Presented by Karen Duvall
2 Week Course
Start Date: Monday, August 5
End Date: Sunday, August 18
It’s vital that your novel hook readers within the first 5 pages because that’s what it takes to reel them in and keep them reading. Make those pages count from the very first sentence.
In this two week course, we’ll cover methods to aid you in creating the start of a compelling tale that will engage readers and convince them to stay for the long haul.
Areas that will be covered include:
- Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them
- Start the story in the right place
- Introduce pivotal characters your reader will connect with
- The importance of revealing genre right away
- Make all 5 senses count
- Ground the reader in your setting
- How voice determines your story’s tone
- Establish the inciting incident
- Create tension and conflict right away
- The importance of clarity and context
Lessons will be sent three times a week and homework will be assigned. Student interaction and questions are encouraged.
Karen Duvall is an award-winning author with 4 published novels and 2 novellas. Harlequin Luna published her Knight’s Curse series last year, and her post apocalyptic novella, Sun Storm, was recently released in Luna’s ‘Til The World Ends anthology alongside the work of NYT and USA Today best selling authors Ann Aguirre and Julie Kagawa.
Karen has presented writing workshops for a number of conference venues including Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Colorado Gold Conference, Pikes Peak Writers Conference, Bend Christian Writers Conference, and the Central Oregon Writers Guild.
Karen lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and four incredibly spoiled pets. She is currently working on a new contemporary fantasy romance series.