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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8:00am MDT

Writing Scenes With Multiple Characters

Saturday September 28, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am MDT

Conference Room II

This session will help participants understand how to craft scenes with multiple characters while also building plot and developing distinct character voices. Help your reader focus on your story, not on figuring out who is speaking!

Speakers

Kendra Griffin

Author

Kendra Griffin is a professor, developmental editor, and author who has never met a good dog or a good underdog she didn’t love. Kendra has an MA in literature, teaches creative writing for Aims Community College, is a member of RMFW and Borderlands Writers, and edits for Status... Read More →

Writing Scenes with Multiple Characters for RMFW 2024handout pdf

Saturday September 28, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am MDT
Conference Room II

Conference Room II

Topic Workshop
Audience Intermediate
Subject Craft
Area Hybrid

8:00am MDT

Unlock Your Story's Inciting Incident

Saturday September 28, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am MDT

Conference Room IV

Do you know the event that kickstarts your story? Do you worry that there isn’t enough tension or conflict? In this workshop, we’ll review techniques to develop an engaging and compelling inciting incident — the crucial scene that serves as a catalyst for your protagonist.

Speakers

Jacquelin Cangro

Independent Developmental Editor & Book Coach

Jacquelin Cangro worked at Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster for more than twenty years. Now, as an independent developmental editor and book coach, she’s reviewed hundreds of novel manuscripts, providing writers with feedback to revise their stories. Her areas of interest... Read More →

Unlock Your Story's Inciting Incident Handout pdf

Saturday September 28, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am MDT
Conference Room IV

Conference Room IV

Topic Workshop
Audience Intermediate
Subject Craft

8:00am MDT

The Power of Now

Saturday September 28, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am MDT

Conference Room VII

What is the white-hot core of character motivation? What sets your characters in motion? Why does anybody do anything? How does ink on the page make us feel something? How do we build empathy for fictional characters, both good and bad? How do you help readers connect a plausible, grounded story?

Speakers

Mark Stevens

2023 Writer of The Year

Author of The Fireballer and five books in The Allison Coil Mystery Series. Short stories in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Mystery Tribune, two RMFW anthologies, and others. Host of the Rocky Mountain Writer podcast. RMFW Writer of the Year (2016 and 2023). Previous RMFW President... Read More →

Saturday September 28, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am MDT
Conference Room VII

Conference Room VII

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Craft

9:00am MDT

Writing to Theme

Saturday September 28, 2024 9:00am - 9:50am MDT

Conference Room V

From the lighthouse of intent, to hard questions, symbols, subplots and echoes, the class will encourage the writer to plumb the depths of meaning, bleed a little, and create multiple strands of meaning in their work. Class will offer concrete examples and methods to tease out your ideas.

Speakers

Johnny Worthen

Award-Winning Author

Johnny Worthen is an award-winning, multiple-genre author of novels and short stories.His best-selling science fiction series Coronam, beginning with Of Kings, Queens & Colonies, then Of Civilized, Saved & Savages and now complete with Of Heroes, Homes & Honey, is an epic tale in... Read More →

Saturday September 28, 2024 9:00am - 9:50am MDT
Conference Room V

Conference Room V

Topic Workshop
Audience Advanced
Subject Craft
Area Hybrid

9:00am MDT

Conflict: The Art & Craft of Toil & Trouble

Saturday September 28, 2024 9:00am - 10:50am MDT

Conference Room III

All stories are about trouble and the toil required of characters to overcome it. Excellent trouble is at 2 levels: the external story that is measurable with a satisfying ending; the internal story based upon fears and motivations that sets this character’s trouble apart from all others.

Speakers

Sharon Mignerey

Author

Sharon Mignerey is one of the founding members of RMFW, which has been her writing home since the beginning. She is the author of thirteen novels in romance and women's fiction, and one non-fiction title. She holds an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction. A frequent presenter at local and... Read More →

The Art and Craft of Conflict Mignerey pdf

Saturday September 28, 2024 9:00am - 10:50am MDT
Conference Room III

Conference Room III

Topic Workshop
Audience Intermediate
Subject Craft

10:00am MDT

Back to The Past: Writing Backstory

Saturday September 28, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am MDT

Conference Room II

Backstory can be a powerful tool in fiction, creating empathy with readers. It can also drain the energy from a piece, creating unnecessary complications and confusion. In this session, we’ll look at how to choose details from a character’s past and smoothly incorporate them into your work.

Speakers

Laurie Marr Wasmund

Author

LAURIE MARR WASMUND has worked as an editor, community college instructor, and writing workshop presenter. Her short stories have appeared in magazines such as CIMARRON REVIEW and WEBER STUDIES. She is the author of MY HEART LIES HERE, a novel of the Ludlow Massacre; CLEAN CUT, A... Read More →

Back to the Past handout docx

Saturday September 28, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am MDT
Conference Room II

Conference Room II

Topic Workshop
Audience Intermediate
Subject Craft
Area Hybrid

10:00am MDT

Showing Emotions on the Page

Saturday September 28, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am MDT

Conference Room IV

Showing emotion creates a strong bond between your characters and readers. We will review core emotions and show how those emotions increase in intensity, depending on the situation. From there, we’ll break down ways to write facial expressions, body language and vocals for a more emotional read.

Speakers

Peggy Waide

Bestselling Author

#1 Amazon bestselling author Peggy entered her first book in the Colorado Gold. The editor offered a contract. She has published four romances with Dorchester. Montlake now publishes her books. She is shopping an amateur sleuth and a romantic suspense. She’s also been a trainer... Read More →

THE ART OF SHOWING EMOTION FINAL pw docx

Saturday September 28, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am MDT
Conference Room IV

Conference Room IV

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Craft

10:00am MDT

Illustrating & Publishing Your Book

Saturday September 28, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am MDT

Conference Room VI

In this session, I’ll talk about how to organize ideas, research your subject, and turn your idea into a finished project you can publish. Whether you’re writing and illustrating a children’s book, a textbook, or a comic, the creative process is the same.

