DFWCon 2026: Full Schedule

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7:30am CDT

Conference Doors Open

Sunday October 4, 2026 7:30am - 5:15pm CDT

Hurst Conference Center

Sunday October 4, 2026 7:30am - 5:15pm CDT
Hurst Conference Center 1601 Campus Dr, Hurst, TX 76054

Event

8:00am CDT

Dawn Of The Gong! The Query Gong Show

Sunday October 4, 2026 8:00am - 8:50am CDT

Ballroom

It’s one of the highlights of DFWCon. What do agents really think about your query letter?

Host Russell C. Connor will be joined by George Goldthwaite, who will read letters at random in his velvety voice. Author names will be withheld, so the whole ballroom isn't staring at you. A panel of agents will listen, and they’ll bang a gong when they've had enough. Three gongs and the letter is out. Agents will explain what problems caught their attention.

We've seen agents like a query letter so much — even if it doesn’t make it all the way through — they ask the author to send in the manuscript.

However, beware! if you need a fan and a fainting couch, this might not be for you. Your letter could get shredded in front of a few hundred people. Bring your A-game, but remember, few escape gong-free!

Signups will be available at the conference.

Speakers

Russell C Connor

Russell C. Connor has been writing horror since the age of five. His short fiction has appeared in such publications as Black Petals Magazine, Alien Skin, Burial Day, Sanitarium, Beware the Dark, and the Stupefying Stories Showcase, as well as the anthologies Roadkill: Tex... Read More →

George Goldwaithe

Sunday October 4, 2026 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
Ballroom

Event

9:00am CDT

Publishing 101

Sunday October 4, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Room 5

How publishing works: basic jobs, P&Ls, advances, contracts, royalties, marketing, and publicity.

Speakers

Kevin O'Connor

Kevin O’Connor has always worked at the intersection of business and creative. As an agent, Kevin takes on children's projects (Ziggy Marley's Pajammin') and serious adult nonfiction, Who We Are by Jeffery Robinson, with a forward by Tom Hanks.

Kevin is the founding director of The Center for Nonfiction, a Columbia University Community Scholars Project dedicated to helping journalists and scholars understand the formal needs of trade publishers. He is an adjunct professor at NYU and currently working on a maste... Read More →

Sunday October 4, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Room 5

Business

9:00am CDT

Home Is Where the Heart Is: Using the Setting Around You to Build Fantasical Worlds

Sunday October 4, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Room 2

Nothing is born from the void--and neither are the fantasy worlds we love to read about and create in our own work. This class is designed to help attendees use the world they know--their homes, the familiar streets, and the places they see everyday--to create grounded worlds in their fantasy genre pieces. After all, authors put in little bits of themselves in everything they create, and what better way to build a fictional world than one that includes the cracked tiles of their bathroom or the vaulted ceilings of their local city hall.

Speakers

Andy C. Naranjo

Sunday October 4, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Room 2

Craft

9:00am CDT

Screen to Page: Screenwriting Techniques for Creating Dynamic Fiction

Sunday October 4, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Room 3

Master the art of cinematic storytelling by applying screenwriting principles like "show, don't tell," tight pacing, and high-stakes dialogue to your prose. This session teaches you how to translate visual storyboarding into rich narrative descriptions, ensuring your story or novel moves with the momentum and clarity of a blockbuster script.

Speakers

R.C. Bramhall

Sunday October 4, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Room 3

Craft

9:00am CDT

You Can’t Always Leave the Past in the Past: Trauma, Flashbacks, and the Art of Backstory

Sunday October 4, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Room 1

The most compelling characters are shaped by what happened to them before the story begins. But how do writers reveal trauma without overwhelming the narrative? In this session, we’ll explore how memory, flashbacks, and emotional triggers can be used to build layered, psychologically authentic characters. Participants will learn how trauma realistically appears in behavior and relationships, when to introduce backstory, and how flashbacks can move the plot forward. Through a trauma-informed lens, writers will learn techniques for integrating memory and past experience in ways that feel organic, emotionally resonant, and dramatically effective. Participants will leave with practical tools for crafting characters whose past continues to shape the choices they make in the present.

