2023 Conference Workshop Electives

Demystifying the Synopsis will debunk the myths that make you dread writing a fiction synopsis and equip you to fearlessly craft contract-winning synopses.

In Demystifying the Synopsis, veteran, multi-published author Jerusha Agen will shatter the myths that spark fear in our hearts and reveal that you DO have what it takes to write contract-winning synopses!

Jerusha will discuss:
• Your personal obstacles and struggles with synopses
• What a synopsis is and is not
• When and why you’ll need to write synopses
• The myths and fears that hold us back
• The secret to fearless synopses
• 4 steps to writing your synopsis

Join Jerusha to gain the mindset and tools that can enable you to never dread writing a synopsis again!

Time and time again authors are told they need to build their “brand” and their “platform” only to find themselves wasting countless hours on social media, but a bestselling author begins with a bestselling website.

In this class you’ll learn how to find your author identity, apply it to your website, and begin to build an authentic relationship with agents, publishers, and readers even if you haven’t published a book yet. We’ll discuss the free tools and methods professional web developers use and how you can too. You’ll also gain a basic understanding of usability and marketing and why reader magnets aren’t what you think they are. By the end of this class, you’ll have a recipe with the key ingredients for a bestselling website that will make you stand out in a sea of other authors.

Being a writer is a busy enough calling as it is, but there’s much more to us than just being writers. Most of us have other callings that take up time too. Are we spouses? Parents? Grandparents? Do we have other careers than writing? Do we homeschool? Volunteer at our kids’ schools? The list goes on! As wives, mothers, and women with careers outside of writing, Pepper will discuss ways they navigate the balance of it all and share tips they use to keep getting words on the page without neglecting all the other things.

Using movie techniques—writing cinematically—is a great way to be sure you are SHOWING instead of telling. By dissecting and comparing two 20-words sentences, Deborah will explore showing vs. telling, point-of-view, deepening characterization, writing vivid settings, naming characters, using strong verbs, and many other secrets of strong writing.

Every successful writer follows a unique path to publication, and never have there been more roads you can travel. Learn what those roads are, the advantages and disadvantages of each, and how to use each of them (online publishing, writing for periodicals, self-publishing, traditional publishing, genre publishing, work for hire) to follow God’s plan for your writing.

Applying to fiction the qualities listed in Philippians 4:8

Philippians 4:8 declares that there are certain things which are worth thinking about and dwelling on. Therefore, these things must also be worth reading and writing about. After all, which of us don’t want our stories to linger in our readers’ minds long after they put the book down?

This class, then, will systematically define the meanings of the eight qualities found in this verse and discuss how our writing can practically exhibit those qualities, making our books the kind that are worth reading and thinking about.

How to tackle the dynamics of rewriting your story based on editorial or first reader response.

Novels aren’t written they are rewritten. However they dynamic of taking a novel apart to add layers, to clean up prose and to up tension is not as simple as we think. In this workshop we’ll talk about areas of focus to clean up prose and elevate tension.

1. How to read your editors notes.
2. Wrangle dialog vs. prose. How to convert prose into dialog where needed.
3. Recognizing and eliminating overwriting and over explaining.
4. Evaluating physical responses such as catching a breath or swallowing to go deeper into the emotion of the moment.
5. Wrestling with show vs. tell. Getting to the nitty gritty of the concept.
6. Upping tension with dialog.
7. Setting a scene with the five senses.
8. Maybe other things as I think of them.

Concrete applications to organize your days, escape hustle culture, and move from overwhelmed to productive without sacrificing your first-born.

Intro: We read how-to books on writing, running a business, parenting, managing a home, prayer, and even how to worship God, but how do we accomplish all of these without killing our hearts? How can we throw off the constant hustle culture and still accomplish our goals? By intentionally creating a schedule with boundaries, instead of letting outside forces tell us what to do. We’ll cover some of the best business advice for entrepreneurs and tailor it to fit your work as a spouse and parent while growing a career as an author.

Brainstorming an “I wish…” list for our life as well as “For Fun…” Are we enjoying life? Why and why not? What needs to change? What hinders?

Body: Current responsibilities–Inviting God into the middle of the picture and looking to follow where he leads. Asking for the blessings. Seeking his will from the start.

Creating successful morning and evening boundaries: Piece by piece, deconstructing our routines and look into how we sabotage ourselves. Setting boundaries from distractions and looking forward to a five-year
vision.

The business of writing: We have business dreams. How are we going to get there while keeping up with everything else?

The formula: Looking at the non-negotiables, seeking to build relationships first. Seek first the kingdom.

The schedule: Block scheduling for success with no-argument cut-off work times.

