Appearances

Would you like to meet me in person? If you're an Esteemed Reader, I'd sure like to meet you. Below are some times and places we can make that happen. I hope to see you there.


If you're coordinating an event or school visit, I'd love an invitation. Email me at Bannekerbones [at] gmail [dot] com and let's see if we can't get something on this schedule.


Sunday, March 12, 2023


Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: 5:00pm-8:00pm
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost: $75 nonmembers, $48 members, $42 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members


Confession: when someone tells me, usually in a conspiratorial tone, "you know, I've always wanted to write a novel," I have to forcibly resist replying, "I've always wanted to perform brain surgery, I just haven't studied brains or operation procedures." Writing a novel isn't brain surgery, but it is a lot of work. It's also something everyone thinks they can do (because they've written stuff like emails, social media posts, that one poem from high school, etc.), and most people will never do. Fewer will do it well.

Being an enthusiastic  lover of books naturally leads to dreaming up an idea or two for your own, but ideas are cheap and plentiful. It's the completed execution of those ideas that separates authors from wannabes. And most authors don't publish their first book (and certainly not the first version of it), so if you want to stop telling people about the book you're going to write some day and start telling them about the book you wrote, roll up your sleeves.

This course will offer actionable advice on how to take your idea to completed novel with a comprehensive overview of how to plot your story, how to apply the seat of your pants to the seat of your chair and do the work, how to schedule your book's completion and track your progress, how to revise your completed manuscript, and ultimately how to prepare it to be published. By the end of this course, you'll either have a plan in place to finish your novel, or be able to decide that you'd rather just be a reader (the world always needs more of those).



5 Sundays: January 15, 22, 29, February 05, 12 2023

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: Sunday evenings 5:00pm-8:00pm
Location: Zoom
Cost:$400 
*Class size limited to 8 students

REGISTER HERE

For five Sundays, you’re invited to become part of an elite fiction writing community. This workshop is limited to no greater than ten participants, so every writer will get individual attention. We’re going to encourage each other and hold one another accountable to meet a firm writing and reading goal each week through daily emails. You can write any genre, any age group, (Robert Kent writes both middle grade books and adult horror stories) and any fiction narrative, be it short story, novel or other.

Every writer will be expected to critique the work of their peers and produce a minimum of 2,500 words each week. That’s only 358 words you’ll need to write per day or 500 words per day if you take two days off. Weekly submissions for critiquing have no minimum length, but will be capped at a maximum of 4,000 words.

Please have your first submission ready by the first session. You won’t need to submit it ahead of time, but you will need to have it prepared to be work-shopped during the second week’s session. Submissions should preferably be Microsoft Word documents as we’ll be using track changes for critiquing. If a Word document is unavailable, the student will be responsible for printing enough copies (no more than ten) for the entire workshop.

Manuscripts must be double-paced and in 12-point font, preferably Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier. The author’s name must appear on the first page. Each page must be numbered. Maintain a 1 -inch margin on all sides. Use actual paragraphs, typical punctuation, etc. In other words, manuscripts must be formatted as though they were about to be submitted for publication. Don’t make your fellow writers suffer through abnormalities in formatting.

This is a workshop for those who are serious about their writing. Every participant needs to be prepared to produce new writing of their own every week in addition to providing written notes and in-person feedback about others’ writing during workshop sessions. This is a workshop for writers strong enough to take criticism like a professional. Personal criticism will not be tolerated, but your fiction will be broken down and rewritten until it is killed or cured. Weak writers need not apply.

*The cost of this class includes a $25 critiquing fee, to be remitted by IWC directly to the instructor, for work critiqued outside of class time.

*Please note that the dates for this class will include a break on 7/3/22. Class will not be held on that day.

**Only 8 seats available for this class!**



Sunday, July 24, 2022


Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: 5:00 p.m.- 9:00 p.m.
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost: $75 nonmembers, $48 members, $42 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members


Confession: when someone tells me, usually in a conspiratorial tone, "you know, I've always wanted to write a novel," I have to forcibly resist replying, "I've always wanted to perform brain surgery, I just haven't studied brains or operation procedures." Writing a novel isn't brain surgery, but it is a lot of work. It's also something everyone thinks they can do (because they've written stuff like emails, social media posts, that one poem from high school, etc.), and most people will never do. Fewer will do it well.

Being an enthusiastic  lover of books naturally leads to dreaming up an idea or two for your own, but ideas are cheap and plentiful. It's the completed execution of those ideas that separates authors from wannabes. And most authors don't publish their first book (and certainly not the first version of it), so if you want to stop telling people about the book you're going to write some day and start telling them about the book you wrote, roll up your sleeves.

This course will offer actionable advice on how to take your idea to completed novel with a comprehensive overview of how to plot your story, how to apply the seat of your pants to the seat of your chair and do the work, how to schedule your book's completion and track your progress, how to revise your completed manuscript, and ultimately how to prepare it to be published. By the end of this course, you'll either have a plan in place to finish your novel, or be able to decide that you'd rather just be a reader (the world always needs more of those).



5 ThursdaysJune 12, 19, 26, July 10, 17 2022

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: Sunday evenings 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Cost:$400 
*Class size limited to 8 students

REGISTER HERE

For five Sundays, you’re invited to become part of an elite fiction writing community. This workshop is limited to no greater than ten participants, so every writer will get individual attention. We’re going to encourage each other and hold one another accountable to meet a firm writing and reading goal each week through daily emails. You can write any genre, any age group, (Robert Kent writes both middle grade books and adult horror stories) and any fiction narrative, be it short story, novel or other.

Every writer will be expected to critique the work of their peers and produce a minimum of 2,500 words each week. That’s only 358 words you’ll need to write per day or 500 words per day if you take two days off. Weekly submissions for critiquing have no minimum length, but will be capped at a maximum of 4,000 words.

Please have your first submission ready by the first session. You won’t need to submit it ahead of time, but you will need to have it prepared to be work-shopped during the second week’s session. Submissions should preferably be Microsoft Word documents as we’ll be using track changes for critiquing. If a Word document is unavailable, the student will be responsible for printing enough copies (no more than ten) for the entire workshop.

Manuscripts must be double-paced and in 12-point font, preferably Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier. The author’s name must appear on the first page. Each page must be numbered. Maintain a 1 -inch margin on all sides. Use actual paragraphs, typical punctuation, etc. In other words, manuscripts must be formatted as though they were about to be submitted for publication. Don’t make your fellow writers suffer through abnormalities in formatting.

This is a workshop for those who are serious about their writing. Every participant needs to be prepared to produce new writing of their own every week in addition to providing written notes and in-person feedback about others’ writing during workshop sessions. This is a workshop for writers strong enough to take criticism like a professional. Personal criticism will not be tolerated, but your fiction will be broken down and rewritten until it is killed or cured. Weak writers need not apply.

