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SUMMARY:WEBINAR | Writing the Taboo in Memoir: Bring Your Most Vulnerable Stories to Life
DESCRIPTION:At their best\, personal narratives about “taboo” topics speak to our darkest truths and teach us what it means to be vulnerable.\n\n\n\nTopics like mental illness\, sex\, and violence are often branded “taboo” and can be some of the most difficult material to write about. But at their best\, these narratives speak to our darkest truths and teach us what it means to be vulnerable. Even the most stigmatized topics can be made approachable if you know how to pull the reader in and give your story universal resonance. No matter how difficult the subject matter\, memoirists can keep readers engaged by using craft techniques like worldbuilding\, identifying universal truths\, and exercising narrative control. \n\n\n\nThis webinar will explore the challenges and opportunities of writing honestly about taboo topics. We’ll discuss why it’s so important to give voice to unsayable truths\, and how to use craft tools to create unforgettable memoirs and essays. We’ll also address self-care strategies\, how to know when material is “too” explicit\, and how and when to exercise narrative restraint. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this webinar\, you will:\n\n\n\n\nEXPLORE why certain topics are “taboo” in personal narratives–and why you should write about them anyway.\n\n\n\nLEARN craft tools for making such stories feel resonant to readers\, including worldbuilding\, identifying universal truths\, and exercising narrative control.\n\n\n\nADDRESS the practical challenges of writing about taboo topics\, including self-care strategies\, knowing when material is “too” explicit\, and how to use narrative restraint.\n\n\n\n\nThis webinar is ideal for ….\n\n\n\nA memoirist or personal essayist who is tackling topics often considered taboo or stigmatized in society. Examples of these kinds of topics include mental illness\, sex\, and violence. \n\n\n\nClosed captioning is available. ✔All registrants receive the recording. ✔ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nABOUT YOUR PRESENTER\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nKATIE BANNON is a writer\, editor\, and educator whose work has appeared in The Rumpus\, ELLE Magazine\, Narratively\, and more. Her memoir manuscript\, which charts her journey as a compulsive hair puller\, was a finalist for the Permafrost Nonfiction Book Prize. A graduate of GrubStreet’s Memoir Incubator\, she holds an MFA in creative nonfiction from Emerson College. She is a developmental editor who loves working with memoirists and essayists on how to write and revise their most vulnerable\, taboo stories. She teaches at GrubStreet and lives in Central Massachusetts with her partner and two cats. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nQuestions? Please email Info@craft-talks.com \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Info\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvent Organizer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLocation
URL:https://writingcraft.com/event/writing-the-taboo/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinars
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250409T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250409T161500
DTSTAMP:20260507T211800
CREATED:20250321T202214Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250403T030714Z
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SUMMARY:WEBINAR | The Dreaded Comp Titles: A Necessary Evil That Can Launch Your Career
DESCRIPTION:Learn why the industry relies on comps\, where to find the best ones\, and how to use them to strengthen your pitch.\n\n\n\nComp titles are one of the most powerful tools for helping agents and publishers quickly understand where your book fits in the market. These comparable books—similar to yours in key ways—can make or break your pitch. In a logline or query\, comp titles serve as “shorthand” for your book’s tone\, theme and story\, making it easier for editors and agents to determine if a manuscript is a good fit. In a proposal\, strong comp titles also prove that books like yours are selling now. \n\n\n\nYet\, finding and using comp titles is one of the most challenging parts of querying. \n\n\n\nThis webinar will demystify the process of identifying and effectively using comp titles. Learn why the industry relies on comps\, where to find the best ones\, and how to use them to strengthen your pitch. Discover tools\, databases\, and research methods to uncover comps with strong sales numbers—all with step-by-step guidance and one-on-one assistance. Learn a structured\, 7-step process to streamline the search\, giving you everything needed to research and find your titles. \n\n\n\nAs an added resource\, a 30-minute video will be provided\, detailing how to use your newly found comps to improve your chances of securing the right agent or publishing house. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this webinar\, you will:\n\n\n\n\n✅ Discover effective strategies for finding strong comp titles\n\n\n\n✅ Learn how to use comp titles to strengthen queries and pitches\n\n\n\n✅ Understand how comps demonstrate market viability and attract agents\n\n\n\n✅ Overcome the frustration of searching for and selecting the right comps\n\n\n\n✅ Avoid common mistakes that can weaken a book’s positioning\n\n\n\n✅ Gain tools to maximize success in securing an agent or publisher\n\n\n\n\nThis webinar is ideal for ….\n\n\n\n\nAspiring and Querying Authors – Writers preparing to pitch their book to agents and publishers who need strong comp titles to strengthen their query.\n\n\n\nSelf-Publishing Authors – Writers looking to position their book in the market and attract the right audience using comp titles.\n\n\n\nLiterary Agents & Editors – Publishing professionals who want to refine their ability to identify and evaluate comp titles for submissions.\n\n\n\nBook Coaches & Writing Instructors – Professionals who guide writers through the querying and publishing process and need effective strategies for teaching comp title research.\n\n\n\n\nClosed captioning is available. ✔All registrants receive the recording. ✔ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nABOUT YOUR PRESENTER\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAMY COLLINS\, Agent with Talcott Notch Literary Services\, has over 30 years of experience matching books with readers. As a former book buyer\, publisher\, and sales director\, Amy focuses on the marketplace and sales potential for authors. As an agent\, she represents many authors who have signed deals with major publishers and is currently negotiating book to film as well. Amy is the author of several non-fiction books and is currently traveling the country with her two dogs meeting with editors and authors. She can be found on Instagram\, Threads\, and BluSky at @askamycollins. \n\n\n\nQuestions? Please email Info@craft-talks.com \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Info\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvent Organizer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLocation
URL:https://writingcraft.com/event/webinar-the-dreaded-comp/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinars
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250423T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250423T163000
DTSTAMP:20260507T211800
CREATED:20250321T204659Z
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SUMMARY:WEBINAR | The Fine Art of Containment: Finding New Ways to Hold Your Story
DESCRIPTION:Structure can seem like such a mundane word\, but in this webinar\, we’ll find exciting new ways for you to bring your story to life on the page.\n\n\n\nNonfiction \n\n\n\nYou’ve mined your memories\, written your scenes\, and come to some insights—yet your personal essay or memoir still doesn’t seem to fully engage your reader. Radically revising your structure might be the answer. \n\n\n\nWe’ll be thinking of structure in the sense of “containers\,” the way you might choose the perfect vase for a bouquet. Containers in this context could be thought of as through-lines that both hold and propel the narratives. These container scenes create both boundaries and forward movement for material that might otherwise have a hard time finding its focus. \n\n\n\nIn this webinar\, we will explore the various “container scenes” writers have used to structure their essays\, and how you can identify container scenes that might already exist in your own work. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this webinar\, you will:\n\n\n\n\nEXPLORE how to structure a personal essay to fully engage a reader\n\n\n\nPLAY with Beginnings and Endings\n\n\n\nDISCOVER how to identify a container scene in the works you read\n\n\n\nIDENTIFY and employ container scenes in your personal narratives\n\n\n\nBE EQUIPPED with suggestions for future reading and practice\n\n\n\n\nThis webinar is ideal for writers:\n\n\n\n\nEager for fresh insights into revision practices\n\n\n\nInterested in how published authors structure their personal essays\n\n\n\nLooking for inspiration to draft new work and revise existing pieces\n\n\n\n\nClosed captioning is available. ✔All registrants receive the recording. ✔ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nABOUT YOUR PRESENTER\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBRENDA MILLER’s most recent book is A Braided Heart: Essays on Writing on Form. She is the author of five more essay collections\, including An Earlier Life\, which received the Washington State Book Award for Memoir\, and she is the recipient of seven Pushcart Prizes. Her book of collaborative essays with Julie Marie Wade\, Telephone: Essays in Two Voices\, received the Cleveland Poetry Center Award for Creative Nonfiction and was published by Cleveland State University Press in 2021. She co-authored\, with Suzanne Paola\, the textbook Tell it Slant: Creating\, Refining\, and Publishing Creative Nonfiction\, now in its third edition from McGraw-Hill Higher Education. She is a Professor Emerita of Creative Writing at Western Washington University. \n\n\n\nQuestions? Please email Info@craft-talks.com \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Info\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvent Organizer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLocation
URL:https://writingcraft.com/event/webinar-the-fine-art-of-containment/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinars
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250430T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250430T143000
DTSTAMP:20260507T211800
CREATED:20250321T203419Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250416T200805Z
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SUMMARY:WEBINAR | Smarter Than You Think: Trusting Readers with Subtlety\, Nuance\, and the Pleasures of Uncertainty
DESCRIPTION:Readers love putting two and two together for themselves\, but too often—out of insecurity—writers forget to provide readers the space to discern and discover. \n\n\n\nFiction & Nonfiction \n\n\n\nReaders are curious people with active\, agile minds. Too often\, though—out of insecurity about how well our story is coming across—we provide too much information\, robbing our readers of one of the key pleasures of reading: putting two and two together for themselves. \n\n\n\nThis webinar will use examples from successful memoirs and literary essays to examine how we can write as if telling our story to the smartest friend we have. Where is the line between leaving a reader in the dark and allowing for some delicious suspense? When are nuance and suggestion more effective than perfect clarity? When is contradictory character information a strength rather than a blunder? \n\n\n\nWe’ll examine how we can enter the reader’s thought processes to discern the difference between confusing our readers and leaving them intrigued. And we’ll examine our own insecurity patterns\, rooting out our tendencies to tell\, then show\, then tell again. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this webinar\, you will:\n\n\n\n\nEXPLORE the line between confusing our readers and leaving them happily intrigued\n\n\n\nLEARN to write as if telling our story to “the smartest friend we have.”\n\n\n\nEXAMINE our own insecurity patterns\, rooting out our tendencies to tell\, then show\, then tell again.\n\n\n\n\nThis webinar is ideal for writers at any level who:\n\n\n\n\nWould like their work to immediately capture attention\, to engage agents\, editors and—of course—readers\n\n\n\nStruggle with “how much to tell\,” “how much to show\,” and how much to “hold back”\n\n\n\nWant to revise work that’s been widely submitted and rejected\n\n\n\nAre insecure about their storytelling skills (that’s all of us)!\n\n\n\n\nClosed captioning is available. ✔All registrants receive the recording. ✔ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nABOUT YOUR PRESENTER\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDINTY W. MOORE  is author of the memoirs Between Panic & Desire and To Hell With It\, and the writing guides Crafting the Personal Essay and The Mindful Writer\, among other books. He has published essays and stories in Harper’s\, The New York Times Magazine\, Georgia Review\, Kenyon Review\, Southern Review\, Short Reads\, and elsewhere. He is founding editor of Brevity\, the journal of flash nonfiction. \n\n\n\nQuestions? Please email Info@craft-talks.com \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Info\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvent Organizer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLocation
URL:https://writingcraft.com/event/webinar-smarter-than-you/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinars
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