Events.
Here's what I'm up to. Let's hook up.
OF HEROES, HOMES AND HONEY
Available Now
Released: Jan. 9, 2024
Lifelong Learning - University of Utah
Continuing Education Building
540 Arapeen Drive (Research Park)
Salt Lake City, Utah 84108
Creative Writing 1 (LLWRC 780)
Tuesday Nights (6 sessions)
Jan. 16 - Feb. 20, 2024
6:30-9:00 p.m.
Creative Writing (LLWRC 780): How do we tell stories? What do we include in writing, and what remains unsaid? Build your voice as we focus on a group of specific techniques for shaping and informing your creative skills, including character, plot, point of view, description, dialogue, and setting. In class, we will read short selections of writing to see what techniques we can beg, borrow, and steal from them. We will experiment with in-class writing exercises and read and discuss each other's work. Writing can be inventive, illogical, chaotic, unexpected, strange, and wonderful. In this class, we will practice seeing the world in new ways and then recreating that experience on the page.
Life the Universe and Everything
February 15-17, 2024
Provo Marriott Hotel
101 West 100 Street
Provo, UT 84601
Friday, February 16, 2024
10:00 a.m. — Room: ARCHES
The Faceted Story
A presentation about those elements of narrative fiction that lend depth, value and resonance to writing. Every story has some, the best have many. We’ll learn how to identify which elements to include in your story. Subplots and multiple stories, arcs, settings, themes, novelties, information and more. A little foresight, a touch of research, and a clear goal can nurture the muse to bring out the strength of the form. Writers will be challenged to expand their fiction into elements beyond mere story and character. Emphasis will be placed on theme as well as history, education, and entertainment qualities. Examples and techniques will be offered to help shape niches and expand any story into new areas of interest.
7:00 - 9:00 p.m. — Room: ZION, BRYCE & ARCHES
Book Signing
Mass event. Tons and tons of authors shilling their works. Come by.
Saturday, February 17, 2024
4:00 p.m. — Room: ZION
Robert Heinlein's Five Rules of Writing
A discussion of Robert Heinlein’s famous “Five Rules of Writing.” These pragmatic, practical, and practiced directives are for the working author and are the very career-enabling tips that steered a blue-collar scribbler to becoming one of the seminal voices of his age.
Blue Quills Chapter Meeting Talk
Wednesday February 21, 2024 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
Writing Mysteries: Understanding the Genre, Creating the Puzzle
Mystery is a modern formulaic genre with infinite variation. This class will discuss the key elements that define the genre and teach concrete techniques to form an effective mystery. There is a premeditation to the perfect story and we will investigate it thoroughly.
Lifelong Learning - University of Utah
Continuing Education Building
540 Arapeen Drive (Research Park)
Salt Lake City, Utah 84108
Creative Writing 2 (LLWRC 825)
Tuesday Nights (6 sessions)
Feb. 27 - Apr. 2, 2024
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Creative Writing 2 (LLWRC 825): Taught in a workshop format, this course will get your creative juices flowing as we expand on topics covered in Creative Writing: voice, tone, point of view and use of tense along with journeying into literary elements such as metaphor and simile, symbolism, structure, and others. This class is a fun way to build and develop the skills in an encouraging and supportive environment. Come prepared to read, write, and talk. This course is designed and required to be taken following Creative Writing (LLWRC 780).
Mountain Ridge High School Visit
Friday March 1, 2024, 12:00-1:05 p.m.
Mr. Lowe's class
14100 South Sentinel Ridge Blvd
Herriman, UT 84096
Pray for me as I dare to go where few others dare to go, into the den, into the very heart of the terrifying world of public education where I will endeavor to teach high school students things. Not sure which direction I'll go, but be assured, I'll go there. I said I would. All this trembling and fear be damned! I will try to impact the next generation with my love of the written word and the insane career path I've chosen!
I will be giving a talk on World Building. Lots of maps.
Sagewood at Daybreak Visit
Thursday March 21, 2024, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
11289 South Oakmond Road
West Jordan, Utah 84009
I'll be sharing a one hour Creative Writing class with the kind folks at Sagewood. West Jordan has become something of patron for local writers, namely the Infinite Monkeys, and it'll be good to give back to the community.
