PAST WEBINARS AVAILABLE FOR REPLAY
If you missed any of the great webinars below and would like to view a recording, click here.
2024 Conference: $10 for any session, or get the entire package for only $30! Includes:
- Writing from the Heart: Where Grief Becomes Art with Melanie Brooks and Eileen Vorbach Collins – Moderated by Lisa Cooper Ellison. Grief, though universal, makes people uncomfortable, especially when complicated by circumstances associated with shame or stigma. Two memoirists who have written grief-themed work will discuss how giving words to the hard stories—one about suicide loss, the other about HIV/AIDS—allowed them to remap the intimate losses they both faced, come to terms with the experiences, and share them with others in meaningful ways that have healing possibilities for both writer and reader.
- Turning Points & Stepping Stones: Capturing the Pivotal Moments in Your Life with Brenda Hudson. This experiential workshop uses journaling techniques and facilitated writing exercises to help participants uncover and explore the pivotal moments in their lives. We will examine not only what has happened in their lives but also the themes and meaning arising from these transformative experiences. Participants will have fun with structure, shaping one of their pivotal moments into a flash piece.
- Crafting Dialogue that Speaks for Itself with Peggy Joque Williams. This workshop will cover actionable strategies for revising and sharpening dialogue, reducing unneeded verbiage, and creating subtext. Participants will learn the difference between the way people talk in real life versus dialogue that “sounds” real, and how to craft dialogue that engages the reader, adds tension, offers backstory efficiently, and deepens character. Examples from published works of fiction will illustrate effective dialogue techniques with opportunities to ask questions.
- Panel Discussion with our 2023 Sarton & Gilda Award Winners- Moderated by Len Leatherwood.
- Characterization Through Imagery with Yelizaveta Renfro. When we describe the world through our characters’ eyes, we need to see it exactly as they see it, creating images that align with their mental landscapes. In this workshop, we will practice seeing the same scene through the eyes of different characters, and we will explore how characters’ backgrounds, personalities, and preoccupations can have profound effects on their views of the world.
- Accessing our Deepest Stories with Marsha Jacobson. The best writing often comes from so deep within, it’s hard to reach. The inner critic, that tiny heckler sneering at your work as you write, makes it even harder. Participants will practice Mindfulness Writing, a prompt-writing technique shown by research, anecdotes, and even brain scans to bypass that critic and access their deepest stories. They will write and share three times and learn how to turn this group practice into an individual practice.
- Carving Out Time and Space for Writing with Masha Rumer and Irena Smith. How do you find time to write when raising children or caring for family members, working outside the home, reckoning with long commutes, or fulfilling other significant obligations? Authors and experienced writing instructors Irena Smith and Masha Rumer will share strategies that helped them set goals, carve out time, and find the motivation to finish and publish their work. They will share their own experiences, help participants identify their strengths and articulate the “why” of their writing process, and find ways to connect with other writers undergoing similar challenges.
Empowered Lines. Stacy Parish. A creativity workshop in which participants are led through a step-by-step process of very simple drawing with a focus on the creative process, and not the end product. It’s a way to completely let go of thinking and tap into feeling and creating. Transform the story you’ve been telling yourself… discover and play!
Writing with Love. Terilee Wunderman. By focusing on love, writers can transcend challenges and enrich their work, whether it’s journaling, memoirs, or personal essays. This can help not only the writing process but also their overall sense of health and well-being. Engage in a writing exercise, exploring a challenging situation, and observe shifts of feelings of love, joy, peace, goodness, and blessing.
Len Leatherwood leads panel discussion with Sarton/Gilda winners to learn their process, motivation, and lessons learned.
Creative Spark: Journaling to Reconnect With Your Creativity. Carol Brennan. Delve into expressive writing and self-reflection addressing topics such as stress alleviation, self-care, and overcoming creative burnout. Ignite your creativity, build resilience, discover your inner voice, set achievable goals, and pave the way for renewed inspiration and fulfillment.
