|
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 Tracts
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.
*
* * * * *
Click
on the Workshop Leader's name to see their biography
Workshops
Session I: Fri.
7:30 to 9 p.m.
111WC.310 Poetry:
Journey to Discover Your Inner Poet
Dr.
Kate Gale
Poetry isn't all
head or all heart, but a little of both. We'll journey
to the unconscious searching to find something deep
within. We’ll reach way down to bring up a story or poem
with some music underneath and not get lost and sticky
in the process. It's not easy, like going into the rain
forest and not getting wet, but we'll have fun playing.
112WC.310
Creative
Nonfiction for Children, Teens & Tweens
Diane Lindsey Reeves
What
do you want to be when you grow up? Universal questions
intrigue readers of all ages. Building a series based on
a single concept, character or theme can lead to
multiple book deals. This workshop will explore
time-tested themes and how to adapt elements such as
language, graphics and style to be age-attractive. Learn
to pitch your idea and explore national, then
international marketplaces.
113WC.310 Creating the Mystery or Suspense Novel
Marcia Preston
This session includes an explanation of the sub-genres
of crime fiction, including the differences between
traditional mystery and suspense. Marcia will offer a
modus operandi for writing, market considerations to
think about before and during writing and a discussion
of story arcs and novel structure.
114WC.310 Jumpstart
Your Writing with Travel
Diane LeBow &
Laurie McAndish King
Enhance your travel experiences—whether a sumptuous meal, a
sunset on the Sahara, or a conversation with a local—to
write destination or adventure articles, food and wine
reviews, political pieces, memoir, and even fiction.
We’ll explore tricks of the trade: from pre-trip
research and note-taking tips through capturing scenes
and hooking your story; all the way to post-trip
productivity. Learn the seven essential items in a
travel writer’s toolkit and more than 30 publishing
venues.
115WC.310 Creative Non-Fiction:
One Theme, Many Voices
Victoria Zackheim
What does it take to work with the country's top
authors? A great idea! With four published anthologies,
Victoria knows the tricks and pitfalls of
this genre. Learn to choose themes, create your wish
list of authors, contact them (yes, even Pulitzer
winners!), prepare the proposal and find an agent.
Attendees will receive a sample proposal and query
letter template.
116WC.310 Editing:
An Acquisition Editor Polishes Your First Pages
Charlotte Cook
Bring a writing sample of three pages (formatted
appropriately) and an acquisition editor will read and
comment on it just as she does when evaluating
submissions. She’ll tell you what works and what
doesn’t, demonstrating a balanced accounting what drives
an editor to keep reading or consider work not ready for
this level of scrutiny. (Limit to 30)
117WC.310 The
Short Story: Elements of Craft
Melissa Pritchard
Discover how to work with the five essential "building
blocks" of the short story: setting, plot, character,
theme and style. Examples of each element will precede
practice on a collaboratively created short story
demonstrating how these five elements work together.
118WC.310 Teen
Writers: The Art and Craft of Story-Making
Kathleen Duey
Writers possess a unique heart and since there are
really no rules, writing is incredibly fun and never
boring. However, reality bites – writing a good book is
really hard. This workshop will focus on the importance
of skill and craft, emphasizing major elements of novel
writing, such as character and plot development.
Workshops Session II: Sat.
8:45 to 10:15 a.m.
211WC.310 Writing Your Life in Fiction
Victoria Zackheim
Do you have a family story—something you experienced or
lore passed down through the generations—that you would
like to fictionalize? This interactive workshop explores
ways to expand personal life experiences into a
fictional manuscript pointing out the importance of
voice, point of view, character development, and story
continuity.
212WC.310 Beginning
Creative Writing
Paula Huston
Many long to write powerful personal essays or even
tackle the Great American Novel, but feel hampered by
their lack of training in basic creative writing skills.
We’ll look at techniques that can bring your manuscripts
alive, including how to write an action scene,
believable dialogue, characterization, and conflict
development that keeps your readers in suspense.
213WC.310
Screenwriters & Novelists Adapting Sideways
Charlotte Cook
&
Jon James Miller
Adapting
a screenplay into a novel presents unique storytelling
issues and true differences in writing craft. Having
spent a year adapting one of Miller’s award-winning
screenplays “sideways” into a novel, the presenters will
demonstrate the challenges, thus, offering screenwriters
and novelists many insights, strategies and techniques
for both writing groups to work successfully in either
medium.
