Author: Sharla Yates

  • WEBINAR | Essential Questions: Unlock Your Writing’s Power

    WEBINAR | Essential Questions: Unlock Your Writing’s Power

    July 2 @ 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm EDT

    Enhance your writing and engage your audience with the power of essential questions that captivate and connect with readers. 

    This webinar is part of the season pass. Interested in joining the subscription? Read more here.

    Memoir, Fiction and Screenplays

    Elizabeth Gilbert credits the runaway success of “Eat, Pray, Love” to her essential question—“What if my life belonged to me?” It worked for her—let’s make it work for you. To capture the attention of a broader audience and make your writing resonate more deeply with readers, discover the transformative power of essential questions to elevate your storytelling and expand your readership. 

    In this webinar, we’ll examine essential questions in bestselling works, primarily focusing on memoir, with a sprinkling of fiction and film. We’ll discuss the difference between implicit and explicit questions and explore techniques for placing these questions in your scenes and narrative. 

    You’ll finish this webinar equipped with an expansive list of essential questions and the motivation and inspiration to use them to elevate your writing today!

    Can’t make it live? No worries—a replay will be available to all registrants.

    In this webinar, you will:
    • DISCOVER why essential questions lead to increased engagement for readers (and appeal to publishers)
    • LEARN the difference between implicit and explicit questions
    • ANALYZE how bestselling books effectively use essential questions
    • RECEIVE an expansive list of essential questions to apply to any and all writing projects
    • GET INSPIRED to harness the power of essential questions
    This webinar is a great fit for writers of fiction & nonfiction including screenwriters who are…
    • Looking to enhance their storytelling skills and engage readers more deeply.
    • Seeking new strategies to broaden their audience and increase their work’s appeal.
    • Wanting to stand out in a competitive market by using essential questions to convince agents, editors, and publishers that there’s a readership for their work.

    Closed captioning is available. ✔
    All registrants receive the recording. ✔

    ABOUT YOUR PRESENTER

    Jennifer Leigh Selig is an LBGTQ+ teacher, international speaker, book publisher, and author whose writing and teaching career spans four decades. She’s the author of dozens of newspaper articles, book reviews, essays, journal articles, short stories, screenplays, and books, including the Nautilus Gold award-winning book, Deep Creativity: Seven Ways to Spark Your Creative Spirit, The Writer’s Block Workbook: A Psychologist’s Guide to Working With and Through Writer’s Block, and Deep Memoir: An Archetypal Approach to Deepen Your Story and Broaden Its Appeal.

    Questions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com

    FULL REFUNDS ARE AVAILABLE before the replay is sent out. For a refund, EMAIL us at info@WritingCraft.com. Canceling your Zoom invite will not initiate this process.

    Registration Info
    $25 Cost of the Event
    Register
    Event Organizer

    Jennifer Leigh Selig

    View Organizer Website

    Location

    Zoom

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  • SEMINAR |Short & Sweet: Maximizing the Power of Flash Fiction and Creative Nonfiction

    SEMINAR |Short & Sweet: Maximizing the Power of Flash Fiction and Creative Nonfiction

    July 19 @ 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm EDT

    No matter the word count, engaging stories need emotion and substance on the page. What can you do with less?

    Nonfiction and Fiction

    Live on Zoom | Saturday, July 19 @ 2:00-5:00 pm  EDT

    Can an impactful story be told in a few pages? What about a paragraph? A sentence? Absolutely! No matter the length (flash, sudden, micro), short storytelling uses the same tools as longer forms—just compressed. Writing efficiently (and effectively) is a valuable skill in both creative nonfiction and fiction. When every sentence counts, stories become laser-focused and dynamically rich. Writing short can also enhance reader enjoyment—not only by getting to the heart of the story quicker but also by layering nuances for the reader’s contemplation afterwards. 

    Using fun prompts and practical worksheets, this seminar offers interactive, hands-on learning. We’ll deconstruct examples and use an editorial checklist to reduce word count without losing meaning. We’ll focus on essential elements like descriptive language, sentence structure, cadence, and the best starting point for your story. 

    Throughout the seminar, you will develop a short story and reduce it to essential elements without sacrificing emotion and connection with readers. Capturing quality over quantity with finesse and editing skills, you’ll create a tight, powerful story that sings off the page.

    In this insightful three-hour live seminar, you’ll learn to:
    • IDENTIFY and ELIMINATE overwriting habits
    • LEARN to focus on a single plot 
    • INCORPORATE thematic elements
    • DEVELOP writing techniques to pare down verbiage while creating descriptive and concise language
    • REFINE your overall editing process
    • DISCOVER fun contests and submission opportunities
    This seminar is ideal for writers who:
    • Tend to throat clear before leaping into action
    • Habitually overwrite
    • Are word-count obsessed
    • Overthink their story 
    • Are looking for a new challenge, or want to shake up their writing practice
    • Are interested in submitting to contests and journals

    Closed captioning is available. ✔
    All registrants receive the recording. ✔

    ABOUT YOUR Instructor

    Kristin Owens, Ph.D., is an award-winning faculty member with over 25 years of university experience. Now a full-time writer in sticky southwest Florida, Kristin has over 100 bylines with celebrated magazines such as Writer’s Digest, Wine Enthusiast, and 5280. Her personal essays have won New Millennium Writing Awards honorable mention, awarded finalist for the New Letters award in nonfiction, and included in RISE!, a Colorado Book of the Year. 

