Workshop Schedule
Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity
Presented by: Joy Held
Date:August 1 - 31, 2021
Pricing: A2P Member fee: $15
Non-A2P Member fee: $30
About the Workshop:
Good self-care is the new multi-vitamin! Writers should still take a multi-vitamin, and Writer Wellness is a complimentary plan to help you stay on target for writing and life. WW is a lifestyle technique for anyone who loves to create with activities to stimulate creativity and health by encouraging regular journal writing, exercise, relaxation, good nutrition, and creative play. Regardless of style, genre, or writing goals, Writer Wellness is the perfect writer's companion.
The workshop will offer one to three activities per key area (journaling, fitness, relaxation, nutrition, and creative play) for participants to try then respond to discussion prompts posted in the course. This interactive workshop will present ideas any writer can put into practice, tweak, and maintain throughout a writing career with the goal of better health and expanded creativity for many years. Discover the Writer Wellness Warrior in you and be well, write well!
About the Presenter:
Joy E. Held, A.A.S., B.A., M.F.A. is an author, freelance editor, educator, Yoga Alliance Registered yoga and meditation teacher, college English professor, certified Journal to the Self facilitator, and workshop presenter with over 500 articles published in trade magazines, newspapers, and literary journals. Her historical romance novel Message to Love was published in 2010 by The Wild Rose Press. Her nonfiction book Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity, third edition is available from Headline Books, Inc. Joy is a member of Romance Writers of America, Hearts Through History Romance Writers, Northeast Ohio RWA. She holds degrees in education, journalism, and an M.F.A. in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University.
http://www.joyeheld.com
http://facebook.com/joy.e.held
http://twitter.com/Joy_E_Held
http://www.writerwellness.wordpress.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joy-held-4703b187/
Old Friends--Making Your Characters Memorable
Presented by: Kathy Otten
Date:August 1 - 31, 2021
Pricing: A2P Member fee: $15
Non-A2P Member fee: $30
About the Workshop:
In this workshop we’ll delve deep into your character’s psyche. We’ll look beyond eye and hair color to dig deep into each character’s motivation, frustration, and fear. We’ll look at how fear and frustration create the motivation that can drives your character toward their goal or away from it. Then with some creative thinking and writing exercises, we’ll explore ways to weave it all together into a story filled with memorable characters your reader will remember long after they close your book. I hope you will join me.
About the Presenter:
Kathy Otten is the author of multiple historical romance novels, novellas, and short stories. Her most recent short story, Heart of Ash, was released in January 2021. She is currently in the first draft stage of her next historical romance and has a YA novel on the back burner. She teaches fiction writing and is a workshop presenter and developmental editor. Kathy has been married for 38 years and has three grown children and one grandchild. She enjoys taking long walks with her dog and reading e-books while on the treadmill. You can email Kathy at kathy@kathyotten.com
Using Small Conflicts To Move a Story Along
Presented by: Mary Marvella
Date:September 1 - 30, 2021
Pricing: A2P Member fee: $15
Non-A2P Member fee: $30
About the Workshop:
"Using Small Conflicts To Move a Story Along" will involve ways to cure sagging middles in any story.
Writers who don’t plot can find themselves painted into a corner or wondering what to do next. Even plotters sometimes find a story seems to be going nowhere. Sometimes the problems are solved, but the book needs to be longer. OOPS!
So what can we do about that? Students and I will share ways to make scenes more meaningful and give characters problems that fit the situation and make those characters stronger for the new problems.
I will give lessons/lectures about why stories need conflicts, small and large, internal and external, to keep excitement going and readers reading.
Students will select slow scenes from their projects or create them so we can pump life into them with small or large rocks. I will give examples of problems based on the stories. We will brainstorm and share scenes on the loop each week.
About the Presenter:
Mary Marvella has been a storyteller for as long as she can remember. The arrival of the book mobile was as exciting as hearing the music of the ice cream truck. As a child of the South, she inherited the storytelling gene from her parents and her grandmamas.
Retired from teaching classic works of the masters, Mary plays let’s pretend with her characters. She has published 10 novels, 1 book on editing, and a collection of Christmas stories.
