YA/Fantasy/Speculative Fiction | Morgan L. Busse

In the Speculative and Ya Fiction morning track, I will be covering everything you need to know to write your book including worldbuilding, character development, creating your protagonist/villain, how to bring God into your fictional world, the specifics of writing YA fiction, what it means to write in this market and more. We will be doing writing exercises to help you develop the skills as you learn them or if you are a more advance writer, to shape up your current work-in-progress, along with lively discussions and Q&A. It is my hope and goal, no matter where you are on your writing journey, that you will discover something new and find encouragement.

Memoir | Robynne Miller

DUE TO SICKNESS, CINDY COLOMA, WHO WAS SCHEDULED TO TEACH THIS TRACK, IS UNABLE TO ATTEND THE CONFERENCE. THE TRACK WILL NOW BE TAUGHT BY ROBYNNE MILLER.

We will be looking at defining several types of memoir and discovering which one is appropriate for your project. The expectations of each will be discussed, and we’ll do some hand’s on exercises to help you define the type of memoir you’re writing, potential audiences, and how to present your work.

Diving deep into the techniques needed to bring your memoir to life, scene, setting, dialogue, theme-building, narrative arc, character wounds, pacing, satisfying takeaways, editing, and POV will be discussed.

There will be in-class writing and discussions geared toward helping you emerge with skills and action points specific to making your project the very best it can be.

Fiction | James L. Rubart

To write compelling fiction you must master five elements:

Belief- Belief in what? Yourself.
Create stories that stand out from the crowd – the last thing you want is an editor, agent, and eventually reader to say, “Yeah, seen that already. Pass.”
Create compelling characters- Yes, plot matters. But unless our readers fall in angst, and sorrow, and triumph, and love with our characters, our stories will be soon forgotten.
Learn the craft- Yes, a mind-blowing story can triumph over poor technique, but why take the chance? Writers need to learn the skills that will have them wielding their pens well.
Go deep- If you want to create stories that are remembered years after being read, you have to learn to explore the deepest parts of your soul.

Nonfiction | Marci Seither

Identifying non-fiction categories- from narrative non-fiction books to magazine devotionals.
Know your audience – understanding the felt needs of your buyers as well as your readers as well as where they get their information.
Self-Publishing, Hybrid Publication, and Traditional Publishing – what are the pros and cons of each option and questions you need to ask yourself before you settle on one.
Non-fiction writing techniques to help tighten up your manuscript and take your writing to the next level.
Format – how to identify and follow a format from query to completed manuscript. Basically, it is like following a recipe!
Write your Mission Statement – what you need to include and why author as well as every project should have one.
Media Kit Checklist – a growing resume that will help you connect to others and maintain your professionalism, even if you are just starting out.
Marketing – how to cultivate ideas that connect to your audience beyond the bookmarks.
Trends and Tornados – How to watch for trends, avoid pitfalls, and why PIVOTABILITY is crucial.
Brainstorming Basics and building a Plan of Action

Publishing A to Z | Barb Roose

What does the publishing process look like?

What are the differences between self publishing and traditional publishing?

What kinds of projects are literary agents excited about and how can you pitch to them?

These are just a few of the many questions that we will tackle during the Major Morning Track session. Your instructor, Books & Such Literary Agent and author Barb Roose will provide an in-depth overview into the world of publishing as well as provide practical handouts and helpful resources to help you take the next steps in your publishing journey.