Are you a writer attending #CMCon23 in Orlando (published or yet-to-be published)?

The Writing Garage will be presenting a new workshop!! Don’t miss this annual lead up to our Coastal Magic Convention weekend!!

Coastal Magic and The Writing Garage present:
GUT PUNCH: Using Emotional Conflict As Plot
Thursday, Feb 23, 2023: 10am – 1pm
Registration: $35
Instructor: Tere Michaels

When we start writing, we have an idea of how our readers will react to our stories. Do we want them to laugh? Cry? Gasp? Compose angry letters in their heads because how dare we? And what is the key to making that happen in the story? We create our characters and their internal journeys with this in mind, then we place them in a plot that we hope will get the point across. (And get everyone – them and the readers – to the satisfying end of the book.)

Your plot is the vehicle your characters use to experience and move through their Arcs. The plot is how they learn and grow (fall then rise) or lose their way (rise then fall). Even if your book is about People Feeling Things, there has to be some plot that ignites the change they go through.

This workshop will discuss the ways to use Emotional Conflict – your characters’ inner life – to plot your story. How do we select the right vehicle for these characters? How do we use their internal conflicts to reflect an exterior plot to get them where they need to be? We’ll examine the difference between internal conflict and external trauma and how they can bring a reader closer to the character – or drive them away. The end goal as always is to gather the tools you need to write your best book.

You do not have to be registered for Coastal Magic Convention to attend this workshop. Coastal Magic is thrilled to host The Writing Garage each year, but the registrations are separate. We hope you stay for the full weekend experience, but it is not required.

This workshop is “mask required”. Thank you.

To register – https://forms.gle/bDY4nJsSmwduyfhH6

**** ATTENTION #CMCon23 ATTENDEES ****

Please check your inboxes for a very important, time-sensitive email.
It covers:

1) Info about the new hotel in Orlando, and the link to reserve your room in our group block.

and

2) Link to a very short registration confirmation form that I need EVERY attendee to complete.
This will let me know if you’re planning to join us in Orlando. I need accurate counts for the hotel, and for my own preparation (making badges, room counts, etc.)

Thank you all so much for your patience and enthusiasm. I can’t wait to see everyone next month!!

*** If you think you’re registered to attend, but you did NOT receive an email today, please a) check your spam/junk email, then b) email me at CoastalMagicConvention@gmail.com and we’ll figure it all out for you. ***

WYNDHAM-ORLANDO RESORT INTERNATIONAL DRIVE
https://www.wyndhamorlandoresort.com

I’m so happy to share that we have a place to call home for our shindig this year! Someplace that’s gorgeous and interesting, and NOT been blown apart by hurricanes!! It has all the space we need to have our anxiously anticipated return to in-person celebration of all the authors and stories we love so much.

The hotel will have our dedicated page for discounted room reservations ready by the end of the week, and I’ll share as soon as I’m able. The rates are comparable to what we had at our original hotel.

I’ll be working on our schedule and will have that ready to share soon.

I have details about our Writer’s Garage workshop for authors on Thursday morning that I’ll be sharing tonight.

Authors have started sharing their forms for pre-orders. I’ll be adding more in the next couple of days. You can find them here (the event description says it’s over — it’s not — I just can’t figure out how to change the daggum settings, lmao!!)
https://www.facebook.com/events/6099645803387697/?active_tab=discussion

If you’re not already — definitely join the Facebook Authors & Attendees group. It’s a great place to ask questions and get updates between now and the event.

There’s SO MUCH coming in the next few weeks!!! I’m so relieved, and I hope you’re all as excited as I am to get everyone ready for our weekend together!! If you’ve already registered to attend, watch your email in the next day or two, as I’ll be sending out a form to fill out to veryify that you’ll be making the move to Orlando with us. Some of you are fresh from this year, but many are rolling over from previous virtual years. I need to double check our actual headcount for the hotel, and need accurate numbers. ❤ 🙂

For those who are lamenting the loss of the beach in the back yard, I feel ya, I promise.
I really did try everything I could to keep us in Daytona, and on the beach. The storms just did too much damage, and there weren’t enough hotels in our target area that had everything we needed. I hope you’ll find bookish relaxation and camaraderie enough to distract you. And if the urge for toes in the sand overtakes you, maybe plans for an excursion can be made to Cocoa Beach, just an hour directly East of us.

A few silver linings — we’ll be super close to the two main theme parks – if that’s your thing… there’s a winery and an escape room within walking distance… and the Orlando Airport (MCO) is only 13.3 miles away.

If it turns out you won’t be able to join us after all, I’m so sorry we’ll be missing you. 😦
Please email me at CoastalMagicConvention@gmail.com to let me know which of these two options I should make note of for you.
1. If you’ll be having someone else attend in your place (you’re welcome to sell or gift them your registration), I’ll need to update their names and emails on my attendee spreadsheet.
Or
2. If you’d rather move your registration forward to next year’s return to Daytona, I can add you to our 2024 listing.

HUGE thank you to all of you who have been so patient through all this. It’s not been my favorite two months ever, that’s for sure. But I’m so looking forward to seeing all of you in Orlando!!!