for four and a half hours, you’re finally making some real progress. That’s when it happens… “Mom, I’m hungry! It’s 7:30. We ate all the chips an hour ago.” You glance up from the monitor and realize the sun has set and the…
Becoming a Sought-After Public Speaker
As promised, the following is a sequel to last month’s blog post, “Planning a Unique and Popular Book Event.” You are an expert on (at least) one topic: your book. All that research you did for the project can come in handy for a speech topic. A great way to increase sales of your book…
The Creative Life
This article is part of an ongoing series where we feature the skills and talents of our own KWA Members. Ann Fell’s work blends seamlessly her own experiences with her creative outpourings. In the following, she attempts to explain exactly how she does this so effortlessly. We hope you are as inspired as we were….
Thinking Outside the Box
Last weekend, our monthly KWA meeting was all about Thinking Outside the Box, that pesky thing that tends to place boundaries on how we can be successful. The following brief synopsis was provided by our own H.B. Berlow, the facilitator for the day’s proceedings. Be sure to leave a comment below explaining how you’ve been…
It’s Contest Time!
The following information is provided by Samantha LaFantasie, Contest Chair 2012. You may email questions to contest@kwawriters.org. It’s August and that means it’s also contest time! For specific rules and submission information for the KWA Poetry and Prose Contest, click here. In the meantime, there are a few changes that have come this year—starting with…
Can You Pitch?
Our July Program on The High Concept Pitch really educated members on the Dos & Don’ts of ‘pitching’ our work to readers, agents, and publishers. HB Berlow led the program. Then several participants whipped up their own “pitches” on the spot. The following excerpt is from HB’s article in the August KWA newsletter. For full text,…
Planning a Unique and Popular Book Event
Table. Check. Comfy chair. Check. Attractively arranged pile of your books. Check. Plenty of pens for autographs. Check. You are happily ensconced in a corner of the local book store or library, ready to host your first book signing. There’s only one thing missing…readers to buy your books. Perhaps the best venue for your…
Character Development
Atticus Finch. Holden Caulfield. Hamlet. Jane Eyre. Anna Karenina. Madame Bovary. According to The Fictional 100, by Lucy Pollard-Gott, PhD, these characters live on in our imaginations. There are basic personality types that all players in a story should embody. These tips will help you construct a framework to design your memorable characters. People-watching…