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Once your reader is hooked you want to keep them reading—propelling them through the story on a wave of strong momentum and action and “leaving out the parts people tend to skip”—where nothing important seems to be happening.

But this misinterpretation of Elmore Leonard’s famed advice for authors risks omitting key transitions that guide the reader through the action and the character’s journey. It can leave readers hopscotching along from event to event, but never fully oriented to how the character got there or is affected by what’s happening.

The key to keeping readers hooked is to stitch together compelling, immersive action with connective tissue that seamlessly propels them through it—a movie instead of a disjointed or confusing series of snapshots or episodic vignettes.

In this 90-minute webinar, career editor Tiffany Yates Martin will show you what that all-important connective tissue consists of and how to use it to create fluid, irresistibly engaging stories that keep readers fully immersed. Discover how to smoothly transition from one scene to the next; how to effectively shift between beats; how to orient the reader without stalling out or bogging down your story in tedious logistics; and ways to balance paving in connective tissue readers need without spoon-feeding them or deflating momentum. With plenty of published and illustrative examples, you’ll see how to seamlessly transition readers across jumps in time, location, POV, and the character’s situation and emotional arc to create propulsive narrative flow that orients, invests, and drives your reader through the story.

What you’ll learn:

• Why readers need connective tissue and why it’s hard for writers to write it
• How to determine where readers may need connective tissue, and what they need to know
• How to include needed connective tissue without momentum-killing info dumps, empty filler transitional material, or boring or overloading the reader
• How to avoid clunky transitional bridges and dreaded clichés (“meanwhile,” “a few days later,” “the next morning,” etc.)
• How to use connective tissue to shift tone or mood, strengthen narrative flow, and keep readers oriented and engaged
• How to decide what information can be condensed into connective tissue and what may merit deeper development or focus in a scene
• How to make sure your connective tissue multitasks—performs essential narrative functions and earns its keep

Supplemental materials from the instructor

• Exercise worksheet to practice determining where you need connective tissue and what transitional information readers may need to stay engaged in your story

Who should take this class

This course is primarily focused on fiction writing for the adult market and will center on examples from fiction, but memoirists may also find it useful.

• Authors writing in any genre of fiction at any stage of the writing process of their career who want to create compelling, marketable stories
• Writers who may have heard from agents, editors, or colleagues that their stories lack momentum or flow, don’t feel cohesive, or “just didn’t grab them”
• Authors who want to enhance their understanding of story and how to effectively engage readers’ attention and propel them through it
• Writers who have struggled to understand how to create well-paced, vivid, engaging stories without bogging down momentum in info dumps, logistics, or minutiae

This class is NOT for:

• Poets
• Children’s picture book writers
• Writers of prescriptive nonfiction or essays

What you’ll receive

How do I attend the live class?

This class uses Zoom webinar technology. You will join through your Internet-connected computer or mobile device. When you register, you will receive information via email on how to join the class. If you don’t receive it within 1 hour of registering, please contact us.

• When: Wednesday, July 22, 2026
• Time: 1:00–2:30 p.m. Eastern Time / 10:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m. Pacific Time
• Fee: $25 through July 19, 2026 / $35 if you register after July 19, 2026

The webinar is broadcasted via the internet with live audio delivered through your computer or mobile device speakers. The visual presentation is displayed directly from the presenter’s computer to your computer screen. The Q&A is managed through a chat-style submission system with questions read and answered by the presenter for the entire class to hear.

Closed captions are provided during the live class. We use Zoom’s automated closed caption service (powered by Otter), which is about 80%+ accurate.

Refund policy

If you attend the live class and/or watch the recording, and it does not meet your expectations, contact us for a full refund, no questions asked.

All students receive the following

• Access to the live class (90 minutes). The instructor will take questions during class using in-class chat/text. The class will end after roughly 90 minutes.
• A recording of the class—audio and video. This is especially helpful if you have a conflict with the class time or something comes up and you can’t make the session. Each registration comes with access to the archived version of the program and the materials for 30 days. You do not have to attend the live event to access the recordings.
• Presentation slides. All participants receive a copy of the slide presentations in PDF form.
• Rough transcript. We offer a lightly edited transcript of each webinar, which we’ll share with you in addition to the audio and video recording.

Event Attendance & Anti-Harassment Policy

We strive to provide an environment where all present—whether attendee or presenter—can feel supported. In order to ensure a welcoming event, here is what we expect from all who participate.

• That the presenter and the presenter’s work be treated with respect by attendees and that all attendees treat each other with respect and a generosity of spirit.
• That attendees will refrain from harassment of any sort including (but not limited to) comments or questions of a racist, homophobic, sexist/sexual, or threatening nature. This includes actions that disrupt or interfere with anyone’s ability to participate. Offenders will be asked to leave the live event and will not be refunded.