Florida Writers Conference 2022

The Florida Writers Conference 2022 took place on Oct. 28-30 at the Hilton Orlando/Altamonte Springs. It’s a great event for meeting other Florida writers from around the state and for exchanging writing and marketing tips.

Since this was a relatively pared down conference compared to previous years, I didn’t attend every session. The booming attendance this year hopefully will encourage conference planners to resume their multi-tract format from previous years. I admit to skipping certain topics in this case that didn’t interest me with no alternative sessions available.

The first thing I attended was the Friday evening cocktail party. This got quite a crowd and I met a lot of interesting people. It was fun to run into some familiar faces, including fellow FWMA members. The Florida Chapter of Mystery Writers of America has their own annual conference, SleuthFest, held in July in Deerfield Beach.

Here I am with my husband Richard, then Sarah N. Fisk, Marlene Stringer, Al Pessin, and Elaine Viets.

            FWACon2022 Cocktail Party

Screenwriting Workshop

Saturday morning after a hot buffet breakfast, I went to a session on Screenwriting with speaker Jaimie Engle.

   FWACon2022 Screenwriting

 

FWACon2022 Screenwriting2 

Here are some things I gleaned in summary. Any errors are my own:

Follow industry people on LinkedIn.

Enter screenwriting contests.

Action & Dialogue make up a screenplay. Story & Character are the focus of novels.

Specify isolated visual moments for action in a screenplay. Cut on an action and resume on an action. Go from Point A to Point B and let the viewer discern what happened in between. Story is told in between the shots.

Dialogue should have layered character nuances.

Have people say what they want to find out what they need.

Scene changes are location changes, and this costs money.

Start by figuring out:

Character needs or wish song
Theme
What’s the win?
Give it, take it away, then watch what happens.

What’s the win for the character if they get what they want? What happens if you take it away? Or if they get what they want, what else are they going to need next?

Workshop on Dialogue with Julie G. Murphy

Julie discussed how dialogue comes from the writer’s subconscious. It should be invisible, create tension and reveal character.

Royal Palm Literary Awards

   

The gala cocktail party and dinner took place on Saturday evening. My husband and I joined friends Al Pessin, Elaine Viets, and Daphne Nikolopoulos at a table. We had a delicious dinner while waiting for the ceremony to begin. Congratulations to Al, Elaine, and Daphne who all won awards. I am relegated to Finalist status for the third time in the mystery category.

     

Agent Panel

Sunday morning’s agent panel included Arielle Haughee, Marilyn Allen, Marlene Stringer, Sarah N. Fisk, Jae Worthy Johnson, and Stephanie Katz. I liked their advice that they look for “The Hook, The Book, and the Cook.” The hook is obvious. The Book is about the story and the writing mechanics. And the Cook is about the author. Why are you qualified to write this book and how do you plan to market it? If it’s nonfiction, have a one-liner tagline and offer comp titles that are recent and get good ratings on Amazon. Make the proposal interesting to read. Submission guidelines are on their sites.

Florida Writers Conference 2002 Highlights #FWACon2022 #writingcommunity Share on X

GIVEAWAYS

Booklover’s Bench – Nov. 1-18
Enter Now to win a free book at Booklover’s Bench 

BB Nov 2022 Contest

First in Series Mysteries with Humor – Oct. 17- Nov. 2
Enter Here to win a copy of PERMED TO DEATH, book one in my Bad Hair Day series, along with 45+ First in Series Mysteries with Humor AND a brand new eReader! 

Getting Back into the Groove

The Muse has returned! Now that things are settling on the home front, I am back to writing. I’ve hit page 50 in my WIP that is tentatively titled Styled for Murder. It’s book #17 in the Bad Hair Day mystery series.

PageFifty

What helped was taking my notes and writing a synopsis to put the story into a cohesive whole. Also I wrote out my Cast of Characters, assigning names and finding photos on a royalty-free site to represent my suspects. This was a fun exercise and helped to gel the story in my mind. Here’s one of the suspects. The other shows Marla’s mother Anita and her stepfather Reed.

Construction Worker
Subcontractor

 

Anita Reed
Anita and Reed

Now I go to the computer first thing in the morning. Instead of wrestling with decisions involving the house, I can focus on writing. I get up very early to do this before dawn because once I am distracted, it’s over. If I can get a few pages done, that’s enough to satisfy me. Marketing might not be my priority right now but I need to write the next book.

Then for the rest of the day, I can tackle the other chores on my to-do list, such as dealing with the propane gas company, the gutter people and the tree trimmers. We’re still finding doctors to replace the ones we left behind and that takes time-consuming research. It means tempering our annoyance when the PA shows up for our appointment and says the specialist isn’t there. But the list is getting shorter. Then maybe we can branch out and enjoy our surroundings like described in our farm trip below.

It’s a good feeling to be writing again. Marla is back in my head and the setting is familiar. Now I only have to channel the story and see where it takes me. I’d much rather be visualizing Marla’s antics than making decisions on which vendor to hire.

GIVEAWAYS

Last Day! Enter Here to win 7 free cozy mysteries from Booklover’s Bench in our February anniversary celebration! 

Giveaway Booklover's Bench

 

Enter Feb. 12-22 to win a signed paperback from my collection and a promo packet for each of 3 winners. Go Here to Enter

Contest Feb21

Florida Writers Organizations

I’ve compiled a list of Florida writers organizations for those of you seeking like-minded individuals in the state. It’s by no means an exhaustive list, so feel free to add to it or adapt it for your needs. But if you’re new to our semi-tropical paradise and are looking to get connected with other writers, I hope this group list will help.

Florida Chapter of MWA (Mystery Writers of America)
http://www.mwaflorida.org/
SleuthFest (annual conference)

Sisters in Crime Chapters
https://www.sistersincrime.org/

Citrus Crime Writers
Central Florida Chapter
https://citruscrimewriters.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/citruscrimewriters/

Florida Gulf Coast Sisters in Crime
Sarasota
http://flgcsinc.com
https://www.facebook.com/FloridaGulfCoastSistersinCrim/

Florida Treasure Coast Chapter
https://www.facebook.com/FTCCSinC

Northeast Florida Sisters in Crime
Jacksonville
https://nefloridasistersincrime.org/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/756160537854016/

Florida Chapters of RWA (Romance Writers of America)
https://www.rwa.org/

Central Florida Romance Writers
Orlando
https://www.cfrwa.com/

First Coast Romance Writers
Jacksonville
https://www.firstcoastromancewriters.com/

Florida Romance Writers, Inc.
Miami/Ft. Lauderdale/Palm Beach
http://www.frwriters.org

Southwest Florida Romance Writers
Naples/Fort Myers
http://www.swfrw.org

SpacecoasT Authors Of Romance
Melbourne
http://www.authorsofromance.com/

Other Florida Writers Groups

Florida Authors and Publishers Association
http://www.myFAPA.org
FAPA Conference; President’s Book Awards

Florida Writers Association
http://www.floridawriters.net/
Satellite Groupshttps://floridawriters.net/membership/writers-groups/
Florida Writers Conference; Royal Palm Literary Awards

Florida West Coast Writers, Inc. (formerly Tampa Area Romance Writers)
Tampa
https://www.fwcwriters.com/

Gulf Coast Writers Association, Inc.
Fort Myers
http://www.gulfwriters.org

Orlando Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers
Orlando
https://www.meetup.com/Orlando-Science-Fiction-and-Fantasy-Writers/

Pine Island Writers
St. James City
http://www.pineislandwriters.org/

Sarasota Creative Writers Meet-up Group
Sarasota
http://www.meetup.com/The-Sarasota-Creative-Writers-Meetup-Group/

Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Group of JX
Jacksonville
https://www.meetup.com/SFFJAX/

Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
Florida Region
https://florida.scbwi.org/

South Florida Writer’s Association
Miami
http://southfloridawritersassn.org/

Space Coast Writers Guild
Melbourne
http://www.scwg.org/

Writers Groups by Location
http://writersrelief.com/writing-groups-for-writers/#florida

List of Florida Writers Organizations #writingcommunity #Floridawriters Share on X

Packing Checklist for a Writers Conference

SleuthFest is on the horizon, and I’m already gathering materials for what I’ll need to bring. Writers’ conferences require advance preparation, especially if you’ll be speaking on a panel or giving a writing workshop. You’ve already determined your goals in participating, some of which may be referenced here: https://nancyjcohen.com/benefits-of-writers-conferences/

Aside from determining your objectives—i.e. attending specialized craft sessions, learning about new publishing options, meeting editors, making new author friends, greeting fans—there’s the physical prep. Here’s a checklist of things to bring. (Note – This is an update to a previous post.)

Writers Conferences

Prepare for your talks. If you’re a panelist, it can be easier because you might not have to do much prep other than jotting down some notes about the points you want to get across. Moderator-run panels in general mean more work for the moderator but less work for the panel guests, unless you are each expected to present your material for xx minutes.

If you are conducting a workshop on your own, you’ll need to compose or update your material, prepare a PowerPoint presentation if desired, and make copies of handouts. Sometimes the conference coordinators will offer to make the copies for you. Bring your laptop or thumb drive with these files and another flash drive for backup.