Speakers

Duygu Balan

Duygu Balan is a psychotherapist, speaker, and author whose work centers on intimacy, trauma, identity, and the stories we tell about ourselves. She has authored Re-Write: A Trauma Workbook of Creative Writing and Recovery in Our New Normal (Routledge, 2023), Confidently Chill: A... Read More →

Sunday October 4, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Room 1

Craft

9:00am CDT

✅ Writing Resources 101

Sunday October 4, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Room 6

In this practical session for new writers, you’ll learn about some of the best educational, motivational, editing and business resources to help you succeed as a writer. You’ll leave with a list of the most popular resources used by writers, a strategy for which tools to use when and suggestions for finding joy in the writing journey.

Is this your first writers conference? Classes with a ✅ in the title like this one are especially good for newcomers.

Speakers

Laura M. Johnson

Sunday October 4, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Room 6

Craft

Skill Level ✅ New Attendees

9:00am CDT

On the Same Page: The Author-Agent Partnership

Sunday October 4, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Room E-F

Exploring the author/agent relationship and what to look for in an agent.

Speakers

Sydney Applegate

Kelly Dyksterhouse

Kelly Dyksterhouse is a literary agent with The Tobias Literary Agency.

She represents picture books, middle grade and young adult, both fiction and nonfiction, as well as graphic novels. She also represents illustrators.

For middle grade, she loves books with ensemble casts, books about good kids making bad decisions and then having to get themselves out of it, quests and hijinks, spooky stories and mysteries, and historical novels that feel relevant. For YA, Kelly is looking for much of... Read More →

Brooke Mondor

Brooke Mondor is a literary agent with Miller Bowers Griffin Literary Management. She previously interned at Folio Literary Management. While she primarily represents non-fiction writers, she is excited to build her adult fiction list.

In fiction, Brooke is particularly intereste... Read More →

Dana Swift

Dana started making up fantasy worlds when she was eleven years old and hasn’t stopped since. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, where she earned degrees in English and Advertising. Dana currently lives in Austin with her husband and her two dogs whose... Read More →

Haley Warrington

Haley Warrington is a iterary agent with The Booker Albert Literary Agency.

Haley is a fan of all things romance—bring the heat or leave it at the door. She’s also interested in representing Adult or New Adult fiction. Some of her favorite novels include The Match by Sara... Read More →

Madeline Warthan

Sunday October 4, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Room E-F

Panel

9:00am CDT

Read & Critique

Sunday October 4, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Room 4

Read a short piece of your writing, then get feedback from published writers and industry professionals.

Speakers

Laura DuPuy

ChristaCarol Jones

Hayley Bell Parker

BJ Sloan

Sunday October 4, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Room 4

Read & Critique

10:00am CDT

Book Signing: Duygu Balan, RC Bramhall, Andy C. Naranjo, Dana Swift

Sunday October 4, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

Bookstore

Speakers

Duygu Balan

R.C. Bramhall

Andy C. Naranjo

Dana Swift

Sunday October 4, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Bookstore

Book Signing

10:00am CDT

The Art of the BookBub Deal

Sunday October 4, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

Room 1

You have only 24 hours to make your Bookbub Deal a success; will you seize the day or let it go to waste? Learn the do's and don'ts of those hard-to-get spots on the Bookbub newsletter from horror author Russell C Connor, who jumpstarted his publishing career with one.

Speakers

Russell C Connor

Sunday October 4, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Room 1

Business

10:00am CDT

Strategic Dialogue Deployment: Subtext, Story Beats, and Other Things You Didn’t Know Dialogue Could Do

Sunday October 4, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

Room 2

We hear a lot about what not to do in dialogue. But then, how *do* you tell the reader something that Bob already knows? Update the reader on a plot point without mentioning the plot? Give the reader a clue without the detective noticing (and vice versa)?

Before the session ends, we’ll switch to advanced mode and see how dialogue can control pace and narrative rhythm, add subtext and characterization, and maximize story beats.

