KENTON KILGORE  Tenets of Technical Writing

Technical writing doesn’t have the cachet that crafting novels or poetry may have, but it can pay the bills. Learn what technical writing is, how it differs from other writing, and how it can be a lucrative career. You’ll learn about the many forms of technical writing, what “plain language” is and why you’d want to use it, and the importance of layout and presentation. Attendees will draft their own piece of technical writing as part of an interactive demonstration that is potentially very, very messy and/or very, very delicious

Kenton Kilgore has 20 years’ experience performing technical writing and editing in a variety of fields for the Federal government. Kenton also taught technical writing to business professionals at Frederick Community College. He is the author of the novels This Wasted Land, Lost Dogs, and Dragontamer’s Daughters; as well as Our Wild Place, a children’s picture book. Kenton and his family live on Kent Island, MD; visit kentonkilgore.com for more about him.

LESLIE WALKER  – Blogging 3.0: How Authors Use Blogs

Blogging has come a long way since it took the Internet by storm 15 years ago. Today authors use blogs for everything from sourcing and research to storytelling, marketing and promotion. In this session, we will talk about the different types and missions of blogs. We’ll also review the latest, greatest blogging platforms and explore best practices in writing for blogs.  

Leslie Walker has been the visiting professor in digital innovation at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism since 2008. She teaches courses in multimedia journalism, social media and the business of news. Previously, she was co-editor of American Journalism Review and worked a columnist, reporter and editor for The Washington Post for 16 years. She led the digital news team as the editor-in-chief and vice president for news at WashingtonPost.com in the early days of Internet news. She is the author of Sudden Fury, a New York Times best-selling true crime book. 

KATHRYN JOHNSON  – The Rebirth of Historical Fiction  

Want to tell a story set in ancient Rome, during the American Civil War, in 17th-century Asia, or as a time-travel adventure? Historical fiction is back, offering new and exciting opportunities for authors. Learn how to seamlessly weave time-and-place details into your stories and bring the past alive for readers. This 90-minute workshop, taught by HarperCollins author Kathryn Johnson (aka Mary Hart Perry) will provide practical insight, plus hands-on story building practice.  

Kathryn Johnson's 40+ popular novels (nominated for the Agatha Award, and winner of the Heart of Excellence and Bookseller's Best Awards), include Victorian thrillers (writing as Mary Hart Perry); Affairs of State (a suspense series); and The Gentleman Poet, wherein William Shakespeare escapes to the New World aboard a ship bound for disaster. Her most recent book (nonfiction)—The Extreme Novelist—is based on her popular courses as taught at The Smithsonian (Washington, DC) and The Writers Center (Bethesda, Maryland). Kathryn is the founder of a writer's mentoring and editorial service: www.WriteByYou.com. She loves troubleshooting for authors and can be reached here: Kathryn@WriteByYou.com.