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Conference Program: Friday Fireside Chats and Hands On Workshops
1:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Presenters and sequence subject to change without notice.
Author Fireside Chats and WorkshopsMystery
Hallie Ephron
A Really Good Detective Never Gets Married
What makes a compelling protagonist for a mystery standalone or series, and what makes readers care?
Deborah LeBlanc
Writing about What You Don’t Know
Ever wonder what it might feel like to hold a human brain in your hand, to embalm a body, to track through an abandoned insane asylum at midnight, to be locked in a casket? Find out how to gain first hand knowledge of the unfamiliar and unusual.
Elizabeth George
Landscape of Place; Landscape of CharacterFiction 1
Carolyn Wheat
Clues 101
Mystery writers dread clues as much as our readers love them. We first have to figure out what the clues are, then hide them in plain sight. Where do clues come from? From what the killer really does. The first step in clue making: becoming the killer. Then the fun begins.Cherry Adair
Writing Luminous Dialogue
Techniques for strengthening dialogue to make your characters come alive and shine on the page.
Laura Kalpakian
Borrowing from the Arts
Use music in the writing process, and search out the soundtrack for your project.Fiction 2
Jack Dalton
The End Is the Beginning
A discussion of writing stories beginning with the value or moral of the story. We’ll take a look at traditional Alaska Native stories, discuss the role of values and morals in culture and the role stories play in the passing of this knowledge from generation to generation.Chris Bohjalian
Writing in the Digital Age
Why in the name of heaven do we bother when it seems that everyone else would rather be watching Paris Hilton sell hamburgers on their computers? Yet, more seriously, why do we read and what as writers do we need to ponder when we write in the 21st century?Carolyn Wheat
Throw Me Your Best Fiction Pitch
Throw me your best pitch. Sell me your book in three sentences; make me beg to see more. I’ll help you find the essence of your story, the grabber that has an agent salivating. You get one chance to make a first impression: make that chance count.Nonfiction
Bill Dietrich
The Storytelling Arc
Whether writing a journalism “bright” or the Great American Novel, you’re trying to tell a story. This chat examines classic techniques of story telling, including beginning and end, the hero, the villain, the journey, the creation of suspense, the ticking clock, character growth, resolution, and more.Larry Colton
Honesty in Writing
A frank conversation about how much to tell and how that topic comes from worrying about what people will think.Carolyne Wright
When Politics Get Personal - Drawing from her experiences in Chile and using some of her writings as illustrations, Wright will talk about ways of approaching difficult and compelling material where the larger forces of history have altered lives and relationships, both positively and negatively.Memoir and Creative Nonfiction
Richard Goodman
Finding Subjects for Creative Nonfiction in Everyday Life
This chat will discuss how we can keep ourselves open to inspiration through our daily lives. It will present examples of essays, and selections from books, which take as their inspiration seemingly ordinary matters of life and demonstrate how they are turned into creative nonfiction through the writer’s passion and craft.
Donna Moreau
The Shared Memoir
Is your story bigger than you?Rebecca Walker
The Thinnest Line
Your life is your material, but in order to maintain your most cherished relationships, you must draw a line between the two. We'll talk about how and where to draw it.
Short Story
Bruce Holland Rogers
Writing the Short Short
The very short story has always had an audience, but the form seems to be especially popular lately, perhaps because it's the perfect length for reading on a computer screen. During this chat, participants will address these questions: How short, exactly, is a short-short? What are some of the approaches writers can take to getting the right sort of ideas for these intense literary gems? Where can you sell them? Aimed at beginners, this chat will also include some new ideas even for well-published writers of short-short stories.Hallie Ephron
The Short Story: Writing to the Aha! Moment
The Aha! moment in a great short story is when the reader "gets it." It's about epiphany, and it happens when the characters, the dramatic conflict, and the images come together to express a theme. We'll discuss how to get to the Aha! moment, and techniques short story writers use.Kate Gale
Writers and the Imagination: Opening Pandora’s Box
The path to great writing isn't through an open door; it's backwards through a sealed one. How to find one's way back to The Cask of Amontillado where imagination lies bricked in, that's the trick. It's a dirty journey, but worth the prize. Opening that box is the beginning of writing without fear.