*The cost of this class includes a $25 critiquing fee, to be remitted by IWC directly to the instructor, for work critiqued outside of class time.

*Please note that the dates for this class will include a break on 7/3/22. Class will not be held on that day.

**Only 8 seats available for this class!**


5 Thursdays: April 07, 14, 21, 28, May 05 2022

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: Sunday evenings 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Cost:$400 
*Class size limited to 10 students

REGISTER HERE

For five Thursdays, you're invited to become part of an elite fiction writing community. This workshop is limited to no greater than ten participants, so every writer will get individual attention. We're going to encourage each other and hold one another accountable to meet a firm writing and reading goal each week through daily emails. You can write any genre, any age group, (Robert Kent writes both middle grade books and adult horror stories) and any fiction narrative, be it short story, novel or other.

Every writer will be expected to critique the work of their peers and produce a minimum of 2,500 words each week. That's only 358 words you'll need to write per day or 500 words per day if you take two days off. Weekly submissions for critiquing have no minimum length, but will be capped at a maximum of 4,000 words.  

Please have your first submission ready by the first session. You won't need to submit it ahead of time, but you will need to have it prepared to be work-shopped during the second week's session. Submissions should preferably be Microsoft Word documents as we'll be using track changes for critiquing. If a Word document is unavailable, the student will be responsible for printing enough copies (no more than ten) for the entire workshop.

Manuscripts must be double-paced and in 12-point font, preferably Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier. The author's name must appear on the first page. Each page must be numbered. Maintain a 1 -inch margin on all sides. Use actual paragraphs, typical punctuation, etc. In other words, manuscripts must be formatted as though they were about to be submitted for publication. Don't make your fellow writers suffer through abnormalities in formatting.

This is a workshop for those who are serious about their writing. Every participant needs to be prepared to produce new writing of their own every week in addition to providing written notes and in-person feedback about others' writing during workshop sessions. This is a workshop for writers strong enough to take criticism like a professional. Personal criticism will not be tolerated, but your fiction will be broken down and rewritten until it is killed or cured. Weak writers need not apply.

*You will receive instructors on how to:
1. Set up a Zoom account if you haven't used Zoom before
2. An invitation to the Zoom meeting in the class confirmation sent a few days before the class. This invitation will include a link to the meeting, a meeting ID, and a password.
3. We will be available to help you should you need any assistance along the way.
Click here for the Faculty Bio for Robert Kent


5 ThursdaysJune 03, 10, 17, 24, July 01 2021

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: Sunday evenings 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Cost:$400 
*Class size limited to 10 students

REGISTER HERE

For five Thursdays, you're invited to become part of an elite fiction writing community. This workshop is limited to no greater than ten participants, so every writer will get individual attention. We're going to encourage each other and hold one another accountable to meet a firm writing and reading goal each week through daily emails. You can write any genre, any age group, (Robert Kent writes both middle grade books and adult horror stories) and any fiction narrative, be it short story, novel or other.

Every writer will be expected to critique the work of their peers and produce a minimum of 2,500 words each week. That's only 358 words you'll need to write per day or 500 words per day if you take two days off. Weekly submissions for critiquing have no minimum length, but will be capped at a maximum of 4,000 words.  

Please have your first submission ready by the first session. You won't need to submit it ahead of time, but you will need to have it prepared to be work-shopped during the second week's session. Submissions should preferably be Microsoft Word documents as we'll be using track changes for critiquing. If a Word document is unavailable, the student will be responsible for printing enough copies (no more than ten) for the entire workshop.

Manuscripts must be double-paced and in 12-point font, preferably Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier. The author's name must appear on the first page. Each page must be numbered. Maintain a 1 -inch margin on all sides. Use actual paragraphs, typical punctuation, etc. In other words, manuscripts must be formatted as though they were about to be submitted for publication. Don't make your fellow writers suffer through abnormalities in formatting.

This is a workshop for those who are serious about their writing. Every participant needs to be prepared to produce new writing of their own every week in addition to providing written notes and in-person feedback about others' writing during workshop sessions. This is a workshop for writers strong enough to take criticism like a professional. Personal criticism will not be tolerated, but your fiction will be broken down and rewritten until it is killed or cured. Weak writers need not apply.

*You will receive instructors on how to:
1. Set up a Zoom account if you haven't used Zoom before
2. An invitation to the Zoom meeting in the class confirmation sent a few days before the class. This invitation will include a link to the meeting, a meeting ID, and a password.
3. We will be available to help you should you need any assistance along the way.
Click here for the Faculty Bio for Robert Kent

2 Thursdays, October 1st and 8th, 2020


Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: 7:30 p.m.- 9:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Cost: $75 nonmembers, $48 members, $42 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members


Confession: when someone tells me, usually in a conspiratorial tone, "you know, I've always wanted to write a novel," I have to forcibly resist replying, "I've always wanted to perform brain surgery, I just haven't studied brains or operation procedures." Writing a novel isn't brain surgery, but it is a lot of work. It's also something everyone thinks they can do (because they've written stuff like emails, social media posts, that one poem from high school, etc.), and most people will never do. Fewer will do it well.

Being an enthusiastic  lover of books naturally leads to dreaming up an idea or two for your own, but ideas are cheap and plentiful. It's the completed execution of those ideas that separates authors from wannabes. And most authors don't publish their first book (and certainly not the first version of it), so if you want to stop telling people about the book you're going to write some day and start telling them about the book you wrote, roll up your sleeves.

This course will offer actionable advice on how to take your idea to completed novel with a comprehensive overview of how to plot your story, how to apply the seat of your pants to the seat of your chair and do the work, how to schedule your book's completion and track your progress, how to revise your completed manuscript, and ultimately how to prepare it to be published. By the end of this course, you'll either have a plan in place to finish your novel, or be able to decide that you'd rather just be a reader (the world always needs more of those).

*You will receive instructors on how to:
1. Set up a Zoom account if you haven't used Zoom before
2. An invitation to the Zoom meeting in the class confirmation sent a few days before the class. This invitation will include a link to the meeting, a meeting ID, and a password.
3. We will be available to help you should you need any assistance along the way.
Click here for the Faculty Bio for Robert Kent

2 Thursdays, October 22nd and 29th, 2020

Writing The Horror Novel 

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: 7:30 p.m.- 9:00 p.m
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost: $75 nonmembers, $48 members, $42 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members

REGISTER HERE

Author and film director Clive Barker says, "Horror fiction shows us that the control we believe we have is purely illusory, and that every moment we teeter on chaos and oblivion." Do you like scary stories? Do you want to hold your readers frozen in heart-pounding suspense until they can turn the page and either breathe again... or scream? Robert Kent, author of All Together Now: A Zombie Story and other tales of terror, will share some of the most common tricks of the trade. He'll discuss popular plotting strategies, effective characterization techniques (for people as well as monsters),  establishing credibility in a genre about the incredible, and many other spine-tingling subjects. Most stories could benefit from incorporating a little romance, but ALL stories could benefit from incorporating elements of horror. Whatever your preferred genre, expect to gain a deeper appreciation for horror's place in fiction to improve your own writing and reading.


