Women Writing the West Building Better Learning banner
A Member educational benefit

Building Better Learning with Women Writing the West

Join WWW for exciting webinars, speaking events and classes on topics of interest to writers of the West.

Upcoming Events:

Five Foolproof Steps to an Airtight Plot 

Map Out a Rock-solid Plan for Writing and Revising Your Story 

One-Hour Webinar | Cost: $10.00
Presenter: Tiffany Yates Martin

New Date: Saturday, June 8, 2024
2:00 PM

Teacher: Tiffany Yates Martin
Tiffany Yates Martin has spent nearly thirty years as an editor in the publishing industry, working with major publishers and New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling and award-winning authors as well as indie and newer writers. She is the founder of FoxPrint Editorial and author of Intuitive Editing: A Creative and Practical Guide to Revising Your Writing. She is a regular contributor to writers’ outlets like Writer’s Digest, Jane Friedman, and Writer Unboxed, and a frequent presenter and keynote speaker for writers’ organizations around the country. Under her pen name, Phoebe Fox, she is the author of six novels. Visit her at www.foxprinteditorial.com.

Registration will open in early April


Upping the Emotion

A two-week intensive course

Presenter: Shirley Jump
Cost: $90.00

New Date: July 15 – 26

Laugh and cry—or make your characters do it during this two-week intensive class on Upping Emotion. Learn how details can make a big difference between a scene that falls flat and one that makes the reader fall in love.
Hands-on homework with critiques will give students immediate feedback, helping them take the emotion up a notch or two in every single scene.

The Teacher: Shirley Jump
Shirley Jump is an award-winning, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Amazon, and USA Today bestselling author who has published more than 80 books in 24 countries. As an editor, she has edited more than 100 books in a variety of genres. She specializes in helping her clients turn the jigsaw puzzle of their idea into a book that not only stands out in a crowded marketplace but is also engaging and unforgettable.

What’s keeping you from finishing—or starting—that story you’ve been dying to tell? Why haven’t you completed that novel you’re burning to write, the one that’s been percolating in your head for weeks, months, maybe even years?

If you’re like a lot of writers, you might be stuck on plotting. Wrestling your characters and ideas into a strong, cohesive, propulsive story can get overwhelming, especially when you get “lost in the forest,” so deep in the woods you can’t see daylight—or the way out. Maybe all those ideas swirling in your head get muddled together and you can’t figure out what’s intrinsic to the story, or what goes where. Maybe you just lose steam and are thinking of abandoning the project altogether. But plotting doesn’t have to be a many-headed Hydra. Whether you’re just beginning your first manuscript or you’re a seasoned writer with many stories under your belt, whether you’re a plotter or a pantser, the five clear, workable steps I lay out in this course will give you a solid, actionable road map for your story—a clear, workable guide to make sure you’re keeping momentum strong as you propel readers steadily through your story to a satisfying, cohesive conclusion.

Here’s what you’ll learn:
∙ Why plot doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and how yours can stall right out of the gate if you don’t lay the proper groundwork
∙ How to define and identify the major “mile markers” for your plot that will begin to create the framework for the entire story
∙ How to determine what steps XX on the route toward each major mile marker
∙ How to chart your structure on a clear, specific diagram that will serve as a visual and XX road map to focus your first drafting at every step of your writing—whether you like to know every single step of the journey before you begin, or leave yourself open to discoveries and development along the way ∙ How to “proof” the road map before you even begin to make sure you don’t wind up on detours, in dead ends, or lost in the forest.
At the end of this course, if you work the steps—whether you do all five steps in a day, five days, or five weeks—you will have a clear, specific, actionable, adaptable tool to keep you on course throughout the entire first draft, and be ready to start writing.
The course also includes handouts, diagrams, and worksheets to guide you along every step of the path.
Who this course is for:
If you…

∙ Are intimidated to even sit down and begin the story you’ve been dreaming of
∙ Are stalling out, losing momentum midway through a story that started strong
∙ Are preparing for NaNoWriMo and want a clear framework to guide you, and give you the best chance of success
∙ Have finished a draft and aren’t sure how to assess and revise to make it strong, tight, and polished
∙ Want to know how to create a practical, actionable “road map” for your writing that you can adapt to your style, your voice, and each individual story, whether you’re a pantser or a plotter

WWW is honored to be awarded the Colorado Creative Industries Colorado Creates Grant which supports our programs, services, and activities.

Are you enjoying the WWW Educational Events?

Your donation to WWW supports this and other Women Writing the West programs and events, 
and is fully tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. (Federal ID#: 84-1297060)