Conclusion: Motivation: Who’s on your team? How will you reward yourself? Where’s the accountability?

We’ll go over how an author can sell ebooks, paperbacks, and even audiobooks direct - and why an author should.

*What does selling direct mean?
*What are the benefits of selling direct? – What are the disadvantages?
*What are the tools needed for selling direct?
*What is this going to cost me?
*How do I make selling direct worth it for me?
*Let’s look at some author shops in different platforms.

Join best-selling authors Lenora Worth and Terri Reed to unpack the author’s secret weapon—Dwight Swain’s Scene and Sequel.

According to Dwight Swain’s book, Techniques of the Selling Writer, a good story is made up of Scenes connected by Sequels. A scene serves a very distinct purpose: to take the reader on a journey by showing what is happening to and through the POV character. While a sequel is the connector that propels the reader from one scene into the next by providing analysis, reaction and a new goal for the POV character as the character moves into the next scene.
In this workshop we will break down the elements of scene. We will discuss the POV characters story goal and how that relates to each scene goal. We’ll look at the conflicts that thwart our POV character and determine the disasters that keep the reader hooked. We will also break down the purpose of sequel by discussing the analysis, reaction and new goal of the POV character. We’ll learn how important sequel is to the story. The workshop attendees will come away with a better understanding of how Scene and Sequel work and will be given a handout with the elements of scene and sequel to use for their own plotting purposes.

Writing the beginning of a novel is a breeze and the ending isn’t so bad, either, but the middle can often stall the story, so learn how to keep the middle fresh and exciting with no sag in sight.

Freshman/Sophomore level:

You’ve written your exciting beginning, you’ve created amazing characters, your setting is on point and now you’re at the middle of the story going…“What now? How do I get to the end?” If you have trouble with stalling out in the middle of the story, come learn some tips and tricks to jump start the middle of your manuscript, give it new life to finish strong and leave your readers looking for the next book. Using scenes from the popular movie, The Sound of Music, and the three-act structure—with a slight twist—Lynette will demonstrate why the middle of the book is crucial to keeping readers engaged until the end.

An overview of writing for children: a brief discussion and description of each of the genres (picture book, story book, chapter book, easy reader, nonfiction, middle grade book, and young adult books), along with the specific blueprint for how to write a wonderful and entertaining picture book.

Things I’m glad someone told me when I first started writing.

The start of a writing career and attending the first conference can be daunting. Authors speak in writer lingo and talk about agents and publishing companies, adding to the confusion. When Sami entered the world of writing, a woman at her first conference pulled her aside, told her “Don’t make the same mistakes I did,” and gave me her advice. Sami will share this advice and more to help new authors navigate the world of writing. Sami will focus on the basic information of these key areas and more:

•Terminology: WIP, pitch, one sheet, proposal, developmental edits, line editors, voice, passive vs. active, etc.
•The difference between small pubs, large pubs, and indie publishing. Along with the things writers need to consider before making publishing decisions.
•What are critique groups, and how to handle harsh and/or differing comments.
•Agent vs. no agent
•Writing the book of your heart vs. writing to sell
•Choosing and staying within one genre at the beginning of your career.
•Branding. What is it and helpful ideas, including quick hints about social media, websites, and business cards
•Contests. Why or why not
•Pantsing vs. Plotting

Calling all rebel writers! Standing out in a crowded field of good books means being different than the others. Being better. Being a rebel. Writing with a voice that gives characters the driver’s seat while you strap on a seatbelt and go along for the ride is the key. In this workshop you will discover why following the rules can sanitize your manuscript and make your characters sound like everyone else’s. Once you learn to break the rules and silence your inner editor, your characters will speak, both to you and to the reader. And they may even use incomplete sentences!

You’ve completed your two-page questionnaire about your character’s hair and eye color, the kind of car they drive, where they work and still your crit partners say your hero/heroine is flat. That is, until you introduce dialogue. Dialogue brings life to the deadest scene. Even then, it’s how you say a thing. In this interactive workshop we will use the common attributes of animals in the jungle to depict the four basic personalities and how they communicate to create the kind of characters our readers find themselves talking to as if they are real people in the room.

Icebreaker - work in groups and complete a craft activity that will showcase the four communication styles

Lion
Dominant
Driving
Forceful
Passionate
Communication Style – Get to the point. Focused. Results
Flamingo
Quick to Talk
Colorful
Enthusiastic
Persuasive
Communication Style – Upbeat. Positive. Inviting. Talks with their hands. Miss details. Exchange advice.
Chameleon
Steady
Adapts
Background/Dwells behind the scenes
Support
Want to please
Communication Style – Agreeable, Predictable, Needs small talk, Repeats what’s been said
Turtle
Conscientious
Slow to make decisions
Very Critical
Communication Style –Quiet one in the group. Very detailed. Low emotional tone. Precise and thorough

Using the information learned - participants will role play common scenarios our characters find themselves in they are able to create realistic conversations with plenty of tension.

