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LIVE TRAININGS

Schedule Of Events
Lecture series and one off lessons.

Worldbuilding Part 1
More Info Coming Soon.
lecture series &
FULL COURSES

Live Training with Melanie Spencer
This 6 Session Course Will Teach You How To Write Compelling Dialogue.

Become A Bestseller Using Ads
Learn to effectively leverage ads to create success.

Actionable Agent Advice
What an agent actually does + how to write synopsis, first pages, and query letters they notice.

The Art of Horror
Great for horror fans, and anyone interested in writing well.

Funny Business
3 lesson course with EL guest judge Shiv Ramdas.

Scene Critique Masterclass
Peek over a professional editor’s shoulder as they work their magic right before your eyes.

Self Pub Prep
Turn your manuscript into a printable package on any budget.

Author Mindset Mastery Course
Set a strong foundation for rapid growth before picking up the pen.
Choose Your adventure
ROADMAPS

Writing & Storytelling Skills
15+ hours of recorded lessons with bestselling and award-winning authors

Publishing Journey Essentials
4 hours of training before you begin either publishing path.

Traditional Publishing
7+ hours of training to prepare you for the trade pub industry.

Self-Publishing
12+ hours of preparing your work for sale, and how to sell it.

Worldbuilding
11+ hours of creating people, places, and things. And magic.
learn everything
ALL TRAININGS

Defying Genre: Exploring Experimental Writing, Part 2
Experiment With Genre-Bending Forms and Consider How Invention, Imagination, and Formal Experimentation Can Deepen a Work Rooted in Lived Experience.

Experimental Stories– Playing with Fiction and Form
Looking at Epistolary Fiction, Interactive and Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Narratives, Ways to Generate Ideas From Other Media, Unusual Points of Views, Metafiction in Short and Long Fiction, and Other Unconventional Forms.

Messier First Drafts: ALL Your Ideas Belong Here
The Sloppier The First Draft is, The Better The Finished Draft. In This Workshop We’ll Play With Strange Prompts That Lead to The Kinds of Stories You’d Never Normally Write.

Rhetorical Techniques in Flash Fiction
Experiment With a Variety of Different Linguistic Methods — From Anaplosis to Zeugma! — To Develop Flash Stories Full of Rhythm, Emphasis, And Meaning.

Introduction to Writing Historical Fiction
Introduction To Writing Historical Fiction

Defying Genre: Exploring Experimental Writing, Part 1
Experimental Writing is a Three-Part Series For Writers Ready to Break Free From Traditional Genre Conventions and Discover New Possibilities For Their Work.

Unreliable Narrators
Learn to Build Compelling Characters Whose Flawed Perceptions or Hidden Agendas Transform a Simple Tale Into a Captivating Puzzle.

The Second, Third, or More Lives of Your Stories.
This Workshop Will Examine Some Methods And Strategies For Would-Be Working Authors Who Want To Sustain A Career And Build Their Platforms

Novel Architecture, Part 3
We’ll Dig Beneath The Typical Blueprints of Novel Architecture To Look Into Some of The Less Obvious Structural Sources of Narrative Drive.

Finding New Story Containers: Explore Alternative Formats
Step Outside Traditional Prose. This Session Provides Guided Prompts And a Supportive Space To Play, Creating Surprising Work From Unique Containers.

Screenwriting For Novelists
Screenwriting For Novelists

People-watching: Creating Authentic Characters
Get Inside Your Protagonist’s Head, Elevate Emotion, Deepen Meaning, and Create Vivid, Realistic and Nuanced Characters

The Art of the Short Story, part 3
Dive Deeper Into Techniques We Can Use To Improve Our Own Short Story Writing.

The Art of the Short Story, Part 2
Create That Feeling That Stays With You Long After You Finish Reading?

Screenwriting for Beginners
This Short Workshop Is Designed For Prose Writers Who Want To Learn How To Translate Their Work To The Screen.

Novel Architecture, Part 1
If You Were To Draw A Simple Diagram of The Plot of Your Novel-in-Progress, What Would it Look Like?

The Art of the Short Story, Part 1
Dive Deeper Into Techniques We Can Use To Improve Our Own Short Story Writing.

Add Humor To Your Writing Toolbox
Building Blocks of Comedy

Making It Make Sense: Using Genre to Solve Plot Problems
This Lesson Explores How Understanding And Leveraging Genre Conventions Can Help You Identify Plot Problems And Come Up With Compelling Solutions.

Decoding Voice
A good voice could describe a ketchup bottle and be utterly compelling.

Developing Voice Across Genres
Explore The Elements of Voice and Engage in Generative Writing Exercises Focused on Developing Voice Across Genres

Live Training with Melanie Spencer
This 6 Session Course Will Teach You How To Write Compelling Dialogue.

One Question: The W-H Questions and Short-Story Writing
Answer To One Of The W-H Questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why, And How.

What Romance Novels Can Teach Other Genres
There’s A Reason Romance Is The Single Bestselling Genre In Publishing Today.

Form & Fiction: A Literary Rebellion
Breaking Free From Conventional Ways Of Telling Stories.

