WORKSHOPS FRIDAY 9-10 am
E-Mail List Building with Misty Simon
Extra! Extra! Read All About It! Come on in to learn about the do’s and don’ts of building your email list, maintaining your list, and engaging your readers through this wonderful tool that’s all yours. We’ll also talk the positives and negatives of swapping and stacking with advice Misty has gathered from a bunch of authors who’ve been at this for years.
Pitch Perfect with L. Diane Wolfe
Ready to pitch your manuscript to publishers and agents? Publisher L. Diane Wolfe covers the steps to put forth your best effort and get noticed. Understand the importance of critique partners and doing your research. Learn how to compose a proper query letter and what items to send. Discover other options for pitching your manuscript. Uncover the secrets to pitching perfect!
Raising the Dead: Breathing New Life into Historical Characters
with Eileen Enright Hodgetts
For writers of historical fiction, historical romance, historical mysteries, and fantasy. How do you realistically recreate the past or design the world of the future? What are the little details that will bring your work to life and draw your reader into the world you have built? What about real people - they’re dead now, but what were they really like? How do you reach beyond facts and recreate the real human being (without getting yourself sued. From the design of a medieval castle, to the food on the table, to Victorian underwear it pays to get the facts straight. Everything you need to know is somewhere on the world-wide web, if you know where to look and what to look for.
The Journey of a Picture Book: From Spark to Shelf with Joy Givens
Picture books are deceptively simple: colorful quick reads usually designed for children to read and enjoy. However, the publication process for this category can be a confusing and lengthy odyssey, even by industry standards. This workshop will provide a "travel guide" for new and experienced writers to learn more about the submission, editorial, design, publication, and promotion processes for picture books. (This information can certainly be generalized for all writers, but the additional steps of illustration and art direction apply specifically to picture books.
FRIDAY 10:15-11:15 am
Dealing with Copyeditors: the Bad, the Ugly, <Insert Good
with Timons Esaias
Getting copyedits on a piece, however short, can be a daunting, painful experience. Timons will offer "The 24-hour Rule" and other guidance for how to survive. We'll talk strategy, what to do, what NOT to do, and bargaining. We will even discuss when you pull the piece (let it be rare to never). Come prepared to share your own traumas, er, experiences.
Writing a Series with Maria V. Snyder
Readers love them, publishers love them, writers love them...sometimes. This workshop will discuss writing a series from why write one to how to plan and pitch one to editors (yes, even pantsers can plan a series). Also discussed will be the problems and pitfalls of writing a series from forgetting details to getting bored with your characters. And we'll talk about how to write the dreaded second book, which has to remind readers of prior events without boring them--a difficult balance.
Beginner Character Workshop with Cindy Callaghan
Calling all beginners…. Are you new to writing? Just getting started? This roll-up-your-sleeve workshop will help you create a character and get your project on its way. This interactive hour will be a step-by-step guide through the components to build a compelling character. Attendees will be encouraged but not required to share their work.
Story Healing with Janet Cincotta
An experiential workshop that presents storytelling as a healing practice. It is meant for anyone who has been touched by illness or injury, for health care providers in any field, and for caregivers. In this workshop, participants are encouraged to explore their experience and begin putting it into words. Learn what is meant by “healing” and how story sharing can benefit both writer and reader. Participants are invited to respond to a writing prompt, to share what they have written, and to exchange constructive feedback. Time is provided for quiet reflection and gentle movement. In this workshop, participants find a safe and supportive space for self-discovery and expression
FRIDAY 1:15-2:15 pm
Keywords, Graphics, Lead Magnets, and Newsletters with Susan Meier
Learn about keywords for ads, popular tools to create graphics, and platforms to launch a lead magnet novella (as well as audio books), even for traditionally published works. Use these to gather newsletter followers and “lead” readers to the books you want to sell. We’ll also chat about what to put in a newsletter, how often you should send it, and why you want to create and nurture a strong newsletter audience.
Great Beginnings with Hank Phillippi Ryan
You know the great opening lines: Ishmael, Manderley, the last camel. Why do those work? And how can you create one for your own novel? And then--what about that crucial first paragraph? And a first page that will entice editors and enchant readers? How can you set the proper expectations for the story to come—and make every word work?
