FRIDAY

FICTION
Cascade A/B

8:30-10:00
Mary Andonian and April Eberhardt
Conference Success Basics
Join Mary Andonian and her agent, April Eberhardt, as they talk about the many ways to maximize your experience at the Willamette Writers conference. Topics include: who's who at the conference, networking strategies, preparing your dossier, pitch etiquette/technique, and post-conference checklists. Questions encouraged. Pitch practice, if time permits.

10:30-12:00
Marilyn Allen
How to Work With Agents for Maximum Results
Level: All
Format: Presentation Q&A
Writers will learn how to find an agent who is appropriate for their work and then how to make this partnership a collaborative process. The workshop will be full of tips on which materials to provide and how to organize them so that an agent can do their job quickly and effectively. Writers will learn techniques for putting together a targeted list of publishers for submissions and ways to help their agent line up strong interest from publishers. 1:30-3:00


Jessica Morrell
Beginnings, Endings, and Turning Points
Level: All Format: Presentation Q&A
Every story contains key moments that serve as scaffolding for the story, the places where the reader pays the most attention. This workshop will discuss how beginnings must whisk the reader into a vivid story far from reality as it sets up the reader's expectations for what is to come. We'll discuss how every element in the opening must establish the writer's credibility, push the story forward, introduce conflict, and propel the reader into a complicated and believable world. The turning points in the story are the changes that push the story forward, crank up tension, and explode with the unexpected. A turning point can be new information, a reversal, twist, a challenge, or a disaster. We'll also discuss how endings must culminate the plot and deliver a wallop of emotion, meaning, and sometimes transcendence. We'll especially look at ways to make these moments live in the reader’s memory.

3:30-5:00
Laurie McLean
Agent Secrets
Level: All Format: Presentation/Q&A
Want to know the secrets behind what agents do and how to capture the attention of these elusive beasts (plus how to create a great relationship once you’ve landed one)? Learn what agents really want from an unpublished writer.

GENERAL/GENRES
Cascade C

8:30-10:00
Jennifer Omner
Book Design for Printed & E-Books
Level: Beginning Format: Presentation/Q&A
Learn the basics of book design so you can communicate with a book designer or design your own book. Explore the rules of interior page design and how the rules change for eBooks. Discover the differences between PDF files and ePUB files. Review the three components of book covers and what information should be on each. Learn tips for pleasing typography throughout the workshop. 10:30-12:00


Gigi Rosenberg
How to Give a Good Reading
Level: Beginning / Intermediate
Format: Presentation/Q&A
It’s time to come out from behind the desk and meet the audience. In this lively, hands-on workshop, writers learn 10 tips for reading work aloud and discover how to read with confidence, enjoy the limelight, and connect with an audience. Participants rehearse in front of a supportive group and learn how to prepare like a pro for that next public reading. Please bring up to five pages of writing to read. No experience necessary.

1:30-3:00
Gary Corbin
Improv Your Writing
Level: All Format: Presentation/Q&A
Sooner or later every writer gets stuck. Characters lose their voice, plots meander, scenes don’t resonate, or words just don’t come. This workshop helps the writer jump-start the creative process with fun, active techniques and games they can use solo or with their writers group. Learn how to speak to your characters and let them speak through you, and get the words flowing again. This class will get your heart pumping and mind racing.

3:30-5:00
Susan Rich
Copywriting Basics: How to Write to Sell Your Story
Level: All Format: Presentation/Q&A
There’s a difference between writing a book and writing to sell the book once it’s published. You are still telling your story, but the emphasis is different. In this class you will learn the process for writing marketing copy that helps you identify your target market (be it agent, publisher, book store owner or reader) and sell more books.

FICTION/GENERAL
St Helens A

9:00-10:00
Panel: Literary Agents Interactive Starts at 8:30 A.M. - Ends 9:30 A.M.
Level: All Format: Presentation Q&A

Join Scott Miller, Trident Media; Jenny Bent, The Bent Literary Agency; Matt Hudson, William Morris Endeavor; and Paul Fedorko, N.S. Bienstock Agency to discuss their company needs, personal histories, and other topics of interest to you.

9:30 to 10 am (after Lit Panel) "How to Kindle Success"
Alex Glass and Colleen Houck
Salem writer Colleen Houck ignored over 400 rejection letters, and self-published her “Tiger” series on Amazon’s CreateSpace. She landed at #22 on Kindles Bestseller list in a matter of months. Alex Glass of Trident Media Group noticed her success and signed her on. Film rights for Houck’s five book series have now been purchased for film. Come learn about this new door to success!

10:30-12:00
Hallie Ephron
Mystery Writing: a Crash Course
Level: Intermediate / Advanced
Format: Presentation/Q&A/Writing
You know you're reading a great mystery novel when you're up at three in the morning, unable to put it down. When you finally get to sleep, the characters go romping around in your dreams. You get to the final page and smack yourself in the head because the solution is a complete surprise, and yet so obvious in retrospect. This workshop is a crash course writing one of these suckers. We'll talk about: a compelling premise; a sleuth with a reason to care; the three-act structure with the required opening, ending, and major turning points; and using the revelation of secrets to propel the story forward.

1:30-3:00
Andrea Hurst and Gordon Warnock
Crafting Fiction that Sells in Today's Marketplace
Level: All Format: Presentation/Q&A/Writing Exercises
Fiction authors often overlook or underestimate the importance of knowing the business and commercial elements necessary to succeed in writing and selling their novels. In this class, taught from two publishing professionals’ points of view, literary agents Andrea Hurst and Gordon Warnock will discuss how to polish and present your fiction manuscript to stand out from the competition. Areas to be covered include: Is your book title compelling? Does your first line and first chapter hook the reader? Have you researched your plot to be sure it fits in a clear genre and appeals to the appropriate audience? Does your writing style and voice keep the reader invested in finding out what happens next? You will write back cover copy and learn how to professionally pitch your book so as to get noticed, get read, and up your chances of getting sold.
(double classroom)

3:30-5:00
Hallie Ephron
Back Story: Why It Matters and How to Layer It In
Level: All Format: Presentation/Q&A/Writing
In this workshop we'll talk about back story, what it is and why it matters. For instance, though characters "are" what they "do", every surprising action has to make sense in light of the character’s back story. The challenge for the novelist is finding "Page One" and then revealing back story without bogging down the front story.

