2025 Conference Workshop Information 

Simply register to attend the conference when registration opens, then select whatever workshops interest you on the day(s) you selected. And if you become a member before registering for the conference, you save $60 ??? on the cost of attending the full conference! 

Debra R. Sanchez
Writing Prompts: Writing Prompts Can Help All Writers
Are you looking for new ideas?
Do you want to breathe a fresh life into your story world.
What is the backstory of your Work in Progress?
Can you find alternative paths?
Will you challenge the obstacles and overcome writers’ block?
Whether you are just beginning or are a seasoned author, it can be beneficial to use prompts to jumpstart an idea or build on existing skills. This workshop will answer your questions about prompts:

• Who needs them?
• What are they?
• When they are most beneficial?
• Where can writers find them?
• Why they are necessary?
• How can writers use them?

Workshop includes in-class prompts exercises to build writing skills.

Chris Posti
So You Want to Write a Screenplay? A Beginner’s Guide
When the executive producer of Hallmark’s #1 show encouraged Chris Posti to write a TV pilot based on her novels, she eagerly dove into the world of screenwriting. How challenging could it be? After all, she’d already succeeded in journalism, nonfiction, and fiction. But what she discovered was a whole new level of storytelling that required a different set of skills. Chris is excited to share her journey—the surprises, the learning curves, and the tips that made all the difference. Whether you’re a seasoned writer venturing into screenplays or a beginner looking to start strong, this workshop will provide the essential tools to get your script off the ground with confidence.

Chris Posti
Crafting a Captivating Series: From Concept to Continuation
Discover secrets to crafting a compelling novel series that will keep your readers hooked from book one to the final page. We’ll explore how to create memorable characters with room for growth and build a cohesive world that evolves with each installment. You’ll learn strategies for planning and pacing your series, maintaining continuity, and weaving in themes that resonate throughout. Whether you’re just starting your first book or looking to expand a standalone into a series, this workshop will equip you with the tools to create a series readers can’t put down.

Keith Kopka
Unlocking the Poetic Potential in Fiction and Nonfiction: A Poetry Workshop for Prose Writers
Dive into the art of poetry and discover how it can enrich your fiction and nonfiction writing. This workshop is designed for writers who primarily work in prose but are curious about integrating poetic elements into their craft. We’ll explore how poetic techniques can elevate your storytelling and add depth to your narrative voice. You’ll learn how to harness the poetic power of concise language and emotional resonance, enhancing both descriptive passages and dialogue in your prose. You’ll also gain insight into how blending craft elements from different genres can create compelling and memorable writing. Whether you’re looking to refine your descriptive skills, add a lyrical quality to your narratives, or simply explore a new aspect of writing, this workshop offers valuable tools and fresh perspectives. Join me to unlock new creative possibilities and transform your prose with the essence of poetry!

Keith Kopka
Do I Want It or Need It? Navigating the World of MFA Programs
Are you considering pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing but are still determining where to begin, or if an MFA is the right choice for you? This workshop will demystify the world of the MFA by offering practical advice and insider tips from an MFA Director on what an MFA provides for its students, who should consider an MFA and who can live without it, selecting the right program, preparing a strong application, and making the most of your MFA experience.
We’ll discuss the essential steps of applying to MFA programs and explore the different types of programs available—low-residency vs. full-time, poetry vs. prose, and experimental vs. traditional—helping you identify which programs align with your creative goals and personal circumstances. We will also explore how to craft a compelling personal statement, select and refine your writing sample, and secure strong etters of recommendation. You’ll also learn about the importance of researching faculty, understanding program cultures, and evaluating financial aid packages. By addressing common myths and misconceptions about MFA programs, this workshop will help you approach the application process with confidence and clarity. By the end of our time together, you’ll have a comprehensive understanding of how to navigate the MFA application process and make informed decisions about your creative writing education. Whether you’re a published author who is trying to decide if an MFA is suitable for you, or an emerging writer just beginning to consider an MFA or are already deep into the application process, this workshop will equip you with the tools and knowledge to take the next step in your writing journey.