Speakers

Rosemary Clement

Sunday October 4, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Room 2

Craft

10:00am CDT

Writing Middle Grade Books

Sunday October 4, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

Room 3

Bring your questions and inner-child to this workshop where we will explore what constitutes a middle grade novel. Topics include age range, word count, voice, and acceptable (and unacceptable) topics. A recommended middle grade ‘to read’ list will also be provided with specific books within several middle grade genres.

Speakers

Kay Goodnight

Sunday October 4, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Room 3

Craft

10:00am CDT

Writing Suspense, Mysteries, and Thrillers

Sunday October 4, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

Room 6

This class explores which writing elements are most effective when writing in these genres. We break down and explain each one, emphasizing the reader's expectations and how to best achieve them. Examples from books and movies are used to clarify to the author which techniques work best and why, to accomplish the desired result.

Speakers

Larry Enmon

Sunday October 4, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Room 6

Craft

10:00am CDT

✅ Feed Your Readers: All About Social Media Content For Authors

Sunday October 4, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

Room 5

Tired at staring at a blank post wondering what to share? Let’s fix that! This class will help you up your social media game and tackle the creative side of author marketing. We’ll break down your brand, brainstorm content, and craft a content strategy that connects with your ideal audience—without draining your writing time.

Is this your first writers conference? Classes with a ✅ in the title like this one are especially good for newcomers.

Speakers

Sydney Applegate

Madeline Warthan

Sunday October 4, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Room 5

Craft

Skill Level ✅ New Attendees

10:00am CDT

Queerly Beloved: LGBTQIA+ Romance

Sunday October 4, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

Room E-F

Why does queer romance matter? Does every queer romance need to address homophobia? How do you balance queer joy with queer reality? How do you avoid sterotypes? Who is "allowed" to write queer stories? What are the trends with queer romance in the industry?

Speakers

Nikki Carrero

Nikki is a literary agent with The Rights Factory and has a background in education and in publishing.

Her love for the written word began when her grandmother brought her to the bookstore as a kid to pick out new books. She's currently looking for adult or young adult fiction in the following genres: mystery, thriller, romance, romantic suspense, magical realism, women’s... Read More →

Christine Goss

Christine Goss is a literary agent with FinePrint Literary Management.

She graduated from Lake Forest College with a BA in communications. Formerly a sales representative, her skills pair well with her love of reading and story development. As an author herself, the craft of writing is very important to her when she looks at manuscripts... Read More →

Madelyn Knecht

Eva Scalzo

Eva Scalzo is the Agency Director and Senior Literary Agent at Speilburg Literary. A lifelong romance reader—ever since discovering Sweet Valley High in the fifth grade—she proudly inherited her grandmother’s collection of vintage Harlequins and never looked back.

She gravitates toward voice-driven YA and romance with heart, humor, and hope—stories where falling in love leads to self-discovery. She loves high-concept premises, lush and escapist settings, sharp banter, and joyful tones that embrace emotional depth. Eva actively... Read More →

Sunday October 4, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Room E-F

Panel

10:00am CDT

So Here's My Problem: Fiction

Sunday October 4, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

Room 4

Everyone gets stuck. Ask published writers and industry professionals how they’ve worked through similar problems.

We have several So Here’s My Problem sessions, each covering a different topic.
This one focuses on Fiction.

Speakers

Moon Abbas

A Lee Martinez

Kayla Olson

Brian Tracey

Sunday October 4, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Room 4

Read & Critique

11:00am CDT

Book Signing: Kay Goodnight, Rosemary Clement

Sunday October 4, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

Bookstore

Speakers

Rosemary Clement

Kay Goodnight

Sunday October 4, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT
Bookstore

Book Signing

11:00am CDT

Welcome to the Indie Author Trenches

Sunday October 4, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

Room 1

The independent publishing basics, practical tips, and tricks to help you get your book out into the world.

