June
Education Event
How to...Renovate Your Novel
Presented
by Kay Bergstrom (writing as Cassie
Miles)
June
9, 2012 – 8am to 4pm
Two
Rivers Convention Center
159
Main Street
Grand
Junction, Colorado
How
to…Renovate Your Novel - Have you got a brilliant idea that
will surely become an acclaimed best-selling novel as soon as you get a chance
to write it down? Is your novel stuck
half-way through? Did you complete the
book and hate it? Does everybody else
hate it?
Whether starting from a blueprint or doing major
demolition on a broke-down book, the same basic skills are necessary. Start with research and development. Build the framework with a plot. Use characterization to create a memorable,
unique novel that you can live with.
R&D: Developing the perfect idea for your novel
isn’t easy but it’s fun. Re-visit your
favorite books and movies and analyze them.
Consider the genre, the plot, the characters and the style. Discover your natural writing style, your
voice. (Style tip: Never use the word
“suddenly” unless you’re writing for preschoolers.)
Plot:
Coming
up with the plot before you start writing is guaranteed to save you time and
grief. Though there are dozens of
different methods of plotting, a basic structure includes set-up (thesis),
complications (antithesis) and climax (synthesis). (Plot tip: Any given situation can always get
worse.)
Characterization:
Only
in fiction can a writer create a character who doesn’t exist and is not bound
by reality. A character arc – necessary
for every novel – is determined by the goals, passions, assets, limitations,
making hard decisions and taking action.
(Characterization tip: Real people don’t often change; fictional
characters always do.)
Kay
Bergstrom (writing as Cassie Miles) has sold over 70 novels of romance and
suspense involving jewel heists, Elvis sightings, sexy midwives, true love,
serial killers and a cross-dressing cake baker named Bernice.
In addition to many, many books for
Harlequin Intrigue, Kay has published with Harlequin Temptation and
American. She has also written for
Berkley, Avon, Crown, Zebra, Kismet, Audio Entertainment and Shades of Love.
Her awards include Rocky Mountain
Fiction Writer’s Writer of the Year in 2003, the Jasmine Award, Colorado
Romance Writer of the Year, Affair
D’Coeur Top Ten, Romantic Times
Career Achievement Award, RT Top Pick, and RT WISH Best Hero. Last year, she was on the USA TODAY
Best-Seller list.
Her
teaching experience in creative writing ranges from college level classes for
credit to fifth grade show-and-tell.
(The fifth graders were a harder group.)
Kay
has two daughters. One is a paleo-anthropologist
and grad student at Texas A&M. The
other is a senior editor at Harper-Collins.
Her grandson is a brilliant (is there any other kind?) 4-year-old.
Upcoming
books: MIDWIFE COVER (April, 2012), MOMMY MIDWIFE (August, 2012) and MONTANA
MIDWIFE (December, 2012).
Speed Dating with an Author: We have three talented and knowledgeable authors who
have donated their time to meet with attendees. If you’re interested in a 10
minute session with any of our guest authors, indicate your choice on your
registration. Bring the first two pages of your work-in-progress for a quick
critique or use your time to ask industry related questions.
Cindi Myers
Cindi worked as a newspaper
reporter, travel agent and medical clinic manager before turning to writing
full time. She's written both historical and contemporary romance, as well as
dozens of short stories and nonfiction articles. Cindi thinks writers have the
best job in the world.
Former president of San Antonio
Romance Authors, Cindi is a member of Romance Writers of America, Novelists
Inc., and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.
She and her husband and their
two dogs live in the mountains Southwest of Denver. When she's not caught up in
creating new characters and stories, Cindi enjoys reading, quilting, gardening,
skiing and hiking. She's also in demand as a speaker, teaching workshops and
making presentations to both local and national writing groups.
Mark Stevens
The
son of two librarians, Mark Stevens was raised in Lincoln, Massachusetts and
graduated from Principia
College in Illinois. He worked as a reporter for The Christian Science Monitor
in Boston and Los Angeles, covering a variety of events and issues. Following a
move to Denver, he worked for The Rocky Mountain News, covering City Hall for
three years. When he learned that The MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour was expanding
its production he was lucky enough to be invited to join the team. For six
years, he produced field documentaries across the United States and Latin
America. After tending bar for a year on a self-financed
sabbatical (and to write fiction), he joined The Denver Post to cover
education, which led to a position as Director of Communications with Denver
Public Schools and later the Greeley school district and the state department
of education. He now works in public relations. Mark is a member of Rocky Mountain Fiction
Writers (Current President); Mystery Writers of America; Sisters in Crime;
Colorado Authors League; Pike’s Peak Writers; Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.
Pamela Nowak
Pamela's first book,
CHANCES has received several honors since its release in early 2008. Winner of
2009 HOLT Medallion for Best First Book; Recipient of 2009 WILLA Finalist Award
for Historical Fiction; • Named as One of the Top Ten Romance Books of 2008 by
Booklist
Her
pre-published manuscripts have also won attention in several national contests.
CHANCES received first place honors in the historical category of the Four
Seasons Awards in 2003, placed second in the 2003 Put Your Heart in a Book
contest, and was a 2002 finalist in the Spring Into Romance contest, the
Colorado Gold contest, and the Laurie. CHOICES was a 2001 Colorado Gold
finalist entry. In 2006, CHALLENGES placed third in the Heart of the West
Writers Contest and was a Spring Into Romance finalist.
Pamela
received a B.A. from South Dakota State University. She has taught school,
served as a historic preservation specialist, and taught classes at a state penitentiary.
$70
For more information, please contact Vicki
Law – vruchhoeft@bresnan.net