Mary tutors, and coaches writers when she isn’t working on projects as a freelance editor. She has always been a grammar geek who loved soaking up new knowledge and reading everything, including labels on cereal boxes.
The Inner Mind of a Computer Geek
Presented by: J.T. Evans
Date: October 1 - 31, 2021
Pricing: A2P Member fee: $15
Non-A2P Member fee: $30
About the Workshop:
Arthur C. Clarke's third law states, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." This means that the minds of the people who create "sufficiently advanced technology" are equally magical. In this course, I'll delve into what motivates me as a computer technologist to continue to work in my field after an active career of over twenty-five years.
I'll also touch upon the various technical fields in which I have expertise to provide insight into how things are done, why are they are done that way, and how mistakes can be made to reduce the security stance of a computer or network. I'll also cover how criminal enterprises are leveraging technology to increase their revenue and reach. The flip side of the coin -- what information security professionals are doing to put a stop to these nefarious activities -- will also be taught as part of this class. Lastly, I'll explore some futurist thoughts into what magic may pour forth from near-future technological advancements.
About the Presenter:
J.T. Evans started creating software for his grandfather's business in 1980 at the tender age of seven using a TSR-80 from Radio Shack. In the intervening decades, he's seen a world of change in technological leaps, and pervasiveness of computing in everyday life. Even trying to keep up with the latest and greatest advancements keeps J.T. busy, but he does his best because his career success in computing requires rapid shifts and constant learning.
Taking on the challenges of constant learning, J.T. has worked in a wide variety of computer-based jobs. Most of his professional career, he's been a software engineer. However, he's also worked as a Windows system administrator, Linux system administrator, systems engineer, support technician for various technologies, deep support troubleshooter, information security engineer, database administrator, system architect, and probably a few more fancy titles that have been forgotten to the ages. In a nutshell, if there's a computer-based job out there in the world, J.T. has touched upon it at some level.
J.T's first two novels in his Modern Mythology series from WordFire Press GRIFFIN’S FEATHER and VIPER’S BANE are out now.
Don't Fear Writing the Synopsis
Presented by: Becky Martinez
Date: October 1 - 31, 2021
Pricing: A2P Member fee: $15
Non-A2P Member fee: $30
About the Workshop:
Let’s face it – writing a synopsis and query letter can often be more difficult than writing the book itself. However, it doesn’t have to be.
By putting your own personal creativity into writing the synopsis, you can come up with a “pitch” for your book that can not only help open the doors with publishers and agents, but provide a beginning for writing the promotional material for the book itself.
But how do you start to write that synopsis? How do you use it to pitch your book? Help is on the way. Learn the elements that should be included in a good synopsis from one page to a fully detailed synopsis. Find out how to describe your story and characters in a way that will have editors and agents asking for more.
About the Presenter:
Becky Martinez, who writes fiction as Rebecca Grace, has focused on writing almost every day for the past 45 years. She is a former broadcast journalist who spent 30 years in TV newsrooms and nearly ten years in public relations. For the past 15 years she has also been writing fiction and non-fiction books as well as teaching writing classes, coaching aspiring writers, and giving presentations on writing.
She is published in non-fiction as well as fiction. Her non-fiction books include a book on pitching coming from Savvy Authors, as well as a published series on creative writing, the Let’s Write A Story series: Seven Ways to Plot, The Plotting Circle, and Creating Memorable Characters written with her frequent co-author Sue Viders. Their latest book, Creating Great Villains is coming soon from Savvy Authors.
She has also been published in mystery, romance, and romantic suspense fiction with The Wild Rose Press and Wings e-Press. She is currently writing a sequel to her TWRP book, Blues at 11.
Researching for Authors
Presented by: Margaret Bates
Date: November 1 - 30, 2021
Pricing: A2P Member fee: $15
Non-A2P Member fee: $30
About the Workshop:
Research can feel overwhelming. For some of us, it’s been years since we’ve dug deeply into a topic, but sometimes you need to know more to add realism to your book and worldbuilding.
