Workshops

10AM Characterization: Where it all begins:

New York Times Bestselling author Michael A. Stackpole will steps you through a handful of characterization techniques, exploring the pros and cons of each, then building on that foundation to discover aspects of characters that enrich their development and the stories told about them. Careers are made through memorable characters and this is where how you learn to make them come alive

11:30AM This Is How We Time/ Space Travel and Other Chronological Pitfalls:

An exciting look into how to craft alternate realities, alternate histories, time travel, and parallel universes. Historian Bethany Kesler will outline the rules and do’s and don’ts of the genre as well as equip you with all the tools needed to craft historically authentic worlds. How to pick your cascade points, avoiding the black hole of too much research, and how to keep a timeline that makes sense.

1PM Building A Solid Series:

In this seminar, New York Times Bestselling author Michael A. Stackpole will walk you through the steps of creating the basis for an enduring series of stories. He will walk you  through the different types  of series, the various  presentations and when  each is appropriate, as well  as the rules for character  and story creation and  growth that allows you to  maximize the potential for  both.

2:30PM Stick the landing: How to Nail Your Novel’s End:

Endings are a notoriously tricky part of storytelling. What are the rules? How do I make the plates stop spinning? What if I’m writing a series? Fortunately, editor Katherine Monasterio is here to answer these questions and more. In this class, you’ll gain confidence in the narrative beats, character moments, and payoffs your novel needs to finish with a bang and satisfy your reader to the last page.

4PM Watching Movies to Make You a Better Writer:

We all watch movies, but decoding, analyzing, and understanding movies can help us become better storytellers; no matter the medium. In this class, Bryan Young, award-winning writer of work from Star Wars and Shadowrun to Doctor Who and BattleTech, will show you techniques used in the cinema and how you can adapt them to your writing style to make it more effective and keep you learning for your entire life.

5:30PM In Our Romantasy Era:

In Our Romantasy Era: Romance books are on the rise in the time of escapism and romance aspects are slipping into fiction everywhere. B.A. Richards goes over how a little bit of romance can go a long way with readers. Learn the difference between the romance genres and all the tropes, how to build an organic relationship from strangers to lovers, and a quick 101 on writing intimate scenes on any spice level.

7PM Beyond Either/Or: Writing  Past The Binaries:

It’s a weird, wonderful world out  there. In this workshop, author Bethany Kesler looks  at what going past the most  common gender and  identity binaries can do for  your writing. You will learn how to write them without  relying on harmful stereotypes and why exactly this matters outside the romance genre.

10PM The Open Door – Writing Sex and Erotica (*Mature Content):

Romance, Romantasy, and Erotica all demand a fairly graphic depiction of sexuality. In this seminar, writer B.A. Richards will discuss presentations and delivery of erotic content. How much is too much? When do you fade to black, or does the door remain open? How does a writer integrate the erotic into the story, so it becomes more than just titillation, and becomes relevant to the characters’ emotional journeys?

10AM Creating Reader Engagement:

There is a difference between stories that readers just read, and stories that pull them in and won’t let them go. In this class, New York Times Bestselling author Michael A. Stackpole will share with you sure fire techniques for drawing readers in and keeping them enthralled in the story from beginning to end.

11:30AM Setups, Payoffs, and Endings:

There’s a delicate balance in the symbiotic relationship between the setups you offer in your story and the promises you make as a writer and the payoffs you provide. In this class, Bryan Young, award-winning writer of work for Star Wars and Shadowrun to Doctor Who and BattleTech, will show you examples of good payoffs and endings and get you thinking about how you can better connect the beginning of your work to the end, to make a more impactful finale for your story.

1PM 21 Days To A Novel:

New York Times Bestselling author Michael A. Stackpole presents his three week program for preparing yourself to write a novel. This set of 21 exercises is broken down to give you everything from character creation to world building, practical plotting devices, dialogue development and character voice creation tools. This program is a practical, kick-in-the-pants place to start your career.

2:30PM Using TTRPGs to Build Balanced Characters:

The first step when starting a novel is to build up your main characters. There are lists of questions you use to interrogate your characters to get to know them, but for  some writers, this creates a rabbit hole to race down at the expense of focusing on the story. Author B. A.  Richards will help you explore an alternative route, using TTRPG character creation tools to fit your character out. Join them in rolling up a sample character and showing how stats, character traits, skills and potential weaknesses can produce a character you’ll be aching to write about.

4PM Hiring a Freelance Editor:

You’ve finishing your book and now it is time to take your manuscript to the next level. Freelance editor Katherine Monasterio walks you through the ins and outs of hiring a freelance editor, including potential costs, common pitfalls, how to know when your work is ready, and much more.

5:30PM Plotting:

New York Times Bestselling author Michael A. Stackpole unravels the mysteries of creating compelling plots. A novel is a huge undertaking, written over weeks or months, and the plot has to hold it all together. From creating an outline to maintaining flexibility, this seminar gives you the insider knowledge that will separate you from all of your peers.

10AM Finding The Story:

New York Times Bestselling author Michael A. Stackpole takes you through a series of exercises that will let you build a story from the barest spark through twists and turns. He’ll give you several story recipes and show you how you can work from them to create delightfully complex and engrossing stories.

11:30 101 Ideas In an Hour:

Ever wonder where writers get their ideas? Join New York Times bestselling author Timothy Zahn as he guides you and your fellow workshop attendees on the path to creating characters, aliens, magic systems, and societies that you can use as jump-off points for literally hundreds of stories, novels, and even multi-book sagas.

1PM Advanced Characterization:

If Characters are king, these techniques will teach you how to establish a dynasty. New York Times Bestselling author Michael A. Stackpole reveals the advanced techniques he uses for creating characters of depth, intrigue and humanity, who manage to grow in realistic but seldom predictable ways. You’ll learn how to create the sort of characters that can carry whole sagas and keep readers locked in and waiting for each new book’s release.

2:30PM Balancing Description and Pacing:

They say “Show, don’t tell,” but what does this actually mean? In this workshop, writer B.A. Richards will teach you how to know when to describe in detail, and when to skimp.  You’ll explore how description affects character, setting, and plot, and when pacing calls for or limits the details. You’ll learn how to strike that precious balance that makes the world full and yet keeps the story racing right along; and how to spot those places where it needs to slow down to enjoy the details and pleasures of the tale.

4PM Building Your Novel Writing Took Kit:

Bryan Young, award-winning writer of work from Star Wars and Shadowrun to Doctor Who and BattleTech, will guide you through building a tool kit of resources to help you get ready to embark on your novel, help you flesh out the world and characters, and leave you at the end with the tangible plans needed to move forward on your next book.

5:30PM Making the Next Draft the Best:

New York Times bestselling author Michael A. Stackpole gives you the needed tools to break down your novel, diagnose issues, and substantially improve your next draft. He’ll cover the basics from how to know if you need to do one more draft, and how to produce and package your book for sales. If you think your book isn’t quite there yet, or if you want to make sure everything is working the way it should, this seminar will provide you with techniques to answers to all your questions.