Jane K. Cleland: The Art of Revealing backstory
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 your can put to work immediately in your own writing.
Jane K. Cleland writes both fiction and nonfiction, including the multiple award-winning and long-running Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries [St. Martin’s & Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine] and the Agatha-award winning bestsellers, Mastering Suspense, Structure & Plot and Mastering Plot Twists [Writer’s Digest Books]. She is a member of the fulltime faculty at Lehman College, part of the City University of New York, a contributing editor for Writer’s Digest Magazine, and the chair of the Wolfe Pack’s Black Orchid Novella Award (BONA) in partnership with Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. She is a frequent workshop leader and guest author at writing conferences, association meetings, and MFA Residencies. Also, Jane offers free monthly virtual workshops on the craft and business of writing, and Mystery Masterminds, a series of small group virtual workshops. She’s offering an in-person 3 ½-day Mystery Mastermind immersive workshop later this month. More details are available at www.janecleland.com
THIS EVENT WILL NOT BE RECORDED AT THE REQUEST OF THE PRESENTER.
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9:00 am – Zoom link will open for casual chat and networking
9:30–10:30 am Business Meeting
10:30–11:30 pm Workshop