Announcing our 2024 Flathead River Writers Conference
Red Lion Hotel, Kalispell, Montana
October 4-6, 2024
October 4 Workshop with Keir Graff - $125
October 5 and 6 Conference - $190
Student Discount and Single-Day Passes Will Be Available
Registration for Members will open around April 20
(Members will receive an email when registration opens)
Presenters
Author/Editor Keir Graff - 4.5 hour-workshop, Friday, Oct. 4
Capture Readers with Conflict
Good writers use conflict to capture readers’ attention—great writers put conflict on every
page. Editor and author Keir Graff shares straightforward techniques everyone can use, in
every kind of narrative writing, to punch up plot lines, create more fascinating characters,
and make dialogue sing. (Handouts provided; bring up to five sample pages of your own
work for sharing.)
Full Conference October 5/6
Keir Graff
Secrets of a Working Writer
Some full-time authors are household names with #1 New York Times bestsellers and
National Book Awards—and then there are the rest of us. Join novelist, children’s author,
ghostwriter, and editor Keir Graff for an inside look at how one working writer makes it
pay.
Tales of a Fifth Grade Hero
What is middle-grade fiction and how do you write it? How do you sell, publish, and
promote it? In this informative and inspiring presentation, veteran middle-grade author
Keir Graff (The Poison Puzzle, with James Patterson) shares the rewards of going back to
grade school.
Author Debra Magpie Earling presentations
Keynote: Wonders of the Landscape: One writer’s journey
We all possess connections to places both real and imagined that ignite our sense of
wonder. In this lecture Debra Magpie Earling will explore how our personal lives can
intersect with our personal geography and become part of a greater mythology.
The Dark Door Opens
What elements of fiction conjure a curious alchemy that haunts us after we close a book?
How might we use our own unusual experiences to ignite our fiction? In this workshop
we’ll explore the phenomenal stories that surround us. Be prepared to share an uncanny
story, a spooky hometown legend, or a time when something strange occurred. We will use
the grist of your stories to write convincing prose. Bring a sense of humor and an old-
fashioned notebook to scribble your ideas. Come with the notion that writing is fun, and
spooky.
Elements of Conjuring Story
Do you ever wish you had a few more ingredients in your writing cupboard to conjure a
more effective story? Could you use some additional ideas that might make your characters
and scenes turn from mundane to mesmerizing? In this workshop, we’ll examine a few
essential ingredients that will help make your stories shimmer.
Agent Joanna MacKenzie
Finding and Working with an Agent
Finding the best champion for your work can be,
well, a lot of work. In this session we’ll talk about the query process, what to do when an
agent offers representation, and how to make the agent-author relationship a fruitful and
profitable one.
Revise Like a Pro
Learn what’s going through an agent’s mind when they’re reading your
manuscript and then how to help yourself be the best editor of your own work. We’ll talk
about the questions agents ask themselves when considering a new project, how to revise
according to feedback and why killing your darlings is sometimes the best thing to happen
to your story.
Author Kathy Dunnehoff
10 Hacks of the Successful Writers
Writers are generous in sharing what works for them in their writing process. Why not
enjoy our collective genius? Get the tips we could all use to make the job of writing more
productive, more fun, and even more successful.
The Story Bible
You’d think writers would be good at paperwork, but that collage of sticky notes on our
desks may illustrate we’re not. Why not create a system to track ideas, information about
characters, plotting, and even future marketing plans? There are multiple ways to do it, and
you can choose the best fit for you.
Author Maggie Doherty
From Ideas to Publication: the Path to Creative Freelance Writing
The newsroom isn’t the only location to share the latest stories or pen noteworthy op-
eds. Freelance journalism offers writers an opportunity to explore their interests, land
exciting bylines, and develop relationships with editors at your favorite publications. This
workshop offers an introduction to freelance journalism from pitching to publication in a
variety of outlets, from local to national.
Author Leslie Budewitz
Mystery Genres and The Cozy Market
From darkest noir to light and humorous, mystery and crime fiction is a wide-ranging
genre. We’ll review the distinctive subgenres, then focus on one of the most popular, the
cozy---the comfort food of the mystery world. What’s the appeal, what are the key elements
and trends, and how can you make yours stand out?
