Hollywood Entertainment Industry Meetup

Like most authors, Tabitha Winters has a second life that informs her work. A practicing LMHC with a master's degree in clinical psychology and a PhD in sarcasm, she is a sought-after lecturer on the psychology circuit currently working within her state's mental health litigation division. And before she knew better, she served as co-leader of the Murderer's Support Group, which is exactly as glamorous as it sounds.
Tabitha, who writes under a pen name, has released one book and is finishing up another soon. You can find Dissonance: A SPKS Novel on Amazon now at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F94G54DP.
Like the author, the protagonist of Dissonance is a maverick psychologist named Ellie Brynne. She has a head full of trauma and an empty desk, relegated to the research department of an inept criminal task force whose greatest accomplishment was getting cornhole approved as an officially sanctioned police activity. When a cult begins murdering the faculty at her university, she thinks she's hit the lottery: all the gore you could want, and oddball suspects galore. Turns out murder is a great distraction when you're trying to avoid your own mounting pile of psychoses. You can find Tabitha Winters at TabithaWinters.com.

Topics we'll address in this interview include:

• Plotting Murder When You Aren't Clinically Insane
• When Research & Personal Experience Inform Art
• Cults & Murder: Two Things That Go Great Together?
• Why Are We Fascinated by Murder and Cults?
• Real Murderers and How They Differ from the Fictional Kind
• Trauma & Catharsis for Mental Health Care Workers and the Rest of Us

This is the perfect workshop for

• Authors working on a psychological suspense, thriller, and mystery novels
• Screenwriters creating film and TV screenplays that feature murderers, cults, or mental health professionals
• Filmmakers looking for insight on working with mental health care workers to create resonant media.

If you have questions about this workshop, email nancy@nancyfultonmeetups.com.
For more workshops and interviews for authors, screenwriters, filmmakers, and other creative minds visit NancyFultonMeetups.com.

Click RSVP to attend the live event for free. Want more? Get the live event + 3 Additional Videos & Supporting Workbooks that cover How to Write a Book or Screenplay in 40 Hours using Sprint Writing Techniques, How to Use AI to Create Better Character & Plots, and Easy Ways to Make Your Books, Films, and Screenplays More Valuable on Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/writing-about-politics-without-annoying-the-crap-out-of-people-tickets-1408113087149?aff=oddtdtcreator

A candid, hands-on workshop for writers, screenwriters & even producers.
Politics stirs emotions—sometimes the wrong ones. Yet the stories that shape culture (from Parasite to The Handmaid’s Tale, from Black Panther to Ted Lasso) smuggle potent social and political ideas past even the most cynical audiences. In this fast-paced, no-BS session you’ll see exactly how it’s done—and practice the same strategies on your own material.

#### What We’ll Cover — with Real-World Examples

• Packaging is everything.
• • Is your story a sermon, a polemic, or a hero's journey.
• • Why genre and tropes—thriller, romance, sci-fi—really matter
• Manipulating time and space
• • Why talking about the here and now rarely works
• • Making big ideas palatable by making them entertaining
• • Impacting behavior, not just opinion, with media you make
• Characters who win hearts and minds•
• Learning about archetypes that work over and over again
• • Understanding why some people love the villain
• Why the biggest blockbusters are stealth political essays
• • Examples of popular films and TV shows that sold big ideas
• • Creating unity and triggering discussiong in a very diverse world
• When you won't win and why
• • Triggers that make people reject the media you make
• • When, why, and how to talk about your political projects without destroying their effect and your career.
• Changes in media fundamentals and why they matter
• • Where to start your career as a persuasive media maker and why.
• • How to step around gate keepers and move past blocks to get your message into the zeitgeist.

#### Who Should Attend

• Writers & novelists aiming to weave social commentary into page-turners
• Screenwriters & showrunners developing issue-driven films, TV, or web series
• Producers & content creators who need to persuade investors/audiences without polarizing them
• Anyone with “something to say” who’s worried about getting cancelled or clobbered online

#### Format & Logistics

• Live Zoom Lecture with Handout distributed during the live event.
• If you want a recording of the workshop and additional resources to help you move your work swiftly forward, purchase a general admission ticket.

Stop tip-toeing around your convictions. Learn to craft stories that entertain first, persuade effectively—and leave your audience thanking you for it.
Media is at the heart of global civil discourse for a very good reason. It is how we as a world talk about the ideas that matter most and come to an agreement about what happens next.
Reserve your seat now and start changing minds (without losing friends).

Just RSVP here to attend live for free. Alternatively Sign up for a Premiere Ticket on Eventbrite for the live workshop, a a recording of the live workshop + 3 Additional Recorded Workshops covering Writing a Book or Screenplay in 40-80 Hours, Getting Booked on Interviews, and Converting a Screenplay into a Book. Or become a paid subscriber at https://nancyfulton.gumroad.com/l/dUzqTK to get all live events and all recorded workshops every month so you never miss anything. You'll also get answers to your questions about your work via email.

ABOUT THIS EVENT

Are you writing a thriller, a suspense story, or a horror project? If you’re not sure—or if you think it doesn’t matter—you could be setting yourself up for rejection before you even begin.
In this candid, fast-paced, and highly practical online event, you’ll learn exactly how these three powerful genres differ, what readers and audiences expect from each, and why choosing the right one is critical from the start.

Topics Include:

Are You Creating a Thriller, Suspense, or Horror Project?
Why knowing your genre early can make or break your script, book, or film.
The Simple, Specific & Important Differences Between These Genres
Understand structure, pacing, tone, and emotional payoff—and how getting it wrong alienates readers, viewers, and critics.
Key Elements That Define Each Genre
With examples from iconic films and books that got it right (and a few that didn’t).
How to Quickly, Painlessly, and Effectively Plot Your Project
Stop getting stuck halfway through your outline. Learn how to quickly generate frameworks for your books, screenplays, and original films based on your characters and your desired locations that make everything easier—and more likely to sell.
Genre Mixing: Why It’s Tempting… and Dangerous
The risks of combining thriller with horror, suspense with mystery, or anything with sci-fi—and how to pull it off only when it serves your story.
What Happens If You Miss Your Mark
Why agents pass, why readers stop reading, and why audiences feel betrayed—plus how to fix a misaligned project.
Tips for Writers & Screenwriters
Learn how your first draft for a book or screenplay can come together in 40-80 hours rather than 40-80 days.
Tips for Producers
Learn what works best for indie producers and why, when name talent is key and when it is an expense you can profitably skip. Learn about some profitable projects that make millions from microbudget films specifically because they got the genre, script, and production absolutely right.
Whether you're writing your first screenplay, producing your third horror feature, or outlining a psychological thriller novel, this event will give you tools and insights you can use immediately to improve your work.

👉 Visit NancyFultonMeetups.com for supporting resources and to get access to past and future events.