Revising Your Story

Below are a few of the slides from the workshop I taught at the Idaho Writers' Conference, April 27, 2019. If you're interested in this workshop or any of the other workshops I teach, click on the "appearances" tab above for more information.

Here are a few snapshots from the wonderful two-day conference:

April Events

I am presenting at quite a few events this month. Below are two of them. Come on out and join me! I'd love to see you. 

Registration is now open for the Idaho Writers Conference (April 25-27) at https://bit.ly/2Fj4HlH. The conference features 15 workshop presenters and 12 main stage presenters.

I'll be teaching:

Revising with an Eye for YA - "The revision process is one of the most important steps in perfecting your overall story. Learn how to examine your manuscript from different angles, exploring and developing the intrinsic qualities that will captivate your audience from beginning to end."

Idaho Writers Conference 2017

On May 5 and 6, 2017, I had the pleasure of attending the Idaho Writers Conference in Boise, Idaho, where I presented two classes (one about characters and one about voice). But I not only taught, I also learned. 

Here are a few of the notes I took from the conference:

Recommended books from the attending agents:
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
Underground Railroad by  Colson Whitehead
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Jen Mann (NYT Bestselling Humor Writer) suggested:
* Use the Urban Dictionary as a thesaurus
* Maximize your blog archive
* If you think you're funny, you're funny!

Joanne Pence (USA Today Bestselling Mystery Writer) suggested:
* As authors, we should hide clues in the middle of a sentence and in the middle of a scene.
* In our stories, villains are often proud of the way they've gotten away with their crime and brag about it near the end of the story.

Elisabeth Sharp McKetta (writer, teacher, and editor) recommended the following books:
Seven Basic Plots by Christopher Booker
The Virgin's Promise by Kim Hudson
The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler

The conference was wonderful. I highly suggest you mark your calendar to attend the next one. For more details, visit the Idaho Writers Guild online. 

Building Blocks of Storytelling with Margo Kelly & Joshua Bellin

This weekend, I had the pleasure of teaching a writing workshop for the Idaho Writers Guild with author Joshua David Bellin. We had a fabulous time talking about building better worlds, better characters, and better suspense. The writers in attendance had valuable ideas to share, and we left feeling energized to go home and write better stories! Here are some pictures from the event:

 

 

If you're interested in having me teach a writing workshop for your group, click on the "appearances" tab at the top of this page to see a list of topics I present regularly and feel free to email me at margokelly1 @ outlook . com (without the spaces) for more information.

A FLOOD of Events!

Over the next several weeks, I have exciting events happening. Join me:

February 6, 2017 - 10am-10:45am (PST)
Listen live as it happens: Radio Interview with Laura Moe on "Authors on the Air"

February 11, 2017 - 10am-12:30pm - Boise, Idaho
Idaho Writers Guild Presents: Building Blocks of Storytelling with Margo Kelly & Joshua Bellin
Click here to register!

February 17, 2017 - all day - Corpus Christi, Texas
Cybersafety is Our Shared Responsibility & Who R U Really? Behind the Scenes
Tuloso-Midway High School, Corpus Christi, Texas

February 18, 2017 - 9am-4:30pm - Corpus Christi, Texas
Teen Bookfest by the Bay - Corpus Christi, Texas

and then ...

March 2, 2017, my terrific daughter is marrying a terrific guy. Just a few things happening over the coming weeks. ;)

Idaho Writers Guild Presentation

I truly believe that when you steep a scene with contrasting goals, emotions, or ideals, the imbedded tension will keep the reader engaged and turning pages. Tuesday, I had the opportunity to speak at the Idaho Writers Guild Literary Luncheon, and together, we discussed "Infusing TENSION Into Your Writing." Here are a few snapshots of the event: