Curriculum

The faculty at SAGA are focused on assisting writers of commercial fiction – thrillers, mysteries, fantasy, science fiction, horror, and romance. It is perfect for unpublished writers who are serious about honing their skills, and for newly published writers who want to learn how to sell more books and avoid some of the pitfalls many people find on the road to successful and profitable publishing.

SAGA will be made up of two learning tracks: Craft and Business.

Craft of Writing

Focus on making your writing better.

You can take a deeper dive into character creation and development, conflict, world building, structure and pacing, first drafts, revisions and more.

Dig down into the nitty-gritty of writing short stories up to novel length, overcoming challenging scenes. You can learn how to write action, how to improve their word count, and how to turn your roughest drafts into a salable manuscript.

Business of Writing

Focus on profitable writing.

Pave a better path to publication, polishing submissions, queries, synopses, taxes for writers and other creatives, avoiding scams, creating anthologies or getting hired to write on one.

Overcome stalled money flow by rebooting and reinventing your work. Plus graphics for writers,

You can learn the best tools and tricks to maximize your earnings as a writer.

2024 SCHEDULE

Schedule

Friday – Saturday – Sunday – Breaks

Friday – 2PM

Welcome

For all SAGA attendees

Friday – 4PM – 5:30PM

Craft

From Frankenstein to Firefly – Michael Williams

Business

How To Get Reviews And When To Ignore Them – Gail Martin

Break – 5:30PM – 6PM

Friday – 6PM – 7:30PM

Craft

Writing Horror – Nicole Givens Kurtz

Business

Cover Design For The Non-Artist – Susan Roddey

Break – 7:30PM – 8PM

Friday – 8PM – 10PM

For all SAGA attendees – Mingle – Garden Terrace, Embassy Suites

Saturday – 9AM – 10:30AM

Craft

Worldbuilding – Maurice Broaddus

Business

Creating An Effective Writing Feedback Group – K. D. Edwards

Break – 10:30AM – 11AM

Saturday – 11AM – 12:30PM

Craft

Writing Comedy – Jody Lynn Nye

Business

Budgeting For A Writing Career – John Hartness

Break – 12:30PM – 1PM

Saturday – 1PM – 2:30PM

Craft

Writing For Games – Richard Dansky

Business

Manuscript Formatting For Publication – Susan Roddey

Saturday – 1:30PM

Sherilynn Kenyon Joint SAGA/Congregate Keynote “Writing Through Adversity” – Terrace 1, Embassy Suites

Break – 2:30PM – 3PM

Saturday – 3PM – 4:30PM

Craft

Planning A Multi-Book Series – K. D. Edwards

Business

I’m Selling Books But Am I Making Money? – William Tracy

also Saturday – 3PM

Maurice Broaddus: Guest of Honor interview with John Hartness – Main, Marriott

Break – 4:30PM – 5PM

Saturday – 5PM – 6:30PM

Craft

Writing Romance Kissy Books: Romance Writing for Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Writers – Lucy Blue

Business

Social Media – Katie Mair

Break – 6:30PM – 7PM

Saturday – 7PM – Pitch Sessions

For all SAGA attendees –

Pitch Session – An array of small press publishers will be on hand to listen to pitches from authors (Falstaff, Falstaff Dread, Falstaff Crush, Mocha, Gold Dust, Space Wizard, Prospective)

Saturday – 8PM – 10PM

For all SAGA attendees – Mingle – Garden Terrace, Embassy Suites

Sunday – 9AM – 10:30AM

Craft

Characterization Through Dialogue – Maurice Broaddus

Business

Breaking Into The Tie-In Market – Chris Jackson

Break – 10:30AM – 11AM

Sunday – 11AM – 12:30PM

Craft

Writing Short Stories – Nicole Givens Kurtz

Business

To Be Or Not To Be Exclusive – John Hartness

Break – 12:30PM – 1PM

Sunday – 1PM – 2:30PM

Craft

Situational Awareness For Action Scenes – William Tracy

Business

Contracts and Negotiations – Stuart Jaffe

Sunday – 2:30PM – “and we out, and we out, and we out…”

“Freedom of Speech” – Above The Law