Speakers

Rachael Bush

Author

Rachael Bush published her fourth book, Love on Location, with The Wild Rose Press in 2018 under her pen name, September Roberts. As September, she writes romance that's smoking hot and always happy ever after. As Rachael, she writes the Botany for Everyone series, because everyone... Read More →

Illustrating and Publishing Your Book handout pdf

Saturday September 28, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am MDT
Conference Room VI

Conference Room VI

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Genre, Craft, Publishing

11:00am MDT

How to Use Hollywood Scene Writing Techniques For Your Novel

Saturday September 28, 2024 11:00am - 11:50am MDT

Conference Room V

What do we love about a good movie or TV show? Great scenes that move the story along and keep us glued to the screen. This workshop will show you how to use proven screenwriting techniques to write scenes for your novel to ensure that your audience (and agent!) will turn every page.

Speakers

Kevin Campbell

Author

A 40-year television, film, and education veteran, Kevin Campbell started his career as a TV news journalist. He produced hundreds of news stories as well as TV commercials, marketing videos, and education/training content. He also taught video production for high school and college... Read More →

Ultimate Scene Card pdf

Saturday September 28, 2024 11:00am - 11:50am MDT
Conference Room V

Conference Room V

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Craft
Area Hybrid

1:30pm MDT

Characterization Through Orientation & Identity

Saturday September 28, 2024 1:30pm - 3:20pm MDT

Conference Room III

Writing different genders, gender identities, and sexual orientations can seem like a minefield. But writing LGBTQ+ representation in a respectful manner isn’t as scary as it seems. During this workshop, we’ll dive into identity spectrums, inherent gender bias in English, and more.

Speakers

October K Santerelli

Author

October K Santerelli is a local author from Denver, Colorado. He identifies as queer and disabled, and writes characters that share his life experiences. His works are primarily fantasies, ranging from dark to epic and everything in between. His debut novel, City of Day (Nightfall... Read More →

LGBT dictionary docx

Saturday September 28, 2024 1:30pm - 3:20pm MDT
Conference Room III

Conference Room III

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Craft

2:30pm MDT

Becoming a Plotter

Saturday September 28, 2024 2:30pm - 3:20pm MDT

Conference Room VII

If you’ve ever set down to write with a pocket full of vibes, you may be a pantser. But what feels good in the moment can cause you to curl into the fetal position when complicated revisions come knocking. What can a pantser do? Plot. No, seriously. Let me show you plot is not a four-letter word.

Speakers

Kim Lajevardi

Award-Winning Author

I'm a former teacher who traded the insanity of middle school science for that of working all day, every day with my family. What could go wrong? I've written two upmarket books both of which have either won or been recognized in Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer's Gold, Pikes Peak's... Read More →

Saturday September 28, 2024 2:30pm - 3:20pm MDT
Conference Room VII

Conference Room VII

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Craft

3:30pm MDT

Secondary Characters Need Loving Too

Saturday September 28, 2024 3:30pm - 4:20pm MDT

Conference Room VI

Secondary characters complete a cast needed for depth in a novel. Each character has a role to play, often working with or against the main characters. Do they help, impede or motivate, or are they a lesser player? Discover how to develop their roles and relationships for a fun and dynamic read.

Speakers

Peggy Waide

Bestselling Author

Saturday September 28, 2024 3:30pm - 4:20pm MDT
Conference Room VI

Conference Room VI

Topic Workshop
Audience Intermediate
Subject Craft

3:30pm MDT

Do "I" or Don't "I"? Using First Person in Fiction

Saturday September 28, 2024 3:30pm - 5:20pm MDT

Conference Room IV

Dramatic and immediate when it’s done right, excruciating when it’s done poorly, the first person point of view should be a tool in every writer’s toolbox. Some popular genres almost demand it. Learn and practice techniques, pleasures, and pitfalls of writing in first person.

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 →

Do I or Don't I 2024 Handout docx

Saturday September 28, 2024 3:30pm - 5:20pm MDT
Conference Room IV

Conference Room IV

Topic Workshop
Audience Intermediate
Subject Craft

3:30pm MDT

Let's Rewrite a Famous Scene Together

Saturday September 28, 2024 3:30pm - 5:20pm MDT

Conference Room VII

Learn from your heroes. We go into a meticulous study of a single scene from a famous book, interrogating every decision, every word choice, made by the author. Then we see if we can rewrite it.

Speakers

Oliver Blakemore

Author

Oliver has been writing novels since he was twelve. He’s written fifteen books, and two of them may even be worth reading. He spent four years as a technical writer and six years in brand marketing as a content writer. His credentials include a hard head and nine Honorable Mentions... Read More →

Saturday September 28, 2024 3:30pm - 5:20pm MDT
Conference Room VII

Conference Room VII

Topic Workshop
Audience Intermediate
Subject Craft

4:30pm MDT

Heinlein's Five Rules of Writing

Saturday September 28, 2024 4:30pm - 5:20pm MDT

Conference Room II

A discussion of Robert Heinlein’s famous “Five Rules of Writing.” These pragmatic, practical and practiced directives are for the working author and are the very career-enabling tips that steered a blue collar scribbler to becoming one of the seminal voices of his age. But are they still valid?

Speakers

Johnny Worthen

Award-Winning Author

Saturday September 28, 2024 4:30pm - 5:20pm MDT
Conference Room II

Conference Room II

Topic Workshop
Audience Intermediate
Subject Craft
Area Hybrid