From Prompt to Print: How Our Group Writings Led to Publication, by the authors of Here’s the Story: Nine Women Write Their Lives. After taking an online class from SCN, nine women continued to meet and share their writing. This led to creating an anthology of their work. This webinar shares how they managed the various stages of editing and publishing. Learn the tools to take your group’s writing to the next level!
Open My Heart: Poetry as a Way to Heal Your Heart and Help Your Loved Ones and the World. Bird Mejia. Yes, poetry can do all that, as demonstrated in this webinar that will leave you feeling good, with powerful prompts to start or continue to heal your heart and help those around you.
Learning the Lingo: A Publishing Process Overview. Anastasia Zadeik. From ARCs, blurbs, cover memos, developmental edits, and first pages to NetGalley, options, public relations, and street teams—the publishing process is filled with novelty for debut authors. This workshop provides an overview and an introduction to the terminology.
Writing the Body. Kimberly Lee. Connect with the physical self, tapping into your inner well of creative inspiration with guided prompts and supportive instruction, then translate your sensations into reflective, evocative writing.
Through the Maze and Out: From Fairy Tales to Life Stories. Francesca Aniballi, PhD. Through journaling, creative prompts, and activities, you will realize how the magical filter of fairy tales can lead to a remarkable degree of clarity and insight into your personal circumstances.
The Yin and Yang of a Writer’s Life: Finding Balance as a Woman Writer. Jan Phillips. Learn to deal with both the intuitive interior, creative side and theological external marketing side of a writer’s life.
Make Your Mark: Creating a First Industry Resource. Lindsey Carson and Delphine Horvath. Gain a complete understanding of the ideation and publishing processes by outlining effective marketing and project management strategies.
Writing Your Life Poems from Experience. Ellen Burkett Morris. Use props and exercises to help you tap into memories and craft poems that use imagery, metaphor, and rhythm; then learn techniques for revision and possible markets for submission.
If Our Stories Were Puzzle Pieces, What Picture Could We Build With Them? Christine Hassing. Explore these pieces and then compassionately write a paragraph, chapter, or story with a new view.
Scientifically Proven Ways to Think More Creatively. Teresa Lynn. Learn techniques to solve writing problems, think outside the box for originality, and overcome block.
Grace Sammon and Mary Helen Sheriff discuss how to find and pitch podcasts, tips for a successful guest appearance, considerations around launching your own podcast, and tips for doing so in Changing Your Life One Podcast at a Time.
Not sure what to do with your journaling? In Turn Journaling into Essays and Memoir, Lynn Goodwin leads participants in writing a journal entry, digging in deeply by addressing questions, and shaping the material into a piece that will highlight both the universal and personal meaning. She leaves viewers with questions to use when stuck in writing.
Learn why self-publishing is an increasingly popular option and decide if it’s the right route for your book in Self-Publishing: Is It Right for Me and My Book? Presenter Cynthia F Davidson won an IPPY (independent publishing) award for her 2019 memoir.
Our June webinar featured a Q&A panel with Sarton/Gilda Award-Winning Authors, moderated by Len Leatherwood. In this informative session, the award-winning authors discussed their processes, motivation, and lessons learned.
The Joys of Writing Flash Fiction and Flash Memoir: Explore the fundamentals of flash fiction and flash memoir (1200 words max), and learn how flash writing benefits your longer writing as well. Presented by Story Circle Network president Len Leatherwood.
The Power of Poetry: Join yogi and poet Bird Mejia for a fun, empowering workshop on how to use poetry for healing, self-connection, and a legacy of wisdom.
What Is Hybrid Publishing, and Is It Right for Me and My Book? Multi-award-winning author Barbara Linn Probst explains hybrid publishing and how to decide if it’s a good match for your goals, resources, timetable, and temperament.
Feminism In Books: Award-winning authors Corie Adjmi and Veena Rao discuss what it means to be a feminist writer, and the unique paths they chose for their characters to challenge the status quo. Includes the recorded interactive session.
