Friday Workshop with Author Debbie Burke
Take a road trip with thriller author Debbie Burke to discover unique villains on a fun, educational journey. With nearly 40 years of experience as a writer, editor, and teacher, Debbie guides you along twisting trails to discover mesmerizing characters who keep readers up nights. She deconstructs classic and contemporary stories to reveal the darkest depths of the human heart.
Villains are antagonists but antagonists are not necessarily villains. Antagonists play an important role in all stories, fiction and nonfiction.
This workshop isn’t just for mystery and thriller writers. For nonfiction, antagonists can be a problem to solve, a crisis, a natural disaster, or social issue. For memoirists, antagonists are challenges that authors must face and overcome in their lives.
Debbie’s actionable techniques are easy to understand for writers at all levels of experience. Writing prompts and customizable worksheets help bring characters to vibrant life on the page. Participants will have an opportunity to share their projects with the group.
Travel on The Villain’s Journey to create your most memorable character yet.
James Scott Bell, bestselling author of 30+ writing craft books, says: “Writers of mysteries and thrillers will find The Villain’s Journey especially helpful, but authors of any genre will benefit by using this book to take a deeper dive into the antagonist of their story.”
Debbie’s book, The Villain’s Journey – How to Create Villains Readers Love to Hate, is included for each registrant.
Bio: Debbie Burke has survived nearly 40 years of writing fiction and nonfiction. Her Tawny Lindholm Thriller series received accolades from BookLife/Publishers Weekly (2023 Best Mystery/Thriller), Eric Hoffer Montague Award finalist, BestThrillers.com finalist. She writes for The Kill Zone blog (listed in Writer’s Digest Best Websites); Montana Senior News; magazines including Killer Nashville, The Big Thrill, 406 Woman. She reviews books for International Thriller Writers and has been a magazine columnist. She also operates a freelance editing business. To counteract kinks from too many hours sitting at the computer, Debbie enjoys Zumba and hiking. During long walks, she plots murders…but only fictional ones.
10am – 4:30pm with lunch break
Debbie Burke’s presence at our conference is partially funded by a Strategic Investment Grant from the Montana Arts Council. Thank you!