FREE Workshop, Monday, October 4, 2013

Monday, November 4, 2013: FREE Writing Workshop: Distilling It Down: How to Craft a High Concept Pitch

Time: 6 pm – 7:45 pm

Location: Hobby Lobby Classroom Room [against the back wall behind the "Employee Only" double doors], 6950 North Academy Blvd [corner of Woodmen/Academy], Colorado Springs, CO 80918

Driving Directions

Distilling It Down: How to Craft a High Concept Pitch

DESCRIPTION: What's the big deal about high concept? It's all about grabbing someone's attention -- an agent, an editor, a reader. Author Beth K. Vogt taught this workshop at the 2013 American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) national conference in September. Beth clears away the confusion about high concept and provides 3 key elements of high concept. Come prepared to brainstorm a high concept pitch for your work-in-progress.

SPEAKER: Beth K. Vogt discovered that God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.”  Despite being a nonfiction writer and editor who said she'd never write fiction, Beth's second inspirational contemporary romance novel, Catch a Falling Star, released May 2013 from Howard Books. An established magazine writer and former editor of Connections, the leadership magazine for MOPS International, Beth is also the Skills Coach for My Book Therapy (MBT), the writing community founded by best-selling author Susan May Warren.

Friday, June 21, 2013 FREE Writing Workshop: Dark Moments, Wounds and Lies -- Oh My!

Time: 6 pm - 8 pm, Friday, June 21, 2013

Location: Mardel's, 5964 Barnes Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80922

DrivingDirections

Novelist Beth K. Vogt will discuss why our imaginary characters need to have hurtful experiences in their past. And emotional wounds. And yes, even need to believe a lie or two. Do you write nonfiction? Join us! These fiction truths apply to our real lives as writers too.

Bio: Beth K. Vogt believes God’s best is often behind the doors marked “Never.” After being a nonfiction writer and editor who said she'd never write fiction, 

Beth's debut novel, Wish You Were Here, released in May 2012. 

Catch a Falling Star released this past May. Connect with Beth at bethvogt.com, where she talks with others about quotes through her “In Others’ Words” blog.

FREE May Writing Workshop: Writing Gymnastics: The Art of the Flip

May 17, 2013 FREE Writing Workshop: Writing Gymnastics: The Art of the Flip

Time: 6 pm - 8 pm, Friday, May 17, 2013

Location: Mardel's, 5964 Barnes Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80922

DrivingDirections

“Omit needless words. Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.” —William Strunk Jr.

At every writer’s conference an editor will share the “Top 10” editing tips every writer must know. At the top of the list?

• Get rid of adverbs, adjectives and ‘to be’ verbs.
• Write in the active voice.
• Show, don’t tell.

Easier said than done. Have you ever noticed that workshops and articles on editing tell you what to do, but fail show how to make these changes. Truth is? Every writer’s natural tendency defaults to passive voice, filler words and telling. This interactive workshop, Writing Gymnastics: The Art of the Flip, teaches you how to exercise and perform editorial perfect 10’s. Gain Olympian skills in:

• Spotting: How to save time by using an editor’s best friend: “Replace and Find.”
• Front Twist: Flip a sentence from passive to active voice, plus turn adjectives into picture nouns and adverbs into visual verbs.
• Back Walkover: Kick out words that “tell” — adverbs, camouflaged verbs, say-nothing-generic nouns, and normalizations — and land on words that “show.”
• Backward roll: Push out “weasel” words —qualifiers, intensifiers, wordy phrases, or words that slow action or are redundant, overused or buzzwords.
• Gymnastics Coaching:  Coaching examples —critique comments from real fiction and nonfiction WIP’s (work-in-progress) — will be featured.

If you want to gain these easy-to-learn drills and skills to train as a Gold-medal writer, bring your manuscript and 6 different colored highlighters or your laptop. As we explore each skill, you will mark up your WIP and return home with the know-how to self-edit and polish your manuscript.

FREE May Writer Workshop: Writing Gymnastics: The Art of the Flip

May 17, 2013 FREE Writing Workshop: Writing Gymnastics: The Art of the Flip

Time: 6 pm - 8 pm, Friday, May 17, 2013

Location: Mardel's, 5964 Barnes Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80922

DrivingDirections

“Omit needless words. Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.” —William Strunk Jr.

At every writer’s conference an editor will share the “Top 10” editing tips every writer must know. At the top of the list?

• Get rid of adverbs, adjectives and ‘to be’ verbs.
• Write in the active voice.
• Show, don’t tell.

Easier said than done. Have you ever noticed that workshops and articles on editing tell you what to do, but fail show how to make these changes. Truth is? Every writer’s natural tendency defaults to passive voice, filler words and telling. This interactive workshop, Writing Gymnastics: The Art of the Flip, teaches you how to exercise and perform editorial perfect 10’s. Gain Olympian skills in:

• Spotting: How to save time by using an editor’s best friend: “Replace and Find.”
• Front Twist: Flip a sentence from passive to active voice, plus turn adjectives into picture nouns and adverbs into visual verbs.
• Back Walkover: Kick out words that “tell” — adverbs, camouflaged verbs, say-nothing-generic nouns, and normalizations — and land on words that “show.”
• Backward roll: Push out “weasel” words —qualifiers, intensifiers, wordy phrases, or words that slow action or are redundant, overused or buzzwords.
• Gymnastics Coaching:  Coaching examples —critique comments from real fiction and nonfiction WIP’s (work-in-progress) — will be featured.

