2024 Workshops

Klein Multipurpose Center

7500 Farm to Market 2920, Spring, TX 77379

Workshop Descriptions

READ EACH WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION, SO YOU CAN CHOOSE THE THREE THAT MOST INTEREST YOU.

Creating Authentic Characters Seminar

The hallmark of a good novel is the development of the protagonist and antagonist. The integrity, the flaws, and especially the growth or disintegration of the character are what mesmerize readers, drawing them to the very last word.

This seminar will focus on how you can write authentic characters, plump with life and filled with conflict. Be prepared to participate in a 15-minute mini-lesson and then practice what you have learned. Share your writing with other attendees and learn from each other.

Crafting Authentic Dialogue Seminar

Writing authentic dialogue is DIFFICULT! Often, it comes out stilted or awkward. Dialogue is essential to a good story. It pushes conflicts to breaking points, introduces character foibles, and introduces comedic relief at the exact right time. 

This seminar will focus on writing dialogue. You will be introduced to functional sentence frames and dialogue construction that will ensure your characters sound credible. Be prepared to participate in a 15-minute mini-lesson and then practice what you have learned. Share your writing with other attendees and learn from each other.

Exploring Poetic Writing Seminar

Poetry is our emotional release valve. It allows us to pen our fears, anger, love, joys, and frustrations. Because of its lyrical nature and figurative focus, we are allowed to embed our most secretive thoughts and our readers can only guess our true intent.

This seminar will focus on poetic construction: tone, voice, figurative language, and sound. Soak in poetry from published poets and identify these essential devices in their poems.  Be prepared to participate in a 15-minute mini-lesson and then practice what you have learned. Share your writing with other attendees and learn from each other.

Fantasy and World Building Seminar

Fantasy and world-building go hand in hand. Developing your own world is exciting yet complex. Learning the essential components of crafting characters and their homes will take much longer than one session, but you will walk away with the basics to start your story.

This seminar will focus on story development for fantasy fiction. You will also be given worksheets to help you plan out a world that is unique and engaging. Be prepared to participate in a 20-minute mini-lesson and then practice what you have learned. Share your writing with other attendees and learn from each other.

Plot and Conflict Seminar

Boiling down a story to its very essence will bring you to the plot and the many conflicts waiting to explode. Understanding the importance of each aspect of the plot, especially the continual need for conflicts erupting as characters struggle and fail and grow is vital to an enthralling tale.

This seminar will focus on plot development as well as developing multiple conflicts intertwined throughout the story. Be prepared to participate in a 15-minute mini-lesson and then practice what you have learned. Share your writing with other attendees and learn from each other.

Getting Your Writing Published

NEW WORKSHOP!

Becky Wallace is the award-winning author of THE STORYSPINNER, THE SKYLIGHTER, and FAR FROM NORMAL. STEALING HOME is her first YA contemporary novel.

She will walk you down the pathway of publishing, giving tips and tricks of the trade, so you can publish your own writing.

Hunt a Killer and Crime Writing Workshop

This is a TWO-hour workshop.

Prepare to find a killer, by looking through the numerous clues that will lead you to the guilty party. Once you experienced the thrill of finding a dangerous murderer, be prepared to use that information to write your own crime story!

This seminar is two hours. The first hour will be spent playing “Hunt a Killer” and learning how crime stories evolve. The second hour will be spent in a 15-minute mini-lesson and then writing about a crime of your own invention. You will then share your writing with other attendees and learn from each other.