2024 Colorado Gold Writers Conference: Full Schedule

Welcome, writers! If you have any questions about the schedule or the conference at large, please refer to the conference website at rmfw.org/conference or email conference@rmfw.org.

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1:30pm MDT

Horror Comedy: Make Your Readers Laugh & Scream

Friday September 27, 2024 1:30pm - 2:20pm MDT

Conference Room VII

Horror and comedy are both about tension, the build up and the payoff. When we meld the two together, we get the fear of the scare and the release of the laugh. Using recent TV and movies as examples, we’ll walk through how to write horror comedy. Learn to leave your readers terrified and giggling.

Speakers

Angela Sylvaine

Author

Angela Sylvaine is a self-proclaimed cheerful goth who writes speculative fiction and poetry. Her debut novel, Frost Bite, a ‘90s sci-fi horror comedy, and her debut short story collection, The Dead Spot: Stories of Lost Girls are out now. Her short fiction and poetry have appeared... Read More →

Horror Comedy Make Your Readers Laugh and Scream Handout pdf

Friday September 27, 2024 1:30pm - 2:20pm MDT
Conference Room VII

Conference Rom VII

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Genre, Craft

1:30pm MDT

How to Write a Synopsis Without Crying First

Friday September 27, 2024 1:30pm - 2:20pm MDT

Conference Room I

It doesn’t have to be the “Dreaded Synopsis”. It can be the efficient, well-written synopsis that highlights your premise and stand-out voice, all without making you want to give up writing. We’ll cover a Synopses Writing Recipe using Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King as examples.

Speakers

Mira Landry

Associate Literary Agent, Corvisiero Literary Agency

Mira Landry is an associate literary agent with Corvisiero literary agency, currently acquiring upmarket and literary YA and Adult fiction. After a decade building her own business as a photographer, she’s eager to help authors turn their art into a career. As a chair on the Rocky... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 1:30pm - 2:20pm MDT
Conference Room I

Conference Room I

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Publishing
Area Hybrid

1:30pm MDT

What Makes a Story a Romance? A Beginner's Guide to the Most Popular Fiction Genre

Friday September 27, 2024 1:30pm - 3:20pm MDT

Conference Room VI

What makes Romance a Romance, and why are stories like Gone With The Wind, Anna Karenina, and books by Nicolas Sparks not considered Romance? Join Beverly for an introductory deep dive into the genre, to include subjects like popular tropes, sub genres, characters, themes, readers, writers, the changes the genre has gone through since the early ‘90s, whether the genre is feminist or not, and why it’s the best selling genre in publishing.

Speakers

Beverly Jenkins

USA Today Bestselling Author

Although she was the editor of her elementary school’s newspaper in the 4th grade – The Myra Jones Elementary School COMET – Bev had no dreams of being a writer. Her dream job was to work in a library.She was living that dream when Avon Books called on June 3, 1993 – her husband’s... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 1:30pm - 3:20pm MDT
Conference Room VI

Conference Room VI

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Genre

2:30pm MDT

A Survivor’s Guide to Pitching: Before, During, and After the Pitch

Friday September 27, 2024 2:30pm - 3:20pm MDT

Conference Room I

Pitching your novel to an agent or editor? Great! But how should you prepare for this nerve-wracking meeting? And what happens afterwards? In this presentation, a pitch survivor reveals secrets of what to do before, during, and after your pitch to take your pitch session from awkward to awesome.

Speakers

Kelley Lindberg

Award-Winning Author

Kelley J. P. Lindberg writes award-winning fiction for adults and young adults, with stories appearing in literary magazines such as The Baltimore Review and The Citron Review, anthologies such as RMFW’s Bizarre Bazaar and Pikes Peak Writers’ Journey into Possibility, and in the... Read More →

Lindberg Survivor Guide to Pitching Handout pdf

Friday September 27, 2024 2:30pm - 3:20pm MDT
Conference Room I

Conference Room I

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Publishing
Area Hybrid

2:30pm MDT

The Truth About Swords & Armory

Friday September 27, 2024 2:30pm - 3:20pm MDT

Conference Room VII

Swords too heavy to swing? Studded leather armor? Pop culture is filled with misconceptions about armored combat throughout the ages. Learn how to defeat these fallacies and create consistency in your worldbuilding when it comes to combat, weapons, and armor.

