Schedule

Noon – 5:00

Florida WritersCon Check-in

Pre-function area

Noon – 3:00

Member Book Sales & Signings

Pre-function area

1:00 – 4:00

Scott Tilley: Writing with AI

Amphitheater

1:00 – 3:00

Workshops

Mary Flynn

The Writer as Presenter 

Conrad

Ginnye L. Cubel

Beyond the Newsletter: Advanced Email Marketing Strategies for Writers

Crystal AB

Christina Farley

The Different Paths to Publishing

Crystal C

Lisa Black

What Mystery Writers Need to Know about Forensics

Crystal D

Franklin Ritch

Writing for Film

Crystal E

3:00 – 3:30

Break & Networking

3:30 – 4:30

Breakout Sessions             

José Pablo Iriarte & Elle E. Ire

Networking for Writers

Waldorf

Sarah McGuire

Step Away from the Sledgehammer: Using the Overlooked Tools in Your Writer's Toolbox

Conrad

Shutta Crum

Pump Up the Muscle in Your Poems

Crystal AB

Nancy J. Cohen

Self-Publishing Made Simple

Crystal C

Janice Hardy

Avoiding the Info Dump in Created Worlds

Crystal D

Vic DiGenti

The Not-So-Secret Life of a Ghostwriter

Crystal E

4:30 – 5:30

Break & Networking

5:30 – 7:30

Meet & Greet Mixer

Royal Palm

7:30 – 9:00

Open Mic, Moderated by Mary Flynn

Royal Palm 

Saturday, October 21  

7:00 - 5:00

Florida WritersCon Check-in

7:00 - 8:30

Hot Breakfast

Crystal CDE

9:00 - 11:00

Faculty Book Sales & Signings

Capital 1&2

9:00 - Noon

Member Books Sales & Signings

Pre-function area

8:30 - 4:00

NextGen Writers Experience  is a conference within the conference designed exclusively for middle & high school students — the next generation of writers! Details and registration ...

• 8:30 – 8:50 Welcome

• 9:00 – 9:45 Writing From Inside Your Characters – Janice Hardy

• 10:00 – 10:45 The Different Paths to Publishing – Christina Farley

• 11:00 – 11:45 TBA

• 11:45 – 2:00 Youth Awards Luncheon & Collection Book Signing

• 2:15 – 3:15 StoryTelling in the Time of Robots – Noel Zamot

• 3:30 – 4:00 Closing

 Royal Palm

8:30 - 8:45

Break & Networking

8:45 - 9:45

Lisa Black: Keynote Address

Crystal CDE

9:45 - 10:15

Break & Networking

10:15 - 11:15

Breakout Sessions

Anne Dalton

Secrets of Publishing Contracts:  10 Tips to Protect Your Writing and Yourself

Amphitheater

Sarah Hendess

Breaking Into Book Reviewing

Crystal AB

José Pablo Iriarte

How to Write and Sell Short Fiction

Crystal C

Arielle Haughee

Your Publishing Timelines: Stay on Track & Don't Miss a Beat

Crystal D

Noel Zamot

Storytelling in the Time of Robots, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love ChatGPT 

Crystal E

11:15 - 11:45 

Break & Networking

11:45 - 1:30

Youth Awards Luncheon & Annual Membership Meeting

Crystal ABCDE

1:30 - 2:00

Collection Volume 15: Secrets Book Signing

Capital 1&2

2:00 - 2:15

Break & Networking

2:15 - 3:15

Breakout Sessions

Ben Sharpton

Thoughts from Veteran Wizened Writers

Amphitheater

Fred Koehler &
Sarah McGuire

Sprinting Towards Failure: A Fil Fast Method for Character and Story Arcs

Conrad

Shutta Crum

That's a Poem? The Crazy World of Poetry Today

Crystal AB

Joni M. Fisher

Writing Quotable Dialogue

Crystal C

Tara Lynn Masih
& Kim Bradley

Short Story How To: Creating, Compiling & Marketing Short Story Collections

Crystal D

Vic DiGenti

How to Create a Literary Legacy: Writing Your Life Story

Crystal E

2:30 - 4:30

Faculty Book Sales & Signings

Capital 1&2

3:15 - 3:30

Break & Networking 

3:30 - 4:30

Breakout Sessions

Scott Tilley

Chat GPT and the Future of Writing

Amphitheater

Fred Koehler

Writing Between the Lines: How an Illustrator Thinks About Your Picture Book Manuscript

Conrad

Sylvia Whitman

Voice: the Secret Sauce that Endears Your Characters and Defies AI

Crystal  AB

Joni M. Fisher

 Writing for Magazines & Paid Blogs

Crystal C

Nancy J. Cohen

Book Marketing on a Budget

Crystal D

Jaimie Engle

Beyond the Borders 

Crystal E

4:30 - 5:30

Break & Networking 

5:30 - 6:45

Royal Palm Literary Awards Mixer

Royal Palm

7:00 - 10:00

Royal Palm Literary Awards Banquet & Awards

Crystal ABCDE

 Sunday, October 22

7:00 - 8:15

Continental Breakfast

8:15 - 8:30

Break & Networking

8:30 - 9:30

Breakout Sessions

Anne Dalton

What's So Fair About Fair Use?

Amphitheater

Sarah Hendess

What's Hot & What's Not: Current Trends in Historical Fiction 

Conrad 

Elle E. Ire

Query Letters Done Right

Crystal AB

Christina Farley

Janice Hardy

Sarah McGuire

The Heartstrings Method: Techniques for Creating  Emotional Impact in Your Writing

Crystal C

Arielle Haughee

Crisp Up That Prose

Crystal D

Ginnye L Cubel

Don't Follow Me: How to Create Impactful Marketing Without Social Media 

Crystal E

9:30 - 9:45

Break & Networking

9:45 - 10:45

Breakout Sessions

Jaimie Engle

Character Groups to Sustain Series

Amphitheater

Wyne Karnath

Emerging  Technology in Science Fiction Conrad

Conrad

Ken Pelham

Economical Graphics for Writers: Finding and Using Images Without Breaking the Law or the Bank

Crystal AB

Marty Ambrose

From Planning to Product Using the Notebook Method

Crystal C

Vic DiGenti
Lisa Black
Arielle Haughee
Fred Koehler
Scott Tilley
Noel Zamot

PANEL: AI: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
AI has been hailed as a timesaving, inspirational tool for writers, while others warn of impending doom. Our panel will explore the many sides of this revolutionary technology and how it’s changing the way we work and write. Embrace it or hate it, AI is here to stay. But have no fear, change is good—at least for now.

Crystal DE

Register

NextGen Writers