September 1, 2009

Colorado Romance Writers (4 Weeks)

- Recipe for Success: Cooking Up a Great First Chapter
- For more info: www.ColoradoRomanceWriters.com

Recipe for Success: Cooking Up a Great First Chapter

Craft

Length: 1 -2 hours (flexible)

Like cooks with a favorite recipe, experienced writers know what goes into a great first chapter. It takes deft characterization, a unique plot (or a clever twist on an old one), a viable setting and intriguing dialogue. And don't forget “the promise” that every author makes to the reader about tone and genre of the book, or those all-important hooks: first page hooks, scene hooks, and chapter ending hook.

But creating a great first chapter takes more than just knowing the right ingredients. It takes knowing who to mix them and when, so you can achieve the perfect balance that makes those beginning pages shine and turns your story into a must read that editors and agents can't put down.

• Creating believable and sympathetic characters
• Developing a plot strong enough to support your characters
• Choosing the right setting for your book
• Crafting a promise to the reader that you can fulfill
• Writing intriguing dialogue that propels your story forward
• Understanding the importance of hooks . . . and more!

How To Make the Perfect Pitch (Without Striking Out)

Career

Length: 1- 2 hours (flexible)

Are you thinking about pitching your new novel to an agent? Then this fun-filled (and informative) workshop by Christie Craig and Faye Hughes is just what you need. Craig and Hughes, who have both flubbed a pitch or two, offer advice, with a generous dose of humor, on how to handle a pitch session with an agent or editor and—most importantly of all—get a request. You will learn the right way to pitch to an editor or agent . . . and you’ll laugh out loud at all the wrong ways in their accompanying video.

• In this information-packed workshop, you’ll get tips on:
• How to make sure you’re pitching to the right agent or editor
• How to condense your novel down to its essence
• How to take cues from the agent or editor on whether your approach is working
• How to survive it all without a major meltdown.

Informative—and laugh-out-loud-funny—video included!

View Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeTTCvXz-Zk
*Link opens in new window*

It's Not Just Adding a Naked, Tattooed Guy: Using Humor in Your Writing

Craft

Length: 1 -2 hours (flexible)

This workshop offers suggestions on how to add humor – a little or a lot – to your novel. Highlights include recognizing and exploiting the universal truths in life for comedic effect, the importance of timing and pacing in telling a joke and knowing when to get serious. Attendees should come prepared to laugh...a lot, and learn...a lot about adding humor to enrich their work.

• Benefits of laughing & laughing hard
• Humor is emotion
• Exercising your funny bone

Techniques to writing humor

The Great Agent Hunt

Career

Length: 1- 2 hours (flexible)

Finding the right agent is almost as hard as finding the right spouse. Learn how to research agents, know the right questions to ask, how to draw an agent's interest, how to make the agent-author relationship work for you and how to sever ties when it's time to move on. Christie and Faye, who have both recently signed with new agents, offer firsthand advice on catching, keeping, and surviving the agent hunt.

• Insights to snagging an agent's interest
• How to know if the agent is right for you
• Marriage counseling for the bad agent/author relationship
• How to survive a bad agent

Informative—and laugh-out-loud-funny—video included!

View Video
*Link opens in new window*

Make It Happen! Harnessing Your Inner Power to Break In (or Back In) the World of Publishing

Career

Length: 1-6 Hours (flexible)

Do you ever think it will never happen—that you'll never reach your dream of getting “the call”, of really seeing your book on the bookshelves? Perhaps, you've made it in, but it's been years since you've seen a new contract. If so, you're not alone. Career slumps are a part of the business. But if you think there's nothing you can do to make it happen, you're wrong!

• Thinking outside the box.
• Retaking Control.
• Setting the stage for success.
• Ignoring the Fear.

What Came First, the Writer or her Voice? Discovering, Nurturing and Growing into your Writing Voice.

Craft

Length: 1-2 Hours (flexible)

Philosophers have argued the question for centuries: What came first, the chicken or the egg? Literary specialists have done much the same with a different question: At what point does a writer find, discover, or make friends with her voice? While how writers attain “their voice” is debatable, finding and fine tuning voice is important to a successful career, for editors demand that voice is what moves a writer from the slush pile to the bookshelves—what moves a writer from mid list to the big lists.

• What is voice?
• How do you get your voice?
• How do you know when you've fine your one, true voice?

The Power of Teamwork: How Finding the Right Collaborative Partner Can Lead to Career Success

Career

Length: 1-6 Hours (Flexible)

While there is no magic formula to making a sale, or hitting a list, teamwork can be one powerful juju. Whether your team includes a critique partner whose opinion you absolutely trust, a marketing partner who is willing to combine talents and promotional budgets, or a writing partner whose strengths balance your weaknesses, and vice versa, having a partner can make all the difference. Because when it comes to the mathematics of writing, one plus one doesn't just equal two, it also equals success!

• What is a collaborative partnership?
• What can it do for you and your career?
• All about collaborative marketing
• Making the leap from critique partner to writing partner…without bloodshed
• How can you make a partnership work for you?

Recipe for Success: Cooking Up a Great First Chapter

Like cooks with a favorite recipe, experienced writers know what goes into a great first chapter. It takes deft characterization, a unique plot (or a clever twist on an old one), a viable setting and intriguing dialogue. And don't forget “the promise” that every author makes to the reader about tone and genre of the book, or those all-important hooks: first page hooks, scene hooks, and chapter ending hook.

But creating a great first chapter takes more than just knowing the right ingredients. It takes knowing who to mix them and when, so you can achieve the perfect balance that makes those beginning pages shine and turns your story into a must read that editors and agents can't put down.

· Creating believable and sympathetic characters
· Developing a plot strong enough to support your characters
· Choosing the right setting for your book
· Crafting a promise to the reader that you can fulfill
· Writing intriguing dialogue that propels your story forward
· Understanding the importance of hooks

Make It Happen: Harnessing Your Inner Power to Break In (or Back In) the World of Publishing

An Intensive (But Fun!) Four-Week Online Workshop

· Self-Evaluation and following your own path.
· Thinking outside the box.
· Retaking Control. (Stop trying to control the things you can't, and focus on the things you can do.)
· Set the stage for success. (Because, ultimately, the only thing you can control is your response to adversity.)
· Take Baby Steps. (Do one little thing every day to make it happen.)
· Find a team partner.
· Ignore the Fear.
· Know the difference between being driven and being obsessed. (Knowing when you're running on empty and when it's time to refill your soul with some TLC.)