In this class, we’ll talk about how to make a research attack plan, how to use library databases and university research sources, how to understand and read journal articles, and even the approaches for speaking with primary sources, like experts in the field. Similarly, we’ll learn about the interviewing skills you can use to talk to subject matter experts, like doctors or firemen…etc. for getting the deepest realism in crafting your heroes and heroines. Finally, we’ll discuss the risks of the “research rabbit hole” and when to stop gathering information and commit to start writing after you’ve done your due diligence.
So, if you’re interested in deeper world building, more realism in your work, and learning how to get those details you need to write a successful novel, this is the class for you!
About the Presenter:
Margaret Bates was Magna Cum Laude in psychology as an undergraduate at Duke University. During her undergraduate work, she spent six months as an intern at a state hospital for schizophrenics in La Paz, Bolivia. During her graduate work, she spent five years working toward a Ph.D. in developmental psychology with an emphasis in autism intervention therapy and was everything but dissertation at The University of Alabama at Birmingham. In December of 2020, she finished her Master’s thesis in industrial/organizational psychology at The University of Baltimore with a focus on meaningfulness in life and healthy psychological functioning. She’s spent most of her life researching and can’t wait to teach you how to as well.
Mindset, Motivation & Well-being A to Z for Writers
Presented by: Joy Held
Date: November 1 - 30, 2021
Pricing: A2P Member fee: $15
Non-A2P Member fee: $30
About the Workshop:
Mindset, Motivation & Well-being A to Z for Writers presents a host of suggestions for overhauling your writing life inside and out. Some of the topics will resonate and some will need to percolate for a while, but everything from coping with anxiety to applying zero-based thinking can potentially recharge your existence until you are unstoppable in every aspect. These premises apply to more than just writers, but the creative juices needed to produce stories is more draining than it looks. These concepts could be the missing ingredient you’ve been searching for.
The course will present the ideas and offer outside readings or internet links to explain each one. Course participants will be encouraged to post experiences and thoughts.
About the Presenter:
Joy E. Held, A.A.S., B.A., M.F.A. is an author, freelance editor, educator, Yoga Alliance Registered yoga and meditation teacher, college English professor, certified Journal to the Self facilitator, and workshop presenter with over 500 articles published in trade magazines, newspapers, and literary journals. Her historical romance novel Message to Love was published in 2010 by The Wild Rose Press. Her nonfiction book Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity, third edition is available from Headline Books, Inc. Joy is a member of Romance Writers of America, Hearts Through History Romance Writers, Northeast Ohio RWA. She holds degrees in education, journalism, and an M.F.A. in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University.
http://facebook.com/joy.e.held
TBD!
Presented by:
Date: December 1 – 31, 2021
Pricing: A2P Member fee: $15
Non-A2P Member fee: $30
About the Workshop:
TBD
About the Presenter:
TBD
TBD!
Presented by:
Date: December 1 – 31, 2021
Pricing: A2P Member fee: $15
Non-A2P Member fee: $30
About the Workshop:
TBD
About the Presenter:
TBD
Not Just Stretch Marks and Hot Flashes: Writing the Seasoned Romance
Presented by: Jeannie Moon
Date: January 23, 2021, Saturday, 9AM PT
Pricing: A2P Member fee: No Charge
Non-A2P Member fee: $10
About the Workshop:
Romance readers are growing older and so are the heroes and heroines in the genre they love. This workshop will take you through the ins and outs of writing a seasoned romance from the physical realities of age to the subtleties of the older mindset. See how publishers are starting to embrace romances with more mature characters.
Topics covered will include both craft and marketing, so authors can explore issues surrounding age, including:
- The concept of love being ageless
- How intimacy between older characters can be sexy and fun
- The myth of eternal youth (and why we don’t need it)
- Tropes that work well with seasoned romance
- How to envision and pitch your book in a changing market
- Fighting ageism in the industry
About the Presenter:
USA Today bestselling author Jeannie Moon has always been a romantic. When she’s not spinning tales of her own, Jeannie works as a school librarian, thankful she has a job that allows her to immerse herself in books and call it work. The author of sixteen contemporary romances for Tule Publishing and Penguin Random House, Jeannie is married to her high school sweetheart, has three grown kids, three lovable dogs and is a lifelong resident of Long Island. If she’s more than ten miles away from salt water for any longer than a week she gets twitchy.