Setting the Scene in Fiction
The most compelling stories take us somewhere, introducing us to places we’ve never been
or giving us a new view of familiar ground. We’ll look at what makes a place come alive on
the page, whether it’s the main location for your story or a side trip. We’ll dive into the
emotional connections between people and places, and look at how your choices as a
writer can create characters and plot so deeply integrated with setting that the story could
take place nowhere else.
Author Carl Stevens
Technical Writing Doesn't Have to be Boring
Using creative writing principles and techniques, attendees will have a hands-on
experience in ‘punching up’ technical, professional and business writing. Course goal is to
give students the tools to ensure that their messages leap off the page and offer the best
chance being read and understood.
Agent Zoe Howard
Pitching Boldly: Agent and Publicist on Angling Books
“Do you want to read a book with this energy?” Every writer eventually has to pitch their
book, whether in a query letter to agents or to independent booksellers. Join literary agent
and book publicist Zoe-Aline Howard for an inside look at how agents and publicists pitch,
with practical tips for getting noticed, without veering too far from the formal.
DIY Publicity for the Indie Author
What is “DIY publicity,” and how can you make it work for your indie book? In this hour-
long session, Pine State Publicity book publicist Zoe-Aline Howard surveys the state of
book publicity, answers questions about working with an outside publicist (when to bring
one on, where to find one, and what they can do for your book), and offers insight into
building your own publicity campaign.
Author Danica Winters
The Romance Genres and Market
Danica Winters helps you get your love, your desires, on paper. While geared to the
Romance genres, this workshop is pertinent to anyone who includes relationship and
romantic attachments in their writing.
Hook, Line, and Sinker: Getting Attention and Sustaining the Momentum
In this fun and informative hands-on course, we will break down what it takes to create a
strong hook for agents, editors and readers. Bring (or have access to) your current H.I.P
(hook in progress) so we can focus on what is working, what needs a tweak, and what will
make your work stand out in the market.
Our 2024 Writers Conference Presenters
Our Moderator and Presenter - Kathy Dunnehoff
Kathy is a National Bestselling women's fiction & romantic comedy novelist
with the ability to bring writing and life together with insight and humor. After more than
three decades of teaching creative writing at the college level, she’s begun a series of
friendly writing guides: Hello, Writer! The first one, published in February 2024, will help
you Plan to Have Your Best Writing Year Ever!
Keynote Presenter - Debra Magpie Earling
Debra is the author of The Lost Journals of Sacajewea (Winner of the 2023 Montana Book Award) and Perma Red. Her numerous recognitions include the Western Writers Association, the American Book Award, and grants
from the National Endowment for the Arts and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial
Foundation. She retired from the University of Montana, where she was named
professor emeritus in 2021. She is published through Milkweed Editions. She is
Bitterroot Salish.Keir Graff
Keir is the former executive editor of Booklist. He writes fiction for adultswith Linda Joffe Hull under the pen name Linda Keir (The Royal Game) andmiddle-grade mysteries with James Patterson (The Poison Puzzle). He isalso the editor of A Million Acres: Montana Writers Reflect on Land and OpenSpace and the coeditor of Montana Noir. He shares writing advice andreading recommendations in his free monthly newsletter, Graff Paper. https://keirgraff.com/
Leslie Budewitz
Leslie is a three-time Agatha Award winner and the best-selling author of the Spice Shop mysteries, set in Seattle, and Food Lovers’ Village mysteries, set in NW Montana, where she lives. As Alicia
Beckman, she writes moody standalone suspense, including Bitterroot Lake and Blind Faith. Leslie is a past president of Sisters in Crime and former board member of Mystery Writers of America. Find her online at www.LeslieBudewitz.comMaggie Neal Doherty
Maggie is a writer, opinion columnist, and book critic. As a freelance features writer,her work has appeared in The Guardian, Washington Post, LA Times, Field and Stream, High Country News, Montana Quarterly, and more. She also writes “Facing Main” for the Flathead Beacon and is the book critic for Flathead Living Magazine. She lives in Kalispell with her husband and two children.
Zoe-Aline Howard
Zoe is a literary agent at Howland Literary, and a book publicist at Pine State Publicity, a full-service publicity firm that supports writers and publishers who may seem traditionally peripheral in the larger publishing landscape. She holds a BFA with Distinction and Publishing Certificate from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and has had the privilege to work across publishing with several entities, including independent press Lookout Books.