    Kristin holds certifications with the Court of Master Sommeliers and Cicerone and travels the world writing about wonderful wines, beautiful beers, and surprising spirits. You can usually find her working and playing on a cruise ship. She is the author of Elizabeth Sails (2024 Rising Action/Simon & Schuster), a Gilda Award finalist.

    Testimonials from past students:

    “Kristin Owens is a wealth of information and practical advice when it comes to writing, editing, and publishing a novel, essay, or memoir. She is funny, comfortable, and smart in transferring information. I loved the classes and hope you will have more and bring Kristin back.” – Sue

    “Kristin truly excels on the mic, coming prepared and demonstrating impressive knowledge that captivates her audience. Her ability to command attention is remarkable and adds significant value to her lectures. Additionally, Kristin successfully facilitated a creative writing workshop that was exceptionally well-attended, further showcasing her talent. We have received excellent feedback from guests regarding her sessions, highlighting their appreciation for her engaging approach and expertise.”  – Cunard

    THE FINE PRINT

    We understand that life can get in the way of your plans. We want you to be able to get the most out of your course, and our refund policy is designed to balance your need for flexibility with our deadlines and obligations to our teachers.

    Before the class, you may request a full refund.

    Please keep in mind that no refunds or credits will be issued after class begins.

    Questions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com

    Registration Info
    $75 Cost of the Event
    Register
    Event Organizer

    Kristin Owens

    View Organizer Website

    Location

    Zoom

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  • SEMINAR |The Self-Editor’s Toolkit: 10 Tools, Tips and Techniques to Develop Your Memoir or Personal Essay

    SEMINAR |The Self-Editor’s Toolkit: 10 Tools, Tips and Techniques to Develop Your Memoir or Personal Essay

    June 28 @ 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm EDT

    The triumph of finishing a draft is soon overtaken by wondering, Now what do I do? Get the practical and creative tools you need to deepen and polish your work to its greatest potential.

    Nonfiction and Memoir

    Live on Zoom | Saturday, June 28 @ 2:00-5:00 pm  EDT

    After the joy of creating comes the picky process of self-scrutinizing, taking stock, and tuning up–essential steps in the writing process. Shifting from generative to reflective mode can be tough, but there are simple, straightforward methods to refresh your perspective and gain entry into what’s already on the page. 

    In this three-hour seminar, learn 10 techniques that creatively (and sometimes stealthily) re-engage you with the work, including scaffolding, housekeeping, reverse outlining, perhapsing, tic lists, set design, flow checks, and runway time. You’ll practice some of these methods live, then pick from the toolbox to build a personalized action plan for revising your work that suits your writing style.

    Using big-picture inventories and line-level search-and-destroy tactics, deep conceptual inquiries and thoughtful worksheets, you’ll gain greater clarity about how to refine language, structure, characterization, and more, and a new enthusiasm for self-editing.

    In this insightful Three-hour live seminar, you’ll learn to:
    • APPROACH your work with fresh perspectives
    • CLARIFY your aims for the work 
    • APPLY simple techniques and inventories that instantly elevate your prose 
    • BRING more dimension and depth to your work 
    • PLAN a clear and understandable revision process for your draft
    This seminar is ideal for writers who want to refine, strengthen, and deepen existing CNF and memoir drafts.

    Closed captioning is available. ✔
    All registrants receive the recording. ✔

    ABOUT YOUR Instructor

    Lise Funderburg studied at Reed College and the Columbia University School of Journalism. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Threepenny Review, Philadelphia Inquirer, National Geographic, Salon, The Nation, More, and The Chattahoochee Review.

    Her latest book is Apple, Tree: Writers on Their Parents (University of Nebraska Press, 2019), a collection of all-new work by 25 writers, which Publishers Weekly deemed a “sparkling anthology” in its starred review. Her previous book was Pig Candy: Taking My Father South, Taking My Father Home (Free Press, 2008), which was chosen as the Drexel University Freshman Read in 2012. Pig Candy fits into several genres—including narrative nonfiction, memoir, travelogue, and biography—but essentially, it’s a book about life, death, and barbecue.

    Testimonials from past students:

    “Great job of presenting new strategies to keep me writing!”

    “Very well organized and illuminating.”

    “I really, really felt comfortable with Lise as a person guiding us…she was so relatable, warm, and committed to offering helpful advice.”

    “Lise helped me find my voice when I dove into writing to process some difficult and painful life experiences. She patiently walked me through early drafts that read more like diary entries than memoir, and through her wise counsel, I found a road map to give voice to my experience and rediscover the joy of writing.”

    “She created a wonderful roadmap to follow!”