Speakers

ChristaCarol Jones

Sunday October 4, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT
Room 1

Business

11:00am CDT

Andor: A Study in Adding Politics to Your Plot

Sunday October 4, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

Room 2

Star Wars: Andor is more than just a rebellion story–it’s a masterclass in political fiction that resonates with fans well beyond the galaxy far far away. In this class, we’ll break down how Andor integrates systems of control, class struggle, surveillance, and revolution into every layer of the narrative–and how you can do the same in your own work. You’ll learn to use political conflict to shape character arc, turn institutions into narrative engines, balance individual stakes with systemic commentary, and make your world’s politics feel real. No matter your genre, come learn to write stories that interrogate the world around us, in a way that readers truly connect to. (Don’t worry - you don’t even need to know the show.)

Speakers

Caitlin Jacobs

Sunday October 4, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT
Room 2

Craft

11:00am CDT

Grammar AMA

Sunday October 4, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

Room 5

(Ask Me Anything) Let’s face it: grammar isn’t everybody’s strong suit. So come field all your grammar questions and concerns with someone who has taught language, usage, and mechanics for over a decade, because I know there’s that one grammar rule you’re ashamed you’ve never learned. Is it the Oxford comma (I’ve used one in this course description)? Is it the proper use of the semicolon? Subjunctive mood? Predicate nominatives? Passive voice? Participles?! We can discuss it all without shame and without judgment, and I’ll give you tips for using these concepts to elevate your writing!

Speakers

Mark Dye

Sunday October 4, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT
Room 5

Craft

11:00am CDT

How To Revise Like An Editor

Sunday October 4, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

Room 6

Self-editing tips from macro to micro.

Speakers

Kelsey Evans

Kelsey began as an editor, helping writers shape their work through developmental feedback, query critiques, and revision guidance.

Later, she moved into agenting, interning with Triada US and Creative Media Agency (CMA), where she gained hands-on experience in manuscri... Read More →

Sunday October 4, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT
Room 6

Craft

11:00am CDT

✅ Scene Structure

Sunday October 4, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

Room 3

A scene can come out of inspiration or careful design. But what should you do when your words aren't working? Come learn the secret ingredients to crafting a compelling scene!

Is this your first writers conference? Classes with a ✅ in the title like this one are especially good for newcomers.

Speakers

Matthew Rollins

Sunday October 4, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT
Room 3

Craft

Skill Level ✅ New Attendees

11:00am CDT

Truth Be Told: Memoir And Creative Nonfiction

Sunday October 4, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

Room E-F

Explore how writers shape lived experience, memory, and research into compelling narratives. Panelists will discuss finding the heart of a true story, balancing honesty with craft, handling gaps or conflicting memories, and turning real events into meaningful memoir and creative nonfiction.

Speakers

Michael Carr

Michael Carr is a literary agent with the Veritas Literary Agency.

With a strong background in editing and writing, Michael enjoys teaching at workshops and conferences to help develop emerging writers. He is fluent in Spanish and speaks conversational French. Before joining Veritas, Michael had professions as diverse as programming simulators... Read More →

Harry Hall

Harry Hall spent 11 years traveling the country, researching an obscure group of a handful of women athletic pioneers who, 150 years ago, made their own rules and set standards that even today, seem impossible. Although around only a few years, the pedestriennes contributed to the... Read More →

Christina Lopez

Christina Lopez is an editor with St.Martin's Press, where she started as an intern.

She's passionate about giving a voice to writers of underrepresented backgrounds, with interests in adult and YA commercial fiction, women’s fiction, historical fiction, romance/rom-com, speculative fiction/ magical realism, and some non-fiction focused on pop culture and... Read More →

Carrie Turner

Sunday October 4, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT
Room E-F

Panel

11:00am CDT

Read & Critique

Sunday October 4, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

Room 4

Read a short piece of your writing, then get feedback from published writers and industry professionals.

Speakers

Dana Swift

Katie Bernet

Katie is The New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Indie bestselling author of Beth Is Dead. She’s an award-winning creative director and a long-standing member of the DFW Writers’ Workshop. As the oldest of three sisters, she’s a diehard fan of Little Women.... Read More →

Lauren Lanza Osias

Sally Hamilton

Sunday October 4, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT
Room 4

Read & Critique

12:00pm CDT

Lunch: Keynote Speaker Natalie Sue

Sunday October 4, 2026 12:00pm - 1:30pm CDT

Ballroom

DFWCon Director Rebecca Seifert will host a Q&A with internationally bestselling author Natalie Sue.

