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SUMMARY:WEBINAR | How Did We Get Here? Crafting Compelling Character Backstories
DESCRIPTION:Strong characters reveal just enough backstory. How much should you reveal about a character’s history?\n\n\n\nFor Creative Nonfiction and Fiction Writers \n\n\n\nA character walks into the room…and brings an entire lifetime of baggage with them. How much do readers need to know? How should the writer decide what to include out of all we know about the character’s real or invented past? Often\, writers spend time writing extensive character backstory or family history that isn’t essential to the story\, but we’re so close to the material\, it’s difficult to narrow down the most important details\, those necessary to move the story forward. \n\n\n\nIn this webinar\, discover the key questions that unlock your character’s history—even if that’s you! —and learn how to use backstory strategically to power the plot and reveal information effectively to readers. We’ll take a look at prompts you can use to develop intentional backstory and learn methods of incorporating backstory into narrative\, including dialogue\, exposition\, and flashback. \n\n\n\nWhether you’re working on your first book or refining your approach to character\, this webinar will give you practical tools to make better decisions about backstory—so you can write with clarity and confidence. \n\n\n\nCan’t make it live? No worries—a replay will be available to all registrants. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this webinar\, you will:\n\n\n\n\nIDENTIFY the essential questions that unlock your character’s past and reveal what truly matters to your story\n\n\n\nDEVELOP a clear strategy for deciding which backstory details to include—and which to leave out\n\n\n\nLEARN effective methods for weaving history into your narrative without stalling plot momentum\n\n\n\nUNDERSTAND how to use backstory strategically to drive plot forward and deepen reader connection\n\n\n\n\nThrough lecture\, prompts\, and discussion\, you’ll leave with practical tools for creating intentional characters whose histories enhance rather than overwhelm your story. \n\n\n\nThis webinar is perfect for you if you’re:\n\n\n\n\nplanning or drafting a new project and want to develop compelling character backstories from the start\n\n\n\nin the early stages of revision and realize your characters feel flat or their motivations unclear\n\n\n\nstruggling with how much backstory to include—unsure whether you’re revealing too much\, too little\, or at the wrong times\n\n\n\nspending too much time writing character history that never makes it into the actual story\n\n\n\nfeeling overwhelmed by everything you know about your character and need a strategy for deciding what matters\n\n\n\nwriting fiction or memoir where character depth and motivation are essential to the narrative\n\n\n\nan emerging or developing writer looking to strengthen your craft fundamentals around character development\n\n\n\nstuck in backstory dumps and want to learn how to weave history seamlessly into your narrative\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\nStephanie Dethlefs is a certified book coach and former teacher. She is the author of the middle grade novel Unspoken\, and her stories\, essays\, and articles can be found in Tahoma Literary Review\, Christian Science Monitor\, Literary Mama\, Flash Fiction Magazine\, diyMFA\, WOW-Women on Writing\, and more. Through her online community\, teaching\, and coaching\, Stephanie strives to help people with stories on their hearts get them onto the page with ease and self-compassion. She lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest. Find her on Substack at WritingFromTheGroundUp.Substack.com. \n\n\n\nQuestions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com \n\n\n\nFULL 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. \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/how-did-we-get-here/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinars
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260319T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260319T161500
DTSTAMP:20260507T083756
CREATED:20260211T205319Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260316T200226Z
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SUMMARY:WEBINAR | Memoir Strategies: Transforming Life into a Story that Matters
DESCRIPTION:A great memoir isn’t just about remembering your life—it’s about shaping your story for the page. \n\n\n\nFor Memoir Writers \n\n\n\nWhether you’re just starting your memoir\, stuck in the middle\, or looking to refine an existing draft\, in this webinar you’ll learn actionable strategies for crafting a narrative that captures readers from the very first sentence.  \n\n\n\nDiscover how to find your voice\, get tips for structuring your story for maximum impact\, and learn how—and when—to sidestep common mistakes that can weaken your memoir. By the end of the session\, you’ll have a toolkit of strategies to write with confidence\, precision\, and authenticity.  \n\n\n\nBeyond crafting an engaging narrative\, this webinar also addresses what makes a memoir publishable. Make your story stand out so you can grab an editor’s attention—and keep your reader reading. \n\n\n\nWrite a memoir that matters.  From refining your voice to avoiding common mistakes and capturing readers’ attention\, this course gives you the tools to move from memory to a polished\, publishable story. \n\n\n\nCan’t make it live? No worries—a replay will be available to all registrants. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this webinar\, you will:\n\n\n\n\nSHAPE lived experience into story by using narrative craft—scene\, structure\, tension\, and momentum\n\n\n\nDEVELOP a credible\, compelling voice that sounds like you on the page\, not a performance of yourself\n\n\n\nWORK with memory as material—accessing it\, questioning it\, and shaping it responsibly on the page\n\n\n\nDESIGN titles that carry weight—that suggest depth\, tension\, and literary authority without explaining too much\n\n\n\nHOOK readers fast with openings that signal stakes\, urgency\, and control\n\n\n\nIDENTIFY and avoid common memoir pitfalls—moves that signal inexperience and turn away readers\n\n\n\nTRANSFORM memory into narrative using the essential tools of memoir craft\n\n\n\nCLAIM and REFINE your voice so the work feels grounded\, intimate\, and intentional\n\n\n\n\nThis webinar is perfect for…\n\n\n\n\nwriters new to memoir who want practical craft tools for shaping personal experience into publishable work\n\n\n\nfiction or poetry writers crossing into memoir who already have a strong voice but want guidance on memory\, structure\, and narrative control\n\n\n\nintermediate memoirists who have drafts in progress and need revision strategies that work\n\n\n\nwriters aiming for publication in literary magazines or with book-length ambitions\n\n\n\nauthors who want to understand what editors respond to—and what turns them off\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\nDr. Heather Sellers is the author of You Don’t Look Like Anyone I Know\, a popular memoir about family and face blindness. An O Oprah Book-of-the-Month Club selection and Editor’s Choice at the New York Times Book Review\, the award-winning book was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered\, Dick Gordon’s The Story\, and Dateline\, The Today Show\, and Good Morning America with George Stephanopolis. Her essays appear in The New York Times\, The Sun\, Reader’s Digest\, Good Housekeeping\, The Best American Essays\, and numerous journals and anthologies. She is the author of four books on the craft of writing\, including The Practice of Creative Writing. \n\n\n\nHer fifth collection of poetry is coming out in June: Women in Tampa Talking About Alligators. \n\n\n\nHeather has been teaching for over 30 years. Currently she is a member of the MFA faculty at the University of South Florida\, where she won the university’s highest teaching award. She also offers in-person workshops and private lessons for writers at all levels. \n\n\n\nQuestions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com \n\n\n\nFULL 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. \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/memoir-strategies/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinars
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260325T150000
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SUMMARY:WEBINAR | Tools for Querying Agents: Essential Materials\, Strategies\, and Resources
DESCRIPTION:Traditional publishing is already competitive. Stop self-sabotaging and get your best work out there.\n\n\n\nFor Long-Form Narrative (Fiction and Memoir) \n\n\n\nIs traditional publishing your goal? One of the best ways to get there is by securing literary agent representation. Except\, after countless hours of writing and editing your book\, it’s daunting to research agents\, write a query\, and sum up your book in a quick pitch. But relax—it’s not out of reach. You just need some help. This webinar will help put your best foot forward before hitting SEND. \n\n\n\nLet’s get organized! In this info-packed session\, we’ll cover all the necessary materials: the query letter and its essential components\, the author bio\, elevator pitch\, synopsis\, and manuscript formatting. We’ll discuss the process\, submission guidelines\, and how to avoid common faux pas\, using both DO and DON’T examples.  \n\n\n\nAt the end of this webinar\, you’ll have everything you need—and zero excuses not to query! \n\n\n\nCan’t make it live? No worries—a replay will be available to all registrants. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this webinar\, you will:\n\n\n\n\nLEARN the materials you need to pitch and query\n\n\n\nELIMINATE embarrassing rookie mistakes\n\n\n\nUNDERSTAND the three essential components of a query letter \n\n\n\nFIND online tools to help with submission\n\n\n\nAPPRECIATE the accepted norms and rules\n\n\n\nINCORPORATE best practices in your querying\n\n\n\n\nThis webinar is best for writers with a completed (or nearly complete) manuscript who\n\n\n\n\nwant the traditional publishing route\n\n\n\nare overwhelmed by the process\n\n\n\ndon’t know what they do and don’t need\n\n\n\ncould use some confidence OR \n\n\n\nare pretty sure they know what they’re doing\, but want a gut check before diving in\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\nKristin Owens\, PhD is an award-winning educator and writer living in sticky southwest Florida. She’s a contributor to Writer’s Digest\, 5280\, and Wine Enthusiast. Her debut novel\, ELIZABETH SAILS\, was shortlisted for the 2025 Gilda Prize and Killer Nashville’s Award for Best Cozy. With her background in university instruction\, she takes complex subjects and breaks them down into entertaining bite-sized pieces. Her buoyant\, high-energy presentations motivate writers to stick with it. She can usually be found (playing and working) onboard a cruise ship. \n\n\n\nQuestions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com \n\n\n\nFULL 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. \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/tools-for-querying/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinars
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