Mastering Prose

Techniques for Interpreting and Applying the “Rules” of Writing

Wednesday, February 11th, 2026
Afternoon
Duration: 4 hours (1:00 to 5:00 pm Mountain Time Zone)
Class Fee: $55

Class Location: Juniper Marriott Conference Room

We’ve all heard about the so-called “rules” of writing: Show, don’t tell. Write what you know. Use active voice. Avoid adverbs. Kill your darlings. . .

But what do they mean and how can you apply them to write masterful prose?

This workshop will elevate your perspective on how to understand, practice, and implement various writing techniques. Bring a chapter or short story of your own and apply these concepts in real time.

Now, a memorial to all the unused adverbs, purple prose, and slaughtered darlings which we didn’t put in the description: Very. Really. Uber. Splendiferous. Ineffable. Mind-melding. Life-changing. Unlock super secrets of the masters! Breathe life into your prose! BAM!

About Matthew

Matthew has written his entire life because he’s always felt an insatiable need to get words out of his head and onto paper (or its closest approximation). After working in IT, game development, and marketing, Matthew’s brain took over his body and forced him to write a novel. Now a zombie of bardic aspirations nearly incapable of thinking, talking, or even dreaming about anything other than the characters desperately fighting their way out of his imagination and into life (or its closest approximation), Matthew’s only consolation is that, while these creations steal from him every thread of consciousness, he inflicts terrible tragedies upon them in the process of creating their page-bound existence. Don’t worry, he gives the characters mostly-happy endings.

Matthew has done several presentations and panels for LTUE over the past few years; presented and done panels at Westercon; was a panelist at Based Con; and regularly presents for David Farland’s Apex Writers Group. He hosts a weekly writing prompt group, and co-hosts a writing podcast, Plot Armor Online (available on YouTube, Spotify, and X), where they interview authors and discuss all things writing.

You can find Matthew Bockholt’s novels at http://fablevine.com/.