In this class, suitable for any genre, we will dissect and analyze acclaimed first lines and opening paragraphs, and reveal the writing secrets these brilliant examples offer. If you are brave enough--Please bring your own first line! Hank and the class will offer advice and guidance—to set you and your book off in the right direction.
Using Short Fiction to Create Income and Connect with Readers
with Matty Dalrymple
Based on information shared in Taking the Short Tack which she co-authored with Mark Leslie Lefebvre, Matty discusses opportunities offered to writers through the traditional short fiction market; via the ever-expanding pool of non-traditional options, such as audio; and how writers who are willing to act as their own gatekeepers can use the tools of independent publishing to get their work into readers' hands.
Secrets In Your Stories with L.E. Delano
Who’s got a secret? When will it be revealed? How and why does it come to light and to what effect? In this workshop we’ll examine how secrets make the story. From hidden wounds to devastating betrayals, from breadcrumb trails to plot twists and startling revelations, analyzing and mapping your story’s secrets will influence your plot structure, character arcs, dialogue, and action. You won’t truly know your story until you’ve unearthed all its secrets.
FRIDAY 2:30-3:30 pm
Utilizing Amazon Attribution Tools with Wende Dikec
Setting up Facebook ads can be tricky, but understanding whether your ad campaign was successful or not can be even trickier. Join Abigail Drake and learn how to create a Facebook ad step-by-step. Then learn how to measure the results of that ad with the magic of Amazon Attribution. If you’ve struggled with ads, or with understanding the results, this could be the workshop for you. We’ll start with the basics but take it to the next level by utilizing this very valuable tool. It’s a game changer, and it will completely alter how you view Facebook advertising.
Avoiding Emotional Clichés with Annette Dashofy
Do your characters burst into tears when they’re sad? Smile when they’re happy? Yell when they’re angry? Do they get weak in the knees when they’re frightened? If so, it might be time to take your writing to a higher level. In this interactive workshop, you’ll learn to spot these and other clichés as you discover how to delve into even the simplest emotions, allowing your reader to bond more deeply with your character’s heart and soul
How to Write Nonfiction Using Fiction Techniques with Carol Silvis
Adding humanizing elements to facts makes for an interesting and entertaining read. Draw your readers in with an attention-grabber and keep them submersed in the subject by creating a memorable experience complete with characterization and vivid descriptions. Educating readers does not have to be a dull presentation of facts.
Expand Your Brand with Wilnona & Jade
We will talk expansion of your brand meaning how to turn your book into various income streams. We will discuss the three practical steps authors can take to see their written words from a different perspective and make cohesive expansion moves. Thereby, thinking outside the box, expanding your definition of a warm market and growing your platform. How we took our books from pages to, Games, movies, clothing line, a reality show, and wine. Anyone can do the same, but you have to think outside the box first.
FRIDAY 3:45-4:45 pm
Using AI to Improve Your Writing with Jim Rada.
You are already using artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance your writing. You just might not realize. This workshop looks at the ways AI already influences writing and the new programs that are taking AI and writing to the next level. It also looks at some of the ways you can use these new programs in your writing. However, as AI becomes more advanced, there are ethical considerations that need to be addressed, which we will also look at.
Professional Panel with L. Diane Wolfe, Lawrence Knorr, Cathy Teets, and Allen Media Strategies
Panel discussion featuring our resident professionals from the publishing industry.
Inspiration for the Small Stuff: You Did Remember to Have a Setting, Right? with Timons Esaias
What makes a setting convincing, even surprising, are those unexpected little details. Sure, you're thinking “research,” but we'll talk about a different procedure: “playsearch.” Playsearch involves tools that may seem unrelated [newspaper ads, magazine articles, catalogs, postcards, antique shops, specialty museums], but which remind you what a character typically has around them. We'll discuss how to go from This Thing to A Thing Like It, to The Thing your story requires. Nor will we hesitate, nay, we will do the thing.
Things that Go Bump in the Night, Writing Paranormal
with Terry Friedman
What are the ghost rules in paranormal writing? Where do ghosts hang out? How do characters communicate with the dead? What’s the difference between a poltergeist and your Great Uncle Frank? Who’s moving things in your house, things you swore you put there? Let’s explore the realm between this world and the next.