NOTE from my
desk: While I have not attended most of the conferences I showcase, I have
heard excellent comments regarding their offerings. Please check their website
thoroughly and if you have any questions, use the contact information on their
page.
If you
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your thoughts. Please share your review in the comments section of that
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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.
