Dates, speakers, and whether we will be in person are subject to change. Speakers often Zoom in.
1/14/2023
January
Date: January 14th 2023
Time: Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom and Activity Room at the Woodbourne Library, 6060 Far Hills Avenue, Centerville, Ohio 45459
Speaker: Michelle McCraw, in person
Topic: Manage your Writing Like a Boss
Do you struggle with finding time and focus to do your writing? Do you have a writing project that’s languishing from neglect, but you just can’t muster the energy to pick it back up? Does your writing feel like an endless slog? Ever wish you could find more discipline for your writing?
Michelle will teach writers how to apply project management principles to their writing to gain more focus, organization, and discipline.
Time: Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom and Activity Room at the Woodbourne Library, 6060 Far Hills Avenue, Centerville, Ohio 45459
Speaker: Michelle McCraw, in person
Topic: Manage your Writing Like a Boss
Do you struggle with finding time and focus to do your writing? Do you have a writing project that’s languishing from neglect, but you just can’t muster the energy to pick it back up? Does your writing feel like an endless slog? Ever wish you could find more discipline for your writing?
Michelle will teach writers how to apply project management principles to their writing to gain more focus, organization, and discipline.
About our Speaker: Michelle McCraw Orloff is a certified project manager (PMP) with a master’s in business administration (MBA). While working full time as an information technology program manager, she has published five books in her Synergy contemporary workplace rom-com series since 2021. Leveraging more than 20 years of project management experience, Michelle will teach writers how to apply project management principles to their writing to gain more focus, organization, and discipline.
2/18/2023
February
Date: February 18th 2023
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom meeting and Columbus Public Library South High Street Branch, 3540 S. High Street, Columbus, OH 43207
Speaker: Donna MacMeans, in person
Topic: How to Write a Sizzling Hot Sex Scene
Books across the centuries have included sex, or, at least alluded to it, in mysteries, mythical epics, and wartime journals. How is it that some writers, in describing this fundamental act, are known as authors of hot, steamy, sexy love scenes – while others are simply… adequate? Find out here!
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom meeting and Columbus Public Library South High Street Branch, 3540 S. High Street, Columbus, OH 43207
Speaker: Donna MacMeans, in person
Topic: How to Write a Sizzling Hot Sex Scene
Books across the centuries have included sex, or, at least alluded to it, in mysteries, mythical epics, and wartime journals. How is it that some writers, in describing this fundamental act, are known as authors of hot, steamy, sexy love scenes – while others are simply… adequate? Find out here!
About our Speaker: Donna MacMeans is an award winning, Amazon best-selling romance author, with many foreign additions including a book turned into a Japanese graphic novel. Her first historical romance manuscript went up for auction among three NY publishers launching her into a career of writing sensuous and witty Victorian historical romance and just-plain-fun paranormal romance. Until she retired to pursue the craft of writing, she was a CPA with a small tax practice. (Let’s face it, writing romance is much more interesting than signing a tax return.) She is a frequent workshop presenter and is both traditionally and independently published. Her short stories and novellas have appeared in five anthologies.
3/18/2023
March
Date: March 18th 2023
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Community Room at the Woodbourne Library, 6060 Far Hills Avenue, Centerville, Ohio 45459
Speaker: Scott Ellis, via Zoom
Topic: Audiobook Narration: Psst… Wanna Know the Secrets to Success?
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Community Room at the Woodbourne Library, 6060 Far Hills Avenue, Centerville, Ohio 45459
Speaker: Scott Ellis, via Zoom
Topic: Audiobook Narration: Psst… Wanna Know the Secrets to Success?
