BDSM for Writers

BDSM for Writers

By LD Madison

Oct 7 – Nov 1, 2013

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION: Want to create a world rich with masters and submissive, whips and chains, leather and ropes? BDSM for Writers is the perfect place to start your trip into mysterious dungeons and fetish clubs.

In this month long workshop, participants will get an overview of BDSM, and should glean sufficient details to use when adding BDSM to their own writing. The workshop will consist of lectures and assignments as well as a day of Q&A.

The content to be presented will be appropriate for authors at all levels of writing experience. And, while there are no specific ‘prerequisites’, an open mind and the desire to learn the ins and outs of weaving believable BDSM into fiction is essential.

Workshop Schedule
Week One: Introduction to BDSM and a look at bondage, discipline, domination and submission
Week Two: Playing with toys, getting to know BDSM equipment, and rules and safety
Week Three: Role playing, setting up a scene and a discussion about dungeons
Week Four: BDSM as a Lifestyle, online resources and course wrap up
End of workshop: Q&A

Lessons and Assignments
Lessons will be posted on a schedule and I will assign homework where the students have to write a short scene – 500 words or less – using information learned in the ‘lesson’. For example, during “All Tied Up”, participants will have to write a scene using Bondage. For “Playing with Toys”, authors would pick one toy and write a scene using it.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER: LD has been writing and researching BDSM subcultures for the past ten years. In addition to publishing erotic romances, LD has a degree in organizational behavior, and is currently working on a graduate degree in criminology.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email at: ldmadison.author@gmail.com.

WORKSHOP FEES: 

$15 for Members

$20 for Non-Members

HOW TO REGISTER:

To pay via PayPal, please send payment to workshops@passionateink.org and make the subject line WORKSHOP: BDSM. Please be sure the information field includes the name and email address you will be using for the workshop.

To pay via check, please make checks payable to Passionate Ink and include WORKSHOP: BDSM in the memo area. Also, please include a note containing the name and email address you will be using for the workshop.

Mail checks to:

Robin L Rotham, Treasurer
P.O. Box 2412
Norfolk, NE 68702

September Workshop

Incorporating Humor Into Your Writing

By Ally Broadfield

September 3-27, 2013

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

Humor is a part of our everyday lives. It can inspire hope, relieve tension, and help connect us to one another. Learning to use humor effectively will enhance your work and may even boost your creativity by challenging you to approach your craft in a new way. Even if your subject matter is serious, the subtle use of humor can help ease tension and give your readers a chance to breathe again after an intense scene. Learning to be funny is one of the most difficult writing skills to master, but as long as you possess a sense of humor, this class will teach you the skills you need to add humor to your storie

Course Syllabus:

Lesson One: What Makes You Laugh?

Lesson Two: The Building Blocks of Humor

Part I: Wordplay

        How Words Sound

        Words with a Hard “K” or Hard “C”Sound are Funny

        Pick a Word that Breaks a Pattern

                    The Rule of Three

                     Put the Funniest Word at the End

                     Use a Thesaurus

        Double Entendre

        Malapropism

Part II: More Tools

                      Simile

                      Metaphor

         Alliteration

         Onomatopoeia

          Phonetic Spelling

                      Satire

          Parody

          Surprise

          Exaggeration

          Mangled Cliché

                      What If?

Lesson Three: Adding Humor to Dialogue

Part I: Dialogue Basics

                      Construction of Paragraphs

                        Punctuation& Rhythm

                        Dialogue Tags & Positioning

                        Dialogue Tags v. Action Tags

                        Pacing

Part II: Modes of Comedic Dialogue

            Word Choice

            Misunderstanding

            Misuse

            Slang

            Specific Terminology

            Vocabulary

            Vulgarity/Profanity

                        Method of Speaking

            Dialect

            Diction

            Loudness/Softness

            Mimicry

            Speed

            Tone

Part III: Action & Narrative

            Action

            Setting

            Internal Dialogue

            Character Names

Lesson Four: Humorous Characters

          Exaggeration

          Reversal of Expectations

          Ridicule

Lesson Five: Situational Humor

         Everyday Situations

         Find the Absurd in a Serious Situation

         Lighten Up a Serious Story with Humor

         Parody

         Satire

        What You Can Learn From Sitcoms

Lesson Six: Physical Humor

Lesson Seven: Things to Avoid

Character Reactions

Telling Jokes

Physical Humor

Be Careful Who You Make Fun Of

Wordplay

Don’t Go Overboard

Lectures will include examples and topics for group discussion, and homework assignments will be used to reinforce lessons. Individual feedback will be provided on all exercises.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER:

