“The crime genre gives you the whole world. You can write about people in extreme circumstances or you can write about them cooking dinner at home. You can write about murder and you can write about love. Damnation or redemption. God and the devil. And you can write about politics, history, economics, religion – anything and everything. That’s a pretty rich world…” – Novellist Don Winslow
In 1988, a small group of writers in the Ottawa Romance Writers Association (ORWA) decided that they were more inclined to mystery. Their roots in ORWA had shown them the benefits of a focused group and so Capital Crime Writers (CCW) was established. Initially there were five members and it was a struggle for a while. But then, with good intent and organization, things came together. A monthly newsletter was started and regular meetings began.
Capital Crime Writers has grown to a group of over seventy members who meet on the second Wednesday of every month at the Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa. There is always a meet and greet from 7:00 to 7:15 PM, prior to every meeting with the meetings alternating each month between a writing workshop and a guest speaker. Our guest speakers address topics related to crime or some element of investigation. Over the years there have been forensic pathologists, lawyers, police officers, private investigators, script writers, editors – the list goes on. The meetings are informal and questions are always welcome. Speakers have always found the group to be a warm, receptive and occasionally bloodthirsty audience.
Capital Crime Writers is currently made up of Mystery/Crime writers at every stage of their writing career. We have a mixture of those just starting out, exploring the genre and putting those first words to the page, through to those who have recently launched their third and fourth novels. We also have members who have recently experienced the joy of seeing their name in print with their first short story or novel.
The future of CCW is bright and varied as we go forward. We have the experienced and the novice working together to help grow, and promote the growth of the Mystery writing genre here in the National Capital Region and in Canada. Mystery loves company, so we invite you to check out our website and see who and what we are, and what CCW has to offer. Then come on out and case the group in person. We look forward to seeing you.