Lifelong Learning - University of Utah
Continuing Education Building
540 Arapeen Drive (Research Park)
Salt Lake City, Utah 84108
Literary Querying (LLWRC 844)
Saturdays (3 Sessions)
Mar. 23, Apr. 6 & 13, 2024
(no class 3/30)
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
So you've written a book. Now what? Approaching the publishing world can be a lonely and daunting task. This class will give you a jump start by providing the knowledge and skill required to navigate the world of agents and publishers. It is recommended (but not necessary) that you bring a finished piece of work you are trying to place. This is a workshop heavy class, where we'll polish your pages and develop a plan to give you the best chance in the great publishing hunt.
American Fork Barnes & Noble Event
Friday March 29, 2024
5:00-7:00 p.m
Barnes & Noble
773 W Grassland Dr
American Fork, UT 84003To celebrate this new Barnes & Noble location I've been asked to hang out and sign books. Come see me, hang out, and get some books signed.
Brigham City Library Event
Tuesday April 9, 2024
7:00-8:30 p.m
Brigham City Library
26 East Forest Street
Brigham City, UT, 84302Speed Date with A Book
Meet authors Steve Capone, Elizabeth Suggs, Anna del C. Dye, Karl Beckstrand, Scott Bryan, and Johnny Worthen as they pitch their book in a fun "Speed Date with a Book" format. Q&A will follow the book pitches.
Pre-Quills
Saturday, April 20, 2024
Marriott Hotel - University Park
480 Wakara Way
Salt Lake City, UT 84108 US
4:45-5:45 p.m. — Auditorium
The Muddled Middle
(don’t call it writer’s block)It’s the hardest part. You know the beginning, it flowed like water, you know the end, it’ll be breathtaking, now you just have to write the connecting bit, the eighty percent between the two. No problem, but your Muse is on vacation, another project beckons and there’s little enthusiasm for the next chapter. Could this be writer’s block? This is the muddled middle. Class will explore this terrible phenomenon and offer concrete tools to overcome it and return the writer to the rails.
Pikes Peak Writers Conference
April 26-28, 2024
Colorado Springs Doubletree Hotel
1775 East Cheyenne Mountain Blvd.
Colorado Springs, CO, 80906
Friday April 26, 2024
7:30-8:30 a.m. — Pikes Peak/Royal Gorge
Morning Meditation and Writer Wellbeing:
—The Feeling AuthorThe Dalai Lama said, "Don't learn Buddhism to be a better Buddhist; learn Buddhism to be a better whatever you are." I am a writer.
Join author Johnny for discoveries in eastern philosophy with their application to the life of an author with its many disappointments. Sessions include directed mindfulness meditation and lecture on concepts that directly speak to the writer’s journey.
Day one: Basics - the Four Noble Truths and the Eight-Fold Noble path
9:45-10:45 a.m. — Palmer/Academy
Agent Panel (Moderator)
Meet our attending agents and discover what’s involved in querying an agent, what they can do for you, and how they play a vital part in the publishing world.
3:15-4:15 p.m. — El Paso
Choosing the Right POV (Moderator)
Every story lives or dies by who the protagonist and POV character are. Sometimes, it feels obvious, other times you can pick any character in the narrative and tell an equally thrilling story. This class will show you all the different options of choosing the right POV for your story or screenplay, and, if you’re writing prose, what POV to actually write in.
Saturday April 27, 2024
7:30 - 8:30 a.m. — Pikes Peak/Royal Gorge
Morning Meditation and Writer Wellbeing:
—The Feeling AuthorThe Dalai Lama said, "Don't learn Buddhism to be a better Buddhist; learn Buddhism to be a better whatever you are." I am a writer.
Join author Johnny for discoveries in eastern philosophy with their application to the life of an author with its many disappointments. Sessions include directed mindfulness meditation and lecture on concepts that directly speak to the writer’s journey.
