Bring your pen and paper; your laptops; your inkpots and quills.
This track is a must-attend for writers seeking to refine their craft and connect with like-minded professionals. With a focus on interactive sessions that provide results you can take home with you or invaluable feedback, this track delivers an immersive experience that will take your writing skills to the next level.
Guests, industry professionals, will be focused on your work, whether it is reviewing submitted writing, or prompting and guiding you through an essential component such as a plot or sales pitch. We are growing the track and that means workshops designed to heighten your writer skills.
There will be numerous occasions to network with writer peers, publishers, and editors. Prior to the convention, there will be an opportunity to sign-up for one-on-one consults for 15-minute slots where your writing and career are the sole focus of a professional. Appointments will be finalized close to the date of the convention and slots will be highly sought after, so stay tuned to social media and the website for updates.
Friday Night Writers’ Workshop
Published authors have sat in this exact workshop years prior where their work was reviewed by professionals and peers! The Annual Workshop is a chance to have your writing discussed in small groups.
To organize and allow Guests an opportunity to prepare, submissions must be made prior to the event. no AI; Format: Word / Google doc; double-space; title and name on first page; up to 1000 words. Please utilize content warnings if applicable. The session begins at 8:30 p.m. Friday night after the dinner break, and it tends to run for a couple of hours.
Saturday Slush!
Saturday Slush is a crowd favorite! For the reader, the first few pages of a book are vitally important. This year we will have two sessions to accommodate the huge demand, but it is still first come, first serve* based on the date and time we receive your submission.
The workshop is a live anonymous reading of 600 words of your submitted work. Publishing professionals will review and discuss what they liked, what they didn’t, and what might make it shine.
To organize and prepare, submissions must be made prior to the event.
No AI; Format: Word / Google doc; double-space; title and name on first page; up to 600 words. Please utilize content warnings if applicable.
*If you’ve signed up for the Friday Night Writer’s Workshop, please note that priority will be given to those who are not involved Friday night so everyone gets an opportunity for feedback.
Pitch Panel
Bring a 30-60 second pitch for industry professionals. They’ll give you immediate feedback on what they liked, or where you lost them. Test out your pitch! This panel is first come / first serve. Raise your hand and go when you’re picked. No sign up required.
Write Something New
We’ll add these workshops as they become available, but it’ll be late in the season as we onboard guests and work with them to see what they can offer writers in the form of a hands-on result. You should be leaving each with more than just notes.
Confirmed Workshops
Flash Fiction: Robby Hilliard uses prompts and mentoring for you to write a piece of flash fiction. Some great stories come out of this workshop.
Possible Workshops
Let’s get Explicit (18+): Late Night / After Hours – A guest takes your cozy fade-to-black scene and unbuttons it to expose what’s underneath. This is a hands-on workshop.
Pitch Perfect: Join us to build a pitch to sell your book or project.
Construct a Plot in 60 Minutes: Join us to hammer out a plot for your next great project.
Speak and Be Heard; Listen and Grow.
One-on-One consults will be available this year. Close to the convention, once we have professionals lined up, a form will be available to sign-up for a 15-minute slot with one of them. As they are assigned, you will be asked to confirm your appointment. This is you and a professional talking one-on-one. Consults can range from discussing career plans, marketing plans, or writing advice.
Hey, we’re here for you, the writer. Tell us what you need. If it’s a workshop pen-to-the-paper kind of thing, we’ll do our best to make it happen this year, or the next.