Monday, April 13, 2019

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Cost: $75 nonmembers, $48 members, $42 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members


Confession: when someone tells me, usually in a conspiratorial tone, "you know, I've always wanted to write a novel," I have to forcibly resist replying, "I've always wanted to perform brain surgery, I just haven't studied brains or operation procedures." Writing a novel isn't brain surgery, but it is a lot of work. It's also something everyone thinks they can do (because they've written stuff like emails, social media posts, that one poem from high school, etc.), and most people will never do. Fewer will do it well.

Being an enthusiastic  lover of books naturally leads to dreaming up an idea or two for your own, but ideas are cheap and plentiful. It's the completed execution of those ideas that separates authors from wannabes. And most authors don't publish their first book (and certainly not the first version of it), so if you want to stop telling people about the book you're going to write some day and start telling them about the book you wrote, roll up your sleeves.

This course will offer actionable advice on how to take your idea to completed novel with a comprehensive overview of how to plot your story, how to apply the seat of your pants to the seat of your chair and do the work, how to schedule your book's completion and track your progress, how to revise your completed manuscript, and ultimately how to prepare it to be published. By the end of this course, you'll either have a plan in place to finish your novel, or be able to decide that you'd rather just be a reader (the world always needs more of those).

*You will receive instructors on how to:
1. Set up a Zoom account if you haven't used Zoom before
2. An invitation to the Zoom meeting in the class confirmation sent a few days before the class. This invitation will include a link to the meeting, a meeting ID, and a password.
3. We will be available to help you should you need any assistance along the way.
Click here for the Faculty Bio for Robert Kent


Monday, April 27, 2020

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Cost: $75 nonmembers, $48 members, $42 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members

Editor Peggy Tierney says she receives thousands of manuscripts per year, reads perhaps fifty, and publishes only one or two. With publishers consolidating and purchasing fewer books each year, advances shrinking, and legacy contracts becoming more restrictive than ever – and with breakout self-publishing successes like Hugh Howey, Andy Weir, and Amanda Hawking making headlines – self publishing is no longer a marginalized zone for writers not talented enough to get a "real contract." It's a practical approach to to making real money through writing and reaching actual readers that's so much more fun than sending endless queries into the void.

*You will receive instructors on how to:
1. Set up a Zoom account if you haven't used Zoom before
2. An invitation to the Zoom meeting in the class confirmation sent a few days before the class. This invitation will include a link to the meeting, a meeting ID, and a password.
3. We will be available to help you should you need any assistance along the way.
Click here for the Faculty Bio for Robert Kent


5 Thursdays: April 16, 23, 30; May 7, 14 2020

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: Sunday evenings 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost:$400 nonmembers, $265 members, $235 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members 
*Class size limited to 10 students

REGISTER HERE

For five Thursdays, you're invited to become part of an elite fiction writing community. This workshop is limited to no greater than ten participants, so every writer will get individual attention. We're going to encourage each other and hold one another accountable to meet a firm writing and reading goal each week through daily emails. You can write any genre, any age group, (Robert Kent writes both middle grade books and adult horror stories) and any fiction narrative, be it short story, novel or other.

Every writer will be expected to critique the work of their peers and produce a minimum of 2,500 words each week. That's only 358 words you'll need to write per day or 500 words per day if you take two days off. Weekly submissions for critiquing have no minimum length, but will be capped at a maximum of 4,000 words.  

Please have your first submission ready by the first session. You won't need to submit it ahead of time, but you will need to have it prepared to be work-shopped during the second week's session. Submissions should preferably be Microsoft Word documents as we'll be using track changes for critiquing. If a Word document is unavailable, the student will be responsible for printing enough copies (no more than ten) for the entire workshop.

Manuscripts must be double-paced and in 12-point font, preferably Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier. The author's name must appear on the first page. Each page must be numbered. Maintain a 1 -inch margin on all sides. Use actual paragraphs, typical punctuation, etc. In other words, manuscripts must be formatted as though they were about to be submitted for publication. Don't make your fellow writers suffer through abnormalities in formatting.

This is a workshop for those who are serious about their writing. Every participant needs to be prepared to produce new writing of their own every week in addition to providing written notes and in-person feedback about others' writing during workshop sessions. This is a workshop for writers strong enough to take criticism like a professional. Personal criticism will not be tolerated, but your fiction will be broken down and rewritten until it is killed or cured. Weak writers need not apply.

*You will receive instructors on how to:
1. Set up a Zoom account if you haven't used Zoom before
2. An invitation to the Zoom meeting in the class confirmation sent a few days before the class. This invitation will include a link to the meeting, a meeting ID, and a password.
3. We will be available to help you should you need any assistance along the way.
Click here for the Faculty Bio for Robert Kent


5 Sundays : February 2, 9, 16, 23; March 1, 2020

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: Sunday evenings 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost:$275 nonmembers, $185 members, $165 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members 
*The price of this class includes a $25 manuscript fee.

REGISTER HERE


For five Sundays, you're invited to become part of an elite fiction writing community. This workshop is limited to no greater than ten participants, so every writer will get individual attention. We're going to encourage each other and hold one another accountable to meet a firm writing and reading goal each week through daily emails. You can write any genre, any age group, (Robert Kent writes both middle grade books and adult horror stories) and any fiction narrative, be it short story, novel or other.

Every writer will be expected to critique the work of their peers and produce a minimum of 2,500 words each week. That's only 358 words you'll need to write per day or 500 words per day if you take two days off. Weekly submissions for critiquing have no minimum length, but will be capped at a maximum of 4,000 words.  

Please have your first submission ready by the first session. You won't need to submit it ahead of time, but you will need to have it prepared to be work-shopped during the second week's session. Submissions should preferably be Microsoft Word documents as we'll be using track changes for critiquing. If a Word document is unavailable, the student will be responsible for printing enough copies (no more than ten) for the entire workshop.

Manuscripts must be double-paced and in 12-point font, preferably Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier. The author's name must appear on the first page. Each page must be numbered. Maintain a 1 -inch margin on all sides. Use actual paragraphs, typical punctuation, etc. In other words, manuscripts must be formatted as though they were about to be submitted for publication. Don't make your fellow writers suffer through abnormalities in formatting.

