WORKSHOPS   Yes! Sandy Tritt is available to lead workshops for your conference or writer's group. A dynamic speaker, Sandy tailors each workshop to your individual group. Her most requested workshops are listed here. Others can be created for your specific situation. Thank you for that wonderful workshop--our teachers loved it, and it was THE most highly-rated workshop since we began keeping records several years ago. ~ Laura Tracy Baisden, Director Coalfield Writers, a Satellite of Marshall University Writing Project "The Life Cycle of a Character"   This workshop discusses how to take a character from conception to maturity, growing into a character who jumps off the page and into the reader's heart. First, we conceive a character, and this workshop discusses ways to spawn that first seed. Next, we breathe life into the character by giving him wants and fears. Then we take him through the tumultuous teen years by exploring his emotions and learning more about him. As he matures, we add more layers, exploring different aspects of his personality and history. This workshop is for writers of all levels, and includes discussion and samples of tools such as character trait charts and growth charts. I have never been to a workshop with more energy and more information. Sandy was so organized and answered every question thrown at her. Sign me up for the next workshop she leads.   "The Seven Deadly Sins of Writing"     The Devil of Rejection tempts every writer with the Seven Deadly Sins of Writing. They seem innocent enough--a misplaced comma here, an adverb there--but soon the writer finds himself sinking into the dreaded darkness of the Rejection Pile. Sadly, often the writer doesn't even know he's been deceived. So let's reveal the Seven Deadly Sins of Writing for what they are: Death to your manuscript. This workshop, geared toward beginning writers, examines seven common mistakes writers make: poor grammar and spelling; telling, not showing; passive voice; purple prose; repetitiveness; point of view breaches; and lack of persistence. I learned more in 90 minutes with Sandy than I did in four semesters of college. I whole-heartedly recommend her Seven Deadly Sins workshop to anyone who writes. This gal knows her stuff.   Pass the Tissues, Please   This workshop, geared toward the advanced writer, discusses character emotion and how to control it. We will dissect examples in published and unpublished works to find out exactly how a writer can manipulate a character's emotion to create an equal reaction in the reader. This workshop also discusses how climatic points within a manuscript must be detailed so no character emotion is missed--and how to ensure those emotions are not portrayed melodramically, but in such a way they hit the reader deep in the gut. Wow! I never realized all the things that go on behind the scenes. I can't wait to edit my memoir and apply all the things I learned in just two hours with Sandy. I know I'm a better writer from having attended this workshop.   When and Where   This interactive setting workshop uses ad-libs to illustrate how setting is sprinkled throughout a manuscript. A brief lecture discusses ways to keep setting alive and integral without overshadowing plot and characterization, followed by writing exercises and discussion. I've never been to a workshop that was better organized. I was surprised to walk in and find an attractive folder with all kinds of supplementary material and detailed information about everything the workshop would cover. I was also pleased with all the "freebies"--the pen and notepad and a laminated copy of The Writers Prayer. I was happy before Sandy said one word. After the workshop, I talked to the other attendees. Everyone agreed: this was by far the most professional and the best presented workshop we had ever attended. We've already invited Sandy back next year.   Drop and Give Me Fifty: Writing Skinny and Sexy Prose   No, this is not a romance or erotic workshop. This is a lecture (or lecture and exercise) workshop that discusses how to write so your reader can't stop reading--which is to put your prose on a diet and cut all unnecessary words, all redundancy, all adverbs, all telling, and all passivity. The result? Skinny, sexy prose your reader can't stop reading. The evaluation form said to rate this workshop on a scale of one to five, with five being the best. I have to rate it a "ten." It simply IS the best.   Whose View to Choose   "Whose View to Choose" is an interactive workshop that examines the craft of point of view, which is perhaps one of the most difficult concepts for a writer to master. After a brief lecture, this workshop uses volunteer participants to act out a brief skit. The skit is presented in multiple points of view with the narrator represented by an actor. Watching the narrator interact with characters within each point of view, attendees develop a much better understanding of how point of view works and how it affects a story. This workshop examines how to select which point of view to use, how to control the omniscient point of view to avoid "head hopping," and how to select the perfect viewpoint character for each scene. Sandy is one of those gifted writers who not only KNOWS a lot about writing, but is able TEACH. And man, can that woman teach. Detailed handouts are available for all workshops. Workshops typically last 90 minutes, but can be tailored for a shorter or longer period. Workshops can also be lecture-only, lecture and exercise, or interactive. If a workshop is better presented one way than another, it is mentioned in the workshop description. All workshops apply to both fiction and memoir, and can be tailored toward one or the other. Custom workshops for subjects not listed above can also be created. For more information, please email Sandy with as much information about your workshop as possible. Brief Bio: Sandy Tritt is a writer, editor and speaker. The founder and CEO of Inspiration for Writers, an editing and critiquing service for aspiring writers, she has edited hundreds of manuscripts. She is president emeritus of West Virginia Writers, Inc., the state's largest writing organization, and has recently led workshops at the West Virginia Writers Conference, the West Virginia Book Festival, the Alabama Writers Conclave, and the Appalachian Writers Association (Bristol, Tennessee), among many others. Sandy's short stories and novels have received many awards and have been published in literary magazines and local journals such as Gambit, Confluence, Allegheny Echoes, Mountain Voices, The Northwestern, and Mountain Echoes, in which she was the July 2004 featured writer. In addition, she has published Everything I Know (Headline Books), Inspiration for Writers Tips and Techniques Workbook, and seven technical manuals (Phoenix Software, Atlanta, GA). She has ghostwritten one award-winning screen play and two memoirs. But more than anything, Sandy loves to teach the craft of writing. Sandy's workshop schedule tends to fill up quickly. For information on Sandy's next workshops or to schedule a workshop for your group, email her.   Questions? Comments? Email us at: editor@InspirationForWriters.com If no one responds to your question or comment within 48 hours, please email again. Custom Graphics by:

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