Help! I’ve Lost My Muse!
Presented by: Lois Winston
Date: February 1 – 28, 2021
Pricing: A2P Member fee: $15
Non-A2P Member fee: $30
About the Workshop:
What do you do when Maizy Muse takes off for parts unknown and leaves you staring at a blank computer screen? In this workshop, Lois Winston, a USA Today and Amazon bestselling and award-winning author and retired literary agent, will offer some unorthodox tips for recapturing that AWOL muse, banishing writer’s block and stimulating creativity. The workshop will employ everything from Madison Avenue advertising to Dear Abby, from Bruce Springsteen to standing in line at the supermarket checkout counter, and more. Attendees will be encouraged to participate in the various assignments (sometimes bizarre, always fun) that accompany each lesson. The workshop will end with the “Help, I’ve Lost My Muse Challenge” which, if completed, will result in the creation of captivating characters and a dynamic plot for your next manuscript.
About the Presenter:
USA Today and Amazon bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and nonfiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is a former literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry.
Website: www.loiswinston.com
Newsletter sign-up: https://app.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z1z1u5
Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog: www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/anasleuth
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Anasleuth
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/722763.Lois_Winston
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lois-winston
Tips and Tricks for Shining Online
Presented by: Brenda Clotildes
Date: February 6 – 19, 2021 – includes 2 live sessions!
Pricing: A2P Member fee: $10
Non-A2P Member fee: $20
About the Workshop:
We’re all spending more time on screen these days. Whether it’s a Zoom meeting, Instagram interview or Facebook launch party, we all want to look our best. This workshop will provide a checklist of things to do—and NOT to do—to help you be prepared, no matter where you’re virtually appearing. No special equipment necessary!
About the Presenter:
Brenda Clotildes spent more than thirty years as a television writer/producer. She’s helped everyone from mechanics to politicians look natural yet professional on camera. As Brenda Margriet, she writes savvy, slow burn, contemporary romances with ordinarily amazing characters. Readers have called her stories “poignant,” “explicit and steamy,” “interesting, intriguing and entertaining,” and “unlike any romance you’ve read before” (she assumes the latter was meant in a good way).
Making Rejection Work For You
Presented by: Laurie Schnebly Campbell
Date: March 13, 2021, 9AM PT
Pricing: A2P Member fee: FREE
Non-A2P Member fee: $10
About the Workshop:
Whether it's the first setback or the fiftieth, for a beginner or a New York Times bestselling veteran, rejection is a part of EVERY writer's life.
This workshop offers practical and psychological techniques for dealing with the the "No, Nope and No Way" messages that authors face regularly.
Discover what works for you when it's time to deal with rejection...and how planning your response to ANY setback leaves you more in control of not only your writing life, but also your personal life.
About the Presenter:
Laurie Schnebly Campbell lived through second- and fifth-book syndrome between winning "Best Special Edition of the Year" over Nora Roberts and having her Rejection workshop featured in an NYT article about romance. She combines a background in counseling with teaching, and her bookshelf currently has 49 first-sale novels by authors from her classes -- she's still hoping for #50!
Freedom and Framework: Story Planning for Pantsers
Presented by: Catherine Chant
Date: March 1 - 31, 2021
Pricing: A2P Member fee: $15
Non-A2P Member fee: $30
About the Workshop:
Flying by the seat of your pants to write the first draft for your book feels so freeing. It’s a time to play, to experiment, to try out new ideas. What fun!
But diving into a project as big as a novel without any plan at all often means a lot of extra work after the draft is completed as you scramble to revise hundreds of pages that might have no cohesion, inconsistent characters, or a wandering plot.
One way to lessen that extra work is to go into the rough draft phase of your book with a better idea of where the story’s headed. That doesn’t mean knowing everything about your story (how boring would that be?), but it does mean knowing something to give your story direction. “Outline” is a scary word for most pantsers. It sounds restrictive, it sounds tedious, it sounds boring. So, there will be no “outlines” here. Nope. None. Instead, you’re going to build yourself a “framework” for your story that’s open and flexible, with plenty of room for playing, experimenting, and checking out new ideas off the beaten path whenever the inspiration strikes you.
