Are you interested in learning more about writing? Then join me for a six session series called Elevate Your Writing. Each session builds on the one before. Session Two of my six session series on Elevate Your Writing will take place on Saturday, May 23, 2026 from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Gilmer Civic Center, 1218 Hwy 271 N in Gilmer, Texas.  Course overview outlined below.

Preregistration is requested to ensure adequate materials and snacks are provided.  Cost is $20 per session and payment can be made at the door. 

Pre register here: Elevate Your Writing

 

A Six-Session Workshop with Award Winning Author Dana Wayne

Session One: (April 18, 2026)

Voice, Emotion, and Reader Connection – The Foundation of Story Power

Core focus: Strengthening your unique voice and emotional resonance

Why it matters: Writers often plateau here – competent prose but not unforgettable
Session elements:

• What makes a story feel alive: emotional beats, micro‑tension, and specificity
• Finding and refining your narrative voice
• How Dana approaches emotional authenticity in her own award‑winning work
• Short guided exercises to deepen emotional layering

   

Session Two: (May 23, 2026)

Character Depth & Chemistry: Building People Readers Care About

Core focus: Creating layered characters, believable dynamics—romantic, suspenseful, or otherwise.

Why it matters: Writers often have good characters but not compelling ones
Session elements:

• Character motivation, wounds, and internal conflict
• Relationship arcs: attraction, tension, trust, and friction
• How to show chemistry without clichés
• Techniques Dana uses to build character-driven suspense and romance
• Workshop: character interview + rewriting a short interaction for stronger subtext

   

Session Three: (June 27, 2026)

Plot Architecture for Page‑Turners

Core focus: Structuring a novel that balances pacing, stakes, and emotional arcs.

Why it matters: Many writers struggle with sagging middles or uneven pacing
Session elements:

• Plot frameworks (3‑act, 4‑act, hero’s journey, romantic suspense arcs)
• Balancing internal and external conflict
• Raising stakes without melodrama
• Workshop: mapping your story’s spine + identifying weak points

   

Session Four: (July 18, 2026)

Crafting Tension, Suspense, and Momentum – Tension is a Skill, Not a Genre

Core focus: Techniques that keep readers turning pages—whether in romance, suspense, or general fiction.

Why it matters: Tension is a skill, not a genre

Session elements:

• Scene‑level tension vs. story‑level tension
• How to use setting, timing, and sensory detail to heighten suspense
• Dialogue as a tension engine
• Avoiding common pitfalls (info dumps, predictable beats, flat reveals)
• Workshop: rewriting a scene to increase tension and momentum

   

Session Five: (August 15, 2026)

Dialogue, Subtext, and Realistic Interactions

Core focus: Making dialogue sharp, purposeful, and emotionally charged.
Why it matters: Dialogue is where writers can make the biggest leap in professionalism.

Session elements:

• What makes dialogue sound natural but not mundane
• Subtext: what characters don’t say
• Beats, pacing, and rhythm
• Dana’s techniques for banter, conflict, and emotional honesty
• Workshop: dialogue surgery—cutting fluff, sharpening beats, adding subtext

   

Session Six:  (Sept. 26, 2026)

Revision Mastery & Preparing for Publication

Core focus: Turning a draft into a publishable manuscript.
Why it matters: Revision is where writers become authors.

Session elements:

• Dana’s revision process
• Identifying your personal writing “blind spots”
• Line‑level polish: tightening prose, eliminating echoes, strengthening imagery
• Beta readers, critique partners, and professional editing
• Querying, indie publishing considerations, and next‑step planning