Course Descriptions

The Pantser Guide to Writing Mystery. Does writing a mystery sound too much like a “Plotter” thing? Plotters may have an edge but never ever think that Pantsers can’t play in the Mystery Sandbox. We just need a few special strategies and we can solve murders with the best of them!

Your story failed to evolve, failed to hook an agent, failed to get a contract, failed to be liked by readers. How do you wipe away the tears and get back to work when everything you just put into that story is depressed, depleted, and dejected?

Unlock the secrets of successful storytelling by diving into Gail Carriger’s Heroine’s Journey template and learning how to plot and structure your story using Plottr software. In this interactive class, we’ll use the blockbuster hit “Barbie” as our case study to demonstrate how this powerful combination can elevate your writing.

Middle Grade fiction is one of the constants in the literary market. Teachers, librarians, parents and grands are always on the hunt for that next great book that will get kids reading. So how do we entice gatekeepers and kids alike to pick up our next tale? It’s all in the psychology. Come learn what kids want, what they need, and how to make all of that palatable to parents.

Fog shrouding an oceanside cliff. Dappled sunlight and the scent of pine. The gurgling call of a heron soaring over a marsh. Rainfall that splashes up from the sidewalk, soaking you to the knees. A winter morning that freezes your wet hair before you reach the end of the driveway (source on that one: my dad). No matter what your genre, you can enrich your story by using elements from the natural world. We’ll discuss ways to effectively use these elements to enrich description and tone, strengthen characterization, move your plot along, and make your readers feel they’re right there in your setting (while keeping yourself out of the Swamp of Oops).

Looking for a non-traditional way to market yourself, make some money, and build a local following? Maybe it’s time to try Farmers Markets. When Covid hit, and events were cancelled, Johan Twiss decided to try the only events still running–Farmers Markets! He went in with low expectations, but was pleasantly surprised by the results. Now, after four years, he’s handsold over 5,000 books at local markets and events. This has led to increased online sales, and built a local following and helped him schedule dozens of school visits in his area. During the first hour of this class, Johan will share tips for selling at markets, the pros and the cons, and how to leave everyone with a good impression when they visit your booth. During the second hour, he’ll dive into school visits, how to schedule them, how to sell books from these visits, and some tips and tricks for making them memorable for students and teachers.

Our characters go through a lot of change throughout their stories. How do we help them evolve while staying true to their core? This class explores some of the pitfalls of character development and ways to keep your characters authentic as they change.

Do you love writing sword fights but struggle with seduction? Or vice versa, perhaps? Action scenes and romance scenes are surprisingly similar. From kisses to kills, or car chases to cuddles, in this class we’ll look at examples from films and literature to examine both kinds of scenes and evaluate strategies that you can use to strengthen them in your writing.

Avoid the dreaded info-dump of worldbuilding! Or worse, the white room syndrome! Using the pilot episode of Gilmore Girls and a casino game from an episode of How I Met Your Mother, we’ll explore some quick efficient ways to worldbuild without getting lost in the weeds. These techniques work no matter what genre you’re writing in – yes, even in contemporary fiction and non-fiction!

The Pit of Despair (the Dark Night of the Soul) applies to ALL stories. It is the moment toward the end of our manuscript when “all is lost.” The protagonist has tried and failed. They are alone and beaten. They think it’s lights out, and there is no chance to win. This class is packed with symbolism and movie clips to “show” how “the pit” affects our character(s). We discuss the grief cycle and how to apply it to the “pit” moment. We cover why the “pit” is the perfect place to showcase our theme. And examples of things that could cause a “pit” moment for our character(s). The pit of despair is powerful because it takes our characters and readers past their comfort zones. The stakes are higher and more personal than our character thought possible, and emotions are all over the place. And our readers aren’t sure our hero can triumph. This will make our character’s later win all the more powerful as it creates a deeply satisfying ending that resonates with readers.

Julia Cameron famously said that if you don’t have time to write then steal it. But she never told us how! When juggling thousands of tasks takes household managers (predominantly women) 25 hours a day, we are dying to know: exactly how—and from whom—do we steal this mystical writing time? The answer might surprise you. According to Fair Play, Eve Rodsky’s New York Times bestselling handbook on the division of household labor, “the modern woman still does nearly three times as much unpaid domestic work as a man.” Imagine how much writing time you’d have if that so-called “second shift” were fairly divided. Based on the presenter’s own relationship journey using the  Fair Play method, we will discuss the 4 Rules for Fair Play—areas where harried would-be writers sell themselves short. We will explore invisible labor and mental load, debunk myths on time (like whose is more valuable), and identify how tearing down painful gender roles can make space for stronger, more equal partnerships. If your brain buzzes with an endless list of obligations while your partner scrolls their phone (and your unwritten manuscript languishes in a dusty file on your desktop), this class will inspire you to “achieve household harmony” and steal your writing time back at last.

