Chris Rogers, Author

Seminars and Calendar

A story has to go somewhere, and even wonderfully creative writers might not know how to put a novel together. It’s as much craft and technique as it is passion. After teaching novel writing in the University of Houston Extension Program, Rice University School of Continuing Studies and in my own private Master Class, I’ve assembled the absolutely essential ingredients for crafting a novel. Your organization can schedule two-day, full-day, half-day or one-hour presentations from the following material by contacting me directly.

"I had a half a million words,
but it wasn't a story."
– Jean Auel

Dialogue vs Narrative

Chris Rogers’s next class on Novel Writing: Structure and Developmentbegins February 1, 2011. The session will focus on:

Dialogue vs Narrative

Getting the Most Punch from Every Word in Your Novel

Most writers gravitate toward storytelling tools that feel natural to them. If you hear your characters holding conversations, you’ll write more dialogue. If you know a character’s intimate thoughts and feelings, and want to express them, you’ll gravitate toward narrative. Narrative is also the most useful tool for describing the luscious colors and textures of a setting or the blow-by-blow action.

Have you ever needed a Phillips-head screwdriver and all you could lay your hands on was a kitchen knife? That crude tool was clumsy, at best, and probably didn’t work the magic you hoped it would. The same is true when we use the storytelling tools of Dialogue and Narrative without consideration of which would work best in a particular situation. The magic rarely happens. This class will guide you in choosing the best storytelling tool for the job.

6 Tuesdays, beginning Feb. 1, 2011, 10:00 a.m. - noon, Go to wih.org or call (713) 529-7123 for specifics.

Novel Writing Workshop

This class takes you quickly through the basics of novel structure, so that you can concentrate on creating an intriguing plot, wonderful characters and page-turning suspense.

Topics include:

The 12-Step Story Plan
Dramatic & Reflective Structure
Plot, Point of View & Characterization
Suspense, Tension & Conflict
Subplot & Pacing
Emotional Connections

This class can be scheduled in your area in a one- or two-day seminar format.

Writing Mystery and Suspense Stories

Telling a story of mystery or suspense requires not only the basics of good writing, but also the ability to keep the reader guessing at what will happen next. In a fast-paced, hands-on format, this workshop teaches techniques designed to keep the reader turning pages, from "doing the crime" to "handling clues and red herrings." Writer Chris Rogers will examine such bestsellers as Misery, Silence of the Lambs, and Murder on the Orient Express to show how to manipulate plot, subplot, time, and the multiple viewpoints necessary for telling complicated mystery and suspense stories.

Topics include:

Crime Fiction: Structure and Tools
Story Core: The Hero-Victim-Villain Triad
Doing the Crime: The Beginning of Plot
Conflict, Disaster, and Plot Development
Suspense and Tension in Plot Development
Story Devices: Transition, Foreshadow, and Clues

This class can also be scheduled in your area in a one- or two-day seminar format.

One-Hour Presentations

A 12-Step Story Plan: Start with Good Structure, then Relax and Unfold Your Story
Building Blocks of Fiction: Using Drama, Reflection & Transition
Plot in a Nutshell: Capture Your Story in 10 Quick Steps
Single Line of Action: Define the Story Spine for Tight Plotting
Character Profiling: Create Unforgettable Story People
E-Quotient: How Words Affect the Reader
Action & Pacing: Move Your Characters, Move Your Plot
The Art of Suspense: Managing the Tension Cord
Dramatizing Conflict: Invoke Tension on Every Page
Chain of Conflict: Connect the Links to Keep a Reader Hooked
Seductive Writing: The First 500 Words of a Great Book
A Variety of Voices: Devise a Voice Profile for Each Character
"Say What?": 9 Common Dialogue Mistakes and How to Fix Them

For more information, email us with the words “workshop” in the subject line.

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