MWA Annual Conference 2026: Workshops

Amazon KDP 101: How to Upload and Publish Your Book with Confidence - Susi Clark

Learn how to confidently upload and publish your book using Amazon KDP. This hands-on session walks you through preparing your files, gathering key metadata, and navigating the KDP platform step-by-step. Watch a live upload demo and gain the clarity you need to successfully publish your book without guesswork.

OMG: Writing About religion in Science Fiction and Fantasy - Dan Desai Martin

Whether through mortals fighting gods; deities blessing (or cursing) humanity; or a corrupt cult performing dark rituals, religion brings depth, conflict, and realism to SFF stories. Together, we’ll discuss ten questions to ask when creating a religious system, five common pitfalls to avoid, and ways to use religion (and belief) as a driver of both plot and character. Along the way, we’ll examine examples from stories ranging from The Handmaid’s Tale to Dragonlance books to Star Wars.

Project Management Principles for Writers - David Sloan

This will be an overview of project management best practices that can be adapted for the process of writing and independent publishing. Learn applications from well-established project management process and values that you can use at home and with your writing groups.

Build a Shared Universe Anthology - Beth Martin

Combine world-building with collaborative storytelling to create an engaging book readers will love! Join Beth Martin, editor of the Starship Blunder series, to learn how to build and manage a shared-universe anthology. From submissions to editing and publication, this workshop provides practical tools for writers familiar with independent publishing.

Covers: The Art of Marketing Your Book - Kenton Kilgore

Contrary to the old saying, people really do judge books by their covers. Indeed, they are a writer's most important marketing tool. In this seminar, you'll learn how to get covers right so that readers will discover and buy your book. 

Taking Inspiration from Games - Edward Swing

Over the past fifty years, games have evolved from the simple card and board games to extensive franchises in a variety of genres. The largest element of the entertainment sector, games offer thousands of characters and worlds, easily surpassing what any author can create.

Rather than viewing this enormous engine as a rival to our writing efforts, let's use elements from games as inspiration. Join me on a journey through different game worlds and explore ways to harness this creativity.

How to Build Your Author Platform - Laura Di Franco

Build a powerful author platform that actually grows your audience and book sales. In this hands-on workshop, discover three proven strategies to attract email subscribers, grow loyal social followers, and turn speaking opportunities into fans and clients. Walk away with clear calls-to-action and a platform strategy designed around your ideal reader audience.

What's in a Name? - Andrew McDowell

Choosing and/or creating the right names is crucial when it comes to character development and worldbuilding. They help make characters come alive in readers' minds. You will learn about key factors to consider when it comes to choosing (or creating) the right names in any genre and for any target audience, receive tips on how you can find them, and gain a greater appreciation for their importance and power in stories.

Finding More Time to Write Poetry - Claudia Gray

The ideas for some of our best poems can occur when we’re busy — working, exercising, during personal conversations, while interacting with children or students, when we’re about to go to sleep, and when a morning alarm rings. What can we do? How do we stay on schedule and yet avoid losing those good ideas? This workshop presents strategies, as well as an opportunity to generate (or develop) new poems.

Don't Forget Radio - Wendy Meyerhoff

Selling book/services via radio and/or podcasts. Includes Q&A.

How to Make Your Characters Come Alive on the Page Through Interiority and Emotionality - Heather Davis

Readers don’t fall in love with plot. They fall in love with people. And one of the most powerful ways to connect readers to your characters is through interiority and emotionality. The trouble is, almost no one actually teaches writers what these concepts are or how to use them effectively on the page. In this interactive workshop, writers will learn the four layers of interiority, explore authentic emotionality, and practice a framework for crafting relatable, unforgettable characters.

Writing Community: Building and Participating in a Dedicated Writing Community - Donald Rodenbo

Writing can feel like a lonely experience, but it doesn’t have to be. Building or joining a writing community gives you access to a variety of creative thinkers, as well as built-in alpha readers, beta readers, and a critique circle. A rising tide lifts all boats and participants will learn how to actively build and/or participate in a writing community, as well as the benefits of doing so.

