I’m all registered and ready for another great experience at the Northern Colorado Writers spring conference in Fort Collins, Colorado on Friday and Saturday, April 22-23. The conference will be held at a new location this year. The Marriott Hotel in Fort Collins is centrally located and easy to find. The lineup of presenters is excellent, and the variety of session topics should be of interest to all writers from novelists to essayists. Here are a few highlights to pique your interest.

The Master Classes (taught by award-winning instructors including Kerrie Flanagan, former NCW director and now employed by Writer’s Digest) and the Agent Panel Luncheon are now available as a la carte items; no need to attend the conference in order to sign up. Price: $45 for each or $70 for both.

TODD MITCHELL: Advanced Plot Class: Visualizing Novel Structure and Making Your Character’s Journey Gripping and Believable. Often, what makes a story succeed is how well the character and plot work together to create a nar-rative that is both gripping and believable. In this crash course on character and conflict, Todd will show how to use plot as a way to engage readers while exploring and revealing character. Participants will have a better understand-ing of how to structure novels and make their character’s journey something readers won’t be able to put down.

JUDITH BRILES: If publishing is in Your Midst . . . Which Option is for YOU and YOUR Book? Today, the number of publishing options can make your head spin! Luckily, author and writing coach Judith Briles, can explain them all. Does it make sense to seek a traditional publishing contract? Or does it make sense to publish your book yourself? What are the differences between traditional, self, independent, paid-to-publishing, hybrid and vanity publishing? In this Master Class, Judith will help identify a variety options for today’s author.

KERRIE FLANAGAN: Magazine Writing Made Simple. There are over 7,000 magazines in the U.S. and they all need content. Accomplished freelance writer, Kerrie Flanagan will demystify the idea that writing for magazines is diffi-cult and only obtainable for a select group. With the right tools, knowledge, and understanding of how the maga-zine world works, having articles published and getting paid for them is definitely possible.

Conference ($339/member; $389/nonmember) includes over 30 workshops to choose from, opportunities to get your work in front of a literary agent, banquet dinner with keynote speaker, Grant Blackwood; Saturday lunch and entertainment; and closing keynote & dessert with Judith Briles.

One-day is available as well for either Friday or Saturday ($199/member; $224/nonmember)

Folks can attend the banquet dinner for $45 which includes a buffet dinner, keynote, announcement of Top of the Mountain book award winners, Jerry Eckert Scholarship recipients, and the always-entertaining Creative Team short film. This is also available as separate a la carte item.

Agents: Will be hearing pitches at Agent Roundtables, teaching workshops and participating in an Agent Panel Lunchen (Q&A-style) Paula Munier, Jody Rein, Stacey Graham and Jennifer March Soloway. There will be opportunities to chat with these agents during meals and networking hours.

Several well-known, award-winning authors will be presenting: Laura Resau, Todd Mitchell, Melanie Crowder, Shane Kuhn (2015 Colorado Book Award Winner), Chuck Barrett (Honorable Mention for the 2016 Writer’s Digest Self Published Award), Laura DiSilverio to name a few. Others: Poet and previous New Mexico Poet Laureate Jon Davis; author Colleen M. Story; screenwriter and Moondance International Film Festival founder and director Elizabeth English; Journalist and CSU professor Elissa Tivona; author and freelancer Jason Brick; author and lexicographer Orin Hargraves.

Open to all genres and levels: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting

We’ll have plenty of time to network, connect with writers from all over, and meet top industry experts. Lots of inspiration, support and encouragement, no matter where you are in your writing endeavors. There’s something for everyone.

For those registrants within easy commuting distance, there will be a free Pre-Conference Workshop where director April Moore will talk about what to expect and how to make the most of this two-day event (what to wear, what to bring, practice working on an elevator pitch, etc.) on April 10 from 1-3 at Ft. Collins Coffeehouse, 3761 S. Mason St.

Check out the full schedule of master classes and workshop sessions at the NCW website. Then, when you realize what you’ll be missing if you don’t attend, register for the conference. I’ll see you there.