The Ultimate Guide to Villains and Anti-Heroes
Classic Villain And Anti-Hero Types To Help Inspire Writers To Craft Thrilling New Antagonists

Outside the Margin: on Ergodic Fiction
The Use of Footnotes And Endnotes And Marginalia To The Actual Physical Orientation of The Book

Feed The Monster (Spooky Writing Prompts)
Writing Horror, And Then Prompts To Build The Bones Of A New Idea

Fresh Takes on Genre Tropes, Motifs, and Clichés: Nothing is Ever Over
Going To The Source Material For Inspiration, Mashing Up Ideas, Taking Techniques And Formatting From Other Media.

Anti-Stories: Writing What Doesn’t Belong
Uncover Narratives That Traditional Storytelling Ignores.

Find Your Lightning: Generative Writing
Live Training with TJ Price. About This Training This session is a mix of lecture and workshop focused on overcoming creative paralysis through generative writing

Making Your Writing Feel REAL
Crafting Fictional Stories Woven Into Realistic Historical Backgrounds, Using Real Events, Places, and Even Living People

Locked Room Horror
Utilize a “locked-room” setting to produce terrifying fiction.

The Time Braid: Groundhog Days & Sliding Doors
Relive a single day or split into parallel paths.

Communication Models For Character Relationships
Character interactions drive story.

Constructing Critique
Methods Which Center The Story And Not Its Author

Loop & Spiral: Flash Fiction Through Poetic Forms
Flash fiction thrives on precision, momentum, and depth – qualities also found in structured poetry.

Putting Together a Short Story Collection
Top tips for writing and assembly.

Crafting Villains You Love and Heroes You Hate
Memorable characters attract fans!

Writing Emotional Fiction (The #1 Goal For Authors)
Mastering the art of emotional manipulation to create compelling narratives.

The 7 Basic Plots
The building blocks of your narrative.

Plotting Through Music
Settle in with some headphones and build the movie score for your world.

Employing the Five Senses to Engage Readers
Use the senses to add emotional depth and insight into your characters.

Does Your Novel Need a Haircut?
Learn the key factors that make some books brilliantly paced.

Near Future: Writing Speculative Fiction
Try your hand at prophecy by guessing at the future.

Writing Exciting Fight Scenes – Copy
tricks on writing fight scenes

Writing Exciting Fight Scenes
tricks on writing fight scenes

Get Hooked on Hooks
Hook a reader on the first page

Shivering and Lonely: Rescuing Your Abandoned Drafts
A toolbox of tips and tricks to revitalize those abandoned drafts.

Vibe-Chasing: Tactics for Discovery Writers
Begin with a sparkly idea and drag it across the finish line

Rare POV Case Studies
The importance of POV, with case studies of 4 rare POVs.

Villain Origin Stories
Everyone loves a great villain.

Character Foils: Presenting An Inclusive Future
Multiculturalism and generational differences in horror.

LORE: Using Past to Build Future
Establish traditions and knowledge for your characters

Family Matters
How to elevate your fiction with relationships.

Fantastic First Lines
Presentation and workshop to write great openers.

3 Levels Of Stakes
Keep readers from putting your book down.

Finding The Voice
How to combine author and character voice in 1st POV.

Food In Fiction
The CHEW method of immersing readers.

The Art of Horror
Great for horror fans, and anyone interested in writing well.

Adding Depth To Character
Deeper characters are more engaging.

Complex Magic Design
Designing a magic system is easy. Designing a robust magic system that stands up to scrutiny? A little harder.

Writing and Publishing Short Fiction
How to approach your writing to see it in print.

Make Your First Pages Shine
Actionable Agent Advice III with Kaitlyn Katsoupis.

Funny Business
3 lesson course with EL guest judge Shiv Ramdas.

The Art of Short Stories
Learn key pieces of short story writing advice

Flash Fiction Writing
The art of very short stories.

Authentic Diversity
Present diversity as a vital part of your story using the REACH system.

Fantasy Worldbuilding
With award-winning fantasy author Ben Galley.

On Chaos & Short Stories
Learn from one of our amazing guests judges.

Scene Critique Masterclass
Peek over a professional editor’s shoulder as they work their magic right before your eyes.

Radical Candor
Bharat Krishnan. The STOP methodology to emotionally honest manuscripts.

The Story in a Song
Learn How To Borrow From Songwriting Structures, Narratives, Characters, Settings And Moods, And Explore Your Own Musical Memories.

Writing From a Child’s POV
Aiming To Harness The Power of Juvenile Perspective.

Beginnings and Endings: Starting on the Right Foot and Leaving ‘em Satisfied
Nail the opening and the conclusion.

Reading Like A Writer
Live Training with Jenny Kiefer. About This Training — 101 level — A good writer is a good reader. In this course, we will discuss

Meeting with Rejection
More info coming soon.

Why Writing is a Career of Opportunity
Learn to spot them… and create them.

Thrills and Chills: Tension and Misdirection in Isolated Settings
techniques to keep the story flowing while heightening suspense

How to Set Author Goals
Take ownership of your career through effective goals.