This is a workshop for those who are serious about their writing. Every participant needs to be prepared to produce new writing of their own every week in addition to providing written notes and in-person feedback about others' writing during workshop sessions. This is a workshop for writers strong enough to take criticism like a professional. Personal criticism will not be tolerated, but your fiction will be broken down and rewritten until it is killed or cured. Weak writers need not apply.



Central Library
40 East St. Clair Street
Downtown Indianapolis
10:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Celebrate Indiana’s rich literary tradition with activities for writers and book lovers of all ages! FREE and open to the public

11:30-12:45 p.m.Self-Publishing Tricks and Tips – Goodrich-Houk Room
Learn the ins and outs of self-publishing during this workshop. This session will offer insights into how to know when it makes sense to self- publish, where to find out information about the variety of ways to self-publish, and what to watch out for if it’s the route you decide to take to publish your own book.  Presented by the Indiana Writers Center and featuring Rob Kent.


5 Sundays (skipping 10/27): Oct. 13, 20; Nov. 3, 10, 17

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: Sunday evenings 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost:$275 nonmembers, $185 members, $165 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members 
*The price of this class includes a $25 manuscript fee.

REGISTER HERE


For five Sundays, you're invited to become part of an elite fiction writing community. This workshop is limited to no greater than ten participants, so every writer will get individual attention. We're going to encourage each other and hold one another accountable to meet a firm writing and reading goal each week through daily emails. You can write any genre, any age group, (Robert Kent writes both middle grade books and adult horror stories) and any fiction narrative, be it short story, novel or other.

Every writer will be expected to critique the work of their peers and produce a minimum of 2,500 words each week. That's only 358 words you'll need to write per day or 500 words per day if you take two days off. Weekly submissions for critiquing have no minimum length, but will be capped at a maximum of 4,000 words.  

Please have your first submission ready by the first session. You won't need to submit it ahead of time, but you will need to have it prepared to be work-shopped during the second week's session. Submissions should preferably be Microsoft Word documents as we'll be using track changes for critiquing. If a Word document is unavailable, the student will be responsible for printing enough copies (no more than ten) for the entire workshop.

Manuscripts must be double-paced and in 12-point font, preferably Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier. The author's name must appear on the first page. Each page must be numbered. Maintain a 1 -inch margin on all sides. Use actual paragraphs, typical punctuation, etc. In other words, manuscripts must be formatted as though they were about to be submitted for publication. Don't make your fellow writers suffer through abnormalities in formatting.

This is a workshop for those who are serious about their writing. Every participant needs to be prepared to produce new writing of their own every week in addition to providing written notes and in-person feedback about others' writing during workshop sessions. This is a workshop for writers strong enough to take criticism like a professional. Personal criticism will not be tolerated, but your fiction will be broken down and rewritten until it is killed or cured. Weak writers need not apply.

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost: $75 nonmembers, $48 members, $42 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members



Confession: when someone tells me, usually in a conspiratorial tone, "you know, I've always wanted to write a novel," I have to forcibly resist replying, "I've always wanted to perform brain surgery, I just haven't studied brains or operation procedures." Writing a novel isn't brain surgery, but it is a lot of work. It's also something everyone thinks they can do (because they've written stuff like emails, social media posts, that one poem from high school, etc.), and most people will never do. Fewer will do it well.

Being an enthusiastic  lover of books naturally leads to dreaming up an idea or two for your own, but ideas are cheap and plentiful. It's the completed execution of those ideas that separates authors from wannabes. And most authors don't publish their first book (and certainly not the first version of it), so if you want to stop telling people about the book you're going to write some day and start telling them about the book you wrote, roll up your sleeves.



This course will offer actionable advice on how to take your idea to completed novel with a comprehensive overview of how to plot your story, how to apply the seat of your pants to the seat of your chair and do the work, how to schedule your book's completion and track your progress, how to revise your completed manuscript, and ultimately how to prepare it to be published. By the end of this course, you'll either have a plan in place to finish your novel, or be able to decide that you'd rather just be a reader (the world always needs more of those).

Friday, August 30, 2019

THE BASICS OF SELF PUBLISHING
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM // Rm. 139
A discussion led by Hoosier native Rob Kent, host of the Middle Grade Ninja podcast and author of Banneker Bones and the Giant Robot Bees, The Book of David, and All Together Now: A Zombie Story. With publishers consolidating and purchasing fewer books each year, advances shrinking, and legacy contracts becoming more restrictive than ever – and with breakout self-publishing successes like Hugh Howey, Andy Weir, and Amanda Hawking making headlines – self publishing is no longer a marginalized zone for writers not talented enough to get a "real contract." It's a practical approach to making real money through writing and reaching actual readers that's so much more fun than sending endless queries into the void.



Saturday, September 7, 2019

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: 9:00 a.m.--12:00 p.m.
Location: Peony and Cardinal Meeting Rooms at KHCPL South, 1755 E. Center Road, Kokomo, IN 46902
Cost: Free


Editor Peggy Tierney says she receives thousands of manuscripts per year, reads perhaps fifty, and publishes only one or two. With publishers consolidating and purchasing fewer books each year, advances shrinking, and legacy contracts becoming more restrictive than ever – and with breakout self-publishing successes like Hugh Howey, Andy Weir, and Amanda Hawking making headlines – self publishing is no longer a marginalized zone for writers not talented enough to get a "real contract." It's a practical approach to to making real money through writing and reaching actual readers that's so much more fun than sending endless queries into the void.



5 Sundays: June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: Sunday evenings 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost:$275 nonmembers, $185 members, $165 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members 
*The price of this class includes a $25 manuscript fee.

REGISTER HERE


For five Sundays, you're invited to become part of an elite fiction writing community. This workshop is limited to no greater than ten participants, so every writer will get individual attention. We're going to encourage each other and hold one another accountable to meet a firm writing and reading goal each week through daily emails. You can write any genre, any age group, (Robert Kent writes both middle grade books and adult horror stories) and any fiction narrative, be it short story, novel or other.

Every writer will be expected to critique the work of their peers and produce a minimum of 2,500 words each week. That's only 358 words you'll need to write per day or 500 words per day if you take two days off. Weekly submissions for critiquing have no minimum length, but will be capped at a maximum of 4,000 words.  

Please have your first submission ready by the first session. You won't need to submit it ahead of time, but you will need to have it prepared to be work-shopped during the second week's session. Submissions should preferably be Microsoft Word documents as we'll be using track changes for critiquing. If a Word document is unavailable, the student will be responsible for printing enough copies (no more than ten) for the entire workshop.

