If the first step to recovery is recognizing you have a problem…well, I’m not there yet. 
I first got hooked on workshops through RWA’s Kiss of Death chapter, for mystery and suspense writers. KOD offers a workshop on craft and another on matters related to crime and detection each month. The classes last a month and the instructors I’ve come into contact so far have been fantastic.
Lately, I’ve branched out and have been taking classes through the Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal Chapter, the San Diego Chapter, and others.
I just finished a terrific workshop with Jodi Henley on Organic Structure. It was exactly what I needed to figure out what was not working with my current wip. Talking it out with Jodi and reading her comments on other workshop participants’ stories, really got me thinking and back on track with where I needed to go. Click on her web log page and scroll down. On the right side you will see various articles she’s written on plotting, characters and organic structure. They are highly accessible and worth your time.
I also took a mind-blowing workshop on Promo with Marcia James called Guilt Free Promo. There was so much information packed into this course that the cost of the workshop was repaid many times over. Marcia covered the spectrum of promo options for authors and even offered a huge bible containing everything you are likely to need to know about promo. She has another workshop coming up in August through the Northeast Ohio Chapter of the RWA. If you have time and money to spare, check it out.
At the end of this month I’m signed up for another FF&P workshop called Beyond Fangs: Creating New & Interesting Paranormal Characters by Deborah Blake. It sounded like fun. I may simply lurk, which I often do, but I know I’ll come away with something from the experience.