Natalie's debut novel, I Hope This Finds You Well, was the winner of the 2025 Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour and the Alberta Literary Award for Fiction, and was a finalist for the Amazon Canada First Novel Award. Her latest book, You’ll Love It Here, was released August 11, 2026.

When she’s not writing, she enjoys bingeing great and terrible TV, attempting pottery, and procuring houseplants. She lives in Calgary with her husband, daughter, and dog.

Speakers

Natalie Sue

Natalie Sue is the Canadian internationally bestselling and award-winning author of her debut novel, I Hope This Finds You Well. She is of Iranian and British descent.

Her latest book, You’ll Love It Here, was released August 11, 2026.

I Hope This Finds You Well was the winner of... Read More →

Rebecca Seifert

Rebecca Seifert is an author living in Dallas, Texas, and the 2026 DFW Writers’ Conference Director.

Sunday October 4, 2026 12:00pm - 1:30pm CDT
Ballroom

Event

1:40pm CDT

Book Signing: Natalie Sue, Matthew Pitt, Harry Hall

Sunday October 4, 2026 1:40pm - 2:30pm CDT

Bookstore

Speakers

Harry Hall

Matthew Pitt

Natalie Sue

Sunday October 4, 2026 1:40pm - 2:30pm CDT
Bookstore

Book Signing

1:40pm CDT

How to Plot a Romance Arc That Complements the External Plot

Sunday October 4, 2026 1:40pm - 2:30pm CDT

Room 1

Everything you've ever wanted to know about how to create a romance arc that feels cohesive with—and essential to—the external plot! In romances that do this well, the internal emotional arc and external plot are inextricably linked, each propelling the other. In this class, we'll talk about practical ways to achieve that goal, including tips to keep in mind while brainstorming, writing the first draft, and going deeper in revision.

Speakers

Kayla Olson

Sunday October 4, 2026 1:40pm - 2:30pm CDT
Room 1

Craft

1:40pm CDT

No Small Parts: Big Worlds Built with Minor Characters

Sunday October 4, 2026 1:40pm - 2:30pm CDT

Room 6

Genre SFF authors have no shortage of big ideas, but they can fall into the trap of hampering their writing's impact by sacrificing depth for breadth in their worldbuilding. In this hands-on session, Aleese Lin will show how strategic side character development can effect high-impact worldbuilding without padding word count or sacrificing reader interest. This craft discussion will be paired with an audience-participation exercise and an opportunity for attendees to tinker with their own not-so-small side characters.

Speakers

Aleese Lin

Sunday October 4, 2026 1:40pm - 2:30pm CDT
Room 6

Craft

1:40pm CDT

Revision as Momentum Engineering: Building a Revision Roadmap That Actually Works

Sunday October 4, 2026 1:40pm - 2:30pm CDT

Room 3

“Fix the pacing.” “Strengthen the character arc.” “Raise the tension.” Writers often receive revision feedback that identifies a problem without explaining how to practically solve it. In this class, we’ll break down how to transform broad editorial feedback into intentional revision passes that strengthen the momentum of your story rather than sending you into endless drafting loops. Learn how to evaluate your novel through the lens of setup, payoff, escalation, and genre expectation so that your plot points, character arcs, thematic throughlines, and craft choices build upon one another with purpose. We’ll discuss how to identify the structural pressure points of your manuscript, revise backward from major payoff moments, and use tools like the seven-point plot structure to create stories that feel cohesive, emotionally satisfying, and earned from beginning to end.

Speakers

Amber Helt

Sunday October 4, 2026 1:40pm - 2:30pm CDT
Room 3

Craft

1:40pm CDT

Write a Picture Book with Me!

Sunday October 4, 2026 1:40pm - 2:30pm CDT

Room 5

Team up with author/illustrator Sarah Mensinga to write an amazing picture book. As you and other class attendees combine forces to create a brand-new story, you’ll explore theme and plot, craft unique characters, discuss potential illustrations, and consider what makes picture books appealing to young readers… as well as agents, editors, and booksellers. Become a better picture book author through hands-on creative collaboration.