Let’s face it, we ALL judge a book by the cover. But how do you get a cover that compels, not repels, readers? This class will demystify why covers do and don’t work, and give you the understanding and tools to figure out the right cover design for your story. Learn about imagery, design elements, and font choices, and how they all work together to create eye-catching covers. We will discuss best practices, things to avoid, when to design a cover yourself, and when to hire a professional. Let a professional photographer and graphic designer be your guide.

Looking for a tool that allows you to plot and write in the same location, plus has some awesome features like daily word counts, frequently used words, and more? Or perhaps you’ve been using Scrivener 1 for years and are worried about upgrading to Scrivener 3? This class will walk through the newest version of Scrivener from creating a new project, tips for all the fun organization tools, and end with exporting the manuscript for your beta readers.

Sci-fi and fantasy are escapist and fun genres, but they can be so much more. They are excellent ways to explore and examine our own world by examining real-world problems in a fictional laboratory of sorts. Sci-fi and fantasy can thus warn as well as inspire. This class will look at real life lessons that these genres can teach, and offer tips on how to incorporate similar lessons into your own writing.

Self-publishing friends, let’s be honest. It’s scary hitting that “Publish” button. What if we make a disastrous mistake? Um, news-flash. *Sooner or later, you will mess up!* It’s inevitable, but here are six publishing potholes you DON’T have to hit and flatten your tires–because Jennifer made them already. (You’re welcome.) Let her series of unfortunate events be a cautionary tale to help you steer easily around these areas!

You’ve spent pages on getting to know your hero and building your amazing world, but when it comes to monsters, you’re out of ideas. Vampires sparkle too much, werewolves give you hives, and dragons are just so overdone. Where do you start when creating your own monsters? Does the story need an antagonist or an adversity? Take lessons from folklore monsters and creatures from other cultures to find what will keep readers turning the page. Learn to Frankenstein your own monsters to perfectly fit their role and your world.

This year we’ll have our first ever Blurb Workshop with Katie Harris. Love them or hate them, blurbs are a necessary part of a book’s marketing strategy. It’s important to get your blurb right, but it’s very easy to get it wrong. Join us as we discuss the art of the blurb—what works, what doesn’t, and how to fix common mistakes. We will spend time workshopping real examples, so BYOB (bring your own blurb) if you want!

Social media has changed the game in regards to spreading the word about your books and sharing your stories. Whether you’re traditional or indie published, much of the marketing falls to the author. This class will discuss how to find your ideal reader, build a community, come up with constant content to post, (this does not mean every day) and some resources that are available for introducing your story to the masses.

Whether its writers block, imposter syndrome, the seemingly never-ending revision cycle, being in the query trenches, a lack of sales, or any of life’s difficult demands, it often feels like every external and internal force is trying to keep you from reaching your writing dreams. Come learn some practical tools, tips, and habits you can employ to keep your motivation and endurance up, even when life and writing are getting you down.

Come learn the elements of humor from a former Comedy Sportz captain and see how those elements translate to the written page using examples that focus on literature instead of memes or movies. With tips for setting, dialogue, pacing, punctuation, word placement, and letter choice, this class should have something to punch up the humor in whatever genre you’re writing.

Scenes falling flat? Characters not landing with readers the way you intended? Join me as we discuss character profiling as a tool to write better scenes and ultimately, better novels. We’ll take a deep dive into five key questions that will unlock your character’s strongest arc. However, with too much telling, even that strong arc can still underwhelm. We need to consistently show these things on the page. Come learn the satisfying formula to show-don’t-tell, and soon your characters (and world!) will live rent free in your readers’ heads long after the book has ended.

In real life, we often avoid conflict; but in writing, conflict is critical. Conflict drives the plot forward and provides the necessary tension that keeps the reader interested. Yet, external conflict alone is not enough. “Readers don’t come to story for what happens on the surface… they come to get insight into what goes on beneath the surface” (Lisa Cron). Using techniques from David Farland’s “Million Dollar Outlines” and Lisa Cron’s “Story Genius,” this class will teach you how to plot or discovery write with both head and heart. You’ll learn how to adapt this method for novels, novellas, and short stories.

Are you frustrated by your lack of progress on your WIP? Your shortage of dedicated writing time? Wish there was an easier way to write daily? If so, discover how to use the one device you always have with you–your phone–to write more efficiently and effectively. Predictive text can reduce your keystrokes. Voice to text can type it for you. Google Docs and Sheets can help you outline, track progress, and share your work with beta readers. Add to your WIP every day a sentence at a time, and you’ll be surprised how quickly the sentences add up to chapters.