Robert Harrison
Cover Design Made Simple
“Never judge a book by its cover.” Most of us don’t do that, but the cover of a book often spurs the buying decision. A well-designed book cover will grab a reader’s attention in the bookstore or while they’re scrolling through Amazon.
In this revealing and educational workshop, author Robert Harrison teaches the basics of general graphic design (skills that can be put into practice when creating flyers, bookmarks, and social media posts) and the specifics of cover design. As the owner of Seneca Author Services, he’s designed hundreds of book covers, and will demonstrate how to use two popular graphics programs, Adobe Photoshop and Canva, to create effective and compelling book covers.
Robert also teaches the basics of typography, color theory, and exporting for print and ebook. In addition, he shares resources for stock imagery and explains the appropriate licensing requirements. Take your book covers to the next level in this comprehensive design workshop.

Robert Harrison
Book Formatting Made Simple
Your manuscript is written, edited, and proofread, but how do you actually transform it into a book? Through formatting! This workshop demystifies and makes accessible the formatting process. Author and publishing services business owner Robert Harrison takes you through converting your finished manuscript into a paperback/hardcover PDF and an ebook EPUB, ready to upload to the popular publishing platforms.
He demonstrates some of the more common formatting software such as Vellum, Atticus, and Reedsy’s free BookEditor app. He’ll also go over the basics of formatting in MS Word and Adobe InDesign. Relying on his experience with formatting and designing hundreds of client books, Robert explains the anatomy of a book, what’s included in the front matter, back matter, best practices for running heads and folios, how to insert artwork, exporting a “clean” EPUB file, and more. Dive into the nuts and bolts of formatting your book and preparing the files for publication with this informative workshop.

Sandi Van and Joy Givens
The Darndest Things: Building Narrative Voices in Children’s and YA Literature
For writers of all experience levels, narrative voice can be an elusive skill. I don’t know, sometimes it’s, like… hard to know how to say what I mean, you know? Granddad used to say findin’ your voice is slippier than tryin’ to catch a fish with your feet. But I want to sound like ME!
The ways to consider and develop a narrative voice are as varied and colorful as narrative voices themselves. Adults writing for children and young people can often find it particularly challenging to settle into an authentic, comfortable voice. In this hands-on workshop, YA verse writer Sandi Van and children’s prose writer Joy Givens will unpack the building blocks of narrative voice. This writing team spans several genres and age categories, allowing them to relay a “bird’s eye view” of voices that reach readers at many developmental stages. Through examples, resources, and on-the-spot exercises, they will equip writers with the tools to build and shape their own narrative voices.

Kathryn Craft
Navigating the Road from Journalist to Novelist
Journalists have many skills they can transfer to writing fiction, from working on deadline to collaborating with editors to using only the most relevant details to create meaning. Yet fiction publishing professionals routinely flag manuscripts written by journalists for less positive reasons. In this popular session, award-winning novelist Kathryn Craft, herself a former journalist, discusses the predictable (and understandable!) pitfalls that can beset journalists who start writing fiction. Among other things, we’ll look at how to turn reportage into deep point of view, shift focus from “what happened” into “what the protagonist will do,” transform “quotes” into dialogue, discourage skimming, and supersede facts with greater truths so you can create an immersive, emotional experience for your reader.

Kathryn Craft
Elevating Your Prose through Confident Voice
Authorial. Narrative. Character. These three voices can exude that “mysterious Something” confidence—that elevates prose beyond the ordinary. A confident voice inspires trust in readers, and when they sense it, they will respond by staying in the story. Beginning writers often despair that confidence is an intangible, bestowed by sensibility or absorbed by osmosis. Experienced authors, whose editors have told them that story is paramount, might fail to consider the way voice can support meaning. With examples from best-selling authors that exemplify prose craft in these three voices, attendees will leave this session with tips that will infuse their prose with confidence and keep readers engaged all the way to The End.

Kathy Otten
How Dialogue Drives Your Story
In this workshop we'll take an in-depth look at why we write dialogue, how to write dialogue, and the mechanics of dialogue.

Kathy Otten
Easier than a Novel? Writing a Short Story
In this workshop we'll look at how to include the elements of a novel inside the tight wordcount. We'll look at ways to include backstory, character arcs, and tension through dialogue, action, and inference. 