Speakers

Sarah Mensinga

Sunday October 4, 2026 1:40pm - 2:30pm CDT
Room 5

Craft

1:40pm CDT

✅ Brick House Chapter Building

Sunday October 4, 2026 1:40pm - 2:30pm CDT

Room 2

Every chapter of a novel should have a firm foundation built on goal-conflict-outcome.

Is this your first writers conference? Classes with a ✅ in the title like this one are especially good for newcomers.

Speakers

BJ Sloan

Sunday October 4, 2026 1:40pm - 2:30pm CDT
Room 2

Craft

Skill Level ✅ New Attendees

1:40pm CDT

Own The Process: Building a Career in Self-Publishing

Sunday October 4, 2026 1:40pm - 2:30pm CDT

Room E-F

Panelists will discuss producing a professional book, finding readers, managing the business side of authorship, and creating a sustainable path that fits each writer’s goals.

Speakers

Russell C Connor

Kay Goodnight

ChristaCarol Jones

Matthew Rollins

Sunday October 4, 2026 1:40pm - 2:30pm CDT
Room E-F

Panel

1:40pm CDT

So Here's My Problem: Querying

Sunday October 4, 2026 1:40pm - 2:30pm CDT

Room 4

Speakers

Brooke Fossey

Brooke Fossey was once an aerospace engineer with a secret clearance before she traded it all in for motherhood and writing. She’s a past president and an honorary lifetime member of DFW Writers’ Workshop. Her work can be found in numerous publications, including Ruminate Mag... Read More →

Leslie Lutz

Sunday October 4, 2026 1:40pm - 2:30pm CDT
Room 4

Read & Critique

2:40pm CDT

Book Signing: Amanda Arista, CCS Jones, Aleese Lin

Sunday October 4, 2026 2:40pm - 3:30pm CDT

Bookstore

Speakers

Amanda Arista

ChristaCarol Jones

Aleese Lin

Sunday October 4, 2026 2:40pm - 3:30pm CDT
Bookstore

Book Signing

2:40pm CDT

How to Self-Publish with Amazon: From Start to Finish

Sunday October 4, 2026 2:40pm - 3:30pm CDT

Room 2

Take the guesswork out of Amazon’s KDP publishing platform with this "start-to-finish" technical walkthrough. We’ll cover everything from interior formatting, cover design, ISBNs category selection, and the final upload process. Perfect for the author ready to take full control of their publishing career and see their book live on the world's largest retailer.

Speakers

Dr. Kimberlee Mendoza

Sunday October 4, 2026 2:40pm - 3:30pm CDT
Room 2

Business

2:40pm CDT

The Art of the Breakup

Sunday October 4, 2026 2:40pm - 3:30pm CDT

Room 5

In romance writing, breakups and major conflicts aren’t just dramatic twists; they’re essential turning points that test your characters and make the happily-ever-after truly satisfying. This beginner-friendly class will help you understand how to write emotionally impactful breakups that deepen your story rather than derail it. We’ll explore the role of the breakup in romance: what drives it, how to make it believable, and why it’s crucial for character growth. If you've ever struggled with writing the “breakup beat” or feared pulling your couple apart, this workshop will give you tools to craft breakups that feel earned, while avoiding melodrama or cliché, and you’ll learn how to rebuild the relationship in a way that reflects growth, trust, and lasting connection.

Speakers

Jacquelin Cangro

Sunday October 4, 2026 2:40pm - 3:30pm CDT
Room 5

Craft

2:40pm CDT

The Greatest Duos of All Time: How to Craft Killer Character Foils

Sunday October 4, 2026 2:40pm - 3:30pm CDT

Room 3

Batman and Joker. Mulder and Skully. C3P0 and R2D2. Elsa and Anna. Dive into archetypes, arcs, and foils to learn how to craft complex and complementary characters that enrich narratives and bring stories to life.