FICTION/GENERAL
St Helens B

8:30-10:00
Penny Warner
That's What She Said
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A/Writing Exercises
Let's talk . . . about how to create realistic dialogue between your characters. Here you’ll find how to differentiate characters from one another, how to use dialogue to advance the story, show instead of tell, increase the pace, set the mood, create drama, reveal character, and avoid exposition, how to localize the dialogue without falling into awkward dialect, overusing attribution, how to avoid stereotypes in dialogue, and how to solve problems you encounter when writing dialogue. Workshop includes tips and suggestions, writing exercises, and answers to your questions.

10:30-12:00
Kohel Haver
Deconstructing and Negotiating Your Publishing Contracts
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Tools to analyze your contracts, understanding the important terms of a contract, understanding the process and how to identify the land mines, determining what you want to change from terms you don’t need to change, the difference between boilerplate terms and deal breakers.

NON-FICTION
Garden A/B

8:30-10:00
Sage Cohen
Get a Day Job: Boost Your Income and Creativity as a Copywriter
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Why have an either/or approach to a writing life when one can write for love AND for money and when each type of writing can benefit the other? A day job that utilizes writing skills can be an ideal way to keep up your chops and fill your inspiration fuel tanks while making a respectable living.

10:30-12:00
Julie Fast
The EMedia Publishing Revolution
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Multimedia publishing is truly revolutionizing the publishing world. In the past, only nonfiction writers were at the forefront of electronic publishing. Now that the Kindle, iPhone, and iPad are viable formats and audiences are more likely to buy electronic books, the market is also open for fiction and memoir writers. Once a writer knows how to use the various eMedia tools currently available, including the new Vook format, publishing can be uncomplicated and very lucrative. Authors can now create multimedia memoirs, sell eBooks off a web site, or record books as MP3s. Publishing has finally caught up with what many authors have known for years. Multimedia publishing is a viable, quick, and financially rewarding way to get ideas and stories on the market.

1:30-3:00
Julie Fast
Writing for Profit Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
How to increase your writing income through creative and business freelance markets. In the past, traditionally published books and magazines were the extent of paid opportunities for most writers looking for financial reward. Everything changed when publishing on the Internet became a viable way to make money with writing. This class will explore the myths and realities of making a profit in freelance writing and how an author today can combine traditional publishing opportunities with writing content for websites and blogs, online magazines, and specialty websites. The writing world is changing rapidly. Writers are no longer limited by publishing houses and are now free to create their own content to sell as they wish. Amazingly, the current explosion in multimedia publishing venues opens even more writing opportunities every day. This was simply unimaginable just ten years ago. It is possible to make money as a freelance writer. This class will show you how.

3:30-5:00
George Mason
Write to Change the World
Level: All
Format: Presentation Q&A
It is true that the "pen is mightier than the sword." But like the sword, the pen requires practice, and there are techniques for improving its impact. In this interactive session we will explore and practice both the art and the science of creating persuasive writing, and examine channels where your writing can produce the best effect, such as op-eds, blogs, letters to the editor, interviews and presentations.

CHILDREN'S/YA
Garden C

8:30-10:00
Panel: Literary Agents Interactive Starts at 8:30am - ends at 9:30am
Level: All Format: Presentation Q&A
Join Andrea Brown, Andrea Brown Literary Agency, Inc.; Stephen Fraser, Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency; Rebecca Frazer, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky; and Stephanie Von Borstel, Full Circle Literary, as they discuss their company needs, personal histories, and other topics of interest to you.

10:30-12:00
Penny Warner
It Was A Dark and Stormy Night
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A/Writing It was a dark and stormy night . . . but how do you maintain that sense of setting? Here you'll learn seven basic steps for creating a vivid sense of setting and how to make it come alive, much like a character in your story. Go beyond the ordinary and cliched to write a backdrop that sets a mood for your tale, includes details that contribute to the narrative, and even reveal your character. Use your senses to place your reader inside your story and make it realistic, authentic, and imaginative.

1:30-3:00
David Michael Slater
Word Up: Writing Dialogue that Soars
Level: All
Format: Presentation Q&A/Writing
David Michael Slater shares an amusing and informative presentation on the many ways dialogue can serve to give your writing depth and power.

3:30-5:00
Andrea Brown
The Hot YA Category
Level: Intermediate/Advanced Format: Presentation Q&A/Writing
Literary agent Andrea Brown will discuss the trends and requirements for the still hot young adult category. Her agency has three of the top ten New York Times bestsellers in this area, makes many six-figure deals for YA's and there are still many teens clamoring for more books. Brown will discuss how to break into this thriving market.

FILM
St Helens C

8:30-10:00
Panel: Film Agents & Managers Interactive Starts at 8:30 A.M - End 9:30 A.M. Level: All
Format: Presentation Q&A
Join Josh Kesselman, Principal Entertainment: Steve Crawford, Luber/Rolkin Entertainment; Chris Emerson, E-Squared; and Mike Esola, William Morris Endeavor, as they discuss their company needs, personal histories, and other topics of interest to you.

9:30am-10:00am, Film (after Film Panel)
Breaking In
Join professional screenwriter Geoff LaTulippe (Going the Distance, Breathers) for an informal Q&A about breaking into the biz, getting an agent, his perspective on the industry, how he went from closet typist to full-fledged screenwriter and any other questions burning a hole in your head.
Moderated by Dave Neustadter

10:30-12:00
Emerson/Skienna
Relax - It's Just Hollywood
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A/Interactive
Independent Manager/Producer Chris Emerson and Village Roadshow Pictures Executive Matt Skiena set out to demystify all things Hollywood. The focus will be on getting writers into the head-space of treating writing as a business, and to disregard the other “stuff” that gets in the way. Class will be very interactive.

