PREVIOUS OUTLIERS ONGOING CONFERENCE CLASSES FOR SALE
Previous Outliers Online Ongoing Writers Conference Classes Now Available.
Purchase 2-week access to any previous class for only $45.
A link, active for 2 weeks, allows you to watch as many times a you wish.
1/2/24: CLASS 1: Premise: What Your Story Is About: From What If? To Premise—Kathleen Antrim
Before embarking on the writing journey, it's crucial to understand your book's essence clearly. This class offers a specific exercise to eliminate uncertainty and help you define the premise of your story with precision.
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1/16/24: CLASS 2: The Psychology of Character Motivation—DP Lyle
The strength of every story, regardless of genre, lies in the characters that populate the fictional landscape. Developing full, realistic, and believable characters requires an understanding of the psychological drives that push them to act and react.
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2/6/24: CLASS 3: Storytelling: Authors Heather Graham and DP Lyle In Conversation
What makes a great story? What are the essential ingredients? How do you use those ingredients to bake the perfect tale? Ideas are everywhere, but how do you know your concept has the power to carry an entire novel? What steps are required to complete that journey? How does character, setting, and genre alter your storytelling?
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2/20/24: CLASS 4: Structuring Your Novel—Cody Blocker
In this course, you will receive an overview of the most common and commercially-viable plots and story-structure concepts and how to apply them to your writing.
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3/5/24: CLASS 5: Heroes and Villains: Bringing Out the Best and the Worst in Your Characters—Steven James
A hero’s acumen is measured against the nature of the forces of antagonism he must overcome. Establishing memorable heroes and worthy villains while avoiding clichés and caricatures is vital. This in-depth session will show you how to uncover memorable and intriguing protagonists and antagonists.
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3/19/24: CLASS 6: The Art of Pacing—Boyd Morrison
Creating a book readers can’t put down
Learn how to get the story off to a blazing start, discover techniques to keep readers turning the pages, and find out how to craft chapter-ending cliffhangers.
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4/2/24: CLASS 7: World Building For Any Genre—Tosca Lee
World-building goes beyond setting and isn’t just for science fiction or fantasy. In this pens-out, interactive deep dive, join New York Times bestselling historical and dystopian fiction author Tosca Lee for an in-depth exploration of *your* story’s unique details that will make it come alive.
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4/16/24: CLASS 8: Sidekicks and the Supporting Cast—Allison Brennan
Who would Rick Blaine be without Louis Renault? Han Solo without Chewbacca? Bond without M? Frodo without Samwise? Whether friend, family, mentor, or colleague, your supporting characters are critical to your story. They make your main character better (or worse). They add depth or comic relief. They ask questions, put up roadblocks, or provide a shoulder to cry on. Your supporting cast can make or break your story. Dive into why you need strong secondary characters, what makes a compelling and interesting cast of characters, types of supporting characters, how to develop your cast, and questions to ask yourself as you write.
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5/7/24: CLASS 9: Status: The Key to Creating Three-dimensional Characters—Steven James
Multi-dimensionality for all characters depends on varying and managing their status. Learn how to understand the dance of submission/dominance that every relationship has and how situational and substantive status affect every character in your novel.
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5/21/24: CLASS 10: Narrative NonFiction—Jon Land
Narrative nonfiction, also known as creative nonfiction which includes true crime, is a true story written in the style of a novel or thriller. The narrative nonfiction genre contains factual prose that is written in a compelling way, utilizing a structure and approach comparable to writing fiction.
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6/4/24: CLASS 11: Self Editing 101--KJ Howe
Your manuscript is finished. Well done! Now you need to edit and polish your story before sending it out to agents and editors. After all, you only have one chance to make a brilliant first impression and stand out among the endless submissions. Join K.J. Howe as she delves into the high-level developmental editing and line-editing processes that will help your book shine.
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6/18/24: CLASS 12: Short Stories and Novellas—Allison Brennan
Just because short stories are “short” doesn’t make them easy to write. And what happens when you have a great story idea that is too big for short and to small for a novel? Is there a market for short fiction? Why would a successful novelist want to write novellas? What types of stories work best for short fiction? Explore the importance of short stories, the differences between shorter fiction (4,000-40,000 words) and full-length works, what to look for in editing, how learning to write short will make you a stronger novelist, and how to use shorter fiction to promote and support your longer works.
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7/2/24: CLASS 13: Managing the Muddle in the Middle—Hank Phillippi Ryan
Your fingers are poised over the keyboard. You have a rocking first act to your novel, and you even have an idea of how to end your story with a twist and a bang and a shot at certain bestsellerdom. But now what? How are you going to get from that great beginning to the kickass ending? You've hit the muddle in the middle. Raymond Chandler once advised: “When in doubt, bring in a man with a gun." What did he really mean by that? And how can it work for you?