Queries: How to Stand Out for All the Right Reasons: Whether you’re sending your manuscript to a small press or an agent, your reader’s first impression will be your query. How do you convince an agent who has a huge stack of queries that your manuscript is worthy of her attention? Join Lynn Goodwin, owner of Writer Advice, for answers.
Organic Scene Writing: Learn to trust your character, let go, and write! Award-winning author Debra Thomas provides context to adapt to your own characters.
Copyright Guidelines for Authors: Learn the basic copyright regulations that apply to authors, including fair use, public domain, copyright vs trademark, and common myths. Presented by Teresa Lynn of Tranquility Press.
Sharing Your Story With the World: Publishing expert Jane Friedman discusses the various paths to publication available today, and the pros and cons of each.
Mapping Character Journeys: Secrets to creating memorable characters and plots that lead to the character’s self-discovery. Focuses on effective pre-writing strategies, developing character arcs and how those overlap with plot, setting a theme, and tapping into real life to write fiction. With award-winning authors Linda Ulleseit, Marian Wernicke, Mary Helen Sherrif, and Sally Cole-Misch.
Finding Sanctuary: A conversation with four writers about the unique paths and genres they chose to portray the universal theme of sanctuary. Includes a guided writing exercise.
7 Easy Steps to Boost Your Social Media Marketing: Practical social media marketing tips that you can immediately and easily apply to your social media accounts.
Member and Sarton Winner Debra Thomas was interviewed by Rachael Beaty. Listen to the Advocate through Fiction, a Talk with a Debut Author podcast here.
Two Paths, Fiction and Memoir: Traveling the One That’s Right for You: A candid exploration of the two genres with award-winning authors Barbara Linn Probst and Julie Ryan McGue, including guidelines for navigating a series of decisions about the best way to tell your story.
Looking and Sounding Your Best on Zoom: Learn tricks and techniques to make your Zoom “studio” look polished and to make you sound professional in Zoom meetings, conferences, and webinars. Presented by award-winning author, speaker, and teacher Susan J. Tweit.
Coming of Age Stories–How They Work for Women Readers and Women Writers: With panelists Shelley Blanton-Stroud (author of Copy Boy), Sarah Relyea (author of Playground Zero), and Elise Schiller (author of Watermark)
Flash Bios: How to Present Your Own Story in 250 Words or Less: with Susan J Tweit
Barbara Linn Probst, Debra Thomas, and Cindy Rasicot shared their journeys, craft, and books with the Story Circle community in an intimate and practical behind-the-scenes look at how three women, writing in different genres and styles, took their “lived experience” and transformed it into award-winning books.
SPECIAL #1: Get all sessions of SCN’s 2022 Virtual Conference, Writing from the Heart, for only $20! Includes:
- Opening Keynote Address: Claiming Ourselves as Writers ~ Joan Steinau Lester
- How to Show AND Tell ~ Kim Horner
- Beyond Chronology: From Idea to Published Essay ~ Sari Fordham
- Q&A with the 2021 Sarton & Gilda Award-Winning Authors ~ Len Leatherwood, Moderator
- Write from Your Scars, Not Your Wounds ~ Jen Knox
- Build Your Author Platform and Launch a Stellar Book Marketing Campaign ~ Jeniffer Thompson
- Closing Keynote Address: Finding My Voice (Accent Included!): My Journey as an Immigrant Writer ~ Rajika Bhandari
Special #2: Get all sessions of SCN’s 2021 Virtual Conference, Taking Your Writing to the Next Level, for only $15! Includes:
- Opening Keynote Address ~ Leslie C. Youngblood
- Memoir vs Fiction: Did That Really Happen? ~ Eileen Sanchez
- The Building Blocks of a Story: How to Craft Scenes With Purpose and Power ~ Barbara Linn Probst
- Accessing Memory: Writing into the Gaps ~ Sandell Morse
- Cultivating Creative Momentum ~ Jen Knox
- Q&A with the 2020 Sarton And Gilda Award-Winning Authors ~ Len Leatherwood, Moderator
- Closing Keynote Address ~ Alex Kiester