How do you keep readers hooked across a trilogy or a full series of books? In this workshop with Jared Agard, you’ll explore exercises, strategies, and examples to craft story arcs that span multiple books. You’ll walk away with practical tools to build compelling, lasting series that keep your audience coming back for more.
Category: WilWrite26 Schedule
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4 – 5PM Saturday Windsor A: Legal Contracts for Writers
Ever wonder what you’re really signing when you agree to a contract? Join lawyer Valerie Saski as she breaks down common worries in legal contracts, including different contract types and what you’re actually signing away on the dotted line. You’ll also learn which terms can come back to bite you if things go wrong. Bring a notebook and your questions for this interactive workshop.
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4 – 5PM Saturday Belmont C: Genre Screenwriting Workshop
Genre is where imagination meets tension. As a writer, you can stretch reality while keeping every moment grounded and real. This workshop is designed for screenwriters who are comfortable with craft fundamentals and want to explore genre writing or deepen their existing genre work. We’ll move through the craft challenges that genre presents to a skilled writer: how to honor audience expectations while finding something genuinely your own; how to use tropes as tools rather than crutches; and how to make the familiar feel surprising.
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4 – 5PM Saturday Belmont B: How to be a Happy and Successful Writer
How do you stay happy, healthy, and feeling successful as a writer or artist while dealing with rejection, imposter syndrome, envy, and other fun challenges of the creative life? Randy Henderson will share research-based tips on defining success and maintaining emotional well-being as a creative. He’ll also show how to craft character arcs as a tool for examining our writing selves.
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4 – 5PM Saturday Belmont A: Panel: Agents and Editors in Conversation
Curious about how the publishing industry works behind the scenes? What really happens after an agent submits a manuscript to an editor? Join a panel of literary agents and editors as they discuss the process of bringing books to market, what influences publishing decisions, and how you can position your work for success.
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3:30 – 4PM Saturday Belmont A/B & Zoom One: Break
Refill your coffee and head to the courtyard. It’s the perfect time to meet with friends or make new ones before our last round of workshops for the day.
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2 – 3:30PM Saturday Zoom 2: Dirtying Up Your Character: Finding their Flaws
Why is “dirtying up” your character so important? It makes them more complex and memorable. Many writers focus too much on making their protagonist likable, but real people are flawed and your characters should be too. In this workshop with Marilyn Atlas, you’ll explore the difference between likability and relatability, learning why relatability matters more. You’ll analyze well-known characters, bring your own original character, and dive deep into their psyche through interactive exercises. We’ll also watch movie scenes and discuss how writers make characters relatable even when they’re unlikable.
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2 – 3:30PM Saturday Zoom 1: Workshop with a Literary Agent
On April 15th, we’ll announce our industry professionals. Stay tuned for more details on this exciting workshop.
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3 – 4PM Saturday Windsor C: Pitch for Film and TV
Screenwriters! Come practice your pitch! We’ll help you refine and shine your film or TV pitch and talk you through your next steps to the screen.
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2 – 2:45PM Saturday Windsor C: Short Film, Big Impact: A Case Study of The Lunch Date
Working on your script? Join us for a deep dive to learn more about the art of screenwriting through the Oscar-winning short The Lunch Date. We will explore the film’s structural genius by examining how it leverages social assumptions and a powerful narrative pivot to subvert audience expectations. Using this classic work as a catalyst, we will discuss the unique hurdles of writing in the short film format. You will leave with practical insight into how to overcome those challenges and create stories that have a lasting impact.