If you’re speaking on different topics, assemble each handout in a separate manila envelope to keep them organized.

Order business cards unless you have them already in stock. Consider updating them with QR codes or with your social network URLs.

Design, order, and pack brochures, bookmarks, and/or postcards about your books. Bring along display containers so they don’t get strewn across the promo tables. That’s assuming your conference has space available for this purpose. If not, you can hand them out at your workshop or as you meet people one-on-one.

Design, order, and pack swag for the promo tables or goody room. These are items such as magnets, pens, door hangers, candy, and other giveaways. If you are driving, toss a box of extra books into your trunk in case the on-site bookseller doesn’t get your books in time or is unable to obtain copies of a particular title.

Bring a checkbook in case the bookseller offers to sell you leftover stock at a discounted price. Bring cash for raffle tickets, drinks at the bar, gratuities and other incidentals.

Pack a book or two to display at your presentations and panels.

Bring a copy of your receipts showing your registration and any other special paid events.

If you’re donating a raffle basket, either get your materials to the coordinator ahead of time or bring the basket prepared and ready to go.

Bring a signup sheet for your newsletter to circulate at your workshop and to put out at signings.

Print out the conference workshop schedule and highlight your appearances. List these on your website and other online sites and include these papers in your suitcase.

Bring a highlighter so you can go through the conference schedule and mark sessions you want to attend.

Print out contact info for friends you want to meet at the conference.

Decide which outfits to wear to the different events. Business attire for daytime, dressier clothes for evening? Don’t forget matching accessories.

Determine which gadgets to bring along—iPad or Laptop? Kindle or Nook? Camera to take photos for your blog? Charging devices?

Pack a notebook to take notes if not using an electronic device for this purpose. Later, write blogs about the sessions you attended to share your knowledge. If you intend to paraphrase a large portion, ask permission of the presenter at the end of their session. Or send an email afterward stating your request.

Include Sharpie pens for signing books and ballpoint pens for note taking.

If you belong to a professional writing organization, bring along chapter brochures to hand out to potential members.

What else would you add to this list?

Packing Checklist for a Writers Conference #writers #writingcommunity Share on X

 

 

FAPA Conference – Day Two

I continued to meet new people on Saturday, Aug. 3, at the Florida Authors and Publishers Association (FAPA) conference. Here I had a separate table to sell books in between workshops. Everyone was in the same room, and there was one track per hour, so nobody had to worry about choosing which panel to attend or running to another location.

Michael Joy and Raquel Reyes represented Florida Chapter of MWA at the conference.

First speaker of the day was Ava Doppelt, an intellectual property attorney, who spoke about copyright and trademark issues. She was followed by Tiffany Padgett from Ingram Content Group who told us about the different programs Ingram offers publishers and authors.

I particularly enjoyed Robert Macomber’s talk on Keeping Fans Engaged. He suggested authors bring readers inside the story by sharing your writing experiences, mistakes, and research adventures. Let them meet you in person via your author newsletter, Facebook page, and local reader events. Make your newsletter about your readers, too, such as showing a photo of a fan reading your book or getting your autograph at a signing. The goal, from what I gathered, is to engage your readers as much as possible.

Lunch was a buffet with Italian food and a delicious tiramisu for dessert.

Next it was my turn to speak on “First Class Marketing on a Coach Budget.” This consisted of a Power Point presentation and a 10-page handout.

The last session was by Tara Alemany on Road Map for Success. Then we divided into tables for an “Ask the Experts” Roundtable.

The awards banquet followed, beginning with a cocktail hour. After another buffet meal, we watched the mounted screens displaying the book covers for each award finalist. As our names were called, we went on stage to receive our medal. I received a gold medal for Writing the Cozy Mystery: Expanded Second Edition.

Below I am with my husband in photo one, and with Angelina Assanti, former FAPA president, in photo two.

 

See all my conference photos at https://www.facebook.com/NancyJCohenAuthor/

GIVEAWAY!

Enter to win a free book from the prize vault at Booklovers Bench.

 

FAPA Conference – Day One

Last weekend, I attended the Florida Authors and Publishers Association (FAPA) annual conference. It was held at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace across from Disney Springs in Lake Buena Vista, FL. Outdoors is a beautiful pool area with a covered poolside restaurant and a lazy winding waterway for tube rafts. If you follow the paths, you can find the pedestrian overpass crossing to Disney Springs.

The hotel has a pleasant lobby on the third floor with a large bar/lounge area where you can get drinks and appetizers starting in late afternoon. Our first evening, we enjoyed glasses of wine and a crab cake appetizer. I skipped the Friday workshops so we could settle into our room and explore the environs.