Women's Fiction and Romance
Cherry Adair
How to Layer and Texture Your Novel
Making novels rich and interesting comes through seamlessly layering dialog, narrative, description and research.
Kelsey Roberts
I Made That Mistake!
The road to becoming a working writer is littered with potholes. Roberts will share how she fell into every one of them and kept climbing out to success.Jill Barnett
What Are You Writing?
A discussion on the differences between mainstream, genre, and literary fiction and understanding where to target your own work.Nature & Garden Writing
Frances Wood
Nature Writing
This chat will focus on improving powers of observation and creating colorful and sensuous descriptions of nature. Explore effective techniques for keeping a nature journal. Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, this course will help you connect more closely to nature and use it to enrich your writing.Valerie Easton
Creating Rapport and Getting Good Information
Most nonfiction writing involves interviewing. We'll talk about how to create rapport, establish trust, elicit genuine responses, get the details, and make sure that you end up with the material you need to write a story that reveals and illuminates as well as informs.Lake Boggan
The Pitch and the Hook
The publicist of Timber Press, specialists in nature and garden writing, explains why authors must know both the market for their work and how to talk about it. Scripting a 30-60 second pitch and the hook for the book project is vital to get the attention of a publisher in today’s competitive environment. Discover language that is intriguing and will capture the publisher’s or reviewer’s interest immediately.Children’s Picture Book
Kirby Larson
So When Are You Going to Write for Grown Ups? And Other Crappy Questions You’ll Have to Answer if you Choose to Write for Kids.
Children’s literature is often considered the “stepchild” of the writing world. But what’s the alternative to writing for juveniles? Writing for seniles? How to respect yourself and your work when you write for children.
Stephanie Bodeen
Empowering Your Picture Book with Character
Don’t fall into the trap of clichéd characters that rely on physical peculiarities to save the day. Create pro-active, intelligent characters that, through their actions, are responsible for their own destinies. Through instruction and writing exercises, participants will learn how to make characters fresh, memorable, and irresistible.Anita Riggio
The Form of the Picture Book
Explore the relationship of art and text.Summer Laurie
The Author/Editor Relationship
Haven't published that kids book yet? Get some idea of what editors are looking for and how to approach them. Already signed that contract? Get some insight into what the process is during production and after publication from a senior editor at Tricycle Press.Children’s/Young Adult/Chapter Book
Clare Meeker
The Three Problem Approach
How does a story capture and hold a child’s interest? We’ll talk about developing a story arc, grabber leads, and satisfying endings in this chat about what makes a strong picture book.
Sally Warner
Writing Contemporary Fiction for Children
What on earth do you have in common with kids today? Learn the pitfalls to avoid and the individual strengths you can pursue in writing a book that speaks to young people across the country, even throughout the world.Brent Hartinger
How Far is too Far? The Limits of Teen Lit
Books aimed at teen readers continue to tackle controversial subjects. But how far is too far? Join Geography Club author Brent Hartinger as he explores the thorny subject of teen subject matter.Publishing 1
Kate Gale
What Are Editors Really Looking for?
Editors are looking for something specific and it is up to you, the writer, to find out what it is. As elusive as an endangered species, the editor searches for work that awakens his/her intellect and imagination. Go past the horror stories to the discovery of how to find the editor who is looking for you.
Eve Bridburg
One Agent Tells All
Get your questions about agents answered in this informal discussion devoted to answering such key questions as: What do agents actually do? Do you need an agent? How should you approach an agent? How do you choose the right agent one? What are some general guidelines for sending out manuscripts? Why does getting an agent seem to take forever!Doris Booth and Anne Hawkins
Trends in Publishing: Editorial and Business
What’s happening in the publishing world today? Why do some books see publications and others not? Both marketing and editorial trends affect your chances of being published. Two experienced agents help uncover the mysteries of what influences the decisions publishers make. How do you break through barriers? How do you build a fresh and interesting writing and marketing style? Receive a checklist of what editors want and eight questions to test the marketing validity of your manuscript.Publishing 2
Rita Rosenkranz
The Author/Agent Relationship
How to find one, what to expect, how to build a mutually successful relationship.Allison McCabe
How Editors Acquire Books--and What Could Make Your Book Get Noticed
Learn what it is like to work at the top three publishing houses in New York: HarperCollins, Penguin Group USA and Random House. Find out what it takes to catch an editor's eye. Learn about the acquisitions process, who is involved besides the editor, and how authors can position their work for maximum potential.
