Friday
1:30 to 2:20 MDT
- How to Write a Synopsis without Crying First with Mira Landry
- It doesn’t have to be the “Dreaded Synopsis”. It can be the efficient, well-written synopsis that highlights your premise and stand-out voice, all without making you want to give up writing. We’ll cover a Synopses Writing Recipe using Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King as examples.
- Unsilent Screams: Maintaining Voice and POV in Action Scenes with Kendra Griffin
- Don’t let your character lose their voice while running from monsters! We’ll go beyond the basics of good action scenes and delve into how we balance action, narration, and perspective as well as use transitions to keep the momentum up.
1:30 to 3:20 MDT
- Stories in a Flash with Laurel McHargue
- Flash Fiction challenges writers to include all elements of a satisfying story but at a greatly reduced word count, leaving consumers with a whirlwind read and a memorable ending. By the end of this workshop, participants will create a work of fiction worthy of editing for possible publication.
2:30 to 3:20 MDT
- A Survivor’s Guide to Pitching: Before, During, and After the Pitch with Kelley Lindberg
- Pitching your novel to an agent or editor? Great! But how should you prepare for this nerve-wracking meeting? And what happens afterwards? In this presentation, a pitch survivor reveals secrets of what to do before, during, and after your pitch to take your pitch session from awkward to awesome.
- Mastering Suspense: Crafting Compelling Narratives Regardless of Genre with LS Hawker
- Suspense isn’t just for thrillers—it’s a fundamental element that can elevate any work of fiction or nonfiction. It’s the element in any story that creates mental uncertainty and variable outcomes that turn your readers into addicts, unable to stop turning pages regardless of your genre.
3:30 to 4:20 MDT
- Multi-Layered Editing: The Various Stages and Why They’re All Important with Amber Herbert and Oliver Blakemore
- You’ve written your first draft. Now what? If you’ve ever wondered what to do after typing “The End” or have found yourself scratching your head at the many different kinds of edits available, this workshop is for you.
- Audiobooks in an AI World with Sandra Murphy
- Audiobooks are a great way to tap into readers who might not otherwise discover you. But this comes at a price which to offset, some authors are utilizing the cost and time savings offered by artificial intelligence. What is the impact of using AI narration on your copyright, brand, and bottom line?
3:30 to 5:20 MDT
- The 5 Sentence Method with Rebecca Thorne
- Curious about the 5 Sentence plotting method sweeping TikTok? This plotting approach is perfect for pantsers who want to plot, or plotters who want to cut back on extensive outlines. Learn how to choose your book’s 5 sentences, then tie them to word count goals for flawless pacing. Simple and easy!
4:30 to 5:20 MDT
- Using Project Management to Write Your Novel with A.Z. Sultana
- Learn how to organize your writing life using skills and techniques corporations spend millions on to complete their projects If you can’t finish your novel, don’t know where to start, or you just want to organize your life like a pro, this class was made for you.
- Intimacy, Consent, & Sex in Fiction with Rachael Bush
- Are you interested in writing better romantic relationships? In this session, you will learn why love, intimacy, and consent go hand in hand to build healthier, happier characters your readers will care about.
Saturday
8:00 to 8:50 MDT
- The Right Mind for Self-Publishing with Laura VanArendonk Baugh
- There’s never been an easier time to self-publish—and that’s great! But with great ease comes great risk of mistakes or assumptions. Better expectations lead to better results! Let’s walk through the mindset minefield and talk about how best to approach the fantastic opportunities we have today.
- Writing Scenes with Multiple Characters with Kendra Griffin
- This session will help participants understand how to craft scenes with multiple characters while also building plot and developing distinct character voices. Help your reader focus on your story, not on figuring out who is speaking!
- How to Be an Author on Substack with ZJ Czupor
- Jump start or refresh your writing career by publishing your novel or memoir on Substack.com. In this one-hour workshop, attendees will learn all about Substack, how to post your stories, and earn income. Plus, how using this platform can make you a better writer.
9:00 to 9:50 MDT
- Stay Connected to Your Readers; How to Build and Maintain a Successful Newsletter with Kerrie Flanagan
- In this session, you’ll discover powerful techniques to grow and sustain your subscriber list effectively. In just two years, award-winning author, Kerrie Flanagan, took her newsletter list from 50 subscribers to over 5,000. Learn why newsletters are an author’s greatest asset and how to grow your list with reader magnets, newsletter swaps, list-building giveaways, and group promotions. Kerrie will also teach you how to create compelling content to keep your readers engaged and how to sustain a strong email list. Whether you’re a novice or an experienced author, this session will equip you with essential skills to build a thriving community of engaged readers through your author newsletter.
