Workshops

10AM Foundations of Success:

New York Times Bestselling author Michael A. Stackpole will help you organize yourself so you have a head start on success when you sit down to begin your writing career. He will cover everything from how to plan projects, how to make time for writing, and the plethora of mistakes writers make which hold them back from becoming the best writers they can be.

11:30AM The Compost Heap of Inspiration – Where To Find Ideas and What to Do With Them?

This is the one question that every single creative hears over and over again?  Where do you get your ideas?  How did you even think of this?  What inspired this piece of art or story? In this workshop Historian Bethany Kesler takes a look at what inspiration actually is and how the giant compost heap of ideas in your head can be translated into workable narratives on the page.

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 go through the different types of series, the various presentations and when each is appropriate; as well as the rules for character, story creation, and growth that allows you to maximize the potential for greatness.

2:30PM First Chapter Milestones:

Explore the narrative beats you’ll need to cover in the first 5-10% of your novel. In this class, freelance editor Katherine Monasterio will walk you through all the gory details, including key character moments, plot points, foreshadowing, and more, all in the interest of keeping your readers reading. Locking readers into a story from word one is vital, and this class will teach you all you need to do just that.

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.

8:30PM Crisis Clinic:

Writers all hit snags in the story that sometimes seem insurmountable. In this session, people get to describe problems that are killing their stories. A New York Times Bestselling author will offer practical solutions and work-arounds for everything, from writer’s block, to that pesky side character who just ups and wants to take over the whole story. This is the chance to get an expert opinion on how to get past those issues which are seemingly stopping your work dead in its tracks.

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 Pitching, Sales and Acquisitions for Authors:

You’ve finished your novel or short story, and are now stepping up to pitch it to a publisher – so how do you make sure yours goes right over home plate?
Your instructor Sean CW Korsgaard has been on the other side of the mound, working as an editor for Baen Books and several magazines, and is here to teach you what will make the difference between striking out and selling your work to an editor. He will teach you how to punch up your pitch

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 Writing the Queer or Neruospicy Character:

In honor of the 10 Year anniversary of the We Need Diverse Books Now movement, this workshop teaches you how to approach writing characters with different gender identities, sexualities, as well as characters with complexities like depression, anxiety, OCD, ADHD, and autism. Authors B.A. Richards and Bethany Kesler will help you weave these character traits in a way that the story isn’t about their queerness or mental health, but just as a part of who the characters are that we get to meet in YOUR story.

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 AM 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 works from 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 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 Fantastic Fight Scenes:

In this workshop, writer B.A. Richards will teach you how to write believable fight scenes. From everyday items you can use as a weapon, to anatomical rules when it comes to swords and guns, and even how to make and break your own sci-fi and fantasy weapons…you’ll have the tools needed to make your fight scenes believable and keep the reader wanting more.

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.