Support our Sponsors:

All ads on this website are unpaid and represent vendors, authors & publishers who support the community by donating their time, expertise and products to our membership. Let's show our support and click any ads of interest!
The Sky's the Limit: Writing the Futuristic Novel

Instructor: Phoebe Conn. PHOEBE CONN is the author of five Futuristic romances, written under her own name and also as Cinnamon Burke. A fan favorite, she’ll share her secrets for writing an unforgettable Futuristic romance. 

Learn how to analyze your ideas to select the best and turn your first book into a series. When THE SKY’S THE LIMIT, set your imagination free to create larger-than-life characters with wrenching conflicts to overcome. We’ll compare our impressions of popular films with Futuristic elements, THE TERMINATOR and AVATAR as well as other favorites. Those who wish to share their work for comments may do so, but there are no specific writing assignments required for the class. This is a four week course. Lessons will be posted on Monday and Wednesday. Friday will be reserved for questions and the sharing of students’ work.

WEEK ONE
Introductions. Who’s taking the class? Please let us know who you are, what you’re writing and what you hope to learn from this class. 

Lesson One: How to generate an endless supply of rich ideas. How to recognize the difference between a good idea and a great one. We’ll analyze the elements of a successful futuristic romance and learn how to create stories editors will be eager to read. Learn how to survey the market and target editors publishing the type of story you want to write. Knowledge of the market is the key to selling your manuscripts.

Lesson Two: How to run with a promising premise and plan for a series from the first book. How to choose a timeframe and setting that suits your story, Medieval, Urban, or a Spaceship soaring to a newly discovered planet. Make your setting feel real. Your story will play out against this backdrop, make it as rich and imaginative as you possibly can. We’ll talk about AVATAR here.

WEEK TWO
Lesson Three: Transcending genre writing with the complex unforgettable characters who’ll bring your story to life. Let their problems show in their behavior long before they admit them to themselves and each other. How to create a romantic pair that ought to be together and how to keep them apart.  

Lesson Four: Your supporting cast. Surround your heroine and hero with characters who’ll show off the heroine and hero’s strengths and weaknesses. Build strong minor characters who’ll be able to star in your next book. Make readers beg to see them again.

WEEK THREE
Lesson Five: How to build a meaningful conflict. If you envision a battle of the worlds, who’s the enemy? A strong hero deserves a worthy opponent. Stories move on conflict, and a high stakes conflict makes for the fast-paced exciting plot readers of Futuristic books love. We’ll analyze THE TERMINATOR this week.

Lesson Six: Reaching your goals. Is your story coming together? Does your original idea still excite you, or do you need to brainstorm something new? Have you found ways to enrich your story you didn’t see at first? Have you found ways to continue the adventure in future books? Lay that groundwork now.

WEEK FOUR
Lesson Seven: Maintaining your focus. How to weave the romance through the whole book. If you can give your hero and heroine a common mission so they’ll be forced to stay together, so much the better. Is this a romance you might want to continue through several books? Nothing is certain in publishing, so you need to give this book a happy ending in case no series comes about.

Lesson Eight: By now, you should have created your Futuristic world, your dynamic characters, and a conflict that might result in the destruction of the universe. All you need do now is write. Let’s talk about what’s going well, and what needs more work. We’ll continue our discussion on Friday.

WHEN:    Mar 19, 2012 - Apr 15, 2012

COST:   $20 for Premium Members
$30 for Basic Members

Cancellation policy: Registrations are non-refundable except when the workshop is cancelled by Savvy Authors.

REGISTRATION:      *** Registration Closed***

INSTRUCTOR:   

Savvy Authors
Phoebe Conn
Always a passionate lover of books, this New York Times bestselling author first answered a call to write in 1980 and swiftly embarked on her own mythic journey. Her first book, LOVE’S ELUSIVE FLAME, was a Zebra historical in 1983. Her 33rd book, a contemporary, DEFY THE WORLD TOMATOES was a November 2010 release from Samhain. Her 34th, WHERE DREAMS BEGIN, debuted at #1 on Samhain’s Romantic Suspense bestsellers list in June, 2011. With more than seven million copies in print of her historical, contemporary and futuristic books written under her own name as well as her pseudonym, Cinnamon Burke, she is as enthusiastic as ever about writing.