Hana Haatainen-Caye
Inspiring Others – The Chicken Soup Way
Did you ever wonder how to get an inspiring true story into print in one of the series of anthologies, such as Chicken Soup for the Soul? There is a formula. In this workshop, learn how to take a great story and transform it into a dynamic tale ready for publication. Don’t think you have the kind of story that’s right for Chicken Soup? You might be surprised. They’re not only looking for inspirational, goosebump kind of stories, but they also love stories that make their readers laugh out loud! Holiday stories are a favorite and every year they put out a new book about dogs or cats. Surely there’s a story brewing inside you waiting to get out there! But no matter how good your story is, it won’t go very far without 5 crucial elements. Submission guidelines for CSS will be covered, as well as current story callouts. Gather your stories and discover the secret to sharing them with the world!

Hana Haatainen-Caye
Writing Groups – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
In this workshop, we’ll focus on why some writing groups succeed while others fail. We’ll look at the differences between critique groups and writing groups, discuss how to start a group, and how to maintain one once you get it going. We’ll also address the issues of how you can benefit most from your meetings and be an asset to the group rather than a deterrent.

Eileen Enwright Hodgetts
Getting it bloody well right: British words and slang through the ages
With so many non-British writers setting stories in British villages, castles, manors, or other locations in Britain, it is important to understand the difference between American English and British English. Putting words in the mouth of your British characters can be very tricky but getting it right can give your work authenticity. The use of particular slang words, curses, and swear words varies from one region to another. and from one decade to another. We will look at Cockney rhyming slang and discover how it is still used. What about “bloody” Is it really a socially acceptable word and what does it actually mean? Who says “blimey?” Should you really say “bugger” Add authenticity to your cozy mystery or regency romance with just the right words. Learn some everyday British words that will surprise you and please your readers.

L.E. Delano
Defeating The Pitfalls That Derail Your Story
There are numerous pitfalls ready to trip you up in the process of writing a book. We’ll talk about sticking to word counts, falling down research rabbit holes, irons in the fire syndrome, writer’s block, and other challenges that can make you swerve off the path to finishing your story, as well as the best way to combat or reroute them.

L.E. Delano
Is There A Draft In Here?
How many drafts you need and what to be looking for on each one. Does the daunting task of editing leave you cold? Do you find yourself re-reading your story and randomly fixing what doesn’t work or feel right? We’ll talk about a plan that hones your story by examining different angles on each specific draft, getting you to a finished manuscript through an organized and thought-provoking method of reviewing and editing.

Hilary Hauck
The Art of Tension: Keeping Readers on the Edge of Their Seats
Tension is the lifeblood of storytelling, the invisible thread that keeps readers turning pages, desperate to know what happens next. Whether it’s the subtle unease in a character’s internal conflict or the high-stakes drama of a ticking clock, mastering tension is essential to creating compelling narratives.
We will delve into the techniques for building and sustaining tension in your writing. We’ll discuss how to create suspense, craft cliffhangers, and make your scenes crackle with tension.
Whether you’re writing a psychological thriller, a romance, or a literary novel, this workshop will provide you with the tools to heighten your story’s emotional impact, maintain the energy throughout your work, and leave a lasting impression on your audience.
This workshop is ideal for writers at all levels who want to sharpen their skills in creating gripping, emotionally charged fiction.

DJ Stevenson and Diana Dru Botsford
The Psychology of Tropes: Why Certain Story Elements Resonate
This workshop delves into the psychological and emotional reasons why certain tropes persist and how writers can use this understanding to create more impactful stories. By the end of the hour, participants will have a basic grasp of the psychological principles underlying common tropes and how to leverage these for emotional resonance. They’ll leave with a framework for analyzing tropes in terms of their emotional appeal, helping them choose and adapt tropes more effectively in their writing. Given the one-hour timeframe, each workshop would likely include a mix of lecture, discussion, and at least one hands-on exercise to reinforce the key concepts.

