WINTER/SPRING 2024
WRITING SUCCESS SERIES WEBINARS
All workshops held from 7:15-9:45 PM ET, Thursday nights on Zoom.
Confirmation details will be sent one week prior to class and repeated the day of the class.
Recordings will be sent to all participants within twenty-four hours of the webinar.
ENTIRE SERIES CAN BE PURCHASED VIA PAYMENT BUTTONS BELOW OR YOU CAN PURCHASE WEBINARS INDIVIDUALLY VIA BUTTONS UNDER WEBINAR DESCRIPTIONS.
ENTIRE SERIES BUNDLES
Sign up any time and receive the recording of any webinar that has passed.
DON MAASS WEBINAR BUNDLE
(All four classes taught by Don)
February 15: entertaining versus illuminating
April 11: power scenes
MAY 16: ADVANCED VOICE
JUNE 13: FATE VERSUS DESTINY
INDIVIDUAL WEBINARS
april 25: how powerful characters drive compelling plots - with janet fox
7:15 PM ET - 9:45 PM ET
*** REGISTRATION CLOSED ***
If you want to write a story that resonates, is your most important craft focus on character or plot? The most compelling plots derive directly from powerful characters that are driven by deep emotions. This webinar will give the audience the tools to create powerful characters, and from that foundation to develop a rich and layered story.
MAY 2: WRITING THROUGH GRIEF, CHAOS, AND INSTABILITY WITH JASON SITZES
7:15 PM ET - 9:45 PM ET
There are times in the lives of writers when sitting to put words on paper seems futile. What if life circumstances have us overwhelmed by grief or instability? What if we don’t trust ourselves to tell our stories? In this webinar, we will: 1) Examine writers through the ages who have found inspiration through instability. 2) Work on exercises where we take our characters to places where they must push through impossible situations, raising stakes and tension within our stories. 3) Reflect on our progress in the first part of the year and make promises to ourselves heading into the second part of 2024, with a reminder of what we can control: our productivity. A webinar with personal challenges and exercises to hone your craft.
may 9: how to write characters with agency - with janice hardy
7:15 PM ET - 9:45 PM ET
Characters are the lifeblood of a story, but sometimes writers throw them into a tale and steer their every action—whether they like it or not! This can lead to a plot without purpose, protagonists swept away by happenstance, and a novel that chronicles events instead of showing a character grappling with a problem. In this workshop, you’ll learn how agency can help you craft stronger, more compelling stories. You'll uncover the motivations behind your characters' actions, allowing them to take control and drive the story forward, and ultimately, craft better characters, stronger plots, and tighter pacing.
may 16: advanced voice - with donald maass
7:15 PM ET - 9:45 PM ET
The range of narrative voice in most manuscripts is sadly limited. Commanding narrative voices, however, seize readers’ attention and carry readers beyond plot to deeper levels of engagement—and challenge. In this hands-on workshop, learn to use the advanced dimensions of voice that master novelists use to make their novels sing, surprise, and sweep us away.
may 23: why are your characters the way they are? - with tiffany yates martin
7:15 PM ET - 9:45 PM ET
Characters don’t spring into your story from a vacuum; ideally, they feel as fully developed and faceted as anyone your readers might know in real life. Who they are, what they want, and why they do what they do is rooted in who they have been and what they have done—in other words, backstory. But backstory is not the story, and not everything that makes up a character’s past and current life outside the story is relevant to it. This session will explore how determine which threads in the fabric of your characters’ lives are essential to this story and which aren’t, and how to mine those areas to create rich, believable, fully fleshed, cohesive characters.
may 30: revision: the magic of story-making - with leah henderson
7:15 PM ET - 9:45 PM ET
Once a first draft is written, the real work begins. Revision is where a story and characters become who and what they are meant to be. To revise is to see again. And during this webinar, we will explore ways to see our work anew to elevate earlier drafts—full of possibility—to create even stronger stories. Through considering our writing on a scene, story, and page level, we will focus on ways to strengthen voice, character, pacing and the emotional beats of our story. We will also discuss practical ways to incorporate feedback and organize the daunting task of re-envisioning our work to appreciate the true magic of story-making.
june 6: exploring the interior - with sheree greer
7:15 PM ET - 9:45 PM ET
One of the keys to strong character-driven stories is drawing out the motivations, intentions, and desires of our characters. In this webinar, we'll engage in writing exercises and generative prompts that challenge us to get up close and personal with the characters at the core of our stories.
