PASIC - Published Authors' Special Interest Chapter #143 of the Romance Writers of America

TJ Bennett
E-mail address: tjb@tjbennett.com
Website Address: www.tjbennett.com
Location: Texas, USA

"Beside Himself: Finding the Dark Side of Your Knight in Shining Armor." Using her professional training in the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), TJ will share techniques for finding and using the dark side of character that is the primary source of internal conflict between the hero and heroine. Those internal conflicts drive otherwise noble and wise characters to choose badly and react instinctively, propelling the plot and keeping the reader turning pages until the end of the book. If you've ever heard the expressions ENTJ, ISTP, ESFJ, etc., learn how each of these archetypal characters reacts under stress and during conflicts. If you have no idea what these letters mean, you can learn more. You'll come away with a deeper understanding of your hero's emotional responses to the dark moments of life, as well as a tool which explains the hero conflict types most frequently represented in romantic literature.

Deftly Polishing the Fiction Manuscript
Craft.
Cheryl Bolen, the author of 10 historical novels and novellas, believes even the most putrid prose can be polished into pearls if the author has knowledge of transitions, redundancies, eliminating verbosity, and pumping up the emotion. Her workshop employs an easy-to-remember method of polishing that manuscript and shows lots of examples.

Free Mass Publicity: Press Releases That Get Published
Career
Before becoming a multi-published novelist, Cheryl Bolen earned a bachelor’s degree from the prestigious University of Texas School of Journalism, then spent 12 years as the news editor of an award-winning Texas community newspaper. Her workshop on writing press releases that get published is gleaned from her years of pitching 98 percent of her newspaper’s press releases into the trash!

Writing a Book in a Week
Craft.
Cheryl Bolen participated in first Book in a Week challenge conducted by the Beau Monde Chapter in 1999 and since that time has given many workshops on how one writes the rough draft of a book in seven days.

Making the Time to Write
Craft.
When Cheryl Bolen sold her first book to Harlequin Historical in 1997 she was working full time while managing to squeeze in writing time. Tips, strategies, and motivation to carve out that all-important time to write is imparted in this popular workshop.

Writing Synopses and Query Letters
Craft
Cheryl Bolen credits her many years as a journalist with her ability to write succinct, punchy, relevant query letters and synopses, and she likes to share her sure-fire advice on this topic. She’ll also show examples of her own selling synopses.

When a Man Meets a Woman
Craft/research.
Length of workshop; One hour
Ken will deal with tricky but vitally important questions that every romance writer must address, like how you know when when you have your male character's reactions right, and how you can test your male-female dialogue to be sure it's gender specific.

So You’d like to Sign with an Agent before you Sell…
Career
Length of workshop: 45-60 minutes
Discusses the ways to market yourself to an agent as an unpublished writer, the unpub/agent relationship and how to screen agents to find the one that is right for you.

Secondary Characters – The Good, The Bad, and the Quirky
Craft
Length of workshop: 45-60 minutes
Discussion of the importance of secondary characters and how they function in your story to support the H/h.

Breathing Life into a Scene
Craft
Length of workshop: 45-60 minutes
How to add detail and depth to your scenes without slowing your pace.

RWA judge training
Writer’s Life
Length of workshop: 45-60 minutes
The judge training program developed by Jill Floyd and her RWA committee to help train judges for RWA chapter contests

Perfect People Are Boring! A Study in Character Growth
Craft
Length of workshop: 45-60 minutes
Your character should grow and change over the course of your story, learning through the changing circumstances and trials about himself and his view of the world.

Getting Your Story Off To The Right Start
Craft
Length of workshop: 45-60 minutes
An overview of the elements and strategies needed to write a story opening with an interesting, well-paced hook that is sure to catch the attention of editors and readers.

Mastering Point of View
Craft
Length: 1 - 2 hours (flexible)
At first glance, POV seems like an easy thing to master. Yet on second glances, many writers find it harder than herding three-legged cats across a river of molten lava. Choosing how to tell, and who tells your story is crucial to the emotional impact of your novel. Learning the POV rules and guidelines is a must. Learning how to bend those rules and guidelines to fit your story and voice like many of our New York Times’ Best-Selling authors, is a technique you’ll definitely want to master. Multi-published, award-winning writer, Christie Craig offers simple definitions and techniques that will help demystify the sometimes baffling rules of POV.