A native Californian, Phoebe attended the University of Arizona and California State University at Los Angeles where she earned a BA in Art History and an MA in Education. Her books have won Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Awards and a nomination for Storyteller of the Year. Her futuristic, STARFIRE, won a RomCom award as best Futuristic Romance of the year. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Novelists Inc., PEN, AWritersWork.com and Backlistebooks.com.

She is the proud mother of two grown sons and one adorable grandson, who loves to have her read to him.

Tags:    Craft, Plotting, Genre, Be





*** PERMISSION TO FORWARD GRANTED AND ENCOURAGED ***

Website Instructions

All workshop registrations include FREE Basic Membership in Savvy Authors.

Savvy Authors' workshops are held on a forum: a bulletin board based system. Instead of an invitation to join a loop you will receive a reminder notice one or two days prior to the start of the workshop that includes your user name, password and instructions on how to access the workshop forum. If you have not received instructions by the day the workshop begins, please check your spam filter.

The forum will be available the morning (EST) of the day the workshop starts and will remain accessible to all participants thereafter, even after the workshop ends (unless otherwise stated by the moderator).

Participants can "subscribe" to the forum at any time after receiving initial access to automatically receive notice of all posts made to the forum via email. Participants will receive a link in each email which will take them directly to that area of the forum where one can post a reply.

A moderator is assigned for each workshop and will introduce himself/herself on the first day of class. The moderator is available to answer any website questions, assist the instructor, and address any concerns. We urge every participant to contact the moderator immediately if you feel the workshop experience falls below expectations so we may address issues promptly before the workshop ends. Savvy Authors strives to offer an educational and satisfying workshop experience for everyone, and we treat complaints with utmost urgency.

Questions or concerns may also be sent to workshops@savvyauthors.com.

Payment is due at the time of registration to guarantee your seat in the course. Registrations are non-refundable except when the workshop is cancelled by Savvy Authors.

Upcoming Events:

CHAT: Writing Your Book in Multiple Drafts
Julie Rowe will explain her writing process - writing in writing multiple drafts - from how to write a fast first draft, to the checklist she uses to flesh out, revise and edit her manuscripts one dra... (June 19 - June 19)

WORKSHOP: What's in a Graphic Novel and How to Write One
There's more than drawing to creating a graphic novel. There's also more than writing. It's a bit like film-making, yet not. It's where visual art meets verbal art. If you've ever created plotting col... (June 24 - July 7)

WORKSHOP: The Art of Blurb Writing
“The Art of Blurb Writing” is as helpful with plotting as it is for blurb writing. This workshop is good for a mixed group as it focuses on using the basic Seven Plot Point Structure to create a clea... (June 24 - June 30)

WORKSHOP: Formatting for Effect
In this class, we will learn how to format for effect–from words to sentences to paragraphs to pages to scenes to chapters to novel–we will learn how to effectively format our writing to get the right... (June 24 - July 21)

CHAT: Dealing With Rejection
Rejection. It’s a nasty little word. As writers, we face it. A lot. Whether you are published or not, chances are you’ve experienced the sting of rejection. Join Adrienne Giordano to discuss her four-... (June 26 - June 26)

WORKSHOP: Author Coaching and Mentoring with Kat Duncan
This is a 3-month individualized mentoring program to guide authors through the process of finishing or polishing their target novel. We will schedule mutually convenient times to chat online and you ... (July 1 - September 30)

WORKSHOP: Developing a Monthly E-Newsletter
Want a cost-effective way to build your business by nurturing your present and future customers? Then create an e-newsletter. In this challenging economy, writers should consider the e-newsletter as a... (July 1 - July 21)

WORKSHOP: Great Beginnings
The beginning of your novel can be the most important words you write. The first three chapters can get you an editor or agent. The first 30 pages can net a contest win. But the first page, the first ... (July 1 - July 14)

WORKSHOP: It's Only Words - Taking Your Story & Turning it Into a Published Novel
My name is Teresa D. Jones and I write under the pen name T.D. Jones. It was just a few years ago when I was just like you…dreaming of being a published author. For as long as I can remember I've w... (July 1 - July 14)

WORKSHOP: Social Marketing 101 for Writers
Today there are more opportunities for writers to promote themselves than ever before. One of the biggest tools in the promotional toolbox is social networking. Not only can it be used to inform reade... (July 8 - July 21)