General

Dash of Love: Romantic Subplots for Any Genre
Mysteries, thrillers, fantasy, sci-fi, historical, contemporary – novels of any genre can appeal to more readers (who beg for a sequel) with a solid romantic subplot (see “romantasy”). Learn tips and tricks from the romance genre to make sure your romantic subplot is enhancing the story, adding tension, and not landing flat. Learn about such topics as:

• The difference between a romance and a love story,
• How to avoid the dreaded “insta-love” label,
• The 12 stages of physical intimacy,
• A description of heat levels and how to avoid the cringe,
• Common romance tropes (and why tropes are a good thing), and
• Writing tips the keep readers enchanted with the “push and pull” of a compelling romantic subplot.

Miranda Darrow is an author, freelance fiction editor, and #RevPit online revision contest board member and contributing editor. She’s also a frequent presenter to writing groups, conferences, and online writing events. Miranda’s Concise Fiction Academy series of writing craft books and courses combines her experience as a freelance editor and a corporate attorney into an executive summary of complex writing topics. Miranda grew up in Wisconsin and now lives in Minnesota with her husband, teen boys, and a bossy little dog.

The History of Mystery – The Craft of the Murder Mystery from Godwin to Christie focuses on discovering the origins of the murder mystery genre before Agatha Christie.  The presentation provides a broad knowledge of many pre-Christie authors and their infamous works, which contributed to and influenced authors then as well as now.  The presentation will broaden your understanding of the development and background of the murder mystery genre by discussing the many works of the early murder mystery writers, leading up to the best of the best, Agatha Christie.  Come and enjoy learning more than ever about the wonderful world of murder! 

Judith Maupin openly and enthusiastically discusses the lifelong pursuit, fascination and appreciation of murder in its many forms from real life, television, movies, acting and in our beloved books. Not a great conversation starter, but it has been, however, a mainstay of Judith’s. While not pursuing murder, Judith enjoys her murder free real life with her twelve year-old twins and husband (who seems to need to sleep with one eye open) while imagining attempting to write a series of fiction murder books. locally based, fine tuning her murder mystery play and ongoing acting on stage in local theatrical murder mysteries. 

The Lakefly Writers Conference and Book Fair are sponsored by the Oshkosh Public Library in partnership with the Oshkosh Area Writers Club. Other sponsors include the Wisconsin Writers Association and Lake Literary Center, Fond du Lac.

The Lakefly Planning Committee is dedicated to providing an exceptional conference experience, and we appreciate your patience as we finalize our speakers and programs. To ensure you have ample time to see the value in all we have to offer, we are extending the early-bird registration fee of $90 until Wednesday, March 19. By that date, the complete conference schedule will be available, allowing you to review the sessions and activities offered to help with your decision to attend. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to secure your spot at a lower rate!

Wisconsin author Tammy Borden will keynote the 2025 Lakefly Writers Conference.

Sponsored by the Wisconsin Writers Association, Tammy’s presentation is part inspirational, part motivational and 100% authentic as she shares insights into the transformative power of stories and how to capture the hearts of readers.

About Tammy: She is a professional copywriter turned novelist, compelled to document the unforgettable story of her mother’s life growing up in Nazi Germany. Released in summer 2023, her debut novel, Waltraud: A True Story of Growing Up in Nazi Germany, rose to become a #1 Best Seller on Amazon #1 in Historical German Biographies and has captured the hearts and minds of readers around the world.

As a first generation American, Tammy grew up hearing stories from her mother about coming of age during World War II, and began recording them more than a decade ago, even traveling with her mother to Germany to walk the cobblestone streets and document stories in their actual settings. Now, those heart-gripping stories of love, loss, strength, and resistance have been artfully woven into a narrative that allows readers to step into Waltraud’s remarkable journey as an intimate observer.

Founded in 1948, the Wisconsin Writers Association is a creative community dedicated to the support of writers and authors. WWA sponsors and hosts year-round workshops and events throughout Wisconsin, offering discounts and exclusive resources. They aim to share experiences and knowledge while encouraging its members in their pursuit of this most noble art.

What Makes a Great Author Website? Celeste Anton will share the essential pages and features every author website should have and talk about common author website mistakes in her workshop on Saturday, May 3. She will also explain how your website can integrate with your social media, email marketing, and book sales to create a seamless and effective marketing platform. Lastly, you will learn strategies to ensure a user-friendly online platform that attracts visitors, engages readers and sells books.

In addition to the workshop, Celeste will be available for free, one-on-one consultations throughout the conference. Pre-registration is required and opens in April; stay tuned!

Celeste Anton is a digital marketing consultant with over 20 years of experience in website design and online strategy. As the owner of Dandelion Web Marketing, she specializes in helping writers and businesses develop effective web platforms to connect with their readers. You can learn more at her website: https://dandelionwebmarketing.com

Discover Your Writer’s Voice

This workshop is designed to help people find their unique writing style (“writer’s voice”) by using storytelling, journaling, and observation. Participants will be guided by Victoria Reeves to write/share personal stories and receive creative tips and prompts to help unearth memorable moments. We will also practice descriptive writing to help define/refine our personal writing styles.