1:30-3:00
Bryan Unkeless
The Life of a Screenplay: From Pitch to Screen
Level: Beginning/Intermediate
Format: Presentation/Q&A/Role Playing
An exploration of all the different players in the industry (writers, producers, executives, etc.), the different roles they play, and how these roles shape the way the industry functions as a whole.

3:30-5:00
Josh Kesselman
How to Solicit Represenation and How to Sell Yourself
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
This is an open forum Q & A class. Part 1 of the class: Each member will need to describe themselves in two sentences (without pitching any of their ideas). Part 2: I will give a brief description about myself. Part 3: Q & A about representation. No holds barred. However, no pitching in this class is permitted. I will have you removed! Straight to the principal's office. The questions should be geared towards – How does one go about soliciting an agent or manager for their work?

FILM 2
St Helens D

8:30-10:00
Luke Ryan
The Art of Pitching and Getting the Most from the Conference
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
A successful pitch requires much more than memorizing a few highlights from your script. Writers who succeed know their stories inside and out, but also know the importance of research and preparation. Learn the best way to research the person and company you’re pitching to, how to prepare your logline and pitch,

10:30-12:00
Julie Gray
Writing the Character Driven Script
Level: Beginning / Intermediate
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Ever see a movie and feel let down? As if somehow, there was no "there" there? Nine times out of ten it's because the characters were underdeveloped. Increasingly, writers focus mightily on plot but skimp on writing great characters. Yet without memorable characters, even the most original plot leaves audiences wanting for more. Writing great characters doesn’t have to be rocket science but it does take a great deal of thought and planning.

1:30-3:00
Luke Ryan
What's So Funny: Deconstructing Comedy
Level: Intermediate
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Comedy is the most popular genre in Hollywood, but also the most challenging to do well. As a comedy writer you're charged with the task of not only creating a story that can sustain itself over 90 minutes, but one that also keeps your audience laughing for 90 minutes. This workshop will cover story and character design, setup/payoff relationships, the different styles of comedy, what Hollywood is currently looking for, and over 20 techniques that can be used in designing funny beats and sequences. A must for comedy writers of all levels and styles.

3:30-5:00
Luke Ryan
From Script to Screen
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Format: Presentation/Q&A
A script travels a long and winding road from the moment it sells to its debut as a full-on feature film. Whether you’re the author who sold the spec or a screenwriter being hired for rewrites along the way, a knowledge of the entire process and the writer's place in it is vital. Luke will break down the entire journey from script to screen, from the first writer’s deal to the results after the opening weekend, using one of his films as an example. You'll see examples of writer deals, production schedules, miserably failed rewrites, test screening results, reshoot ideas, rejected marketing materials, and a whole bunch of other stuff that he'll probably get in trouble for showing you.

Back to top

SATURDAY

FICTION Cascasde A/B

8:30-10:00
Mary Andonian & April Eberhardt
Conference Success Basics
(Repeat from Friday; description Page 2)
Join Mary Andonian and April Eberhardt as they talk about the many ways to maximize your experience at the Willamette Writers conference. Topics include: who’s who at the conference, networking strategies, preparing your dossier, pitch etiquette/technique, and post-conference checklists. Questions encouraged. Pitch practice, if time permits.
10:30-12:00
Charlotte Cook
An Acquisition Editor Polishes Your Pages
Level: Beginning/Intermediate
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Ever wonder what an acquisition editor does when she reads your submission? Want to know when and why an editor stops reading or asks for more pages? Is it all yes or no? In this interactive session, listen to the initial thoughts and reactions of a publisher and acquisition editor all-in-one as she sorts through participants’ opening pages. Learn the difference between what peers suggest and when that works – what an industry professional advises and when that works. Don’t worry – no one gets skewered! Charlotte will give a balanced accounting of what drives an editor to keep reading, stop reading, or consider the work not ready for this level of scrutiny. Discussion and questions determine how quickly we move. Not everyone’s work will be covered nor all pages read. Participants may bring Charlotte a writing sample of no more than 750 words, manuscript formatted.

1:30-3:00
Charlotte Cook
Puzzle, Tension, Character
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Why do readers turn the page and keep reading? How do certain books, authors, and genres hold reader attention and even foster loyalty? Not all books can be blockbusters – but each can be so compelling as to keep the reader engaged throughout. Understanding the dynamic of Puzzle, Tension, Character will give you an actual strategy that works in everything from genre to literary, books to film. Charlotte provides examples, strategies, and insights, as well as answers writer questions about their own work – learning how to read like a story editor, sharpening a novel’s ability to be a “page-turner.” We might also discover why some manuscripts are rejected with: “Don’t know how to market this book.” Or sharpen your pitch and query letter by answering the question: Why would a reader turn the page of your manuscript?

3:30-5:00
Jill Marr
How to Craft a Winning Query
Level: Beginning
Format: Presentation/Q&A
For writers, pitches are everything. They’re your personal introduction, writing sample, and book outline all in one. Write a compelling query and you’re on your way to a book sale, or at least an ongoing relationship with the agent or editor. Write a lousy one and you’ll disappear into the slush pile. In this workshop, you will learn: How to surprise with fresh ideas How to tailor your query letter to the agent you’re pitching What agents look for in a query and what turns them off What makes an effective – and not-so effective – query letter Online query letters vs. print query How to package yourself

GENERAL/GENRES
Cascade C

8:30-10:00
Dane Marcel
Color for Writers
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Whether it is a red-hot deal, a red-tinged sunset, or a red dress, color adds descriptive detail to your writing. It also embeds meaning, both cultural and psychological. Join us as we explore the universal, profound psychological effects of the rainbow colors and learn some of the multicultural color symbolism that will help you add both nuance and depth to your writing. We’ll use classic tales, both Western and Eastern, to illustrate – so come prepared to enjoy a few good stories!

10:30-12:00
Gary Corbin
Business Planning
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Freelance writing can be a tough business. But you don’t have to make a deal with the devil to succeed. Instead, create a plan for success. Learn how a business plan can help you succeed, and the basics of developing one. Then learn how to find and open new markets you didn’t know existed, by marketing your skills as a writer and as a subject matter expert to paying customers. Hands-on exercises and worksheets will get you started. 1:30-3:00
Jeff Fisher
Social Networking
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Not all writers and authors have the advantage of personal media strategists and publishing house marketing departments supporting their promotion efforts. Jeff Fisher shares his own success resulting from the use of creative self-promotion, perfecting traditional public relations tools, taking advantage of online resources, making use of public speaking opportunities, establishing relationships with editors and publishers, and more.

3:30-5:00
Nancy Chrisit
Corporate Writing 101
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A/Interactive
While a byline is nice, it can take months to get the assignment and even longer to get paid. But when you undertake copywriting projects for businesses, the turnaround can be as short as a few days or weeks! In this workshop, you'll learn how to evaluate your own copywriting skills, identify potential clients, set your fees, and develop marketing strategies that can net you good-paying copywriting projects.

FICTION/GENERAL
St Helens A

9:00-10:00


Panel: Literary Editors Interactive Starts at 9 A.M.
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Join Adrienne Avila, The Berkley Publishing Group; Martin Biro, Kensington Publishing; Kerri Buckley, Random House Publishing Group; and Stacy Hague-Hill, Tor to discuss their company needs, personal histories, and other topics of interest to you.

10:30-12:00
Stephen Fraser Create the Perfect Elevator Pitch Level: Beginning Format: Presentation/Q&A
How to create an “elevator pitch” – presenting the essence of your book in a way that will capture a publisher’s attention.

1:30-3:00
Hallie Ephron
Point of View: What's the Big Deal?
Level: Beginning/Intermediate
Format: Presentation/Q&A/Writing
Point of view — you don’t even know what it is until you start trying to write fiction. Then the questions start. Whose story is this? First person or third? Can I use omniscient? What about multiple points of view? How to handle pointof- view shifts? Does it matter if the viewpoint slip-slides? How does POV relate to narrative voice? This workshop explores answers to all these questions and more.
(double classroom)

3:30-5:00
Hallie Ephron
After the End: Fly High/Fly Low Revision
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Format: Presentation/Q&A/Writing

So you've finished the first draft of your novel and you’re ready to revise. Where to begin? This workshop steps you through a revision process. Find out what’s not working and fix it, what's working and don’t mess with it. We start with how to hear criticism and translate comments into changes, then work our way from large issues (restructuring story, character, pacing) to small (polishing scenes and sentences) through analysis, leapfrog read-throughs, and multiple-pass rewrites.

FICTION/GENERAL
St Helens B

8:30-10:00
Robert Dugoni
Playing God:
Creating Memorable Characters
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Have you ever finished a book and been unable to forget the characters for days? Months? Even years? What is it about certain characters that makes them so memorable? Learn techniques to make your characters well-rounded individuals that will keep readers wondering about them long after they have finished your book.

10:30-12:00
Robert Dugoni
Techniques to Bring Your Novel Writing to Life
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Learn how to employ time-tested techniques of best-selling authors to improve your novel writing. This workshop will focus on catching and holding the reader’s attention in the first three pages while avoiding common mistakes – the seven deadly sins that can get a manuscript rejected and how to create and sustain tension, the key to keeping readers turning the page.

NON-FICTION
Garden A/B

8:30-10:00
Jessica Morrell
Now You're an Expert: Writing the How-to Book
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
In a quickly-changing world, publishers urgently need writers who can distill knowledge with passion, expertise, and depth. The how-to book remains a perennial bestseller, but a rapidly shifting marketplace requires that writers are aware of the latest trends and position themselves as the perfect person to provide expertise to readers. The workshop covers how an instructional book needs a logical structure, a voice and style appropriate for the subject, and some element that dazzles or sets it apart. Topics include how to find a niche, how to judge if a topic will interest publishers, the importance of research, and how to break new ground and inspire readers. Participants are encouraged to bring a brief written pitch for group discussion.

10:30-12:00
Nancy Christie
"Rut Busting"
Workshop for Writers
Level: Beginning/Itermediate
Format: Presentation/Q&A/Writing
Do you feel that your writing is stuck in a rut? Have important goals of your writing life been "put on hold"? Then it's time to get out of your "writing-rut" and start moving toward a more productive and successful writing life! This workshop will help you focus on your writing career by identifying your objectives and overcoming the barriers that get in your way. Start on your journey of change with activities that expand your sense of possibilities and show you ways to achieve success as a writer. Join other workshop participants in taking these first steps toward more productive and successful writing and renew the sense of joy that writing brings to your life.

1:30-3:00
Cheryl Strayed
Memoir: From the Mundane to the Meaningful: Making the Leap from Life to Art
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Have you ever read a memoir or personal essay and wondered, "Why does this matter?" Have you attempted to write about your own experiences and come up short, unable to reach beyond the confessional? Do you have an interesting/tragic/hilarious/amazing story that you'd like to get onto the page but you can't imagine how you'd first excavate and then clearly articulate the universal meaning of your deeply personal experience? The best nonfiction writers tell personal stories that transcend the personal. How do they do it? How can we? In this workshop we'll discuss how writers make the mundane meaningful and we'll experiment with how we can write our own stories that do the same.

