Track Presenter Workshop
BEGINNING Meagan Friberg Freelance Writing: Get Paid to Write for Magazines

Join Meagan Friberg as she takes her experience and knowledge as a former newspaper reporter and magazine editor to help you break into a career as a freelance writer.  The class will also cover how to balance work with several clients to bring quality, creative, and relevant stories to fruition whether writing about food, wine, travel, personalities, events, or other topics.

In addition, Meagan will touch on the importance of quality graphics and photos to accompany your work and strengthen your writing skills. Perhaps most appealing to many would-be freelance writers, she will share her experience of writing and interviewing from anywhere, anytime – from home while caring for family members, at an outside café table with a story source, on a lunch break during a regular 9-5 job, on the road while traveling, and, perhaps most relevant to today’s society, even during a global pandemic!

NOVEL Eldonna Edwards The Hook: Make a Promise to Your Readers (And Keep It!)

No matter how beautiful your cover or how wonderful your story, you only have about twenty seconds between the time a reader picks up your book and decides whether to purchase it. In this hands-on workshop, we’ll test your opening and offer ways to improve it. Eldonna will also discuss how to deliver on the promise you made on that critical first page.

IMPORTANT: SEND YOUR FIRST PARAGRAPH TO THE INSTRUCTOR VIA EMAIL (eldonna@gmail.com) PRIOR TO THE CONFERENCE! 

SCREENWRITING Bryan Young  Watching Movies to Make You A Better Writer
Writers of all media watch a lot of movies. Why not put that time to good use. Bryan Young takes you through some ways to re-examine watching movies and how to incorporate storytelling techniques from well-told movies into your writing. 
NONFICTION Claudia Makeyev  How To Illustrate An Alphabet Book And A Coloring Book

Take a small journey into the art of illustration from outlining and story boarding to page layout and publishing. A picture is worth a thousand words and a children’s book illustration must often say all the words. Learn storytelling techniques behind book illustration.

BUSINESS Kathryn Blanche  Patreon For Authors
Introducing writers and authors to Patreon. How to use Patreon to supplement your income, plus other tips for getting your Patreon page started.