Story Planning for Pantsers: Keep your freedom, but keep on track, too.
About the Presenter:
Award-winning author Catherine Chant is a Romance Writers of America (RWA) Golden Heart® finalist. She writes rock ‘n’ roll romantic fiction and stories with paranormal twists for young adults as well as books on creative writing topics.
Catherine worked for 15 years as an IT computing & communication consultant at her alma mater Boston College before becoming a full-time writer. She teaches several online workshops for writers throughout the year and provides instructional articles on computing, gaming and crafts to different websites.
You can find out more about Catherine at her website www.CatherineChant.com
“Where the Heck Do I Start?” (Self-Publishing)
Presented by: Kathryn Jane
Date: April 1 - 30, 2021
Pricing: A2P Member fee: $15
Non-A2P Member fee: $30
About the Workshop:
Thinking about self-publishing? Feeling overwhelmed at the thought of taking on what some call a monumental task?
Then you definitely need this workshop which will introduce you to self-pub in a non-frightening way, give you a basic understanding of what to expect during the process, and help you be prepared to navigate the steps.
About the Presenter:
Kathryn Jane, author, artist, and coach, loves to share her knowledge and experience in workshops designed to assist others in every stage of their publishing adventure. Her own career has included everything from short stories and novels, to multi-book series. Whether romantic suspense or the escapades of feral cats, Kathryn’s unique voice will take you on a journey rich with pitfalls on the way to the always promised happy ending.
Writing the Private Investigator
Presented by: Steve Pease
Date: April 1 - 30, 2021
Pricing: A2P Member fee: $15
Non-A2P Member fee: $30
About the Workshop:
Television and movies do not reflect real life. Surprised? The Private Eye's image in the mind of most Americans (and elsewhere) was formed on the screen and in pulpy mystery novels, and it's mostly wrong. We don't pull guns, beat up thugs, drink whiskey with a straw or take dirty photos thru motel Venetian blinds. We're in a tough business, and we need insurance, permits, equipment and coffee. Oh, and good shoes and a comfy chair. This 12 Lesson course will present a very practical view of the single-person PI business based on my experience as a licensed PI2 in Colorado. I'll cover the main duties of the investigator, the effort needed to run a sustaining business and a few anecdotes to illustrate points. I'll recommend resources, steer you away from a few, and suggest a couple things you can do to experience the PI life, AND, get some real-life details into your stories.
So your Hero is over 35, and maybe over 55. And they want to make a career change? What the hell do they bring to this? EXPERIENCE. And maturity from those hard lessons earned and learned during a working life. The punk kid hasn't learned yet. You have. Most PIs aren't life-long PIs, but they have been curious forever. Most have done something else, reporter, librarian, civil servant, cop, military, nurses. Their minds have discipline. They've been people watchers. They know an opportunity when they see it, so here they go. And they will succeed at THE core PI task: Find Out About. My Lessons aren't simple Conference handouts. They're writing resources. You can lurk. And you can imagine and ask. My two main mystery characters are late life PIs. Let's see how this works.
About the Presenter:
Steve Pease is a licensed Private Investigator in Colorado. He is retired from a career in Intelligence and space engineering. He also teaches a course in writing against the intelligence cliché. He has published military history and SF/mystery/horror fiction as Michael Chandos. He is working on a romantic-suspense novel featuring an elegant lady who runs a lacey tea shop – and who knocked off her abusive husband with some lethal tea and put him in the rose bed.
Identifying and Breaking Bad Writing Habits
Presented by: Jeffe Kennedy
Date: April 17, 2021, 10AM PT
Pricing: A2P Member fee: FREE
Non-A2P Member fee: $10
About the Workshop:
Learn to identify your bad habits as a writer to improve the quantity and quality of your work.
Jeffe will share some of her approaches, such as Own Your Process, Kick Excuses to the Curb, Listen to Your Editors - and Learn, Study Successful Authors and Keep a List of Recurring Tics. She’ll also help participants discover their own process and what might be getting in the way of more and better writing.