Debbie Reynolds
Believing in yourself and your book
Are you THRILLED or CHILLED at the prospect of selling your book to strangers? Many writers are introverts, and shy about self-promotion, right? We’d rather hide than go out and try to talk to anyone about our books. This workshop will provide concrete items to remember when attending events and approaching (gasp!) the general public. They will help build your confidence for visiting bookstores, contacting publishers and agents, and believing in the wonderful work that you have created.
Learn how to draw readers to your display, how to engage them, and practice specific sound bites to have at hand. Confidence sells, and preparation is essential. Approach your offering not as a favor they’re doing for you—but a gift you are giving them, the enjoyment of your carefully crafted story. Choose your audience and events carefully and tailor your presentation for each outing; and always, always, have something in mind to say which frames your book attractively for those times when you’re tired or nervous and just want to hide.
For every level from not-yet-published to holding up that precious copy at a signing or a local craft fair, these are tips that will help you engage and interest people in your work. Remember, you ARE living your dream.
Potential for role-playing with volunteers. Handout/worksheet.

Diana Dru Botsford
Anatomy of a Scene: From Structure to the Dramatic Beat
This intensive workshop dissects the art of crafting powerful scenes, focusing on both overarching structure and minute-by-minute beats. Participants will learn to identify a scene’s essence and deliver it compellingly, while mastering the use of dramatic beats to reveal character, enhance conflict, and drive the story forward. Through lecture, analysis, and hands-on exercises, writers will explore scene components like goals, conflicts, and outcomes, then drill down to the beat level. Practical activities include scene dissection, beat-mapping, and collaborative scene/sequel-scene challenges. Applicable to both prose and screenwriting, this workshop provides a comprehensive toolkit for elevating any scene. Writers will leave with strategies for scene analysis, beat sheets for future use, and techniques to sharpen tension and pacing. By understanding both the macro and micro elements of scene construction, participants will be equipped to transform good scenes into unforgettable ones.

Diana Dru Botsford
Mastering Conflict: The Storytelling Engine
Conflict is the beating heart of every compelling story, vital to all forms of narrative writing. This intensive one-hour workshop explores how conflict drives plot and character development, delving into the five key elements of story structure and six major types of conflict. Participants will engage in hands-on exercises, mapping conflicts in their own stories, creating escalating obstacles, and exploring character reactions to conflicts. Writers will leave with a conflict checklist, techniques for weaving multiple conflict types into a narrative, and strategies for revealing character through conflict. Suitable for all levels and mediums, this workshop equips writers with tools to craft engaging narratives and fully realized characters, elevating their storytelling through the strategic use of conflict.

Panel Moderated by Rob Teplitz
“That Ain’t How It Works!”
This panel discussion is for fiction writers in all genres who want to add authenticity and depth to their characters and stories. Experts from a variety of professional fields (e.g., law, medicine, politics, public safety, etc.) will discuss what fiction often gets wrong about their professions and how writers can avoid making those same mistakes in their writing. The panelists will also entertain questions to address specific concerns of attendees. If you want to kill the clichés, enhance the accuracy and believability of your writing, and hold the attention of a more sophisticated audience, join this lively and interactive workshop. You’ll never again have to hear, “That ain’t how it works!”

Michael Buzzelli
The Art of Comedy Writing - The Sequel
The Art of Comedy Writing is for Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced writers. The seminar is structured to hone the writer’s humor writing abilities. It is a continuation of the class I taught in Pittsburgh in May 2023.
Key focus areas are joke, plot, character, and dialogue. Learn humor in all its various forms, from the droll wit of Oscar Wilde to the absurd slapstick of Jim Carrey. Engage in creative play to find their individual style of humor through Joke Mining, a process to generate jokes and humorous ideas and concepts. Examine plot structure using the nine basic plot theory (overcoming the monster, rags to riches, the quest, etc.), and how the characters must believe that they are in a struggle of life and death (even if it’s a pie-eating contest) Study the psychology of the character, referencing Theophrastus, Jane Austen and Norman Lear. Analyze the patter of Pulp Fiction, Sorkin’s Walk-and-Talk, the rhythm, beat, and general phrasing to create naturalistic dialogue.