Scott will walk through audiobook production, including these and more:
- Narrator & platform search
- Industry Lingo (especially as it relates to pricing and royalties)
- How to vet narrators
- Your responsibilities as the author
- Your questions on being your own narrator
About our Speaker: Scott Ellis is an audiobook narrator having narrated over 70 audiobooks. In addition, he has helped many narrators and authors bring their first projects to audio. With a degree in theater and nearly 30 years as an educator teaching Language Arts, Scott is all about performing and teaching. He is pleased to join this group and discuss the ins and outs of audiobook production plus be a part of helping authors think through all options of putting their stories in audio.
4/15/2023
April
Date: April 15th 2023
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Hilliard Room of Hilliard Branch, Columbus Metropolitan Library, 4500 Hickory Chase Way, Hilliard, OH 43026
Speaker: Beverly Jenkins, via Zoom
Topic: Ask Me Anything
This is your chance to ask the incredible Beverly Jenkins anything you want about writing.
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Hilliard Room of Hilliard Branch, Columbus Metropolitan Library, 4500 Hickory Chase Way, Hilliard, OH 43026
Speaker: Beverly Jenkins, via Zoom
Topic: Ask Me Anything
This is your chance to ask the incredible Beverly Jenkins anything you want about writing.
About our Speaker: Beverly Jenkins is the recipient of the 2017 Romance Writers of America Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as the 2016 Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for historical romance.
She has been nominated for the NAACP Image Award in Literature, was featured both in the documentary “Love Between the Covers” and on CBS Sunday Morning.
Since the publication of Night Song in 1994, she has been leading the charge for multicultural romance, and has been a constant darling of reviewers, fans, and her peers alike, garnering accolades for her work from the likes of The Wall Street Journal, People Magazine, and NPR.
She has been nominated for the NAACP Image Award in Literature, was featured both in the documentary “Love Between the Covers” and on CBS Sunday Morning.
Since the publication of Night Song in 1994, she has been leading the charge for multicultural romance, and has been a constant darling of reviewers, fans, and her peers alike, garnering accolades for her work from the likes of The Wall Street Journal, People Magazine, and NPR.
5/13/2023
May
Date: May 13th 2023
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Activity Room at the Woodbourne Library, 6060 Far Hills Avenue, Centerville, Ohio 45459
Speaker: Alyssa Alexander, in person.
Topic: Secondary But Effective: Creating and Using Secondary Characters to Strengthen Your Plot
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Activity Room at the Woodbourne Library, 6060 Far Hills Avenue, Centerville, Ohio 45459
Speaker: Alyssa Alexander, in person.
Topic: Secondary But Effective: Creating and Using Secondary Characters to Strengthen Your Plot
You don’t live in a vacuum, and neither does your protagonist. Every scene involves the protagonist’s relationship to the world and people around them. Learn tips and tricks to create secondary characters to effectively deepen characterization, plot, and emotion, without letting them walk off with a scene.
About our Speaker: Alyssa Alexander is a USA Today Best-Selling Author
6/17/2023
June
Date: June 17th 2023
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Meeting Room 2A of Hilliard Branch, Columbus Metropolitan Library, 4500 Hickory Chase Way, Hilliard, OH 43026
Speaker: Susan Gee Heino, in person
Topic: Cut Out the Middleman
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Meeting Room 2A of Hilliard Branch, Columbus Metropolitan Library, 4500 Hickory Chase Way, Hilliard, OH 43026
Speaker: Susan Gee Heino, in person
Topic: Cut Out the Middleman
Susan will teach us how to prevent the middle of our novels from sagging.
About our Speaker: Susan Gee Heino writes stories highlighting hope, humor, and happily-ever-afters. Her award-winning Regency Romances feature intricate plots, clever banter, and cravat-clad heroes. Her Cold Case Romances with Harlequin Love Inspired showcase mystery, tender emotion, and authentic faith journeys. Under the pen-name Serena Gilley, her Fantasy Romance series explores a sexy Veiled Realm of magical beings and forbidden love.