214WC.310 Creating Picture Books for Children
Part I
Merrily Kutner
Fundamental writing skills such as setting, point-of
view, characterization and writer’s voice are essential
when writing children’s picture books. Kutner’s “aha
moment” was when she found a unique diagramming
technique, which examines underlying structural story
elements common to popular, successful picture books.
Through this technique of book diagramming, students
will learn the concept of “mapping out” their picture
books to successfully revise present and future work.
It is recommended that you sign-up
for Part II in Session III.
215WC.310 Marketing, Publishing, and New Media
Laurie McAndish King
&
Diane Lebow
Explore the dynamic world of blogs, tweets, and vooks,
websites, Facebook, social networking, podcasting, and
self-publishing. Plan your blog, develop your niche,
strengthen your platform to write for the web and brand
yourself to drive traffic to your site. Develop an
action plan for today’s media to work for you. Learn
ten tips for better blogging and eight steps to
successful self-publishing.
216WC.310
Poetry: The Heart of the Story and the Story of the Heart
Dr. Kevin Clark
Narrative poems drive the speaker through a series of
dramatic events. Lyric poems typically render the
interior state of the speaker. However, narrative poems
also require lyric interludes and lyric poems need
plots. Focusing on
imagery, structural cadence and transitioning, learn to
blend narrative and lyric poetry.
217WC.310 Publishing Nonfiction: Strategies to Make it
Happen
Diane Lindsey Reeves
Got a terrific book idea? Do you understand the scope of
what it takes to get published and what you need to do
to make it happen? This workshop explores how writers
can find their audience, write a winning proposal, and
land a publishing contract for your non-fiction book
concept.
218WC.310 Teen Writers:
Exchanging Respectful &
Helpful Critiques
Becky Levine
Whether you just started putting words on a page or have
notebooks filled with stories, it is helpful to share
your work with other writers. You’ll learn the basics
about critiquing deeply and supportively, really
“listening” to comments about your own work, and how to
revise your manuscript. By understanding the critique
process, you will gain confidence and find out how to
strengthen your work.
Workshops
Session III: Sat. 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
311WC.310 Getting Published: Let’s Play Query Letter Mad
Lib
Nathan Bransford
Remember
those "mad lib" games where you start off writing down a
list of verbs, places and adjectives, and inevitably the
words "snot" and "farted" make any story HILARIOUS? This
game will teach you the basic formula for a successful
query letter incorporating industry standard formatting
practices. Discover how to be unique enough to catch an
agent’s attention, but traditional enough to win a
second look.
312WC.310
Young Adult: Writing on the Edge of Everything
Kathleen Duey
Publishing is shrinking, yet Young Adult book sales are
booming. This workshop will discuss YA writing
opportunities -- bending and blending the genre’s
elements of romance, vampires, dragons, science fiction,
urban fantasy, contemporary serious literature, graphic
novels, illustrated novels and more. Find out if you
have what it takes to write for teens today.
313WC.310 Writing
Dialogue: Conversation That Counts
Marcia Preston
Dialogue is much more (and less) than ordinary
conversation. This session covers techniques to improve
the dialogue in your writing, including tips on speaker
tags, scene construction, and using action with
dialogue.
314WC.310
Poetry:
Helping Poets Become Their Own Best Critics
Dr. Kevin Clark
Sometimes poets have difficulty distancing themselves
from their own work. Sensing something is amiss, they’ll
settle for the easy fix instead of changing the internal
structure of the poem. While paying special attention to
accessibility, conflict, transformation, and the “big
picture,” this discussion will focus on three critical
keys to identifying areas for revision.
315WC.310 Infusing Historical Research into Your Writing
Melissa
Pritchard
In this workshop learn to write novels, short fiction,
memoir and creative nonfiction using an historical
perspective -- exploring the joys, surprises and
occasional difficulties of the research process. We’ll
discuss where to find it, when to use it, and how to
make it fit seamlessly. Examples will be drawn from the
author’s historically-based fiction.
