Workshop Location Map
Location
Jacksonville West Regional Library
1425 Chaffee Road
904-693-1448
10:15-10:30
Sign-in and mingle
10:30-10:35
Welcome and brief announcements
10:35-12:05
Workshop
12:05-12:20
Break
12:20-12:50
Business Meeting
12:50-1:00
Break
1:00-2:30
Workshop
Recent Meetings...
Jan 9, 2010
Conceive—Believe—Achieve: Goal-Setting as a Proven Path from
Abstract Wish to Concrete Plan with Amy Atwell
Wishes. Dreams. They
sound so much more exciting than the drudgery of actions and plans.
But writing a novel doesn't just happen. And selling a book proposal
isn't an accident. Achievements like these require planning and
work. Dedication over time. Writers without plan often lose track of
their goals. In this workshop, attendees start with their wishes and
dreams—no matter how big or improbable—and use a systematic approach
to uncover the necessary actions to make that dream a reality. Join
us, and move beyond wishing to achieving!
2008 Golden Heart®
finalist Amy Atwell has over 25 contest finals to her credit,
including The Maggie, The Sheila, The Beacon, Winter Rose and The
Daphne du Maurier contests. She's completed four manuscripts, two of
which her agent has started to shop to publishers. Amy serves RWA as
the 2010 PRO Steering Committee Chair, and she's writing a 15th
century mainstream historical novel. In addition to her writing and
RWA activities, Amy runs the WritingGIAM community of loops to help
writers achieve their writing goals through a network of support and
accountability. A former theater production manager, Amy's learned
first-hand how to transform a director or designer's vision into
reality through implementing action plans. Read more about Amy at
her website:
http://www.amyatwell.com
The Great Agent Hunt:
Before and After with Valarie Bowman
What's it like to land an agent? Come and listen to PRO member
Valerie Bowman talk about her experience in deciding which agents to
target, how to query, getting the call from an agent, and what's
happened since. Valerie's workshop will include a list of websites
to use in creating your query and targeting agents, a rundown on
rejection, and what it's like to work with an agent and send your
manuscript out to top New York houses.
Valerie Bowman writes
Regency-set historical romance novels with a focus on sharp
dialogue, engaging story lines, and heroines who take matters into
their own hands! Valerie has a B.A. in English Language and
Literature with a minor in British History from Smith College and
has been writing and editing professionally for over 10 years as a
technical writer and editor at a computer software company. She is a
PRO member of RWA, and a member of The Beau Monde and Hearts Through
History special interest chapters. Visit Valarie’s website at:
http://www.valeriegbowman.com
Feb 13, 2010
Go From Hobby to
Profession – Make Your Writing Dreams a Reality with Master Writing
Coach™ Dawn Josephsen
Do you daydream of
quitting your day job so you can write full-time? Do you fantasize
about seeing your name on bookstore shelves? It’s not a fantasy
anymore. Dawn Josephson will share with you the steps to take to
turn your dreams into reality. In this dynamic and upbeat program,
you will learn a game plan for turning your writing hobby into your
full-time profession. Dawn will take the mystery and confusion out
of full-time writing by showing you how to:
• Network for your first book contract
• Use the “Accountability + 3” method to keep your writing goals in
check
• Schedule your day for more productive writing
• Diversify yourself to create new writing income streams
• Develop and maintain the right mindset for success
• Create a plan for making the full-time plunge
If you’ve ever
second-guessed whether to pursue a full-time writing career, you’ll
leave this program with a feeling of confidence and a rekindled
sense of self-esteem. Let Dawn’s message inspire you to follow your
dreams.
Dawn Josephson, the
Master Writing Coach™, has been a successful, full-time independent
writer, editor, and ghostwriter since 1998. During that time she has
helped launch many people's writing careers, enabling them to quit
their job, work from home, and make a great living as a professional
writer. She can do the same for you.
Plotting for Pantsers
with Award Winning Author Terry Odell
Every writer plots.
Without plot, there's no story. It's a matter of how and when you do
it. What works for one author might not work for another. There is
no single way, no best way. You figure out what gets you from
Chapter One to The End, and that's 'right' for you. For that book.
You're not locked into any single method. This workshop is all about
the adventure and experimenting, testing, modifying to find what
works for you.
Terry Odell is the
author of five romantic suspense novels and numerous contemporary
romance short stories. Her most recent releases include, WHEN DANGER
CALLS, an action adventure published by Five Star Expressions, and
HIDDEN FIRE, a sequel to FINDING SARAH, published by Cerridwen
Press. You can find Terry on the web at:
www.terryodell.com
March 13, 2010
Step back In Time and Onto the Battlefield with Medieval Expert
Scott “Scooter” West
A medieval weapons expert will share his knowledge of the period and
the weapons wielded by our historic heroes.