7/15/2023
July
Date: July 15th 2023
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Community Room at the Woodbourne Library, 6060 Far Hills Avenue, Centerville, Ohio 45459
Speaker: Tobi Doyle
Topic: Be Your Own Developmental Editor – Revisions with Book Maps
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Community Room at the Woodbourne Library, 6060 Far Hills Avenue, Centerville, Ohio 45459
Speaker: Tobi Doyle
Topic: Be Your Own Developmental Editor – Revisions with Book Maps
A book map is a visual guide to your book. It breaks your story down, chapter by chapter, scene by scene, so you can see exactly what you have—and what you don’t. It allows you to be your own developmental editor.
About our Speaker: A hybrid romance author, Tobi has published over a dozen romance books. She writes HEAs with heat and humor, romantic suspense, and cozy mysteries. She is the recipient of the 2022 Romance Writer of America PRO Mentor of the Year, and a Service Award for her work on RWA’s Pen to Paper, a guide to romance writing. She’s also the past President of RWA’s romantic suspense chapter, Kiss of Death, a member of Central Ohio Fiction Writers, West Virginia Writers and other local writing groups.
8/19/2023
August
Date: August 19th 2023
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Gahanna Public Library, 310 Granville St., Gahanna, OH 43230
Meeting Room 3
Speaker: Louise Pachella, via Zoom
Topic: Do Dead Bodies Sit Up?: Accurately Portraying Death and Funerals
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Gahanna Public Library, 310 Granville St., Gahanna, OH 43230
Meeting Room 3
Speaker: Louise Pachella, via Zoom
Topic: Do Dead Bodies Sit Up?: Accurately Portraying Death and Funerals
Louise Pachella will provide fundamental knowledge about dead bodies and mortuary procedures to help authors portray death accurately in their work. Attendees will learn about death processes and funeral preparation, including autopsies, embalming, methods of getting rid of a body, and ways to create problems for characters.
About our Speaker: Veteran funeral director, embalmer, and lifelong bookworm, Louise Pachella educates and entertains people about dead bodies and funerals. She dissects macabre topics on her blog, Read in Peace, and is the author of Last Words: A Glossary for Death and Funerals. She lives in Los Angeles, California.
9/16/2023
September
Date: September 16th 2023
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Community Room at the Burkhardt Library, 4704 Burkhardt Ave., Dayton, OH 45403. This is a new location for us, in the Dayton Metro Library System.
Speaker: Katherine Smits
Topic: Veterans in Fiction
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Community Room at the Burkhardt Library, 4704 Burkhardt Ave., Dayton, OH 45403. This is a new location for us, in the Dayton Metro Library System.
Speaker: Katherine Smits
Topic: Veterans in Fiction
Including veteran characters in your fiction will add depth, emotion, and realism to your work.
Discover how to incorporate veterans in your books to address challenges faced by these heroes and their families and relate these issues to larger societal themes.
About our Speaker: Katherine Eddinger Smits grew up wanting to be a mermaid but discovered to her dismay this was not a viable career choice. Instead, she became a clinical social worker and helped veterans and their families.
Now she brings social work training and experience to her stories of mermaids, mages, and magical creatures.
10/14/2023
October
Date: October 14th 2023
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Hilliard Room of Hilliard Branch, Columbus Metropolitan Library, 4500 Hickory Chase Way, Hilliard, OH 43026
Speaker: TBD
Topic: TBD
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Hilliard Room of Hilliard Branch, Columbus Metropolitan Library, 4500 Hickory Chase Way, Hilliard, OH 43026
Speaker: TBD
Topic: TBD
Description to come
About our Speaker: To come
11/18/2022
November
Date: November 18th 2023
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Community Room at the Woodbourne Library, 6060 Far Hills Avenue, Centerville, Ohio 45459
Speaker: Otescia Johnson
Topic: Using the ‘F’ Word in Marketing (Fun)
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Community Room at the Woodbourne Library, 6060 Far Hills Avenue, Centerville, Ohio 45459
Speaker: Otescia Johnson
Topic: Using the ‘F’ Word in Marketing (Fun)
You will learn techniques to make marketing fun, by mining what you know:
- Identify what makes your characters human
- Apply the breaking news angle
- One link leads to another
- Keep it Real
- Parties, Character Costumes, and Special Appearances.
