Announcing Our 2022 Line-Up!

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.

Blogs

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.

Vlogs

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

ROUNDTABLES

These are blog posts where multiple speakers share their thoughts on a topic by answering a series of questions.

Podcasts

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

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

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.

Live Seminar

LIVE SEMINAR

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.

Live Panel

LIVE PANEL

These multi-person events operate like the Live Q&A events, taking questions from attendees on a designated topic.

Live Workshop

LIVE WORKSHOP

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.

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.