HNS2025 In-Person Master Classes -

In-Person Master Classes at HNS2025

In-person classes are available only to registered in-person conference attendees. They are only offered LIVE and will NOT be recorded. All times listed are PACIFIC TIME.

Looking for virtual master classes? Click here.

Click Here to Register

Thursday, June 26

8:00-10:00 am
Conflict That Hooks: Injecting Tension into Every Scene
Presenter: Jessica Berg
Price: $60

Conflict is more than just an ingredient in your story—it’s the driving force that keeps readers glued to the page. Without it, scenes fall flat, and even the best characters can feel lifeless. This masterclass will teach you how to transform any scene with conflict that feels organic, high-stakes, and utterly compelling.

What you’ll learn:

How to diagnose and fix scenes where tension falls flat or feels forced
The three types of conflict (internal, interpersonal, external) and how to combine them for maximum impact
Proven strategies to heighten stakes and emotional investment in any scene
Quick, practical techniques to turn static dialogue and action into dynamic, tension-filled moments

Using examples from standout contemporary fiction, you’ll break down how masterful conflict keeps readers engaged, then apply these techniques to your own work through guided exercises. Bring a scene from your current draft to workshop live, and leave with actionable insights and a toolkit for creating tension-packed scenes that drive your story forward.

Jessica Berg is a literary agent and author passionate about nurturing unique voices in publishing. As an agent with Rosecliff Literary, she focuses on character-driven stories and high-stakes narratives, helping authors navigate the industry. Her own fiction explores identity, trauma, and relationships. A multi-nominated writer with an MFA from Spalding University, Berg is a member of the AALA and EFA. She also provides developmental feedback for Writer’s Digest, Uncharted Magazine, and Fractured Lit. She is represented by Amy Collins of Talcott Notch.

8:00-10:00 am
Using Creative Literary Structures to Level Up
Instructor: Heather Webb
Price: $60

Historical novelists often fall into the trap of linear thinking and, therefore, linear writing. Dates and life events, after all, come one after the other. But there are innovative ways to tell a story that will create a powerful and memorable novel. In this workshop, learn how to implement structural elements from framing devices to dual timelines to clever points of view—and much more—to take your storytelling to the next level.

Heather Webb is the USA Today and international bestselling author of eleven novels. Her award-winning fiction includes Queens of London, The Next Ship Home, and Christmas with the Queen. In 2015, Rodin’s Lover was a Goodreads’ Top Pick, and in 2018, Last Christmas in Paris won the Women’s Fiction Writers Association STAR Award. Meet Me in Monaco was selected as a finalist for the 2020 Goldsboro RNA award and the 2019 Digital Book World’s Fiction Prize. Three Words for Goodbye was Prima Magazine’s 2022 Book of the Year. To date, Heather’s books have been translated into eighteen languages.

11:00 am-1:00 pm
Two Timelines, One Story: Navigating Dual-Timeline Narratives
Instructor: Sarah Penner
Price: $60

Join Sarah Penner in this masterclass exploring the art of writing dual-timeline novels, focusing on the unique challenges and rewards of blending two distinct timelines, particularly in historical fiction. We’ll discuss the pros and cons of using a dual-timeline structure, from enriching the narrative to managing complex plotlines. Attendees will learn practical strategies for outlining, drafting, and revising dual-timeline stories, with tips on balancing conflict, working through character arcs, and thematically tying timelines together. Whether you're a seasoned writer or just getting started, this session will provide valuable insights for crafting engaging, layered narratives.

Sarah Penner is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of three historical novels, all featuring mystery, magic, and misbehaved women. Her books have been translated into more than forty languages and her debut, THE LOST APOTHECARY, has sold over one million copies worldwide. Sarah spent thirteen years in corporate finance and now writes full-time. In her free time, Sarah enjoys hiking, yoga, and cooking. She also sits on the Board of Directors at her local animal shelter. Sarah and her husband, Marc, live in Florida.

11:00 am -1:00 pm
It's Alive! Creating Dynamic Characters
Instructor: Heather Webb
Price: $60

Creating dynamic characters with rich internal worlds can be a challenging task—we are, after all, complex and paradoxical at our core as people. Emotions, thoughts, beliefs, and motivations all play a part in understanding our characters in a deep, meaningful way. Learn how to tease apart these complicated personal effects and how to channel into the heart of your protagonist. The first hour, learn the basics of crafting vibrant characters that walk off the page through lecture. The second hour, delve deeply into your manuscripts through expert, guided questions to make your stories stronger.

