Thursday, April 23
Doors open for registration at 8:00 a.m.
Sprints
Lunch catered by DC Centre
Classes:
Chris Poore – New Member Orientation – We will help you break the ice with the NWG—so you can comfortably dive right in to this fun and supportive organization, make a new friend or two, and get the most out of your guild membership. We PROMISE to help you feel good about your decision to get involved with the NWG and give you tools to be successful!
Cambria Engstrom – Crafting Compelling Characters: Mastering the Hero’s Journey Archetypes – This class explores Vogler’s Hero’s Journey framework and its archetypal characters, teaching writers how to effectively apply these concepts to their own storytelling. Learn to identify and utilize archetypes like the Mentor, Trickster, and Shapeshifter to create dynamic interactions, plot twists, and multi-dimensional characters that resonate with readers. Discover how to mix and match archetypal traits, breathe life into your characters, and elevate your storytelling to new heights.
ShennonDoah – Branching Out with Poetry – An in-depth workshop where attendees will leave with two or three new poems. First, we’ll discover deep roots in the perks of free verse. Next, we’ll climb the trunk, stacking five powerful lines to make the cinquain. Finally, our crowning achievement will be the sestina.
Julie Haase – Is Self-Publishing for You? The Pros and Cons of Doing It Yourself – These days, self-publishing can be done easily and on the cheap, but just because you can doesn’t mean you should. In this class, we’ll explore what it takes to self-publish a high quality book, why taking the cheap route is almost always a bad idea, and the pros and cons that everyone should know before setting up that KDP account.
Heather Dawn Torres – Mentor texts to the rescue! – Heard about mentor texts but unsure how to use them or even where exactly to find them? Look no further! In this session, we will explore all things mentor texts: what they are, where to find them, and how to make them work for you. Learn how using a mentor text can be a powerful tool to elevate your writing.
Lea Pounds – First Things First: History of Story Structure – As a reader for an online literary magazine, I see a lot of interesting ideas that aren’t really stories. I often suspect that the writer got caught up in their ideas and forgot about two basics of storytelling: a structure with a beginning, middle, and end; and something changing over the course of the narrative. Building that structure can be more challenging than we think. In this session, we’ll briefly trace the history of story structure from its origins in Aristotle’s time to Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey to Syd Field’s three act structure. We’ll discuss making decisions about the story’s starting point, what happens in the middle, and how it should end. We’ll look at questions that can help us clarify how our characters need to change. And, we’ll look at techniques to help aspiring and emerging writers hone their skills in developing story structure.
Peter Rubie – Traditional Publishing Q/A – Come with your questions and hear directly from a New York agency what’s happening in the publishing world and how you can be part of it.
Brenda Michelle – The Sixth Sense of Prose: Using Sensory Blending for Immediate Resonance – This advanced craft class moves beyond the classic five senses to teach writers how to build unforgettable, three-dimensional settings and characters using synesthesia (the blending of senses). We will analyze masterful examples of sensory overlap like “a loud color,” “a heavy silence,” or “the bitter taste of regret.” Learn to use figurative language and unexpected sensory combinations to create immediate emotional resonance and a unique tonal signature. You will leave with concrete tools to write descriptions that feel both familiar and astonishing, transforming static settings into immersive, tangible experiences that live long in the reader’s memory.
Julie S. Paschold – Rhyme & Rhythm – Did you know there are different ways of utilizing rhyme within a poem? Come explore rhyme and rhythm with instructor Julie S. Paschold. We will make your poetry “sing” verbally and discover sound within the written word. Please bring a notebook and writing utensil.
Round Table Discussions with Victorine Lieske
Team Trivia Night
Musical Bingo
Poetry Slam
Friday, April 24:
Doors open for registration at 8:00 a.m.
Classes:
Tammy Marshall – Sell Your Books, Sell Yourself – This class will teach you the basics of selling your books (and also yourself) at vendor events, libraries, fairs, and other places where you speak directly to potential buyers. You will then practice these things with other participants and gain helpful feedback.