Victoria Reeves is a memoirist, storyteller, and writing coach. Her work includes “The Quandary” (Chicago Storytellers: from Stage to Page), “Queen of Flossmoor” (www.storied-stuff.com) and her upcoming memoir: “How to Raise a Black Genius on $20K Year.” Explore Victoria’s private coaching and engaging STORY CRAFT classes @ www.coachvictoriareeves.com

Writing Through the Pain of Loss

Pain is a part of life whether it’s the loss of a loved one, a job, a friendship, or even a pet. Authors Patricia Skalka and John DeDakis will share their personal grief experiences and discuss what they learned from their losses and how they use those lessons to add depth to their stories and characters. Even though grief is a part of life, it need not be crippling or debilitating. In this session, we’ll look at strategies that will help you mine the emotions of your personal experience and apply them to your writing. The workshop includes short writing exercises.

John DeDakis is a former editor on CNN’s “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.” DeDakis is the author of six novels in the Lark Chadwick mystery-suspense-thriller series. In his most recent political thriller, Enemies Domestic, Lark is a pregnant White House press secretary when abortion is a crime and a dictator becomes president. DeDakis, a former White House correspondent, is also a writing coach, manuscript editor, podcaster, and rank amateur jazz drummer. Originally from La Crosse, Wisconsin, DeDakis now lives in Baltimore, Maryland with Cindy, his wife of 46 years. Learn more at www.johndedakis.com

Patricia Skalka turned to fiction following a successful career in nonfiction and is the author of the award-winning Dave Cubiak Door County Mysteries. Her other credits include: Staff Writer for Reader’s Digest, freelancer, ghost writer, writing instructor, and book reviewer. She is past-president of the Sisters in Crime Chicagoland Chapter and a member of several professional organizations, including The Authors Guild of America, Mystery Writers of America, and Society of Midland Authors. She lives in Milwaukee and Door County, WI.

The Lakefly Writers Conference is May 2-3 at the Oshkosh Convention Center. For more information or to register, please visit lakeflywriters.org

The Lakefly Writers Conference and Book Fair are sponsored by the Oshkosh Public Library in partnership with the Oshkosh Area Writers Club.

Here are a few of the breakout sessions we have planned for Friday, May 2!

15 Steps from First Draft to Contract (with Mistakes to Avoid Along the Way)

Start here, right now, to begin, and commit to, your writing journey. To guide you, Nick will share his 15-step process, not a timetable, but rather a “What comes first?” or “What comes next?” for beginning writers.

He will break down the process, inspired by the imagery of a 15-mile road trip. There are no tricks or short cuts, but there is a best 15-mile highway map. Each step represents a mile marker on your journey, keeping you focused and intentional in your writing endeavors, and avoiding temptations, interruptions and distractions along the way.

Nick Chiarkas grew up in the Al Smith housing projects on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. When he was in the fourth grade, his mother was told by the principal of PS-1 that “Nick was unlikely ever to complete high school, so you must steer him toward a simple and secure vocation.”

Instead, he became a writer, with a few stops along the way: a US Army Paratrooper, a New York City Police   Officer; the Deputy Chief Counsel for the President’s Commission on Organized Crime; and the Director of the Wisconsin State Public Defender Agency. On the way, he picked up a Doctorate from Columbia University, a Law Degree from Temple University; and was a Pickett Fellow at Harvard. His website is https://nickchiarkas.com

Panel Discussion: Connecting with Libraries

Join us for an informative and engaging discussion designed for authors seeking to enhance their book’s visibility by connecting with libraries. Our panel of experienced librarians will share valuable insights on how to get your book onto library shelves and arrange memorable author visits that resonate with readers.

Panelists: Vanessa Taylir, Director, Jack Russell Memorial Library (Hartford); Michelle Carter, Director, Aram Public Library (Delavan); Natalie Beacom, Director, New Berlin Public Library: Elizabeth Timmins, Director, Muehl Public Library (Seymour).

Financial Record Keeping for Writers with Valerie J. Clarizio

Do you scramble to prepare your writing business revenue and expenses for your tax preparer? Does the thought of it make you cringe? No worries. Valerie has got you!

Financial record keeping is important for any business, including your business as a writer. Accurate financial information is needed not only for you to assess the sustainability of your writing business, but for your tax preparer as well.

In this workshop, you’ll learn tips and tricks on how to organize your business records and record them for yourself and your tax preparer.  (Tips will include using both spreadsheets and manual processes.)

Valerie holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting a Master’s Degree in Business and has worked in finance and accounting for over 30 years. She began her publishing career in 2012 with Melange Books, LCC, then wrote for two other small publishers before venturing into the world of self-publishing. You can find the USA Today best-selling author’s website here.

