The following Chicago-North members are
accomplished speakers available to give workshops at conferences and
other events. To arrange for a Chicago-North author to speak with
your group, please feel free to contact speakers with the information
provided below.
Sara Daniel, President, Chicago-North RWA
 Sara
Daniel is available to speak on the topic of Finding Time to Write,
a particularly frustrating problem for would-be writers who are already
pulled in multiple directions in their busy lives. Among the points
Sara will address are making goals, dealing with life intrusions,
finding blocks of time, prioritizing, and avoiding burnout.
Sara Daniel has been
writing romance since she was in junior high. In 2002, she joined RWA
and became serious about writing with the goal of publication. In that
time, she has written six category romance manuscripts and four single
title romance manuscripts. She managed all this with two young children
at home. She sent them off to school only to have a third
child--planned(!) but at the expense of those large, coveted chunks of
writing time.
Sara has become a
master at squeezing in five-minute writing snatches on her AlphaSmart
while waiting at dance class, soccer practice, and watching Barney
videos. She holds herself to weekly and monthly page goals, but makes
daily goals more fluid because of the unpredictability of daily life in
her house. Currently President of the Chicago-North chapter of RWA,
she has also held the offices of librarian, manuscript chair, contest chair, and
secretary.
Lane to Heaven,
Sara's first published novel, is a March 2007 release from Five Star.
Her website is
www.saradaniel.com. She also blogs advice for beginning romance
writers at
www.writersgetreal.com.
^
Blythe Gifford, bestselling
author of
The Knave and the Maiden
 After
many years in public relations, advertising, and marketing, Blythe
Gifford stopped sublimating and returned to her first love, writing
historical novels. Her first novel, THE KNAVE AND THE MAIDEN, was
released by Harlequin Historicals in January 2004.
Booklist
called it a “wonderfully romantic debut” and All About Romance named it
a “Buried Treasure” of the year. THE KNAVE AND THE MAIDEN was a double
finalist in First Coast Romance Writers’ Beacon Contest, taking second
in the Best First Book category and third in Best Historical.
She also juggles
marketing consulting and freelance writing careers. She has written for
Writer’s Digest magazine and spoken on marketing at several RWA
Conferences. Writer’s Digest Yearbook Extra featured her article
“Take Charge of Your Marketing,” based on her workshop.
Her extensive marketing
experience includes strategy, new product development, consumer and
trade advertising, promotion, packaging, point of sale, and public
relations. She has been associated with First Alert, Rubbermaid, Kraft,
and many other major consumer products companies. She holds a BA from
DePauw University and an MBA from the University of Washington, has
taught at the college level, and given countless presentations and
speeches.
A member of Romance
Writers of America, she is past president of Chicago North RWA. She
also belongs to the Windy City, Golden Network, Hearts Through History,
and Published Authors Special Interest Chapters. She lives and works
near Chicago’s lakefront.
Blythe's
workshops include:
"How to be the heroine of your own life"
Type of workshop: Writing
Life/Motivation
Length of workshop: 30 to 45 minutes
Description: We are all authors of
our own lives. This uplifting presentation will help you apply what
you know about the heroines in books to shaping the story of your
own life. Appropriate for writers and readers alike.
"Marketing is Not a Four Letter Word"
Type of workshop: Marketing
Length of workshop: Two versions.
One hour overview. Can be expanded to two hours to give
participants time to develop their own marketing strategy.
Description: With the help of a
thirty-year veteran of the consumer marketing wars, you’ll gain
insights you can use to take charge of your own career. First,
we’ll decode the marketing mumbo-jumbo and apply the terms directly
to the publishing industry. Then, you’ll develop your own “ten
minute marketing strategy.” This workshop is not about whether to
use bookmarks or reader contests, but about what message to send, no
matter how you communicate. (Presented at RWA National.)
"The
Writer’s Toolbox: How to shape your story from macro to micro"
Type of workshop: Craft
Length of workshop: Workshop can be
tailored, from hour long version to a half-day. (Short version will
focus on only one aspect, e.g. plotting through theme or
scene/sequel construction.)
Description: Whether you’re a plotter
or a pantzer, you’ll find some new tools to sculpt your story into
shape. On the story level, integrates the Four Act Structure, the
hero’s journey, the character arc, and the romance arc. Defines
scene and sequel, the role of each, how to use them for pacing, and
how to craft them to make the reader keep turning pages. Finally,
within each scene, explains how to make your sentences carry the
story briskly. This is a technical workshop which assumes knowledge
of the basics of romance writing.
For more information visit Blythe's
website or email Blythe
here.
Ruth
Kaufman, Advisor, Chicago-North RWA
 Four
of Ruth’s manuscripts have placed in a total of 16 contests. Her
medieval with a paranormal element, FOLLOW YOUR HEART, was runner up in
Dorchester Publishing/Romantic Times BOOKreview’s national American
Title II contest. An attorney with a master’s in Radio/TV, Ruth spent
13 years negotiating seven figure contracts, managing a multi-million
dollar sales territory and presenting training seminars. She completed
multi-level programs at Second City and ImprovOlympic, where she
performed with an improv team and has appeared in venues from community
theatre to the Lyric Opera of Chicago and can be glimpsed in movies such
as Ali and Return to Me. She has
presented at numerous regional and national romance writing conferences. Past-President of the Chicago-North chapter of RWA, she is now Advisor to the board.
Workshops include:
Can
We Talk:
How to overcome fears and discuss your writing with confidence.
Persistence:
Do you have what it takes to survive and thrive?
Anti-Plotting:
Hate outlines? Let your Muse and characters show you what to write.
Improv for Authors:
Learn how improvisational comedy techniques can add life to your
characters and plots in any genre.
Sales Skills for Authors:
Advice on managing your products and promotion gleaned from Ruth’s
sixteen years in sales/marketing.
For more information visit
Ruth's website or email Ruth at
ruthjkaufman@aol.com.
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