- GIPHY Magic
About our Speaker: Otescia is the bestselling author of 12 published books and multiple screenplays. Not content to succeed without helping others, Otescia launched a success coaching business to assist aspiring authors and entrepreneurs.
12/??/2023
December
Date: Date TBD
Time: noon
Location: Private Event
Topic: Celebration of all things COFW and writing romance. Awarding pens to our members publishing their first novels, and awarding our member of the year.
Details for this event will be available through the COFW Google Group email
Time: noon
Location: Private Event
Topic: Celebration of all things COFW and writing romance. Awarding pens to our members publishing their first novels, and awarding our member of the year.
Details for this event will be available through the COFW Google Group email
Having trouble with the site? Please let us know!
An Amazing 2022, with all meetings Hybrid: Zoom & In-Person. Why not become a COFW Member?
1/15/2022
January
Date: January 15th 2022
Time: Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting and Hope Hotel (Building #823 in Area A), conference meeting room TBD, 10823 Chidlaw Rd., Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH 45433
Speaker: Priscilla Oliveras
Topic: Balancing Emotion and Pacing for Unforgettable Fiction
Guest speaker Priscilla Oliveras will discuss emotion and pacing in fiction. As authors we know that emotion is the key to engaging readers in the story, but we’re often urged to trim backstory and inner dialogue to focus on driving the story forward. This presentation provides practical tips to get that critical emotion on the page without bogging down your story.
Time: Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting and Hope Hotel (Building #823 in Area A), conference meeting room TBD, 10823 Chidlaw Rd., Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH 45433
Speaker: Priscilla Oliveras
Topic: Balancing Emotion and Pacing for Unforgettable Fiction
Guest speaker Priscilla Oliveras will discuss emotion and pacing in fiction. As authors we know that emotion is the key to engaging readers in the story, but we’re often urged to trim backstory and inner dialogue to focus on driving the story forward. This presentation provides practical tips to get that critical emotion on the page without bogging down your story.
2/19/2022
February
Date: February 19th 2022
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting and The Forge Tavern 1375 Bethel Road, Columbus, OH 43220
Speaker: Brian D. Meeks
Topic: Optimizing Amazon Ads
Selling books is hard…
…especially if your prospective buyers don’t read the description.
Do you know how to hook a reader?
Typical descriptions convert at 1:30. That means you have to pay for 30 clicks to get one new reader. That’s expensive. With proper copywriting, you can get that down to 1:8 or better.
Would you rather pay for 8 or 30 clicks?
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting and The Forge Tavern 1375 Bethel Road, Columbus, OH 43220
Speaker: Brian D. Meeks
Topic: Optimizing Amazon Ads
Selling books is hard…
…especially if your prospective buyers don’t read the description.
Do you know how to hook a reader?
Typical descriptions convert at 1:30. That means you have to pay for 30 clicks to get one new reader. That’s expensive. With proper copywriting, you can get that down to 1:8 or better.
Would you rather pay for 8 or 30 clicks?
3/19/2022
March
Date: March 19th 2022
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Community Room at the Woodbourne Library, 6060 Far Hills Avenue, Centerville, Ohio 45459
Facilitator: Shari Heinrich
Topic: Brainstorming
Come with your book ideas, and get ready to brainstorm in small group sessions, each person having a turn to share where they could use group help brainstorming anything. We’re not sure how well this will work with zoom versus in person. In person, we can break into small groups. Zoom, if we have too many zooming, members may need to break into small groups, for example, by using Facebook messenger and setting up a “room.” More to come as we figure this out!