Manuscripts must be double-paced and in 12-point font, preferably Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier. The author's name must appear on the first page. Each page must be numbered. Maintain a 1 -inch margin on all sides. Use actual paragraphs, typical punctuation, etc. In other words, manuscripts must be formatted as though they were about to be submitted for publication. Don't make your fellow writers suffer through abnormalities in formatting.

This is a workshop for those who are serious about their writing. Every participant needs to be prepared to produce new writing of their own every week in addition to providing written notes and in-person feedback about others' writing during workshop sessions. This is a workshop for writers strong enough to take criticism like a professional. Personal criticism will not be tolerated, but your fiction will be broken down and rewritten until it is killed or cured. Weak writers need not apply.


Sunday, May 19, 2019

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost: $75 nonmembers, $48 members, $42 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members



Confession: when someone tells me, usually in a conspiratorial tone, "you know, I've always wanted to write a novel," I have to forcibly resist replying, "I've always wanted to perform brain surgery, I just haven't studied brains or operation procedures." Writing a novel isn't brain surgery, but it is a lot of work. It's also something everyone thinks they can do (because they've written stuff like emails, social media posts, that one poem from high school, etc.), and most people will never do. Fewer will do it well.

Being an enthusiastic  lover of books naturally leads to dreaming up an idea or two for your own, but ideas are cheap and plentiful. It's the completed execution of those ideas that separates authors from wannabes. And most authors don't publish their first book (and certainly not the first version of it), so if you want to stop telling people about the book you're going to write some day and start telling them about the book you wrote, roll up your sleeves.



This course will offer actionable advice on how to take your idea to completed novel with a comprehensive overview of how to plot your story, how to apply the seat of your pants to the seat of your chair and do the work, how to schedule your book's completion and track your progress, how to revise your completed manuscript, and ultimately how to prepare it to be published. By the end of this course, you'll either have a plan in place to finish your novel, or be able to decide that you'd rather just be a reader (the world always needs more of those).

Sunday, May 5, 2019

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost: $75 nonmembers, $48 members, $42 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members


Editor Peggy Tierney says she receives thousands of manuscripts per year, reads perhaps fifty, and publishes only one or two. With publishers consolidating and purchasing fewer books each year, advances shrinking, and legacy contracts becoming more restrictive than ever – and with breakout self-publishing successes like Hugh Howey, Andy Weir, and Amanda Hawking making headlines – self publishing is no longer a marginalized zone for writers not talented enough to get a "real contract." It's a practical approach to to making real money through writing and reaching actual readers that's so much more fun than sending endless queries into the void.


Sunday, March 10, 2019
The Basics of Self Publishing

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost: $75 nonmembers, $48 members, $42 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members

REGISTER HERE

Or get A DISCOUNT by registering for the course combo!


Editor Peggy Tierney says she receives thousands of manuscripts per year, reads perhaps fifty, and publishes only one or two. With publishers consolidating and purchasing fewer books each year, advances shrinking, and legacy contracts becoming more restrictive than ever – and with breakout self-publishing successes like Hugh Howey, Andy Weir, and Amanda Hawking making headlines – self publishing is no longer a marginalized zone for writers not talented enough to get a "real contract." It's a practical approach to to making real money through writing and reaching actual readers that's so much more fun than sending endless queries into the void.



Sunday, March 3rd, 2019
Finishing Your First Novel (and your second)

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost: $75 nonmembers, $48 members, $42 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members

REGISTER HERE

Or get A DISCOUNT by registering for the course combo!

Confession: when someone tells me, usually in a conspiratorial tone, "you know, I've always wanted to write a novel," I have to forcibly resist replying, "I've always wanted to perform brain surgery, I just haven't studied brains or operation procedures." Writing a novel isn't brain surgery, but it is a lot of work. It's also something everyone thinks they can do (because they've written stuff like emails, social media posts, that one poem from high school, etc.), and most people will never do. Fewer will do it well.

Being an enthusiastic  lover of books naturally leads to dreaming up an idea or two for your own, but ideas are cheap and plentiful. It's the completed execution of those ideas that separates authors from wannabes. And most authors don't publish their first book (and certainly not the first version of it), so if you want to stop telling people about the book you're going to write some day and start telling them about the book you wrote, roll up your sleeves.


This course will offer actionable advice on how to take your idea to completed novel with a comprehensive overview of how to plot your story, how to apply the seat of your pants to the seat of your chair and do the work, how to schedule your book's completion and track your progress, how to revise your completed manuscript, and ultimately how to prepare it to be published. By the end of this course, you'll either have a plan in place to finish your novel, or be able to decide that you'd rather just be a reader (the world always needs more of those).

5 Sundays: February 10, 17, 24; March 3, 10 SOLD OUT

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: Sunday evenings 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost:$275 nonmembers, $185 members, $165 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members 
*The price of this class includes a $25 manuscript fee.

REGISTER HERE


For five Sundays, you're invited to become part of an elite fiction writing community. This workshop is limited to no greater than ten participants, so every writer will get individual attention. We're going to encourage each other and hold one another accountable to meet a firm writing and reading goal each week through daily emails. You can write any genre, any age group, (Robert Kent writes both middle grade books and adult horror stories) and any fiction narrative, be it short story, novel or other.

Every writer will be expected to produce a minimum of 2,500 words for each week's session.  Submissions will be capped at a maximum of 5,000 words.  That's only 358 words you'll need to write per day or 500 words per day if you take two days off each week. 

Please have your first 2,500 words ready by the first session (must be the opening of a longer work, or a contained story). You won't need to submit it ahead of time, but you will need to have it prepared to be work-shopped during the second weekly session. Submissions should preferably be Microsoft Word documents as we'll be using track changes for critiquing. If a Word document is unavailable, the student will be responsible for printing enough copies (no more than ten) for the entire workshop.

Manuscripts must be double-paced and in 12-point font, preferably Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier. The author's name must appear on the first page. Each page must be numbered. Maintain a 1 -inch margin on all sides. Use actual paragraphs, typical punctuation, etc. In other words, manuscripts must be formatted as though they were about to be submitted for publication. Don't make your fellow writers suffer through abnormalities in formatting.

This is a workshop for those who are serious about their writing. Every participant needs to be prepared to produce new writing of their own every week in addition to providing written notes and in-person feedback about others' writing during workshop sessions. This is a workshop for writers strong enough to take criticism like a professional. Personal criticism will not be tolerated, but your fiction will be broken down and rewritten until it is killed or cured. Weak writers need not apply.