Scott “Scooter” West began using a sword at the age of 5-6 when his
dad would use a pocket knife to carve crude swords out of fallen
palm branches in his yard. Since then he has always longed to use
and know more about the real thing. At 16 Scott began fencing at
Santa Fe Community College dabbling in all three modern weapons,
foil, epee and saber. At 17 Scott joined the Thieves Guilde, a group
that does medieval reenactments out of Gainesville, Florida, at the
request of a friend (he really needed no more prompting) and started
performing in the live chess match at the Hoggetowne Medieval Faire.
Scott has participated in the Hoggetowne Medieval Faire and others
as an actor combatant since 2000 and is still working on finding
ways to better his skills and knowledge of medieval, renaissance and
colonial weaponry and fight styles.
To this date Scott
has studied with numerous instructors of various fight backgrounds.
Scott has also studied period texts and fight manuals including the
Royal Armouries M.S. 1.33, the oldest known European fight manual
dating from approximately the late 13th century. Other sources Scott
has studied and used include: George Silver (16th century English),
the Longsword techniques of Johannes Liechtenauer as taught by Hans
Talhoffer and Palus Kal (15th century German), As well as the
German’s counter, the Italian Longsword masters Fiore dei Liberi
(1409) and Filippo Vadi (1482-87), With the rapier and other
renaissance weapons Scott has studied Rudolfo Capoferro (Italian
1610), Camillo Agrippa (Itallian 1553), and other works not
attributed to an author. Currently Scott is studying a book by R. G.
Allanson-Winn and C. Phillipps-Wolley (English 1890) including a
wide variety of “self-defense” weapons ranging from bayonet to
cudgel and even the Irish Shillalah.
In the real world Scott is married to the wonderful Miranda West
with two dogs, Duncan and Dot, and is currently expecting their
first child who will join us in late June or early July. Scott is a
Registered Nurse working in the Emergency Department at Shands at
the University of Florida.
Shows and events
Scott has participated in:
Hoggetowne
Medieval Faire
Drake’s Raid
reenactment, St. Augustine, Fl.
Searles’ Raid
reenactment, St. Augustine, Fl.
School of the
16th Century, Fort Caroline, Jacksonville, Fl.
Santa Fe
Community College Shakespeare festival
North Florida
Renaissance festival
Apopka Florida
Gypsy festival
Tall Ships
Jacksonville
Tall Ships St.
Petersburg
Weapons Scott has
used and taught:
Arming sword, Rapier, Hand Axe. Saber, Epee, Great Axe, Foil Falchion, Warhammer, Longsword, Spear, Club, Mace, Dagger, Cape/Cloak, Double weapons, Flintlock
Musket, Matchlock
Musket, Shields, Bucklers, Beer mug (found
weapons)
Angst No More - How
To Make Your Synopsis Work For You with Historical Romance Author
Vanessa Kelly
Does the thought of
writing a synopsis send you screaming from the room? Would you
rather pitch to ten coffee-deprived, cranky agents than figure out
how your plot actually works? In this workshop, you'll not only
learn how to write an effective synopsis with minimum drama and
maximum efficiency, you'll also learn how to use it as one of the
most effective plotting tools at your disposal.
After careers as both a teacher and a researcher, Vanessa Kelly now
writes Regency-set historicals for Kensington Zebra. She also writes
hot contemporaries and romantic suspense with her husband, which
certainly makes for an interesting marriage. Her next book, Sex And
The Single Earl, comes out in May, 2010. She also has a short story
coming out this summer in The Mammoth Book of Regency Romance. You
can visit her on the web at:
www.vanessakellyauthor.com
March 19-21, 2010
Member Only Retreat: Troubleshooting from First Page to Last, Draft
Writing: Improvisation & Revision: Learn to Rewrite featuring Anna
DeStefano with Anna Adams
This weekend will provide two comprehensive workshops, mentoring
sessions, write-ins, focused work groups and the opportunity to
develop supportive relationships with chaptermates.
Space is limited to the first 30 participants. For more information,
contact Maria Connor or Valerie Bowman.
April 10, 2010
Throw Open the Bedroom Door on Love Scenes (or at least
crack it a little)! with Shelby Reed and Cheryl Alldredge
How to create moving love scenes with the right recipe of tension,
sensuality and emotion between your characters, applicable to every
kind of romance.
