** Designates Longer Course
** EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT WRITING FICTION BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK
Mon. September 7, 2009 (Labor Day) – Fri. September 25, 2009
You’ve got the story, and it’s a story no one can write like you. Now what? How about POV, dialogue, not to mention hooks. Plus, where to begin - at the beginning, or in the backstory? Will my title work? What about headers and margins and fonts, oh my? And which other industry standards are a myth or a must? How do I budget my time? Do I need an agent or can I submit over the transom. (What the heck is a transom?) Where can I find an agent if I need one, and how do I know which agents to avoid? Who will publish me? What’s a boilerplate? Will I get an advance? What about royalties and slushpiles and ARCs? It sounds confusing, but these are just a few of the things you need to know if you want to write fiction. It would be nice to think that you could simply sit down, write your book and send it in without any other hassle. The late, great Kurt Vonnegut did. He even wrote it in longhand, on a legal pad. But face it, you’re not Kurt Vonnegut and turning in your manuscript on your legal pad will get you rejected. Knowledge is power, especially in the publishing industry. So come learn the process.
CHARACTER CPR – BREATHING LIFE INTO YOUR CHARACTERS (including those who failed to resuscitate)
Mon., November 2, 2009 – Mon., November 16, 2009
Your characters are on the page. They have names, and they have some kind of storyline buzzing around them. Is that all there is to creating a character? Not in today’s fiction market. You have to finesse your character to life – give them grabber names, sculpt them with bigger-than-life personalities, add quirks, mix in emotion and scars, toss in a dab of unique, plus sprinkle with an ordinary-extraordinary mix. These people you’ve given birth to have to be familiar to you and, more than that, to your readers. They have to evoke emotions, give you pause to think, catch your interest, catch your fancy. And in today’s vernacular, they have to pop. But maybe the biggest chore in character design is fitting your character to your plot and fitting your plot to your character. Truth is, the best plot in the world will be killed by a flat character. So whether you’re wrestling with a lead character, or trying to figure out the proper place for a secondary, handle these people with care because they are the key to your success. Quick! Off the top of your head, think of five great literary characters. See, you can do it. It’s easy. But the real goal here is to add number six to that list – your character, of course! So come learn how to construct a new character, or breathe new life into an old one. In today’s tight market, character CPR could make all the difference in giving birth to or flat-lining your writing career.
DDS (doesn’t mean dentist): DIALOGUE, DESCRIPTION & SETTINGS THAT COUNT!
Mon., February 1, 2010 – Mon., February 15, 2010
“Oh, what a dark and stormy night. I believe I am frightened," shrieked the fair-haired damsel as she traipsed across the massive, dimly lit study, her diminutive feet barely touching the wide-planked mahogany floorboards while a puff of pink chiffon negligee floated behind her as she made her way to the unwieldy backbar to search out a snifter of fine brandy recently poured for her by her occasional lover, the Duke of Earl.
Enough said? Actually, as far as dialogue, description and settings go, this is an example of too much said – e.g. overwriting. So maybe it’s an exaggeration, but too many writers find themselves caught up in similar exaggerations, which can strike a fatal blow to a good manuscript. DDS are important, and not so easy to create. They add backbone, they rough up or smooth out the texture, and they form a cohesive bond that makes the story flow. But done wrong, they shoot a hole in the bottom of the boat and, well...you know what happens after that. This workshop is designed to teach you the art and craft of good DDS, including techniques that separate yours from everything else in the slush pile.
EDITING, LAYERING, REVISING AND ALL THAT NECESSARY FICTION JAZZ (for the brave-hearted)
Mon., April 5, 2010 – Mon. April 19, 2010
At long last, you’ve finished that book, put the last period at the end of the last sentence, printed it out, turned off the computer, and poured yourself a celebratory margarita. You’re done. Hurrah! Right? Probably not. If you haven’t gone back, done your editing, done your layering, you’re about half way there. Meaning, put down that margarita, turn on the computer, and go back to work. You’ve more work to do. Writing doesn’t get done in a first draft, and most good writing doesn’t get done in the third, fourth or fifth. It’s a long process – with this class learn the tools to shorten it. And then, when you’re done, you’re safe to pick up that margarita glass until you get the call from an editor who says... "Revisions!" Come learn tips from an author who actually loves doing all that jazz (e.g. revisions)!
THE NONFICTION BOOK PROPOSAL PACKAGE
Mon., June 7, 2010 – Fri. June 25, 2010 **
It’s long, it’s exhausting and it’s not for the faint-of-heart. In today’s tough market, your book proposal will make or break your book. Get it right, you may be in. Get it wrong, and the odds are overwhelmingly against you. Here’s a harsh and simple reality of the publishing industry - no one is sitting there waiting to publish your book. Book sales are down, print runs are smaller, numbers of new books added to the shelves are dwindling. But, there’s always room for a standout, no matter what the market is doing. It’s up to you to be that standout. Plus, the book market loves nonfiction! To be a standout though, you have to get noticed - by an agent, by an editor. And in nonfiction, that opportunity comes through your book proposal. It’s your chance to wow them, to blow off their literary socks. Show ‘em what you’ve got! Come learn how. |
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