Taking The Mystery Out of Writing Mysteries!

Join me as we discuss the rules of writing a thriller, how to research police procedures, get inside the head of a killer, find your protagonist, and build the bones of your mystery so that it all comes together in the end. We will touch on cadence, the rhythm of words and pacing though dialogue. The exciting world of mystery is accessible, fun, and waiting for you!

Pick a Publisher's Brain

Rejections stink. Did you ever wish you could ask a publisher, "Geewiz, what are you even looking for, anyway?!" This is your chance! In this interactive session, you'll have the opportunity to hear what's working, what's not, and to vet your book ideas with one-on-one help from David Miles, co-founder of the award-winning children's press Bushel & Peck Books.

The Unputdownable First Chapter

In this class, we'll unpack what makes a first chapter truly unputdownable. I'll show you a few of my favorite first chapters, and we'll discuss what makes them unputdownable. You'll then try your hand at writing your own unputdownable first chapter, using what you've learned. You'll receive feedback from me and from your classmates.

Writing a Graphic Novel

In recent years, graphic novels have taken publishing by storm: they’ve grown a whopping 65% this last year alone! Lots of authors, especially in kid lit, are interested in dipping their toes into writing graphic novels, but if you aren’t an artist, where do you start? In this intensive, we’ll break down the pillars of sequential storytelling and the nuances of collaborating with an artist or art team to bring a story to life in a way only graphic novels can. We’ll explore the nearly endless limits of the versatile format while also learning about current trends and standards in the industry. Beyond understanding the mechanics of writing a comic script, students will also come away with a basic understanding of what self-publishing, working with a small press, or working with a traditional publisher is like for graphic novel authors. This workshop is aimed for beginners and intermediates of all backgrounds who want to explore the graphic novel as a medium – whether writers, illustrators, storytellers, or all of the above.

Everything Else

Okay, you’ve got your plot. You’ve got your characters. Conflict, Rising Action. If you’re lucky, you may even have a sense of an ending, of resolution. Hooray! So, what’s left? Setting. But what does that term summon up for you? A mere backdrop? The scrim the art class paints for a grade-school play? Setting can be so much more. After all, a novel doesn’t take place in a vacuum. Setting truly is “Everything Else.”

In this workshop we will look at how setting can offer up surprising opportunities for discovering who your characters really are. Provide characters the props for moving the story forward. Give your story a vivid sense of place. It can even provide the score of your narrative. The emotional undercurrent. The music.

Writing a Query that Kills

Join agent Amy Jameson for an in-depth look at query letters. We’ll explore the best way to pitch your book to agents and what not to do if you want to make it out of the slush. Submit your query letter ahead of time, and we’ll workshop as many as possible in class.

The Romance Novel

In this class on writing clean romance, you’ll learn how to craft heartfelt love stories that focus on emotional connections, chemistry, and meaningful relationships—without relying on explicit content. Discover techniques for creating tension, developing deep character bonds, and delivering satisfying romance that appeals to a broad audience. Whether you’re new to the genre or looking to refine your skills, this class will help you write clean romance that resonates with readers.

Refreshing Fairytales and Folklore

Fairytales, folktales, myths, and legends are steeped in our culture, and rewriting these tales has become a popular genre that writers and readers return to again and again. How can you write one that will stand out? What are the elements of a successful retelling? Liesl Shurtliff, award-winning and bestselling author of Rump: The (Fairly) True Tale of Rumpelstiltskin and other Fairly True Tales, will share her best tips and tricks for rewriting old and familiar tales into something that feels completely original and fresh.

What an Editor Wants

What does an editor want? What makes that overworked, underpaid publishing person pick up YOUR book versus any other book in their slush pile? It feels like the target is constantly changing, that the market keeps changing. Yesterday everyone was saying middle grade was where it’s at, but today everyone is saying middle grade doesn’t sell? How can a writer keep up?  Join veteran publisher and now editor-at-large Stacy Whitman to delve into how to keep up with the trends of the children’s book market—or whether you should at all—and to hear what goes into the decision-making process at a publisher of books for children.

Plot It Like a Pro: Outlining Your Fiction Novel

In this three-day virtual workshop, you’ll craft your novel’s plot with the expert guidance of literary agent Vicky Weber. We’ll focus on one act each day—transforming your story idea into a well-structured narrative. By the end of the workshop, you’ll walk away with a fully outlined, ready-to-write novel and a clear understanding of what makes a manuscript stand out to agents and publishers.

Voice: Making Your Novel Your Own

In the middle of carpools, homework, holidays, grocery shopping, car wrecks, dishes, birthday parties, funerals, late nights, weddings, long drives, swimming pools, and pancakes, we write. We have things we want to say, stories we want to tell, dreams we cannot shake. Being brave, doing the work only you can do, and writing in layers--thick, complex, honest layers--is the real project of writing. In this session we'll talk about what it means to be honest in your fiction, what it means to "find your voice," and how to write to save your life.

How to Balance a Picture Book

This talk with Jill Davis will touch on best and worst practices in picture book creation. Jill will share work from her new imprint, Hippo Park. Jill’s approach to picture book creation is often extra collaborative and although she likes to stick to the rules, she often cannot. She’ll talk about pushing too hard, staying up all night, pacing, balance, illustration, text, and a favorite practice she calls: editing by what's missing.

Writing Interiority: Crafting Irresistible Characters

The best fiction on shelves today is character driven. Knowing what interiority is helps, but it's only part of the battle. Learn how to develop your protagonist with actionable advice that you can add to your writing toolbox today. The nebulous concept of interiority tends to vex even the most experienced wordsmith. This class, designed specifically for fiction writers, finally defines the tool of "interiority" in a way that makes sense. This is the key to character development. After five years as a literary agent and almost two decades of teaching writing, Mary Kole has seen it all. This in-depth workshop will explore what agents and publishers are really looking for in terms of saleable character, and how you can make your protagonist stand out in the slush.

“Picture That!”: Picture Book Intensive

A unique art form, the picture book is the marriage of art and text. We will discuss the format of the picture book and its essential elements, looking at some outstanding examples from both classic and popular picture books, discuss why they are successful examples, discuss some of the pitfalls of picture book writing, and, finally, each student will write their own manuscript.

This is not a workshop to doctor already-written manuscripts. Students will create new work and then perfect them via e-mail correspondence after the class.

Note: This is not a venue for writers to acquire a literary agent.