Great River Writes Kick-Off with Author R.R. Campbell

Author R.R. Campbell will be conducting two writing workshops from 2:00-4:00 PM.

"I don't know what to do with my hands." - Touching Up Scene for Characterization, Theme, and Backstory
As writers, sometimes it feels like we can do everything “right” and still be left with scenes that don’t quite click. Why is that, and what can we do to make those scenes pop while also enriching characterization, backstory, and theme? In this seminar, attendees will explore how the use of the five senses—in a direct, intrusive way—can be used to flesh out a scene while enhancing character and theme.

Let's (Not) Do Lunch: Pushing Our Settings Past Restaurants, Bars, and Cafés
We as writers already have enough on our plates; do we really have to worry about setting, too? We do, yes, lest we wind up overfeeding our readers on humdrum scenes that take place in the most typical of places—namely bars, restaurants, and cafés. Why do we so often fall back on invoking these locales? What might we stand to gain by swapping in more unique settings? And are there times when wining and dining our characters is, in fact, in the best interest of our story? In this seminar, we’ll examine how we can keep our readers from saying check, please! by properly catering to our manuscript’s settings.

About the Author: 
r. r. campbell is an author, writing coach, and the founder of the Writescast Network, a podcast collective for writers, by writers. He is also an instructor for the University of Wisconsin Continuing Studies in Writing program and the Stoughton Parks and Recreation department. His published novels include Accounting for It All and Imminent Dawn, which debuted as the number one new release for its genre on Amazon. Its sequel, Mourning Dove, is now available in print and ebook with most major retailers. The author has been an invited speaker at conferences and seminars including the University of Wisconsin Writers’ Institute and WisCon. His short-form fiction has been featured in Five:2:One Magazine’s #thesideshow, among others. r. r. lives in Stoughton, Wisconsin with his wife, Lacey, and their cats, Hashtag and Rhaegar.