Saga 2024 Class Descriptions

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From Frankenstein to Firefly – Michael Williams

Genre Blending for Stronger Stories 

Join genre-blending author Michael G. Williams to deconstruct, dissect, and discuss your favorite genres and how to combine them into something greater than the sum of their parts. Attendees will discuss the core elements of various genres, invent new ones, and create their own unique stories and characters to take with them for new projects and ongoing exploration.

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

Love them or hate them, reviews are a valuable tool to reach new readers through social proof and encourage hesitant buyers to take the plunge. We’ll talk about the rules and ethics around reviews, how to use Advance Review Copies (ARCs) and find ARC readers, how blogger-reviewers and blog tours work, how to create your own ARC team or use the ARC function on BookFunnel,  how to educate your ARC readers on how to write a helpful review (and what isn’t helpful), how to use reviews in your marketing, whether or not you should ever read your reviews, and how to deal with downers.

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Writing Horror – Nicole Givens Kurtz

During the 90-minute session, we will introduce you to the fundamentals of horror short story writing
and provide practical insights that can be applied to your own writing projects. You will delve into the world of horror storytelling, exploring key elements and techniques specific to the genre. We will guide you through the process of crafting compelling horror narratives, focusing on aspects such as creating suspense, developing atmospheric settings, building tension, and creating memorable characters.

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Cover Design For The Non-Artist – Susan Roddey

Books are always judged first by their covers. Whether you’re just starting out in publishing or you’re a seasoned author, this is the place to learn how and why design decisions are made, how to translate your graphic goals into visual form, and why your cover designer may not always give you exactly what you think you want.

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World Building – Maurice Broaddus

Every story needs a setting: a sense of WHERE and WHEN it takes place. World building is the process by which we create an imaginary world or build a fictional universe. Let’s figure out some strategies on how to do this

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

KD Edwards, who is writing a nine-book urban fantasy series called The Tarot Sequence, credits his writing group as the singularly most influential force in his eventual publication. His small, committed group went from a handful of aspiring writers to an alumni force with over six published authors, including NYT bestsellers. KD experimented with dozens of different styles of writing groups over the years, and still hasn’t found anything better than the model his own team uses. Join us to hear more about how you can build your own critique group.

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Writing Comedy – Jody Lynn Nye

Jody Lynn Nye wants to help you bring the funny to your writing. Join her for a discussion of the many kinds of humor in literature, how to lighten a scene, the highs and lows of mood in narration, and examples of comedy in science fiction and fantasy.

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Budgeting For A Writing Career – John Hartness

There’s more to a writing career than just putting words on paper. Come learn how to prepare for the costs of being a self-employed creative, so you can write for a living without losing your house in the process.

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Writing For Games – Richard Dansky

Writing for video games is something that many aspire to, but few understand the unique demands of the form. 25 year industry veteran Richard Dansky (The Division, Splinter Cell: Conviction, Assassins Creed: Nexus) will take you through the basics of writing for video games. From the best ways to do game dialog to writing documents that a development team can use to the mysteries of “barks” – the most important writing in any game – this class will provide a foundation for successful video game writing going forward. Participants will be expected to participate in class exercises.

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Manuscript Formatting For Publication – Susan Roddey

Publishers’ submission guidelines often seem exacting and arbitrary, but there are reasons behind these decisions. This class will walk writers through the basics of Standard Manuscript Format, how to accomplish the tasks, and why it’s a good idea to follow the directions.

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

KD Edwards, who is writing a nine-book urban fantasy series called The Tarot Sequence, talks often about his extensive brainstorming files and outlines. Having planned all nine books in advance, keeping track of hints and Easter eggs can be intensive — but it’s worth every row in the 400,000-word Excel document he’s amassed. He rarely begins a new book without a brainstorming file that’s under 30,000 words — or, as with his last novel, 85,000 words. That can present its own challenges, especially when many modern writing contracts limit your word count. Hear how KD developed his planning skills over the last 20 years, and what technology he uses (voice-to-text, human transcribers, Excel, journals, permanent market on his arm) to make this happen.