3:30-5:00
Melissa Hart
Travel Writing for Newspapers and Magazines
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A/Interactive Wrting
Editors look for vivid, exciting text and photos from freelance travel writers. This specialized form of writing relies heavily on sensory details, research, and evocative prose. In an interactive and exciting multimedia presentation, students will learn how to identify viable topics for travel writing, the importance of keeping a travel journal, travel essays versus destination articles, how to incorporate interviews and research, how to research and craft a sidebar for a piece, how to use multimedia to entice editors and entertain readers, and how to approach editors with a completed travel essay or article.
Students will identify possible subjects for travel writing from their own hometown and interests. They’ll receive handouts with contact information for editors who accept freelance travel writing. They'll also receive a questionnaire to guide them in revising a rough draft, and a bibliography of books and periodicals related to travel writing.

CHILDREN'S/YA
Garden C

8:30-10:00


Andrea Brown
Demystifing the Children's Book Market
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A

Andrea Brown, president of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, Inc., has specialized in the children’s book market for over thirty years and this session will explain the different categories and genres and what writers need to know about length, subject matter, specifics, and age appropriateness to write for the strong children's book market.

10:30-12:00
Penny Warner
Plotting - Not Plodding - How to Write the Story One Scene at a Time
Level: Beginning/Intermediate
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Every story needs a structure or a plot. But as you tell the story, there's a lot in between Point A and Point B. You will learn how to write the story as a series of dynamically linked scenes., which can be written scene by scene. We'll study the 3-arc plot, which makes plotting very simple. This also makes it unpredictable for the reader, so there are lots of surprises, as well as twist and turns along the way. We'll do exercises to get you started with an exciting beginning, plot the middle part, take it to a satisfying ending - and free you, if you get stuck along the way.

1:30-3:00
Pamela Smith Hill
YA: Great Beginnings and Endings
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Where and how does a great story begin? How do you hook your readers–or an editor–with a compelling beginning that draws them into your characters' worlds and pulls them so deeply into your story that they can’t let go? And then, how do you reward those loyal readers with a satisfying and unforgettable ending? This workshop will explore these questions and more in a format laced with discussion, Q & A, and a mini-critique session. Bring a beginning and ending of your own to share with the critique group.

3:30-5:00
Addie Boswell
Picture Book Pacing and Poetry
Level: Beginning/Intermediate
Format: Presentation/Q&A/Writing
How does your picture book rate in read-aloud-ability? Does it have a cadence? Are there surprises in the language and the pagination? Dissect classic read-alouds and learn how to enhance your story with repetition, alliteration, and rhythm. These read-aloud tips will also enhance your presentations and expand your marketing appeal to schools and libraries.

FILM
St Helens C

8:30-9:30
Panel: Producers & Creative Execs
Interactive
Starts 8:30 A.M. Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Join Corey Sienega, La Sienega Productions/ David Kirschner Productions: Matt Milam, Warner Brothers; Bryan Unkeless, Color Force Productions; and Alexander Young, Josephson Entertainment as they discuss their company needs, personal histories, and other topics of interest to you. Moderated by Luke Ryan, MGM.

9:30am-10:00am: "War Stories"
Join professional screenwriter, Geoff LaTulippe for an informal Q&A about his writing process, story meetings with executives and other helpful Hollywood war stories. Moderated by Luke Ryan.

10:30-12:00
Luke Ryan/Dave Neustader
The New Hollywood
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
In the last few years Hollywood has gone through dramatic changes, from the number of movies being put into production to the way films are financed to the different platforms through which creative content can be delivered – and all of this affects writers. Luke and Dave break down the current Hollywood landscape and give you helpful insight into effective ways to launch and expand your career in the current marketplace.

1:30-3:00
Danny Manus
Become Your Own Development Executive:
Looking at Your Script from the Executive Perspective
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Writers always ask, ‘What is an executive looking for? How come they don’t see what I see?' This class will teach writers how to think, read, and write from the executive perspective. Topics covered include:
How a Development Exec reads a script – what they're looking for and the difference between how a writer reads and an executive reads.
So take a seat and find out how to make the most of your talent and time in a fun, logical, (proven!) process!

3:30-5:00
Luke Rran
Harry Potter and the Truckroads of Cash:
Writing a Great Fantasy Script
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
The majority of the top grossing films of all time are members of the Fantasy genre. This genre more than any other engages the audience's sense of wonder and attacks the boring and trivial aspects of day-to-day life. And it's not all about elves, dragons, and wizards either – fantasy elements have been used by classic comedy, horror, and action films as well. Discussion will include common story structures, character design, and ways to build fantasy worlds and the very important rules that go with them. We'll also talk a little bit of Science Fiction – how sci-fi elements are often used to enhance Fantasy stories and what the differences are between the two genres.

FILM 2
St Helens D

8:30-10:00
Ray Miller TV: The Narrative and the BusinessB Level: Beginning
Format: Presentation Q&A/Writing
An overview of television from both a business perspective and a creative perspective. We will cover the basics of the business of television and how it works as compared to the feature business. We will also cover one-hour and half-hour shows and how they differ and the unique challenges of the format.

10:30-12:00
Jackie Blain
Why Are My Characters Saying These Things
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
This workshop is a great deal of fun and is filled with all kinds of useful tools. The bulk of the workshop consists of short exercises where students answer questions about their own problematic characters, a two-part writing exercise (creating a character, writing a dialogue scene), and a reading-aloud and feedback time. Expected outcomes for the audience will be immediately useful strategies for 1) creating characters in a way that goes beyond writing the usual laundry-list of character traits, and 2) developing an individual voice for each character that doesn't sound like the writer.

1:30-3:00
Jackie Blain
Do I Really Have to Revise
An Advanced Revision Workshop
Level: Advanced
Format: Presentation/Q&A/Interactive
This workshop is hands-on and interactive. Expected outcomes for the audience will be immediately useful tools such as the reverse outline to address their current revision questions as well as strategies that could help them even in the planning stages.