Claudine Wolk
Book Marketing Fundamentals: Message, Audience, & Hook
Authors, your book deserves to be seen! To succeed you need a strong book marketing foundation - a solid place to start. In this presentation, Claudine introduces the three book marketing fundamentals: message, audience & hook. We review what they are, how to identify them for YOUR book, and how to use them in your book marketing strategy in today’s world to find your audience, share your message and sell more books. For beginner aspiring authors and established authors who could use an energizing boost to spark promotion efforts, this presentation includes downloadable worksheet page hand-outs and practical examples for every author to identify their book’s message, audience and hook to build a successful book marketing plan.
As a bonus, Claudine discusses the reasons that authors resist book marketing and some ways to overcome that resistance.

Annette Dashofy
The Villain’s Story
As writers, we spend a lot of time getting to know the heroes of our stories, but not so much the villain. In this interactive workshop, mystery, thriller, and suspense writers learn the tools necessary to create a bad guy your readers will love. Or love to hate. There will be exercises you can use to flesh out your own stories and characters, so come prepared to write.

Annette Dashofy
Writing Action Scenes
Readers love action scenes, but for writers, they can be a source of stress. How much detail should we include? Do we need to learn martial arts in order to write an authentic fight scene? The answers might surprise you. In this workshop, we’ll explore scenes that work and a few that don’t. And why.

Nancy Martin
What Secondary Characters Can Do for You
Your main character can’t go it alone. Secondary characters—those who aren’t necessarily finding love or catching the monster or stopping the spy or jumping off buildings to arrest the murderer—can flesh out the story, make it more real, deepen the meaning, and otherwise entertain. But their main purpose is to make your protagonist worthy of your reader’s attention. Learn the difference between archetypes and stock characters. Strengthen your plot and your themes. Find ways to trim extraneous characters who clutter your plot. Bring your wip to plan how to weave secondary characters into your story to make it stronger.

Nancy Martin
How to Finish Your Novel
Having trouble finishing your manuscript? Have you been writing the same book for more than a year? Are you burned out with hundreds more pages to write? Has the muddle in the middle of your story become a swamp that has stopped you completely? Learn some healthy writing habits as well as a few tried-and-true story strategies that can get you over the finish line. Topics include realistic goal-setting, accountability practices, and when to edit yourself. Discuss how to put story elements to work for you such as characters who can carry a story, boosting motivation, fleshing out multiple antagonists, heightening what’s at stake in your ms, and more. Find the value of writing the back cover copy and refining who your reader is before you finish your first draft. Finishing is the first step to publication.

Rachel Gehman
“Writing Your Story”
“Your story may be the key to unlocking someone else’s prison cell.” – Rachel D. Lyne. We each have a personal story to tell, and not all of it is pretty. What happens when real-life tragedy strikes? Oftentimes, we go to books for help, encouragement, and advice, but what if we could write the book that we needed in our time of distress – not just for ourselves, but for others? Join Rachel Gehman as she walks through what writing your story looks like to help readers emerge from their trauma to experience triumph. Your story of overcoming needs told, and others need to hear it.

Rachel Gehman
“Faith & Fiction”
Writing takes guts, heart, intellect... and soul. Regardless of where you are on your spiritual journey of faith, how do you handle those stories bursting inside you that aren’t quite... kosher? What happens when the fictional darkness we write with our pens causes us to be ashamed because of the light we hold inside our person? Attend this workshop with Rachel Gehman to discover how fiction and faith don’t have to be antonyms! We’ll not only look at well-known examples, but we’ll discuss in a group setting how crucial telling faith-inspiring stories is.

Cari Dubiel
The Author’s Guide to Libraries
So, you’ve published a book and you want it in a library. How do you start? If you’re an author who wants to understand how to get into those stacks--whether hybrid, indie, or traditionally published--join Cari Dubiel, an experienced librarian and hybrid author, for this presentation. You’ll learn about the mission of libraries today, how librarians and library workers select books, and how to become involved with programming and becoming active in your local community.

Sara Beth Kohut
Research Like a Pro on an Amateur’s Budget
Good research can make or break a project. Research can help you move forward if you already have topic, just as it can help you discover a story-worthy subject. Whether you write non-fiction or fact-inspired fiction, research is fundamental to impressing editors and keeping readers engaged in stories based on a reliable foundation. We’ll tackle the daunting aspects of research – where to start? how to stay on budget in the face of paywalls? what can I find online instead of driving to some hidden library? This workshop will explore libraries, databases, online resources, newsletters, government record depositories, and even road-trip-worthy assets for researching your next writing project without breaking your budget.