june 13: fate versus destiny: the two master stories - WITH DONALD MAASS
7:15 PM ET - 9:45 PM ET
Protagonists fall into two categories: Those to whom things happen, versus those who make things happen. Fate. Destiny. But there’s a danger: characters of fate can be passive, while characters of destiny can become cartoonish. It doesn’t have to be that way. In this hands-on workshop, learn the underlying secrets of universal journeys and practical ways to elevate your protagonist regardless of type.
june 20: MULTIPLE TIMELINES/MULTIPLE VIEWPOINTS - WITH TIFFANY YATES MARTIN
7:15 PM ET - 9:45 PM ET
If your story has more than one storyline, POV, or timeline, knowing how to weave them together smoothly and effectively is a major part of how well the overall story works. Every thread should be intrinsic to telling the story, complementing and reflecting one another without yanking readers’ focus or diminishing their investment. But how do you decide whether more than one storyline will enhance or complicate the overall story? Do the stories directly interrelate in some key way that makes each essential to the story? How many POVs/storylines is too many? How do you invest readers deeply in each one—and keep them invested throughout? What merits a separate storyline—and what’s just backstory?
This workshop will address all these questions and more, dissecting the structure and techniques of published novels to demonstrate these principles in action.
JUNE 27: putting your world to work - with lorin oberweger
7:15 PM ET - 9:45 PM ET
The world of your story is not only a container for drama and character growth but a potent—and often underutilized--source of story movement, personal and public stakes, conflict, character history, and more. In other words, your story world is more than where your story takes place. It can be the reason your story happens at all. It can inhibit or help your protagonist. It can create—or denote—change. And any story, whether it’s high fantasy or raw reality, contains a multitude of worlds to plumb for plot and character development. In this hands-on webinar, we’ll do just that, looking at all our possible story worlds, from macro to micro, for inspiration to make our stories richer and more expansive than we imagine.
AVAILABLE WINTER-SPRING 2024 RECORDINGS
FEBRUARY 8: NLP FOR WRITERS - WITH BETH BARANY
Learn how NLP, or neurolinguistic programming, boosts writing productivity and writing quality for authors. It's a gentle tool fostering self-acceptance while achieving desired outcomes effortlessly. Perfect for writers seeking to enhance their skills, in this workshop you’ll gain practical techniques to clarify your creative goals, expand your writer toolkit, and conquer writing challenges. Turn your writer’s dream into today’s actions. Satisfying, successful, calm, and connected – it’s all within reach with simple tools for your creative life.
FEBRUARY 15: ENTERTAINING VERSUS ILLUMINATING - WITH DONALD MAASS
The two primary purposes of fiction are not mutually exclusive. This hands-on workshop explores the fiction of genre, heroes, heightened worlds, and stirring themes in parallel with the fiction of realism, regular people, ordinary places, and nuanced meaning. Learn the practical methods of making opposing literary values work together to create upmarket novels that simultaneously stimulate minds and keep pages turning.
FEBRUARY 22: REVISIONS 2.0 - wITH grace burrowes
When it comes to revisions, the devils--and the diamonds--can lurk in the details. Join Grace for an evening devoted to the subtle tweaks and twiddles, often overlooked by editors and CPs, that can morph your writing from solid to scintillating. We will look at before and after revisions, tackle some of our own prose, and look at why and when to break a few rules. Bring your questions and your darlings--and prepare to have fun with what can be the most important part of the writing process!
FEbruary 29: character dynamics: action figures - with damon suede
Bestsellers start with fascinating people. In this session, we’ll take your fictional folks to the next level with a simple, powerful technique that will strengthen your plots, your hooks, and your voice. Go beyond looks, persona, and boilerplate traits so you can build the perfect cast to dazzle your readers. Compelling characters boost your writing process and anchor your career at any stage. Whether you like to wing it or bring it, you’ll leave this workshop with a new set of practical, hands-on tools to populate your pages and lay the foundations of unforgettable fiction.
march 21: rethinking scene & sequel: the rhythm of fiction with damon suede
Every story has a heartbeat. This workshop gets up close and personal with the bones of bestselling fiction based on Dwight Swain's revolutionary approach to storytelling….with a fresh look at how it can revitalize your process. Whether you call it “scene and sequel,” “disasters and decisions,” or “action and reaction,” this fundamental storytelling pattern allows you to pace your plot, escalate your action, and find your story’s heat and flow with a clear structural strategy that simplifies the process of planning, drafting, and revising your book.