Join four bestselling authors to learn the ins and outs of writing for Harlequin’s Love Inspired lines.

Have you wanted to write for one of Harlequin’s Love Inspired lines but aren’t sure what doing so entails? Here’s your chance to hear from four best-selling Harlequin Love Inspired authors who will spill the details of what editors want, what makes them cringe, what makes a good Love Inspired story no matter which line you write for and how these books have a large impact on readers. Each author will talk about their experience and what they’ve learned by writing for Love Inspired. And there will be time for your burning questions about writing for Harlequin’s Love Inspired franchise.

Learn step-by-step strategies to supercharge your new book release

Learn the comprehensive approaches to reach both previous fans and new readers during a book launch. We’ll cover topics such as:
• Prerequisites to a solid launch
• Growing and utilizing your email list
• Your websites and social media sharing
• Building and empowering your launch team
• Blog tours
• Paid advertising
• Launch parties
• Postmortems
• How to choose your strategy for a debut release, first in a series, standalone, or later book in a series.

A deep dive into why your proposal is getting rejected.

Panel with: Lacy Williams, Robin Patchen, Susan May Warren, Sharon Srock, and Misty Beller

Six writing friends - who all write different genres - meet together in person twice a year, have a text group, and keep a bi-monthly Zoom appointment in order to support one another, pray for one another, encourage one another, and help each other with all different aspects of writing from plotting to blurbs and everything in-between. We’ll discuss what it’s meant to each of us as individuals, sisters-in-Christ, and writers.

Conquer the chaos and discover the organizing secrets that will bring order to your writing life so you can be more creative and productive as you work.

1. Can writers be organized?
2. Writers’ fears/misbeliefs about being organized
3. Four areas writers need to conquer in order to have their most creative
and productive writing life: Space, Time, Material, Mind

Within each area we will discuss:
*How to organize it
*How to keep it that way

4.Q & A

*Includes handout and access to spreadsheet file (via link, QR code)

*This class is appropriate for ALL levels of writers.

Realistic and positive social media tricks, tips, and truths for the Christian author

As an author, the social media world can feel overwhelming. How much should I use social media? Can I be successful if I’m not on TikTok? Will a publisher want me or keep me if my following on Twitter isn’t in the tens of thousands? And how does social media play into our calling as writers? Betsy and Pepper will discuss 5 of the top social media outlets, myths that can lead to discouragement, tips for more successful engagement, and how our faith impacts our view and use of social media.

Participants will learn how to create stories readers can’t put down through a detailed examination of the four-act structure and will leave with the tools necessary to plot a story whether a pantser or plotter.

Understanding story structure is a crucial skill for every author. Even pansters must adhere to the age-old structure if they hope to be published. Yet, getting a story without a muddled middle or an anticlimactic ending takes a lot of work to make those pieces fit together. This workshop breakd down and applies the four-act structure to story creation. Participants will leave with a thorough understanding of story structure and a loosely plotted story.

Outline
I. Overview of Plot Elements
A. External Plot
B. Internal Plot

II. Three Act Extended Structure Introduction
A. What is the three act model?
B. Splitting it into a four-act model.
C. Difference between obstacles and disasters.

III. The Beginning (Act One)
A. Ordinary Life
B. Inciting Incident
C. Point of No Return

IV. The Muddled Middle (Act 2a / 2b)
A. The Middle Setup (2a)
1. Victories and Failures
2. Man in the Mirror Moment
B. Middle Continued (2b)
1. Build to the climax
2. Black moment

V. The End (Act 3)
A. Choice
B. Final Battle
C. New Life

VI. Wrap up / Q & A

*Emailed hand out is a blank fill in,and will be provided prior to this session.

A newsletter list can be an author’s most powerful and consistent tool to build readership, create launch teams, enlist ARC readers, and build relationships and community.

A newsletter doesn’t have to be daunting and boring. It can be fun, exciting, and even impactful to your readers. But much like writing a book, your newsletter will be more effective when branded and offers reader value.