It’s Not Just Adding a Naked, Tattooed Guy: Using Humor in Your Writing
Craft
Length: 1 -2 hours (flexible)
This workshop offers suggestions on how to add humor – a little or a lot – to your novel. Highlights include recognizing and exploiting the universal truths in life for comedic effect, the importance of timing and pacing in telling a joke and knowing when to get serious. Attendees should come prepared to laugh...a lot, and learn...a lot about adding humor to enrich their work. Workshop best given by writing team Faye Hughes and Christie Craig, but can be presented by either.

Making Money While You Make your Way up to Nora Status: Writing For Alternate Markets
Craft
Length: 1 - 2 hours (flexible)
Have you ever wanted to write something short, just so you could feel a sense of accomplishment? Have you ever wished you could bring in a little income as you work your way to publication or even to a bigger advance? With close to 3000 national credits in the freelance market, Christie Craig, also an award-winning multi-published novelist, offers insight into how you can earn extra income by writing for the magazines. Her step-by-step process of submitting to magazines is easy to follow. Her motivation is contagious to those who want to broaden their career focus and stretch their talents as they try out other writing genres.

Rejecting Rejection
Inspiration/ Writer’s life
Length: 1 hour
Christie Craig has acquired over 3000 national magazine credits, has sold two nonfiction books and five novels, but she’s almost as proud of her 10,000 rejections. In a very motivational hour, Christie will share how she managed to focus on the positive in spite of the adversity that is found in the business of writing. With her solid tips and can-do attitude, she entertains, motivates, and inspires writers to fall in love with writing all over again.

The Great Agent Hunt
Career
Length: 1- 2 hours (flexible)
Finding the right agent is almost as hard as finding the right spouse. Learn how to research agents, know the right questions to ask, how to draw an agent’s interest, how to make the agent-author relationship work for you and how to sever ties when it’s time to move on. Christie and Faye, who have both recently signed with new agents, offer firsthand advice on catching, keeping, and surviving the agent hunt. Workshop best when given by both Christie Craig and Faye Hughes, but can be given by either individual.

Contests: A Chance to Reel in a Contract or a Sport of Diversion?
Career/Craft/Motivation
Length 1 hour
With over 50 placements in RWA sponsored contests, Christie Craig will share the many lessons she’s learned. She’s experienced the pros and the cons. And she’ll tell you both sides of the coin. She offers tips on ways to up your chances of making the finals. She will also share how she, not only, sold her first book in 1994 via a contest, but recently received a three-book contract all from the direct result of a contest.

Character Motivation: Blame it on Their Parents and Other Ways to Explain Why Our Characters Do What They Do
Craft
Length: 1- 2 hours (flexible)
Why does your hero refuse to make a commitment? Why is he afraid of career-driven women? Why can’t your heroine trust men? Why does your heroine refuse to wear perfume? Without the proper motivation, our characters not only come across unbelievable and flat, but unsympathetic and sometimes just plain weird. Christie Craig, multi-published author, will help you find the skeletons in your character’s closet and bring them out for a dance. Christie will show how a character’s background is the key to a character’s motivation. She’ll explain the difference between the deadly back story that warrants rejections and the much-needed character-building scenes that make our heroes and heroines leap off the pages and into the hearts of our readers.

The Balancing Act of First Chapters
Craft
Length: 1- 2 hours (flexible)
With over fifty contest placements, before her recent sale of four single title romances in a single day, Christie Craig is getting close to mastering that all-important blend of what makes a great first chapter. In a fun-filled workshop, Christie will explain why the balance of characterization and plot is crucial to first chapters. She’ll give examples of what makes a good hook and offer tips of how the use of dialogue and tension keep a reader turning pages.

Honing Your Pitch
Craft.
Length of workshop: 30-60 min (depends on audience participation and number of examples discussed)
A how-to workshop targeted to help writers prepare for the infamous 10 minute pitch session with an editor or agent. It covers:

Backstory: Weaving It In Without Slowing The Pace
Craft.
Length of workshop: 60 min.
The workshop is divided into two parts.
Part 1: Tracking Backstory - Discuss an easy way to capture and organize backstory events for multiple characters. I will walk through a real-life example and also discuss how this can be used to enrich your story in unexpected ways.
Part 2: Incorporating Backstory - Discuss the what, when and how of effectively folding backstory elements into your story. Most of the emphasis will be on describing six methods for doing this (the “how” piece), including examples using excerpts from published books.

Story Timelines
Craft.
Length of workshop: 45-60 min.
The workshop is divided into two parts.
Part 1: Tracking Backstory events- Discuss an easy way to capture and organize backstory events for multiple characters. I will walk through a real-life example and also discuss how this can be used to enrich your story in unexpected ways.
Part 2: Tracking unfolding story events - including synching up on and off screen events, day-to-day activities and special/seasonal events.