Brandy Prettyman – Cozy Fantasy, Quiet Stakes: Building Tension Without Body Counts – Cozy doesn’t mean conflict-free. In this hands-on craft session, Brandy L. Prettyman shows how to create genuine momentum with quiet stakes (community, promise, belonging, tradition) so readers keep turning pages without the carnage. You’ll learn the Comfort → Question → Care arc for irresistible openings, design micro-mystery engines (question → clue → small reveal), and plant evolving echoes (objects, phrases, gestures) that carry emotion across scenes. We’ll add gentle pressure add-ons (clocks, scarcity, social cost) that intensify care while protecting tone. Leave with a scene “heat check,” a reusable checklist for tension, and a two-week plan to draft or revise your chapter in a way that stays warmly, unmistakably cozy.
Tasha Hackett – Finish the Book: Build a Plan, Join a Team – You know how to write. What you need is the daily push. In this workshop, we’ll build a practical six to twelve month plan for finishing your manuscript. You’ll set a clear finish date, map realistic milestones, and calculate a weekly writing goal that keeps the project moving forward. Then we’ll form accountability teams so you have real people checking in, cheering you on, and expecting progress. Combine a daily hit of dopamine with a friendly competition, and writing becomes far less lonely and a lot more fun. This class is for writers who already have a solid book idea or a partially written manuscript and are serious about publication. Note: It’s a working session. Come prepared to participate, make a plan, and join a team that will help you reach “The End.”
Victorine Lieske – Marketing as an Indie Author: An In-Depth Look – In this class, we will dive deep into what marketing looks like for an indie author. We will discuss why people buy books and how that information can help you. We’ll talk about Amazon Ads and Facebook Ads, and best practices for both. And if you’re overwhelmed by marketing, don’t worry, this class will take you step by step through what to do to get your marketing mojo going.
Emma Faye – Behind the Mic, Beyond the Price: A Guide to Narrator Partnerships and Audiobook Costs – Audiobooks are one of the fastest-growing segments of the publishing industry, but for many authors, the process can feel overwhelming and expensive. Professional narrator Emma Faye dives into what it takes to bring a book to life in audio. You’ll learn how to choose the right narrator for your book, understand your role in the production process, and communicate effectively with your narrator. We’ll also demystify the cost of audiobooks, breaking down what “per finished hour” actually means, who’s involved behind the scenes, and how to make smart choices about Royalty Share vs. PFH.
Peter Rubie – Manuscript Pitch Panel – Peter will listen to a few pre-selected authors pitch their manuscripts and give immediate feedback in order to help everyone in the room improve their craft and presentation.
Lunch catered by the DC Centre
Miranda Darrow – Dash of Love: Romantic Subplots for Any Genre – Mysteries, thrillers, speculative, historical – novels of any genre can appeal to more readers (who beg for a sequel) with a solid romantic subplot (see “romantasy”). Learn tips and tricks from the romance genre to make sure your subplot is enhancing the story, adding tension, and not landing flat, including romance beats, tropes, interiority, and tips for writing intimacy.
Tara Grace Ericson – The Grit Advantage: What Sustains an Author’s Career – A lasting author career isn’t powered by innate talent. It’s powered by grit. Angela Duckworth’s research shows that Passion + Perseverance beats raw ability every time, and nowhere is that truer than in publishing. In this lively, myth-busting session, we’ll look at how the “effort counts twice” formula plays out in real author life: the slow climbs, the plot twists, the rejections, and the surprising wins that only show up when you keep showing up.
Agent Appointments will meet from 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Round Table Discussions with Chris Poore
Brandy Prettyman – Writing Through Busy Seasons: Systems for Parents, Caregivers, and Multi-Hyphenates – Life is full, but your pages don’t have to suffer. In this practical, compassionate session, Brandy L. Prettyman shares a lightweight system to keep writing moving during busy seasons—using micro-sessions, energy-based scheduling, boundary scripts, and simple tool stacks. You’ll leave with a 2-week action plan, a menu of 10-minute writing moves, and templates for saying “yes,” “no,” and “not yet” with grace. Sustainable progress, even when life is loud.
