SWC 2026: 4:00PM Panels
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Cliffhangers: Keep the Pages Turning!
Presentation
Room One
4:00pm- 50 minutesA cliffhanger chapter ending can add impact to a dramatic scene and leave the reader desperate to find out what happens next. Learn how to identify your best cliffhanger moments and make them even more dramatic through pacing and paragraphing. Even when you have to end at a quieter moment, you can drive the story forward by leaving your character—and the reader—with a sense of anticipation or worry.
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Warm Up Your Writing with Cozy and Humorous Touches
Panel
Room Two
4:00pm- 50 minutesAnna Dalhaimer Bartkowski, Kris Bock, Margaret C. Morse
Could cozy and humorous elements help engage your readers' personal emotions? Can murder be humorous... a way to lighten the mood in a mystery?
A review of cliche overuse, cozy tropes, and humor with an analysis of how these can warm up other genres or help you write in the cozy and/or humorous genres. Attendees will have the opportunity to write down cozy and/or humorous elements that could enhance their stories.