march 28: research for writers - with sheree greer
In this interactive, generative webinar, we'll explore research as an element of craft. From composing research questions and developing organization techniques to accessing historical archives, and (re)visiting personal artifacts, we will examine the ways research can spark, support, and sustain our creative ideas.
april 11: power scenes - with donald maass
Beyond the basics of scene structure—POV character, goal, obstacles, atmosphere—lie less obvious scene strengths, such as parallel changes, character turns, shadow scenes, phantom layers, and the cognitive and emotional rewards that propel readers onward. Discover the elements of advanced scene craft in this hands-on workshop.
FACULTY BIOS
Beth Barany
Award-winning novelist and international writing teacher, BETH BARANY writes magical tales of romance, mystery, and adventure that empower women and girls to be the heroes of their own lives. She is the award-winning author of the YA fantasy, Henrietta The Dragon Slayer, and of the sci-fi mystery, Into The Black, among others.
Beth has also written books for writers, including Plan Your Novel Like A Pro, co-written with her husband, thriller writer Ezra Barany.
A specialist in world building, Beth runs the podcast, How To Write The Future, and helps writers create positive, optimistic stories, because when we vision what is possible, we help make it so.
Grace Burrowes
GRACE BURROWES started writing romance novels as an antidote to empty nest, and soon found that penning happily ever afters is an antidote to all of life’s little challenges. She has published more than fifty Regency, contemporary, and Victorian love stories, including Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus, and Apple Book Store books of the year. She spent more than 25 years representing children in foster care court, and lives in western Maryland.
Lyndsey Ellis
LYNDSEY ELLIS is a fiction writer and essayist with work that has appeared in Kweli Journal, Catapult, Electric Literature, The Rumpus, Joyland, Shondaland, and several anthologies. She has led several creative writing workshops with a focus on craft, publication, networking opportunities for writers, and cross-arts collaboration. Ellis was a recipient of the San Francisco Foundation’s Joseph Henry Jackson Literary Award and Barbara Deming Memorial Fund for her fiction. Her first novel, Bone Broth (Hidden Timber Books 2021), is a 2022 Friends of American Writers Literature Award winner and a first-year read at Maryville University in St. Louis.
Janet Fox
JANET FOX is the award-winning author of ten books for young readers, including three YA novels, 3 middle grade novels, two picture books, and one middle grade non-fiction, with more coming soon. Janet is a book coach and former high school teacher, and has an MFA in writing for children from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Find more about her at https://janetsfox.com/
Sheree Greer
SHEREE GREER is a writer, artist, teacher, and publisher living in Tampa, Florida. In 2014, she founded The Kitchen Table Literary Arts Center to showcase and support the work of Black women and women of color writers and is the author of two novels, LET THE LOVER BE and A RETURN TO ARMS, a short story collection, ONCE AND FUTURE LOVERS, and student writing guides, STOP WRITING WACK ESSAYS and BADDEST OUT OF YOUR FRIENDS. Sheree has received a Union League of Chicago Civic Arts Foundation award, earned her MFA at Columbia College Chicago, and is a VONA/VOICES alum, Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice grantee, Yaddo fellow, and Ragdale Artist House Rubin Fellow. Her essay, "Bars" published in Fourth Genre Magazine, was nominated for a Pushcart Prize and notably named in BEST AMERICAN ESSAYS 2019.
Janice Hardy
JANICE HARDY is the award-winning author and founder of Fiction University, where she helps writers improve their craft and navigate the crazy world of publishing. She teaches writing workshops across the country, and her blog has been recognized as a Top Writing Blog by Writer’s Digest. When she’s not writing about writing, she spins tales of adventure for both teens and adults, and firmly believes that doing terrible things to her characters makes them more interesting. She loves talking with writers and readers, and encourages questions of all types—even the weird ones.
Find out more about her and her books at http://www.Fiction-University.com or www.JaniceHardy.com.
Leah Henderson
LEAH HENDERSON is a writer, mentor, and teacher. Her critically acclaimed books for young readers have been included on numerous Best Books lists including the New York Public Library, Bank Street College, and the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature. They have been American Library Association Notables, Junior Library Guild Selections, SCBWI Golden Kite Award Finalists among other awards. Her books include The Magic in Changing Your Stars, A Day for Rememberin’, Together We March and The Courage of the Little Hummingbird. She has written for the New York Times Book Review and currently writes the Insights column in the journal Voices From the Middle for The National Council of Teachers of English.
