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2021 SHOPTALK SCHEDULE

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SHOPTALK PASS PREMIUM ADD-ON

ADDITIONAL COST OF $50 FOR AN UNLIMITED SHOPTALK PASS

We supply the topics and the experts. You bring your questions!

James River Writers is pleased to announce that ShopTalk is returning for the 19th Annual JRW Conference to give you face-to-face advice from professionals in the fields of writing, publishing, and promotion.

Attendees who buy a ShopTalk Pass will be able to drop-in to the ShopTalk \”room\” during any of the six, one-hour periods the room will be open over the course of the two-day conference. Stay ten minutes or the whole hour chatting informally with professionals about your writing questions.

Each hour, five professionals will be available to talk with you about a variety of topics from getting your medical details accurate to navigating self-publishing and everything in between!

Room monitors will be on hand to be sure no one expert is overwhelmed and that ShopTalk attendees have a chance to chat with the professionals to get their questions answered.

To participate in Shoptalk, you must be registered for the conference and select a $50 add-on pass when you submit your registration form. Only a limited number of ShopTalk add-on passes will be sold. If you buy the add-on, we will email instructions to you closer to the conference date. A few ShopTalk sessions, such as writing query letters and first pages critiques will have appointments assigned, and we\’ll contact you about that ahead of time.

All-inclusive JRW members are automatically given ShopTalk access and do not need to pay extra.

Topics and experts are subject to change.

Saturday, October 9, 2021

Session 1: Saturday, 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Self-publishing with Tracee Lydia Garner
Getting Medical Facts Right in Your Fiction with Jeff Schnader
Query Letter appointments with Melissa Sinclair
First Pages Critique Appointments with KT Sparks
Writing Microfiction with Ran Walker

Session 2: Saturday, 10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Writing Action Scenes with Bill Blume
Poetry Matchmaking: Find Your Next Read & Get Tips on Getting the Most out of it with Rosa Castellano
Writing Sex with Alexa J. Day
How to Own Your Story: Getting Your Truth on the Page with Kristina Hamlett
Synopsis Critique Appointments with Melissa Sinclair
First Pages Critique Appointments with Zachary Steele

Session 3: Saturday, 2:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.

A Fail-proof Strategy for Fighting Procrastination with Robin Farmer
Marketing Your Book with J. C. Kang
Nonfiction Book Proposals with Maya Smart
Editing with Kris Spisak
First Pages Critique Appointments with Zachary Steele

Sunday, October 10, 2020

Session 4: Sunday, 10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Worldbuilding with Bill Blume
How to Own Your Story: Getting Your Truth on the Page with Kristina Hamlett
Writing and Producing Plays with Alethea McCollin
Query Letter Appointments with Melissa Sinclair
First Pages Critique Appointments with Zachary Steele

Session 5: Sunday, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Writing Romance with Tracee Lydia Garner
Nonfiction Book Proposals with Kristen Green
Writing and Producing Plays with Alethea McCollin
Getting Medical Facts Right in Your Fiction with Jeff Schnader
First Pages Critique Appointments with KT Sparks
Self-publishing with Steven Smith

Session 6: Sunday, 2:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.

How to Get Eyes on Your Self-Published Book & Boost Sales with Kristi Tuck Austin
Writing Sex with Alexa J. Day
Using Screenwriting Beats to Write Your Novel with Robin Farmer
Wild Dreamers: Brainstorming your Multi-genre, Multi-disciplinary Passion Projects with Derek Kannemeyer
First Pages Critique Appointments with KT Sparks

Select a ShopTalk Pass add-on when you complete your regular conference registration.