Workshops are listed in order of presentation during the conference.
X Marks the Spot: Finding Gold through Targeting Your Audience
presented by Janyre Tromp
(Beg/Int/Adv) Veteran acquisitions editor and best-selling author Janyre Tromp walks you through how to:
· Amp up your writing,
· Grab attention from agents and editors, and
· Sell more books . . .
All through one simple concept: Target Audience.
In this workshop, you’ll learn the hows and whys of your target
market and how it can help you find the gold in your writing career.
Building Blocks of Story: Scene and Sequel (Parts 1 and 2)
presented by Lisa Carter
(Beg/Int/Adv) Scene and sequel/action and reaction are the building blocks of story structure. Scenes are often our plot and Sequels are often the heart of our story. Topics explored: the external arc and internal journey of characters; utilizing goal, motivation and conflict in crafting characters; the essential components in writing scenes and the must-have elements of sequels; and the crucial interplay of scene/sequel within a novel.
Knowing What Agents and Industry Pros Want from Writers
presented by Linda Glaz
(Beg/Int) The dos and don’ts, the ins and outs of what industry professionals look for in writers. Tips to help a writer appear a professional instead of a
newcomer. So many unintentional mistakes make writers look like
rookies. This material will help them get out of the slush pile and find
their way to the top!
Writing Authentic Characters: A Guide to Captivating Your Reader with Characters Who Become Real
presented by Kimberly Duffy
(Beg/Int) Do you want to create characters who leap off the page and grab the hearts and attention of your readers? In this workshop, we’ll focus on
how to craft multi-dimensional, realistic but completely engaging
characters who will have everyone (including you) questioning whether or
not they are real. Using beloved literary protagonists, we’ll study how
their creators wrote them so that they became enduring friends not
easily forgotten.
Keeping Your Soul (and Sanity) While Navigating Your Writing Journey
presented by Betsy St. Amant Haddox
(Beg/Int) Navigating a writer’s journey isn’t for the faint of heart (or the thin
of skin!) With passion, encouragement, and “been there” advice, Betsy
will walk attendees through the traditional publishing journey and share
how to navigate the land mines that fill an author’s path (rejections,
delayed contracts, editorial staff change-up, bad reviews, lackluster
launch teams, low platform numbers, etc.) with your soul intact – all
with an emphasis on recognizing that our truest identity isn’t as a
writer.
Tools for Editing
presented by Sue A. Fairchild
(Beg/Int) This class will go over the various aspects of the Track Changes feature (where to find it in Word and the different basic elements) and then
work through an edit, showing how editors utilize the feature when
working with clients. We will also go over the “Editor” function in
Word, how to utilize the Find/Replace feature to its fullest capacity,
and how to set up a clean document before sending to an editor or
publisher.
The Secret S.A.U.C.E. of Children’s Writing
presented by Michelle Medlock Adams
(Beg/Int) The Secret S.A.U.C.E. of Children’s Writing—Are there any secrets to becoming a successful children’s book author? Yes, and Michelle will
share them in this workshop, discussing “the spaghetti strand rule,”
finding and conveying emotion in every story, and putting a new face on
an old concept, to name a few.
Indie Publishing: The Good, the Bad, the Opportunity
presented by Sarah Turnquist
(Beg/Int) Never before have publishing opportunities been like this. The market and readership for well-crafted independently published books has
widened…and continues to grow. Indie Publishing has become a viable
way of getting your story out into the world, but there are some things
you need to know to put your best foot (or book) forward. How do we do
that? What are the essentials of indie publishing? And what do you need
to know?
Body Language: The Ultimate Show Don’t Tell
presented by Tara Johnson
(Beg/Int/Adv) Understanding body language, micro-expressions, and posture is the ultimate way to ‘show and not tell’. Since over 50% of language is non-verbal, refusing to unearth our characters’ body language is a recipe for creating flat, one-dimensional fictional people. Body language adds tremendous depth to dialogue, sets tone, and shows readers how a character’s emotions reflect in their behavior. This workshop will teach the student how to use universal body language to give their characters rich emotion, as well as teach how to spot deception and bumps in verbal language that reveal inner motive. This class will also use examples from real life, including transcripts and videos from confessed serial killers and public figures.
The Ins and Outs of Putting Together a Multi-Author Collection
presented by Sarah Hamaker
(Int/Adv) Have you thought about collaborating with other authors on a novella or novel collection? You could wait for an invitation or you could put together your own. Award-winning author Sarah Hamaker will walk you through the steps to have a successful—and money-making—collection. She’ll provide a blueprint based on her own successful romantic suspense Christmas novella collection, Holiday Menace, which nabbed an Amazon #1 New Release banner in Christian Mystery & Suspense and Mystery Anthologies. Join Sarah and get ready to have fun and delight readers with your own collection!