3:30-5:00
Julie Gray
Testing for Originality
Level: Beginning/Intermediate
Format: Presentation/Q&A/Writing
There's a well-kept secret in Hollywood: it's not the BEST writers who succeed, necessarily. No, it's the good enough writers – with great ideas. If content is the king of the land, an exciting, uniquely entertaining, totally original idea is Emperor of the Universe. Find out how to test our idea for seaworthiness before spending months writing your script.

Back to top

SUNDAY

FICTION
Cascade A/B

8:30-10:00


Charlotte Cook
The BS in Backstory and Other Writing Strategies to Reconsider
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
This workshop for writers of all genres will introduce a writing for love + writing for money lifestyle mix that can help: Back story, untagged dialogue, and prologues are overused and misused writing strategies that can keep an otherwise talented writer and strong manuscript from finding an agent and publisher. The right implementation actually attracts readers, agents and publishers, supporting the pace and momentum of the work. With her experience as a "page-turning" editor and publisher, Charlotte Cook creates an interactive workshop in which participants will see their own use of these strategies improve and highlight their strengths. Charlotte will provide handouts and use some examples from submissions and specific questions from participants to demonstrate how to better integrate back story, use tags to develop dialogue, and choose prologues that aren’t cliché.

10:30-12:00
Nancy Christie
Fun with Words: Interactive Writing Workshop Designed to "Jump-Start" Your Creative Spirit
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A/Interactive
Have you been so busy writing for work that you have forgotten about writing for fun? Do you long to return to the days when you explored your literary creativity without worrying what your editors, clients or readers would say? In this very interactive workshop, you’ll have the opportunity to return to the literary "playground" where you and your other writing "playmates" can have fun with words!

1:15-2:30
L.J. Sellers
Your First Draft Doesn't Have to Suck
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Most writers believe the first draft of their novel will inevitably be bad. They get the idea from other writers, such as Anne Lamott, who has a chapter called Shitty First Drafts. This doesn’t have to be the case. First drafts are never perfect, but they don’t have to suck either. This workshop will teach novelists how to write a great first draft. It will demonstrate how to outline, how to stay organized, and how to craft a story that has consistent character details and a logical execution. The 10-point guideline includes concepts such as writing out the story logic, creating a character file, and mapping the timeline. Regardless of how long you’ve been writing fiction, this workshop has something new to offer. For series authors, this workshop could be essential.

3:00-4:15
Jill Kelly
When Is My Manuscript Ready to Pitch or Publish
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Format: Presentation/Q&A
You’ve worked and reworked the manuscript until you’re out of creative juice and just moving the commas around. Come to this interactive discussion with a professional editor and discover the checklist that will help you know when you’re ready to pitch or publish, a checklist no one gives you. Tips, exercises, Q&A.

GENERAL/GENRES
Cascade C

8:30-10:00
Mary Rosenblum
Science in Science Fiction - Without the PhD
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A/Writing
Science fiction readers are willing to suspend their disbelief, but only so far. The science may not be real, but it must be plausible. If you don’t happen to have a PhD in rocket science or microbiology, how do you make your rocket scientist or microbiologist seem real? And how much science is simply too much? Where does gee-whiz end and classroom lecture begin? We'll talk about embedding the science, 'showing' readers how things work rather than lecturing, and finding the balance between too much and not enough. We'll cover resources and research – how to get the most bang for your research buck and how research can create the story for you.

10:30-12:00
Monica Drake
Cut the Fat, Show the Muscle: Building Powerful Sentences
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A/Writing
Good writing is constructed of one compelling sentence after another. What makes a successful author’s work stand out in a stack of submissions? The answer is in the sentences. In this hands-on and discussion-based workshop, students will learn ways to increase the impact of each sentence, and leave with specific skills to craft richer, more powerful prose.

1:15-2:30
Samantha Waltz
Tell'Em & Sell'Em: How to Write and Market Personal Stories
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A/Writing
In this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to pull up a story from within, begin to polish it, and decide where to submit it. They will get tips for identifying story ideas, and for creating successful leads, compelling plots, sensory-rich settings, and convincing characters. They will also have the opportunity to explore markets and discuss effective ways to place their personal stories.

3:00-4:15
Ellen Urbani
Create Your Masterpiece Critique Group
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Learn how to create a writer's critique group designed with longevity and efficacy in mind. This panel presentation will be made up of writers who have benefited enormously from said participation and plan to share their hard-won knowledge: How best to choose members (initially and over the years), how to find a structure that works for your needs, how to give/receive honest feedback without splintering, how to handle conflict and retain membership. Attendees will benefit from online 'matchmaking,' allowing them to connect with people in their hometowns interested in starting new critique groups.

FICTION/GENERAL
St Helens A

8:30-10:00
Larry Brooks
Heroes and Villains:
How to Write Compelling Characters in Three Dimensions
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Books and workshops are everywhere on the topic of characterization. For the most part all of them are valuable, and we can never get too much mentoring on this topic. Then again, it’s good to hear it presented from a new perspective, which is what this workshop will deliver. So often our characters are criticized as flat or one-dimensional. While implied, few really understand what the term dimension means in that context. It’s an analogy, and we need more clarity than that when it comes to imbuing our heroes and villains with depth and complexity at an appropriate and compelling level. This workshop will succinctly define all three dimensions, with examples for each. It will show that each has a different function and therefore a different effect, and how mishandling this dynamic, or omitting it altogether, can be the thing that blocks the path to publication. In doing so the session will also identify and dissect the most common and insidious of characterization mistakes, and provide tools that allow a writer to take their work to a higher level in this regard.

10:30-12:00
Bill Johnson Spirit of Storytelling
Level: Advanced
Format: Presentation/Q&A/Writing
Some writers struggle because they make a main character in a novel an extension of the author. This often leads to a diffuse main character and more interesting, and active, minor characters. This workshop will offer a quick review of the mechanics of storytelling as set out in Bill Johnson's A Story is a Promise, then introduce some techniques to help authors dramatically define story characters in a way that gives those characters an inner life free from a need to be a pale reflection of the author’s issues. There will also be some techniques taught to help authors understand how and why a story speaks to a particular audience, versus creating a story designed to only reflect something back to the author.

