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Fri & Sat, Oct 2 & 3, 2009
at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo

(Limited Enrollment)
 


Teen Writers Program

In order to encourage young people to take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn from published authors, we offer a special rate of $75 for teens (13 to 19 years of age). Teen-specific classes are offered Session 1 and 2. The last two sessions, teens can choose from any workshops offered.

NEW THIS YEAR! We’ll have a special “teen table” at the Friday evening reception, Saturday morning breakfast, and Saturday lunch with a conference helper to make sure you get to meet the other teen writers at the conference, help you find your way around the Cuesta campus, and answer any questions you might have during the conference.

Teen Writers Program Conference Fee: $75
(For Teens - 13 to 19 years old)

 Return to Conference Fees Page to register once you have your workshop #'s handy
(Choose Teen Writers Fee from Fee List when registering)

See the Schedule of Events for the full conference lineup!

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Workshop Session 1: Friday 7:30 to 9 p.m.

118WC.309 Writers Workout – Sherry Shahan (Teen Writers Program)
In this interactive workshop I’ll share tips for creating intriguing plots and shaping realistic characters. We’ll also explore techniques for taking a personal experience and turning it into page-turning fiction. Optional writing exercises will be offered.

Workshop Session 2: Saturday 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.

218WC.309 Poetry’s Nefarious Plot to Rule the World – Thalia Chaltas
(Teen Writers Program)

Poetry is everywhere! We’ll gather ‘good’ poetry and expose ‘bad’ poetry usage from the world at large, in advertising, the news, and entertainment, as well as books. Verse affects the masses! How can you use poetry techniques to improve what ever it is you write? You don’t have to be a Poet to control poetry’s clout! Strange and powerful writing exercises included. (Despot License not required.)

Workshop Session 3: Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Choose one)

311WC.309 Your Writing Isn’t Art—It’s a Job: Building Your Toolbox
Christian Moerk

If you want to make a living as a writer, you need the tools for the job. In this class, you’ll build that toolbox. You’ll find out: how to create a "skeleton" in the form of a chronological synopsis; the importance of layering in details in act one that you can pick up later; how to write realistic dialogue, the secret to creating satisfying openings and closings to your chapters; when to stay inside your chosen genre and when to step outside of it; and much more.

312WC.309 What to Do When Your Muse Ain't Moving You – Katharine Sands
You love it when it’s working. When your writing flows. When your characters are, well, in character. When your pulse is quickening and your plot is thickening. But what about creative blocks? You hit a wall—thud. You have no words, literally no words, and the blank page yawns before you. Now what? This class will show you how to get up and running again.

313WC.309 Word Play and the Self-Editing Process – Thalia Chaltas
How do you choose words when you edit your writing? Are you using the best expression for the job? Let’s find ways to be creatively specific about word selection. A playful variety of physical explorations and writing exercises will ignite the dusty ol’ sparkler in your editorial brain.

314WC.309  Picture Books:  More than Fuzzy Chicks – Sherry Shahan
The two oldest forms of storytelling -- words and images -- merge together in picture books. Together we’ll explore the various genres within this popular category, including nonfiction, which receives prestigious awards, starred reviews and appears on best-of-the-year lists. Optional writing exercises will be offered.

315WC.309  Elemental Odes and a Love Poem or Two – Lisa Coffman
With Pablo Neruda as guide, this workshop looks at poems that praise a (seemingly) simple element or moment of daily life.  We’ll read and discuss how Neruda and other writers ignite poetry out of things often overlooked or taken for granted. Readings will be drawn from Neruda, Galway Kinnell, Sharon Olds, Issa, Yehuda Amichai, and others. We’ll discuss how these writers shake free of predictable language and find the new in what seemed familiar. Look for a few love poems to be thrown in, too.

316WC.309  Make Money with Books, eBooks and Other Information Products
Stephanie Chandler

As a non-fiction writer, you can use your skills to generate income by selling information products. In this class, you will learn how to create and promote books, e-books, special reports, audio programs, seminars, teleseminars and more. If you are already an author of a non-fiction book, there are many ways these products can enhance your publishing career and generate revenue. Come learn the secrets of leveraging the Internet to make more money from your expertise and writing skills.

317WC.309  Point of Narration (PON) vs. Point of View (POV) – Charlotte Cook
How does point of narration make for a successful and popular read, and why don't you know more about this? So why and when does a distant omniscient narrator work, and when do or don't commercial possibilities of a manuscript overwhelm the originality of the material? This entertaining and interactive workshop has successfully reoriented many writers into reworking a manuscript that then gets far greater agent and publisher response. 