From the ground up, this course covers:
•Finding your why behind doing your newsletter
•Connecting your newsletter appearance and tone to your branding
•How to structure your newsletter and prioritize content
•The value of storytelling in your newsletter
•Tools to grow your list quickly
•Ways to continue list growth organically
•How to set up effective onboarding sequences to welcome new readers and keep them
•How to use a call to action to get your readers clicking your links
•The value of individual and group newsletter swaps using sites like Bookfunnel, StoryOrigin, Facebook groups, and other online sites
•How to organize and keep track of your newsletter promotions
•Resources and tools to accomplish your newsletter goals
•How to use social media to bring readers to your newsletter

As an author, your newsletter gives you the ability to grow your fanbase and increase sales more intentionally than social media and advertising. And long term, it can be the best investment of time and energy you can make.

Learn how to build memorable character and story arcs that will engage readers from the first sentence and keep them turning the pages to a satisfying conclusion. Creating believable characters your readers love and story lines filled with conflict, tension, and twists and turns will guarantee they’ll come back for more.

• What makes a good arc? Overview of arcs
• Dissecting the character arc
• Basic character arcs
• Should minor characters have arcs?
• Powerful examples
• Dissecting the story arc
• Using structure (opening hook, mounting stakes, conflict, tension, twists, and powerful climax) to build an exciting arc
• How we can learn from TV and movies
• Marrying the two for one fabulous story your readers won’t be able to put down.
• Great references

This workshop walks the attendee through all the various elements of building an eye-catching, irresistible proposal, with a heavy emphasis on taming the dreaded synopsis.

Just like an eager boyfriend spends time creating an irresistible proposal for his future bride, authors need to spend time creating an irresistible proposal to portray their book in the best possible light. This workshop walks the attendee through all the various elements of building an eye-catching, irresistible proposal that will have industry professionals saying, “I Do!” Segments include the title page, hook, back cover copy, competitive analysis, bio, marketing strategy, and identifying one’s primary market. (While giving examples and discussing the differences between each!) Betsy will then walk the attendees through an extended look at “taming the dreaded synopsis”, and encourage new writers in this tricky but necessary “evil” on their road to publication. One analogy of creating a synopsis worth reading is Betsy’s “batter up” method that uses cake baking as a visual encouragement. (Because you can’t have a wedding without cake!)

Learn to meet your writing deadlines—external and self-imposed—despite the distractions, difficulties, and disasters that come your way.

Using my own experiences over the last decade, which include a loved one’s descent into addiction, my brother’s death at 38 years old, and a car accident that nearly stole my son’s life, along with countless other things that go along with being married and having three teenagers, I will discuss the challenges of writing during hard times and give attendees practical tips on how to keep writing a priority when life seems to be spinning out of control.

In the course, we will discuss:

• Why to write: Each writer must have a firm handle on his or her why.
• When to write: Whether setting aside writing blocks or snatching moments within the chaos of our days, every writer must carve out the time.
• Where to write: Being flexible in this area often requires specific tools that enable us to write when we’re not at home.
• How to write: If the Lord has called a person to write, then He must have a way for him or her to do it. We will discuss ways to tweak our processes so that we can get more done in less time.
• Who to write for: Often when we’re writing through difficult life circumstances, our audience changes. We must learn to be open to God’s leading in this area, seeking the audience He has for us.
• What to write: Each writer can learn to be open to God’s nudging on what they should be writing at any given time.

How to research the market, then write a book that fits in with what readers are looking for.

Join three bestselling romantic suspense authors to discuss the complexities of this popular genre.

In this workshop we’ll give tips and tricks to blending romance, suspense and faith to make a compelling read. We’ll discuss the structure of a suspense story, types of suspense tropes, the motivations of the villain, and how to build heroes and heroines who are believable and sympathetic while still strong and courageous. We’ll talk about weaving in the faith element and the romance arc to give the reader a satisfying ending.

This workshop will cover how the presenter took her book from print to audio, and she will share her experience with the process.

Are audio books the next wave in publishing? This workshop will cover the steps taken to bring a book into audio production.
Topics to be covered:
How to know if your book is ready for audio production.
Choosing a narrator. Should you do it yourself or hire a professional?
What services are out there to use when producing an audio book.
Cost involved in producing an audio book.
How to handle royalties
How to promote your audio book
Where to distribute your audio book.
The pitfalls of audio book production.
The rewards of audio book production.
And finally, is it worth it to publish your book in audio format.

The presenter will share real time data for her audio book sales.

Learn how to tap into the power of podcasting either as a guest or podcaster yourself.

In late 2020, 104 million people listened to one of the 1.5 million podcasts available, up from 32% in 2019, according to Infinite Dial 20. Why will podcasts continue to be one of the hottest forms of media in 2022? Podcasts offer bite-sized chunks of information perfect for drive time and busy routines. In this workshop, author and podcaster Sarah Hamaker will outline how to start your own podcast as well as tips on how to be a good guest on a podcast.