Book Review: ARCS, ALC, and Maintaining Momentum After Publishing Day. - Sil Bihagia

Early, honest reviews are one of the most important things you can do to market a book. This workshop teaches you where to go for editorial and reader reviews, how to run an effective advanced review or advanced listener campaign. and what services you should avoid.

Using Place to Control Tension, Conflict, and Pace - Aurora Bonner

This craft-focused workshop shows writers how to use place as a powerful engine for tension, conflict, and pacing. Participants will learn how setting can escalate stakes, pressure characters, and shape the rhythm of a scene. Through examples and targeted exercises, the session offers practical techniques for turning environment into an intentional force. Writers will leave with clear, adaptable tools to sharpen atmosphere, intensify conflict, and control narrative momentum in their work.

The Prose Editor's Toolkit - Hannah Grieco

You have a first draft of an essay or story. What now? In this hands-on session, we'll go through a series of fast and easy exercises to help your work evolve. Leave with new ideas and tangible editing tools for the future! Bring 1-2 flash drafts (or excerpts) and get ready to play!

Command the Room: Mastering Your Personal Appearances as an Author - Bruce Rule

Today’s writers must be their own best promoters, but personal appearances can be daunting for authors who would rather write than speak in public. Fortunately, even the most introverted author can excel before an audience by following the proven techniques tested in the real world for years. Discover strategies to overcome nervousness, build trust, and boost book sales. This workshop will prepare you for a range of personal appearances so you will be confident when you step on stage.

Command the Room: Mastering Your Personal Appearance as an Author - Bruce Rule

Today’s writers must be their own best promoters, but personal appearances can be daunting for authors who would rather write than speak in public. Fortunately, even the most introverted author can excel before an audience by following the proven techniques tested in the real world for years. Discover strategies to overcome nervousness, build trust, and boost book sales. This workshop will prepare you for a range of personal appearances so you will be confident when you step on stage.

Writing Dialogue That Sounds Like Dialogue - Donald M Mewha

Have you ever read a book and had your eyes glaze over as characters robotically drone on? Has there been a TV show where the words coming out of the characters' mouths are divorced from reality? Have you watched a movie and winced because people just don't talk like that?

Sci-Fi: Navigating Between Physics and Imagination; A Physicist's Guide to Better Stories - Sonya Lyatsky

Sci-fi writers often misrepresent physics or bend it to serve the story; even the most popular authors make mistakes. The workshop goes beyond clichés like speed and time to explore deeper pitfalls. Drawing on real scientific principles, the presenter shows how to balance accuracy and imagination, handle concepts such as space travel, time, consciousness, and life, and make stories more believable. Attendees will gain practical tools to strengthen their stories and avoid common scientific errors.

How to Plot Like a Pro - Kathryn Johnson

You have a great idea for a story. Are you a born planner or a writer who loves to discover stories organically (i.e., a pantser)? Understanding how to structure a well-conceived story around a Main Character and Central Conflict, while paying attention to pacing, can make the difference between a finished, publishable manuscript…and an abandoned work-in-progress. Plotting provides a safety net that never robs the author of the joy of writing and always reduces revision time. Think you can’t plot? Join us and learn how!

Researching Historical Fiction - Pat Valdata

Writing historical fiction is a fun challenge for writers who immerse themselves in another place and time. But it’s easy to lose oneself in unproductive research—and in the AI era, there’s even more misinformation online than ever before. This craft talk will offer tips on how to research a book efficiently, both online and in person, and how to use that research productively when writing a historical novel.

Building a Better Villain - Bruce Nesmith

Learn the six attributes of a great villain, and how best to utilize them in current and future work. Attendees will create their own villain and get a chance to have it critiqued by the presenter and the audience. Attendees will leave with a detailed plan for creating fictional villains.

Capturing the Reader Through Empathy, Tension, Conflict, and Suspense - Judy Kelly

Tears, laughter jump for joy, anger!! Give your characters more depth, bring them to life, make your readers feel what they feel, worry about them when they are in trouble and root for them. You will learn how to develop your story by using empathy, tension, conflict and suspense. We will define them and see examples of their use. Bring your story or some part of it to practice how to use one or two. Attendees will give feedback to each other.