Joni M. Fisher

joni m fisherJoni M. Fisher writes suspenseful crime stories about heroines who don't wait to be rescued. Her Compass Crimes series has been recognized in the N.I.E.A., Clue Book Awards, Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Kindle Book Awards, Royal Palm Literary Awards, and others and recommended by US Review. She's a member of Sisters in Crime, the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), and a lifetime member of the Florida Writers Association. She's also an instrument-rated private pilot. jonimfisher.com

Writing Quotable Dialogue

Discover how to craft purposeful, quotable dialogue by learning techniques used by award-winning screenwriters. We've all slogged through novels with boring, predictable, or chit-chat dialogue. In many genres, dialogue makes up half of the novel, so it can make or break your bond with readers. This session offers ten practical techniques to apply immediately to a scene or chapter in your work in progress or to an example scene. Discover when and when not to use dialogue.

  • Infuse each scene with the right level of conflict
  • Employ text and subtext
  • Create suspense
  • Transform the predictable
  • Cut to the chase, when to show and when to tell
  • Individualize characters through speech markers
  • Apply the stimulus/response pattern for clarity
  • Use three types of tags to reveal goals, motivations, and conflict
  • Format and punctuate dialogue properly.

A 13-page handout will be available for download.

Writing for Magazines or Paid Blogs

Essays and articles are in high demand by magazines, paid blogs, and organizations. To tap into this rich market, writers need to know 10 basics. Attendees will learn the basics of how to:

  • Identify common types of articles and essays
  • Discover a personal topic niche
  • Generate story ideas
  • Use methods and sources for research
  • Interview sources
  • Use query letters & writer's guidelines,
  • Discern reader demographics
  • Apply contract basics, copyright, and ethics
  • Multiply income through reprints & rewrites
  • Track work and payments.

A 36-40 page handout will be available for download.