Gay romance fiction

Classes & Workshops

Damon teaches hither and yon. If you're a genre fiction pro interested in checking out some of his presentations, you might consider attending one of the scheduled classes or seeing if he can present to your local writing group.

Teaching schedule:

"No one should be punished loving and hoping and holding their heart open." (Hot Head - D. Suede)

Class descriptions:

Damon will happily opine about most things, and he's been teaching for a bunch of years on a wacky variety of topics. All of his classes provide substantive handouts and most of them include non-sucky powerpoint presentations to help cover complex material.

Some of the genre-writing subjects he's talked about during conventions, seminars, and gatherings past include: (click on titles for class-specific subpages where available)

  • CHARACTER: Give your story a cast that dazzles. Fresh characterization and story planning techniques that go beyond trivia, backstory, and stereotypes and lay th efoundations for unforgettable fiction. Archetypes, tropes, and functions of genre characters; casting your story with dynamic personalities that tell their own stories. Character as the simplest way to plot your story, amp your voice, and identify your hook.

  • PLOT: A plotting class even pantsers love… Even when a happy ending is certain, a great plot keeps your writing fresh while amplifying your voice. Learn how to craft a sure-fire structure and launch your story. We’ll go beyond the bullet points. Rather hammering one “true” blueprint, we’ll break down major story models from Aristotle to Netflix, identify their seven shared points, and help you develop your own narrative strategy.

  • DIALOGUE: screen/stage tricks for "unforgettable" convos, active and character-driven conversations, pacing and rhythm, establishing distinct voices for your fictional people, using dialogue to build character and advance plot.

  • INTIMACY: making love scenes memorable, use of slang, rhythm and logic, working out the mechanics of intercourse form sweet to raunchy, keeping sex in character, balancing kink and vanilla, gauging and manipulating heat levels for meet (and master) expectations.

  • BRANDING: the cornerstone of any promo and marketing plans. identifying, honing, and crafting an author brand and platform that gets the job done… wielding your brand effectively to build a career for long range goals.

  • PRESENCE/PLATFORM: embodying your brand in a public setting, online and in person. Developing a coherent marketing platform and strategizing public appearances to cultivate your unique audience. Navigating the professional arena and building your A-gang.

  • SCENE & SEQUEL: Explaining and exploring Dwight Swain's analysis of popular fiction. Whether you call it “scene and sequel” or “action and reaction,” this basic storytelling pattern allows you to pace your plot, escalate your action, and find your story’s heat and tone. These old-school genre tools let you manage any story’s natural flow for a book readers can't put down.

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  • PITCHING & HOOKS: the importance of a ‘free prize’ in every book, using a high concept premise to anchor a project before and during the writing process, subgenre and trope-specific keywords, boiling a project into a tagline/logline/blurb that closes the sale. Attendees will leave with the range of promo copy they need to sell their book.

  • TROPES: Uses and abuses of form and formula in genre stories. Narrative patterns and recurring structures specific to certain subgenres. Trope history and evolution. Navigating the border between cliché and archetype.

  • COMEDY: the mechanics of humor, comedy archetypes, and comic plotting...along with a bag of tricks for adding levity and sparkle to any scene by unlocking the power of laughter. Using wit, schtick, and tricksters to deepen subtext and raise stakes within your story.

  • WORLDBUILDING: Mental modeling for fantasy, paranormal, sci-fi and contemporary. All books deserve a fully-fleshed world, prioritizing details for single title and series; language, laws, and meaningful specifics that make stories feel real.

  • POWERS & TOOLS: Hocus pocus with focus...and science that can stand scrutiny. Adapting or inventing occult traditions and/or technology that drive a narrative and support character development. (cf degree in Religion/Philosophy and 20 years lecturing on magick, tech, and mythology).

"“If your heart is broken, do you have a phantom heart?” (Hot Head - D. Suede)

Invitations:

Would you like Damon to present to your group, chapter or an upcoming genre event? He has class options out the hoo-hoo and his NYC location keeps travel costs surprisingly inexpensive. Drop him a line with the relevant details and he'll do whatever he can to get his behonkus there.