Workshops

I have presented and co-presented the following workshops to writers of all genres. They can be modified to run as half day, two hours, or one hour sessions. I’m also happy to discuss a customized class or an online course for your group on any topics relevant to the craft and business of writing, or living the writing life. Please email me through the contact form.

Anatomy of Romantic Relationships
The most common complaints readers have about love stories in fiction is that the romance is not believable, or the only reason the characters are together is because the author wants them to be. Even if you don’t consider yourself a romance novelist, your writing can benefit from learning how to build the romance between your characters. Whether you write science fiction, mystery, thrillers, YA, or any other kind of genre fiction, this workshop will teach you how to build romantic relationships between characters so that your readers not only believe they should be together, but feel like they’re falling in love with them right along them falling for each other. Learn how to:
-Build the romance based on Twelve Steps of Intimacy that are appropriate and believable for the heat level of your story.
-Use the buildup of the romantic relationship to compliment the development of the external and internal conflict, thereby making your stakes more intense and increasing the tension of your story.
-Develop multi-dimensional characters by showing a character’s backstory and motivation based on how they interact with their potential romantic partner.

Goal, Motivation, and Conflict in Your Own Life: Optimizing Your Writing Process while Keeping Your Motivation High
Learn how to optimize the time spent in front of the computer so that you can increase your word count without extending the time writing. The pressure of increased productivity and publishing schedules can sap the joy and motivation out of the creative process. The methods revealed in this workshop teach you how to reach your goals while maintaining a positive outlook and their original joy of writing. Topics covered include:

• Making a schedule that fits you, instead of fitting yourself around a schedule.
• Protecting your writing time, without feeling guilty.
• Prepping for your writing session can double or triple your word count.
• Keeping writing at the forefront of your life, even when you’re not in front of the keyboard.
• Nourishing your writing soul and keeping your creativity and motivation high, even while meeting your deadlines.
• Playing fun and effective mind games to get you back into your book.
• Searching for inspiration…and yes, going after it with a club is perfectly acceptable.
• Connecting with critique partners and beta readers that fit your process and goals.
• Working with agents and editors to keep on track.

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For past workshop participants: here is the handout.

GOATs 101: Goals, Objectives, Assignments, and Tasks

With everything going on in our lives, there’s no way writers would be able to finish their masterpieces without setting goals. In this workshop, you’ll learn fun and effective ways to optimize your goal setting and planning process. I borrow terminology from the world of academic and corporate strategic planning and explain how to break down what seems like impossibly huge goals into easy-to-manage pieces. Through interactive activities and examples, you’ll use my GOATs templates to map out your immediate writing goals (Getting that WIP finished?), yearly goals (Complete two novels?), and career goals (Sign with an agent? Master self-publishing?). Topics discussed include:

• Defining Goals, Objectives, Assignments, and Tasks.
• Understanding the purpose and benefits of strategic planning for writers.
• Breaking down main goals into intermediate objectives.
• Using deadlines as a helpful tool.
• Learning what constitutes a reasonable timeline.
• Coping with unforeseen challenges to your plan.

For past participants: here is the template we used in workshop.

Pitching Your Masterpiece & Crafting Stellar Query Letters

Learn simple and straightforward techniques to craft a pitch you can use in query letters and one-on-one appointments. Understand how to hook a readers in only one paragraph, whether they are your readers, or agents and editors. Master both elevator pitches and a the longer query letter pitch. See examples of how small tweaks changed a query from good to brilliant. Discover what should go before and after your pitch in a query letter and design a template for yours before leaving the workshop. Topics covered:

• What’s the difference between pitching and querying?
• What’s a high concept and when do I need one?
• What is an elevator pitch and how do I create one?
• Other than the pitch, what else should go in a query letter?

For past workshop participants: here are the elevator pitch and the w^4 questions handouts.

Untie Your Tongue: How to Lead Successful Workshops and Author Events with Confidence
There’s more to being a successful author than allowing the voices in our heads loose while typing away dressed in yoga pants and a worn T-shirt. We are sometimes forced to leave our house and interact with real people. Although, we are articulate and accomplished in our prose, the same is not always true when speaking, especially in front of an audience. And yet, at workshops, readings, book clubs, and signings, we need to master public speaking in order to build our brand, connect with readers, and promote our books. I’ll pull on my vast experience as a college professor to show how to successfully lead any workshop or author event and make it fun, for both you and your attendees. Learn how proven teaching methodology together with the science of how people process and retain information can enhance your author appearances and your social media interactions with readers. This workshop covers:

• Why public speaking is a necessary skill for all writers.
• How to successfully deal with the fear of public speaking
• The steps of planning a successful workshop and other author events.
• How people process and retain information.
• Tips and tricks for leading fun and productive author events.
• The secrets to making public readings fun for the author and the audience.
• How to make book clubs and libraries issue repeat invitations.

For past participants: here’s the handout we used in the workshop.