Sometimes you can't put your finger on why your story isn't singing the right tune. Maybe its time to do a deep dive into your primary and secondary characters. Join Sandy McCormack as she pulls apart the details on how to create a memorable and deeper character.

Often what we think we know just isn't true. "Common knowledge" about fiction can deaden our stories, including time-honored advice like start fast and get to the point in dialogue. We'll take a fresh look at "vivid" descriptions, and how "showing" sadness can end up distancing a reader by "telling." For writers at all levels, this class examines the deeper truths suggested by, or obscured by, fiction maxims.

Emotion is probably the most important tool a writer has in their writer’s toolbox. Emotion affects every other element of fiction – dialogue, action, character development, plot, theme, the list goes on and on. Join bestselling author Gerri Russell in this in-depth workshop designed to help you step inside your characters and make your writing richer and more memorable.

In this era of #MeToo consent is on the forefront of not only our everyday lives but also in our choices of entertainment. Romance novels have been held in high regard as bastions of consent in the same breath as they are ridiculed for feeding the fantasy of the bodice ripper. Join award winning author Anna Alexander in an open forum discussion of how do we as authors pay heed to societal changes and reflect those views in our works. Are we doing enough, or have we not gone far enough?

It’s not groping. It’s chemistry between two people. That intangible push/pull. Will they/won’t they. Listen to Darcy Carson explain the four elements of sexual tension in this short video.

Students will learn about poetry, and they will learn a few poetic devices. Students will be shown a picture and asked to write about what they see, hear, taste, smell, and feel about the image. This activity will help students begin the writing process and become comfortable writing. Students will also learn how to make digital poetry. Students will be encouraged to use a personal picture or use a picture from a free stock website that offers free commercial use images. Kiana will show students examples of digital poems. Students will write a poem called In My Life, and they will be given a guided poetry outline.

Join local horror and mystery writer Scotti Andrews for this informative and fun panel, in which investigators and agents from several police agencies discuss actual training, and investigation techniques.

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“Page-turner” books don’t write themselves. Bestselling authors know how to weave suspenseful elements into their stories, whether a Thriller, Romance or Commercial Literary. The best books layer thrilling moments to create a roller-coaster ride for their readers, tossing in twists and turns to keep readers engaged to the very last page. Learn the craftsmanship of great story-telling by using shocks and surprises, the pacing of tension, loaded language, inserting secrets and lies, and so much more. In this workshop, you’ll come away with the tools needed to add suspense to any type of story whether it’s Contemporary Romance, Sci-Fi or Thriller. Suspense is the essential element to drive every story forward.

When we talk about how stories get told, what we really talk about is: Who speaks? To whom (who’s listening)? And, from what distance? Consider the opening line to “Incoming Tide,” a short story in the collection Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout: “The bay had small whitecaps and the tide was coming in, so the smaller rocks could be heard moving as the water shifted them.” You might be surprised to learn that Kevin, the third-person point-of-view character and the story’s protagonist, has just driven from New York back to this small coastal town in Maine with a gun in the back of his VW Bug. Kevin is considering suicide. There is a distant quality to this telling that is detached from suicidal Kevin. How does that happen?
This two-hour master class will include a series of readings, discussions, and practice exercises designed to explore: 1) voice (how to distinguish between world view detached author voice and story limited character voice; 2) narrative distance (how near or far the telling is from the occasion); and 3) psychic distance (how emotionally close to the character the telling makes us feel). The goal of this class will be to develop techniques that will allow you to gain control over how you tell your stories in order to better manage your readers’ journey.
Key take away points:
1) How to distinguish author voice from character voice (and how to know when the use of each is appropriate).
2) How to manage narrative distance (to guide the reader from wide-shot world building into a close engagement with characters struggling under pressure).
3) How to manage psychic distance (to guide the reader’s engagement with your characters from an emotional distance all the way in to their most intimate interior reactions).