Speakers

Jalyn Renae Fiske

Sunday October 4, 2026 2:40pm - 3:30pm CDT
Room 3

Craft

2:40pm CDT

✅ The Writing Habit: How to Create Routines That Reduce Writing Anxiety and Produce Better Work

Sunday October 4, 2026 2:40pm - 3:30pm CDT

TBA

Have you found that your desire to write has plummeted, even though you have big dreams about publication? Does dragging yourself to the writing desk now feel like a punishment? In this workshop, learn the brain science behind habit formation and how you can achieve peach through the writing process. By the end of this interactive workshop, you will have developed a new weekly writing plan that will help you achieve your writing goals and enjoy your craft.

Is this your first writers conference? Classes with a ✅ in the title like this one are especially good for newcomers.

Speakers

Leslie Lutz

Sunday October 4, 2026 2:40pm - 3:30pm CDT
TBA

Craft

Skill Level ✅ New Attendees

2:40pm CDT

The Speed Editing Event

Sunday October 4, 2026 2:40pm - 3:30pm CDT

Room 6

(capped: 10 submissions, viewers welcome)
Is your work ready to be submitted? Have you crossed your T’s and dotted your I’s? Come join Helen Dent and Brooke Fossey to find out. Submit up to three double-spaced pages of your best (or most troublesome) work and watch as they do a fast and furious line-level edit. Beyond writing convention, you’ll get a fly-on-the-wall opportunity to see how your work is received, and learn through other’s mistakes and victories. Each submission is guaranteed a five-minute velocity edit. Work must be submitted beforehand at (x). Please include genre and target audience, and redact your name.

Speakers

Helen Dent

Helen Dent's career as a writer began at age nine, when her grandfather paid her a dollar a page for what turned into quite a lengthy story. She studied monster theory (among other things) in graduate school, taught English at a Chinese university, and toured the Scottish Hebrides... Read More →

Brooke Fossey

Sunday October 4, 2026 2:40pm - 3:30pm CDT
Room 6

Event

2:40pm CDT

The Young and the Restless: Exploring the Heart of Young Adult Fiction

Sunday October 4, 2026 2:40pm - 3:30pm CDT

Room E-F

What makes young adult fiction resonate with teen readers? From authentic voice and emotional immediacy to identity, relationships, and the uncertainty of becoming, panelists will discuss writing young protagonists with depth, balancing universal themes with distinctly teen experiences, and creating stories that honor who young people are while imagining who they might become.

Speakers

Olivia Emerick

Olivia Emerick is a literary agent with the Metamorphosis Literary Agency.

A Boston College graduate with a background in English and Classics, Olivia has always had her nose in a book. With her experience in the literary and theatrical spaces, she values collaboration, communication, and human stories. She is passionate about advancing authors... Read More →

Sean Fletcher

Sean Fletcher is the award-winning, bestselling author of a number of fantasy series, such as the Savage Wilds, My Dearest Monster, Legacy of Dragons, Heir of Dragons, and more, in addition to forthcoming books whose characters will not give him a moment's peace until they get their turn in the spotlight. When not making up highly-enjoyable lies and putting them down on paper, he's often doing something most people find masochistic, like cyclin... Read More →

Anna Lindsey

Dana Swift

Sunday October 4, 2026 2:40pm - 3:30pm CDT
Room E-F

Panel

2:40pm CDT

Read & Critique

Sunday October 4, 2026 2:40pm - 3:30pm CDT

TBA

Read a short piece of your writing, then get feedback from published writers and industry professionals.