1:15-2:30
Elizabeth Enstrom
How to Write a Sizzing Sex Scene
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Fiction is about people, and people have sex. This fun class will teach you how to write a hot sex scene that will titillate your readers without offending them.

3:00-4:15
Elizabeth Engstrom
The Art of the Short Story
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Writing short stories can be quite a satisfactory creative outlet. But is it a waste of time? Should you be working on your novel instead? This class will focus on the structure of the short story, how and why you should write them, and a few marketing hints.

FICTION/GENERAL
St Helens B

8:30-10:00
Eric Witchey
Levers, Rachets, and Buttons: Creating Emotional Tension
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A/Interactive
This interactive seminar demonstrates techniques for generating and managing emotional tension in your fiction, long or short. Award-winning writer Eric Witchey leads this exploration of techniques and will demonstrate how to use back story to create emotional leverage, indirect dialog to ratchet up the tension, and personal wounds to create compelling, revealing buttons your characters won’t be able to resist pushing.

10:30-12:00
Eric Witchey
Variations on a Scene
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A/Interactive
This interactive seminar demonstrates how to derive variations on scene structure and scene sequence from a classically structured scene. Award-winning writer Eric Witchey will demonstrate the power of breaking your scenes, knitting them together, and setting them up to support one another in switchback plotting.

1:15-2:30
Jessica Morrell
Blood, Roses, & Mosquitoes: Writing with Details
Life is breathed into stories by translating the senses onto the page, producing stories rooted in the physical world. Action and dialogue arrest the reader's attention, but sensory details assure the reader that they're actually occurring. This workshop will teach writers about using a painter's approach to writing with details and what details accomplish: they give readers a sense of place, describe characters and action, and add tension and mood to scenes. In nonfiction, details make experiences poignant, sensory, and alive. We'll cover what each of the senses contributes to storytelling and the many purposes of using details. These include explaining the unusual or extraordinary; breathing life into the familiar; unleashing a flood of emotions in readers; and providing forward motion to the story or piece.

3:00-4:15
Larry Brooks
Process Vs Product: What You Absolutely Need to Know about Your Story Before it Can Work
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Every craft has its principles. You wouldn’t think of building a table or flying an airplane or taking out an appendix without first mastering them. And yet, many writers regard storytelling as a free-form exercise in creativity that, at the end of the day, has no rules or principles. But there are principles inherent to the craft of writing great stories, and while an organic make-it-up-as-you-go approach can work (usually with significant revisions) as well as story-planning, both processes rely on those principles to deliver a well-told story. One just takes a little longer than the other. The real problem, though, no matter which process is applied, is when the writer doesn’t understand or – worse – ignores those principles altogether. This workshop will introduce the Nine Essentials a writer needs to wrap their head around before they begin writing, at a minimum, if they hope to succeed.

NON-FICTION
Garden A/B

8:30-10:00
Lidnia Yuknavitch
Writing from Your Life: The Art of Your Life
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Writing/Q&A
In this workshop we will explore how to "cull" events and experiences from your life and represent them in creative nonfiction. Following the motif of the graceful lie, we will both discuss and practice the art of creative nonfiction as a mode of storytelling that reaches into the real and emerges with the artful representation of self and selfstory. Participants will work on short writing fragments that we then piece together by the end of the workshop to produce a working draft for a future creative nonfiction piece. Participants will also be given a wealth of resources for both reading and publishing creative nonfiction.
In this workshop, students will learn how to identify viable topics for memoir, what editors want in terms of style and content, how to structure memoir around a key theme or themes, what to put in and what to leave out, how not to get sued when writing about people you know, how to navigate the difficulties of writing from memory, when to use dialogue, and how to approach editors and literary agents with your memoir.

10:30-12:00
Roy Stevenson
Going from Good Idea to Sold Idea
My Seven-Step Process for Banking By-Lines
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
How did this newcomer to freelance writing manage to have 200 articles published more than 400 times in 30 months? Roy Stevenson has developed a system that has resulted in a 95% acceptance rate for his story pitches in over 130 different magazines, e-zines, in-flights, and newspapers. Find out how and why freelance writers should diversify their genres for magazine articles, and why they need not be experts on their topics. Learn why you should research your topic before pitching the editor, and where to find magazines, newspapers, and e-zines to pitch. Other keys to freelance writing success revealed are how to use writer’s guidelines, pitching your story, and managing multiple submissions.

1:15-2:30
Roy Stevenson
How to Create Irresistible Query Letters to Magazine Editors
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Format: Presentation/Writing/Q&A
Without a well-constructed and enticing query letter, you are not likely to find your articles getting published. The query letter is your chance to convince the editor that you have a topic that his or her magazine absolutely must have, or they’ll be missing out, big time! Freelance magazine writer, Roy Stevenson, shares some of his secrets that have led to him being published over 400 times in more than 130 different magazines, newspapers, e-zines, and inflights. Learn the ten essential parts to a query letter, and how to best sequence them. Find out the top five reasons why editors reject your queries, and the classic query letter mistakes that have “beginner” stamped all over them. You’ll see samples of real query letters that have reaped multiple assignments for this freelancer. Time permitting, you’ll get a chance to scribble a skeleton query letter in class, with instructor and audience feedback.
Students should bring pad and pen to create own query letter outline.

3:00-4:15
Christina Katz
The Prosperous Writer: Career Strategies for Staying Flush
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Exercises
Let's rewrite the mythos of the starving-artist writer. When you fuel a writing career with prosperous thinking, partner with like-minded others, repeat what works, and keep long-term success in mind, navigating a professional path becomes a pleasurable, creative process. In this workshop, you’ll learn strategies from experienced writers that pay the bills and make publication more likely. Through a combination of writing, teaching, speaking, editing, and/or freelancing on topics you enjoy, you can get published and earn.