Karen Fatica Geiger
Getting to Know your Protagonist: Journaling for Character Development
You may know what your protagonist likes to eat for breakfast or their favorite playlist for running, but do you know your character's authentic code? Do you understand their most genuine self - the four pillars of authenticity that allow you to understand your character's responses and reactions? Creating a journal through the eyes of your characters will help you identify the WHY your character desperately needs to make an arc of change. In this interactive workshop, we will dive into journal writing techniques and tools to create a deeper understanding of your protagonist. This method can then be applied to any of the characters in your novel. The objectives of this workshop are: Understand the practical importance of journaling and the immediate benefits it brings to your writing and character development. Identify your protagonist's cognitive strengths and weaknesses. Develop a 4-pillar authentic code for your character, a crucial step in understanding their motivations and actions. Write your protagonist's mission statement. Have your character write an unsent letter.

Janyce Brawn
Using Your Five Senses to Stroke the Flames of Your Imagination to Thrill Your Audience
In this one session workshop we will explore the interplay of art, music, and literature which have always gone hand in hand, in a series of activities using our 5 senses. We will explore how the taste of a sour lemon and the smell of peppermint can enhance our creativity. We will find that the feelings we have for certain types of music can increase our focus and boost our openness to generating new ideas and becoming more creative. In any art form you need negatives and positives. These elements create depth in a composition that builds tension. So, learning about spatial awareness through drawing negative spaces can foster imagination and creativity and help us visualize and recognize negative elements such as heartache, loss and hurt in our writing. This exercise helps us to create a more dimensional character or story. Imagining “what if” when we use word cubes, or a dictionary allows our imaginations to expand in a fun
new way too. At the end, participants will have new sensory strategies to stoke their creative fires and be able to thrill their audiences as they move forward in their writing. A handout listing ensory strategies and how to implement them will be provided at the end of the workshop. 

Dr. Janet L. Pierce
Word Choice Matters
This one-session workshop explores the types of words used in Historical Fiction and other genres. The judicious use of accurate, time appropriate words pulls readers into your story. Too many idioms and expressions and it’s incomprehensible gibberish, much like Jaberwocky. Too little use of appropriate language and we are left with a blank slate of the time period. In this session participants will examine words that people have used in the past and what they may or may not mean today. We will play a game to discover just how much we know of different words from various time periods and what they mean and how they can be used today. We will discuss what is too much and too little in our use of age-old expressions. Participants will share their own experiences with choosing vocabulary pertinent to their time periods in their novels. At the end, writers of all levels will have a deeper understanding of the complexity of word choice and how it impacts our stories. A handout of resources for checking vocabulary will be provided at the end of the session.

Cindy Hospador
What Can a Line Editor Do For You? (And Self-Editing Techniques too)
For an author, hiring an editor is a necessary but costly investment. Before you whip out your credit card and send your manuscript to an editor, learn what a copy/line editor can and can’t do for you and your manuscript. This course explores how a Line/Copy Editor works with your manuscript and how you can improve your manuscript with self-editing techniques before an editor gets their hands on it. The better shape the manuscript is when you submit to an editor, is directly related to the quality of the manuscript when it is returned to you. Getting the basics right means your editor can concentrate on the more difficult aspects of editing a manuscript and take your rough gem of a story and polish it to a high shine.
During this session the instructor will: Describes the various types of editing and when they happen in the editing process. Discuss how to choose the right type of editing and/or the right editor for your manuscript. How to format your manuscript for the editor. Describe how a copy/line editor approaches a manuscript and the things they look for. How to cope when your manuscript comes back covered in red marks and notes. How to decide whether to accept an edit or reject it. The role of AI in editing, and why you still need a human. Review common edits that the author can do themselves. Fix the easy stuff, so your editor can spend time on the meaty stuff. Attendees will receive a handout of self-edits with examples that they can apply to their manuscript.