Joanna MacKenzie
Joanna MacKenzie is a Sr. Agent with Nelson Literary Agency, where she represents authors writing for both the adult and children’s markets across all areas of fiction. She is drawn to vivid, engaging writing and is particularly interested in high-concept thrillers (with a soft spot for speculative and anything that challenges tropes), voicey mysteries, dark academia, stories that straddle genres, and women’s fiction where the personal intersects with the world at large - if any of these are set in the Midwest, all the better. Across the board, she’s looking for works that highlight under-represented voices. Her authors are New York Times bestsellers, Edgar and Anthony Award nominees, and critically acclaimed storytellers. You can learn more about her list at nelsonagency.com
Carl Bond Stevens
Carl is a ‘recovering’CPA. After a twenty-year business career, he earned an MFA in Writing andLiterature from Bennington College. Since then, he has worked extensively in organizational diagnostics, forensic consulting and analytical writing; his client base ranged from small entrepreneurial startups to Fortune 100 multinational firms. He has taught technical and business writing at community colleges in Montana and Alaska. Recently, he has completed two novels.
Danica Winters
Danica is a bestselling author known for her award-winning books that have sold over one million copies, and have earned her bestseller's recognition from Publishers Weekly, Nielson Bookscan, Walmart, and Amazon. Beyond her writing career, Danica wears multiple hats in the literary world: Business Director and Co-Owner of Self-Publishing Services, a women-owned company that focuses on the author's goals at the core of
production; Published Author Network Advisor for the Romance Writers of America; Guide for Pen 2 Paper mentoring aspiring writers; Guide for Paper to Polished, which helps authors refine their manuscripts,ensuring they shine brightly before publication.
When she’s not immersed in the world of words, Danica can be found in the wilds of Montana where she is usually in the woods hiking or on the river fly-fishing. Her personal philosophy is simple: the cup is neither half full nor half empty—she likes hers filled with Titos. Danica is represented by Jill Marsal of the Marsal Lyon Literary Agency, LLC. http://www.danicawinters.net/Here's our schedule:
Friday, September 29
10:00 am – 4:30 pm
With lunch break on your own
Limit: 25 Participants
The Craft and Business of Memoir and Narrative Nonfiction Writing
What makes a memoir compelling to read? What makes a publisher say “yes” to publishing
a memoir? As a literary agent, Julie has worked with many writers and publishers over the
years to develop compelling and saleable memoirs – from Senator Jon Tester’s memoir to
Ryan Busse’s memoir Gunfight and many other books of narrative nonfiction and essay
collections. In this workshop, Julie will share her thoughts on what tools writers can
employ to write a saleable memoir or work of narrative nonfiction and how to keep a
reader's attention from start to finish. We will look at craft elements such as story
structure, narrative tension, scene and character development, the use of composite
characters, how writers approach the “truth” of memories. We’ll also talk about the
importance of a writer's platform and how writers can develop a platform. We will take an
in-depth look at the nonfiction proposal and discuss what elements editors expect to see
when a proposal lands in their in-box.Saturday, Sept. 30
8:00 - 8:25 AM - Opening and Welcome with Kathy Dunnehoff
8:30 - 9:20 – Mark Sullivan Keynote Address: Writing from the Heart Not the Head
Sullivan will chronicle how he moved from writing from the head to writing from the heart
and how that has made all the difference in his career.
9:30 - 10:30 – Glenn & Barbara Schiffman: Moving From Page to Stage
Sharing book excerpts, short stories, poems or true-life essays out loud at book signings or
storytelling events is a different experience than when your words are read silently on the
page. Learn easy ways you can be more confident and engaging as a writer-speaker when
presenting your work to audiences by using listener-focused editing tools and simple
performance skills.10:45 - 11:45 – Zach Honey: Suspense in Story Telling
A deep dive into the nature and definition of suspense and a discussion on how to use it to
serve and strengthen your story.
Noon - 1:15 – Lunch Break (lunch is not provided, many restaurants nearby)
1:15-1:30 – Dr. Erika Putnam: Easy Neck and Shoulder relief for Writers
A group mini class to stretch your writing muscles and focus on the health of your neck and
shoulders. Participate, feel good, and gain helpful tips.
