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Workshop Descriptions
Be sure to choose one workshop
from each of the four sessions listed below
and keep the course numbers handy as you register.
*DO
NOT INCLUDE 2ND CHOICES WHEN REGISTERING ONLINE
Suggested Workshop Tracks
(Having trouble
deciding which classes to take? Wondering what workshops
would be good for a new writer or which courses will help
you to deepen or improve your writing? Check out our sample
workshop tracks based on your area of interest and
expertise.)
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Click
on the Workshop Leader's name to see their biography
Workshops
Session 1: Friday 7:30 to 9 p.m.
111WC.308 Living the Writer’s Life –
Dennis Palumbo
What does it mean if you suffer from writer’s block,
procrastination, and fears of rejection? Frankly, it
just means you’re a writer. Using lecture, anecdotes and
in-class exercises, this workshop takes a knowing,
straightforward and humorous look at the realities of
the writer’s life, and shows how best to navigate both
its perils and triumphs.
112WC.308
Writing Your Life –
Victoria Zackheim
What is the purpose of writing a memoir? Think of it as
an exploration of your life, of the events and emotions
that add to the description of who you are. When I wrote
The Bone Weaver, I borrowed liberally from my own
history and wove some of those stories into a work of
fiction. In the process of this course, we’ll discuss
this technique….and more.
113WC.308
How the Big Dogs Do It –
James Dalessandro
Featuring clips from ground-breaking, Oscar winning
films, James Dalessandro’s powerful, fast-paced lecture
will show you how to break the rules, win critical
friends and make a mark on the world of film or
fiction. As both a successful novelist and
screenwriter, Dalessandro's lectures and demonstrations
are clues to great dramatic and comedic writing,
regardless of medium.
114WC.308 Creating Active Characters –
Sally Warner
Writing
a child-centered novel demands active characters. The
children in your books have to be the ones to make
things happen! Sally will describe how she learned this
the hard way, and she will provide fun and instructive
writing exercises designed to help you convert passive
characters into more active ones. The workshop will also
include two brief readings centered on different aspects
of the topic, and Q&A. Handouts included.
115WC.308 Breaking the Rules to Break In: Ten Tips to
Sell Your First Novel –
Jeff Carlson
You know how it works. “You can’t get an agent until
you’ve been published, but you can’t get published until
you have an agent.” “You have to complete your
manuscript before you can even start submitting it.”
We’ve all heard so-called Writing Rules like these… none
of which are absolutely true. Find out why and how to
bend, break, and beat these laws and get a list of tips
and tricks to help you break in and further your
career.
116WC.308 Poetry Workshop: Moving Forward from the Blank
Page – Jamey Hecht
This is a writing session for poets at any level of
their development who are interested in trying an
effective set of exercises in a supportive
setting. There may be no end to the controversy about
whether or not writing can be taught. One sure thing,
however, is the value of being given a
writing assignment. It's a prompt that comes from
outside you; it short-circuits your usual strategies of
avoidance and procrastination; and it provides just
enough direction to get you moving, without inhibiting
your originality. Bring your laptop or your favorite
pen.
117WC.308 From Finish to Polish: The Novel Beginning –
Elizabeth Lyon
Beginnings are the most revised part of novels--and for
good reason. Agents and editors often reject a
manuscript after reading just the first page. Veteran
book editor, Elizabeth Lyon, will help you make your
first page rejection-proof. This workshop will introduce
you to the revision skill of polishing. Learn what you
need to accomplish in the special situation of the novel
beginning.
Workshops
Session II: Saturday 9 to 10:30 a.m.
211WC.308
Write for the Right Audience: Categorizing Children's
Books –
Caryn Wiseman
In today's competitive market, it's more important than
ever that your children's book fits into the right
category. How does YA differ from Adult or from Middle
Grade? What's the difference beween a picture book and
a picture story book? Learn how to focus your work so
it's appropriate for your audience – both publishers and
kids.
212WC.308 Write a
Successful Nonfiction Book
–
Stephen
Blake Mettee
Nonfiction book authors have it all over novelists.
First, around 85% of the books published each year are
nonfiction, and, second, most nonfiction books go to
contract with a publisher before the book is
written—even by first-time authors! Learn how to write a
successful nonfiction book from the author of The
Fast-Track Course on How to Write a Nonfiction Book
Proposal and jump-start your writing career. (You
can always write that novel while you’re collecting
royalties for your nonfiction book.)