If you want to gain these easy-to-learn drills and skills to train as a Gold-medal writer, bring your manuscript and 6 different colored highlighters or your laptop. As we explore each skill, you will mark up your WIP and return home with the know-how to self-edit and polish your manuscript.

A Scheduling Conflict Worth Considering

Colorado Christian Writers Conference

May 15 - 18, 2013

Estess Park, CO

I can’t say enough about Marlene Bagnall’s spiritual desire to equip writer’s to pursue the passion God placed in your heart to write, which is the same mission that drives Springs Writers. Marlene’s conference is more than just a “professional” writers’ conference. Your heart will receive spiritual encouragement, plus the challenge to hone your writing skills to make a difference in the lives of others. Please forgive me for not posting this conference information sooner. As I grieve the death of my firstborn days and months blur together. If you can attend, please log on to http://colorado.writehisanswer.com and register now!  You can choose from

• 19 Wednesday earlybirds
• 8 continuing sessions
• Plus 42 workshops or four hands-on clinics.
• AND four, one-on-one, 15-minute appointments with the faculty of your choice for those who attend the entire conference.

How to Write a Killer Title

April 19, 2013 FREE Writing Workshop: How to Write a Killer Title

Time: 6 pm - 8 pm, Friday, March 15, 2013

Location: Mardel's, 5964 Barnes Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80922

DrivingDirections

When my book agent asked me to write 20 titles for my book proposal I thought, “Are you crazy? I can’t. Why am I doing this? I LOVE my title.” Twenty titles later, convinced I’d burst a creative vein, I suffered severe brain drain. 

You only have four seconds to capture your reader’s attention. 
No matter how relevant your topic or content, if your title doesn’t pique reader interest, they won’t read your back cover sales copy. This workshop divulges the art and science of writing killer titles. In How to Write a Killer Title, Scoti

•       explains why and how to apply free web tools in your process of choosing a book title

•       reviews 25 titling strategies used by traditional publishers, developmental editors, and bestselling authors to create a book title, subtitles and chapter titles

•       reveals how current changes in e-publishing will impact how to write chapter titles and subtitles that influence sales.

This workshop will give you tools to brainstorm potential titles with yourself and others. 

How to Write a Complete Marketing Package that Sells Your Book

March 15, 2013 Writing Workshop: Ramp-up Your Copywriting Skills: How to Write a Complete Marketing Package that Sells Your Book

Location: Mardel's, 5964 Barnes Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80922

Time: 6 pm - 8 pm, Friday, March 15, 2013

Writing a great book is just the beginning. How will you market it? Make sure you get the strongest foundation by writing back cover copy that sells. In this workshop, you'll learn the two types of copywriting for your books, the different elements of a complete copy package, and how to maximize effectiveness. Plus, learn other uses for your back cover copywriting skills. Come with your current WIP and be prepared to write.

Shelley was a freelance copywriter for Waterbrooke /Multnomah and David C. Cook fiction and a Marketing Coordinator at NavPress. Visit Shelley's blog at shelleyring.com.

Buy Shelley's romantic Christian women's fiction novel, Forsaken from Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, or Smashwords.

March Updates for Springs Writers

Writing Intensive CANCELLED

The writing intensive this Saturday, March 9 at Panera Bread is CANCELLED. As you may or may not know, my son was killed in Afghanistan a little over a year ago. The Fort Carson Fallen Heroes Center planned a last minute event for survivors that I need to attend. I will reschedule the date after I figure out my commitments. I synced my new Mac with my iPhone to update my calendar and contacts, not realizing that my iPhone was synced to my old Mac that blew up. I thought I was ADDING contacts and calendar dates to my iPhone. Instead, the sync ERASED every contact and date on my calendar. So NOT fun.

March 15, 2013 Writing Workshop: Ramp-up Your Copywriting Skills: How to Write a Complete Marketing Package that Sells Your Book

Location: Mardel's, 5964 Barnes Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80922

Time: 6 pm - 8 pm, Friday, March 15, 2013

Writing a great book is just the beginning. How will you market it? Make sure you get the strongest foundation by writing back cover copy that sells. In this workshop, you'll learn the two types of copywriting for your books, the different elements of a complete copy package, and how to maximize effectiveness. Plus, learn other uses for your back cover copywriting skills. Come with your current WIP and be prepared to write.

Shelley was a freelance copywriter for Waterbrooke /Multnomah and David C. Cook fiction and a Marketing Coordinator at NavPress. Visit Shelley's blog at shelleyring.com.

Buy Shelley's romantic Christian women's fiction novel, Forsaken from Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, or Smashwords.