2025 Annual Conference: Virtual Option

CE 03 The Author’s Blueprint: Building Buzz Through Tours and Tech - Presented by Colleen Coble and friends. Unlock the secrets to amplifying your author platform and connecting with readers like never before in The Author’s Blueprint: Building Buzz Through Tours and Tech. This dynamic workshop is designed for writers ready to take their careers to the next level by mastering the art of promotion through live events, digital strategies, and collaborative opportunities. Whether you’re an indie author or traditionally published, this session will equip you with actionable tools to build your audience, boost your visibility, and create lasting buzz around your work.

Dive into the world of events and book tours as we explore how to plan, promote, and execute successful in-person and virtual appearances that leave a lasting impression. We’ll also tackle the ever-evolving landscape of social media, demystifying platforms and strategies to help you stand out in a crowded digital space. From crafting compelling posts to leveraging trends and tech tools, you’ll walk away with a tailored plan to engage your audience authentically and effectively. Packed with practical tips, real-world examples, and step-by-step guidance, The Author’s Blueprint is your roadmap to blending traditional outreach with cutting-edge technology—turning your passion for writing into a thriving, buzz-worthy career.

CE 04 The Silent Storyteller: Mastering Body Language in Writing

This dynamic, information-packed program presented by Carrie Stuart Parks, empowers writers to wield body language as a transformative storytelling tool. Discover how physical beats—subtle gestures like a clenched jaw, an averted gaze, or a nervous thumb tap—can deepen character development, amplify dialogue, and craft immersive, emotionally resonant scenes. Through hands-on exercises and vivid examples, participants will master the art of using nonverbal cues to convey unspoken tension, attraction, or fear, seamlessly replacing exposition with visual storytelling that “shows, not tells.” The class dives into practical techniques: where to place beats for maximum impact, how to vary gestures for authenticity, and how to avoid overuse while maintaining natural rhythm. Writers will learn to pace dialogue, anchor characters in physical space, and layer scenes with subtext and nuance. By the end, participants will wield this often-overlooked skill to elevate their narratives with depth, realism, and emotional punch—turning silent movements into powerful storytelling allies.

WS 01: Unmasking Perfection - Presented by: Joy Massenburge.

Writers explore practical strategies to overcome perfectionism, celebrate their unique journey to publication, and cultivate a life of balance and joy. Explore practical strategies to overcome perfectionism that limits productivity and celebrate your unique publication journey, while cultivating a remarkable writer’s life with balance and joy. Group Craft exercise: Group Share: What did you learn? Presentation: (Adage) Perfect is the enemy of good Takeaways: 1. Only God is perfect 2. We are uniquely made to need one another. Where you are weak, someone else is strong, and vice versa. Therefore, working together is the perfect solution to the world’s problems. 3. God, in His perfect will, can take our good and put it to great use. Journal: Journal your experience and state the 1 takeaway you will focus on going forward and how you will implement the concept into your daily routine.

WS 03: The Story Equation - Presented by: Rachel Hauck.

Using elements of the Hero’s Journey, the Story Equation provides tools for authors to build real, empathic characters who have a strong character arc. This inner journey is moved along by the external journey. Elements of the class will be: the dark moment story, the wound, lie, fear, the secret desire and flaw. Also elements such as competence and super power. Asking the big “Why?” Attendees will leave with tools and how to use them.

WS 08: Canva Shortcuts: A Social Media Tool for Writers - Presented by Shannon Dunlap.

1. Overview: This workshop will include both basic and advanced areas of Canva. Whether the attendee has never used the program or is familiar with it but wants to dive deeper, everyone should come away with a new tool they can use to help promote their writing. Treat designing like a game. Canva is fun to play with.

2. Basic Tools

A. Using Templates - Let the Canva designers do all the hard work of choosing fonts and colors.

B. Shortcut Keys - Save valuable time with the click of a few keys.

C. Creating Letter Frame Art with Book Covers 3. Intermediate Tools

A. Eye Dropper - Choose a specific color from your image to use in your design.

B. Image Upscaler - Sharpen images and give them a “glow up.”

C. Mock-ups - Make your book cover look like it’s on a tablet, mug, wall ad, etc.

D. QR Codes - Create QR codes to help readers find your website or books.

E. Background Remover - Remove the background from images.

4. Advanced Tools - Where the “magic” happens

A. Magic Erase - Remove elements from photos. B. Magic Expand - Use AI to make a picture bigger.

C. Resize - Create a design for multiple social media platforms.

D. Magic Grab - Pull specific elements from a picture without disturbing the background.

E. Dream Lab - Utilize AI to create pictures of your characters, settings, and scenes.

5. Canva Pricing Free, Monthly Paid, and Yearly Paid Versions

6. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

A. There are a bounty of YT vids and web articles available to continue your Canva education.

B. Contact info for Shannon

C. Be sure to ask the Ultimate Creator for help.

WS 09: Avoiding the Pitfalls of the Rising Star - Presented by Tracey Bateman.

Introduction: Personal Publishing Story * God’s plans are always good. My heart became corrupted

Writing Pursuit: Selfish Ambition or Hopeful Humility?

* Lust of the flesh as it pertains to vain ambition

* Lust of the eyes, as it pertains to envy Comparison is the thief of joy

* Pride of life—finding worth in what we attain and the admiration of others (1 Sam. 9-11)

* Personal Story: Ambition and insecurity fueling foolish decisions

Writing Mindset: Surrender or Striving? (2 Cor. 5:14)

* Writing for approval strangles authentic creativity

* Purpose over popularity. Write the story God gave you to write

* Are You Okay with ordinary? What if what everyone else sees as ordinary, God sees as extraordinary? God’s Kingdom operates in a whole other mindset

* Personal Story: Ignoring the nudge to take a less attractive contract because I didn’t want to disappoint—and also, I wanted a car

Writing For God: First Fruits or Leftovers? (John 15:4-5)

* Writing Christian content doesn’t equal abiding in Him. First things first

* Corporate and one-on-one accountability with believers is key

* Personal Story: When I stopped assigning value to church, I lost discernment and conviction

Conclusion * Laying aside every weight and the sin that comes easy to me so that I may run the race set before me with patience knowing that He who began a good work in me will continue it until all of my imperfections and struggles are melted away by one look at the face of Jesus

* Surrendering to His plan every day is key. Not my will but Yours be done. Some of us will become best sellers. Others may never be contracted. The assignment is to write for his pleasure and leave the outcome to Him

* Closing prayer

WS 12: Creating a 5-Year Writing Plan - Presented by Lisa Jordan.

Creating a five-year writing plan will help writers define their writing goals and show how to turn their long-term writing dreams into a clear, actionable plan with achievable steps so they will have a clear roadmap for their writing journey as they build a sustainable career. Dream of finishing books, getting published, and growing a sustainable writing career, but those dreams can feel overwhelming without a plan. This hands-on workshop is designed to help writers transform their long-term dreams into achievable goals with a clear five-year plan. Writers will define their writing vision, determine the number of books they can write, evaluate what skills they need to develop, and envision the kind of writer they aspire to be. They will break down their objectives into manageable quarterly and yearly milestones, using SMART goals to guide their progress. Writers will also create a realistic writing schedule with achievable daily word counts to meet weekly and monthly goals. The workshop will offer resources for tracking methods and accountability tools that will help writers stay motivated, especially when life intervenes. Writers will create a reflection for each year and leave with a concrete roadmap for their writing journey, ready to turn their dreams into reality.

WS 13: Switching Genres & Staying Sane - Presented by Sandra Bretting

Learn the pluses and pitfalls of switching from one genre to another, and discover how to make the move as seamless as possible. Workshop Outline -

Switching Genres & Staying Sane

1) Famous authors who switched

2) Why would anyone switch genres?

3) Questions to ask yourself before the switch

4) Immediate problems that arise

5) What’s in a name? Pen name pros & cons

6) Consider this before you switch

7) Some things never change, despite the genre

8) Tips for the “after” when you switch genres

WS 15: Creating a Series Bible - - Presented by Cara Putman.

A series is a great way to hook readers. This workshop by multipublished author Cara Putman will help you figure out what to include in your series bible to make sure you get your details right.

WS 17: Behind the Pages A Q&A with Robin Jones Gunn and Janet Grant.

Join bestselling author Robin Jones Gunn and her longtime literary agent Janet Grant for an exclusive “Ask Us Anything” writers workshop! With over 100 books and 6.5 million copies sold, Robin, alongside Janet’s expert guidance from Books & Such Literary Management, will pull back the curtain on their decades-long partnership. From crafting unforgettable stories to navigating the publishing world, this dynamic duo will answer your burning questions, share insider tips, and inspire you to take your writing journey to the next level. Whether you’re an aspiring author or a seasoned scribe, don’t miss this chance to learn from two trailblazers who’ve turned dreams into page-turning reality!

WS 18: Growing Your Newsletter Round Robin Style - Presented by Sami Abrams.

Struggling to grow your newsletter with engaged subscribers who want to stick around? This workshop will explore how to organically expand your email list using the Round Robin method. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to revamp your newsletter strategy, this workshop will equip you with the tools to build your audience.

WS 23 The Architecture of Narrative Structure and Serendipity in Storytelling - Presented by Marshall Monroe.

Practical insights and methods for developing and deploying stories from a veteran of experiential and media forms. This is a presentation and conversational workshop designed to inspire and inform with a veteran creator and producer, touching on the timeless art of narrative and the latest tech, including thoughts on AI. The session will include an overview of key concepts Mr. Monroe has developed over nearly 40 years working at the highest levels of narrative industries, with suggestions and feedback to help others bring new ideas into the world.

WS 24 Level Up – Self-editing Hacks to Take Your Writing to the Next Level - Presented by Kellie Vanhorn.

We’ll start this workshop with a brief overview of the different types of editing and when it might be beneficial to hire an outside editor. Then we’ll move into the meat of the session and go through a series of simple, easy-to-apply editing tips to dramatically improve your prose. We’ll discuss using strong verbs and nouns instead of adjectives/ adverbs, cutting filler words, avoiding distancing words to maintain a deeper POV, and tips for tightening dialogue. We’ll also talk about how to strengthen paragraphs through varying sentence structure and how to increase or slow the story’s pacing through sentence and paragraph length. We’ll take a look at some examples together, and then attendees will have time to use a checklist to edit a small section of their own work. We’ll wrap up the session with time for questions.