CHILDREN'S/YA
Garden C

8:30-10:00
Pamela Smith Hill
So What Is YA Anyway?
A Writer's Guide to This Bewildering Category
Level: Beginning
Format: Presentation
Where and how does a great story begin? How do you hook your readers-- or an editor-- with a compelling beginning that draws them into your characters’ worlds and pulls them so deeply into your story that they can’t let go? And then, how do you reward those loyal readers with a satisfying and unforgettable ending? This workshop will explore these questions and more in a format laced with discussion, Q & A, and a mini-critique session. Bring a beginning and ending of your own to share with the critique group.

10:30-12:00
Christine Fletcher
Close to the Bone: Writing the YA Novel
Level: Beginning/Intermediate
Format: Presentation/Exercises
What distinguishes the young adult novel from adult fiction? How do you translate premise to prose in a way that speaks to teens? In this workshop, we’ll explore how the essential elements of fiction–voice and character, conflict and plot, language and pacing–come together in the YA novel. How should you handle slang? What is the cell phone dilemma, and how do you get around it? We’ll explore YA books currently on the shelves to see what makes them tick, and discuss techniques to make your own YA world come to life.

1:15-2:30
Rosanne Parry
Characer and the Seven Deadly Sins: Developing Depth in Your Characters
Level: Beginning/Intermediate
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Compelling characters are multi-faceted, and rich in their motivations. Using the seven deadly sins as a template, examine your own story characters for hidden depth and shape them toward greater complexity. This workshop will include presentation, discussion, and writing exercises. Please bring a character from a work in progress to develop.

3:00-4:15
Christine Fletcher Then What Happens? Wrestling with Plot
Level: Beginning/Intermediate
Format: Presentation/Q&A
The perfect plot is like the perfect butler: invisible, and yet without it, nothing gets done. In this interactive workshop, we’ll discuss the elements of plot, as well as different techniques of plot development. We’ll address lackluster beginnings, the dreaded sagging middle, and how to troubleshoot when you’ve hit a dead end. Bring a pen and paper, and come ready to make stuff happen.

FILM
St Helens C

8:30-10:00
Randall Jahnson
Second to None: Writing a Dynamic Act Two
Level: Beginning/Intermediate
Format: Presentation/Q&A
When F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “There are no second acts in American lives,” he could have been referring to screenplays as well. The second act is frequently the longest, the weakest, and the most overlooked and least understood of a script’s three acts, yet it is the most crucial to a screenplay’s success. Unlike the beginning and ending, the middle act poses unique challenges which is why it perpetually bewitches, bothers, and bewilders even the most experienced dramatic writers. This workshop will focus on elements and techniques that make for a dynamic Act II. Topics will include: how to maintain or increase momentum and dramatic tension; when and where to add character development and sub-plots; using obstacles and complications; structure.

10:30-12:00
Julie Gray

Top Ten Things Readers Hate
Hollywood Script Readers are the ultimate gatekeepers and writers need to understand how to get by them. This very popular lecture reviews the top ten mistakes other screenwriters make – and shows you how to avoid them. It’s hard enough to get your script into the right hands. Learn how to avoid the basic mistakes that stops other writers dead in their tracks.

1:15-2:30
Cynthia Whitcomb
The First Ten Pages
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A/Video Clips
The first ten are the most important pages in your screenplay. Cynthia will teach you how to hook an audience, get them to quickly invest in a protagonist, how to reveal genre, convey your theme through visual symbolic imagery, and how to create a catalyst that will get your story launched. The class will include clips of great movie openings. 3:00-4:15
Cynthia Whitcomb
Writing Love Stories
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A/Video Clips
This class is equally important to novelists and screenwriters. Whether it is your central story or a subplot, knowing how to write a believable romantic relationship is one of the essential tools in any writer’s toolkit. From the Meet Cute, Cynthia will walk you through the essential aspects of writing relationships. The Crack in the shell that allows people to fall into each other. The Obstacle between people that is necessary for a love story to work. And the answer to the all-important question "Why you?" This is the mechanics of love story anatomy. Film clips will be shown.

FILM 2
St Helens D

8:30-10:00
Stacy Chattaway
The Book Was Better than the Movie:

How the Right Book CAN Be Made into a Great Film Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Have you ever wondered how to tell if a book will make a successful film? How does a book make the transition from bestselling novel to Oscar-winning movie? This class will explore what literary agents and studio executives look for when reading manuscripts with a view to adapt them into film. We will also discuss how important story decisions are made during the development of an adapted screenplay without risk of hearing those dreaded words “The Book Was Better Than The Movie."

10:30-12:00
Danny Manus
Loglines, Query Letters, and One Pagers--Oh My!
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Q&A
Class will cover how to construct proper loglines, query letters and one-pagers, what to include and what not to include, how they each differ from each other and why each is important, what executives are looking for, and how to write ones that grab attention and sell! Writers can bring their loglines with them and we will see how to improve each one (as many as time allows). A Q&A will also be included.

1:15-2:30
Evan Stuart
Four-Layered Characterization
Level: Beginning
Format: Presentation
Thesis: by starting with true, dynamic characters, the writer then creates: strong three act structure, authentic sounding dialogue, and both plot and character arc throughout the story.

3:00-4:15
Randall Jahnson
Real to Reel: The Joys and Dangers of Writing a Bio-Pic
Level: All
Format: Presentation/Workshop
Writers building a screenplay based on historical or contemporary persons face difficult questions: Should historical accuracy trump entertainment value? What facts do I include or exclude? How much “poetic license” should I take? What if it “didn’t happen that way”? How do I get into a dead person’s head? This workshop is aimed to help screenwriters answer those questions and more as they navigate through the often rough and confusing waters between fact and fiction. Research, dramatic scope, composite characters, period, and technical dialogue are a few of the subjects that will be covered in addition to discussing and viewing film clips of successful and disastrous biopics.