- Wordsmith’s Workshop: Mastering Word Choice for Maximum Effect with LS Hawker
- Does all your dialogue begin with “Oh” or “Well”? Do you regularly avoid selecting one vivid word by using five vague ones? Have editors told you your prose needs elevating? Your problem may be poor word choices. But do not despair—it’s not fatal. Come to this workshop for the cure.
- Writing to Theme with Johnny Worthen
- From the lighthouse of intent, to hard questions, symbols, subplots and echoes, the class will encourage the writer to plumb the depths of meaning, bleed a little, and create multiple strands of meaning in their work. Class will offer concrete examples and methods to tease out your ideas.
10:00 to 10:50 MDT
- Direct Sales – Is it Right For You? with Stephanie Reisner
- Direct sales are being touted as one of the best ways to make money for writers, but is it true for your work? In this workshop, we’ll talk about the ins and outs of direct sales and you’ll find out if it’s the right model for your work.
- Back to the Past: Writing Backstory with Laurie Marr Wasmund
- Backstory can be a powerful tool in fiction, creating empathy with readers. It can also drain the energy from a piece, creating unnecessary complications and confusion. In this session, we’ll look at how to choose details from a character’s past and smoothly incorporate them into your work.
- Marketing in 2024 (and Beyond): Leverage Your Assets with Nick Thacker
- You can write, you can run ads, and you can burn out. What’s changed since we started publishing books is the way readers consume our content. Are you taking full advantage of that? Are you reaching them exactly where they are, with exactly the formats they want? Time to think bigger, broader. Here’s how.
11:00 to 11:50 MDT
- Creativity and The Writer’s Mind: Exploring the Possibilities and Understanding the Setbacks with Sarah Reichert
- This class explores how the brain functions and where creativity comes from. Writers in the class will be given methods and tips to re-open their creative minds and foster a lifestyle that gets them into the chair and blooming with ideas.
- Focusing Your Audience with Oliver Blakemore
- Audience focus techniques with brand marketing profesh and novelist, Oliver Blakemore.
- How to Use Hollywood Scene Writing Techniques for Your Novel with Kevin Campbell
- What do we love about a good movie or TV show? Great scenes that move the story along and keep us glued to the screen. This workshop will show you how to use proven screenwriting techniques to write scenes for your novel to ensure that your audience (and agent!) will turn every page.
1:30 to 2:20 MDT
- Let’s Get Down to Business: How to Start a Business for Your Writing/Editing with Melissa Koons & Rebecca Rowley
- It may seem silly that you need to learn business, taxes, and finances as an author but it is crucial to understand business essentials. All self-published, traditionally published, hybrid authors, and editors must know how to register a business, licenses, and file with the IRS.
- Marketing Your Book to Success: Before, During & After Publication with Jennifer S. Wilkov
- Authors know that marketing their books is 100% their responsibility but most don’t have the skillset or knowledge to create a winning marketing plan for their project. In this presentation, Jennifer S. Wilkov, the founder of Your Book Is Your Hook, LLC, will show you how to master the art of determining what belongs in your marketing platform – and what doesn’t – before, during, and after your book has been published.
- 80,000 Words In A Day with Nick Thacker
- Write faster, better. Use dictation to smash your word count goals — with a system that’s proven to work.
2:30 to 3:20 MDT
- Building a Platform with Facebook Ads with Andre Gonzalez
- Have you wanted to try Facebook Ads, but are get turned off by how daunting they seem? Come learn the basics of getting started and see that it’s not all that bad. You’ll learn how to set up an ads account and launch your very first ad with a spend as low as $2 per day.
- Sell Your Books on TikTok with ZS Diamanti
- TikTok Shop is officially here and people are buying in! Whether you’re a debut author trying to come out the gates swinging, or you have a great backlist to offer readers, the time to start sell books on TikTok Shop is now. Come learn the ins and outs of TikTok shop and how to sell loads of books!
- How to Show & Sell Books at Events! with Laura VanArandonk Baugh
- Ready to hand sell your at live events like cons, library fairs, festivals, and more? No, you don’t need to be pushy, you don’t need to be “salesy,” and you don’t need to give up your soul. Though a midwesterner and congenitally allergic to hard sales, Laura has event success to share with you.
