Do you have a Dirty Little Secret?

To celebrate the release of my new workbook, The Dirty Little Secrets of Character Development, I'm hosting a special Dirty Little Secrets (DLS) online workshop.

The workshop will be an interactive, online course that leads participants through fun, inventive exercises that will help them root out their characters' deep, dark secrets and how to use these secrets to further plot, conflict and (of course) the romance.

The workshop will run Tuesday, Sept. 20 to Thursday, Oct. 20. Cost is $15

Course requirements:

• Dirty Little Secrets Workbook (now on pre-order; available from Amazon Sept. 6)
• WIP or partial synopsis (it helps if you have an idea of your characters before beginning)
• 3 to 5 hours per week for course homework
• Google email address

To sign up:

• Send your name, location, and gmail address to Keena Kincaid
• Subject line: Dirty Little Secrets Workshop Registration

I will send you a registration invoice via PayPal and invite you into my workshop circle on Google+ From there we can post, message, and video chat. 

From Acorn to Oak

The journey from idea to finished book is a strange one.

Each book that I've written has a different origin--one came out of a dream and another from too much sugar and caffeine at a small tea shop in northern England.

My non-fiction book may have the oddest origin of them all, though.

Once upon a time, I was the writer in a group of four friends who would hang out all the time to talk work, men, vacations, men, family, and men. Our lives weren’t quite as adventurous as those on Sex and the City—but I loved those days.

One afternoon, we were sitting at an outdoor café, talking and people watching, when a young, well endowed woman walked by with her date, who couldn’t stop staring at her breasts. “Do you think he knows she didn't come by those naturally?” one of us asked.

The writer in me immediately perked up and I began to look at my characters not just as heroes and heroines, but also secret-keepers. Why secrets? Because secrets make our characters more interesting and create tension between characters.

From that discussion and insight, I developed my workshop, "The Dirty Little Secrets of Character Development," and now my first non-fiction book, which will be released next month. The book is designed to give you a better understanding of how secrets affect characters and propel the plot forward in a logical, engaging manner.

Watch this space for more information on the book when it's released. I'll be giving away copies, hosting a special workshop, and offering one-on-one DLS consultation.