Ace Baker has used motifs on more than one occasion to catch a contest judge’s or publisher’s eye (including those at SIWC). Several of the short stories in his collection, How to Make a Killing Jar, make use of it, including more than a few award winners. In this workshop, he will show excellent examples and walk writers through, step by step, a wide variety of ways motifs can be used in your flash fiction, short stories, personal essays, memoirs, and novels. A MASSIVE folder of handouts will be provided. If you’re looking for ways to leave a lasting impression on your readers, come join us in this info-packed session that is sure to give you ideas for improving your prose!

Ace Baker has won more than a few contests in his day, including The Storyteller Award at SIWC. In his short story collection, How to Make a Killing Jar, half of the stories included have placed or won in contests; others are new works. He has also helped more than 100 other writers win or place in competitions as well. Join him in this session to learn more about how to gain the upper hand when submitting your creations. Learn about what works and what doesn’t, ones to aim for, ones to avoid, and what they can do for you, for your writing, and for your author platform. Find out about some simple tweaks that can be made to both poetry and prose to improve your odds. Handouts provided.

Poets see the world differently. Poets see the words differently. In this workshop, Ace will show you the secrets of writing award-winning contemporary poetry. Learn about structure, sound, vertical stacking, figurative language, connotation, the main type of poetry published today, and how all poems can be divided into three convenient groupings. Great examples, hands-on practice, and handouts provided.

Ace Baker has led hundreds of teen writers to publication and contest wins. This master class will cover techniques in both poetry and prose that can help you raise the bar a bit in your own work, enough to find the printed page or place in those very competitive contests. Learn some do’s and don’ts that can greatly improve your odds when submitting work to editors, publishers, and contest judges. Bring any works in progress that you’d like to try new ideas out on, or just bring yourself! Handouts provided.

Tired of using the usual tools to write, analyze, or teach short stories? Did you notice that Freytag’s Pyramid (that “ski slope”) your English teacher taught you doesn’t work for many, many stories? Join Ace Baker, author of How to Make a Killing Jar, a collection of 12+1 short stories, for fresh ideas on what is possible when writing or teaching short fiction. Handouts provided