Fight or Flounder
presented by Larry J. Leech II
(Beg/Int) External and internal conflict have a symbiotic relationship. Together they create a great story. A story without one falls flat. Learn five key components of this relationship that will create a story readers can’t put down.
Canva Shortcuts: A Social Media Tool for Writers
presented by Shannon Sue Dunlap
(Beg/Int) To tweak the old Mary Poppins quote, a spoonful of Canva helps the Social Media go down. The blessing/curse of online platforms doesn’t
have to take too much time away from writing. My workshop offers a
three-tiered look at Canva and the user-friendly tools it offers to help
an author promote their stories. I’ve divided the presentation into
Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced sections. Whether an attendee has
never interacted with Canva or uses it on a regular basis but wants a
few tips to streamline the process, there should be something in it for
everyone. I cover keyboard shortcuts, using templates, creating QR
codes, removing backgrounds from photos, and more.
How to Write Flash Fiction & Grow Your Author Platform
presented by Hope Welborn
(Beg/Int/Adv) Flash fiction can help any writer at any experience level hone their craft, experiment with other genres, and even break out of writer’s block. In this class, students will gain a better understanding of flash fiction, how to create a satisfying story in 1,000 words (no matter the genre), and the various ways flash fiction can be used to grow an author platform.
Pursuing Your God-Given Writing Dreams
presented by Liz Johnson
(Beg/Int/Adv) You have big writing dreams. Great! But what do you do with them? And what happens if your writing journey doesn’t look like you thought it would? Join best-selling author Liz Johnson in a transparent discussion about expectations, uncertainty, and ultimate hope and freedom through the creative process as you pursue your God-given dreams.
Winning Readers with Humor
presented by Karen Witemeyer
(Int/Adv) You don’t have to be a comedian to create a story that makes your readers laugh out loud. No matter what subgenre you write, a well-placed dash of humor can add dimension to your characters and delight your readers. Whether you want to structure outlandish moments into your plot from the beginning or just sprinkle a quip or two along the way, this workshop will give you the tools you need to keep your readers smiling and coming back for more.
Eye-catching Proposals
presented by Lynette Eason
(Int/Adv) Writing a proposal that catches an agent’s attention isn’t easy, but Lynette looks at proposals every day and can tell you exactly what makes her sit up and take notice. She will show examples of well-written proposals, explain what goes into a proposal and what to leave out. By the time attendees leave the class, they will have a basic template that they can go home and fill out. And the knowledge for what goes in the blank spaces.
Exploring the Art of Emotion and Symbolism
presented by DiAnn Mills
Writers will learn the value of incorporating emotion into their writing and the various ways to show the power of emotion and symbolism. The methods taught will engage readers and keep them as fans.
How to Do It All
presented by Roseanna White
(Beg/Int/Adv) As someone who wears a lot of hats (bestselling and award-winning author, cover designer, homeschool mom, publisher), I frequently get asked how I balance everything. This class will take a heartfelt look at time management, prioritizing, and respecting the dream, helping you put all the pulls on your time into perspective so that you can make the daily choices you need to make to thrive in all your roles.
The Story Cube: An In-depth Exploration of What Truly Lies at the Heart of All Great Stories (Parts 1 and 2)
presented by Steven James
(Int) Ever since Aristotle, story theorists have been looking at story through a temporal lens—beginning, middle, and end, or first act, second act, and third act. But what if there was another way of conceptualizing story on a more elemental level? What if there was a way of understanding story that was easy to visualize and remember and that would apply to any genre you write? Well, there is, and in this two-part seminar you’ll learn how it can transform your writing and storytelling forever.
How to Attract Book Clubs to
You and Your Books
presented by DiAnn Mills
(Int/Adv) Writers love to have their books featured by book clubs. We’re excited, passionate, and long for them to enjoy a new adventure. We might think that should be enough for readers to jump onboard our book, but we can thrill them even more by offering ways for the members to enjoy the book within a book club.
Take Your Newsletter to the Next Level
presented by Misty Beller
(Int/Adv) Learn effective ways to grow your email list and how to utilize the list to supercharge your new book releases. This class will cover how to get started, how to grow your list using multiple streams, and how to convert subscribers to avid fans. In addition, learn best practices for sending emails to your list during a book launch, understanding the stats of your campaign, and how your email list can be the start of an energetic launch team.
Zillion Ways to Plot a Novel, and Some that Actually Work
presented by Erica Vetsch
(Beg/Int) If you have ten authors in a room, you’ll have at LEAST twenty different methods to plot a novel. In this workshop, we’ll explore different methods, how to create a method to suit you, and how to keep your plot tight while still leaving room for some serendipity in your storytelling. We’ll explore the dichotomy of plot-first or character-first storytelling, manipulatives that might help, and some of the different plotting methods popular today. We’ll add a few tools to your writer toolbox to try, tweak, and make your own.