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7/16/24: CLASS 14: How To Break Into Ghost Writing—Jon Land
What is ghostwriting exactly, is it right for you, and how can you break in? Ghostwriting, or collaborative writing, is one of the true growth sectors in the publishing industry, with dozens of companies promoting their respective services and always looking for new talent. Explore the practice and pitfalls of ghostwriting, emphasizing the most important attributes you need to carve out a place for yourself in one of the few areas that provides steady, guaranteed income to writers.
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8/6/24: CLASS 15: Infusing Your Story With Humor—DP Lyle and Tim Maleeny
Humor can add spice to any fictional story. It can be the “secret sauce” that makes a story sing. From James Bond’s memorable quips, to the madcap antics of Stephanie Plum, to the cool and subtle humor of Elmore Leonard, to the insanity of Carl Hiassen and Dave Barry, to the situational humor of Tim Maleeny, Paul Levine, and DP Lyle, humor is good medicine. And good storytelling.
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8/20/24: CLASS 16: Secrets of Suspense—Hank Phillippi Ryan
Think about the words you see in a rave book review. Pacey. Propulsive. Riveting. Compelling. Page-turner. And those are all shorthand for “fun to read,” and for “something happens.” And also for "I cannot wait to find out what happens next." Problem is, it’s textbook-easy to begin a novel and have something happen: that’s why there’s a story. But to keep your story going, to keep it pacey and propulsive, things must keep happening. And at every moment, the reader must be compelled to turn the page.
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9/3/24: CLASS 17: So Close, So Far Away: Unlocking the Secrets of Psychic Distance—Mark Tavani
Psychic Distance is how deeply the writer places the reader inside a character’s mind. Deeply, where fears, emotions, and thoughts live, or a step back where observation rules. Learn to master this tool and add power to your storytelling.
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9/17/24: CLASS 18: Highway To The Outline Zone—Tamara Grantham
Want to know the secret to writing a good book and writing it in record time? Welcome to the Outline Zone! In this class, award-winning author Tamara Grantham shares her secrets on how she’s written more than twenty novels in the past ten years, many of which have become bestsellers. Learn the insider tips on the best outlining practices that will ensure you have a solid novel before you ever write the first word.
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10/1/24: CLASS 19: Adding Intrigue & Action To Your Prose—Don Bentley
Learn how to add intrigue and action to your writing with hands on editing exercises as well as thoughts from today’s top thriller writers and editors
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10/15/24: CLASS 20: Writing Timeless Historical Fiction—Boyd Morrison
What to think about when crafting historical fiction
Learn how to research historical elements, how to apply aspects of daily life from your chosen time period, and why language and names are so important to establishing the setting.
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11/7/24: CLASS 21: Plotting the Commercial Thriller—Jeffrey Deaver
Whether you write thrillers or want a thrilling plot for your story, learn the process from a master storyteller.
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11/19/24: CLASS 22: Getting Your Book Published—John/Shannon Raab
You've written a book, now you need an agent or a publisher and don't know where to go or what to do. We will teach you how to avoid common mistakes and give you a road map to follow and help navigate around the publishing business.
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12/3/24: CLASS 23: Social Media Marketing: Your Online Presence and Other Marketing Strategies—Magen Mintchev
You’ve written your book, prepped it for publication, and now must find your readers. This class offers the tips and tricks you need for a successful book marketing campaign
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12/17/24: CLASS 24: It’s Not Enough To Write A Good Story—Joseph Badal
How many times have you heard people say, "I have a great idea for a book, but I just don't have the time to write it." The fact that you are writing something differentiates you from the millions who just don't have the time. That difference is passion. But just because you have the passion to write does not mean that what you are writing will be embraced by an editor, a publisher, or readers.
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1/7/25: CLASS 25: Mastering Point Of View: Where’s The Camera?—DP Lyle
Understanding point of view (POV) is critical for the fiction writer. The POV determines how the story will unfold, what the relationship between the characters and the reader will be, and the voice, tone, and feel of the story. In short, the POV chosen alters everything. There is no single correct way, or choice, but the POV the author chooses will impact the storytelling in obvious and subtle ways. In this class, we will look at theses choices and how to use them to create an impactful and memorable yarn.
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1/21/25: CLASS 26: Where to begin? Understanding Story Structure—Meg Gardiner
Every story has a beginning, middle, and end. Knowing where to start your story, how to build from an enticing opening, through escalating challenges, to a powerhouse climax, will help you construct gripping, memorable thrillers.
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2/4/25: CLASS 27: WHIPLASH PACING: Keep Your Reader on the Edge—KJ Howe
Pacing is a profound yet subtle element of novels that needs special care. Join KJ Howe to discover how to fine tune your pacing so that readers can’t put your novel down.​
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2/18: CLASS 28: SUSPENSE—Meg Gardiner
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Learn from a master how to keep your plot in turmoil—and readers reading
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