We are delighted to present our conference event line-up for WriteOnCon 2022! These are the topics (and speakers) you can expect to see during our next conference, which is taking place July 15-17. We are so excited to share these amazing events with you!
Please note: Events are subject to change or cancellation. A finalized schedule, including scheduled event times and keynotes, will be released two weeks before the conference.
BLOG
- Examples of Authors Who Debuted Age 30+ by Tracy Badua
- Bullying as a Subplot by Katryn Bury
- Writing 13-year-olds; The Gap Between MG and YA by Anna Staniszewski
- Putting Your Own Twist on a Fairtytale/Retelling by Joanna Ruth Meyer
- Music for Inspiration by Sarena and Sasha Nanua
- Managing the Wait on Submission by Susan Azim Boyer
- Using Your Favorite Tropes to Find the Story Of Your Heart by Julie Abe
- Examples of Different Query Templates by Karina Evans
- Playing With Improvisation Techniques to Break Through Writer’s Block by Lara Willard
- Tackling Time Travel Without Breaking Your Brain by Lee Edward Födi
- Looking Back at Your First Manuscripts to Remind Yourself How Far You’ve Come by Benjamin Klas
- The Importance of Slow Scenes by Rosiee Thor
- Giving Your Characters Interests and Passions by T.P. Jagger
- Hacks for Getting More Writing Done Around a Busy Schedule by Beth Revis
- Writing Nonfiction for MG/YA Readers by Megan Clendenan
- When You’re so Discouraged You’re Considering Quitting Writing by Claire Kann
- Symbiosis: The Secret Ingredient to Crafting Strong Stories by Jessica Vitalis
- Signs You Need to Step Away For a Bit by Gabrielle Byrne
- How to Create a Novel Proposal (For Established Authors) by Judy I. Lin
- Treating Animals as Characters, Not Tools or Objects by Rachel Menard
FEEDBACK
- Feedback Session: Query by Natalie Lakosil and Patricia Nelson
- Feedback Session: TBD by Natasha Ngan
- Feedback Session: First 250 Words by Amanda Rawson Hill
- Feedback Session: Query by Amanda Rawson Hill
- Feedback Session: Query by Karina Evans
PODCAST
- Imagining a Future That Hasn’t Happened Yet by Liselle Sambury
- Pitching/Publishing Process for Graphic Novels by Stephanie Cooke
- How to Know it’s Time to Shelve a MS and Move on to the Next by Patricia Nelson
- Picking the Right Agent at an Agency to Query by Caitie Flum
- Breaking a Manuscript into Psychologically Manageable Chunks by Sylvia Liu
- Marketing Yourself: What Works, What Doesn’t, What You Can Ask From Your Publisher by Josh Funk
- Nature as a Creative Rejuvenator by Hannah Carmona
- It’s Never Over Unless You Give Up by Elisa A. Bonnin
- It’s Not a Sprint, it’s a Marathon by Jennieke Cohen
- Juggling Contracts / Obligations by Claire Swinarski
- Branding Yourself / Your Books by Lee Edward Födi
- Depicting Whole, Healthy Families in MG by Janae Marks
- When Publishers Soundly Reject the Book of Your Heart by Rebecca Kim Wells
- Working Through Burnout by Saadia Faruqi
- Writing Realistic Homes and Families by Gabriela Martins
- Promotion & Presentation for Introverts by Sonja Thomas
- Romance/crushes in MG by Gail D. Villanueva
- Writing From Your Own Life: Turning fact into Fiction by Nora Raleigh Baskin
- Ways Luck Can Be Your Friend by Mari Costa
- Writing Characters That Read True to Their Age by Ryan Dalton
- Submission Deal Offer Scenarios, Pros/Cons/Tips for Each (eg. Big/Small Advance, Multi/Single Book Deal, Auction vs Single Offer, Big/Small House, etc) by Emily S. Keyes
- Why Debuting Older Could Be a Good Thing by Cassandra Newbould
- The Creation, Care, and Benefits of Writing Groups by Sonja Thomas
ROUNDTABLE
- Diversity: Managing the Extra Hurdles You Face as a Diverse-Voices Author by Benjamin Klas, Jules Machias, Jennieke Cohen, Ronni Davis, and Jasper Sanchez
- Favorite Writing Advice by Jocelyn Rish, J.C. Davis, T.P. Jagger, Kate Albus, and Jules Machias
- Figuring Out Which Genre/Age Category You Want to Write in by Lucy Christopher, Megan Clendenan, Natasha Ngan, Ryan Dalton, and Jocelyn Rish
- How to Handle and What to do With Heavy/Extensive Critique Notes by Nora Raleigh Baskin, Judy I. Lin, Saadia Faruqi, Claire Swinarski, and Payal Doshi
VLOG: SEMINAR
- Setting Goals to Finish Your Story! (in an achievable way) by Julie Abe
- Writing a Fantastic First Page by Melanie Conklin
- Learning the Heart of Your Story–a Seminar On Nailing the Perfect Query by Sarena and Sasha Nanua
- The Building Blocks of Story: Connecting Character, Plot, and Theme by Jessica Vitalis
- Get Out of Revision Hell by Katherine Field Rothschild
- Perseverance as a Tool for Motivation and Empowerment by Emma Kress
- Finding a Stand-Out Hook for Your Contemporary by Ryan Dalton
- When and How to Take a (Longer) Break from Writing (eg. new baby, grief, non-writing workload, etc) by Tracy Badua
- Re-sparking Creativity After Rejection and Failure by Hannah Carmona
- The Central Themes Found in all MG Novels by Jennifer Nielsen
- Creating Believable SFF Settings/Situations by Rachel Menard
VLOG: WORKSHOP
- How to Draw on Your Culture/Marginalized Experience by Priyanka Taslim, Maya Prasad, Vanessa Torres, Susan Azim Boyer
- Practice Makes Pitch Perfect (Crafting the Perfect Elevator Pitch) by Jocelyn Rish
- Writing Tips for Neuro-divergents by Jess Rubinkowski
- Tips and Tricks for Writing a Series by Terry Catasús Jennings
- Critical Reading – How To Be A Better Writer By Reading With Intent by J.C. Davis
- Using What we Know About Nature to Craft Rich Fantasy Worlds by Gabrielle Byrne
We’re now accepting questions for our live events! Submit your question for a chance to get an answer from our professionals.