316WC.310 The Writing & Critique Group Survival Guide
Becky Levine
Are you looking for instruction on revision and
self-editing? This workshop is for anyone considering
joining a writing group or actively participating in
one. Students will learn the basics of running a strong,
productive critique group, the three respectful roles
within a group, and essential elements of a strong and
helpful critique.
317WC.310
Spiritual Writing for Today’s Marketplace
Paula Huston
With the advent of the Internet, the publishing
opportunities for spiritual writers have increased
dramatically. Besides the traditional sources, you can
now write for electronic publishers devoted to
particular faith practices and a myriad of blogs. This
workshop looks at spiritual writing being published and
fiction techniques to enhance your writing, as well as
where you might market your work.
318WC.310
Picture
Books for Children Part II
(Pre-requisite Part I)
Merrily Kutner
Utilizing the picture book diagramming method taught
in Session I, students will continue the discussion and
clarification of the diagramming method "mapping out"
their own children's picture book manuscript. Additional
basic structural elements, the building blocks to tell a
story such as word, sentence, and figures of speech,
will be introduced and analyzed for students to fine
tune their manuscripts.
Workshops
Session IV: Sat. 1:30 to 3 p.m.
411WC.310
Personal Essay: How Deep Do We Dig?
Victoria Zackheim
When you write a personal essay, there is an expectation
that what you write is true, but how deep into your
heart/soul must you go? Would you upset your child
writing about his rehab? Will your friend be your friend
after you discuss your relationship? We’ll explore these
issues with vignettes while learning essay organization,
how to create a compelling introduction and a body that
will keep the reader engaged through the all important
arc that carries the theme to a satisfying conclusion.
412WC.310 Editing:
An Acquisition Editor Polishes Your First Pages
Charlotte Cook
Bring a writing sample of three pages (formatted
appropriately) and an acquisition editor will read and
comment on it just as she does when evaluating
submissions. She’ll tell you what works and what
doesn’t, giving a balanced accounting what drives an
editor to keep reading or consider work not ready for
this level of scrutiny. (Limit to 30)
413WC.310 Travel
Writing: From the Road to the Page
Diane LeBow &
Laurie McAndish King
Turning your notes and memories into a well-crafted piece of
writing takes both creativity and planning. We’ll
explore angles, leads, and kickers; structure and pace;
uses of conflict; voice and point of view; epiphany and
sensory imagery; revision; and more. Learn the seven
essential elements of a great travel story, twenty types
of plots, and ten types of closes.
414WC.310 The
Short Story: From Vision to Revision
Melissa Pritchard
Writing short fiction demands students learn the
four-fold process of creativity and how the completion
of each step is essential for understanding and
overcoming potential obstacles. By incorporating real
world examples, the instructor will demonstrate a
practical model for your creative writing success.
415WC.310 Getting
Your First Novel Published
Marcia Preston
Directly from an author’s point of view, novelists will
learn tips and motivation to stay the course and get
published. This workshop will include information on
common problems with first novels, understanding market
niches, the Agent Wars, persevering beyond all common
sense—and why it's all worth it.
416WC.310 Writing
For
Young Readers: Deep Stories in Small Words
Kathleen Duey
The best children’s books—even the wonderfully silly
ones—have depth and meaning. Some of the worst ones are
constructed solely to convey wisdom, life lessons, and
advice to young readers. Students will learn how to
write a great story with both child appeal AND
deep meaning.
417WC.310
Publishing: Which Option is Right for You?
Diane Lindsey Reeves
Author, Producer, Independent Publisher
- there is more
than one way to get your words in print. This workshop
will discuss the pros and cons of traditional and
non-traditional publishing opportunities and ways you
can use emerging, technology-powered publishing trends
to open doors for your work.
418WC.310 Poetry: Living the Life as a Published
Literary Citizen
Dr. Kate Gale
You are a poet with a few poems out there floating
around, maybe in a few publications. What you want to be
is a poet with a lot of published poems, perhaps even a
book. In other words, you desire a poetry life that is
happening. We will discuss the step-by-step process to
move yourself into a place where you and your poetry
have found a home.
Return
to
Conference Fees Page to register
once you have
your workshop #'s handy
*
* * * * *
|