About the Presenter:
Jeffe Kennedy is an award-winning author whose works include novels, non-fiction, poetry, and short fiction. She has won the prestigious RITA® Award from Romance Writers of America (RWA), has been a finalist twice, been a Ucross Foundation Fellow, received the Wyoming Arts Council Fellowship for Poetry, and was awarded a Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Award. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) as a Director at Large.
Her award-winning fantasy romance trilogy The Twelve Kingdoms hit the shelves starting in May 2014. Book 1, The Mark of the Tala, received a starred Library Journal review and was nominated for the RT Book of the Year while the sequel, The Tears of the Rose received a Top Pick Gold and was nominated for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Fantasy Romance of 2014. The third book, The Talon of the Hawk, won the RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Fantasy Romance of 2015. Two more books followed in this world, beginning the spin-off series The Uncharted Realms. Book one in that series, The Pages of the Mind, was nominated for the RT Reviewer’s Choice Best Fantasy Romance of 2016 and won RWA’s 2017 RITA Award. The second book, The Edge of the Blade, released December 27, 2016, and was a PRISM finalist, along with The Pages of the Mind. The final novel in the series, The Fate of the Tala, released in February 2020, along with a short novel epilogue, The Lost Princess Returns. A high fantasy trilogy, The Chronicles of Dasnaria, taking place in The Twelve Kingdoms world began releasing from Rebel Base books in 2018. The novella, The Dragons of Summer, first appearing in the Seasons of Sorcery anthology, finaled for the 2019 RITA Award.
Kennedy also introduced a new fantasy romance series, Sorcerous Moons, which includes Lonen’s War, Oria’s Gambit, The Tides of Bàra, The Forests of Dru, Oria’s Enchantment, and Lonen’s Reign. And she released a contemporary erotic romance series, Missed Connections, which started with Last Dance and continues in With a Prince and Since Last Christmas.
In September 2019, St. Martins Press released The Orchid Throne, the first book in a new romantic fantasy series, The Forgotten Empires. The sequel, The Fiery Crown, followed in May 2020, and culminates in The Promised Queen in 2021.
Kennedy’s other works include a number of fiction series: the fantasy romance novels of A Covenant of Thorns; the contemporary BDSM novellas of the Facets of Passion; an erotic contemporary serial novel, Master of the Opera; and the erotic romance trilogy, Falling Under, which includes Going Under, Under His Touch and Under Contract.
She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with two Maine coon cats, plentiful free-range lizards and a very handsome Doctor of Oriental Medicine.
Jeffe can be found online at her website: JeffeKennedy.com, every Sunday at the popular SFF Seven blog, on Facebook, on Goodreads and pretty much constantly on Twitter @jeffekennedy. She is represented by Sarah Younger of Nancy Yost Literary Agency.
http://jeffekennedy.com
https://www.facebook.com/Author.Jeffe.Kennedy
https://twitter.com/jeffekennedy
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1014374.Jeffe_Kennedy
“How’d I Miss That?” (Self-Editing)
Presented by: Kathryn Jane
Date: May 1 - 31, 2021
Pricing: A2P Member fee: $15
Non-A2P Member fee: $30
About the Workshop:
Sending to a contest? Sending to an agent? Sending to an editor? Self-publishing?
No matter where your words and pages are headed, they need to be the best they can possibly be, and that means self-editing. Yep, the initial cleanup is your job and that’s why self-editing skills are so darned important.
This workshop will provide you with all the tips and tricks I wish someone had shared with me.
About the Presenter:
Kathryn Jane, author, artist, and coach, loves to share her knowledge and experience in workshops designed to assist others in every stage of their publishing adventure. Her own career has included everything from short stories and novels, to multi-book series. Whether romantic suspense or the escapades of feral cats, Kathryn’s unique voice will take you on a journey rich with pitfalls on the way to the always promised happy ending.