A graduate of The George Washington University, Ally Broadfield is a former school librarian whose passion is sharing knowledge. She has participated in several RWA sponsored workshops and has studied every book about writing she’s been able to get her hands on since she decided to stop dabbling and get serious about being published. She is a News Writer for the Best Friends Animal Network and an RWA PRO. Her first manuscript she didn’t consign to the dust bunnies under her bed is currently on submission. She writes historical romance and young adult paranormal/fantasy romance, and is an active member of SCBWI and several RWA chapters, including YARWA, FF&P, HHRW and NTRWA.

WORKSHOP FEES:

$15 for Members
$20 for Non-Members

To pay via PayPal, please send payment to workshops@passionateink.org and make the subject line WORKSHOP: HUMOR. Please be sure the information field includes the name and email address you will be using for the workshop.

To pay via check, please include WORKSHOP: HUMOR in the memo area. Also, please include a note containing the name and email address you will be using for the workshop.

Mail checks to:

Robin L Rotham, Treasurer
P.O. Box 2412
Norfolk, NE 68702

***Permission to forward granted and encouraged.***

August Workshop

Punctuating Your Way to a Contract

By MM Pollard

August 1-28, 2013

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

Are you guilty of apostrophe apathy? Has comma chaos taken over your writing? Does simply thinking about punctuating dialogue give you hives? If so, fear not. During this workshop, MM Pollard, editor with Black Velvet Seductions, will use her unique way of distilling information that will have you punctuating like a pro, and editors will notice. 

MM throws in a bit of humor to make the lessons much more fun than your jr. high English classes were. Cross her heart!

She will cover in this month-long workshop:

Lessons 1, 2: apostrophe use with singular and plural nouns; to show dual ownership; with numbers, dates, letters, and words mentioned as words;

Lessons 3-8: comma use in introductory words and phrases, in non-restrictive clauses and participial phrases; commas in compound and complex sentences; the dreaded comma splice; dash and parentheses use and how they differ from commas; the comma conventions;

Lessons 9, 10: punctuation in dialogue; comma, period, question mark, quotation marks, em-dash, and ellipises

Lesson 11: those other marks you have no clue how to use but might need to some day because you are a writer – hyphens, slashes, italics, quotation marks not in dialogue, colons.

Lesson 12: review of all punctuation marks covered in workshop

Yes, there will be homework with each lesson. MM was an English teacher for fifteen years, after all.

Reward for doing your homework: If you post all of your homework when due, she’ll proofread your 1,000-word submission for grammar, usage, and punctuation errors.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER:

As an English teacher and acquisitions editor for Black Velvet Seductions, MM Pollard has had the mission to find ungrammatical grammar, misused usage, and problematic punctuation in others’ writing. Mistakes seem to jump off the page for her – yes, she’s that good.

Her goal is to teach writers what they need to know about English grammar, usage, and punctuation so that they won’t need an editing service to correct their mistakes in these areas.

MM has presented or will present workshops for Muse Online Writers Conference, Savvy Authors, Writers Online Classes, Novelists at Work, and Orange County Chapter RWA, in addition to those in her virtual classroom.

WORKSHOP FEES:

$15 for Members
$20 for Non-Members

To pay via PayPal, please send payment to workshops@passionateink.org and make the subject line WORKSHOP: PUNCTUATING. Please be sure the information field includes the name and email address you will be using for the workshop.

To pay via check, please include WORKSHOP: PUNCTUATING in the memo area. Also, please include a note containing the name and email address you will be using for the workshop.

Mail checks to:

Robin L Rotham, Treasurer
P.O. Box 2412
Norfolk, NE 68702

***Permission to forward granted and encouraged.***

May Workshop

De-Mystifying Ménage

By Louisa Bacio

May 6- June 2, 2013

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

4-week course/Mixed audience

How do you write a love scene between a vampire and a werewolf and make it believable? How about sliding a third lover into the common bed? De-Mystifying Ménage explores the titillating combinations of sex with multiple partners.

The course builds upon establishing basic chemistry between characters to developing realistic storylines to finally describing the acrobatic acts.

Come prepared to build up a sweat writing, and leave your shyness at the door.

Topics Include:

Week 1:

Lesson 1:  Why write ménage? What’s happening in the market, and what’s selling?