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Community Room at the Woodbourne Library, 6060 Far Hills Avenue, Centerville, Ohio 45459
Facilitator: Shari Heinrich
Topic: Brainstorming
Come with your book ideas, and get ready to brainstorm in small group sessions, each person having a turn to share where they could use group help brainstorming anything. We’re not sure how well this will work with zoom versus in person. In person, we can break into small groups. Zoom, if we have too many zooming, members may need to break into small groups, for example, by using Facebook messenger and setting up a “room.” More to come as we figure this out!
Pictured here is Juliette Hyland, outlining her book Falling Again for the Single Dad, using one of the templates that the workshop provided.
4/16/2022
April
Date: April 16th 2022
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Hilliard Room of Hilliard Branch, Columbus Metropolitan Library, 4500 Hickory Chase Way, Hilliard, OH 43026
Speaker: Kathleen Sweeney
Topic: Book Brush, New Images Authors Need (Kindle Vella, A+ content, Animated email signatures & more)
See how BookBrush can boost your marketing game.
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Hilliard Room of Hilliard Branch, Columbus Metropolitan Library, 4500 Hickory Chase Way, Hilliard, OH 43026
Speaker: Kathleen Sweeney
Topic: Book Brush, New Images Authors Need (Kindle Vella, A+ content, Animated email signatures & more)
See how BookBrush can boost your marketing game.
5/14/2022
May
Date: May 14th 2022
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Community Room at the Woodbourne Library, 6060 Far Hills Avenue, Centerville, Ohio 45459
Speaker: Peggy Jaeger
Topic: Writing the Second Acts Romance
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Community Room at the Woodbourne Library, 6060 Far Hills Avenue, Centerville, Ohio 45459
Speaker: Peggy Jaeger
Topic: Writing the Second Acts Romance
Using humor and life experiences, this workshop will discuss an untapped market in the romance industry: romantic stories with heroines and heroes over the age of 45 for romance readers in the same Baby Boomer age group. We live in a society where life – and romance – doesn’t end at 35.
About our Speaker: Peggy Jaeger is a multi-published contemporary romance author and Registered Nurse who happens to be in the Second Act of her life, so that credo of walking the walk and talking the talk is one she knows intimately.
6/18/2022
June
Date: June 18th 2022
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Meeting Room 2A of Hilliard Branch, Columbus Metropolitan Library, 4500 Hickory Chase Way, Hilliard, OH 43026
Speaker: Olivia Gaines
Topic: Writing Characters of Color
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Meeting Room 2A of Hilliard Branch, Columbus Metropolitan Library, 4500 Hickory Chase Way, Hilliard, OH 43026
Speaker: Olivia Gaines
Topic: Writing Characters of Color
An hour-long workshop which teaches how to seamlessly integrate characters of social and diverse backgrounds into your story. Learn the best methods of describing skin tones, hair textures, and cultural dishes.
Participants will receive a link for a workbook a few days before the course. That link is NOT to be shared with anyone other than participants.
About our Speaker: Olivia is a USA Today Best Selling, Emma Award, and multiple award-winning author who loves a good laugh coupled with some steam, mixed in with a man and woman finding their way past the words of “I love you.”
7/16/2022
July
Date: July 16th 2022
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Southeast Branch Library, 21 Watervliet Avenue, Dayton, OH 45420.
Speaker: Michelle Grajkowski of ThreeSeas Literary Agency
Topic: About Literary Agents–our agent will decide if she talks about what’s hot in romance and takes questions, or just take questions.
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Southeast Branch Library, 21 Watervliet Avenue, Dayton, OH 45420.
Speaker: Michelle Grajkowski of ThreeSeas Literary Agency
Topic: About Literary Agents–our agent will decide if she talks about what’s hot in romance and takes questions, or just take questions.