Steven James
STEVEN JAMES is the bestselling, critically acclaimed author of eighteen novels that have won or been shortlisted for more than a dozen national and international awards. His thrillers have been praised by Suspense Magazine, Booklist, and the New York Journal of Books and received starred reviews from both Library Journal and Publishers Weekly, who called his work “thought-provoking” and “riveting.” He has also written two award-winning books on the craft of writing, Story Trumps Structure and Troubleshooting Your Novel. When he’s not writing, he teaches storytelling at events around the globe and hosts the weekly podcast, The Story Blender.
Donald Maass
DONALD MAASS is the founder of the Donald Maass Literary Agency in New York. He is the author of THE CAREER NOVELIST, WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL, THE FIRE IN FICTION, WRITING 21ST CENTURY FICTION, and THE EMOTIONAL CRAFT OF FICTION, among other groundbreaking books on writing craft. His pioneering work and writing about the development of authors’ careers has made DMLA a leading agency for fiction writers.
Lorin Oberweger
LORIN OBERWEGER is a highly sought-after independent book editor and award-winning author with more than twenty-five years of experience in publishing. In addition to the workshops she produces with Donald Maass and others, Lorin is a popular instructor at writing conferences around the country. She also has eight traditionally published books (five fiction, three nonfiction), including BOOMERANG, REBOUND, and BOUNCE. Her work has received glowing reviews from the New York Times, USA Today, Kirkus Reviews, and others. Most recently, she co-authored THANK YOU FOR COMING TO MY TED TALK with Chris Anderson, director of the renowned TED organization.
Jordan Rosenfeld
JORDAN ROSENFELD is author of the novels WOMEN IN RED and FORGED IN GRACE and six books on the craft of writing, most recently HOW TO WRITE A PAGE-TURNER, the bestselling MAKE A SCENE, WRITING THE INTIMATE CHARACTER, A WRITER’S GUIDE TO PERSISTENCE, WRITING DEEP SCENES and WRITE FREE. Her freelance articles and essays have been published in hundreds of publications, including: The Atlantic, The New York Times, Scientific American, Writer’s Digest Magazine, The Washington Post and many more. She is also a freelance manuscript editor, writing coach and teaches online classes. Jordanrosenfeld.net and jordanwritelife@gmail.com
Jason Sitzes
JASON SITZES has written award-winning short fiction, hundreds of feature stories, and is a ghostwriter for three published business books. He served as Director for the internationally acclaimed 10-day Writers Retreat Workshop for 14 years (founded by Gary and Gail Provost). More than 20 years he’s been honored to serve as an editor and instructor for Writing The Breakout Novel workshops. His favorite interviews are discussing story with the likes of the late Dick Gregory, Paula Poundstone, Dean Koontz, and dozens more. Jason has also worked as a manuscript coach/story development editor for hundreds of fiction and non-fiction writers. He earned his BA in Creative Writing from the Univ of Tennessee studying with southern greats like Michael Knight, Tom Franklin, and Marilyn Kallet.
Damon Suede
Bestselling author DAMON SUEDE has earned his crust as a model, a messenger, a promoter, a programmer, a sculptor, a singer, a stripper, a bookkeeper, a bartender, a techie, a teacher, a director… but writing has ever been his bread and butter. Beyond romance fiction, Damon has been a full-time writer for print, stage, comics, and screen for three decades. He has won some awards, but counts his blessings more often: his amazing friends, his demented family, his beautiful husband, his loyal fans, and his silly, stern, seductive Muse who keeps whispering in his ear, year after year. Get in touch with him at DamonSuede.com.
TIFFANY YATES MARTIN
TIFFANY YATES MARTIN has spent thirty years as an editor in the publishing industry, working with major publishers and New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling and award-winning authors as well as indie and newer writers. She is the founder of FoxPrint Editorial and author of INTUITIVE EDITING: A CREATIVE AND PRACTICAL GUIDE TO REVISING YOUR WRITING. Tiffany is a sought-after teacher, speaker, and podcast guest and leads seminars and workshops for writers around the country, as well as being a regular contributor for major writers' outlets including Writer's Digest, Jane Friedman, Writer Unboxed, and more. Under the pen name Phoebe Fox, she's also the author of six novels. Visit her at www.foxprinteditorial.com.