Workshop Schedule — Thursday
Please note this is a preliminary workshop schedule. A final list will be available on-site in the conference program.
Printable list as of April 30, 2008 (pdf)
Thursday, July 31
2:00-3:00 p.m.
Chat with Nora Roberts
Chat with best-selling and award-winning author Nora Roberts.
Dialogue: Writing Between the Lines (CRAFT) — Elizabeth Hoyt
Writing fantastic dialogue can lift your book from good to sold. This workshop will cover the mechanics of dialogue, how to tell if your dialogue is working, and how to show what your characters are thinking when they’re not speaking.
Honing Your Pitch: Making the Most of Your 10 Minutes (CAREER) — Winnie Griggs, Melissa Endlich, and Michelle Grajkowski
Learn how to craft, prepare for, carry out, and follow-up on an editor/agent appointment, including sample pitches and an agent's and an editor's perspective.
How to Layer and Texture Your Novel for High Impact (CRAFT) — Cherry Adair
New York Times best-selling author Cherry Adair explains why there has to be a balance of dialog, narration, research, and description in your novel, which can be achieved by adding layers and texture. (2 hours)
If You Give It, They Will Come: Workshops That Wow! (CAREER) — Bronwyn Parry and Valerie Parv
Explore the key elements of workshops that wow their participants and leave them with a lasting, positive impression and provide information they will retain and apply to their own projects. (2 hours)
RWA Leadership Development (SPECIAL) — Nicole Burnham
Have you thought about running for the Board of Directors, but have
aren't sure what's involved? Considered volunteering for an RWA
committee, but don't know where to start? RWA is always looking for
reliable volunteers to carry out its mission of supporting
professional romance writers through networking, education, and
advocacy. Come to this workshop with Leadership Development Committee
Chairperson (and former Board member) Nicole Burnham to learn more
about how you can get involved, and bring your questions!
Speed Dating Editors and Agents: Jazzing Up Your Chapter’s Conference (PUBLISHING) — Kathrynn Dennis, Mardi Ballou, Anne Mallory, and Janet Miller
Learn how to use speed dating techniques to make editor and agent appointments more effective at your chapter conferences.
Writing to a Concept: Taking a Publisher’s Idea and Making It Your Own (PUBLISHING) — Stacy Boyd, Ken Casper, Tina Colombo, and Mel Odom
Join Harlequin editors and authors in a discussion about writing series and continuities, with a focus on the opportunities available at Harlequin Books.
Writing with Passion! (WRITER’S LIFE) — Barbara Keaton
Participate in this interactive workshop with journalist Barbara Keaton, who offers tips and techniques how to put more passion into your writing.
Thursday, July 31
3:15-4:15 p.m.
Building Buzz in YA (CAREER) — Tera Childs, Heather Davis, Simone, Elkeles, Tina Ferraro, Marley Gibson, Stephanie Hale, and Dona Sarkar-Mishra
The Buzz girls—authors of teen romances and the Books, Boys, Buzz... blog—dish on everything from deciphering who exactly is the teen audience today, how to use the Internet, and other ways to market young-adult books.
How to Layer and Texture Your Novel for High Impact (CRAFT) — continued
If You Give It, They Will Come: Workshops That Wow! (CAREER) – continued
Instant Seduction: How to Write Great First Chapters (CRAFT) — Suzanne Clarke and Sally Williamson
If you want your story to grab the reader’s attention, hook her in and keep her turning those pages, you need to make sure your opening chapter packs a punch from the very first page! For the Harlequin Presents®, Harlequin® Romance, Harlequin® Historical and Harlequin® Medical™ series, editors Suzanne Clarke and Sally Williamson will be taking you through the common pitfalls and how to avoid them when writing that all-important first chapter, with the emphasis on how to create a focused emotional environment for your characters and their romance.
Medical Facts and Fallacies in Popular Fiction (RESEARCH) — Kimberly Frost
Join this physician and new Berkley author to learn how to write accurate medical details and discuss when and why a writer might want to diverge from the truth.
The Debutante Ball: How Six Debut Authors Partnered for National Publicity (PUBLISHING) — Eileen Cook, Lisa Daily, Jenny Gardiner, Jess Riley, and Danielle Younge Ullman
These new authors describe how they banded together for shared marketing/group blog and will take participants through the benefits of group marketing and provide practical suggestions for start up and how to build readership.
Why Publishing Is Making You Crazy and What You Can Do About It: the Tao of Publishing (WRITER’S LIFE) — Steven Axelrod and Julie Anne Long
Using exciting new research and a few real-life examples, acclaimed agent Steven Axelrod and award-winning author Julie Anne Long explain why publishing is an inherently an anxiety-provoking business, how we make ourselves crazier in the name of trying to make ourselves feel better about it, and what you can do to minimize its effects—maybe even enjoy it!
Writing the Best Seller: Six Magic Words (CAREER) — Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Learn from New York Times best-selling and RITA Hall of Fame author Susan Elizabeth Phillips the six magic words that lead to bestsellerdom.
Writing the Unputdownable Novel (CRAFT) — Joan Johnston
New York Times best-selling author Joan Johnston shares eight ways to "hook" your reader so she can't put your book down.
Thursday, July 31
4:30-5:30 p.m.
Bigger Than Botox: When Your Book Needs More Than a Face-lift (CRAFT) — Robyn DeHart and Emily McKay
Two award-winning authors offer an in-depth look at real revisions for the manuscript that needs more than a shot of Botox to whip it into editor-ready shape.
Factors in Choosing New Clients (PUBLISHING) — Meredith Bernstein
Meredith Bernstein of the Meredith Bernstein Literary Agency explains how a seasoned literary agent decides to take on new talent.
Gossip Girls (CAREER) – Marley Gibson and Elaine Spencer
What really goes on when working with an agent? Author Marley Gibson and agent Elaine Spencer dish the dirt and give behind-the-scenes info on having a successful agent-author relationship.
Got Problems? We Got Solutions! (CRAFT) — Leanne Banks and Rhonda Pollero
Bring your problems to this fun, hands-on brainstorming workshop with best-selling, award-winning authors Leanne Banks and Rhonda Pollero, and learn to brainstorm your way out of any corner.
Make 'em Scream: How to Write Amazing Romantic Suspense Editors Will Buy (CRAFT) — Hilary Sares
Editors are always looking for a hot mix of tough stuff and true love. This Kensington editor presents an insider’s guide to breaking in and staying the course in romantic suspense—covering pace, atmosphere, plotting, technical elements, and romance.
Spotlight on Avalon Books
Talk to Yourself: Career-making Boundaries in Publishing Relationships (CAREER) — Anna DeStefano and Michelle Grajkowski
Award-winning author Anna DeStefano and agent Michelle Grajkowski discuss techniques of recognizing and maintaining the career-making, personal boundaries essential to your success in publishing career.
The Lessons of Firefly: Learning from the Works of Joss Whedon (CRAFT) — Jacqui Jacoby
Explore character development, dialogue, plotting, relationships, loyalties, and loss as they are presented in Firefly and Serenity. Warning: this workshop contains spoilers!
Watching the Detectives: Peek Inside a Real Detective Agency (RESEARCH) — Eileen Rendahl
How does a private detective agency operate? Join the author of four chick-lit books as she talks about the best part-time job she ever scored. With entertaining escapades, Eileen Rendahl will share the gory details of the ins and outs of surveillance, how an agency works, how clients are acquired, and tricks of the trade.
View Friday afternoon workshops
View Saturday morning workshops
