MWA University is Back! Sign Up Now!
MWA-U 2024 will consist of six online classes taught by top-notch crime writers with live Q & A. Take your writing to the next level by attending these informative classes – they are free to current MWA members (offered to nonmembers for $20/session).
Classes will air via Zoom at 8 PM EDT / 7 PM CDT / 6 PM MST / 5 PM PDT
Check out this incredible line-up:
Date: Wednesday, July 10th
Instructor: Tracy Clark – Tracy is the author of the Cass Raines Chicago Mystery and Detective Harriet Foster series and writes from a small desk in a little room in Chicago with a tub of strawberry Twizzlers next to her. A diehard pantser, she knows full well an outline would probably be better, but even the mention of the word sends her brain into a panic. So, instead, she hunts and pecks and works the heck out of her delete button. A multi-nominated Anthony, Lefty, Edgar, International Thriller Writers, Macacity, and Shamus Award finalist, Tracy is also the 2020 and 2022 winner of the G.P. Putnam’s Sons Sue Grafton Memorial Award, the 2022 Sara Paretsky Award and the 2024 Lefty Award for Best Mystery Novel. She is a proud member of Crime Writers of Color, Rogue Women Writers, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime and sits on the board of Bouchercon National and the Midwest Mystery Conference. Her series grew out of her desire to see capable, competent women of color on a page as major players in their own stories.
Topic: Character – Tips for creative engaging book people
Characters are everything in fiction. We don’t have to like them, but we do have to find them interesting enough to keep turning the pages. In this session, author Tracy Clark will share her tips for building effective, engaging book people that will pull your readers in and keep their eyes on the page.
⇒ MWA Member Registration ⇒ Non-member Registration
Date: Wednesday, July 24th
Instructor: Meg Gardiner – is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of sixteen novels. Her thrillers have won the Edgar Award and been summer reading picks by The Today Show and O, the Oprah magazine. In August 2022 Heat 2, co-authored with Michael Mann, debuted at #1 on the New York Times best seller list. A former lawyer, two-time president of Mystery Writers of America, and three-time Jeopardy! champion, Gardiner lives in Austin.
Topic: Plotting to Kill: Writing Mysteries & Thrillers
How do you create compelling characters and put them in memorable conflict? Meg Gardiner, author of sixteen thrillers, will talk about heroes, villains, and the hook, and discuss techniques to ramp up the suspense and tension in your story.
⇒ MWA Member Registration ⇒ Non-member Registration
Details for the following webinars will be available approximately one month before the event.
Date: Wednesday, August 7th
Instructor: Donna Andrews
Topic: Dialogue
Date: Wednesday, September 4th
Instructor: Daniel Stashower
Topic: Setting
Date: Wednesday, October 9th
Instructor: Jeffery Deaver
Topic: Writing a Commercial Thriller
Date: Wednesday, November 6th
Instructor: Sheri Lewis-Wohl
Top: Forensics
Classes will air via Zoom at 8 PM EDT / 7 PM CDT / 6 PM MST / 5 PM PDT. Be on the lookout for registration information future events.