    “THANK YOU!!! Loved this very thoughtful, inspirational, and informative presentation.”

    THE FINE PRINT

    We understand that life can get in the way of your plans. We want you to be able to get the most out of your course, and our refund policy is designed to balance your need for flexibility with our deadlines and obligations to our teachers.

    Before the class, you may request a full refund.

    Please keep in mind that no refunds or credits will be issued after class begins.

    Questions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com

    Registration Info
    $75 Cost of the Event
    Register
    Event Organizer

    Lise Funderburg

    View Organizer Website

    Location

    Zoom

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  • The Writers Bridge | Seven Minutes in PR Heaven: Build YOUR Promo Strategy

    The Writers Bridge | Seven Minutes in PR Heaven: Build YOUR Promo Strategy

    May 27 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EDT

    Reach your readers–keep your soul.

    You have limited time, energy and $$$. What’s the best way to promote and publicize your work?

    Authors often struggle to break through the noise in today’s crowded market. Publicity can be one of the most powerful tools in a writer’s career, yet many struggle with how to pitch themselves and their work effectively.

    Five authors from our community will pitch their current projects including Big Five, small press, and self-published books, as well as Substack and writing courses, to top PR Professionals, and receive immediate live advice on what to do—advice we’ll all be able to use and consider for our own projects!

    Join Allison K Williams (SEVEN DRAFTS), Sharla Yates (CRAFT TALKS) and special guests Tonya Todd, Joylynn Ross and Jen Greybeal for this lively, funny hour of frank talk about author platform, audience engagement, and just plain getting people to read your book.

    Register at the link to get the Zoom link the day before the event and a reminder one hour before, and join us live to network and ask your questions! Or, subscribe on YouTube @TheWritersBridge to catch the replay.

    • An unprecedented opportunity to learn from two highly respected PR professionals, Joylynn Ross and Jen Graybeal.
    • With only seven minutes to share their projects and receive feedback, authors will learn the importance of a concise pitch and receive direct, actionable advice to help them take their PR strategies to the next level.
    • Learn the key areas authors should focus on when crafting a publicity campaign.
    • Get insight into avoidable challenges that often stand in the way of successful media outreach.

    Whether you’re in the beginning stages of your PR strategy or fine-tuning an existing campaign, get expert advice to elevate YOUR public relations efforts and boost your visibility.

    FREE, all welcome! Sign up to receive the Zoom link the day before.

    SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE TO GET THE REPLAY AND WATCH PAST SESSIONS here

    Closed captioning is available. ✔
    Subscribe on YouTube to get the recording. ✔

    ABOUT YOUR PRESENTERS

    Tonya Todd is an experienced moderator with a passion for empowering authors. Until October 2024, she could boast being the most publicized author without a book. Now,
    she shares her publications at workshops and conferences across the country, while mentoring other writers, teaching literary citizenship, and promoting support of the arts.

    Jen Graybeal (she/her) is dedicated to empowering authors through encouraging feedback, collaborative problem solving and gently-applied tough love. In ten years of
    coaching, workshops, and editing projects, she has helped over a thousand authors create stories they are proud of and businesses that align with their individual vision of success.
    Jen is a Certified Creativity Coach with a degree in English, an ever-expanding TBR pile, and a furball assistant that is usually on her lap. Visit her website for client testimonials at  www.jengraybeal.com or follow her on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, and TikTok:@JenTheEditor.

    Joylynn Ross is an award-winning author, editor, literary consultant, publishing coach, literary educator, and expert publicist with years of experience working with authors to
    boost their visibility and grow their brands. She has more than 40 publications in print and has sold over three-quarters of a million books. Her published works include the
    “New Day Divas” series, If I Ruled the World, An All Night Man and The Root of all Evil. Her children’s book, The Secret Olivia Told Me, received an American Library Association Coretta Scott King Honor.

    Allison K Williams has edited and coached authors to publishing deals with Penguin Random House, Knopf, Mantle, St. Martin’s Press, and numerous small presses. An expert in author marketing and community building, her platform includes the Brevity Blog (80k+ followers), Instagram (10k+), a mailing list (12k+), and Facebook (5k+), with publications in the New York Times and appearances on NPR and CBC. Her book, Seven Drafts: Self-Edit Like a Pro from Blank Page to Book, sold on proposal. She leads the Rebirth Your Book writing retreats and co-hosts The Writers Bridge.

    Sharla Yates is the author of the poetry chapbook What I Would Say if We Were to Drown Tonight, published by Stranded Oak Press (2017). She hosts a webinar series, CRAFT TALKS for writers on writing, and co-hosts The Writers Bridge with Allison K Williams. Her nonfiction essay, “Address” was a finalist for the 2015 Columbia Journal writing contest and the 2016 Penelope Niven Creative Nonfiction Award. She is the former Director of Education at the Creative Nonfiction Foundation and teaches creative writing at the University of Pittsburgh.

    Questions? Please email Allison@Idowords.net

    Registration Info
    Free
    Sign Up for Zoom Link
    Location

    Zoom