CONFERENCES & CONTESTS - Sleuths Ink Workshop

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Thank you!

Today, I've asked Tierney James to stop by today to answer a few questions regarding the workshop.

Thanks for taking us a bit behind the scenes of the Sleuth's Ink Workshop.

1 – You have an excellent line-up of speakers. Lori Copeland as a keynote is a great way to kick off the event. Why Lori in particular?

Lori is a seasoned writer/author who has seen trends in the publishing industry come and go. She knows how to adjust to the market, whether it is a traditional house or transitioning to the now popular “indie” route. She has received success over many years and has even broken into the television market with one of her books being made into a Hallmark movie. 

2 – Most would think that a mystery writing group would have more genre-specific topics for the workshop, yet with the exception of a couple of breakout sessions, SI seems to be focusing on mechanics. How did the content decision come about?

After attending a variety of writing conferences, sitting in on critique groups, and judging contests, it became clear there is a need for the mechanics of writing. Just because you write words doesn’t make you a good writer. There needs to be a lot of fine tuning to get it right. Most of us just aren’t aware there is a right and wrong way to create stories. There are rules of grammar, punctuation, genre, etc.

3 – Sometimes having two workshops scheduled for the same time slot makes it hard to choose which one to attend and which one to hope a friend is taking good notes.  I see some workshops are scheduled twice. Is this to allow others to not miss something in the rotation?

Absolutely! There will be a lot of good ideas and time is short. By scheduling some sessions more than once, writers don’t have to worry about missing something that could add that spark they’ve been looking to push them ahead.

4 – How did you select your other speakers?

 Some of the Sleuths’ members searched their own bank of talent and formed a committee to see who might be interested in taking this project on in hopes of inspiring new writers and reminding not-so-new authors of their own greatness. As it turned out our group had a lot of tips and tricks to share.

5 – What do you hope attendees will take with them from the workshop?

My hope is that they will see the road ahead of them filled with possibilities, not potholes. Attending a one-day conference or workshop is a sure-fire way to ignite the fires of the imagination. We also can’t wait to meet new writers who want a support group and can add a little pizzazz to Sleuths’ Ink.