We are the Smoky Mountain Romance Writers located in Knoxville, Tennessee. We became a chapter of writers in January 1997 and joined affiliation with Romance Writers of America® later that year. If you are a writer and would like to visit us we meet the 2nd Saturday of each month. Check out the about page to find out what our monthly meeting will be about.
smokymountainromancewriters
Smoky Mountain Romance Writers
smokymountainromancewriters 
Wanted to invite members to our spring writing retreat in Crossville. Please share information with members.
PRESS RELEASE: CCWA SPRING WRITER’S RETREAT
Cookeville Creative Writers’ Association will be hosting four days of workshops on the first two weekends in March. Cost is being held to a minimum by member contributions, only $20 for each day or $60 for all four if preregistered. Space is limited. To register, phone 931-526-2034 or email biery35@gmail.com . More information available on registration.
SATURDAY MARCH 2
9:00-10:00 MAGGI VAUGHN – WRITING WORDS THAT SING – a lifetime of poetry
10:30-11:30 JENNIE IVEY – WRITING INSPIRATIONAL ARTICLES – for markets like Chicken Soup and Guideposts
1:00-2:00 BARBARA JACKSON – WRITING THE VISUAL STORY – as graphic novels or screenplays
2:30-3:30 MICHAEL BIRDWELL – WRITING TRUE EVENTS– making history more exciting than fiction.
SUNDAY MARCH 3
BOB GIORDANO, screenwriter and director, presents a day on screenwriting , the journey from concept to delivery.
9:00 – 10:00 PREPARING TO WRITE YOUR SCRIPT, developing a great idea into a story that conforms to professional Hollywood standards.
10:30-11:30 STRUCTURE, conflict driven narrative
1:00 – 2:00 CHARACTER ARC AND THEME, elements that strengthen or weaken a script
2:30 – 3:30 THE WRITING PROCESS, format, loglines, synopsis, pitch
SATURDAY, MARCH 9
9:00-10:00 DORCAS WALKER – FREELANCE WRITING – Scrambling for Publication
10:30-11:30 LUCY ADAMS – WRITING AS MINISTRY – a Life of Outreach
1:00-2:00 SUELLEN ALFRED – WRITING CREATIVE NONFICTION – for literary magazines like Under the Sun
2:30-3:30 SANDY SMITH – FROM TELLING LIES TO WRITING FICTION – The Storyteller in All of Us
SUNDAY MARCH 10
JENNIE BENTLEY/JENNA BENNETT, New York Times Best-Selling Author will present workshops on the ins and outs of the publishing industry.
9:00-10:00 BOOK BASICS: the importance of character, setting, and plot, and the appeal of the elusive “high concept.”
10:30-11:30 BUSINESS BASICS: the options available in publishing in 2013, and the pros and cons of traditional publishing vs. small- & e-press as well as self-publishing.
1:00-2:00 BREAKING IN: a crash course in querying and pitching and getting your manuscript in front of editors and agents. Also a few words on breaking into self-pub.
2:30-3:30 BREAKING OUT: building a brand and an audience online and in person, for the traditionally published and self-pubbed both. Blogging, social media, and more.
All workshops will be held in Fairfield Glade, (exit 322 off I-40).
All Saturday workshops will be at the Lutheran Church on Snead Drive off Peavine road.
All Sunday workshops will be at the Fairfield Glade Conference Center on Stonehenge Road off Peavine.
Sign-in at 8:30 – 9:00 Lunch 11:30-1:00 each day (on your own).