213WC.308 Why Poems Don't Sing Like Songs: On
Sound in Verse – Kevin Clark
Once
poets find just the right sound or melody in the poem
they’re writing, they often become inspired to create
more imaginatively. Using model poems, we will examine
the way poets develop a distinctive sound of their own.
We will take up the function of rhythm, line length and
line breaks, velocity, punctuation, alliteration, and
the question of rhyme.
214WC.308
The
Legal and Business Aspects of Writing Fiction and
Non-Fiction Books – Paul Levine
The nuts and bolts of the business of writing are
as essential to a writer’s success as the writer’s work
itself. How does a writer get an agent and an attorney?
How does the writer’s work get sold and how is the
writer compensated? What will the agent and the lawyer
do for the writer? How are they compensated?
Bring all your questions concerning the business of
being or becoming a successful book author--they will
all be answered.
215WC.308 From Crime to Crime: Taking the Mystery Out of
Writing Mysteries – Dennis Palumbo
For those interested in writing whodunits, plotting is
often the most daunting aspect of the narrative. Using
lecture, examples and in-class exercises, this workshop
shows that the key to plotting a satisfying mystery is
understanding how each character’s distinct wants and
needs collide with those of the other characters.
Whether you’re writing the coziest of British-style
mystery or the edgiest of hard-boiled thriller, a novel
or short story, this informative, entertaining workshop
is for you.
216WC.308
Turning Memoir into Fiction –
Victoria Zackheim
We all have family stories, some passed down through
generations. Imagine if you took one of those stories
and used it as the heart of a short story or novel?
That’s what this workshop is all about!
217WC.308 Creating Characters that Live Forever –
Elizabeth Lyon
One of the most common weaknesses in a short story or
novel is that the characters, especially the
protagonist, are two-dimensional or underdeveloped.
We'll apply the many techniques of characterization and
draw upon the fields of psychology and sociology to
create flesh-and-blood characters. As a class, we'll use
a systematic process to construct a three-dimensional
character. You'll learn exactly how to breathe life into
your own characters and make them so real that they'll
live on forever in the hearts of your readers.
Workshops
Session III: Saturday 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
311WC.308 The Events of Your Story: Outlining, Plot,
Conflict and Writing Scenes –
Bob Mayer
Before
you begin writing your book, you should spend some time
outlining and developing your story. We'll discuss types
of outlines along with techniques for efficiently
developing the strongest possible story based on your
original idea. From the exciting opening that grabs the
reader through the escalating conflict to the climactic
scene and ending with the resolution—the entire
structure of the novel with be covered with emphasis on
hooks, the remote control effect, building suspense, and
having satisfying endings.
312WC.308 Writing (and Selling) Series for
Children – Sally Warner
From
the initial proposal and sample chapters to the finished
novels, there are pleasures and difficulties in writing
series for children. This workshop will provide a
nuts-and-bolts overview of preparing such a submission.
It will also include two fun and helpful writing
exercises, a brief reading, and Q&A. Sally has sold
three series to Knopf and Viking. Handouts included.
313WC.308
The
Legal and Business Aspects of Writing Fiction and
Non-Fiction Books – Paul Levine
The nuts and bolts of the business of writing are
as essential to a writer’s success as the writer’s work
itself. How does a writer get an agent and an attorney?
How does the writer’s work get sold and how is the
writer compensated? What will the agent and the lawyer
do for the writer? How are they compensated?
Bring all your questions concerning the business of
being or becoming a successful book author--they will
all be answered.
314WC.308 Short Story Workshop –
Jeff Carlson
Cramming an entire plot arc into few pages of manuscript
is very hard work, much less trying to include character
development and a subplot, too! Short fiction rarely
pays well, either – so why bother? Jeff Carlson
discusses both the craft and the real career benefits of
short stories in this interactive workshop. Jeff will
discuss everything from the basics of plot development
to advanced character arcs.
