celeste barclay
Discover how understanding the consumer journey--from identifying needs to post-purchase behavior--can shape brand perception, product positioning, and loyalty.
November Meeting
Come join us for a day of learning how to “. . . quiet the mind and bring focus to what you need to focus on so you can go deep - deep in thought, deep in the work, deep into what matters to you.”
October Meeting
Come join us for a day of learning how to help your characters navigate The Journey to Happily Ever After.
Larissa (Lacie) Barber, PhD
Lacie will discuss how work-life balance is always a challenge among writers, especially in the “always on” environment of constant connectivity to distractions due to smartphones. This talk will help you rethink your approach to work-life balance and learn evidence-based strategies to carefully coordinate, diligently disconnect, mindfully meet, and facilitate flow.
July Meeting
Jennifer Raphael is a Certified Neurodiversity Coach, a Certified Professional Organizer, a Productivity Specialist, and an RN. She’s the sole proprietor of Less-Stress Coaching & Consulting (Less-Stress Organizing Solutions®), a company she founded in 2013. She works as a coach and consultant with students, adults, and families.
She uses an experiential learning model and a strength based, trauma informed approach integrating knowledge of neuroscience, positive psychology, positive intelligence, productivity, and performance science in her work with clients.
Jen is a neurodiversity advocate and believes it is possible to thrive with personalized tools and supports in place.
Jen is the author of The First Year Is the Hardest: Grief-Pain-Loss: Dissolution of Marriage-Healing Six Words at a Time. What began as personal journaling to understand the myriad of emotions surrounding her divorce evolved into the series of narratives and adaptations of her own photography.
June Meeting
Three Ps: PreWriting, Plotting, and Pacing presented by HelenKay Dimon
Whether you're writing a romance or a thriller or a book in some other genre, you need a plot and a way to move the story along. This workshop will discuss work you can do pre-book, even if you're a pantser, to make your writing smoother. We'll also discuss some tricks on pacing and plotting to tighten up your book and keep readers engaged.
HelenKay Dimon is a former divorce lawyer with a dual writing personality. Her books have been featured in numerous venues, including The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Cosmopolitan. Her most recent release, MOOREWOOD FAMILY RULES, has been optioned by Paramount for television. She also writes thrillers as Darby Kane and is a #1 international bestseller in that genre. Two of her thrillers have been optioned for television, including her debut, PRETTY LITTLE WIFE, by Amazon. For more information go to helenkaydimon.com
May Meeting
May Meeting is all about you, well you and your story.
Let’s build on what we learned last month. Bring your story issues and tap into the wisdom of your tribe.
Didn’t attend last month? No worries! Bring your story, and not only will we catch you up, we will help you with your story!
Writing can be lonely yet artistically fulfilling… once you get past stubborn characters, that soggy middle, and/or a plot that’s constantly having an identity crisis.
No successful writer has ever released their work without input and assistance. Come spend quality time with fellow Romance Writers and let your Tribe help you solve those seemingly unsurmountable story issues.
This is a great way to spend a few hours and come away empowered and inspired.
We are a safe place! We’ll share advice wizened by experience, talk of lessons learned, and strengthen our bonds of friendship and camaraderie.
April Meeting
Story Issues with Jen Graybeal
Sometimes it’s the little things that block progress and sometimes there’s a boulder on the path. Whether you are developing big story elements or identifying the small details that make the story special, there’s nothing quite like the frustration of knowing something is missing. Let’s dive into the science of frustration, how to triage a scene that isn’t working and the best way to brainstorm solutions. This session includes time to dissect real issues facing the participants.
Jen Graybeal (she/her) is dedicated to empowering authors through encouraging feedback, collaborative problem solving and gently-applied tough love. In eight years of coaching, workshops, and editing projects, she has helped over a thousand romance authors create stories they are proud of and businesses that align with their individual vision of success. Jen has a degree in English, an ever-expanding TBR pile, and a furball assistant that is usually on her lap. Visit her website for client testimonials at www.jengraybeal.com or follow her on Instagram, Threads, and TikTok: @JenTheEditor.
Focus on Story Issues
Sometimes it’s the little things that block progress and sometimes there’s a boulder on the path. Whether you are developing big story elements or identifying the small details that make the story special, there’s nothing quite like the frustration of knowing something is missing. Let’s dive into the science of frustration, how to triage a scene that isn’t working and the best way to brainstorm solutions. This session includes time to dissect real issues facing the participants.
Bio
Jen Graybeal (she/her) is dedicated to empowering authors through encouraging feedback, collaborative problem solving and gently-applied tough love. In eight years of coaching, workshops, and editing projects, she has helped over a thousand romance authors create stories they are proud of and businesses that align with their individual vision of success. Jen has a degree in English, an ever-expanding TBR pile, and a furball assistant that is usually on her lap. Visit her website for client testimonials at www.jengraybeal.com or follow her on Instagram, Threads, and TikTok: @JenTheEditor.
March Meeting
Tropes: Cliche or Tool?
Presenter: Teresa Carpenter
In the writing world tropes are sometimes dismissed as being cliche or, horror of horrors, as commercial. You bet your booty they are. Tropes are cliches because they work. They are plot themes that readers have proven are favorites. And much as we writers like to think of ourselves as creative and artistic, we also want to make money doing it. Which means using tropes to sell our work, in our plotting, in our titles and in our blurbs. In this workshop we will identify some of the leading plot tropes, outline the reader expectations of those tropes and explore other trope tools that will assist in plugging plot holes. I invite you to strap on your writer's toolbelt and prepare to sharpen a much used tool.
Gwyn McNamee
Gwyn will discuss juggling a busy author career and family life while avoiding burnout, will walk you through selecting the perfect title, and give you pointers on how to write a blurb that will attract readers and lead them down the path to purchasing your book!