At the age of ten, Shelby Reed wrote her first romance with Prince
Charming — literally! — as the hero, and it's been non-stop story
spinning ever since. Despite the idealistic place from which she
embarked, she's partial to writing realistic, flawed, multi-faceted
characters, lush emotion, and the ever-possible happy ending.
Currently published in the sub-genre of "Romantica" with Ellora's
Cave, she also hopes to explore other literary horizons such as
suspense, fantasy, and young adult romance in the future. When not
pecking away at the computer keyboard, Shelby enjoys creative
projects such as portraiture and decorating, dabbles in Tarot, and
lives a bucolic life with her own Prince Charming in North Florida.
Cheryl Alldredge has been in love with writing as long as she can
remember. She took her first job writing technical and marketing
materials just to get a job with the word “writer” in the job title.
She’s now been writing professionally for over ten years, but it
didn't take her long to realize writing non-fiction would never
satisfy her craving for fiction. Her true passions lie beyond the
words "what if..." so after a full day of writing about computer
skills, scientific software, and digital signal processing she dives
into the challenging task of crafting memorable fiction. Two of her upbeat romantic short stories have been
published by Highland Press and she continues to pursue publication
for her novels while holding down the day job, keeping up with her
freelance web crafting clients, and tackling the hardest task of
all—being a Mom.
General Q&A, First Page Group Reads, and More
Do you have a million
questions and can never find the right moment to ask? Experienced
members will be available for an open Q&A. Ask anything. What is the
HEA and the BBM? Is Nationals worth the expense? What is the
difference between series and single title? When all the questions
have been answered, we'll break into small groups for first page
cold reads. This is the perfect opportunity to get a fresh
perspective on your opening. Finally, stick around to network, pair
up for more in-depth critiques, or find a group for brainstorming.
May 8, 2010
Full Day Master Class: Screenwriting tricks for Novelists with Award
Winning Author Alexandra Sokoloff
9AM – 4PM
Arlington Congregational
Church
431 University Blvd North, Jacksonville, FL 32211
Advance registration is required for all
attendees and there is still space available, but please register
ASAP as a kindness to your event organizers.
Registration Form (PDF Format)
Are you finally
committed to writing that novel but have no idea how to get started?
Or are you a published author - but know you need some plotting help
to move your books and career up to that next level?
In this workshop, based
on award-winning author/screenwriter Alexandra Sokoloff’s
internationally acclaimed Screenwriting Tricks For Authors blog and
workbook, you'll learn how to use techniques of film writing such
as:
- the High Concept Premise
- the Three-Act, Eight-Sequence Structure
- the Storyboard Grid
- the Index Card Method of Plotting
- as well as tricks of film pacing and suspense, character arc and
drive, visual storytelling, and building image systems
- to structure and color your novel for maximum emotional impact,
unbearable suspense and riveting pacing, no matter what genre you're
writing in.
You'll start to create
your own personalized workbook of genre tricks based on your
favorite books and movies and tailored to your own brand of
storytelling, and a collage book to build visual image systems. And
the emphasis on premise is invaluable for crafting that
all-important query and pitch.
About Alex…
Alexandra Sokoloff is a screenwriter who has sold original suspense
and thriller scripts and adapted novels for numerous Hollywood
studios, for producers such as Michael Bay, Laura Ziskin, David
Heyman, and Neal Moritz. Her adaptation of Sabine Deitmer's
psychological thriller COLD KISSES was filmed in Germany.
Alex's debut ghost
story, THE HARROWING, was nominated for an Anthony Award and a Bram
Stoker Award for Best First Novel. Her supernatural thrillers THE
PRICE and THE UNSEEN are also now out from St. Martin’s Press, with
BOOK OF SHADOWS and a paranormal suspense for Silhouette Nocturne
coming in 2010. Alex recently won the International Thriller Writers
Thriller Award for Best Short Fiction of the year for her short
story, “The Edge of Seventeen”, in THE DARKER MASK. She is also the
author of SCREENWRITING TRICKS FOR AUTHORS (AND SCREENWRITERS!), a
workbook based on her internationally acclaimed blog and workshops.
Alex has served on the
Board of Directors of the WGAw, the screenwriters’ union, and the
board of Mystery Writers of America, and is the founder of
WriterAction.com, an online community and resource center of 2000+
professional screenwriters. In her spare time (!) she sings as a
Killerette in the ITW’s Killer Thriller Band and performs with
Heather Graham's Slush Pile Players.