Speakers

Matthew Rollins

Brian Tracey

Caitlin Jacobs

Sunday October 4, 2026 2:40pm - 3:30pm CDT
TBA

Read & Critique

3:40pm CDT

Book Signing: Jalyn Renae Fiske, Leslie Lutz, Dr. Kimberlee Mendoza

Sunday October 4, 2026 3:40pm - 4:30pm CDT

Bookstore

Speakers

Jalyn Renae Fiske

Leslie Lutz

Dr. Kimberlee Mendoza

Sunday October 4, 2026 3:40pm - 4:30pm CDT
Bookstore

Book Signing

3:40pm CDT

From Badge to Courtroom: Understanding the Layers of Criminal Investigation

Sunday October 4, 2026 3:40pm - 4:30pm CDT

Room 2

Criminal investigations don't happen in a single office or by a lone detective—they move through distinct layers of responsibility, each with its own role in building a prosecutable case. This session traces how cases progress through the system: patrol officers who respond first and establish probable cause, detectives who conduct follow-up investigations and gather evidence, and district attorney investigators who help prosecutors determine what charges can actually be filed. Drawing on real-world examples from theft to homicide, we'll explore how responsibility shifts at each stage, what triggers a case to move from one layer to the next, and how coordination between these roles determines whether a case makes it to court. Attendees will gain practical insight into the decision-making and accountability that define each phase of the investigative pipeline.

Speakers

Amanda Arista

Sunday October 4, 2026 3:40pm - 4:30pm CDT
Room 2

Craft

3:40pm CDT

The Art of the Memoir: Telling Your Story

Sunday October 4, 2026 3:40pm - 4:30pm CDT

Room 5

Many aspiring memoirists begin with journals of their personal stories, but a memoir is more than a record of what happened. While a journal is written for the writer, a memoir is crafted for the reader! The difference lies in structure, scene selection, pacing, and emotional resonance. In this class, we'll explore how to transform real-life experiences into a compelling narrative that remains authentic while keeping your reader hooked! Learn how to identify the heart of your story and shape meaningful life events into a cohesive narrative arc that balances vulnerability and authenticity with the craft of storytelling. Whether you're writing about grief, faith, family, healing, or personal transformation, this session will empower you to write a memoir that honors your experience while grabbing your reader.

Speakers

Carrie Turner

Sunday October 4, 2026 3:40pm - 4:30pm CDT
Room 5

Craft

3:40pm CDT

Time Travels — A Fiction Workshop on the Clock

Sunday October 4, 2026 3:40pm - 4:30pm CDT

Room 3

Time is constant in practice—though not in perception (to readers of fiction, or fictional characters!). This workshop shines light on exercises and techniques available to writers to advance, compress, divide and retreat seasons and seconds to your narrative advantage. Ultimately, using these strategies effectively rewards our readers, and makes them more likely to view time spent in our worlds as time well spent.

Speakers

Matthew Pitt

Sunday October 4, 2026 3:40pm - 4:30pm CDT
Room 3

Craft

3:40pm CDT

When to Rework It and When to Kill It: Revising vs Rewriting

Sunday October 4, 2026 3:40pm - 4:30pm CDT

Room 1

It's said that editing is the real writing, when a book becomes a draft to something publishable. But how do you know when to revise what's already there, or when to scrap part (or more!) of your book and start from scratch? This class will go over evaluating signs of where your book's working (or not), revision vs rewriting, and what both looks like.

Speakers

Sean Fletcher

Sunday October 4, 2026 3:40pm - 4:30pm CDT
Room 1

Craft

3:40pm CDT

✅ Let's Chat: An Overview & Celebration of DFWCON 2026!

Sunday October 4, 2026 3:40pm - 4:30pm CDT

Room E-F

Whoo, it's been a long, exciting weekend at DFWCon 2026! So let's celebrate and debrief. This class is a community open forum discussion of what attendees learned at DFWCon, what marketing and craft tactics they plan on implementing, and overall the biggest take-aways and celebrations of the art of writing. Consider it a nice wrap-up catch all, where you can ask Dana Swift any last questions about querying, submission, book deals, marketing after release, etc. All the while she'll be celebrating attendees and the lessons you learned. This might just be the best way to learn about a class or two you missed so have your notebooks ready.

Is this your first writers conference? Classes with a ✅ in the title like this one are especially good for newcomers.

Speakers

Dana Swift

Sunday October 4, 2026 3:40pm - 4:30pm CDT
Room E-F

Event

Skill Level ✅ New Attendees

3:40pm CDT

So Here's My Problem: Fiction

Sunday October 4, 2026 3:40pm - 4:30pm CDT

Room 4

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