Novellas and How to Knock ‘Em Out Fast
Presented by: Ivy Quinn
Date: May 1 - 31, 2021
Pricing: A2P Member fee: $15
Non-A2P Member fee: $30
About the Workshop:
This month-long workshop will show you how to quickly write the first draft of novellas — 30-40K word stories in 7-10 days.
Learn how to understand your writing schedule and the best times for writing, tricks for concentrating, how to outline, and strategies for getting it done and making sure you get through a novella when other things are pressing on you and responsibilities clash with your writing.
About the Presenter:
Ivy Quinn has written the novel Frozen Ashes and Smoldering Shards with her co-writer, Midnight Voss. The book was part of the USA Today bestselling Sirens and Scales boxset in 2018 and is currently being revamped and expanded into a longer work.
She also co-wrote the novella, The Golden Stag, the first in her Jaeger Detective Agency paranormal noir books with Megan Hussey. That novella was published in the limited edition and also USA Today Bestselling Once Upon a Rebel Fairy Tale anthology set last summer. She worked as a ghostwriter for four years on over sixty novellas and a dozen novels, some Amazon bestsellers.
She’s also taught workshops, including one on novella writing and one on adapting fanfiction ethically into original works, for a variety of RWA chapters, including the Maryland Romance Writers, the Central Pennsylvania Romance Writers, the Young Adult Romance Writers, and the Yosemite Chapter of the RWA.
Currently, she (usually) balances her graduate schoolwork in psychology with her writing schedule, which includes the Fanged Fairy Tales series, the Vegas Shifters series, and more of the Jaeger Detective Agency novellas currently in development for Sapphic Alliance Fiction.
Writing Conflict Hurts
Presented by: Melinda Curtis
Date: June 1 - 30, 2021
Pricing: A2P Member fee: $15
Non-A2P Member fee: $30
About the Workshop:
Writing conflict hurts – not just because it makes your characters suffer, but also because it’s painful to create and carry through on the page.However, conflict drives story and holds an editor’s attention, which means it sells books. Conflict also entices readers to turn the page, which helps create a satisfying experience (plus repeat purchases). Bring a story idea to this interactive course and learn how to build, refine or edit your stories by creating compelling conflict and stronger plots, one element at a time. Takeaways include:
- Developing story goals that are hindered by conflict
- How to deepen character and create emotionally satisfying endings
- Better understanding of internal and external conflict
- The “bumpers” that keep your characters acting consistently
- Conflict that catches the attention of editors and agents
- Summarizing and presenting your finished or developing story, including synopses, taglines and product descriptions
About the Presenter:
Prior to writing romance, award-winning, USA Today Bestseller Melinda Curtis was a junior manager for a Fortune 500 company, which meant when she flew on the private jet she was relegated to the jump seat—otherwise known as the potty. After grabbing her pen (and a parachute) she made the jump to full-time writer. A hybrid author, Melinda has over 60 titles published or sold, including 40 works to Harlequin and five to Grand Central Forever, mostly sweet romance and sweet romantic comedy. One of her books, – Dandelion Wishes –, was made into a 2020 TV movie – Love in Harmony Valley. She recently came to grips with the fact that she’s an empty nester and a grandma, concepts easier to grasp than movies made from her books or jet-setting on a potty
Writing Believable Fight Scenes
Presented by: J.T. Evans
Date: June 1 - 30, 2021
Pricing: A2P Member fee: $15
Non-A2P Member fee: $30
About the Workshop:
- Knowing how to write a true-to-life fight scene requires getting into fights. Yes, multiple fights. Many of them. That's painful because your opponents tend to strike back. There is an alternate approach, though. Find someone who has been in their fair share of fights, also knows how to write, and can impart their decades of battle-earned wisdom to the eager student.This class will cover a wide range of topics including the purpose of a fight in fiction, gender differences, martial arts styles, weapon types (melee and ranged), writing mass combat, how to visualize a fight scene, and what happens to people when they are wounded. There are many nuances to each of these topics (and more!) that you won't want to miss out on.
