Texas High Plains Writers

Developing Your Character through Character Development

Learn how to develop as a person by taking a closer look at how writers develop characters.
This workshop will give participants tools to develop characters in their writing while challenging them to apply the concepts to their own lives.
Connect creative writing with your personal growth. The same tools authors use to build
fictional characters can also help you reflect on who you are and how you want to develop.

Karen Benckenstein holds a deep belief that nothing can hold her back. Her story includes a journey from returning to college a decade after dropping out, only to later graduate with a Master’s degree and going from struggling to finish fitness classes to teaching at a gym, just to name a few. She continues to live a story of breaking free of all limits. 

As a result of a drastic shift in mind, body, and spirit, she gained perspective, peace, and passion. She is now living out her dreams of being a writer and helping others find the same holistic wellness.

She writes and speaks about ways to achieve wellness in mind, body, and spirit while also working as a college teacher and administrator. She is also a wife and mother of 4.

Her published works include:

Love, Loss, and Inspiration by Karen Benckenstein, a collection of poetry

Short story, “Home Sweet Home,” in With Words We Weave; On The Roof, the Texas High Plains Writers 2024  anthology

Chapter, “How Do I Love Me? Let Me Count the Ways.” in Love Revolution: Self-love Lessons That Transform Lives 

Creative essay, “Season of Grief” in Spring 2023 Freelancer: Journal of Arts and Letters, A publication of the Amarillo College English Department

She is actively seeking a literary agent and publisher for her first novel, Boundless, and her second novel, All for You. 

You can find Karen at https://karenbenckenstein.com/ or karenbenck_author on Instagram. 

Karen is currently the President-Elect for the board of Texas High Plains Writers. 

Texas High Plains Writers will welcome Caylar Brinkman as our featured speaker at our upcoming program on podcasting and storytelling.

Caylar is the creator and host of The Nourisher Podcast, a platform dedicated to authentic conversations and the power of storytelling. Through her podcast, she creates space for honest dialogue, meaningful connection, and the kind of conversations that remind listeners they are not alone in their experiences. Her work explores themes of growth, identity, grief, and joy while encouraging women to embrace vulnerability and authenticity.

In this program, Caylar will share insights into the world of podcasting—how it can be used as a creative outlet, a storytelling platform, and a powerful tool for building community. Writers, storytellers, and anyone curious about the growing influence of podcasts will benefit from learning how conversations and personal narratives can reach audiences in new and meaningful ways.

Join us for this inspiring discussion and discover how the art of storytelling continues to evolve in the digital age.

New Publishing Opportunity! 

Through Karen Benckenstein’s contacts on the Arts Council, we have been made aware of a unique opportunity. This year celebrates the 100th anniversary of Route 66. There will be a major celebration in June commemorating the milestone on 6th Street. The Board would like to put together a special edition mini-anthology of short stories that mention, feature, take place on, or describe anything to do with Route 66. Use your imagination! Mystery, murder, thriller, romance, comedy, memoir…just get it written and in to the website by April 15th so we can get it published and ready to go for the big celebration. There will be a $10 fee to help defray expenses, which is separate from our big anthology due out later this year.

We will follow the same rules and guidelines as our regular Anthology, just submit with the Subject Line: Route 66.

Don’t miss this opportunity to feature your work and help Amarillo celebrate the Centennial of Route 66.

Let’s all “Get our kicks on Route 66”!

Our next program is on January 17th, and it will be great. We’ll meet back at the Edward Davis Room on the 9th floor of the First Bank Southwest building to hear KJ Waters and Lauren Cassel Brownell offer a program on Second Draft Magic.

Your first draft is simply getting the story down on the page.

Your third draft is for line edits, polishing, and tightening.

But the second draft?
That’s where the magic happens.

In this interactive workshop, KJ Waters and Lauren Cassel Brownell will explore how to get out of your own way, trust your inner voice, and create real magic as you write. 

KJ Waters is the bestselling author of the Stealing Time series & owner of KJ Waters Consultancy. 

Lauren Cassel Brownell crafts both fiction and non-fiction and specializes in using writing as a tool for becoming happier and healthier.

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Reminder: January is the perfect time to pay your THPW dues. Only $40 will get you lots of great programs about writing, discounted book booth opportunities, anthology publishing opportunities, and more. Please attend and become an active member of Texas High Plains Writers.