3:30 to 4:20 MDT
- Ink and Syntax: Mastering Grammar for Fictional Impact with LS Hawker
- The advent of spell check, grammar check, and AI makes knowing grammar as obsolete as rotary phones, right? Wrong! Grammar’s more than a set of rules—it’s the backbone of written storytelling. We’re not talking never end a sentence with a preposition, we’re talking about making your writing sparkle.
- Editing Beyond “Gut Feel”: A Checklist for Success with Kelley Lindberg
- Revising your work (or critiquing others’) can be overwhelming. Without specific elements to look for, it’s easy to fall back on our “gut feel,” which is hard to articulate and even harder to trust. Learn to evaluate 17 storytelling aspects to edit and strengthen any manuscript, including your own!
- Is Your Book Packaging Hurting Your Sales? with Andre Gonzalez
- People read your books and love them! So why is it so hard to generate more sales? You must treat your book as a product and understand how it’s packaged and presented to potential readers. Come learn how to analyze market trends and how they relate to the product you are offering.
4:30 to 5:20 MDT
- Neurodivergency and the Creative Process with October K Santerelli
- Some of the best creators have ADHD or ASC/D (Autism). But with different brains come different problems — the common writing ‘rules’ sometimes just don’t work! Learn different ways to work more productively and more often, while falling in love with writing all over again – for neurospicy brains.
- Heinlein’s Five Rules of Writing with Johnny Worthen
- A discussion of Robert Heinlein’s famous “Five Rules of Writing.” These pragmatic, practical and practiced directives are for the working author and are the very career-enabling tips that steered a blue collar scribbler to becoming one of the seminal voices of his age. But are they still valid?
- Stacked Promos with LS Hawker
- Unlock the secrets of strategically coordinated book promotions in this informative workshop. You’ll learn to leverage multiple marketing avenues, cultivate an engaged author platform, amplify your book’s visibility, boost sales, and expand your readership. Join us and take your author game to new heights.
Sunday
8:00 to 8:50 MDT
- Scene Construction with Peggy Waide
- Scenes are the stepping stones of a story that keep the reader turning the page. A character acts and reacts to the other characters on stage, the place or the events to advance the plot and develop character. This workshop will break down all the elements needed to construct a strong scene.
- Emotional Intimacy in Fiction—Your Key to Connecting with Readers with Cindi Myers
- The emotional connection between your characters and the connection your reader forms with your characters make the difference between a story readers merely enjoy to one they can’t forget. In this workshop we’ll explore why emotional intimacy matters and how to build it into your stories.
- The Faceted Story with Johnny Worthen
- A presentation about those elements of narrative fiction that lend depth, value and resonance to writing. Examples and techniques will be offered to help shape niches and expand any story into new areas of interest for a greater chance to stand out from the slush pile.
9:00 to 9:50 MDT
- Professional Marketing with Oliver Blakemore
- Many authors are new to marketing but it is an established field for other products. Oliver brings his expertise in brand marketing to show how professional techniques that are used to sell anything from concerts to perfume can work for books too.
- Not Your Mother’s Tropes: How to Subvert without Alienating Your Readers with Rachel Dempsey
- Tropes are the building blocks of literary tradition, but the most exciting works of today are often subversive. Using examples and generative writing exercises, we’ll explore ways to balance reader expectations with innovation, how to make old familiar conventions fresh without alienating readers.
- Serial Fiction: If It Worked for Andy Weir, Can It Work for Me? with ZJ Czupor
- Serial fiction has been around for more than 200 years and is making a comeback with the emergence of technology from social media platforms to television streaming and comic books. This advanced program will explore serial fiction’s history, current opportunities, and how it might start or jump start your writing career.
10:00 to 10:50 MDT
- How to Endure in Your Writing with Jason Evans
- The art and profession of writing can be a thrilling creative endeavor. It can also break you. What do you do when your writing dreams don’t come true? What do you do when you feel betrayed by your community and your art? This class will explore the real world issues around being a professional writer.
- Writing about Trauma Without Triggering the Victim with Nanette Gamily
- Reading about violence and sexual assault is difficult for readers. As authors, we hope to draw readers closer to our characters and their pain. But how can we create empathy with our readers without distressing them?In this workshop, we will discuss non-graphic approaches to triggering content.
- Generating Sales with Facebook Ads with Andre Gonzalez
- Many authors believe Facebook Ads no longer work for generating sales. In reality, the platform has become highly competitive thanks to a flood of major corporations. Come learn how to efficiently carve out your space as an author and gain new readers on a platform that still has a billion users.