Lesson 2:  Setting up the triangle: Characterization/motivation and the psychological dynamics of a love triangle

Week 2:

Lesson 4: Let’s talk about Sex: Terminology & How hot do you want it?

            First look: Male/Female

Lesson 5: What’s fur got to do with it? Genre Setting and Genre Blurring

            Bringing in Paranormal Elements

Week 3:

Lesson 5: Bedroom Acrobatics: Writing a sex scene with three people

            Same-Sex Scenes

Lesson 6: Complications & Conflict

Week 4:

Lesson 7: The Ending: Happily Ever After with a Threesome

Lesson 8: The Publication Process: A look at Calls for Submission and the Query Letter

At least two lectures/assignments per week

ABOUT THE PRESENTER:

Louisa Bacio writes paranormal and contemporary erotic romance. Bacio’s writing crosses genres, from the traditional m/f pairings to m/m/f in “The Vampire, The Witch & the Werewolf: A New Orleans Threesome.” Her novel “Sex University: All-Girls Academy” features a f/f/f foray.

Bacio also teaches college courses in writing, and edits romance for several publishing houses. She’s also highly involved with her local chapter, OCC/RWA.  

WORKSHOP FEES:

$15 for Members
$20 for Non-Members

To pay via PayPal, please send payment to workshops@passionateink.org and make the subject line WORKSHOP:MÉNAGE. Please be sure the information field includes the name and email address you will be using for the workshop.

To pay via check, please include WORKSHOP:MÉNAGE in the memo area. Also, please include a note containing the name and email address you will be using for the workshop.

Mail checks to:

Robin L Rotham, Treasurer
P.O. Box 2412
Norfolk, NE 68702

***Permission to forward granted and encouraged.***

April Workshop

Writing Sex: Exploring the Elements of Erotic Same-sex Scenes

in Short Stories and Novels

by Radclyffe

April 24-May 1, 2013

WORKSHOP IS NOW FULL! Be sure to check out the other workshops for the rest of the year at the Passionate Ink Website. 

Shay MacLean
Passionate Ink Workshop Coordinator

March Workshop

Got High Concept?

By Lori Wilde

March 4-29, 2013

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION: Do you want to razzle-dazzle editors? Earn a bigger advance? Create media buzz for your book? Inspire Hollywood to come knocking? The way to achieve these goals is to come up with a dynamic high concept pitch that will knock the socks of editors and agents alike.

                                           

This workshop is designed to provide you with the tools you’ll need to mold your story idea into an intriguing one sentence pitch that can magically unlock closed doors. It’s simply the most effective way to capture a publisher’s interest.

This workshop will cover the following topics:

1. A step-by-step method for creating a high concept.

2. First aid for low concept books

3. Ways to make a high concept even better

4. Where to find high concept ideas

5. How to think like a high concept writer

6. Creativity and brainstorming exercises

7. Hints and tips from top industry insiders

8. Examples of high concept stories

ABOUT THE PRESENTER: New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Lori Wilde has sold 69 novels and novellas to four major New York Publishing houses. She holds a bachelors degree in nursing from Texas Christian University and a certificate in forensics. She has also served as the RWA National conference workshop chair and PAN retreat chair. In 2007 she was honored by her local college as alumna of the year.

 Lori is a two-time RITA finalist and has four times been nominated for Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award. She’s won the Colorado Award of Excellence, the Wisconsin Write Touch Award, The Lories, The More Than Maggie, the Golden Quill, The Laurel Wreath and The BestBooks of 2006 Book Award.

Her books have been translated into 25 languages and excerpted in Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Complete Woman, All You and Quick and Simplemagazines. She lives in Texas with her husband, Bill.

WORKSHOP FEES:

$15 for Members
$20 for Non-Members

To pay via PayPal, please send payment to workshops@passionateink.org and make the subject line WORKSHOP: HIGH CONCEPT. Please be sure the information field includes the name and email address you will be using for the workshop.

To pay via check, please include WORKSHOP: HIGH CONCEPT in the memo area. Also, please include a note containing the name and email address you will be using for the workshop.

Mail checks to:

Robin L Rotham, Treasurer
P.O. Box 2412
Norfolk, NE 68702

***Permission to forward granted and encouraged.***

February Workshop Cancelled

The February workshop, Authors VS Editors has been cancelled. We apologize for any inconveniences this may have caused.

Thank you.

~Shay MacLean, Passionate Ink Workshop Coordinator