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

How much do you make from a book? Whether you’re being published through a press, or you release your book yourself, the answers might be quite different. There are a lot of costs associated with publishing and self-publishing. Even though you’re making money selling books, it may be hard to actually break even in profit. The class will go over how to assess costs such as covers and art, ISBNs, copyrights, retail percentages and profits, release day costs, author book copies, handselling books, shipping and tax, and continuous marketing. You’ll even get a nifty spreadsheet to try it out yourself!

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

Everybody knows romance is still the most profitable genre in fiction, and almost every writer thinks they could probably write a good one, given the time and a few stiff drinks. In this course, romance author and editor Lucy Blue will talk about how those sales numbers can be deceiving and what constitutes an actual romance novel by the current genre standards. (Spoiler alert: kissy scenes are NOT enough.) We will talk about current trends and tropes and how to navigate the great divide between traditional romance and new and emerging subgenres like feminist romance, LGBTQ+ romance and romantasy. We’ll explore markets and how romance marketing is its own universe. And finally, we’ll spend some time on how romance tropes and elements can be used to enrich other genres (i.e., how to write a kissy scene that actually works). Attendees are invited to bring their own elevator pitches and ideas to contribute to the discussion.

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Social Media – Katie Mair

Social media can be daunting. It’s an undeniable part of our society and one that seems contrary to the idealistic hermitage of being a writer. So, let’s talk about it and break down the process of establishing a social media presence in a way that is attainable for your career goals. In this course, we will go over best practices, tracking trends, social media strategies, and the basics of running a successful account. We will start at the beginning, going over the platform basics, content creation, and long term management.

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Characterization Through Dialogue – Maurice Broaddus

Characters are at the heart of stories and dialogue helps define characters and drive the story. In this workshop you’ll learn to develop characters, consider word choice, and refine their voice through dialogue.

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Breaking Into The Tie-In Market – Chris Jackson

The session will concentrate on the industry of tie-in writing for various games, studios, and other intellectual properties. There will be a lecture portion concentrating on “breaking into the field” “Do’s and don’ts in tie-in writing” “Perils and Pitfalls” “Contracts and rates of pay” and “Resources.” At least one third of the allotted time will be reserved for questions and answers.

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Writing Short Stories – Nicole Givens Kurtz

Short stories provide fiction writers with an important opportunity to sharpen their creative writing skills due to the compositional limitations of the form. In this instructional session, Nicole Givens Kurtz offers thoughtful tips and suggestions to take your short story ideas from brainstorming to publication.

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To Be Or Not To Be Exclusive – John Hartness

Traditional publishing, independent publishing, small presses, self-publishing…which one is right for you? Do you even have to stick with one style? These days more authors than ever are working in a hybrid model, blending different publishing styles to maximize their career efforts. Writer and publisher John Hartness will lay out the pros and cons of all the publishing paths you can follow, and ways to make them all work in your favor.

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Situational Awareness For Action Scenes – William Tracy

This workshop helps writers visualize spaces to prepare for action/fight scenes, as well as choreographing engaging action so blocking is clear to readers. William Tracy has taught martial arts for over ten years, focusing on simple body mechanics and awareness of surroundings anyone can practice. The class will focus on simple movement, activities with the center of mass and positioning, and how to practically use the body and the environments against attackers. No props are needed. William will answer audience questions on specific book issues, as well as activities with hands (martial arts) and melee weapons. He’ll also explore ways of thinking for “trained” individuals (warriors and fighters, mercenaries, hitmen and assassins, law enforcement, etc.)

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Contracts and Negotiations – Stuart Jaffe

(aka Nobody cares about your career more than you)

In the world of writing, especially for indie authors, you have to deal with far more than a book publishing contract. Magazine contracts, cover artist contracts, editing contracts, co-authorship deals, convention agreements, Hollywood deals, speaking engagements, and more — it can frazzle your nerves.

Well, I’ve done them all, and I’m going to share with you what I’ve learned over the years so that you can have an easier time at the negotiation table.

Asking for what you want can be daunting, and what do you do if they say no? How do you know if you’re getting everything you can? Is that even important? How do you ask for something out of the ordinary? What are the given standards that can’t be changed? Why can’t you just let an agent do it for you? All these questions and so much more will be addressed in this class.

Negotiating a contract doesn’t have to be a stressful nightmare. This class will help you find an approach to feel more confident with hashing out the details of a deal and more comfortable once you’ve signed your name on the dotted line.