Tom Joyce
Wow the Crowd at Live Readings
Live readings can be a powerful tool for publicizing your writing and connecting with readers. But presenting your work in a roomful of people is different from doing it on the printed page, and can be a nerve-wracking experience for many authors. Tom Joyce, an award-winning writer who’s made a specialty of performing live readings, will teach workshop participants how to give presentations that will get them noticed and remembered, dazzle audiences, and sell books.
This workshop will go beyond basic public speaking techniques, although those will be covered too. Tom will explore topics including: Why hearing a work read out loud is a different experience from reading it on the page, and how readers can use that to their advantage. - How turning your reading into a performance will entertain the crowd at live events, even the friends and family who got dragged along! - Tactics for calming performance jitters.

Sarah McDavis
From Chaos to Clarity: Building a Creative Brand with Canva
This workshop is designed for writers who want to bring clarity and consistency to their creative brand. Using Canva, you’ll learn how to create a cohesive visual brand that works for you. Sarah will walk you through creating templates, organizing your assets, and developing a brand style that’s uniquely yours. Don’t have a brand yet? No worries! This workshop is designed for beginners who need help creating a brand from scratch.

Sarah McDavis
Caption This: Best Practices, Tips, and Strategies for Social Media
Are you overwhelmed by the thought of keeping up with social media? Do you feel like it’s something you need to do but don’t know where to start? And what about the seemingly constant changes on social platforms? In this presentation, you will learn where it is best for you to be on social media, pitfalls to avoid when posting, and how to make social media work for you!

Sarah McDavis
How to DIY Your Website (No Coding Required!)
As creators, we need to have a professional website for people to find us online. In this presentation, you will learn why you need a website (and not just a social media page), the 3 things you need to have on your website (and what the bonuses pages could be), and how to create your website from scratch in less than a day. Attendees will receive a DIY Website Worksheet to help them get started.

Jim Rada
Creating Effective Cross Promotions to Reach Readers and Build Your E-Mail List
An e-mail list allows you to communicate directly with interested readers, and cross promotions are an excellent way to grow your list, expand your reach with readers, and sell more books. Learn how to create effective cross promotions and the free software that will simplify the process. Discover ways to promote your e-mail list with sweepstakes entries, and how to clean up the thousands of e-mails you will have after a promotion.

Jim Rada
Crafting the perfect query to get assignments
Lots of writers earn a living freelancing, but to do so means you need to send out query letters, and more importantly, have them accepted. This workshop will look at finding ideas for articles and then finding the markets where those ideas will be read. We will look at the elements of crafting an effective query letter that will win you assignment. Finally, we will look at how and when to follow up so that you’re seen as persistent rather than annoying. Although not every query will earn you a sale, with a solid plan for regular querying and a format that has proven effective, your queries will result in more sales than you can handle.

Misty Simon
Finding Time to Write
Your writing can often be pushed to the bottom of your to-do list, and by the time you get to it, you feel like there’s no time. Let me convince you that we can find time to pursue your passion and dreams and do it within what you already do every day. Join Misty and explore where you can find pockets and make more pockets of time in your everyday life with joy!

Misty Simon
Perfect Your Pitch
Are you nervous about pitching your work to an agent, and editor, or another writer? Does an eight-minute pitch seem too long or too short? Take part in this interactive workshop first thing on Friday before you give your pitch and let Misty help you. Not only will she help you refine your pitch, but she will help you find your confidence and belief in your words.

Kate Brenton
Don't let the Inner Critic Silence your True Voice: How Writers Overcome the Inner Critic
Every writer must befriend the one who aims to stop their writing — their own villainous, internal critic. On the other side of this meeting, is an even more fearless and clear writing voice. Kate shares hilarious and true interwoven stories to illuminate how worth and worry can stifle one’s writing voice. Participants will realize insightful and practical tools to ultimately evolve from fearing your Voice Villain to befriending the critic, making a more authentic, fearlessly-you, writer’s voice accessible.
Kate reminds and relieves audience tension through humor, interactivity, and sharing practical and inspirational ways to grow your writing craft. Touchstones include:

• Lessons from a 3-day writing encounter with Cheryl Strayed, which first created 9 months of personal, writer’s block, and eventual freedom.
• Being the assigned villain for a fledgling author afraid to fly into her creativity, who ultimately reclaimed her wings.
• Knowing how to spot and celebrate the villain as a necessary medicine all writers must face and befriend.
• Exercises to meet common writing blocks as opportunities.