315WC.308 Many Species of Good Poems –
Jamey Hecht
Some poems write themselves, but others are born from
the poet’s deliberate choice of subject and form. In
this workshop, we’ll consider some of the many ways a
poem can get itself written. We’ll discuss several
different kinds of successful poem, and acknowledge the
way any given poem can succeed along one axis of value
while failing along others. We’ll also explore the costs
and benefits of innovation: bend the rules and you might
get something new; break them, and you might get
something whose value lies in mere novelty.
Approximately 30 – 45 minutes will be spent writing, and
the rest in discussion and lecture.
316WC.308 Collect a Host of Bylines and Impress Your
Friends –
Stephen
Blake Mettee
Freelancing is a great way to earn money while
researching and writing about things you love. And, it
has never been easier to get published as it is now.
Learn what magazine and newspaper and website editors
are looking for, how to catch their attention and how to
craft articles and stories that will have them begging
for more! A seasoned editor and writer reveals all!
317WC.308 The Writing Process –
Diane Halsted
Whether
you write prose or poetry, every piece of your writing
is a window into writing more pieces. Guided exercises
based on writing you generate at the beginning of our
session will help you see you have much to write about.
You’ll discover how your work presents endless
possibilities for arrangement and structure and how to
deepen your work. You’ll also learn how to revise easily
and productively to improve sentence construction,
precision, imagery, detail.
Workshops
Session IV: Saturday 2:15 to 3:45 p.m.
411WC.308
The Big Three of Screenwriting: Structure, Characters,
and Dialogue – James Dalessandro
Learn how to develop or adapt a successful screenplay
from a man who has sold more than 20 feature films and
has been teaching the art and craft of film writing for
20 years.
412WC.308 Self-Editing for the Advanced Fiction,
Creative Nonfiction and Memoir Writer –
Elizabeth Lyon
This workshop will move well beyond the correction of
passive verbs and point of view and instead delve into
self-editing for telling well (narration), for subtext
(layered tension), for movement (on multiple levels),
for character complexity and depth, for style, and so
forth. You'll receive several self-editing checklists
from which to forge a custom one. What are your worst
problems, areas of confusion, or particular vexations?
Bring them; share them. Fix them.
413WC.308 Do Poems Have Plot?: On Narrative Poetry –
Kevin Clark
Though
we don’t often think of poems as stories, virtually all
poems have plot. Using several narrative poems, we will
explore the difference between the lyric and the
narrative, focusing on the way good narrative poems
compress events for immediate impact while often
employing key
lyric moments. We will also discuss transitions, the
transformative moment, open closure, multiple story
lines, sequencing, etc.
414WC.308 Selling Your Book, Marketing Yourself and Your
Book, and the Publishing Business for Writers –
Bob
Mayer
A writer-friendly approach to marketing your book
efficiently and understanding the flow of a query at a
publishing house and how decisions are made whether to
buy a book. Cover letters that grab the reader, how to
do a one page synopsis, and other practical matters will
be covered. We’ll also discuss the writing business,
including fee-charging agents; sell-through and sales
numbers; E-books; print-on-demand; shrinking mid-lists;
corporate mergers; and self-publishing. What does all
this mean to the writer who often feels on the
outside? You hear agents and editors talk about the
business but it's important to understand a writer's
point of view.
415WC.308 Today's YA Fiction –
Catherine Ryan Hyde
The Young Adult market has changed dramatically over the
past few decades. Stories can be dark, tough,
sophisticated--just as long as they are fast-paced
and appeal to teens. This read-and-critique workshop
will help teach by example. Students are encouraged, but
not required, to bring a few pages from a Young Adult
work-in-progress to read in class. The introduction of
a main or important character would be ideal.
416WC.308 Crafting Suspense –
Jeff Carlson
The pages of a book don’t turn themselves. But how can
you maintain a high level of suspense from page one,
when first it’s necessary to introduce the characters
and set the stage? Is such tension ever plausible?
What works in literary fiction might not succeed in
murder mysteries, so bring your own ideas and concerns.
Jeff Carlson will examine the pitfalls, short cuts, and
other successful methods of creating suspense in a
manuscript, whether you’re writing mainstream or genre
fiction.
417WC.308 Hook ‘Em and Hold ‘Em –
Caryn Wiseman
In the highly competitive children's market, you must
capture your reader's attention right away. Learn how
to create great beginnings, middles, and ends that will
hook your reader quickly and keep him or her turning the
pages.
Return
to
Home Page to register once your have
your workshop #'s handy
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