Awesome Workshops For summer and Fall!

In case you missed it, I have been editing books more than I have been writing them lately. Why? My inner teacher and my inner writer decided it was time I shared some of the things I have learned over my soon to be 81 years. I was the senior editor for Gilded Dragonfly Books for 5 years. So far, I have edited more than 80 books for more than 40 authors. I am currently working on 6 projects at different stages.

One of my more recent clients writes Space Adventures. Yep, he has a series and is publishing one book a month after collecting enough for a series. He called me the coldest editor. (That’s good, isn’t it?) I’ll share more about his books in another post.

Starting in June, I will teach self-editing classes for Outreach International Writers, inc. My Nifty-Nine classes in June and July will provide writers with a list of things to look for as they edit their drafts.(Grammar and punctuation errors I see often!) There will actually be more than 9 error types and rules so students can create their own list based on errors they make. The title Nifty Nine seemed clever but must not be limiting.

Soooo, here is a lost of upcoming workshops

 OIWI Workshop List for 2024

Mary’s Nifty-Nine Editing Checklist will be taught over two months to allow for plenty of explanations, examples, & homework. Many writers don’t realize Grammarcheck and other AI  programs miss mistakes and create some. Spell-check can only tell you if a word is spelled correctly, not if it’s the right word. Writing programs aren’t intuitive. This class will help refresh your memory about the rules and teach you some rules to help you recognize the rules and mistakes. The more you do before you send your work to an editor, the better for your wallet.

Classes cost $35 for non members. https://oiwi.org/workshops/

Membership costs $25 per year https://oiwi.org/join-us/

Members save $10 per class and get one FREE class.

JUNE

Mary Marvella	Mary’s Nifty 9 Editing Checklist – Part 1 It’s about grammar, punctuation, and word usage.  I’ll offer free critiques.
Melba Moon	Making Memes Using Stencil, Bookbrush, and Canva
Val Fassnight	Witch Hunting in Great Britain
Tere Michaels	Ripping Hearts and Engaging Minds

JUL

Nanci Race	Bio-terrorism: It’s More Than Anthrax
Debbi Cracovia	Unblocking your Writer’s block
Mary Marvella	Mary’s Nifty 9 Editing Checklist – Part 2 It’s about grammar, punctuation and word usage.  I’ll offer free critiques.

AUGUST

Mary Marvella	Edits to Your Story that AREN’T about Grammar. We will  explore elements to look for in our books and ways to go back to the beginning after we think the story is over and make sure the end works, or if we need to add details earlier or delete things that don’t work.
Tere Michaels	Stuck in the Middle

September

Beth Henderson	Break Your Story into Three
Cynthia Owens	Wait, What?! Writing Killer Plot Twists
Mary Marvella	Writing Nonfiction Part 1 Writing a Memoir vs an Autobiography  Students could have a working outline for a memoir/autobiography and a good portion of a rough draft by the end of the month and the instructor’s guidance after the class ends.
Susan Palmquist	Getting Back Your Writing Mojo?
October
Cynthia Owens	Time, Place, and Beyond Bring Your Setting to Life
Mary Marvella	Writing Nonfiction Part 2  We will look at writing a book with a message. Part of the class will work “Mind Mapping”.  By the end of this class, students could have a working outline and a good start on a rough draft and the instructor’s guidance after the class ends.
Lucinda Race	(Writing Cozy Mysteries/Being an Indie Cozy Writer)
Susan Palmquist	Becoming the Productive Writer

November

Beth Henderson	The Postproduction Outline
Mary Marvella	Writing Nonfiction Part 3 Writing a How-to Book This class will deal with the ways to develop a How to Book outline and get started. We’ll use Mind Mapping and other brainstorming. We will explore the elements that make up a successful book.
Susan Palmquist	Writing the Synopsis that Gets You Noticed?
Val Fassnight	The Tudor Kitchen
Susan Palmquist	Keep Calm It’s Only a First Draft?

DECEMBER

Carol Shaughnessy

It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere – Book and Wine Pairings –  1-Day Zoom Workshop

https://oiwi.org/

Don’t forget my editing book! Weeding the Garden of Your Manuscript!