By Mollie Hunt A few days ago, the topic of the CWA Bi-weekly Zoom Chat* was “voice.” With sixteen published titles—twelve cozy mysteries, one standalone mystery, three sci-fantasies, a memoir, and a book of poetry—voice has been an important aspect of my work. An author’s voice is like the nose-print of a cat—no two are […]
Craft
The CWA Communications Contest: the Basics
The CWA Communications Contest recognizes entrants for excellence in cat-specific content in a variety of media. The Contest includes two sections: the regular and Special Award categories. Winners in the regular categories receive the CWA’s coveted Muse Medallions, and winners in the Special Award categories receive cash prizes. Except where noted, the categories in both […]
The Relevancy of Writing about Cats in Today’s Broken World
By Katherine Kern. Cats are immensely popular pets worldwide. Many people are passionate about their feline companions, whom they view as part of the family. Cats also maintain a significant presence on the internet, where memes, videos, and images of cats entertain and engage audiences, showcasing the enduring fascination with these animals. Because of these […]
Improve Your Pacing, Line by Line
By Kris Bock. “Gripping.” “A page turner.” “I couldn’t put it down.” Why do some books get this praise? Characters, plot, setting, and theme are all part of pacing. Compelling characters mean readers will care about them. Stakes that are high and vitally important to the main character help readers root for those characters to […]
The Curse of Verse: The Top Ten Reasons Editors Hate Rhyme
by Lee Wardlaw “The apparent ease of Dr. Seuss’s verse and his mad-cap nonsense have inspired so many untalented poets to mimic him that editors cringe when they see a [rhyming] manuscript.” – Ellen E.M. Roberts, Editor If you’ve written a feline-inspired picture book or poem in rhyme, is it cursed to a life […]
Why Every Author Needs to Work With a Professional Editor
By Ramona D. Marek, MS Ed. Background I grew up in a home of readers. We read everything from cereal boxes to Shakespeare. My mother was a writer and an academic editor for 40 years, so my siblings and I grew up writing; for us it was as normal as playing outside. While Mom checked […]
Secrets to Blogging Success: CWA Experts Answer Your Questions
Did you miss the February 26, 2015 Google Hangout hosted by BlogPaws? Wanna learn about Bridging the Gap Between Blogging & Journalistic Excellence? Here’s how to blog successfully with your questions answered in this playback recording with BlogPaws peeps Yvonne DiVita and Tom Collins, and CWA members Layla Morgan Wilde, Janiss Garza, Deb Barnes and […]
CWA Writing Panels at BlogPaws Conference
The CWA is excited to announce our two writing panels at Blogpaws 2015, the premier pet blogging and social media conference. Publish Or Perish? This publishing panel features pet book authors and publishers Amy Shojai of CWA; Pam Johnson-Bennett, a best selling cat behaviorist and author; Lisa Erspamer, a best selling publisher of cat and dog […]
Photography 101 – Top Ten Tips for Taking Great Pictures of Your Cat!
With technology allowing us to capture moments in time as they happen, writers have come to rely more and more on using photos to complement their storytelling. This is especially true for those of us that write about cats – many of us have blogs or websites that demand a visual presence alongside the written […]
Basic Tips for Creating a Good Backup Plan for Your Computer
With spring officially here, many of us look at it as a time of rebirth and rejuvenation – the days are longer, dormant plants bloom again, and people begin a ritual of cleaning – windows are washed, closets get a once over for impending trips to Goodwill, and we flock to the stores for linen […]