Did you know that writing screenplays can make you a better novelist? Come and give your writing skills a Hollywood style makeover. We’ll start with the solid base of exploring screenwriting software and formatting rules. Then, we’ll learn the unique formula for perfect story arcs, dialogue so real it might just answer back, and how to master the golden rule of ‘show, don’t tell’. By borrowing a few tricks from the movie biz, you’ll learn to pack your pages with the kind of punch that keeps readers glued way past bedtime. So come flirt with screenwriting, and elevate your craft with a splash of cinema magic.

Readers love the familiarity of fairytales and the promise of “Happily Ever Afters” in their fiction. But they also adore seeing those sentimental “Once Upon a Times” completely re-imagined. How do you balance reader expectations while pulling your audience along in a plot that won’t be spoiled before they even read the first page? (Because face it, we all know the slipper will fit in the end.) Come and learn how to honor the universal allure of classic tales, set your retelling in a thriving genre market, and create an un-put-downable new novel for fairytale readers.

What makes Darth Vader the classiest (and craftiest) of villains? Is it his voice? His red lightsaber? His cloak? His ruthlessness? His dark past? All the above? This class introduces the VADER method, which will teach you what makes a villain crafty by analyzing some of the most classic villains of all time, and then give you tools to help you make your own villains as crafty as the Lord of the Sith himself. Note: Dark Side not included.

Learn about the different types of editing (self-editing and professional editing) and which you need for different stages of your book’s development and production, how to process and employ alpha and beta reader feedback, and how to develop an editing plan unique to your goals and your book’s purpose.

Today’s nonfiction for children is no longer the put-you-to-sleep variety you may have read when you were a kid. Now, nonfiction ranges from gripping, story-based narrative to fascinating facts you can dip into as you please. In this class, students will learn about the 5 kinds of nonfiction and explore why this genre is taking children’s publishing by storm. We will study some of the most successful recent books in the market and help you discover which area might work best for you based on your skills and interests.

If you’d like to indie publish, but you’re worried about the costs, this is the class for you. We will discuss money saving tips when it comes to publishing and where you can DIY versus when you really need to spend the money. There are so many different recommendations when it comes to indie publishing. Do you really need a website? What subscriptions are the best? Must you purchase a formatting program? We’ll go over my personal must-haves, and where you can hold off until you’re bringing in more income from your writing.

Romances are unique. Many plot structures don’t quite fit when it comes to writing a romance novel. We will discuss the essentials of writing a romance novel, and how to hit all the beats that your reader expects. Using the three-act structure (split into four sections) we will walk through the movie Kate and Leopold discussing what beats they are hitting and how they artfully move you through the romantic arc.

If your emotional math doesn’t add up, readers won’t care what’s happening in your plot—and emotion comes from characters who suffer. From FINDING NEMO to DIE HARD and everywhere in between, the most effective stories are the ones where the characters try and lose, suffer and conquer. If you know why characters must suffer, the best ways to torture your characters, and when to place those sadistic plot points, you’ll end up with a stronger, more satisfying read. We’ll cover all that and more, including the crucial role that irony plays in the equation.

Why do you write? Is there a single driving force that compels you to write, or a blend of varying – or competing – reasons. We will do a real-time anonymous survey of class participants to guide the discussion, as well as find out what successful authors have to say. We will explore how your motivations can help guide you on your writing/publishing (or not) journey.

How do you know when it’s time to shelf an idea? Maybe you’ve been mulling it over and trying to figure out if your novel would be better off left incomplete. These are pivotal moments in the process of creation, and it’s helpful to make decisions about our novels from a place of intention. Are you hitting a normal slump in the creative process, or is this a sign it’s time to move on? In this class, we will explore questions that will allow us to make informed and confident decisions about the viability of an idea.

When you finish a manuscript, do you feel like stomping on it, scribbling graffiti over each page, throwing your hands up, and walking away because now it’s revision time? In this workshop, that’s exactly what we’ll do—minus the stomping and walking away. (And when you throw your hands up, it will be in triumph!) This revision technique is wonderfully customizable for each unique manuscript and every author. It’s a visual way to reduce the clutter of letters and words and quickly diagnose big picture items as well as discover problems with smaller details, including:

• plot, POV, and tension
• chapter breaks, additional characters, and timeframe
• proportions of dialogue vs. internal thought vs. description
• and more.

Like the Emperor who bore it all with his “new clothes,” we’ll look at what it takes to write an emotionally, raw memoir but with a little bit more tact. We’ll discuss what it takes to be 100% vulnerable in your writing, analyze what works for popular memoirs, and discuss how to write a memoir that flows like fiction.   

