CCW Presents a weekend workshop with C.s. lakin (NOV 1 & 2)

Supporting Central Coast Writers Means Supporting Your Community

Taking Your Fiction from Good to Great: A Workshop That Unlocks the Secrets to Publishing Success!

Want to master the fiction-writing techniques that catapult authors into best-seller success? If you want to take your manuscript from good to great, this intensive dive into craft is for you!

Fiction writers need to go beyond the obvious: compelling characters, masterful writing that nails genre, scenes that “show, don’t tell,” an engaging (riveting) story, and meaningful conflict that creates tension. Hugely successful novels have specific elements that set them apart and cause them to rise to the top of the pile and get readers enthusiastically telling their friends to read them.

While there are plenty of elements that novelists must master, it is the rarely discussed specific elements we are going to focus on that are often ignored or minimized. Yet, if writers nail these brilliantly, their novel will stand high above the masses published every day.

Today’s readers—across all genres—expect to be taken on a highly visual, sensory-rich, and emotionally packed journey with your characters. If you don’t have the skills and techniques to emotionally hook and move your readers, they will get bored and leave your story.

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR:

C. S. Lakin is the author of more than twenty novels, including nine traditionally published titles, with over 250,000 copies sold of her independently published works. In addition to her fiction, she has written twelve nonfiction books in The Writer’s Toolbox series, equipping authors at every stage of their journey.

A sought-after writing coach, copyeditor, and international conference speaker, Lakin has taught over 8,000 writers through her courses, boot camps, and master classes, both in person and online at her school cslakin.teachable.com. Her award-winning blog, Live Write Thrive, features more than a million words of instruction and draws writers worldwide. Each year she critiques more than two hundred manuscripts, helping authors sharpen their craft and prepare for publication.

the "deets" (details)

what will i learn in this workshop?

Day 1 (Saturday Nov 1): Gear up for a full day of learning. Sessions will run from 9 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with a lunch (included with the registration fee) break around noon. Here are some of the key topics you’ll be taught:

The secret ingredients that make a scene powerfully effective, such as microtension, indirect description, strategically inserted beats, significant character change, and so much more!
How to nail the purpose of your scene in the last few lines (and learning why working backward is the key!)
Ways to “manipulate” your readers’ emotions so they feel what you want them to feel as they read
How to break up your scene into specific visual segments as a blueprint to write from — developing the general scene action you have in your head to crafting a powerful visual moment-by-moment experience for your readers
Practical and effective revision technique that exposes the weak and strong aspects of your writing

Day 2 (Sunday Nov 2): On Day 2, you’re in for a treat! Sunday's session will run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. with a lunch (included with the registration fee) break around noon. We’ll move into workshop mode and apply all the masterful techniques you just learned the day before. You’ll bring your scenes, whether full drafts or simple summaries, and work them to perfection. We’ll take simple scene action ideas and flesh them out cinematically.

This will be a hands-on activity, with instruction all along the way. We’ll examine your scenes and together work on making them solid and powerful together and in small groups. No obligation to be “put on the spot”—but be prepared to share your insights, reactions, and suggestions with the group! You’ll see how brainstorming and revising can actually be fun!

Who will benefit from this workshop?

Anyone interested in mastering fiction-writing technique! Whether you are just beginning to write fiction or have penned multiple novels, you can immediately learn and apply these skills to your writing.

WHen and Where?

When: November 1 and 2, 2025

Where: Monterey Elks Lodge #1285, 150 Mar Vista Drive, Monterey, CA 93940. Easy access off Highway 1 in Monterey, CA. There is plenty of free parking on site. There are reasonable hotel accommodations nearby.

cost?

$175.00 BEST VALUE! The cost includes speaker fees, lunch each day on site, coffee/tea/water service and snacks throughout the day.

OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC

Reserve a spot for a two-day attendance on Saturday and Sunday, November 1st and 2nd. You do not have to be a member of the CWC or CWC to register and reserve your spot. The only requirement is that you want to take your fiction from good to great!

The number of workshop seats is limited, so don't delay registering for the workshop. Payments will not be accepted at the door on the day of the workshop, so reserve your spot using the secure online payment section below.

CCW Presents a weekend workshop with C.s. lakin (NOV 1 & 2)

Supporting Central Coast Writers Means Supporting Your Community

a workshop message from c.s. lakin

the "deets" (details)

what will i learn in this workshop?

Who will benefit from this workshop?

WHen and Where?

cost?

OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC

Pay online now to reserve your spot at the workshop

CCW Presents a weekend workshop with C.s. lakin (NOV 1 & 2)

Supporting Central Coast Writers Means Supporting Your Community

a workshop message from c.s. lakin

the "deets" (details)

what will i learn in this workshop?

Who will benefit from this workshop?

WHen and Where?

cost?

OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC

Pay online now to reserve your spot at the workshop

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