Track Presenter Workshop
BEGINNING Marie Lamba   Making It Real

MAKING IT REAL offers tips and techniques that'll transform words on a page into a believable world for the reader. The real trick is to make the reader the co-creator of the fictional dream. Discover why less can be more when it comes to writing about emotions, setting, descriptions and action. This webinar workshop will include examples and exercises aimed at taking your writing to the next level.

Outcomes:

  • Understanding what overwriting is, and how that hurts the reading experience.
  • Recognizing how less is more, and how it can involve the reader more in the fictional world.
  • Knowing how to better involve the reader in world-building, characterization, and action, by inviting them to become co-creators in your world.
  • Providing a list of solid revision tips writers can apply to current and future manuscripts that will help them make their work come to life for readers.
NOVEL Joshua Corin  Three Ways To Brainstorm Your Way To A Finished Novel 

During this discussion, we will not only learn three techniques for generating sustainable novel writing but we also will put those techniques into action and, together, create solid outlines for three different novels.

SCREENWRITING R. Dean McCreary  And Then… Navigating The World Of Professional 

An official report from behind enemy lines. Navigating the world of professional Screenwriting. This is a ZERO BULLSH*T discussion about the realities of seeing your darlings make it to Day-and-Date (aka: Theatrical or Streaming Release).

The conversation starts with a frank discussion on the art and craft of screenwriting and what it actually takes to get to FADE OUT. Suggestions on how to prep for your first (or next) big idea, with TOOLS that allow you to see your whole script at-a-glance. There will be TIPS on developing authentic characters and dialogue, and how to avoid the Cardinal Sin of exposition.

We will also cover: the actual difference between PLOT and STORY. 5 STORY questions that each character (ie: YOU!) must answer before you throw PLOT at them. The RULES and how to break them. When to stop.

Also, SPEC script or PITCH document? How best to prepare if/when you get the call, how to deal with the inevitable producer notes and what to expect while you’re expecting.

NONFICTION Peter Dunne & Andrea Chmelik  Confronting Social Justice: Writing and Fighting in Times of Crisis 
There comes a time in every writer’s life when the need to speak truth to power presents itself. That time is now. No matter the genre we choose, when we assume the mantle of Writer we acknowledge the unique influence it carries, along with the gravity of its obligations. Truth to power will make waves, and those waves will cause resistance because civil engagement must test morality. Testing morality on a good day is a challenge. In times of crisis, testing morality inflames power. Battle lines are drawn between fear and freedom in chambers of power, on our city’s streets, and at our nation’s borders. Questions arise meant to obfuscate intention, suggesting in the asking, moral malleability. What is ethical? What is necessary force? What are boundaries? Our answers must be loud and clear and immediate. Language defines humanity. In times of crisis our words matter more than ever. Your words matter. Use them.
BUSINESS Jim Azevedo  Top 10 Trends Impacting The Future Of Publishing 
This presentation identifies the top trends influencing your future as a publisher of indie ebooks.  You'll learn how to navigate these trends to build a more successful, more robust long-term career as an indie author or publisher.