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meet us. We love meeting writers–old and new–at conferences.

2020

Sally’s Schedule:

Atlanta Writing Conference

March 7

one class:

Plot and Character: Two Essential Elements of MG and YA Novels

To have the best chance of selling your novel, you need to have both interesting plots and relatable characters. Readers love to read about characters. But the plot is the story you build so your characters can grow into the heroes your readers love. In this workshop, we’ll talk about how to make readers care about your characters and keep turning pages all the way through the book.

I’ll also sit on a first-pages panel and I’ll be taking one-on-one pitches.
Word Weavers Kidz Lit Conference 

March 19-22

Breaking In With Board Books
Sally will map out the way her best selling board book writer has built a full-time career writing short books. This class will give you an inside view from an agent’s perspective. What makes books marketable? Sure exceptional writing is important, but that’s not enough. You also have to meet publishers’ needs. In this workshop, we’ll spend some time researching markets and brainstorming ideas.
Picture Book Basics
In this workshop, we’ll talk about character, voice, and plot. All three are vital for fiction picture books, even for books aimed at toddlers. We will discuss how to take characters on satisfying journeys and we’ll talk about using picturesque language that will make your work stand out.
Compelling Characters Work Hard
 Sally’s number one reason for rejecting manuscripts is that the characters are not actively seeking a goal. If you want readers to love your protagonist and worry about him, he must be working to gain something. We aren’t enthralled by basketball players on the sideline. And we don’t care when they are practicing free throws, either. We root for them as they play real games with stakes. In this workshop, we’ll talk about characters who are fighting for something.
I’ll be on a first pages panel
I’ll be taking one-on-one pitches.
Carolina Christian Writers Conference

two classes:

Building Story Worlds for Novelists, Parts 1 and 2

When you write a novel, your goal is to pull the reader into your story world so that he forgets what’s going on around him. You want to make him suspend his disbelief and to come to accept your story world as the real world, for the few hours it takes him to read the book. In order to do that you need a story world that feels real. In this four-part class we’ll look at award-winning MG and YA novels to see how the authors enriched their story worlds to make us long to go there. We’ll look at the physical aspects, the societies, and the religious practices that make story worlds feel real.

And I’ll be taking one-on-one pitches.
Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference

April 3-7

I’m not teaching but I’ll be taking one-on-one pitches.
BEA

May 27-29

I’ll be available for appointments.
St. David’s Christian Writers Conference

June 24-28

I’ll be speaking 8 times–titles and topics to be announced.
Montrose Christian Writers Conference

July 12-17

I’ll be presenting a 6-hour major morning track on children’s novels
One morning challenge: Weaving in Your Worldview
Paid Critiques
Wednesday Morning Freebie Critique Circle
And I’ll be taking one-on-one pitches.
Oregon Christian Writers Summer Coaching Conference

August 17-20

Major Morning Track:

Beguiling Beginnings, Mesmerizing Middles, and Filling Finishes

To be a successful writer you only need to nail three parts in your book—the beginning, the middle, and the end. We’ll discuss what you need your reader to be feeling in each part of the book. You’ll learn how to hook readers in the opening chapters, how to keep them turning pages in the middle chapters, and how to make them run out to buy your next book as soon as they finish your last chapter.

I’ll be on the agent panel.
And I’ll also be taking one-on-one pitches.
Write to Ignite

September 18-19

topics to be announced

 

 

 

The following is a list of some of the conferences at which we have spoken:

 

 

A few Kudos:

Sally,

We had so many wonderful comments about you and your class on our evaluations. We hope you’ll be able to join us again next summer.

Blessings, Lindy Jacobs, OCW Summer Conference Director

 

I loved this class so much that I took it twice!

Sally does a great job explaining the concepts of Plot, Character, Theme, and Voice. She is very clear in what works and what doesn’t, what sells and what doesn’t, what’s objective and what’s subjective.

The class will transform your whole writing for the better.

Sally’s feedback as well as that of the other class members is priceless.

I can wholeheartedly recommend this class to everybody who’s willing to take a critical look at their own work and, if needed, de- and reconstruct it.

~ Franziska

Hello Sally,

I hope you realize how much wisdom and knowledge you imparted during your time at the wik13 conference in Birmingham. I was just processing the evaluations and thought you might like to see some of the comments that were specifically about your sessions. These were in response to the questions that asked what their favorite session was or what session they benefitted from the most:

The one-on-one session with Sally Apokedak.
Sally Apokedak, Part I and II were incredibly valuable with wonderful insights.
Thanks for sharing that with our attendees and helping us to create better books for kids!

~ Heather L. Montgomery
Assistant Regional Advisor
Southern Breeze SCBWI

Dear Sally,

I really wanted to thank you again for a fabulous weekend. I left encouraged and energized, as well as satisfied that I’d been very productive. Your help was exactly what I needed . . .

I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the time you gave me to help me become a better writer.

Conferences are invaluable, and I’ll continue to attend them, but you can’t get the one-on-one time like you can at a Writer’s Retreat with a skilled professional. That’s why I was willing to invest the money. It was a wise investment and fun.

~ Jean Wilund