Almost can't believe I'm going back to school. I'll be starting a 10-day residency in June at the Vermont College of Fine Arts in Montpelier. It's a roughly two-year MFA in Writing program that enables students to customize their curriculums and work closely with faculty advisors. I'm looking forward to join this vibrant writing community. Wish me luck!  
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Author Lev Raphael will once again talk about how to avoid writing bad sex scenes in fiction. It's the 2.0 version! Last year, this class was full of laughs and some seriously good suggestions. This year, I'm looking forward to attending Lev's class on Choosing Great Cover Art and how to make wise choices that will appeal to readers.

Mardi Link's workshop for the memoir sounds like another great class. Her memoir of single-motherhood, Bootstrapper, From Broke to Badass on a Michigan Farm, is a...
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It was great to get together with writers from across Michigan April 12 in Lansing. Fleda Brown kicked off the day as the keynote speaker. Lev Raphael's seminar on how to avoid bad sex scenes was as entertaining as it was substantive. I also learned several strategies to write dazzling dialogue at Teresa Crumpton's session. Jen McConnel helped writers better understand the distinctions between Young Adult and New Adult fiction, and Beverly Jenkins offered tons of tips to create lively charact...
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The 2014 Writers' Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison was an enlightening event with keynote speakers including Social Media guru Nathan Bransford, Wisconsin Author Michael Perry and Publishing Industry expert Jane Friedman. I'm proud to announce that I received an honorable mention for Best First Page in Mainstream Literary Fiction.
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I enjoyed Christine DeSmet's revision master class during Write By the Lake this summer and would highly recommend University of Wisconsin-Madison classes and conferences. I've also received a written critique from instructor Laurie Scheer who oversees the literary journal Midwest Prairie Review.This spring, Writers' Institute will bring literary agents into the mix so participants can attend workshops and pitch their books. It sounds like an exciting opportunity. Mark April 4-6, 2014 on your...
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As many of you know, I attended the Taos Summer Writers' Conference. It was all that I had hoped for and more. Summer Wood was a wonderful workshop leader. She kept us on task, and somehow managed to raise everyone up while pointing out specific areas for improvement in each of our novels. Best of all, we had a lot of fun together. Now I'm back to the business of putting what I've learned into practice. So far, the strategies and techniques seem to be working to strengthen the narrative and m...
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I'm pleased to announce that I've been accepted into author Summer Woods' master class at the Taos Summer Writers' Conference. During this weeklong workshop in July, Woods will help me and five other budding authors bring our work to its fuller realization. In the meantime, I will be reading her new book Wrecker as well as the manuscripts of the other participants. It's just the kind of project I've been looking for to develop my writing. I'm also looking forward to taking part in the morning...
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Hi. I'm looking forward to the WD Conference this weekend. It should be very informative and a lot of fun! On Friday there is a meet and greet near the Sheraton Hotel and Towers where the conference is being held. On Saturday there are several workshops and the Pitch Slam in the afternoon. At this event, writers meet with agents. I'm hoping to find an agent who is professional and creative, and as passionate about writing as I am. I will keep you posted! 
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Hi. I've added a blog to my website. I hope you will join in the discussion.
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