Speakers

J.E. Zarnofsky

Author

J.E. Zarnofsky is a writer, costumer, larper, and devotee of dark and heartfelt fantasy. Her debut novel, Tides of Blood, will be published in 2024 by Raven Canticle Press. Apart from her day job in software, she can be observed in her natural habitats of coffee shops, ice rinks... Read More →

Swords and Armor pdf

Friday September 27, 2024 2:30pm - 3:20pm MDT
Conference Room VII

Conference Room VII

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Genre

3:30pm MDT

The Quintessential Query

Friday September 27, 2024 3:30pm - 4:20pm MDT

Conference Room VII

This workshop outlines the dos and don’ts of the query process. It includes (1) an overview of the querying process and how it works, (2) how to find an agent, (3) how to format a query letter, (4) what information should and should not be included in a query letter, (5) and a step-by-step walk-through a sample query letter.

Speakers

Cathie Hedrick-Armstrong

Literary Agent, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency

Cathie Hedrick-Armstrong is a Literary Agent at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency, and is a member of the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA). With eight years of industry experience and a published author herself, Cathie has been on both sides of the querying process and takes... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 3:30pm - 4:20pm MDT
Conference Room VII

Conference Room VII

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Publishing

3:30pm MDT

Order in The Court

Friday September 27, 2024 3:30pm - 5:20pm MDT

Conference Room III

Court proceedings are presented: Arrest, bail, preliminary hearings, voir dire, the actual trial. Also covered expert witnesses, cross-examination, when hearsay is allowable. One should avoid counterfactual situations, although there can be excitement and plot twists in the proceedings above.

Speakers

Laura Manuel

Retired Law Enforcement Officer

Laura Manuel was a law enforcement officer (LEO) for 21 years in Virginia & Colorado. She was a patrol officer and later an investigator in Person's crimes. Her B.A. was from the University of Michigan, M.A. and Ph.D. from UNC in Psychology. She taught Psychology and Criminal Justice... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 3:30pm - 5:20pm MDT
Conference Room III

Conference Room III

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Genre

4:30pm MDT

Using Project Management to Write Your Novel

Friday September 27, 2024 4:30pm - 5:20pm MDT

Conference Room I

Learn how to organize your writing life using skills and techniques corporations spend millions on to complete their projects If you can’t finish your novel, don’t know where to start, or you just want to organize your life like a pro, this class was made for you.

Speakers

A. Z. Sultana

Author

A.Z. Sultana has been writing for ten years. She has a bachelor's in marketing and a master's in library science. She has had over 80 paying jobs (not gigs, actual w2 jobs or under the table) which lends her a wealth of experience in many fields as well as a misspent youth. She is... Read More →

PM for Writers docx

Friday September 27, 2024 4:30pm - 5:20pm MDT
Conference Room I

Conference Room I

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Productivity
Area Hybrid

4:30pm MDT

Level Up Your Writing Craft

Friday September 27, 2024 4:30pm - 5:20pm MDT

Conference Room VII

The first step toward writing success is not brand or publishing choice, but producing a story that engages, satisfies, and delights readers. Let’s look at five solid techniques to take our writing to the next level, avoiding common pitfalls and separating our fiction from the common run.

Speakers

Carol Berg

Award-Winning Author

Carol Berg writes epic, mythic, and adventure fantasy novels and short fiction under her own name and her pseudonym, Cate Glass. Her eighteen novels have won national and international awards, including four Colorado Book Awards and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 4:30pm - 5:20pm MDT
Conference Room VII

Conference Room VII

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Craft

4:30pm MDT

Punched Up Pitches: Better Blurbs and Queries

Friday September 27, 2024 4:30pm - 5:20pm MDT

Conference Room VIII

Whether you are writing a query letter or back cover copy, it’s important to know how to sell your book through a concise, exciting blurb. We’ll look at winning examples and techniques to help you write a blurb that sells.

Speakers

David R. Slayton

Author

David R. Slayton (He/Him) grew up in Guthrie, Oklahoma, where finding fantasy novels was pretty challenging and finding fantasy novels with diverse characters was downright impossible. Now he lives in Denver and writes the books he always wanted to read. His debut, White Trash Warlock... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 4:30pm - 5:20pm MDT
Conference Room VIII

Conference Room VIII

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Publishing