318WC.309  The High Concept: Distilling Your Book into a Pitch that Pops
Amy Burkhardt
Whether using it in a query letter, a book proposal, or a face-to-face pitch, the "high concept" is crucial to hooking an agent or editor. It may seem unfair and downright impossible to compress several hundred pages into two sentences, but it must be done - and done well - if you want to see your book in print. Come participate in a discussion about what the "high concept" is, why it's important, and how to create one that stuns.

Workshop Session 4: Saturday 2:15 to 3:45 p.m.
(
Choose one)

411WC.309  Add Humor to Your Writing – Gene Perret
Any manuscript—book, article, essay, or whatever—can benefit from a touch of humor. One agent once told me that if he could find just one laugh per page, he could practically guarantee a sale. Humor does many things for your writing: it demands attention, it highlights your outstanding points, it helps the reader retain your message. This seminar teaches you how to look for humorous ideas and to convert those to comedic text. We’ll also deal with writing humor per se, such as monologues or humorous articles, and how to add just a sprinkling of humor to any piece of writing you do.

412WC.309  Screen & TV Writing: Thinking in Pictures – Thomas B. Sawyer
Visual storytelling
that works for novels, stageplays or screenplays: TV and film writing techniques will make you a better storyteller. This class includes how to create vivid, memorable characters and put the right words in their mouths. Learn how to “direct” your actors (even in novels), pacing, structure, economy, subtext, when to get into your story and scenes—and when to get out—and much more, taught by someone who’s been there.

413WC.309  Publishing Short Fiction Kirsten Menger-Anderson
Finding a home for your short fiction can be a lengthy and frustrating process. In this workshop, we'll discuss strategies for publishing short fiction in both print and online journals. We'll also look at how to prepare work for submission and how to track submissions, as well as what to expect after a story has been accepted for publication.

414WC.309  Creating Complex Characters – Leslie Lehr
On the page, characters need to be especially complex, not only to pull the reader in, but also to act in ways that drive the plot, making the story both urgent and believable. In this seminar, we’ll identify different types of characters and then do class participation exercise classes to break down all the elements that real people have—many that we may not see at first sight.

415WC.309  Life Treasures: Introduction to Memoir – Susan Browne
In this workshop, we will explore some key elements of memoir: vivid characters and settings. We’ll write two to three in-class exercises, then share our writing to discover the story and possible themes. This workshop can also inspire those who wish to work on shorter personal essays.

416WC.309  The Emotional Heart of Young Adult Novels – Sherry Shahan
Can the novel in verse do something traditional prose novels can’t? Is it, in fact, more suited to scrutinizing the secret inner lives of teenagers? We’ll explore this popular genre and experiment with poetic techniques that will help us improve our prose writing. I’ll also discuss techniques for turning a personal experience into fiction for adolescent readers.

417WC.309  Riveting Writing: How to Pitch, Publish and Platform – Katharine Sands
Whether they’re meeting with you or reading your pitch letter, literary agents want to be impressed. They need to determine the answer to two pressing questions: Why you? Why now? Publishers and agents need to know from the get-go why your book appeals to readers and how much built-in media interest the book has; the biggest buzzword in the media and publishing world is "platform." In this hands-on workshop, a New York City-based literary agent takes participants step-by-step through the getting-published process, focusing on fundamental guiding principles behind all successful authors.

418WC.309  Creating an Authentic Time and Place – Christian Moerk
Many period-based novels strive for authenticity but instead deliver excruciating "Bow, yield, kneel!" dialogue that pulls you out of the story. In this seminar, we'll look at examples where the writer has successfully navigated the pond of bottomless period clichés and come out alive with a wonderful, believable tone. How do they do it? How can you create characters that live in their own skin, yet do what you want them to? How much period is just enough? What details are used, and which are discarded? How do you create narratives that move forward from specific characters' point of view rather than using merely the conventional omniscient third person narrator? And what are the pitfalls once you fall too much in love with a certain tone?

 Return to Conference Fees Page to register once you have your workshop #'s handy
(Choose Teen Writers Fee from Fee List when registering)

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Writers' Conference Sponsors


 

www.cuesta.edu

www.applefarm.com

 

The Cuesta College Writers' Conference is funded in part
by a generous grant from the 

 

www.visitslo.com

 

www.slonightwriters.org

 

 

Send your Writers' Conference questions/comments/suggestions to: Cathe Olson

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