Ask a Question
LIVE: PANEL
- Seeing Around Corners: How to Work Your Way Around Plot Holes by Payal Doshi, Kate Albus, and Alysa Wishingrad
- Writing as Escapism by Jasper Sanchez, Beth Revis, and Rebecca Kim Wells
- Using Business Strategy to Select Your Next Project by Debbie Dadey and Jessica S. Olson
- Finding a CP Who’s a Great Fit by Carolyn Tara O’Neil, Sylvia Liu, and Ronni Davis
- From Critique to Contract by Lisa Ramee Moore, Katherine Field Rothschild, Sally Engelfried, and Stacy Stokes
- How to Revise a Picture Book by Josh Funk, Marcie Colleen, Anna Staniszewski, and Katrina Moore
- Doing Genre-Blending Effectively and Enticingly by Rosiee Thor, Crystal Frasier, and Liselle Sambury
- Creating Characters Readers Want to Root For by Amelie Wen Zhao, Kaela Rivera, and Claire Winn
- Creating and Collaborating on a Graphic Novel by Stephanie Cooke and Whitney Gardner
- Ways to Help Effect Change in the Diversity of the Publishing Landscape by Ronni Davis, Caitie Flum, Cassandra Newbould, and Gail D. Villanueva
- Age-Appropriate Plotting and Stakes for MG by Alyssa Colman, Kalynn Bayron, and Sarah Allen
LIVE: WORKSHOP
- Writing Vibrant Secondary Characters by Sylvia Liu
- Creative Magic Systems in Fantasy by Amelie Wen Zhao
- Querying a CB Series by Marcie Colleen
- Creating Strong Romantic Chemistry Between Characters by Gabriela Martins
- What is Voice? by Jess Rubinkowski
LIVE: SEMINAR
- The Ups and Downs of Debut Year and How to Handle them by Gabriela Martins
- Communicating Well With Your Agent by Mary Kole
LIVE: Q&A
- Plotting for Pantsers and Plantsers by Gail Carson Levine
- Graphic Novels vs. Comics by Stephanie Cooke
- Perseverance as the Key to Success by Melanie Conklin
- Guidelines for Areas to Cover in a Good Critique by Joanna Ruth Meyer
- Environmentalism and/or Nature Themes in Kidlit by Kalynn Bayron
- Pros & Cons of Doing School Visits by Josh Funk
- Writing Compelling Villains: How to Make Them Leap off the Page by Jessica S. Olson
- Creating a Diverse Cast That Feels a Natural, Not Constructed by Gail D. Villanueva
- Working Through Your Second Act by Crystal Frasier
- Why “I have a Family Member Who is __” is Often Not Enough Experience for Primary Characters by Caitie Flum
We’re now accepting questions for our live events! Submit your question for a chance to get an answer from our professionals.
Ask a Question
Not sure what the event types are? Here’s a quick guide.
BLOG EVENTS
Each year we offer a broad selection of posts covering a diverse range of topics pertaining to writing craft, career, and the publication process. These are pre-scheduled to post at half-hour intervals throughout the conference.
VLOG EVENTS
A subtitled video event that lasts 5-15 minutes. These are pre-scheduled to post at half-hour intervals throughout the conference.
ROUNDTABLES
These are blog posts where multiple speakers share their thoughts on a topic by answering a series of questions.
PODCASTS
These casual and conversational interviews are recorded with one of our team members. These are audio-only (no video), but we do provide a transcript.
FEEDBACK SESSIONS
These events review pitches or pages submitted by attendees, offering first impressions and feedback about what works and what doesn’t. In the past these were limited to agents, but this year we are opening to authors and editors, too, recognizing that all professionals have valuable insight to offer attendees.
LIVE Q&A
These sessions take questions from attendees on a designated topic. Usually the speaker will introduce the topic for 5-10 minutes while questions come in.
The speaker will present a talk lasting 30-40 minutes on their chosen subject. A time for questions and answers may fall at the end of the event, if time allows. These multi-person events operate like the Live Q&A events, taking questions from attendees on a designated topic. These are craft-development sessions that allow attendees to work alongside an industry professional in a virtual classroom-like setting. Most will involve a component of attendee involvement/interaction.LIVE SEMINAR
LIVE PANEL
LIVE WORKSHOP
Not signed up to attend yet? You can register right now!
We can’t wait to see you July 15-17, 2022!
Disclaimer: All events are subject to change.