Melissa Kay – Editing Samples 101: Red Flags for Indie Authors – The editing sample should be a key factor when choosing your editor. You’ve gotten the samples back from your prospective editors, but now what? What should you look for in the editing sample? What are the red flags? This workshop will discuss the top 10 red flags that indie authors should be aware of when evaluating editing samples and how to pick the best editor for them.
Round Table Discussions with Tammy Marshall
Victorine Lieske – Facebook Ads for Dummies – Facebook ads are intimidating and can be costly if you don’t know what you’re doing. In this class, we’ll go over how to make sure your book is ready for ads, the basics of starting up your Facebook ads, and how to come up with different ideas for the ad creatives. We’ll also talk about how to test your ads to know which ads are working best. This class will be beginner-friendly, and we’ll break down what to do in simple steps.
Lea Pounds – What do Pavlov’s Dogs and Creative Writing Have in Common? – We go through life experiencing and responding to objects, situations, and events. In some ways we’re conditioned like the dogs that Pavlov taught to salivate when he rang a bell. Our lives are one long series of mostly unrecognized stimuli and responses. As writers, we use words as stimuli to generate an emotional response in our readers. The concept is so ingrained that it can be challenging to unravel it enough to make deliberate choices in our work. While the audience may not realize what’s happening, the artist must be deliberate in choosing the object/stimulus they want to use to elicit a particular emotion/response in their audience. In this session we’ll explore the concept using examples drawn from novels and films. Then we’ll try our hand at using a specific stimulus to represent the emotion we want our readers to feel.
Brittany Kretz – Historical Fiction Research with Elicit and NotebookLM: Innovative Tools for Writers – This workshop teaches authors how to use Elicit and NotebookLM to conduct accurate historical research. Led by a history professor, it will show you how to create believable storylines grounded in real history with these powerful tools.
Round Table Discussions with Jennifer Cox
Bookstore Blitz: Conference bookstore open to the public from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Boot Camp Critique Groups at 7 p.m.
Saturday, April 25:
Doors open for registration at 8:00 a.m.
NWG Annual Business meeting and Board Introduction
Keynote presentation by Peter Rubie – Developing a True Voice
Tara Grace Ericson – Beyond the Launch: Busting the Myth of the 90-Day Sales Window – Many authors have been sold the idea that their book lives or dies in the first 90 days. No wonder so many writers end launch month exhausted, discouraged, and convinced they’ve somehow “missed their moment.” In this energizing session, we’re tossing that myth out the window and replacing it with a saner, smarter, far more effective approach: long-game marketing.
Brittany Kretz – Inspired by History: America 250 – The United States of America is commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Seize the opportunity created by this historic milestone by setting your next novel during the American Revolution. Refresh your memory with key events that sparked the revolution, explore some of the most dramatic and well-known battles, and draw inspiration from real-life love stories that bring the era to life and fuel your creativity.
Julie Haase – Avoiding Passive Language to Improve Pacing and Engagement – Passive language includes more than just passive voice. Come to this interactive class to learn what passive language entails, why it matters, and how to avoid it. And get some practice in at the same time! This will be a fun, engaging, educational, and 100% NOT passive class! Applicable for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry writers!
Miranda Darrow – Developmental Editing: Building Your Story’s Foundation – Editing isn’t just spelling and punctuation. Developmental editing looks at “big picture” concepts in your manuscript and tackles topics like plot, pacing, proportion, and POV, as well as character arcs, voice, and genre norms. Strong developmental editing is often the difference between a forgettable story and one that has readers coming back for more. Get an overview of these topics and a behind-the-scenes look at a developmental edit.
Frannie Dove – How to Query Agents – This class walks writers through the querying process, from crafting a strong pitch to researching agents and understanding submission guidelines. Drawing on her experience as both an agent and an author, Dove demystifies the process so writers can approach querying with clarity and confidence. Ideal for those pursuing traditional publishing—or anyone looking to strengthen how they present their work.