Secondary Characters: The Good, The Bad, & The Quirky
Craft.
Length of workshop: 45-60 min
Discuss the various roles secondary characters play in a book, how to utilize them for maximum effect and how to handle things when they threaten to take over your book.

Making Your Scenes Come Alive
Craft.
Length of workshop: 60 min.
Discuss how to use the right details to add color and vivdness to scenes. Includes:

Workshop Presentation 101: A How-To Guide
Promotion/ Career
This workshop will cover the following elements:

Dream Big-Write Big-Get Published
Craft
Length: 3-hours to all day
Takes writers from goal setting and first drafts to queries and pitches. We cover it all. This comprehensive course can be done over several hours or a week long workshop.

Fast Draft
Craft
Length: 1-2 hours
Teaches writers how to break through and write a first draft in only two weeks. Participants also learn how to get rid of writer's block.

Revision Hell
Craft
Length: 1-hour
This is a class for anyone who needs a way to get through revisions without going crazy. This step-by-step process breaks it down into manageable bits so that a complete revision can be completed in less than two weeks.

Finding the Book Ho in You
Career
Length: 1-hour
How to promote your books and get the exposure you need. We deal with everything from what should be on your website, blogs and other online information to how to be effective with those face-to-face meetings with booksellers. And how to do it all on the cheap.

Putting Emotion Into Your Writing
Craft.
Length of workshop - 1-1 1/2 hours (30 minutes of Q&A at the end)
Is creating emotional scenes difficult for you? Do you want to learn how to generate greater emotional involvement for your readers? Patricia Kay, a USA Today and WaldenBooks bestselling author of more than 40 novels of romance and women's fiction and a former RITA nominee who has taught creative writing at the college level, will help you gain insight on how to strengthen the emotion in your book.

THE BASIC FORMS OF CONFLICT
Craft.
Length of Workshop - 1 - 2 hours (including 30 mins. of Q&A)
Patricia Kay, USA Today and WaldenBooks bestselling author of more than 40 novels of romance and women's fiction, and a former RITA nominee who has taught creative writing at the college level, will discuss the basic forms of conflict (with many examples) and how they can be used to create more tension, suspense, emotion, and drama in your story.

Book In A Week
Craft/Writing Life
Length: Anywhere from an hour and a half to an all day event.
How to write faster and better and have fun while doing so and discovering what works best for you as a writer. Longer version includes in depth look at planning, plotting, writing, rewriting, and follow up and includes elements from other workshops offered such as Imagery and 10, 20, 30 Minutes to Writing workshops.

10, 20, 30 Minutes to Writing
Craft/Writing Life
Length: 1 hour
How to use short blocks of time to be more productive as a writer. Includes discussion of not always doing things in the order we are accustomed to doing things.

Imagery
Craft/Writing Life
Ways to use imagery as a powerful tool to set the mood, create emotional impact, and reveal just how much is at stake for our characters. Specific exercises to discover what imagery will be the most powerful for YOUR story!

Public Speaking for Writers
Promotion
The ability to get up in front of a group to present a workshop or be on a panel or know how to handle an interview is a useful skill for writers. This workshop focuses on what makes a speaker effective, how to handle difficult questions, and how to deal with nerves so that they work for, not against you!

Workshop topics: Writing the Fiction Synopsis, A Step by Step Approach (this is the most popular one I teach, based on my book with the same name--can be a one or two hour workshop or online); Pitching Your Manuscript to an Editor or Agent (works best with added time to practice); Scene and Sequel; Brainstorming Using the Plotting Board; Point of View; and an all-day Beginning Writers' Workshop.

Pam McCutcheon has published romantic comedies and paranormal romances for Harlequin, Kensington, and Dorchester; fantasy short stories under the name Pamela Luzier; and nonfiction books for writers, including WRITING THE FICTION SYNOPSIS, A STEP BY STEP APPROACH and THE WRITER'S BRAINSTORMING KIT. She is a popular local writing instructor and has taught her synopsis workshop around the country.

Beyond Bookmarks: P.R., Promo and Publicity: What it is, What it really costs & How it Works
Promotion/Publicity

Writing Action Scenes
Craft.
Length of workshop: One to 1-1/2 hours
Anything that involves characters Doing Something is technically an Action Scene, however, some scenes are more active than others. Sometimes a romance writer needs a little help making those scenes--the ones where the hero is in a swordfight with the villain or the heroine is running frantically away--as exciting as they deserve to be. Gail Dayton was a RITA finalist in 2002 with her first book--a Silhouette Desire with a car explosion and a chase or two--and currently writes romantic adventure fantasy for LUNA Books (which have so far had a major battle scene, multiple swordfights, an aerial fire attack and a couple of prison breaks).

