In answer to a demand for more in-depth programming, the Colorado Gold Writers Conference offers Thursday Intensives: all-day themed programming on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024 from 8am to 5pm, before the official conference begins Friday. We’re offering two different Thursday Intensive tracks this year, and both will be hosted at The Hyatt Regency Aurora-Denver.
Note: Since they take place simultaneously, you can only register for one of the two. If Intensives do not meet minimum thresholds by Aug. 15, 2024, they may be canceled, and registration refunded or transferred.
Cost
$259.00 for those registered for the 2024 Colorado Gold Conference
$299.00 for RMFW members not attending the conference
$329.00 for the general public not attending the conference
What’s Included
- Four sessions of programming in the track of your choice.
- A PDF of prepared handouts
- Coffee and snacks midmorning
- A buffet lunch
- A jumpstart on networking and/or new group of writer friends to see throughout the general conference
Thursday Intensives
There are two intensives to choose from. They are offered as a package, and you cannot register for both. See below for a list of classes and presenters in each intensive.
Trad Publishing Bootcamp
What does it take not only to get a book deal but to build a writing career in today’s ever-changing publishing industry? Come find out in this all-day intensive with Angie Hodapp of Nelson Literary Agency.
Block One: Traditional Publishing Overview
From idea to manuscript, from published novel to reverted rights, trace a story’s typical journey across the mountains and valleys of the traditional-publishing landscape.
Block Two: Contracts and Royalties: Know Your Rights, Manage Your Money
Angie will put into easy-to-understand language the major sections and clauses of a typical Big Five contract. Get a peek at the full laundry list of rights and subrights (including film/TV deals) on the table during a negotiation and learn to spot red flags that mean an author should walk away. Want to understand how the money moves in publishing and learn how to read a royalty statement to catch typical Big Five accounting errors? Be sure to catch this session!
Block Three: Agents and Editors: Hook ’em Deep and Reel ’em In
By this point in the day, you’ll already have a pretty good idea what agents and editors do—and what they don’t. Now we’ll cover not only how to land an agent or editor (which includes knowing how to craft compelling pitches, query letters, synopses, and opening pages), but also how to maintain these professional relationships as your career progresses…and how to know when it might be time to break up.
Block Four: You Be the Agent: Live Pitch Read
Don’t miss this fun, action-packed, end-of-day session wherein you’ll be the literary agents! Angie will read aloud pitches submitted anonymously, ahead of time, by you, the audience—and you, the audience, will decide which pitches would have you scrambling to offer representation. (Everyone who registers for the Thursday Intensive will receive an email from Angie with instructions for submitting your pitch.)
Instructor:
As an active member of the Denver literary community, Angie Hodapp has served as a board member for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and she regularly teaches highly regarded writing and publishing workshops, including at Denver’s prestigious Lighthouse Writers Workshop. She is the author of two nonfiction books for writers: Do You Need a Literary Agent? and Query Craft. She began her career at NLA in 2011, where she has worked as a reader, contracts manager, and royalties auditor. Currently, she devotes most of her time to literary development. In partnership with the agents, she edits client material, prepping and polishing manuscripts before they go out on submission. She also works one-on-one with clients to develop new story ideas and directions, and she screens manuscripts requested by the agent team. When not working, she writes a little fiction of her own (mostly of the dark variety), teaches and practices Pilates (she’s a Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher with a specialization in exercise for people with neurological conditions), knits (she can’t stop buying yarn), waits on her cat (an adorable tabby named Pluma), and travels the world with her husband.
Genre Fusion
Block One: “Auto-Fiction: I is Another” with Andrea Rexilius
In this generative and discussion-based workshop, we will explore writing that fuses fiction with memoir. Through the lens of a variety of craft elements such as sequence of disclosure, intimacy & distance, persona, memory & truth, we will consider the rich constellations where self and character converge. Our guides will include Cindy Sherman, Frida Kahlo, Teresa Carmody, Steven Dunn, Addie Tsai, Selah Saterstrom, and Kathy Acker.
