This year’s classes

Here’s a list of our 2021 classes by title and author.

A Bridge Between Worlds: Revealing Character Arc Through Metaphor – Amber Helt

Become an A+ Indie Author – Shayla Raquel

Character Development with the 9 Enneagram Types – Greta Boris and Megan Haskell

Contracts for Fun and Profit – Courtney Miller-Callihan

Dialogue and Characterization: Snappy Convos with Interesting People – Brooke Fossey

Facebook Advertising – Jennifer McMurrain

How to Avoid Info-Dumping – Dana Swift

How to Avoid the Mushy Middle: Writing Stories Where the Center Holds – Jeff Lyons

How to Work with Your Editor – Katie Proctor and Twyla Beth Lambert

Intro to Screenwriting: Exit from Reality – Colin Holmes

Kid Speak: Creating Dialogue for Middle Grade Characters – Kay Goodnight

Kindle Unlimited vs. Wide – Jodi Thompson and Sarah Bale

Logline Mastery: How to Nail the Query Letter Pitch to Agents and Editors – Jeff Lyons

Read and Critique workshops

Romance Subgenre: Pick Your Poison –  Sarah Bale and Katherine L. Evans

Sharing the Spotlight: Writing Multiple POVs – Alex Perry

So Here’s My Problem workshops

Poetry panel

The Big Picture: Mapping Out Your Novel with Story Grid Techniques – Leslie Lutz

The Cliches You Need Vs The Cliches You Don’t – A. Lee Martinez and Sally Hamilton

The Magic is You: Developing a Spectacular Writing Voice – Jenny Martin

The Multipassionate Writer: Multiple Genres, Multiple Forms, Maximum Marketability – S.K. Valenzuela

The Query Letter – Eva Scalzo

The Reality of Publishing in 2021 – Amy Brewer

The Texture of Urgency: How to Deeply Engage your Readers From the Start – Helga Schier, PhD

To Be Me or Not to Be Me: Pen Names – Jodi Thompson

We Got the Beat: The Art of the Scene – Leslie Lutz

What’s Next? Using Query Format to Craft Your Next Idea – Dana Swift and Katie Bernet

Working with an Agent – Amy Brewer

Writing Dual POV – Alex Perry

Writing With Distractions: Intentional Brain Hacking to Complete Your Manuscript – Sarah Terentiev

Class descriptions

A Bridge Between Worlds: Revealing Character Arc Through Metaphor

As you grow, you see the world differently. Well, so do your characters. By tapping into the metaphors that make up your characters’ linguistic identity, we can use your narrative’s figurative language to subtly reflect their growth to readers. Using this method, we can show your characters’ motivations, personal interests, and evolution over the course of the story. In this class by Amber Helt, we’ll look at examples from best-selling novels and workshop the Metaphor Arch with characters from our own novel to see how your prose can take a journey of its own.

We Got the Beat: The Art of the Scene

What is the difference between a narrative summary and a scene? What does it mean to “enter a scene too early” or “leave the scene too late”? And what on earth do editors mean when they say your scene didn’t “turn”? In this 1 ½ hour hands-on workshop by Leslie Lutz, you’ll put pen to paper and learn the foundations of good scene writing and revision.

Intro to Screenwriting. Exit from Reality

From the software you need and the books you should read, to the formatting and unique style of a screenplay, this class will cover the fundamentals of developing your story into a screenplay. We’ll look at writing for film/video/television and short form motion pictures, along with how to get started as a screenwriter. This class by Colin Holmes will probably not help you get your raw story to a producer in time for the Oscars, but it should give you enough information to know if screenwriting is for you.

Kid Speak: Creating Dialogue for Middle Grade Characters

Dialog can be tricky, especially if it’s been a while since you were your character’s age. In this workshop by Kay Goodnight, you’ll practice tapping into your inner-child to create unique dialogue for your young characters. Concrete examples will be examined. You’ll then have the opportunity to apply what you’ve learned to your own work in progress and share the results.

The Magic is You: Developing a Spectacular Writing Voice

Get revved up for a brand new, totally revamped writing workshop from author Jenny Martin! In the class, you’ll learn how to level up your prose and write the kind of one-of-a-kind, unforgettable fiction that will not only garner requests, but linger in the hearts and minds of readers, long after the book has been closed. Whether you’re a seasoned novelist or just jumping into the query trenches, this workshop is for you. You’ll walk away inspired, ready to draft and revise the most engaging fiction you’ve ever written.

Dialogue and Characterization: Snappy Convos with Interesting People

This course by Brooke Fossey is going to break down the art of dialogue, whether you’re writing a short funny exchange (“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”), a long intense scene (“I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.”), or romance (“You had me at hello.”). We’ll learn how the best movies and books use dialogue for character, plot, and emotional impact—and then we’ll put your newfound knowledge to work in your current draft. Those early to the craft will benefit from the basics, while seasoned writers will appreciate the more nuisance pointers. Bring along a chatty scene and a red pen.

The Big Picture: Mapping Out Your Novel with Story Grid Techniques

So you’ve written your 120,000-word masterpiece. Your writing group says your scenes are awesome, and when agents and editors read the first fifty pages of your manuscript, they request more. But in the end, your work ends up in their rejection pile. What happened? And how do you break through to the next level? Story Grid techniques can help. In this 1 ½ hour hands-on workshop by Leslie Lutz, you’ll learn how to map out a story you’ve already written so that you can revise with purpose.