By Andrea Dorn. I used that title because the movie “Romancing the Stone” wrangled a reclusive romance writer into an adventure with a treasure hunter to find a precious stone. The title, to me, means discovering the stone. Recently in the CWA Zoom Chat, our discussion surrounded the topic of “Romance,” mainly because it was […]
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Demystifying the CWA Contest: Your Questions Answered!
By Katherine Kern Are you passionate about creating cat-specific content? Then sharpen your claws and pounce on the Cat Writers’ Association (CWA) Communications Contest! This annual competition celebrates excellence in cat-focused media of all types. Whether you’ve entered the Contest before or this is your first time, this guide answers your frequently asked questions about […]
My Voice(s)
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 […]
The CWA Communications Contest: the Basics
By Katherine Kern 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 […]
Writing it Out
By T. J. Banks. Catsong didn’t start out as a book. It began as a single story – a long and loving good-bye to Kilah, a torbie barn kitten who, with her sister Cricket, had come to us shortly after Tim and I had married and moved into our new house. Kilah was 16 when […]
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 […]
Two Cats to the Rescue
By Judith Ayn. 2014 began as a very bad year. My world turned topsy-turvy with early retirement from work due to stress-related health problems and the death of my sixteen-year-old cat. I was home alone, with too much time on my hands to think about losses. In April, I started looking for a cat to […]
What My Cats Really Want for Christmas
By Debbie De Louise As the holidays approach, cat lovers are bombarded with advertisements for gifts for their kitties. These range from catnip-filled toys that are touted as purr-fect stocking stuffers to expensive cat furniture, motorized games, and other fancy items that most felines will use once and then abandon or only take interest in […]
8 Things I Learned from My Cats about Writing Haiku
by Lee Wardlaw 1. When poised at a hole, remain still – use your ears, eyes, nose, whiskers and mouth to detect a lurking creature. In other words: OBSERVE Observation is crucial to haiku. One must quiet the mind and use all five (or more!) senses to absorb, appreciate, and anchor the moment. A dog […]
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 […]