1:30 - 2:30 – Mark Sullivan: The Power of Intent and the Pursuit of Mastery in a Long
Writing Career
Sullivan will detail how writing with a specific intent in mind changed his outlook and his
success. He'll also talk about why the pursuit of mastery versus book sales make all the
difference in a writing life that spans decades.
2:45-3:45 – Chris La Tray: Observation and the Daily Practice
Silence and observation are key to the creative process, particularly writing. This 60-
minute workshop will discuss the practice of observation and transferring it to the journal
... even if only one sentence at a time.
4:00-5:00 – Mark Leichliter: Envisioning Revision
The writer Leich Bardugo said, “I think the hard work of writing is just how long a book is
terrible before it's good.” Revision is how we get from terrible to good, and it’s where we
spend most of our time as writers. Revision starts with RE-VISION, re-seeing the
manuscript, learning to listen to it, asking the right questions of it. This workshop will give
you more tools for learning how to “re-see.”Sunday, Oct. 1
8:30-9:30 – Zach Honey: Query Letters and Book Proposals
A step-by-step discussion for creating all the material you'll need to catch an agent's eye including the query letter, synopsis, elevator pitch, and log line. Additionally, how to write a pitch for your non-fiction concept, and the differences between the two submission processes.
9:45-10:45 – Chris La Tray: The Writing Life
How teaching workshops and saying yes to opportunities – combined with a reasonably
successful newsletter and a refusal to ever give up on a book – has enabled writer Chris La
Tray to make a living as a writer.
11:00-12:00 – Julie Stevenson: Literary Fiction
What are the differences between literary fiction, upmarket fiction and commercial fiction?
Literary agent Julie Stevenson will discuss the many ways in which the publishing industry
categories fiction, what she looks for when taking on literary and upmarket fiction, and
how a writer can develop understanding for what niche best fits their work.
12:00-1:00 – Catered Lunch
1:00-1:20 – Dr. Erika Putnam: Back Pain Relief for Writers
A group mini class to relieve your backside and reduce the strain of prolonged sitting.
Recommended and taught by a chiropractor. Engage in safe movements and learn
preventative self-care for your back.
1:30-2:30 – Mark Sullivan: Relying on Your Body and Your Mind to Write with Deeper
Meaning
In a lively "hands-on" class, Sullivan will show how adopting certain body positions can
trigger the mind and heart to write with deeper meaning and more impact.
2:45-3:45 – Julie Stevenson and Zach Honey: Navigating Publishing
A brief overview from both presenters followed by open questions from conference
participants.
4:00 - 5:00 - Julie Stevenson and Zach Honey: First Impressions
One page of an anonymous manuscript is read out loud with instant feedback from the
panel.
Other activities:
Fifteen-minute author visits with Agent Stevenson or Agent Honey (limit 12 each)Order Now
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AllConferenceMembershipSat & Sun Conference attendance
$190.00
If you are one of the first 12 registered, you can make an appointment with Agent Joanna MacKenzie or Agent Zoe Howard. If you are one of the first 8 registered, you can make an appointment with Editor Keir Graff. Email your choice to Craig at craigtnaylor@gmail.comView more details...QuantityComing soonFriday Workshop with Keir Graff
$125.00
QuantityComing soonSun attendance only
$100.00
QuantityComing soonSat attendance only
$100.00
QuantityComing soonFull-time Student attendance
$60.00
If you are one of the first 12 registered, you can make an appointment with Agent Joanna MacKenzie or Agent Zoe Howard. If you are one of the first 8 registered, you can make an appointment with Editor Keir Graff. Email your choice to Craig at craigtnaylor@gmail.comView more details...QuantityComing soonAuthors of the Flathead Annual Membership
$60.00
Members get:
A.) Access to weekly meetings, including lectures, workshops, open readings, and write-ins.
B.) Early access to our conference.
C.) Access to critique groups.
D.) Free assistance formatting their book for independent publishing.
E.) Invites to get-togethers including a holiday party.
The group is a non-profit. Dues also help pay for operating expenses and support writing in the community by sponsoring writing competitions for students.
Note: You can pay online OR fill out your information (name, email address, address) and pay by cash or check at the next meeting.QuantityComing soon
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