Block Two: “Effective Genre-Fusing Fiction” with Alexandra Grana
Genre fusion isn’t new but with the rise of romantisies, fantasies set in space, and every burgeoning combination in-between it can be challenging for authors to combine their big, genre-spanning ideas successfully. This workshop will explore what makes genre-fusing fiction effective and how to avoid common pitfalls. We’ll also discuss where these unique works find their niche in the literary marketplace and how to play up the strengths of genre fusion when publishing.
Block Three: “Genre Fusion and Hybridization: Experimenting with Literary Art Forms” with Hillary Leftwich
The most important part of being comfortable experimenting with genre fusion is being brave and learning the writing tools to feel comfortable creating within the forms that work best for your writing. In this two-hour workshop, we’ll learn how to fuse your own fiction with plays, poems, essays, and epistolary forms by reading examples from various writers and practicing fusion with writing exercises that allow for play combined with learning. May this be an opportunity to experiment and create your own forms without rules!
Block Four: “Love Makes the (Book) World Go ‘Round: Romance for Any Genre” with Cindi Myers
Readers love love stories. From mystery to science fiction to horror, adding a romantic subplot engages readers, deepens characterization, and ups the stakes of your conflict. Learn how to take your stories to the next level by weaving in romance with this workshop from a prolific, award-winning romance author.
Instructors
Andrea Rexilius is the author of: Sister Urn (Sidebrow, 2019), New Organism: Essais (Letter Machine, 2014), Half of What They Carried Flew Away (Letter Machine, 2012), and To Be Human Is To Be A Conversation (Rescue Press, 2011), as well as the chapbooks, Séance (Coconut Books, 2014), To Be Human (Horseless Press, 2010), and Afterworld (above/ground press, 2020). She earned an M.F.A. in Poetry from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2005), and a Ph.D. in Literature & Creative Writing from the University of Denver (2010). Andrea is the Program Director for Regis University’s Mile-High MFA in Creative Writing. She also teaches in the Poetry Collective at Lighthouse Writers Workshop in Denver, Colorado.
Alexandra Grana represents authors of science fiction, fantasy, and horror for middle grade, young adult, and adult readers. She holds a degree in professional writing from Miami University and a JD from The University of Toledo College of Law, and now uses her legal background to comprehensively advocate for her authors. Alex is most interested in genre fiction with a speculative edge, fiction that explores our relationship to our environment, and Gothic stories of all kinds.
Hillary Leftwich teaches contemporary and hybrid nonfiction; lyric essays: hermit crab, collage, segmented, braided; digital storytelling; documentary poetics; poetics; fiction; environmental studies, anti-racist and contemplative andragogy, narrative medicine, and empathetic medical writing. As a neurodivergent, Hillary applies methods from her research on neurodiversity, specifically synesthesia, and how everyone can learn techniques that open a pathway to exploration and sensory techniques to approach craft from angles that bend and blur. She is an advocate for her son and others who live with epilepsy and other neurological conditions in navigating a world where chaos is normative. She focuses her support on her community and the people who create beautiful art and words.
Cindi Myers is the author of more than 100 published novels. She has been named an RMFW Writer of the Year, has been a finalist for Romance Writers of America’s Rita Award, and has received a Colorado Book Award for best genre fiction. Her books appear regularly on the Publisher’s Weekly Bestseller list and have sold more than half a million copies around the world and have been translated into 34 languages.
FAQ
Can I just take one of the classes?
No, our intensives are packaged deals. If you’re looking for single masterclasses, check out our Friday morning offerings.
I want to attend the conference. How do I add an Intensive?
You will have the option to select an Intensive in the general registration process. It will be included in your general conference invoice.
I don’t want to attend the conference. How do I register for an Intensive?
You can register for an Intensive on its own. As it is intended as a conference add-on, we will still require you to follow all conference rules and regulations.
What meals are included in the price?
There will be coffee, tea, and a light snack after lesson one and a buffet lunch after lesson two, as well as a drink at Borealis after the entire course so you can chat about what you learned throughout the day and mingle with some of the instructors. You can include any allergies or dietary restrictions when registering.
I registered for the intensive BEFORE registering for the conference. Can I get a refund for the difference?
Please try to avoid this by registering for the conference first! However, email conference@rmfw.org with both invoice numbers before Aug. 15, 2024 and we’ll apply a refund.