Sunday, November 18, 2018
Finishing Your First Novel (and your second)

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost: $75 nonmembers, $48 members, $42 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members

REGISTER HERE

Confession: when someone tells me, usually in a conspiratorial tone, "you know, I've always wanted to write a novel," I have to forcibly resist replying, "I've always wanted to perform brain surgery, I just haven't studied brains or operation procedures." Writing a novel isn't brain surgery, but it is a lot of work. It's also something everyone thinks they can do (because they've written stuff like emails, social media posts, that one poem from high school, etc.), and most people will never do. Fewer will do it well.

Being an enthusiastic  lover of books naturally leads to dreaming up an idea or two for your own, but ideas are cheap and plentiful. It's the completed execution of those ideas that separates authors from wannabes. And most authors don't publish their first book (and certainly not the first version of it), so if you want to stop telling people about the book you're going to write some day and start telling them about the book you wrote, roll up your sleeves.

This course will offer actionable advice on how to take your idea to completed novel with a comprehensive overview of how to plot your story, how to apply the seat of your pants to the seat of your chair and do the work, how to schedule your book's completion and track your progress, how to revise your completed manuscript, and ultimately how to prepare it to be published. By the end of this course, you'll either have a plan in place to finish your novel, or be able to decide that you'd rather just be a reader (the world always needs more of those).



Sunday, November 4, 2018
The Basics of Self Publishing

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost: $75 nonmembers, $48 members, $42 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members

REGISTER HERE


Editor Peggy Tierney says she receives thousands of manuscripts per year, reads perhaps fifty, and publishes only one or two. With publishers consolidating and purchasing fewer books each year, advances shrinking, and legacy contracts becoming more restrictive than ever – and with breakout self-publishing successes like Hugh Howey, Andy Weir, and Amanda Hawking making headlines – self publishing is no longer a marginalized zone for writers not talented enough to get a "real contract." It's a practical approach to to making real money through writing and reaching actual readers that's so much more fun than sending endless queries into the void.



Sunday, October 28, 2018 
Writing The Horror Novel 

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost: $75 nonmembers, $48 members, $42 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members

REGISTER HERE

Author and film director Clive Barker says, "Horror fiction shows us that the control we believe we have is purely illusory, and that every moment we teeter on chaos and oblivion." Do you like scary stories? Do you want to hold your readers frozen in heart-pounding suspense until they can turn the page and either breathe again... or scream? Robert Kent, author of All Together Now: A Zombie Story and other tales of terror, will share some of the most common tricks of the trade. He'll discuss popular plotting strategies, effective characterization techniques (for people as well as monsters),  establishing credibility in a genre about the incredible, and many other spine-tingling subjects. Most stories could benefit from incorporating a little romance, but ALL stories could benefit from incorporating elements of horror. Whatever your preferred genre, expect to gain a deeper appreciation for horror's place in fiction to improve your own writing and reading.



5 Sundays, October 21, 28 November 4, 11, 18 2018 

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: Monday evenings 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost:$275 nonmembers, $185 members, $165 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members 
*The price of this class includes a $25 manuscript fee.

REGISTER HERE


For five Sundays, you're invited to become part of an elite fiction writing community. This workshop is limited to no greater than ten participants, so every writer will get individual attention. We're going to encourage each other and hold one another accountable to meet a firm writing and reading goal each week through daily emails. You can write any genre, any age group, (Robert Kent writes both middle grade books and adult horror stories) and any fiction narrative, be it short story, novel or other.

Every writer will be expected to produce a minimum of 2,500 words for each week's session.  Submissions will be capped at a maximum of 5,000 words.  That's only 358 words you'll need to write per day or 500 words per day if you take two days off each week. 

Please have your first 2,500 words ready by the first session (must be the opening of a longer work, or a contained story). You won't need to submit it ahead of time, but you will need to have it prepared to be work-shopped during the second weekly session. Submissions should preferably be Microsoft Word documents as we'll be using track changes for critiquing. If a Word document is unavailable, the student will be responsible for printing enough copies (no more than ten) for the entire workshop.

Manuscripts must be double-paced and in 12-point font, preferably Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier. The author's name must appear on the first page. Each page must be numbered. Maintain a 1 -inch margin on all sides. Use actual paragraphs, typical punctuation, etc. In other words, manuscripts must be formatted as though they were about to be submitted for publication. Don't make your fellow writers suffer through abnormalities in formatting.

This is a workshop for those who are serious about their writing. Every participant needs to be prepared to produce new writing of their own every week in addition to providing written notes and in-person feedback about others' writing during workshop sessions. This is a workshop for writers strong enough to take criticism like a professional. Personal criticism will not be tolerated, but your fiction will be broken down and rewritten until it is killed or cured. Weak writers need not apply.


Saturday, October 20, 2018
INDIANA SCI-FI AND HORROR WRITERS FESTIVAL

Time: 10:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
Location: Indiana State Library

REGISTER HERE


The first-ever Indiana Sci-Fi and Horror Writers Festival brings together established sci-fi and horror authors with their teen audiences to celebrate all things speculative and creeptastic! During this day-long extravaganza, aspiring young writers are invited to explore new genres, ask questions and bring to life their own literary creations.

The festival has been designed for teens ages 13-19. Adults are welcome only as chaperones for teen attendees. Registration is free!

Two literary genres, science fiction and horror, trace their origins to Frankenstein—and it just so happens the book was written by a teenage girl! What better way to celebrate this extraordinary book than with a teen-focused festival? This one-day extravaganza will feature readings and book signings by acclaimed sci-fi and horror authors Mike Mullin, Julia Karr, Mark Marimen, Saundra Mitchell and Maurice Broaddus. The keynote will be given by Kenneth Oppel whose novel This Dark Endeavor tells the story of teenage Victor Frankenstein’s journey to becoming the infamous scientist.

In addition to hearing from established authors about their craft, teens will be invited to attend interactive writing workshops provided by Hoosier authors such as Greg and Donna Kishbaugh, Adam Henze, Mike Mullin, Robert Kent, Matt Barron and comic artists Chris and Gin. Attendees can explore the haunted library stacks for inspiration for a horror story or experience virtual worlds at IUPUI’s Advanced Virtual Reality lab to imagine sci-fi settings. With hands-on activities, marathon film screenings, a pop-up bookshop, open mic and more than 15 other local authors exhibiting their literary creations, teens will find plenty of inspiration during the first-ever Indiana Sci-Fi and Horror Writers Festival!



Saturday, October 13, 2018
Indy Author Fair

Central Library
40 East St. Clair Street
Downtown Indianapolis
10:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Celebrate Indiana’s rich literary tradition with activities for writers and book lovers of all ages! FREE and open to the public

11:30-12:45 p.m.Self-Publishing Tricks and Tips – Goodrich-Houk Room
Learn the ins and outs of self-publishing during this workshop. This session will offer insights into how to know when it makes sense to self- publish, where to find out information about the variety of ways to self-publish, and what to watch out for if it’s the route you decide to take to publish your own book.  Presented by the Indiana Writers Center and featuring Rob Kent.