What is "Spark" and How Do You Get it?
Craft.
Length of workshop: 1 to 2 hours
Too many rejection letters have a mysterious phrase that goes something like: "This submission just doesn't have that spark I'm looking for." Which leaves the writer wondering "What the heck is Spark, and how do I get it?" After much thought, more writing, and years of judging contests, Gail Dayton believes she may have found an answer to the important half of that question: How Do You Get It? A 2002 RITA finalist for Best First Book with a Silhouette Desire, Gail now writes romantic adventure fantasy for LUNA books.

Double Your Hooking, Double Your Fun!!
Craft.
Length: One hour.
Reel them in with your opening hook, then leave them squirming with a closing hook-- this is the dual purpose of great hooks! Kerrelyn will list ten ways to develop that all-important opening hook, giving examples of each. Then, she explores different end-of-chapter hooks that will keep your readers up till the wee hours of the morning, loving your book and cursing you!

Humor: It’s More than just a Joke
Craft.
Length: One hour.
We all love to laugh, but is humor, for its own sake, enough? Can humor deliver more than just a joke? The answer to that is YES! Done well, humor can help you achieve multiple goals in crafting your story. And at the same time, it keeps your reader so entertained, they may not realize what you’ve done. Kerrelyn will present ten ways to incorporate humor into your writing and show how they do more than make the reader chuckle.

Stop the World! I Want to Build a New One!
Craft
Length: One hour
Whether your characters inhabit a contemporary boardroom, a Regency ballroom, or an intergalactic game room, you are the creator of their world. Great world-building skills can turn a good story into a great one! This workshop explores ways to make your imaginary world real and memorable. Imagine your reader so immersed in the world of your creation that when the book ends, she doesn’t want to leave!

Jane Austen: The Mother of All Chick Lit
Publishing Industry
Length: Approx. 1 hour
Nearly two centuries before Bridget Jones's famous diary launched a genre, Jane Austen was writing books that would be considered chick lit if they were published today (and updated a little bit. Sprigged muslin is so early nineteenth century). Austen's novels contain many of the elements that editors are looking for in today's chick lit acquisitions. By examining these elements, authors can learn what distinguishes chick lit from romance, what makes a chick lit book stand out from all those other books about dating and shopping, and what makes a book both a vivid portrait of its time and a timeless classic.

Getting the Word Out: The Power of Word of Mouth, How it Works, and How to Make it Work for You
Publishing/ Career
Length: Approx. 1 hour (though could be a longer session with more interaction and brainstorming among participants)
Word of mouth is possibly the most effective and most cost-effective way of marketing a book. Studies have shown that the most reliable path to consistent bestseller status is through favorable word of mouth. Unfortunately, word of mouth is a challenging force to harness and control. By understanding how word of mouth spreads and who spreads it, authors can plan activities designed to jump start and sustain a positive buzz that may boost their books.

The Ups and Downs of a Writing Career
Writing Life
Length: Approx. 1 hour
Whether you're unpublished, published or a bestseller, a writing career seldom goes smoothly all the time. There are ups, downs and reverses as markets change, editors move around, lines fold, lines start and writers deal with their own issues. There are emotional and motivational ways to cope with publishing dry spells and set-backs. There are also ways to adapt to an ever-changing market while retaining your sanity and your voice as an author. By taking control and ownership of the things you do control about your career, you're better equipped to handle the things you don't control.

Keeping the Faith: The Psychology of Writing for Publication
Motivation.
Length of workshop: Varies with group needs, from 50 min. to 2 hours. Also available for keynote addresses.
RITA-nominated Romantic suspense/historical romance author Colleen Thompson will share upbeat advice on staying positively focused in the face of unfavorable reactions from misguided family members, critique groups with issues, form rejection slips, and hostile reviewers.

Creating the Page Turner: Tricks of the Trade
Craft.
Length of workshop: Varies with group needs, from 1-2 hours. Also available as a half-day workshop.
RITA-Nominated romantic suspense and historical romance author Colleen Thompson discusses how to sharpen hooks, ramp up pacing, and raise stakes to keep readers turning the pages long past their bedtimes.

Professional Relations for Writers: How to Keep from Shooting Yourself in the Foot
Professional.
Length of workshop: Varies with group needs, from 1-2 hours.
RITA-Nominated romantic suspense and historical romance author Colleen Thompson discusses professionalism in dealing with agents, editors, fellow writers, even when facing the stickiest of situations.

SPEAKER CONNECTION: REGION FIVE (Southwest)