Day two: Blocks - The Five Hindrances and the power of RAIN
11:00 - 12:00 p.m. — Douglas
Scrivener: An Introduction for Beginners
A hands-on introduction to Scrivener, one of the most popular and powerful writing programs out there. This class, designed for the novice user and the absolute beginner, will demonstrate simple use and daily tricks to get over the initial hump of what can be a daunting learning curve. Once over it, the program becomes a powerful ally, offering tools to help every step of the process while maintaining the ability to disappear for undistracted creativity. Student are encouraged to have installed Scrivener on their laptops before class. It is a free trial download. Instructor will be using a Macintosh computer, but the program is available for PC and IOS as well.
3:15-4:15 p.m. — Pikes Peak/Royal Gorge
Forging Fantastical Elements for Fiction (Moderator)
What do fantasy, science fiction, eldritch horror, urban fantasy, LitRPG, and paranormal romance stories all have in common?
They all have that little something that takes the world and story beyond our reality into the realm of the fantastical. Not only that, while these elements can vary wildly from story to story and genre to genre, the creation process is always the same for the storyteller. Whether you’re creating terrifying monsters, marvelous magic systems, or science fiction gadgetry, the 7-stages remain the same.
So come learn the 7-Stage process for creating fantastical elements for your fiction. Born from decades of practice and coaching dozens of writers, these stages will change how you approach your fiction. I find the seven stages make the creation process easier, increase my confidence in my creations, help me better integrate the fantastical into my story, and craft unforgettable fiction.
Sunday April 28, 2024
8:00 - 9:00 a.m. — Pikes Peak/Royal Gorge
Morning Meditation and Writer Wellbeing:
—The Feeling AuthorThe Dalai Lama said, "Don't learn Buddhism to be a better Buddhist; learn Buddhism to be a better whatever you are." I am a writer.
Join author Johnny for discoveries in eastern philosophy with their application to the life of an author with its many disappointments. Sessions include directed mindfulness meditation and lecture on concepts that directly speak to the writer’s journey.
Day three: Third Person Limited - Non-Identity and the muse
10:15 - 11:15 a.m. — Douglas
Querying: The Art of Rejection
So, you have a book. Now what? The class will discuss editing considerations, querying tools, formats, synopses, resources and targets while offering suggestions and techniques to present your work to publishers and agents. Learn from the mistakes of a hard-working bootstrapped blue-collar writer who’ve learned it all the hard way and found success in multiple genres.
Lifelong Learning - University of Utah
Continuing Education Building
540 Arapeen Drive (Research Park)
Salt Lake City, Utah 84108
Creative Writing 1 (LLWRC 780)
Tuesday Nights (6 sessions)
May. 14 - Jun. 18, 2024
6:30-9:00 p.m.
Creative Writing (LLWRC 780): How do we tell stories? What do we include in writing, and what remains unsaid? Build your voice as we focus on a group of specific techniques for shaping and informing your creative skills, including character, plot, point of view, description, dialogue, and setting. In class, we will read short selections of writing to see what techniques we can beg, borrow, and steal from them. We will experiment with in-class writing exercises and read and discuss each other's work. Writing can be inventive, illogical, chaotic, unexpected, strange, and wonderful. In this class, we will practice seeing the world in new ways and then recreating that experience on the page.
StokerCon® 2024
May 30–June 2, 2024
San Diego Marriott Mission Valley
8757 Rio San Diego Drive
San Diego CA 92108
Lifelong Learning - University of Utah
Continuing Education Building
540 Arapeen Drive (Research Park)
Salt Lake City, Utah 84108
Creative Writing Bootcamp (LLWRC 842)
2 Saturdays
June 8th & 15th, 2024
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Creative Writing Bootcamp (LLWRC 842) Have you always wanted to write creatively but never had the chance to start? Or is your writer-self blocked and unable to finish anything? In Creative Writing Bootcamp, we'll launch into a series of generative exercises designed to give you plenty of material for your own stories. In between exercises, we'll share our work in an open and joyous environment, discuss craft, and explore how to incorporate writing into daily life. You'll leave class with a series of flash fictions ready to be polished or expanded in your writing practices.
Quills
August 8–11, 2024
Marriott Hotel - University Park
480 Wakara Way
Salt Lake City, UT 84108 US
Rocky Mountain Gold Writers Conference
September 27-29, 2024
The Hyatt Regency Aurora-Denver Conference Center
13200 East 14th Place
Aurora, Colorado 80011
I'll be returning to Denver to participate in one of the best conferences in the world.