The Lakefly Writers Conference is sponsored by the Oshkosh Public Library in partnership with the Oshkosh Area Writers Club. Click here to register. 

Registration is now open for the 2025 Lakefly Writers Conference, May 2 and 3, at the Oshkosh Convention Center.

After the success of last year’s event, we’re excited to announce expanded features, including engaging panel discussions and a larger book fair. We are thrilled to welcome Wisconsin copywriter-turned-novelist Tammy Borden as our keynote speaker. Attendees can look forward to a diverse range of workshops tailored for beginning and mid-level writers. Additionally, experts will be available for one-on-one consultations, providing valuable feedback and guidance.

Join us for an inspiring weekend full of creativity, learning, and connections within the writing community! Early-bird price of $90 ends March 10; $75 for students and seniors.

But that’s not all!

Registration Is Open for the 2025 Lakefly Book Fair
This vibrant event will take place on Saturday, May 3, alongside the Lakefly Writers Conference which draws over 120 regional writers.

Event Details:
Date: May 3, 2025
Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: Oshkosh Convention Center
Admission: Free and open to the public

Table Information:
Table Size: 96” by 30”
Included: Linen skirt, two chairs (if sharing a table, more chairs are available upon request).  
Price: $40

Don’t miss this opportunity to showcase your work, connect with fellow authors, and engage with readers. Secure your table today and be part of this exciting event! 

For more information and to register for either of these events, click here.

We look forward to seeing you!

The Lakefly Writers Conference and Book Fair are sponsored by the Oshkosh Public Library in partnership with the Oshkosh Area Writers Club.

by G. Anthony

May 2024, I walked into the Lakefly Writers Conference last year with no expectations. None. At 51 years old, I hadn’t accomplished anything that felt worth sharing, certainly nothing I could be proud of. My dream of becoming a writer—born in a creative writing class 33 years ago—had cooled, chilled, and eventually fossilized, buried beneath the clutter of life’s obstacles. Still, I signed up, determined to give my dream one more chance.

Walking down the hotel’s skywalk, I felt my nerves twist, but the energy of the conference quickly took hold of me. Authors lined the halls, their tables alive with conversation and camaraderie. They weren’t just selling books—they were embodying something I longed to feel: accomplishment.

I observed more than I spoke. I sat in workshops and took notes, connecting dots in my mind that I thought would forever remain loose ends. It wasn’t just the strategies or techniques that made writing make sense to me again; it was the people. The writers around me had forged ahead despite decades of challenges, writing because they loved it. They weren’t so different from me. I wasn’t alone. For the first time, I realized I had been holding myself back.

By the end of the day, I stood at a microphone to give my first public reading. My palms were sweating, my voice shaking, but I read my poem. The room was silent, and I lost myself in the words. When I finished, they applauded. They congratulated me. They felt my poem. And for the first time, I believed it wasn’t just polite encouragement—I believed them. I walked out of that conference with a spark I hadn’t felt in years.

That spark ignited dimming embers I thought might smolder. In the autumn of 2023, I challenged myself to write 500 words a day for 90 days. I had no outline, no roadmap—just raw emotions and the determination to sit down and write, no matter how painful it was. Some days felt torturous, forcing me to face truths I had buried. But I kept showing up. Who was I if I didn’t? A writer doesn’t just talk about writing—they write.

By the end of those 90 days, I had over 90,000 words of truth. What began as chaos transformed into clarity. Over the next year, I refined those words, shaping them into what would become Nobody’s Words, A Poetic Memoir. In that process, I discovered a newer version of myself—fearless, resilient, and free of the whispers that once told me I wasn’t enough.

When I return to the Lakefly Writers Conference this year, I’ll carry with me not just a book I doubted would ever exist, but proof that words hold power and every story can be rewritten. I’ll walk into those halls with a heart full of gratitude for the kind souls who made me feel welcome and accepted, even when I hadn’t accomplished anything yet. They didn’t judge me; they gave me space to dream again.

To anyone reading this, standing where I once stood: I promise you, the answers you seek are within. You don’t need a map. You don’t need to know how it will end. All you need is the courage to start and the stubbornness that all true writers are blessed with to not give up. The journey is messy, uncomfortable, and terrifying—but it’s also transformational. I’m living proof that you can do it. And when you do, you’ll look back with gratitude for every step of the way.

_{Registration for the 2025 Lakefly Writers Conference opens on Monday, Feb. 3.}

We’re accepting submissions for the 2025 Lakefly Writing Contests! There are four categories: youth, short story, flash prose, and poetry. The theme for all the contests is: A Spark of Inspiration.

Cash prizes; no entry fee. Deadline is Feb. 23. Sorry, open to Wisconsin residents only!

For details and submission guidelines, please click here > https://lakeflywriters.org/writing-contests/

The Lakefly Writers Conference, writing contests and book fair are sponsored by the Oshkosh Public Library in partnership with the Oshkosh Area Writers Club.