Saturday, July 21, 2018 
Finishing Your First Novel (and your second)

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost: $75 nonmembers, $48 members, $42 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members

REGISTER HERE

Confession: when someone tells me, usually in a conspiratorial tone, "you know, I've always wanted to write a novel," I have to forcibly resist replying, "I've always wanted to perform brain surgery, I just haven't studied brains or operation procedures." Writing a novel isn't brain surgery, but it is a lot of work. It's also something everyone thinks they can do (because they've written stuff like emails, social media posts, that one poem from high school, etc.), and most people will never do. Fewer will do it well.

Being an enthusiastic  lover of books naturally leads to dreaming up an idea or two for your own, but ideas are cheap and plentiful. It's the completed execution of those ideas that separates authors from wannabes. And most authors don't publish their first book (and certainly not the first version of it), so if you want to stop telling people about the book you're going to write some day and start telling them about the book you wrote, roll up your sleeves.

This course will offer actionable advice on how to take your idea to completed novel with a comprehensive overview of how to plot your story, how to apply the seat of your pants to the seat of your chair and do the work, how to schedule your book's completion and track your progress, how to revise your completed manuscript, and ultimately how to prepare it to be published. By the end of this course, you'll either have a plan in place to finish your novel, or be able to decide that you'd rather just be a reader (the world always needs more of those).


Saturday, June 23, 2018
The Basics of Self Publishing

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost: $75 nonmembers, $48 members, $42 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members

REGISTER HERE


Editor Peggy Tierney says she receives thousands of manuscripts per year, reads perhaps fifty, and publishes only one or two. With publishers consolidating and purchasing fewer books each year, advances shrinking, and legacy contracts becoming more restrictive than ever – and with breakout self-publishing successes like Hugh Howey, Andy Weir, and Amanda Hawking making headlines – self publishing is no longer a marginalized zone for writers not talented enough to get a "real contract." It's a practical approach to to making real money through writing and reaching actual readers that's so much more fun than sending endless queries into the void.




Thursday, June 7, 2018
Shelbyville Writing Camp

This is a school visit, so be a student at Shelbyville Middle School or High School:)





Thursday, May 31, June 7, 14, 21, 28 2018 

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: Thursday evenings 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost:$275 nonmembers, $185 members, $165 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members 
*The price of this class includes a $25 manuscript fee.

REGISTER HERE


For five Thursdays, you're invited to become part of an elite fiction writing community. This workshop is limited to no greater than ten participants, so every writer will get individual attention. We're going to encourage each other and hold one another accountable to meet a firm writing and reading goal each week through daily emails. You can write any genre, any age group, (Robert Kent writes both middle grade books and adult horror stories) and any fiction narrative, be it short story, novel or other.

Every writer will be expected to produce a minimum of 2,500 words for each week's session.  Submissions will be capped at a maximum of 5,000 words.  That's only 358 words you'll need to write per day or 500 words per day if you take two days off each week. 

Please have your first 2,500 words ready by the first session (must be the opening of a longer work, or a contained story). You won't need to submit it ahead of time, but you will need to have it prepared to be work-shopped during the second weekly session. Submissions should preferably be Microsoft Word documents as we'll be using track changes for critiquing. If a Word document is unavailable, the student will be responsible for printing enough copies (no more than ten) for the entire workshop.

Manuscripts must be double-paced and in 12-point font, preferably Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier. The author's name must appear on the first page. Each page must be numbered. Maintain a 1 -inch margin on all sides. Use actual paragraphs, typical punctuation, etc. In other words, manuscripts must be formatted as though they were about to be submitted for publication. Don't make your fellow writers suffer through abnormalities in formatting.

This is a workshop for those who are serious about their writing. Every participant needs to be prepared to produce new writing of their own every week in addition to providing written notes and in-person feedback about others' writing during workshop sessions. This is a workshop for writers strong enough to take criticism like a professional. Personal criticism will not be tolerated, but your fiction will be broken down and rewritten until it is killed or cured. Weak writers need not apply.


Saturday, April 14, 2018 
Writing The Horror Novel 

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost: $75 nonmembers, $48 members, $42 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members

Author and film director Clive Barker says, "Horror fiction shows us that the control we believe we have is purely illusory, and that every moment we teeter on chaos and oblivion." Do you like scary stories? Do you want to hold your readers frozen in heart-pounding suspense until they can turn the page and either breathe again... or scream? Robert Kent, author of All Together Now: A Zombie Story and other tales of terror, will share some of the most common tricks of the trade. He'll discuss popular plotting strategies, effective characterization techniques (for people as well as monsters),  establishing credibility in a genre about the incredible, and many other spine-tingling subjects. Most stories could benefit from incorporating a little romance, but ALL stories could benefit from incorporating elements of horror. Whatever your preferred genre, expect to gain a deeper appreciation for horror's place in fiction to improve your own writing and reading.


Saturday, April 7, 2018
The Basics of Self Publishing

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost: $75 nonmembers, $48 members, $42 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members

Editor Peggy Tierney says she receives thousands of manuscripts per year, reads perhaps fifty, and publishes only one or two. With publishers consolidating and purchasing fewer books each year, advances shrinking, and legacy contracts becoming more restrictive than ever – and with breakout self-publishing successes like Hugh Howey, Andy Weir, and Amanda Hawking making headlines – self publishing is no longer a marginalized zone for writers not talented enough to get a "real contract." It's a practical approach to to making real money through writing and reaching actual readers that's so much more fun than sending endless queries into the void.


Thursday, March 22, 29, April 5, 12, 19 2018 
Fiction Writing Workshop

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: Thursday evenings 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost:$275 nonmembers, $185 members, $165 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members 
*The price of this class includes a $25 manuscript fee.

For five Thursdays this spring, you're invited to become part of an elite fiction writing community. We're going to encourage each other and hold one another accountable to meet a firm writing and reading goal each week. You can write any genre, any age group, (Robert Kent writes both middle grade books and adult horror stories) and any fiction narrative, be it a short story, novel or other.


Every writer will be expected to produce a minimum of 2,500 words for each week's session.  Submissions will be capped at a maximum of 5,000 words.  That's only 358 words you'll need to write per day or 500 words per day if you take two days off each week. Please have your first 2,500 words ready by the first session (must be the opening of a work). You won't need to submit it ahead of time, but you will need to have it prepared to be work-shopped during the second weekly session.

