You started out with a great premise, larger-than-life characters, and a fast-paced plot. Your walls are plastered with goal-motivation-conflict charts and you could recite each character's internal and external arcs in your sleep. Maybe you even came up with a detailed outline before you started writing your latest masterpiece. But now that it's time to edit your rough draft, you realize your characters' emotions and personalities didn't make it onto the page, and the scenes that were so vivid in your head seem flat or rushed on paper. What went wrong? Nothing, actually. First drafts are for getting the basic story nailed down. Revision is where you crank up the voltage and get the emotions right. This workshop focuses on practical techniques to help you edit the spark back into your story. Topics covered include: * Why stimulus-response chains can make or break a scene, and how to use them for maximum dramatic effect * How to fine-tune the progression of emotion in a scene * Techniques for infusing the POV character's personality and worldview into each scene * How to streamline exposition and make infodumps do double-duty as characterization * Why descriptions are inherently boring, and how you can make them compelling * How to write narrative summary that your readers won't be tempted to skim * How to recognize and eliminate author intrusion At the end of the workshop, you'll have an editing checklist that guides you through the process of transforming your rough draft into the exciting, dynamic story you originally envisioned. 

 This workshop will be conducted via a Yahoo! email loop. Email invitations will be sent 48 hours prior to the beginning of the workshop. Just register for the workshop and complete the payment process via PayPal. The cost is $20.00 for FFnP members and $30.00 for non-FFnP members. 

Madeleine Drake writes feisty, fast-paced paranormal romance and erotica that spans the space-time continuum. Raised by a pride of cats, a friendly mutt, and the Sonoma County library system, she loves to read about ancient history and mythology, anthropology, gender roles, and sexual archetypes. Her homeworld is located out past the constellation Orion, but she currently resides in Texas. You can find her online at http://www.madeleinedrake.com