About the Presenter:
Roughly thirty-five years ago, J.T. was the target of the bullies (yes all of them) of his school. Between seventh and eighth grade, he enrolled in his first martial arts class to learn how to defend himself. This allowed him to not only drive the bullies away the next school year but put him on a path of passionately learning as many different forms of martial arts as he could get his hands on. Through the years, he's learned "soft forms," "hard forms," armed combat, mass combat techniques, and even has some mixed martial arts experience. As a result of bouncing between the different arts in the world, he has never earned a black belt in a single one, but his broad-spectrum approach has allowed him to get out of many a tight situation over the years.
When not thinking about what martial art to tackle next, he writes fantasy novels. He also dabbles with science fiction and horror short stories. Between the times he slings words at his laptop, he keeps computers secure at the Day Job, home brews great beers, spends time with his family, and plays way too many card, board, and role-playing games.
J.T.'s first two novels in his Modern Mythology series from WordFire Press GRIFFIN’S FEATHER and VIPER’S BANE are out now.
Second Chance Romances
Presented by: Deborah A. Bailey
Date: July 12 - 25, 2021
Pricing: A2P Member fee: $10
Non-A2P Member fee: $20
About the Workshop:
Second chance romance is a popular trope that covers a lot of situations. A chance to make up after a split. A second chance at love for "older" heroines. Another chance for love after heartbreak or trauma. Second chances come in many forms and readers love to experience them. Learn how to build your character's backstory and make their second chance extra satisfying for your readers.
1. What kind of second chance does your character desire?
2. Determining the risks and rewards for your characters.
3. Healing from trauma and loss – identifying the obstacles to love
3. Building a backstory – why is your character in this situation?
4. Make the reader care – how they can become invested in your character's journey
About the Presenter:
Deborah A Bailey has presented various writing workshops for SavvyAuthors.com and the Sayreville Public Library, including topics such as Writing Your Book in First Person POV, Creating Intimate Scenes Without Going All the Way and Introduction to Self-Publishing.
Her science fiction and paranormal romance novels include suspense, a bit of mystery and a lot of romantic heat. Her short stories have won awards from the Philadelphia Writers' Conference and have been published in US1 Magazine and the Sun and are included in, Electric Dreams: Seven Futuristic Tales.
Website: https://dbaileycoach.com/brightbooks
Romancing the Holidays – Writing Holiday Romances that Sell
Presented by: Rebekah R. Ganiere
Date: July 1 - 31, 2021
Pricing: A2P Member fee: $15
Non-A2P Member fee: $30
About the Workshop:
What is the hype with Holiday Romances? Have you ever wondered why so many people write them? Or why there are so many people that read them? This year alone Hallmark will come out with over one hundred new holiday romance movies!
So what does it take to write a Holiday Romance? When do you publish it? When do publishers even send out calls for them?
Come find the answers. Join the thousands of writers who are publishing Holiday Romance short stories, novellas and novels to move their careers forward. Learn what you need to incorporate into your story, how to write a sci-fi, fantasy or paranormal holiday story and more.
Come learn what it takes to write in one of the hottest selling sub-genres of romance!
About the Presenter:
Rebekah is an Award Winning USA Today Bestselling Author and Screenwriter. Her debut novel Dead Awakenings, hit the bestseller list on release day. She has won several awards in both writing and screenwriting. Books in her popular fairytale retelling series Fairelle have won many awards including the Golden Palm and was a finalist for Rone Award as well as won Best Fantasy Series of 2014 from the Paranormal Romance Guild. Rebekah is a prolific author releasing upwards of five books a year and is currently working on six different series.
Rebekah is the former President of the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal Chapter of RWA as well as a member of several local and online chapters. In her spare time when she isn't writing you can find her teaching on Savvy Authors or at RWA. Rebekah is also known for her elaborate cosplays with her family and has been a guest speaker and panelist at San Diego Comic Con, Wondercon, Salt Lake Comic Con, Long Beach Comic Con, Comikaze, Fyrecon and several other Comic Cons on the west coast as well as LTUE, Romantic Times Convention, RWA, InD'Scribe, Genre LA and Authors After Dark and Book Lovers Con.
Rebekah R. Ganiere ~ Books with a Bite
USA Today Bestselling Author and Award Winning Screenwriter
Producer - No More Goodbyes
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