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Upcoming Writer Workshops

The following is a partial schedule of upcoming writers’ workshops or conferences I have on my schedule so far. If you’re book club or writers group would be interested in booking me, then leave a comment with your email address or url where I can get back to you.

Scheduled presentations and workshops:

Developing Plot & Character Arcs

Basic Editing of Your Own Manuscript – Friona Public Library – April 16, 2011

10:00 – 3:00

All day session: Arcs workshop in the morning

Editing in the afternoon

For Friona area writers group

Friona, TX

Frontiers in Writing Conference – Amarillo, TX – June 24 – 25, 2011

Finding Balance: Time Management for Prolific Writers workshop

Also, Preliminary Judge for Memoir contest

Basic Novel Writing Class – Amarillo, TX – November 2011

Sponsored by the Amarillo Public Library and YMCA

5 week class covering basic novel writing skills

Participants encouraged to participate simultaneously in National Novel Writing Month

If you have upcoming book releases or presentations, then let me know and I’d be glad to post an interview with you and help promote your efforts.


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Printed Books, Audio Books, and E-Books

Do you have a favorite? Some of us grew up going to libraries and reading. Others only read what they are assigned at school or at work. For me, I’ve always loved books. My mom read to us as we grew up. I love the smell of a library. About half of the books that sit on the shelves in my home came from Friends of the Library sales and second hand stores. The other half are brand new books and you can hear it in the binding when you open them for the first time. In case you didn’t know, I’m a tactile and visual person.

Publishing and the way we get access to books is changing, as you all are well aware. I treasure holding a book in my hands and turning the pages. Then, after hours on the computer five days a week, my eyes got tired and I wanted to read at night but my eyes bothered me. I’d heard of audio books but had never listened to one. After a trip to the Amarillo Public Library branch closest to me, the world of audio books opened up. A whole section of classics and new releases sat on the shelves and I’d never noticed. Audio books go on road trips, flights, and act as bed time stories. They are even in the yard with me sometimes while I get the garden ready for planting in the Spring. My mother-in-law lost her sight in the last few years of her life and she listened to audio books. She’d been a voracious reader all her life.

Enter E-books in all their forms. At first, many thought it wouldn’t be much more than a flash in the pan. However, it is revolutionizing the publishing world for all of us and opens up options for authors.

Now, I realize none of this is news to any of you, but as the industry has diversified, so must we. Keep a finger in all the pies. Versify your writing and use all the wonderful ways to get your writing out to others. I’ve learned this lesson over the past year and a half and am working on just how to get it all implemented. That’s where time management comes. The next post will address some time management tips for the busy writer.


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Mark Twain Celebration and Editorial Writing Workshop

Some of you may know that my husband, Greg Sagan, is an editorial writer who has hundreds of opinion pieces to his credit and has a weekly column on Tuesdays in the Amarillo Globe News both paper and online. If you’re going to be in the area during February, then you’ll want to note his class on writing editorials and opinion pieces in conjunction with a look at Mark Twain’s writing.

Sponsored by the Amarillo YMCA and Amarillo Public Library, this free class will meet each Tuesday night in February at the East Branch Library, 6:30 – 8:00. Greg is a professional business consultant and group facilitator with years of experience. His approach is interactive, motivating, and fun.