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Book Idea Workshop: Critical Steps to Elevating an Idea

January 28, 2026
Amy Goldmacher will take you through an interactive process that will get you clear on your book idea so you can write it (or the proposal for it). Whether you're writing fiction, nonfiction, or memoir, Amy's strategies will give you the confidence you need to start writing.

Book Pipeline

Book Pipeline connects writers to publishers, agents, and the film industry through competitions and workshops, providing hands-on support to bridge the gap between emerging authors and the industry since 2014.

Script Pipeline

Script Pipeline connects writers with producers, agents, and managers, facilitating over $8 million in sales through competitions and ongoing industry support, helping launch major films and secure high-profile representation since 1999.

Film Pipeline

Film Pipeline connects filmmakers and writers with agencies and executives, focusing on diverse storytelling and playing an active role in developing and promoting projects, reviewing thousands of submissions annually since its launch in 2018.

Raising Emotional Impact by Maximizing Characters and Plot

Recorded

August 20, 2025

Duration

2 Hours

Cost

$35.00

Subject

Publishing

Topic

Craft

Your story may be full of twists, turns, and action-packed adventure. But the truth is, even in the most plot-driven blockbusters and the most traditional mystery, readers and watchers want to follow a character on an arc. Without that internal arc adding emotional resonance, even the most tightly plotted story can become confusing and forgettable.

In this session, Karen Krumpak will discuss the ways plot affects character and vice versa, making the most of your opening scenes to set up later growth, and enhancing your story by adding a character arc at any stage of the writing process.

In addition to writers looking to add affecting character moments to plot-based stories without bogging down the pace, this presentation will also be useful to writers looking to create as much emotional impact as possible while clearly and concisely detailing their plot in a synopsis.

This presentation will cover:

  • Why an internal character arc is essential
  • Unique characters vs. a character arc
  • Understanding how your character changes (or doesn’t)
  • Outlining simplified: a bare bones approach to the internal arc
  • Integrating the internal arc with the external, plot-based arc
  • Adding internal arcs as B plots and C plots
  • Examples of stories that seem to lack a character arc
  • Incorporating the internal arc into the synopsis and query letter
  • Q&A

What attendees have said ...

Karen presented detailed content and good demonstrative examples of concepts presented. Liked the brief pauses to think about my own characters arc in context of concepts presented. Appreciated the recording as it is difficult to listen to presenter to absorb info and take notes at same time.

The simple exercises we were given gave me a completely different way to arrive at who my character was, based on her imperfect environment and how she navigates it. I had a huge AHA moment, and I can't wait to start writing!

Host

Karen Krumpak
Karen Krumpak (she/her) has been helping writers create their best work for over a decade. A former editor with Writer’s Digest magazine and WD books, she now provides editorial services to publishers and independent authors of speculative fiction, YA and middle grade fiction, literary nonfiction, and more. Her goal is to support writers as they […]

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Upcoming Events

Book Idea Workshop: Critical Steps to Elevating an Idea

January 28, 2026
Amy Goldmacher will take you through an interactive process that will get you clear on your book idea so you can write it (or the proposal for it). Whether you're writing fiction, nonfiction, or memoir, Amy's strategies will give you the confidence you need to start writing.

Polish Like a Pro: Self-Editing Strategies for Aspiring Authors

February 4, 2026
Join Sara Wigal, Director & Associate Professor of Publishing at Belmont University (a literary agent herself) for a hands-on, two-hour symposium designed specifically for aspiring professional writers who want to sharpen their self-editing skills.

Nailing Your Pitch

February 18, 2026
Angela Douglas will break down what pitching really is, why it matters, and how to craft a clear, compelling hook and logline that works whether you’re drafting your first novel or preparing for a major pitch event. You’ll learn the core elements of effective pitching, the different types of pitches you’ll encounter online and in person, and how to make the most of the elevator pitch and the typical three minutes you’ll get to sell yourself and your manuscript.

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January 14, 2026
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Screenwriting Success: Start Your Year with a Plan

January 7, 2026
Lee Jessup, a seasoned career coach and a Business of Screenwriting professor with the David Lynch Graduate School of Cinematic Art, will walk you through meaningful, actionable steps that you can take for your screenwriting career in the year ahead. 

Symposium, presented by Pipeline Artists, is a year-round virtual conference empowering creatives with honest, no-nonsense guidance across the arts. Through seminars, industry panels, and Town Hall discussions on screenwriting, filmmaking, publishing, and career-building, Symposium offers grounded advice from working professionals to help you forge your own unique path.

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