 

Downstairs on the first floor is a sundry shop, a quick-service café offering coffee, sandwiches, ice cream and other snacks, and another small gift boutique. On this level is also a full service restaurant. Friday night, we ate here with the gang from the conference. I had a tasty pasta dish with shredded beef short ribs and mushrooms.

That evening was a welcome cocktail party for conference attendees with a cash bar. We met new friends and greeted authors we already knew, such as Melody and Barry Dimick, Robert N. Macomber, Jane R. Wood, Raquel Reyes and Michael Joy. Angelina Assanti, outgoing FAPA president, did a great job along with the conference committee of organizing the entire weekend event.

Below: Nancy with Michael Joy in first photo and Robert N. Macomber in second photo. See all my conference photos at https://www.facebook.com/NancyJCohenAuthor/

Coming Next: Day Two

GIVEAWAY!

Enter to win a free book from the prize vault at Booklovers Bench.

 

Sleuthfest 2019 – Day 1

Third Degree Thursday at Sleuthfest found me at the registration desk from 1pm to 3pm. I like this volunteer duty because it allows me to greet everyone coming to claim their badges. This is my home conference where I know lots of people (although it helps that I served as chapter president for two years), plus it’s wonderful to spend time with other writers who’ve become friends. It’s like homecoming week for many of us.

sleuthfest

Workshop sessions ran all day, but I used my free time to check into the hotel and unpack in my suite. At 5pm, we attended the welcome talk by conference co-chairs Raquel Reyes and Michael L. Joy followed by a speech by publisher and long-time Sleuthfest friend, Neil Nyren.

I ate dinner in the lobby and hung out with friends, making some new ones in the process. Here I am with my Booklovers Bench pals, Debra H. Goldstein, Cheryl Hollon and Diane A.S. Stuckart.

I didn’t stay up late, wishing to sleep well since my workshop presentation was in the morning. Up in my room, I dropped my heavy digital camera right on my foot that is scheduled for foot surgery in two months. Ouch! So now I lay awake wondering how I’d fit into my dress shoes in the morning.

GIVEAWAY

Go Here to Download 40+ cozy mysteries including my book, HAIR RAISER.

FWA Conference – Day 2

Saturday morning at the Florida Writers Association annual conference found me starting off the workshops with a talk on “Book Promotion on a Budget.”
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Next I attended Penny Sansevieri’s presentation, “Help! My Book Isn’t Selling.”

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A buffet lunch followed with barbecue chicken and accompaniments. Awards were given to youth writers. After lunch, I had a booksigning and later a video interview.
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Then it was time to get ready for the Royal Palm Literary Awards banquet. My family came to support me as a finalist. It was interesting to see the blurbs about each author’s book on big screens as we ate. I didn’t win, so I’ll have to try again next year. I’m still thrilled to have made the finals.
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On Sunday, I attended a workshop “Bring that Action Scene to Life” by author L.E. Perez. I learned a few tips during her entertaining presentation.
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Then I checked out and packed up the car to meet our family for lunch.
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FWA Conference – Day 1

This was my first time attending the Florida Writers Association annual conference. The theme was “What A Character.” I didn’t attend the Thursday all-day workshop with bestselling author David Morrell, but I did hear him speak later on. Instead, I checked into the hotel and went to faculty orientation followed by a general welcome for conference attendees.
Friday morning, things began in earnest with a breakfast buffet at 7am. Scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes, bagels and pastries were on the menu. We sat at genre tables to speak to other writers in our specific categories. Here I am with true crime author Carla Norton.
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First on the agenda was my talk on “Writing the Cozy Mystery.”
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I put away my laptop and attended Carla’s workshop on “True Crime – Stranger than Fiction.”
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Then I wandered through the bookstore organized by Murder on the Beach and the silent auction rooms. Lunch was a bountiful buffet of Italian food.
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At 2pm, I was on a panel titled “Dredging Up Your Dark Side” moderated by Ken Pelham. Also on this panel were Carla Norton, Doug Dandridge, Micki Browning, and Dan Alatorre.
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Later that afternoon, I attended a panel on “Effective Book Marketing with POEM” by speaker Keith Ogorek.
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That evening was a welcome reception with superhero-costumed characters. The picture with a foursome has Carla Norton, Ken Pelham, Vic DiGenti, and literary agent Mark Gottlieb.
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A sit-down dinner was followed by a keynote address from bestselling author Steve Berry.
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To view all my photos, visit my Facebook Author Page. Please Like the page while you are there.
 
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