Nothing is more frustrating than wanting to write but feeling like you can’t sit in the chair and actually do it. Several different types of writer’s block may plague you and it’s important to know the source of yours so you know how to fix it. We’ll go over plot problems (Can’t make the story work.) Creative problems. (Everything you write seems bad.) And negative thought problems. (What I write doesn’t matter. I’ll never succeed anyway.) If any of these sound familiar to you, come to this class.

Want to design beautiful book covers, newsletters, social media messages, slide shows, or even a website? “Well yeah, Kaleena, sure, but I’m not a techy person and have no time to learn coding or photoshop.”

Perfect! This class is for you. Canva is the answer to your life. (Well, maybe not your life, but this little corner of it.) Canva is so easy to use and the best design program for the non-techy, non-visual person. 

Canva has both a free option (that has SO many features), and a paid version that will leave you wanting for nothing. 

Bring your laptop to this class, but come anyways even if you don’t have it…there is so much to see.

Get prepared and create your own free account before class and mess around on it and come with questions. If you don’t, we will create your account at the beginning of class.

If this description left you singing David Nail’s song…” I want, I want, I want whatever she’s got.” then we are best friends/souls sisters and I need to meet you.

Are distractions getting in the way of achieving your word count goals? Does the dreaded “scroll” threaten to hog all your time? Come to learn tips for becoming a more focused and efficient writer, based on the book “Indistractable” by Nir Eyal.

Meaning is conveyed through words, inflection and action. Come learn how your character’s  body language can add depth and interest to your story.

If you’re interested in writing inspirational nonfiction, this is a class for you. I’ll cover all the basics and more of how to write inspirational nonfiction, what to include, and what to look out for.

We want to be a light unto the world, but sometimes our stories go dark. Is that an evil thing? Award-winning horror author Mercedes M. Yardley discusses the redemptive aspects of dark fiction and how it can truly let the light in.

I have them. You have them. Your characters have them. They can be helpful, haunting, bring us to answers or to the edge of the world. This session is an exploration of how questions can help us add depth and dimension to our writing.

Characters in books don’t talk like people in real life—but should they? This class will offer a deep dive into the do’s and don’ts of dialogue to help writers craft compelling conversations that drive plot, learn how to create tension through the careful use of questions, and write banter between friends, enemies, and lovers. We will also touch on the importance of “author voice” and “character voice” that can help your story speak to your reader’s heart.

Writing is hard. Rejection hurts. Sometimes it seems like being an author is pure folly. Sometimes it seems like the path is lined with more pitfalls than primroses. Sometimes you just want to give up. My advice? DON’T. The most important skill you can develop as an author is HOPE. This class will talk about the importance of writing from your soul, offer suggestions for developing your own voice, and, hopefully, remind you why you started writing in the first place. 

Writing is powerful enough to save a life—in 2018, it saved mine.

It’s the writer’s dream: landing a book deal, a huge advance from a famous publisher, and hitting the NYT Bestseller list. But how can you get your foot in the door, and what happens once you sign on the line? The aim of this course isn’t to teach you how to negotiate a contract or plan a book tour. You will, however, leave with a strong understanding of how a book ends up on shelves and where authors stand within the publishing business. Kendall will answer frequently asked questions about being traditionally published and all it entails, as well as answer questions about the publishing process from the audience.

Learn the art of crafting compelling query letters with Kendall Berdinsky. Perfect for authors looking to hook their agent, this class covers essential elements like synopsis, author bios, submission guidelines, and where to find agents to query. Gain insights, learn how to avoid common mistakes, and boost your chances of securing representation.

When it comes to writing fiction, particularly in the realms of fantasy and science fiction, the key to making fantastical worlds feel real lies in a delicate balance between imagination and plausibility. While the genres themselves allow for a certain level of escapism and creativity, grounding them in some semblance of logic and scientific principles greatly enhances their believability. However, whether strictly grounded in hard reality or a wildly surreal flight of fancy, the technical details—whether an object or a culture, a societal system or a system of magic—are less important than convincing the reader that every last element in one’s novel is real. It’s ok to ignore the rules of science, but it’s not ok to ignore the rules of internal logic (or to neglect the obligation to create internal logic.)

Archetypal storylines, rooted in the collective unconscious, hold a timeless appeal due to their universal themes and characters. These narratives follow traditional patterns such as the hero’s journey or the quest for redemption, providing a sense of familiarity and comfort to audiences. In contrast, modern storytelling subverts these archetypes (often actively seeking to do so) through complex characters, nonlinear plots, and moral ambiguity; more accurately reflecting the world as it is. While this approach can create compelling and thought-provoking narratives, it also runs the risk of alienating some viewers who crave the reassurance of more straightforward storytelling. Both approaches have their merits; while archetypal storylines offer simplicity and clarity, modern storytelling challenges conventions and pushes boundaries in ways that can be equally rewarding for audiences seeking greater depth and complexity in their entertainment choices.