Visit her website at:
http://alexandrasokoloff.com
And her blog on
Screenwriting Tricks for Authors at
http://thedarksalon.blogspot.com
June 12
10:35AM: The Big Tent: Propping Up Your Middle Chapters with Clowns,
Lions, Acrobats and a Ringleader with Author
Sandra McDonald
Sandra McDonald has been a U.S. Navy officer, Hollywood assistant,
software instructor, bureaucrat and college professor. Her novels -
The Outback Stars, The Stars Down Under, and The Stars Blue Yonder –
are about an Australian military lieutenant, her handsome sergeant,
and their adventures in deep space. She's also written short stories
that have appeared in Asimov's, Strange Horizons, Realms of Fantasy
and other magazines and anthologies.
1PM:
TAMING THE ALPHA MALE: Writing strong heroines your heroes (and your
readers!) can fall in love with. NYT Best Selling Author
Alyssa Day
New York
Times bestselling author Alyssa Day will show you how to write
strong heroines and how to avoid the usual traps and pitfalls (no,
bitchy does not equal strong!). You’ll learn:
-
how to
analyze your heroine
-
the
character traits and qualities of a strong heroine
-
why to
hang up the cape (no superwomen, please!)
-
how not
to be deceived by a pseudo-strong heroine, and
-
tips for
how to save your heroine if she has fallen (into weak
personality traits).
Alyssa Day is the pen name (and dark and tortured alter ego) of RITA
award-winning author Alesia Holliday. ATLANTIS RISING was the first
of Alyssa's Warriors of Poseidon novels for Berkley Publishing, and
was
featured on the cover of the March, 2007, issue of Romantic
Times BOOKClub magazine. All of the Warriors of Poseidon novels have
rocked the bestseller lists, hitting the Waldenbooks, Borders,
Barnes and Noble, Bookscan, and the prestigious USA Today bestseller
lists. In addition, the anthology Shifter, with Alyssa's novella
Shifter's Lady, spent three weeks on the New York Times bestseller
list, and Alyssa finally hit the NYT on her own with the June
release of ATLANTIS UNLEASHED and cemented her bestseller status by
hitting it again with ATLANTIS UNMASKED in July.
July 10
10:15-10:30
Sign-in and mingle
10:30-10:35
Welcome and brief announcements
10:35-12:05 -
Why? Why? Why?—Mastering Motivation
with
Sherry
Lewis.
Motivation is one of the key elements of any novel. This workshop
will give you the tools you need to create strong, believable
motivation that will drive your story from beginning to end. We'll
discuss how to avoid clichéd and contrived actions and how to build
on basic characterization to create characters that actively push
your story forward. We'll also tackle that dreaded nemesis of so
many writers—author intrusion.
12:05-12:20
Break
12:20-1:50 -
In and Out—Putting Characters in Conflict
with
Sherry
Lewis.
This workshop focuses on the art and craft of creating realistic,
believable conflict for your character(s), both internal and
external, and on weaving those conflicts together in ways that are
fresh, exciting, and powerful enough to catch an editor's eye. We'll
focus on:
* Understanding how a character's core beliefs create conflict
* How internal and external conflicts work together
* When to hang onto a character's past and when to let it go
* Keeping conflicts realistic
* Creating layers of conflict
* Why urgency matters in conflict
* Applying conflict to each scene you write
* Avoiding anticipated and remembered conflict
Bio: Sherry Lewis is an award-winning career writer with more
than 30 published books to her credit. Writing as Sherry Lewis and
Sammi Carter, her books include traditional mystery, contemporary
romance, romantic suspense, and time travel romance. A long-time
member of Romance Writers of America and a member of Sisters in
Crime, Sherry is a frequent judge on the contest circuit and has
taught writing classes both on-line and in person for more than
fifteen years. Her focus is an honest, sympathetic approach toward
producing a manuscript that will be marketable in today's changing
publishing world. She’s currently at work on a mystery series set in
New Orleans which she’ll be writing as Jacklyn Brady.
1:50-2:00
Break
2:00-2:30
Business Meeting
Aug 14
Back to School Blitz
Focus on writing essentials with 30 minute quick bites on a variety
of key topics. Whether you’re just starting out or need a refresher
you’re sure to get a boost for your writing.
10:35 AM: Characterization with
Merrillee Whren
11:10 AM: Word Choices for a Stronger Novel with
Lee Roland
11:45 AM: Formatting your Manuscript for Submission with Pam Cross
and EJ Miller
12:20 PM: Business Meeting
1:00 PM: Post Conference Reports and Industry Updates
1:35 PM: All topics Q&A
