Singing the Blues: How Conflict Deepens Your Characters

(WEDNESDAY, 2:15-3:15) A conflicted character is always a more interesting character, and there’s nothing like a history of tragedy and angst to give your heroes and heroines real depth. Find out why this is so true — and how to do it — from four bestselling and award-winning authors! Whether you’re writing sweet or sexy, contemporary or historical, paranormal, fantasy or steampunk — all genres in which these authors have written — your characters can benefit from layering conflict to make them more believable, relatable, and exciting to your readers. In this one-hour workshop we will address:

~The questions you should always ask yourself in building a character.

~How to create deep internal conflict, then build layers to create character depth and weave into your external conflict.

~How your character’s personal history affects their behavior and their views on relationships, sex and most importantly, love.

~Believable, organic backstory — what it is and how to weave it into your manuscript.

~How to use internal conflict to create story and relationship arc.

Included in the workshop will be a handout containing a chart that attendees will use to build a character during the workshop (either a new one or one they’re already writing about).

Making the Cuts To Strengthen Your Manuscript 

(WEDNESDAY, 3:30-4:30) Do you struggle when you edit your work? Do you find you’re making the same mistakes over and over? Do you wish there was a surefire way to edit a manuscript? If the answer to these questions is YES, then this workshop is for you. Four authors with dozens of titles between them, talk about how they edit to get the best possible manuscript without losing their voice, their cool or their hair. Find out what works for them and what just might work for you.

How Personality Types Drive Character Conflict

(WEDNESDAY, 4:45-5:45) We all know that conflict is character driven. That’s why it is crucial that you know your characters thoroughly. Are they introverted or extroverted? Concrete or abstract? Friendly or fair-minded? According to the Myers-Briggs Temperament Indicator, there are 16 basic personality types. Come learn who your characters really are. What happens when you pair a rigid Guardian Inspector with a fun-loving Artisan Promoter? See what happens when a Rational Mastermind falls in love with an Idealist Healer. Oh, the sparks are going to fly, but combustion must be balanced by compatibility or your readers won’t believe in your happily-ever-after. 

Priming the Creative Pump

(THURSDAY 10:00-11:00) Are you a writer but need to prime your creative pump? Do you secretly fantasize about being a writer? Do you wish you could write but don’t know where to start?  Join Evanston Writers Workshop for a hands-on demonstration. You are welcome to bring a notebook and pen or laptop computer to participate in an eclectic blend of written experiments including tools from Julia Cameron’s THE ARTIST’S WAY and other tools.

Surviving Edits and Revisions (With Only a Few Tears)

(THURSDAY, 10:00-11:00) You got the contract, you finished the book, and now ... REVISIONS. The first day you receive that edit letter, you might feel as though completing these edits is an impossible task. It would be easier to write a new book than to try to fix what you're already got! But you can do it. Join Bantam author Linnea Sinclair and Disney/Hyperion author Stacey Kade (who are also critique partners) to watch REAL edits in action, learn how to break down revisions into more manageable tasks, find out when to ask for help or more information and when (and how) to speak up when you disagree — all while building a positive relationship with your agent or editor.

He Said, She Said

(THURSDAY, 11:15-12:15) Snappy dialogue in romance: Why it matters and how to write it. Bestselling authors share their tips, tricks and talents for keeping the pages turning by keeping the characters talking. 

Holding Out for a Hero

(THURSDAY, 1:30-2:30) What’s a good love story without an unforgettable hero? Four bestselling authors discuss ways to craft a strong and memorable hero. It’s not just about the sex appeal — find out what characteristics make a hero great as you learn why readers truly fall in love with heroes. Discussion will also include the creation of antiheroes (Why do readers enjoy those bad boys?) and the comparison/contrast of heroes across subgenres.

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Synopsis

(THURSDAY, 2:45-3:45) Would you rather stick sharp sticks under your fingernails than write a synopsis? Well, you’re not alone. It’s safe to say that writing the synopsis is virtually every author’s most despised writing task. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can learn to love — OK, perhaps that’s too strong, but at least not dread — writing your synopsis if you follow the template and techniques outlined in this session. Join us for a fun, interactive session in which we’ll work together to write an outline for a well-known movie to demonstrate just how easy writing a synopsis can be.

Plotters, Pantsers, Plotsers

(FRIDAY, 10:00-11:00) The epic battle between plotters and pantsers rages on! Do you plan every aspect of your story, or do you dive in knowing nothing but your hero's first name (and sometimes not even that much)? Join five authors who successfully plot, pants or combine the two strategies, and learn their tips and tricks for keeping a story on track — no matter where you fall on the plotting vs. pantsing spectrum.

Make Them Believe It

(FRIDAY, 11:15-12:15) Make your world believable. Go there. Talk to experts. Read. Search the Internet. Take care of not only the big details, but the small ones. Three authors will discuss building believable worlds for their readers and how that journey forced changes in what they were writing.

Major League Sports Strategy For A Winning Manuscript

(FRIDAY, 1:30-2:30) Are you struggling to make a home run with your writing? Or even make it to first base? Maybe you can see the goal line, but you don’t know how to work your way down the field. No more watching and cheering on the sidelines! It’s time to get in the game! Join New York Times bestselling author Kerrelyn Sparks and literary agent Michelle Grajkowski as they present a new sports-inspired strategy that will give you guidelines on how to write a book and make it a winner!

Painless POV: To Heck With Head-Hopping

(FRIDAY, 2:45-3:45) Head-hopping. You don’t always know when you’re doing it, and you’re not even sure how to fix it, but your editor insists you get rid of it, ASAP. What is all the fuss about POV, and why is it such a pain? Without arguing the pros and cons of most publishers’ single-POV requirement, this workshop gives you five ways to bring your manuscript in line, and then once you’ve mastered the basics, shows you how to use POV to your story’s best advantage. Rie Langdon has been a freelance editor for 10 years and specializes in editing fiction, primarily in the romance and spec-fiction genres.