8/13/2022
August
Date: August 13th 2022
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm for those on ZOOM–we don’t have the meeting room until 12:30. We will hope to slip in earlier if the previous meeting has ended. Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Hilliard Room of Hilliard Branch, Columbus Metropolitan Library, 4500 Hickory Chase Way, Hilliard, OH 43026
Speaker: J.E. Irvin
Topic: ITF Contest Judging
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm for those on ZOOM–we don’t have the meeting room until 12:30. We will hope to slip in earlier if the previous meeting has ended. Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Hilliard Room of Hilliard Branch, Columbus Metropolitan Library, 4500 Hickory Chase Way, Hilliard, OH 43026
Speaker: J.E. Irvin
Topic: ITF Contest Judging
9/17/2022
September
Date: September 17th 2022
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Community Room at the Woodbourne Library, 6060 Far Hills Avenue, Centerville, Ohio 45459
Speaker: Emma Dhesi
Topic: How to Keep your Readers Reading
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Community Room at the Woodbourne Library, 6060 Far Hills Avenue, Centerville, Ohio 45459
Speaker: Emma Dhesi
Topic: How to Keep your Readers Reading
The fear of not being good enough, or finding readers, is very real for many writers. The way to guarantee your story is good enough and that readers fall in love with your novel is to build a strong emotional connect between them and your character. That matters more than anything else.
10/15/2022
October
Date: October 15th 2022
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Hilliard Room of Hilliard Branch, Columbus Metropolitan Library, 4500 Hickory Chase Way, Hilliard, OH 43026
Speaker: Jillian David
Topic: FastDrafting 101
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Hilliard Room of Hilliard Branch, Columbus Metropolitan Library, 4500 Hickory Chase Way, Hilliard, OH 43026
Speaker: Jillian David
Topic: FastDrafting 101
FastDrafting is writing the first draft of the book without stopping (editing) and just getting the ideas and words down on paper. Some websites shoot for getting a book done in one, two, or four weeks with this method. I think it must also depend on the length of the book.
About our Speaker: Jillian is an Award-winning author who lives near the end of the Earth with her nut of a husband and her bossy cats. To escape the sometimes-stressful world of the rural physician, she edits while on call and writes books in her free time. She enjoys taking realistic settings and adding a twist of “what if.” Running or hiking on local trails often promotes plot development as well.
11/19/2022
November
Date: November 19th 2022
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Community Room at the Woodbourne Library, 6060 Far Hills Avenue, Centerville, Ohio 45459
Speaker: Rochelle Bradley
Topic: NaNoWriMo Write-In
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at approx. 1:30 pm
Location: Zoom and Community Room at the Woodbourne Library, 6060 Far Hills Avenue, Centerville, Ohio 45459
Speaker: Rochelle Bradley
Topic: NaNoWriMo Write-In
About our Speaker: Rochelle writes romance with Sass & Shenanigans. She is an award-winning and Amazon best-selling author. Born and raised in Cincinnati Ohio, she developed a love of nature and art. She currently lives in southwest Ohio with her two children, two cats, and her prince. She has been a National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) Municipal Liaison for the Dayton Region.
12/3/2022
December
Date: December 3rd 2022
Time: noon
Location: Private Event
Topic: Celebration of all things COFW and writing romance. Awarding pens to our members publishing their first novels, and awarding our member of the year.
Details for this event will be available through the COFW Google Group email
Time: noon
Location: Private Event
Topic: Celebration of all things COFW and writing romance. Awarding pens to our members publishing their first novels, and awarding our member of the year.
Details for this event will be available through the COFW Google Group email
A Fabulous 2021, Zoom meetings becoming Zoom and Hybrid. Why not become a COFW Member?
1/16/2021
January
Date: January 16th 2021
Time: Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting!
Speaker: Jenny Crusie
Topic: Motif and Metaphor
Guest speaker Jenny Crusie will discuss motif and metaphor in fiction. Motif and metaphor are ways to deepen your story’s meaning without putting that meaning blatantly on the page. Through careful analysis of your completed first draft, you can find the things that you unconsciously put into your story and enhance them to create the kind of emotional subtext that draws a reader in without hitting her over the head with MEANING.