“You will inspire some and trigger others, both are medicine.” - Unknown

Brent Maguire
The Well-Adjusted Writer: The Psyche and the Pen Part I & II (double session)
The Well-Adjusted Writer: The Psyche and the Pen (part one of two)
Step into the writer's therapy room and explore the landscape of your creative psyche. Here we'll shine a light on the hidden (and not-so-hidden) corners of the writer's mind, exploring the psychological roots of common writing barriers and work toward a prescription for what ails you.
The Well-Adjusted Writer: The Psyche and the Pen (part two of two)
In our follow-up visit, we’ll examine the interplay between creativity, focus, and self-reflection. Using various methods, you'll be equipped with a cognitive toolkit to transform your relationship with writing.

Timons Esaias
What to Put In and What to Take Out
What to Take Out: How to remove meaningless stuff from your prose, and put content back in. This workshop will give you an action plan for facing the rewrite of your novel, or any piece of prose fiction. We’ll start with all the Horrible Things you need to excise (Tim dishes out a full blast of anti-bobble-headism, along with attacks on saidisms, compulsive modifications, and references to the beheading of Charles I); and then we’ll move on to the important matter of adding significant details, POV signifiers, color characters, theme music and more. Tim will suggest a series of focused preliminary passes to make through the manuscript, each addressing a specific issue. There will be exercises; chocolate; and, of course, malt balls.

Timons Esaias
POINT OF VIEW: a Guide for the Baffled -- a Balm for the Bewildered
No subject in writing leads to such bitter arguments, such frequent fisticuffs, or so many duels, as POV. Books on writing contradict each other; critique partners disagree; and the “rules” never seem to be reflected in the latest best-seller. This workshop will grasp the nettle of POV in a well-gloved hand, and explain what all the bruises and black eyes are about. We’ll address the wide variety of reader expectations, the hard truths of editors’ demands, and how you can keep up with changing techniques in your own genre. You’ll learn how to pick your POV, how to establish it, how to transition, and how to avoid embarrassing screw-ups. Tim Esaias promises to turn dull theory into a sharp tool, and give you conscious control of the cinematography of your narrative. There will also be chocolate and malt balls.

Timons Esaias
Objects for Your Story & Object to Inspire Your Story
What makes a setting convincing, even surprising, are those unexpected little details. Do your characters have any jewelry with stories to tell? Is that a mascot sitting in the corner of the cubicle desk? How is their relationship with the microwave? The remote control. That stupid ankle bracelet the judge made them wear? We will discuss the too-often-neglected minor artifacts that might make your setting actually mean something. Oh, but there’s more!
We will also discuss objects as Sources of Inspiration, as Amulets to Defeat Writer’s Block, as Lamps That Lead the Author out of Darkness & Despair. There will be Frankensteinian overtones as we study how to give inanimate objects an inner life, including (if needed) their own goals, motivations, conflicts and story arcs. As an object lesson in the power of small things, we’ll have malt balls for participation.

Natalie Richards
Brick House Books
Let’s learn the steps of building a Brick House Book! One that starts with a bang, avoids the dreaded sagging middle and wraps up with a finale that will leave readers breathless. It will also help your book stand out in the submission slush pile. Dynamic characters and shocking plot twists are great, but story structure is the glue that holds a book together. Understanding the nuts and bolts of story structure is vital to professional writing and adds the polish for which editors and agents are looking. In this interactive session, we’ll talk about how to construct a solid foundation and frame to let the flashy bits of your story shine even brighter! Richards will provide an overview of the fundamentals of the Three Act Structure, Freytag’s Pyramid, and the Hero’s Journey. She’ll also help participants dive into techniques that can be used while planning and editing, so that Pantsters and Plotters alike can make the most of these renowned structure templates. Come prepared to apply these to a book idea of your own (or to a book or movie you’ve recently enjoyed).