Early Bird Workshops - 2016

How to Speak with Passion, Power, and Polish (Part 1) - Yvonne Ortega

If you fear speaking in public, you’re not alone. Gain confidence and tips from Yvonne’s personal examples as a professional model to eliminate a weak opening and replace it with a dynamic one. Replace confusing content with clear, compelling content. Avoid common delivery mistakes and present with passion, power, and polish. 

Writing Articles Editors Will Love (Part 1) – Ann Knowles

Learn how to write specific kinds of articles: (1) How-to Articles. (2) Personal Experience. (3) Interviews. (4) Issue-Oriented. Templates and handouts provided for further practice. Part 1 covers articles 1-3. Part 2 covers article 4 and allows participants to write an article and sign up for Ann to critique it.

Writing Romantic Suspense – Alice Wootson

We’ll discuss the basics of writing: character, setting, and plot. Where do I get ideas? What is the difference between romantic suspense and inspirational romantic suspense? Attendees will have an opportunity to brainstorm ideas for a story.

Journaling Your Story – Chris Richards

Creatives are touched by many types of art. Join me in trying to build your story and boost your creativity using other arts in combination with writing.

Writing for the HEART of the Child – Carol Wedeven

Come to discover the heart of your reader. Crawl inside the child’s head – live there, listening; knowing his voice, heart and soul; seeing through his eyes; then writing heart to heart to make a difference in his life. Interactive, hands-on, handouts, tears to hilarity.

Narrative Nonfiction: The Power of Story – Marti Pieper

How can I make my nonfiction more compelling? How can truth and creativity coexist in my work? In this workshop, which includes both practical tips and inspiring examples, Marti shares the basics of this popular genre. Learn how to transform your writing through the power of authentic storytelling while you catch – and keep – your readers.

2:15 – 3:45  Wednesday Early Bird Workshops

HT Speak with Passion, Power, and Polish (Part 2) – Yvonne Ortega

If you fear speaking in public, you’re not alone. Gain confidence and tips from Yvonne’s personal examples as a professional model to eliminate a weak opening and replace it with a dynamic one. Replace confusing content with clear, compelling content. Avoid common delivery mistakes and present with passion, power, and polish. 

Writing Articles Editors will Love (Part 2) – Ann Knowles

Learn how to write specific kinds of articles: (1) How-to Articles. (2) Personal Experience. (3) Interviews. (4) Issue-Oriented. Templates and handouts provided for further practice. Part 1 covers articles 1-3. Part 2 covers article 4 and allows participants to write an article and sign up for Ann to critique it.

Indie Publishing 101 – Larry Carpenter

Traditional publishing contracts are hard to get, and the author gives up creative and editorial control and doesn’t own the intellectual rights to their book. Independent publishing provides a well-designed and edited book, sales into the bookstores, and gives the author control of the process.

Harness the Power of the Tweet – Angela Schans

Bring your twitter following from 0-1,000 in a month and generate hundreds of daily TARGETED website views that JUST KEEP COMING AFTER YOUR WORK IS DONE. Use the 4 POWER TWEETS that bring 90% of my website traffic as a template for your own success!

Create a Winning One-Sheet – Bob Hostetler

A one-page summary of your book is a crucial tool for selling your work. This workshop will not only instruct but also give you a working draft of a winning one-sheet.

Fictional Characters Anonymous – Hana Haatainen-Caye

"Hi. My name is Doris, and I'm a fictional character." During this workshop, all participants will introduce themselves as one of their characters from their WIP and will remain in character throughout the session. Consider this a support group meeting for characters to work out some of their issues. The results of the meeting are often surprising, as you discover character nuances, vulnerability, and trigger points. In order to write enticing fiction, you have to know your characters intimately. FCA can help you do just that! All participants will be expected to take part in the discussions. Limited to 12 participants.

4:00 – 4:30  First-timer’s Orientation

4:45 – 5:45  Wednesday Early Bird Workshops

Starting Appointments Out on the Right Foot – Tim Shoemaker 

Stomach churning. Palms sweating. Hey, an appointment with an editor, agent, or seasoned writer IS a big deal. Relax. We’ll look at tips to make sure your appointment is a step in the right direction.

Prayer in the Writer’s Life – Ava Pennington

Do you pray? Do you pray for your writing? You might think that’s a silly question. Of course we pray for our writing. But what, exactly, are we praying about? If we’re honest, our prayers are often centered on requests for favor with agents and publishers. Book contracts, large advances, and strong sales top our lists. While these are not bad things to desire, we’ll discuss some other things we could and should be praying for.

Blogging Your Way to Publication – Bob Hostetler

How to get started, how to get noticed, and how to move from blog to print.

The Ten Most Common Writing Blunders – Cindy Sproles (cancelled, but Cindy is still coming)

This workshop teaches new writers how to look for and how to correct the ten most common errors in writing. Covering point of view, resist the urge to explain, dialogue, and more, The Ten Most Common Writing Blunders is the perfect way to hone your writing.

Add Humor to Your Writing – Debbie Hardy

Your audience will remember your message more if you add fun, no matter what genre. Learn the 5 W’s and H of humor and how you can sprinkle them throughput your writing and speaking. And we’ll share a joke or two!

Top 20 Tips for Dynamic Devotional Writing – Cheri Cowell

Are you presently writing devotionals for your friends or church and want to turn those into published pieces? Have you read a published devotion and thought, “I could have written that”? Having written over 600 devotions, Cheri will share her top twenty tips for developing and writing dynamic devotions that will sell.

The Wonderful World of WordPress Widgets – Cyle Young

A WordPress blog is only as good as its plugins and widgets. This course covers 50 of the most useful and necessary plugins and widgets for the WordPress blogging platform. You’ll leave this workshop with greater understanding of how to set up your site to produce the most reader connection. You’ll also discover how to maximize your sites footprint in web searches.