Shelly's Writing Workshop
Tips, Tactics & Time-Savers

Shelly Thacker Meinhardt's practical approach to the craft of writing has made her a sought-after speaker. She presents workshops at writers' conferences across the U.S. and Canada, and has served as a special guest lecturer at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, and Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Her renowned step-by-step workshops offer the tips and tactics that today's writers need to succeed.

Free Tips


In-Depth Workshops on Tape

We're pleased to present some of Shelly's most popular workshops on audiocassettes. These sessions have been "road tested" at writers' conferences across the country, earning rave reviews from authors of all kinds, from beginners to seasoned pros. Each workshop has been professionally recorded in a sound studio and digitally mastered to ensure superior quality. The tapes are duplicated on the same high-tech equipment used in the music industry and each comes in a protective, clear plastic Soft Poly box.

The price is just $8 per tape, a fraction of what you'd pay to attend these sessions in person. Take a moment to read our easy 1-2-3 ordering instructions. Then use the "Add to Cart" buttons below to order via PayPal, or print out a mail-order form. Prices and availability subject to change, so order today!

Get Thee to the Keyboard: Motivating Yourself to Write
$8.00 
Presented at the 2000 RWA National Conference in Washington D.C., this tape is available exclusively here at shellythacker.com. If you're like most writers, "Procrastination" is your middle name—but the magical Book Fairy isn't going to fly through your window and leave a finished manuscript under your pillow. You need to get your derriere in the chair and keep your fingers on the keyboard. Here are twelve ways to create a writing schedule and stick to it, including six psychological tactics and six practical tools. Learn how to weave yourself a safety net before you begin each book, separate process from product, meet deadlines, and keep stress to a minimum. This tape may not make you as prolific as Nora Roberts, but it will help you write faster and more efficiently, and free you to rediscover the joy of your craft.

If You Believe 
$8.00 
Recorded live before an audience of writers, this is the session that received a standing ovation at its New York premiere in 1998. Whether you're brand new or multi-published, you know that we all hit speed bumps on the road to success. Let this tape inspire you to keep going when the going gets tough. You'll learn how to handle rejection, deal with self-doubt, and bounce back from criticism. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll come away determined to persevere. Buy two copies: one for yourself, and one as a special gift for any writing friend who's going through a tough time.

Create Captivating Characters
$8.00 
Learn how to use characterization skills to create vivid, real people. Step-by-step, this tape shows you how to craft a truly useful character sketch, explains when to sketch and when not to sketch, and helps you dig past the physical and social to the psychological elements essential for powerful fiction. This tape also covers five elements every well-rounded character should possess, and discusses six simple ways to weave in background details—so you can avoid the common mistake of "background dumping" in your first chapter. You'll also discover four hands-on writing exercises that will help you get to know your characters inside and out. "Create Captivating Characters" will breathe new life into your characters and your book. Free character-sketch worksheet with purchase

He Feels/She Feels: Creating Internal Conflict
$8.00
 This the workshop you've heard fellow novelists raving about. "He Feels/She Feels" has been a standing-room-only hit at conferences across the country, and it was one of the top-ten bestselling tapes at the 1996 RWA National Conference in Dallas. Now, for the first time, here's an expanded one-on-one version that includes hands-on writing exercises. Powerful internal conflict is essential for powerful emotion and a fast-paced plot. Let Shelly teach you step-by-step how to tell the difference between internal and external conflict; how to establish, develop, and resolve believable internal conflicts between your characters; and how to make sense of it all by using "relationship tracker" techniques. Free conflict worksheet with purchase

Hooks & Grabbers to the Rescue: Writing a Page-Turner
$8.00 
Learn the secrets that bestselling authors use to keep readers up until dawn. One of the top-ten bestselling tapes at the 1997 RWA National Conference in Orlando, "Hooks & Grabbers" builds on the concepts in "He Feels/She Feels," revealing tricks and techniques you can use to turn a plodding plot into a page-turner. You'll discover how to weed out weak spots, avoid the dreaded sagging middle, and use a system of “hooks and grabbers” to create a can’t-put-it-down read. If you want readers telling friends about your novel and lining up to buy your next one, "Hooks & Grabbers" will show you how.


Special Offer

Order a complete set of all 5 tapes and save $5
The Complete Shelly's Writing Workshop Tape Collection
$35.00

Includes all five tapes: "Get Thee to the Keyboard," "If You Believe," "Captivating Characters," "He Feels/She Feels," "Hooks & Grabbers"