Andrea Hurst
Query Letters That Sell
A captivating and well crafted query letter is one of the most important tools authors need to get their books published. Although a query letter is usually only one page long, it may be the hardest yet most crucial writing an author has to create. This workshop will reveal all the tools you need to avoid common mistakes and perfect your query letter to attract an agent or publisher.Steve Mettee
Reality Literature: on Publishing Your Memoir
A great memoir tells as much about the times and the attitude of the people in the memoir as it does about the life of the author. Learn what else makes a memoir successful and why the memoir, once thought to be dormant, if not dead, is being considered as a separate category for the prestigious National Book Award.Poetry
Allison Hedge Coke
From Boundaries
Boundaries exist both in reality and in the mental state and that’s where powerful art originates. Writing from the boundary engages change and challenges thinking and behavior. We share our spirit through our work and stretch our own boundaries. Ask. How is our work challenging us? What is beyond the world as we now see it? Writing, like youth, has genius inherent, just not always apparent. What might that gift of genius be on a scale larger than self?Carolyne Wright
Look Here: Voice and Person in Poetry
How can we learn to explore the inner life of someone else—another person who intrigues or disturbs us? We want to understand, but often are baffled by, what makes others tick—not just historical figures or invented characters, but those whom we think we know. We will read and discuss sample dramatic monologues and other persona poems, and try writing our own. What can we learn about our personae by writing in their voices? How do our poems enact a process of discovery? Previous writing experience is helpful but not necessary.
Peggy Shumaker
The Hook, the Door, the Invitation
Developing strong titles.Emerging Writers
Eva Shaw
Answers for Emerging Writers
What is a query? What do editors and agents REALLY do? What kind of writing makes the most money? Ask and learn, jump start your writing career.
Frances Wood
The Craft of Journaling: A Resource for Writers
Imagine yourself hiking in Tibet or wandering through a museum when inspiration strikes or intriguing characters present themselves. How will you remember the details? Journaling, of course! All levels and genres will benefit from exploring the various methods of journaling and how to use this research tool in your writing.Kirby Larson
Foot in the Door: Nonfiction Magazine Articles for Children
Tired of rejection letters? Consider this: 85% of children’s writers submit fiction to magazine editors but 85% of the editorial need is in nonfiction articles. If you are looking for your first byline, why aren’t you writing nonfiction? Learn how easy it is to write nonfiction magazine articles for children’s magazines, increasing your chances at publication substantially.Scriptwriting – Master Class Workshop
(3 hour session for small groups)
Devorah Cutler-Rubinstein
Writing the Award Winning Short
This seminar helps writers clarify their big idea and identify what kinds of stories will lead to an award-winning short. Using award winning short film scripts, participants understand how and why they work. With interaction, exercises and lecture format, participants learn practical skills to achieve a five to thirty minute short film script. Also covered are current trends, artistic voice, and markets for shorts including how a short can be an entry point into the film business.Getting Ready to Publish – Master Class Workshop
(3 hour session for small groups)
Heather Sellers
Reviewing and Critiquing Manuscript Sections
For those who have an immediate goal of submitting to a publisher. Participants should bring multiple copies of a book chapter or completed magazine article for group workshop.Penny Sansevieri
Finish that Book NOW!
Are you stuck or struggling with writer’s block? Not sure how to proceed? Well then this session is for you. Attendees will learn how to break through writer’s block and get that book finished lighting fast! We’ll discuss techniques and strategies for success and little known secrets that will help get your book back on track!
Presenters and program content subject to change without notice.