Emotional Self-Care for Writers
Writing is a lonely job, and someone has to do it.

New Writer Hurdles
What to watch out for when starting out, with Somto Ihezue.

Publishing for Non-Pros
Getting your foot in the door, with guest judge Oghenechovwe D. Ekpeki.

Become A Prolific Author
Creag’s lesson at ProWritingAid’s Crime Writers conference.

Author Mindset Mastery Course
Set a strong foundation for rapid growth before picking up the pen.

The Second, Third, or More Lives of Your Stories.
This Workshop Will Examine Some Methods And Strategies For Would-Be Working Authors Who Want To Sustain A Career And Build Their Platforms

Novel Architecture, Part 2
Strategies For Assessing And Improving The Underlying Architecture of Our Own Work.

Act Like A Writer, Think Like An Editor: Behind The Scenes of Publishing Part 3
Expect To Leave The Session Armed With Lasting Knowledge And Approaches That Will Improve Your Chances On The Road To Publication

Act Like A Writer; Think Like An Editor: Behind The Scenes of Publishing Part 2
How Publishing Houses Operate And How The Acquisition Process Works– Who Decides What Gets Published, And Why?

Act Like A Writer; Think Like An Editor: Behind The Scenes of Publishing – Part 1
WHAT ARE EDITORS LOOKING FOR?

The State of the Horror Genre
Past, Present & Future.

The Art of the Pitch: Writing the Perfect Elevator Pitch
Focus On The Essential Elements Of Crafting Pitches For Marketing Your Book, Including A Log Line, A Short Synopsis, And Comp Titles.

Book to Film 101
Bring Your Work To The Big Screen, or Deep in The Querying Trenches And Looking Toward The Future, This Introductory Seminar Will Help You

Finding The Right Markets For Your Fiction
Resources & submission strategies to help you get published.

Mother of Creation: The Perfect Website
It’s never too early to have a home base.

Comparing Trade vs Self Publishing Paths
unique opportunities and challenges that can shape your author journey

How Publishing Works
history of traditional publishing

The State of the Horror Genre: Past, Current, Future
Learn the trends.

Facebook Advertising Part #2
Make your ads generate sales.

Why Didn’t I Think of That? Little-Known Venues to Help Market Your Fiction Writing
Build a readership for your work.

4 Elements of “Packaging” A Successful Book
Create a product that sells.

Become A Bestseller Using Ads
Learn to effectively leverage ads to create success.

Actionable Agent Advice
What an agent actually does + how to write synopsis, first pages, and query letters they notice.

Effective Facebook Ads
Don’t burn through your marketing budget.

Marketing Strategies For Authors 101
Learn to market your book, and yourself.

Strong Marketing Foundations
After writing and self-publishing comes sales.

Self Publishing The Right Way
With award-winning fantasy author Ben Galley.

Query Letters
Actionable Agent Advice IV with Kaitlyn Katsoupis.

How To Make Money Writing
Learn the many different income streams, and the effort involved.

Using Kickstarter As An Author
With award-winning fantasy author Ben Galley.

Writing and Publishing Short Fiction
How to approach your writing to see it in print.

Make Your First Pages Shine
Actionable Agent Advice III with Kaitlyn Katsoupis.

Publishing for Non-Pros
Getting your foot in the door, with guest judge Oghenechovwe D. Ekpeki.

Agent-Ready Synopsis
What is an agent looking for, from the mouth of an agent.

What An Agent ACTUALLY Does
Peek behind the curtain to find out what the life of an agent is really like.

Understanding Contracts
When to negotiate, and when to run. Taught by Peter McLean.

Email Marketing 101
How to get set up and improve your results. Taught by Richie Billing.

Become A Prolific Author
Creag’s lesson at ProWritingAid’s Crime Writers conference.

Self Pub Prep
Turn your manuscript into a printable package on any budget.
Supplementary
EDITOR'S ADVICE

3 Thresholds Every Story Opening Has (And How to Meet Them)
The Stakes/Clarity Thresholds.

Predictable Scenes
How to keep readers engaged when they know what’s about to happen.

Character Voices I
How to create a Quick Build.

Dialogue Documents
Easily ensure distinct character voices.

Specificity
Make readers imagine your story the way you want them to.

The Art of Dialogue
How to write dialogue that defines your characters.

The Achievement Pipeline
Actionable, dynamic goals to accomplish big things.

Why Aim For Trilogies
Diminishing read-through rates can kill your bottom line.

Storyworthy Moments
And how imposter syndrome can strike anywhere.

Short Stories To Start
It really is good advice, but with a caveat.

Elevating Stock Characters
Even one-off appearances can add depth and realism to your story.

The Author Mindset
Strong foundations, passion, and goal setting.

Submission Strategy: Shorts
A simple system to get published faster, with less headache.

Personal Brands: Part I
The real reason to create a personal brand: mental wellbeing!

Switch Opening Paragraphs
Don’t lose readers on the first page. Try this to prevent it.

How To Be Prolific
A philosophy for a successful career as a novelist.

Become A Creative Superpower
Training your creativity is essential to developing as an author.