Time: Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting!
Speaker: Jenny Crusie
Topic: Motif and Metaphor
Guest speaker Jenny Crusie will discuss motif and metaphor in fiction. Motif and metaphor are ways to deepen your story’s meaning without putting that meaning blatantly on the page. Through careful analysis of your completed first draft, you can find the things that you unconsciously put into your story and enhance them to create the kind of emotional subtext that draws a reader in without hitting her over the head with MEANING.
2/13/2021
February
Date: February 13th 2021
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting!
Speaker: Donna MacMeans
Topic: The Other HEA: Grab Your Readers with Emotional Attachment
In order for a reader to care about a story, they must care about the characters. Learn how employing rooting interests in your stories that will create an emotional attachment– without the reader ever realizing how you manipulated their emotions.
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting!
Speaker: Donna MacMeans
Topic: The Other HEA: Grab Your Readers with Emotional Attachment
In order for a reader to care about a story, they must care about the characters. Learn how employing rooting interests in your stories that will create an emotional attachment– without the reader ever realizing how you manipulated their emotions.
3/13/2021
March
Date: March 13th 2021
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting!
Speaker: Nikki Sloane
Topic: Slay Your Promos
Is your book the complete package? Join Nikki as she talks about nailing all the elements that will help capture new readers. She’ll discuss craft, release approach, and promotion/ad strategies.
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting!
Speaker: Nikki Sloane
Topic: Slay Your Promos
Is your book the complete package? Join Nikki as she talks about nailing all the elements that will help capture new readers. She’ll discuss craft, release approach, and promotion/ad strategies.
4/17/2021
April
Date: April 17th 2021
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting!
Speaker: Kate McMurray
Topic: Better, stronger, faster first drafts.
Writing a good first draft in less time is not so much a matter of typing faster but rather of using your time more efficiently. If you know where you’re going before you start your journey, you’ll get there faster.
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting!
Speaker: Kate McMurray
Topic: Better, stronger, faster first drafts.
Writing a good first draft in less time is not so much a matter of typing faster but rather of using your time more efficiently. If you know where you’re going before you start your journey, you’ll get there faster.
5/15/2021
May
Date: May 15th 2021
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting!
Speaker: Liz Pelletier
Topic: Growth Hacking a Bestseller
Join publisher and editor Liz Pelletier as she demonstrates a new and innovative way to develop, write, edit, and market a book with the greatest chance of making your next release a best seller.
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting!
Speaker: Liz Pelletier
Topic: Growth Hacking a Bestseller
Join publisher and editor Liz Pelletier as she demonstrates a new and innovative way to develop, write, edit, and market a book with the greatest chance of making your next release a best seller.
6/19/2021
June
Date: June 19th 2021
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting and The Forge Tavern 1375 Bethel Road, Columbus, OH 43220
Speaker: Gwen Henandez
Topic: Scrivener Lessons
Scrivener is excellent writing software for both plotters and pantsers. Want to find out what makes it so popular, or learn some new tricks? The author of Scrivener For Dummies will walk you through the basics and cover some of her favorite features.
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting and The Forge Tavern 1375 Bethel Road, Columbus, OH 43220
Speaker: Gwen Henandez
Topic: Scrivener Lessons
Scrivener is excellent writing software for both plotters and pantsers. Want to find out what makes it so popular, or learn some new tricks? The author of Scrivener For Dummies will walk you through the basics and cover some of her favorite features.
7/17/2021
July
Date: July 17th 2021
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting
Speaker: Beth Barany
Topic: NLP and Writing Great Novels
NLP, or neurolinguistic programming, is a tool that helps you write more, better, and faster. Used with respect and compassion, NLP is a gentle way to help you have what you want without having to “work” to be different than who you are.
