Workshop Description: A master in fine arts degree is one of the most popular education tracks for those interested in a creative writing career. However, not everyone can commit to three years of formalized education. In this workshop, writers will learn about the major principles that are taught in an MFA program such as accessing creative writing resources, networking techniques, reading outside your genre, managing deadlines, and creating a brand. The workshop is suitable for attendees at all skill levels.
Bio: Nisha Sharma is the author of the critically acclaimed YA novel My So-Called Bollywood Life and the follow up, Radha and Jai’s Recipe for Romance. She also writes adult contemporary romances including The Singh Family trilogy and If Shakespeare Was An Aunty trilogy (launching March 2022). Her writing has been praised by NPR, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Teen Vogue, Buzzfeed, Hypable and more. Nisha credits her father for her multiple graduate degrees, and her mother for her love of Shah Rukh Khan and Jane Austen. She lives in New Jersey with her Alaskan husband, her cat Lizzie Bennett and her dog Nancy Drew. You can find her online at Nisha-sharma.com or on Twitter and Instagram @nishawrites.
Workshop Description: The first three pages of your book are the most important pages you’ll write, whether it’s to entice an agent or editor, or to have someone buy your book once it’s published. But even more important is that first sentence, because if that doesn’t interest anyone, no matter how exciting or sexy, or how much the rest of your story pulls at heart strings, no one will read it. We’re going to look at how to hook those readers and keep them reading, from opening sentence to succeeding scenes and chapters.
Workshop Description: Do your manuscripts get comments like “your story is too quiet” or “you have too much external conflict”? Do you find it hard to put your characters in sticky situations? Sally Kilpatrick relays her own journey to creating conflict even when, in real life, she prefers to run away. Starting with the tried and true concept of GMC, she’ll expand upon the concept and guide you through adding internal conflict and other strategies for making sure that your story has layers.
Workshop Description: You’ve written the novel, sent it to beta readers and critique partners, and now you’re in editing mode. Revising is hard work and can take multiple passes, but editors are here to help. In this workshop, we’re going to review the different levels of editing, common issues found during edits, finding and working with an editor, and strategies to incorporate developmental edit notes.
Workshop Description: There’s not a group of people more adept at procrastinating than writers, which makes it all the more important for us to be able to write when we actually sit down to do so. This workshop explores common reasons behind writer’s block and provides hands-on practice at different techniques for overcoming it.
Workshop Description: This workshop will address