2:00-5:00 pm
Building a Unique Narrative Voice for Historical Worlds
Instructor: Judith Lindbergh
Price: $85

The concept of voice is as elusive as it is vital. Voice is multi-layered and unique to each author, narrator, character, and story we tell, especially when writing historical fiction. How can contemporary writers shed the style and tone of modernity to embody the worlds of our characters?

In this master class, Judith Lindbergh, author of two deeply voice-y novels, AKMARAL and THE THRALL’S TALE, will guide writers to understand the various elements of voice and explore language-driven and unconventional approaches to laying down words on the page.

The course will begin with a discussion of what voice really is, peeling back its elements into manageable segments. Specific, intentional language—the beating heart of voice—is driven by character motivation and action within the confines and opportunities of setting. We’ll use excerpts from voice-driven works on page and screen to analyze and compare how writers massage their language to authentically represent the voices of their characters and their story’s world.

Then be ready for some fun as we play in the sandbox of language with short writing exercises and a little bit of acting to deepen our understanding of how to discover and affect narrative voice. We’ll practice rules-following and rules-breaking to learn how defying literary conventions can be key to finding an authentic voice for your characters and stories. Finally, while each character and novel has its own unique voice, we’ll wrestle with how each of us evolves an overarching authorial voice that truly distinguishes our body of work.

The goal of this master class is to help writers loosen their grip on ingrained verbal constructions and conceptions, find authentic rhythms and new musicality in their words, and home in on just the right tone for their unique historical settings.

Judith Lindbergh’s new novel, Akmaral, about a nomad woman warrior on the ancient Central Asian steppes, was called “crackling” by Publishers Weekly and “a gripping saga” by Christina Baker Kline. Her debut, The Thrall’s Tale, about women in Viking Age Greenland, was an IndieBound Pick praised by Pulitzer Prize winners Geraldine Brooks and Robert Olen Butler. She has published with the Smithsonian and provided expert commentary for History Channel documentaries. Judith received a 2024 Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. She is the Founder/Director of The Writers Circle, a writing center based in New Jersey.

2:00-5:00 pm
The Art of Revising and Editing
Instructor: Eliza Knight
Price: $85

In this masterclass, we’ll dive deep into revising and editing your book to not only make it shine, but to level up your current practice. This is where the magic happens, and your work-in-progress becomes a work-of-art.

Moving beyond basic spelling and grammar checking, discover ways to not only tighten your sentences, but make them punchier; deepen your emotional beats and character development in order for readers to connect with your novel; strengthen your dialogue, themes and descriptions; make use of rhetorical devices for fresher and more dynamic prose; use your themes to create opening and ending hooks that grab the reader; improve on uses of body language and character movement.

Bring your laptops and works-in-progress to this class for in-person exercises, and leave at the end with a few better pages and the skills to help you finish editing the entire manuscript.

Eliza (E.) Knight is an award-winning, USA Today and internationally bestselling traditionally and self-published author of over eighty titles. In 2013, she was named Romance Writers of America’s PRO Mentor of the Year, and in 2017 she was accepted into RWA’s Honor Roll for selling over 100,000 copies of her self-published title The Highlander’s Reward. Eliza is contracted with William Morrow, Sourcebooks, and Lake Union Publishing. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society, Novelists Inc., Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and Tall Poppy Writers. She is an International Tutor for Jericho Writers’ Ultimate Novel Writing Course and continues to mentor and coach writers one-on-one throughout the year.

2:00-5:00 pm
The First 10 Pages: Captivate Your Readers and Leave Them Begging for More
Presenter: Jessica Berg
Price: $130, limited to 15 attendees SOLD OUT!

Your first 10 pages aren’t just the start—they’re your make-or-break moment. This masterclass will give you the tools you need to craft an opening that pulls readers in, hooks agents and editors, and sets the tone for your entire novel.

What you’ll learn:

The secrets to crafting a first sentence so irresistible, your reader won’t be able to stop
How to establish characters, stakes, and tension within the first few pages to keep readers invested
The top three mistakes that derail first chapters—and how to avoid them with confidence
Simple techniques to use vivid, specific details that pull readers into your world without overwhelming them

You’ll analyze standout openings from bestselling novels, then apply what you learn through targeted exercises tailored to your own work. Bring your draft, because this session includes live peer feedback to refine and perfect your opening. By the end, you’ll have a polished first 10 pages that hook readers and make them desperate for more.