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting
Speaker: Beth Barany
Topic: NLP and Writing Great Novels
NLP, or neurolinguistic programming, is a tool that helps you write more, better, and faster. Used with respect and compassion, NLP is a gentle way to help you have what you want without having to “work” to be different than who you are.
8/14/2021
August
Date: August 14th 2021
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting and The Forge Tavern 1375 Bethel Road, Columbus, OH 43220
Speaker: Jordyn Blanson
Topic: The Case for Diversity and Inclusion
This is a workshop that focuses on understanding what Diversity and inclusion really is, how it affects each and every one of us, and focuses on examining the way that we think about the world we live in.
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting and The Forge Tavern 1375 Bethel Road, Columbus, OH 43220
Speaker: Jordyn Blanson
Topic: The Case for Diversity and Inclusion
This is a workshop that focuses on understanding what Diversity and inclusion really is, how it affects each and every one of us, and focuses on examining the way that we think about the world we live in.
9/18/2021
September
Date: September 18th 2021
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting and Hope Hotel (Building #823 in Area A), the Sabre-Phantom room, 10823 Chidlaw Rd., Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH 45433
Speaker: Juliette Hyland
Topic: Trope Your Way to a First Draft
In genre fiction tropes are marketing devices. Everyone has their favorite! But as writers you can use these tropes to build your characters, and conflicts – basically your first draft!
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting and Hope Hotel (Building #823 in Area A), the Sabre-Phantom room, 10823 Chidlaw Rd., Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH 45433
Speaker: Juliette Hyland
Topic: Trope Your Way to a First Draft
In genre fiction tropes are marketing devices. Everyone has their favorite! But as writers you can use these tropes to build your characters, and conflicts – basically your first draft!
10/16/2021
October
Date: October 16th 2021
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting and The Forge Tavern 1375 Bethel Road, Columbus, OH 43220
Speaker: Jeffe Kennedy
Topic: Sexual Tension – Getting Away from Wham, Bam, Thank you, Ma’am
High heat sex scenes are popular like never before. But what makes a scene go from ho-um to cold shower-worthy? The key is sexual tension.
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting and The Forge Tavern 1375 Bethel Road, Columbus, OH 43220
Speaker: Jeffe Kennedy
Topic: Sexual Tension – Getting Away from Wham, Bam, Thank you, Ma’am
High heat sex scenes are popular like never before. But what makes a scene go from ho-um to cold shower-worthy? The key is sexual tension.
11/13/2021
November
Date: November 13th 2021
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting and The Forge Tavern 1375 Bethel Road, Columbus, OH 43220
Speaker: Patricia Sargeant
Topic: The Storyteller’s Toolkit
The Storyteller’s Toolkit is a plotting presentation that applies to all fiction genres and to authors in all stages of their publishing careers, particularly beginner and intermediate storytellers. The presentation will diagram premise, high concept, and conflict in a movie to demonstrate how the three elements work together to make a compelling story.
Presentation is free for members. If you are not a COFW member and wish to attend this presentation, registration will open October 17th.
Time: Networking at 12:00 pm, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm
Location:
Zoom meeting and The Forge Tavern 1375 Bethel Road, Columbus, OH 43220
Speaker: Patricia Sargeant
Topic: The Storyteller’s Toolkit
The Storyteller’s Toolkit is a plotting presentation that applies to all fiction genres and to authors in all stages of their publishing careers, particularly beginner and intermediate storytellers. The presentation will diagram premise, high concept, and conflict in a movie to demonstrate how the three elements work together to make a compelling story.
Presentation is free for members. If you are not a COFW member and wish to attend this presentation, registration will open October 17th.
12/4/2021
December
Date: December 4th 2021
Time: noon
Location: Private Event
Topic: Celebration of all things COFW and writing romance
Time: noon
Location: Private Event
Topic: Celebration of all things COFW and writing romance