Writers will be expected to have online access outside of the workshop as we'll be sharing our weekly writing samples via email. We'll also be reading and critiquing the work of every other writer in the group. This will be an intensive workshop in which every participant needs to be prepared to produce new writing of their own every week in addition to providing written notes and in-person feedback about others' writing during workshop sessions.

In addition to giving each student feedback in workshop sessions, instructor Robert Kent will offer actionable advice on how to plot your story, how to schedule your project's completion and track your progress, how to revise your completed manuscript, and ultimately how to prepare it to be published. By the end of this workshop, you'll either have a finished novella or short story that's been heavily revised, or be close to finishing a longer work.

This is a workshop for those who are serious about their writing. It's also intended for writers strong enough to take criticism like a professional. Personal criticism will not be tolerated, but your fiction will be broken down and rewritten until it is killed or cured. Weak writers need not apply.


Saturday, March 3, 2018 
Finishing Your First Novel (and your second)

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost: $75 nonmembers, $48 members, $42 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members

Confession: when someone tells me, usually in a conspiratorial tone, "you know, I've always wanted to write a novel," I have to forcibly resist replying, "I've always wanted to perform brain surgery, I just haven't studied brains or operation procedures." Writing a novel isn't brain surgery, but it is a lot of work. It's also something everyone thinks they can do (because they've written stuff like emails, social media posts, that one poem from high school, etc.), and most people will never do. Fewer will do it well.

Being an enthusiastic  lover of books naturally leads to dreaming up an idea or two for your own, but ideas are cheap and plentiful. It's the completed execution of those ideas that separates authors from wannabes. And most authors don't publish their first book (and certainly not the first version of it), so if you want to stop telling people about the book you're going to write some day and start telling them about the book you wrote, roll up your sleeves.

This course will offer actionable advice on how to take your idea to completed novel with a comprehensive overview of how to plot your story, how to apply the seat of your pants to the seat of your chair and do the work, how to schedule your book's completion and track your progress, how to revise your completed manuscript, and ultimately how to prepare it to be published. By the end of this course, you'll either have a plan in place to finish your novel, or be able to decide that you'd rather just be a reader (the world always needs more of those).

Saturday, September 23, 2017 
B-Fest Teen Book Festival

Barnes & Noble River Crossing
8675 River Crossing Blvd, Indianapolis, Indiana 46240

Our 2nd annual teen book festival is Saturday, 9/23 from 1pm to about 5:30pm. Join us to celebrate all the best young adult literature has to offer - trivia contests, advanced reader copy giveaways, and a writing workshop to cap it off.

1PM B-In The Know: Teen Book Trivia
2PM B-Super: Sneak Peek of Superhero Novels & Celebrate Batman Day
3PM B-Part of the Fun: Scavenger Hunt, Storyball, and Activities
5PM B-Creative: Writing Workshop!


Saturday, October 14, 2017 
Indy Author Fair

Central Library
40 East St. Clair Street
Downtown Indianapolis
10:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Celebrate Indiana’s rich literary tradition with activities for writers and book lovers of all ages! FREE and open to the public

Self-Publishing Tricks and Tips – Goodrich-Houk Room
Learn the ins and outs of self-publishing during this workshop. This session will offer insights into how to know when it makes sense to self- publish, where to find out information about the variety of ways to self-publish, and what to watch out for if it’s the route you decide to take to publish your own book.  Presented by the Indiana Writers Center and featuring Rob Kent.

Genre Writing Panel  – Clowes Auditorium
Noted authors will share their experiences and expertise covering writing styles such as speculative fiction, mystery, romance and urban fiction.  Presented by the Indiana Writers Center and featuring Maurice Broaddus, S.M. Harding, Sandy James and Rob Kent.


Saturday, October 28, 2017 

Writing The Horror Novel 

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: 1:30-4:30 p.m.
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost: $75 nonmembers, $48 members, $42 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members

Author and film director Clive Barker says, "Horror fiction shows us that the control we believe we have is purely illusory, and that every moment we teeter on chaos and oblivion." Do you like scary stories? Do you want to hold your readers frozen in heart-pounding suspense until they can turn the page and either breathe again... or scream? Robert Kent, author of All Together Now: A Zombie Story and other tales of terror, will share some of the most common tricks of the trade. He'll discuss popular plotting strategies, effective characterization techniques (for people as well as monsters),  establishing credibility in a genre about the incredible, and many other spine-tingling subjects. Most stories could benefit from incorporating a little romance, but ALL stories could benefit from incorporating elements of horror. Whatever your preferred genre, expect to gain a deeper appreciation for horror's place in fiction to improve your own writing and reading.


Saturday, November 4, 2017 
The Basics of Self Publishing

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost: $75 nonmembers, $48 members, $42 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members

Editor Peggy Tierney says she receives thousands of manuscripts per year, reads perhaps fifty, and publishes only one or two. With publishers consolidating and purchasing fewer books each year, advances shrinking, and legacy contracts becoming more restrictive than ever – and with breakout self-publishing successes like Hugh Howey, Andy Weir, and Amanda Hawking making headlines – self publishing is no longer a marginalized zone for writers not talented enough to get a "real contract." It's a practical approach to to making real money through writing and reaching actual readers that's so much more fun than sending endless queries into the void.


Saturday, November 18, 2017 

Finishing Your First Novel (and your second)

Instructor: Robert Kent
Time: 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Location: Indiana Writers Center
Cost: $75 nonmembers, $48 members, $42 student members/teacher members/senior members/military members/librarian members

Confession: when someone tells me, usually in a conspiratorial tone, "you know, I've always wanted to write a novel," I have to forcibly resist replying, "I've always wanted to perform brain surgery, I just haven't studied brains or operation procedures." Writing a novel isn't brain surgery, but it is a lot of work. It's also something everyone thinks they can do (because they've written stuff like emails, social media posts, that one poem from high school, etc.), and most people will never do. Fewer will do it well.

Being an enthusiastic  lover of books naturally leads to dreaming up an idea or two for your own, but ideas are cheap and plentiful. It's the completed execution of those ideas that separates authors from wannabes. And most authors don't publish their first book (and certainly not the first version of it), so if you want to stop telling people about the book you're going to write some day and start telling them about the book you wrote, roll up your sleeves.

This course will offer actionable advice on how to take your idea to completed novel with a comprehensive overview of how to plot your story, how to apply the seat of your pants to the seat of your chair and do the work, how to schedule your book's completion and track your progress, how to revise your completed manuscript, and ultimately how to prepare it to be published. By the end of this course, you'll either have a plan in place to finish your novel, or be able to decide that you'd rather just be a reader (the world always needs more of those).





No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks for stopping by, Esteemed Reader! And thanks for taking the time to comment. You are awesome.