Please join us at the Readiculous Book Fair to meet other area writers, sell your books, and sell THPW Anthologies. We’ll have a triple booth for THPW, and we’ll need several volunteers to help!

Paid members are invited to sell their own books (with their own POS equipment) for a suggested $20 donation per author. This will help us pay for our booth and other expenses.

Contact Kim Black through the THPW Facebook Page to sign up to help and/or sell books.

AFTER the Book Fair, we’ll all meet for dinner for our Annual November Social. We’ll meet at X- Steakhouse (in Towns Square) at 5 PM, and each person will pay for their own meal.

Join us for the New Frontiers in Writing Conference, September 26 through September 28, 2025, at the Embassy Suites Downtown in Amarillo, Texas.

There will be no other September Program for our organization.

Sensory Detail: Charging Your Prose Using the Five Senses

Invite your readers into your narrative through shared sensory experience to create a vivid setting they can see, hear, touch, smell, and taste. Learn appropriate application of the senses, what role they play in supporting a scene, and how seamless integration of all five deepens your story.

S.G. Baker is a writer and editor of fiction who penned the Hopeful Wanderer web series, forthcoming as a novel-in-stories. She has authored climate fiction, fantasy, and horror shorts in Freelancer, The Legacy, Little Blue Marble: Warmer Worlds, With Words We Weave: Hope, and Road Kill: Texas Horror by Texas Writers, Vol. 2. Her newest short story, “Well Being,” will be released in Beneath the Bluebonnets: Tales of Terror by Texas Women in 2026. Find out more at summergbaker.com!

NOTE: We will take 10-15 minutes from our schedule for our 2025 Anthology authors to sign the new copies for our members. Please bring your copies or purchase an anthology that day.

Lauren Cassel Brownell is an award-winning author and playwright based in Lubbock, Texas. She is best known as the author of the self-help book Zen and the Art of Housekeeping and the cozy mystery Dying to Donate, the first book in her “Murder U Mystery” series. In addition to her books, Lauren has also written two produced plays, Leave It to Me and Swimming the Witch, as well as articles and essays for publications around the world. 

Her latest passion project is a course and accompanying workbook titled Happier, Healthier Aging Through Writing. It focuses on the mental and physical health benefits of writing for mature adults and provides a path for developing your own writing journey.  Lauren is a dynamic, engaging speaker who brings topics to life through storytelling, humor, and creativity. When not writing, Lauren serves as the marketing director of the College of Education at Texas Tech University. She lives in Lubbock with her family. 

Lauren will present a variation of her “Happier, Healthier Aging Through Writing” program.

Have you ever taken a moment to consider how you and your writing can evolve as you age? In this unique, research-informed presentation for experienced writers, we’ll explore how writing can be a powerful companion in the aging process: increasing resilience, reducing stress, improving cognitive function, and connecting you to community and purpose. 

 🧠 Learn the science behind the importance of creativity and aging—and how writing strengthens the brain
🔥 Rekindle creative fire by reframing your current practice
🔍 Consider your life, legacy, and purpose
📚 Reconnect with the why behind your writing  

Jody Holland will speak to us regarding speaking opportunities as a writer today.

Jody is a graduate of Angelo State University with a B.A. in Communications and M.S. in Applied
Psychology. He has received specialized certifications in Team building, Leadership,
Management, Fundraising, Personality Assessment, Physiognomy (Face Reading) and Conflict
Management. He has worked with companies from Fortune 50 to small organizations. He
measures the success of his programs by increasing performance for his clients’ companies and
decreasing turnover.
Jody has worked in 14 countries to develop leadership, interpersonal skills, sales success,
service excellence, and the right attitudes. Jody is the author of 23 books, eight on Audible, and more
than 30 training programs. He is a master trainer in Team-Building, Leadership Development,
Entrepreneurship and Behavioral Sciences. He has delivered the keynote speech for more than 300
conferences, conducted hundreds of break-out sessions, and trained more than 200,000 leaders from all industries.
Jody has a unique style of bringing both education and entertainment to his lessons while
inspiring others to see their own potential.

Our meeting will be on the 9th floor in the Edward Davis Room at the First Bank Southwest Building. Parking is available in the lot at 6th and Harrison. Registration will start at 9:30 am, the brief business meeting will begin at 10:00 am, and the program will follow.