Cicely Douglas – Let’s Get You in the Library – You want your book in the library. Librarians want your book in their library. So why is it so hard to get your book on the shelves? This class will discuss libraries, the roles of librarians, and ways you can promote your book with the help of your local library.
Lunch catered by DC Centre
Melissa Kay – Behind CSI: Forensic Science in Fiction – CSI, NCIS, Criminal Minds and other crime dramas on TV are entertaining but not always accurate. This workshop will help crime fiction and romance writers understand the most common misconceptions in forensic science so that they can write great stories that people will love. This workshop will cover the most common forensic science questions asked by writers, focusing on how crime shows get it wrong, how long it takes to get results back, crime scenes, crime lab set-up and personnel, and small-town settings.
Nancy Sharp Wagner – Create, Share, Engage: Launching Your Email Newsletter with Confidence – Newsletters are one of the most powerful tools authors can use to connect directly with readers—without relying on social media algorithms. In this beginner-focused session, author Nancy Sharp Wagner shares the simple, step-by-step approach she uses to manage her newsletter with three accessible tools: MailerLite (for automation), Substack(for blogging and weekly emails), and StoryOrigin (for growing her reader list). Rather than overwhelm you with options, Nancy will explain why she chose these platforms, how she uses them together, and how you can get started with confidence—even if you’re not exactly tech-savvy. Whether you’re a fiction or nonfiction author, this workshop offers a clear, manageable starting point for building a lasting connection with your readers.
Tasha Hackett – Deep POV: Shove the Reader in the Deep End – Discover how Deep POV removes narrative distance and dunks readers fully inside your character’s experience. This is possible in any tense or point of view. Come ready work as we eliminate filtering language to create vivid, immersive scenes.
Round Table Discussions with Brandy Prettyman
Victorine Lieske – Conflict for the Nice Writer – As writers, we love our characters—but if we want readers to stay hooked, we can’t go easy on them. Conflict is the lifeblood of a compelling story, and learning how to create tension, stakes, and emotional turmoil is essential for crafting a true page-turner. In this class, we’ll explore how to push our characters to their limits, heighten drama, and keep readers on the edge of their seats. Whether you struggle with making your characters suffer or just want to deepen your storytelling, this session will give you the tools to add gripping conflict to your book.
Brenda Michelle – The Omitted Truth: Writing the Void to Force Reader Participation – This nuanced class focuses on the power of omission—what is left out of the narrative. Learn to “weaponize the void” by using silence, fragmentation, and ambiguity to generate maximum tension, horror, and emotional intensity. We will examine how to strategically employ narrative gaps, unreliable memory, and authorial refusal to force the reader to actively participate in filling the space, creating a far deeper psychological connection. Mastering the unwritten scene is the key to elevating suspense and giving your prose a profound, haunting depth that resonates long after the book is closed.
Sean Doolittle – Special Workshop Regarding Thriller / Suspense Genre Part 1
Round Table Discussions with Katherine Wielechowski
Gina Holder – Learn to Write Cozy Mysteries – This class is an overview of how to write a cozy mystery from concept to completion. We’ll cover topics such as titles, clues and red herrings, characters, reader expectations, and series.
Sean Doolittle – Special Workshop Regarding Thriller / Suspense Genre Part 2
Tamsen M Butler – From Page to Stage: How Writers Land TEDx Talks – This session will walk participants through the process of applying for a TEDx talk, from crafting a compelling idea to standing out in the selection process. As both a former TEDx speaker and the current Director of Strategic Communications for TEDx Omaha, I’ll share insider tips on what organizers look for, common pitfalls to avoid, and how to frame your story so it resonates with curators and audiences alike. Whether you dream of amplifying your book’s message, advocating for a cause, or sharing a personal insight, this workshop will equip you with practical tools to move from written word to spoken impact.
Raffle Prize Winners Announced
