CUSTOMIZED AUTHOR MARKETING STRATEGIES
Becca Syme
We hear “everyone is different” tossed around a lot lately, but what does that mean when I’m choosing from the hundreds of potential options for marketing strategies in my author career? Join author success coach and mystery writer Becca Syme to discover how to create customized marketing strategies. What to quit, what to keep, and what to question. Becca has coached thousands of individual authors (from newbies to #1 NYT bestsellers) and she’ll deconstruct the patterns of what works, for whom, and why.
CRAFTING THE CULTURE OF A BOOK
Priscilla Oliveras
While the word “culture” most often refers to the behaviors or beliefs of a specific group, with novel writing, a book’s culture expands beyond the characters to encompass the entire story world the author creates. World/culture building includes the characters’ traditions, heritage, history, systems of government and law, lifestyles, arts/entertainment, personal and societal expectations, and more, all of which are woven into the tapestry of a novel. This presentation will discuss how a well-crafted book culture can/should affect the plot, characters, and readers—pulling them into a story world they long to revisit, landing the book on their Keeper Shelf.
SETTING AS CHARACTER
Kendare Blake
Would Wuthering Heights be the same without the moors? Would Twilight hit differently if it was set in Paris? Obviously it would, and that is cool to think about. In this class we'll talk about settings: choice of settings, elements of settings, how some settings become so strong they almost become characters themselves. We'll explore ways to make your setting feel real and grounded, whether it's onboard an intergalactic space ship or…Cleveland. Come prepared to write as there will be short exercise and a little workshopping.
MASTER SELF-EDITOR
Jolene Perry & Sarah M. Eden
Self-editing is a crucial skill for maintaining your author career.
Having solid self-editing skills:
- Helps you craft your story from the beginning
- Helps you know as you're writing when you need to pause and re-group, whether you are a plotter, a pantser, or a plotty-pants writer
- Helps you get the most out of your beta readers, editors, and agents, saving you time and money in the editing process
- Helps you stay true to the story YOU want to tell as you sort through feedback from friends and industry professionals.
This is a workshop style class taught by one seriously dedicated plotter/pre-writer (Sarah) and one seriously dedicated plotty-pantser (Jolene). Come prepared with an idea you have at ANY stage of the process, and we'll provide worksheets, practice opportunities, and tricks of the trade using our favorite self-editing tools.
DEEP WORLDBUILDING
Charlie N. Holmberg
Worldbuilding is the foundation of the fantasy genre. In this class, we’ll learn the macros and micros of creating a story-world and the many ways it influences plot and character. After touching on the basics, we’ll dive into magic systems, creature creation, history, punk genres, and more. Workshopping together and individually, we’ll ensure everyone has their fishing hooks ready for this can of worms.