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Upcoming Meetings & Important Dates
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2025 Upcoming Meetings & Events

January 25

Multi-Purpose Room

WRITING THE PERFECT PITCH:
Presented by Kelly Beck via Zoom

 

A good pitch must grab a reader’s attention while conveying the character, plot, and stakes. Kelly will teach us her tricks to writing a pitch that will make readers pick up your book.

 

With a degree in Electronic Media Journalism, author Kelly Beck spent over five years as a TV News Producer. Her show was the number-one-rated morning show for CBS affiliates in the nation, and her work is published across various news platforms, trade magazines, and an indie anthology. Today, she writes heart-wrenching romance novels and applies the skills she learned in the newsroom to create pitches that get attention.

 

Kelly Beck

Journalist / Romance Author

February 22

Multi-Purpose Room

THE ART OF REVEALING BACKSTORY: Presented by Jane K. Cleland via Zoom

 

The people who populate your stories have a past, and that past dictates, or at the very least informs, their actions. Sharing backstory is tricky, though. Share too much information, or share it before readers care about your characters, and your readers will likely lose interest. To write a page-turner, every sentence must propel the story forward via incident or character interactions, and backstory takes us out of the action, slowing the pace. To reveal backstory effectively, you need to first assess which aspects should be revealed. Then you need to determine how best to share that information.You’ll hear plenty of examples so that you will leave the webinar with actionable ideas you can put to work immediately in your own writing.

 

Jane K. Cleland

Author/Teacher

March 22

Council Chambers

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT:
Presented by Charlene Thomas via Zoom

Get to know your characters well enough that they become real for your readers.

Charlene Thomas

Author/Coach

May 31

Multi-Purpose Room

WRITING WITH AUTOCRIT, ATTICUS, AND SCRIVENER:
Presented by Sable Fox via Zoom

 

Learn the basics of Scrivener, Atticus, and AutoCrit and how to use them within drafting, editing, and publishing your novel.

 

 

Sable Fox

Mara Member

June 28

Multi-Purpose Room

WHY MARKETING MATTERS FROM DAY ONE:
Presented by Savannah Gilbo and Lacy Lieffers – Pre-recorded

 

Join us as we listen to ‘Why Marketing Matters From Day One’ from Savannah Gilbo’s Podcast, Fiction Writing Made Easy. Following the podcast, a MARA member will lead a workshop to help members build their marketing toolbox.

Savannah Gilbo / Lacy Lifers
July 26

Multi-Purpose Room

WORLD BUILDING:
Presented by Brandon Sanderson – Pre-recorded

Join us as we watch to a lecture taught by Brandon Sanderson about World Building. While Sanderson is a fantasy author, this lecture applies to all genres of writing.

Brandon Sanderson

Author

August 23

Council Chambers

DEVELOPING YOUR AUTHOR BRAND:
Presented by Jane Friedman and Andrea Guevara – Pre-recorded

 

Join us as we watch a presentation by Jane Friendman and Andrea Guevara about developing your author brand while staying true to who you are. Following the video, a MARA member will lead a workshop to help members create their unique brand.

Jane Friedman / Andrea Guerava
September 27

Multi-Purpose Room

HOW TO SHOW, NOT TELL:
Presented by Haley Phelan

 

One of the vaguest critiques can be, ‘There’s too much telling.’ With dozens of examples, we willl study what telling really means, why it can hinder your writing, how to fix it, and when telling is necessary in a story. 

Haley Phelan

MARA Member

October 25

Multi-Purpose Room

BUILDING AN OFFBEAT AND BESPOKE CAREER:
Presented by Sierra Simone

 

Bestselling author Sierra Simone presents about how publishing can look different for everyone and how to build it into a career.

Sierra Simone

Bestselling Author

December 6

Multi-Purpose Room

Holiday Party

 

Important Contest Dates

January 1
The 2025 Fiction From the Heartland Contest Opens

The Fiction From the Heartland Contest is for unpublished manuscripts.

 

The Fiction From the Heartland Contest 2025
February 1
The Fiction From the Heartland Contest Closes for Entries

Registration and contest fee must be submitted by 11:59pm CT

 

The 2025 Fiction From the Heartland Contest
May 1
Finalists Announced
The 2025 Fiction From the Heartland Context
More Contest info
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