Workshops

“Methods of Teaching Poetry and Drama in the Classroom.” Texas Joint Council of Teachers of English, 1980.

“Directing Shakespeare.” Arts Related Curriculum, Beaumont Independent School District, 1981.

“Publishing Creative Materials.” Beaumont Writers’ Association, 1982.

“Playwriting in the Classroom.” Education Region V Workshop, 1985.

“Creative Writing Workshop.” Texas Wesleyan College, 1987.

“Writing and Publishing Workshop.” Richland College, February 20-April 3, 1989.

“Getting Published: Almost Everything You Need to Know.” University of North Texas Mini-Course, 1989.

“Writing What You Know.” Pascal High School, Fort Worth, 1989.

“Publish or Perish: Fiction.” Graduate Students of English Colloquy, University of North Texas, 1990.

“Publishing in New York: Editors & Agents.” TCU Press Writer’s Group, 1990.

“The Job Hunt Game.” Graduate Students of English, University of North Texas, 1991.

“Fiction Workshop: Being in Part a Discussion of the Importance of Openings in Stories and Novels.” University of North Texas Literary Festival, 1991.

“On Publishing Short Fiction & A Demonstration Workshop.” Writing and Publishing Workshop. Stephen F. Austin State University, 1991.

“Working with an Agent,” & “Secrets of Getting Published: Fiction.” Austin Writers’ League, 1991.

“Writing for Real: A Workshop and a Reading.” East Central University of Oklahoma, 1992.

“Publishers and Writers: A Workshop and a Reading.” McNeese State University, 1992.

“A Workshop on How to Approach Commercial Publication.” Texas Christian University Authors’ Extravaganza, 1992.

“Packaging and Publishing a Novel.” Austin Writer’s League, 1993.

“The Structure of the Short Story,” & “Writing What You Want, Selling What You Can.” Rice University Writers’ Conference, 1993.

“Selling Fiction to Little Magazines.” Western Writers of America, 1993.

“Writing Against the Grain: Historical Fiction and the Mainstream Novel.” Golden Triangle Writers’ Guild, Beaumont, TX, 1993.

“The Business of Writing.” Angelo State University, 1993.

“Round and Flat Characters: What is the Difference,” & “Self-Publishing: Why It Doesn’t Work.” Rice University Writers’ Conference, 1994.

“Drawing History: Adapting Historical Facts for Fiction.” Panhandle Professional Writers Association, Amarillo, Texas, 1994.

“Perils of Research: Using Standard Sources to Find the Facts.” Austin Writers’ League, 1995.

“Where Ideas Come From.” Texarkana Junior College, 1995.

“The Life of the Writer.” Annual “Meet the Author Series,” Texarkana Junior College, 1995.

“Historical Sources: Playing Detective to Get at the Truth.” Rice University Writers’ Conference, 1995.

“Writing Fiction for Publication.” West Texas A&M University Writer’s Workshop, 1995.

“Truth or Consequences: Adapting Factual Information to Fiction.” Our Lady of the Lake University Writer’s Workshop, 1995.

“Fiction Writing: A Six-Week Class and Workshop for Advanced Writers.” The Writer’s Garret, Dallas, Texas, 1996.

“Self-Editing: How Much, When, and Why.” Austin Writers’ League, TCA Literary Touring Program, Corpus Christi, Texas, 1996.

“Contracts & Deals.” Denton Writers’ League, 1996.

“So You’ve Written a Novel, Now What?” Rice University Writer’s Conference, 1996.

“Turning Fact into Fiction.” Sul Ross State University, 1996.

“Prose into Pictures: Adapting a Novel for the Screen.” West Texas A&M University Writer’s Workshop, 1997.

“Finding the Truth through Fiction.” The Woodlands Writers’ Guild, 1997.

“Writing the Novel and Short Story: A Six-Week Class and Workshop.” The Writers’Garret, Dallas, Texas, 1997.

“Publishing the Short Story.” Sul Ross State University, 1998.

“Where Ideas for Writing Come From.” Highland Park High School Literary Festival, 2000.

“The Ways Writers’ Workshops Work, The Ways They Don’t.” Texas Commission on the Arts Texas’ Touring Arts Program, 2000.

“Drawing on Memory for Fiction.” Quanah High School Literary Festival, 2000.

“Writing for Profit: Genre vs. Literary Writing.” Writers in Process, Trinity Writers’ Workshop, Tarrant County College, 2000.

“It’s Noir or Never: Writers Explore the Dark Side.” Texas Book Festival, 2000.

“A Master Class in Fiction Composition.” San Jacinto College, 2001.

“Tips for Writers.” West Texas Book & Author Festival, 2001.

“Elements of Fiction Writing.” Write at Sea, 2003.

Moderator, “Western Writer’s Forum.” WWA On-Line, March 2-8, 2003.

“The Importance of Writing for College Prep.” Carrollton-Farmer’s Branch ISD, 2003.

“Stone Soup: The Publishing Business.” The Writers’ Garrett, 2003.

“What is Texas Literature; What is Genre Fiction?” Texas Association of Creative
Writing Teachers, 2003.

“Bending Genres.” Texas Book Festival, 2003.

Contrasting Fictions.” Richland College 2004 Literary Festival.

“One Book, One Arlington.” University of Texas at Arlington, 2004.

“Working with Literary Agents.” Writers’ League of Texas, 2006.

“Writing the Southwest.” Southwest Writer and Artists Festival, Texas A&M University, 2006.

“Writing on Environmental Issues.” Montgomery College Spring Fling, 2007.

“Finding the Line Between Fiction and Nonfiction in Creative Writing.” Lamar University, 2007.

“Backgrounds for Writing Well.” Scissortail Writing Festival. East Central University, 2007.

“Writing Baseball and Other Pasttimes.” Arkansas Tech University, 2007.

“Changing Fact into Fiction.” Sul Ross State University and Writers’ League of Texas Summer Writing Academy, 2008.

“The Life of the Academic Writer,” Tejas Writers and Artists Festival, 2014.

“Publishing Traditions: Working With University Presses.” Western Writers Association, 2015.

“Crime and Mystery in the West.” Western State Colorado University, “Writing the Rockies,” 2015.

“The Mystery of the West.” Western State Colorado University, “Writing the Rockies,” 2016.

“Crime Fiction in the West.” Western State Colorado University, “Writing the Rockies,” 2017.

“The Wisdom and Foolishness of Self-Publishing.” Western State Colorado University, “Writing the Rockies,” 2017.

“Charles Portis’s True Grit.” Irving Public Library Book Club, 2017.