2009 MWW Faculty

Part I: One-Day Intensive Sessions

Additional Part II Faculty

2009 Faculty Bios

WILLIAM KENT KRUEGER

Kent is the author of the best-selling Cork O’Connor mystery series set in the great Northwoods of Minnesota. His work has received a number of awards including four Minnesota Book Awards, the Anthony Award for Best First Novel, and back-to-back Anthony Awards for Best Novel in 2005 and 2006. Kicked out of Stanford University for fomenting revolution, he logged timber, worked construction, and researched human development before becoming a full-time mystery author. His work has been optioned by Hollywood and translated into more than a dozen languages. He does all his creative writing in booth #4 of a local coffee shop.

Part II sessions:

  • Suspense: More Than A Ticking Bomb -- Suspense is as old as the art of storytelling itself, and the techniques for keeping your readers on the edge of their seats are more plentiful than you imagine.

  • Maximize Your Use of Setting -- Why set your story on a bare stage when it’s so easy to create a world as colorful and alive and eccentric as any character in your book?

  • Powerful Beginnings and Stirring Endings -- If you grab your readers with a dynamite opening and leave them with an ending they can’t forget, they’ll gladly forgive the mistakes that may come in between.

  • The Compelling Protagonist -- Go beyond the cliché hero and create a central character that readers will flock to read about book after book after book.

JOHN GILSTRAP

John Gilstrap is the New York Times bestselling author of six thrillers, the latest of which, NO MERCY will be released on June 27.  His previous books include Six Minutes To Freedom, Scott Free, Even Steven, At All Costs, and Nathan’s Run, four of which were selections of the Literary Guild.  His novels have been translated into more than 20 languages.  John has also adapted four bestselling novels for the big screen: Red Dragon (uncredited) from the Thomas Harris novel for Dino DeLaurentiis Productions, Word Of Honor (from the Nelson DeMille novel, for Dino DeLaurentiis Productions); Young Men And Fire (from the Norman Maclean book, for Baltimore/Spring Creek Pictures/Warner Brothers); and Nathan’s Run (from his own novel, also for Warner Brothers).  He is currently under contract to write the screenplay for Six Minutes To Freedom for Sesso Entertainment.  A former firefighter, EMT, and explosives safety expert, John holds a master’s degree in safety engineering from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree in history from the College of William and Mary in Virginia.  Please visit www.johngilstrap.com.

Part II sessions:

  • From The Page To The Screen: Adapting a Book For Hollywood -- We've all said it at one time or another: "The movie just wasn't as good as the book."  John Gilstrap thinks that the comparison is inherently unfair.  Having adapted his own book, plus the works of Nelson DeMille, Thomas Harris and Norman Maclean for the big screen, you should hear what he has to say.  In this session, John will describe the creative and technical steps for taking a story from its original form on paper to projection on the screen.

  • The Dark Side of Success: The Things That Agents and Editors Will Never Tell You -- You say you want that big advance and a lot of publicity for you book, but John Gilstrap warns you to be careful what you wish for.  He's learned the hard way that success brings throngs of people who lay in wait, ready to celebrate the failure that is far more likely than the hoped-for victory.  In this session, John will offer an insider's view of how what looks good at first glance might actually be trouble waiting to happen.

  • Broken Bones, Ballistics and Burns: Technical Stuff That Writers Should Get Right -- Nothing ejects a reader out of a story faster than fumbled details.  Drawing on his expertise as a firefighter, EMT, safety engineer and explosives safety expert, John Gilstrap will give you the lowdown on how bullets behave, what happens when they impact the body, what everybody gets wrong about fires, and other stuff that every writer should know before they start shooting people on the page.

  • Quit Whining and Send Another Query: Keeping Rejection in Perspective -- The book business can seem far more unforgiving than it really is.  New York Times bestselling Author John Gilstrap collected 27 rejections before he found his first agent, and in this session he'll share tips not just for handling rejection, but for planning the celebration when that telephone call you've been waiting for finally comes. 

DIANNE DRAKE

Dianne Despain, writing as Dianne Drake for Harlequin Books, entered romance writing by way of a non-fiction career, where she wrote 7 nonfiction books and hundreds of articles for most of the leading women’s magazines - Family Circle, Woman’s Day, Better Homes & Gardens, Ladies’ Home Journal, Parenting, etc. The majority of her topics were structured around consumer advice, concentrating on health issues, savvy consumerism, antiques and topics involving disability. Her first nonfiction book dealt with getting published in magazines, her second , which became a Doubleday Bookclub featured alternate, dealt with shopping and living with antiques . Her next five books, all for Consumer Guides, covered various health topics, money issues and consumerism for seniors. Dianne’s first romance novel for Harlequin was published in 2001 (The Doctor Dilemma) and was voted a reader top five favorite for that year. Her 23th from Harlequin - Found: A Mother for His Son - was released this month, and she has a list of books already written scheduled for release throughout 2010. She has written romantic comedy for both Harlequin Duets and Flipside, and at the present writes medical romance and straight contemporary romance for the Harlequin Mills & Boon Medical and Harlequin Romance lines. Besides the traditional paperback version, in which all of Dianne’s romance novels are released, her books are also published in Harlequin’s limited hardback program as well as their new large-print hardback program, and their newest eBook format. Her romance novels have been translated into 17 languages, and she’s even found herself on bestseller lists in Germany and France.  www.DianneDrake.com or Dianne@DianneDrake.com

Part II sessions:

  • The Nonfiction Book Proposal Package

  • Romance Writing 101: What it Is, How to Get Started, Who Writes It, The Categories Defined

  • Second Bananas, Why We Need Them, How to Construct Them, How to Use Them (sometimes over and over again)

  • Editing, Layering, Revising and All That Necessary Fiction Jazz - (interactive session)

GINGER KOLBABA

Ginger Kolbaba is editor of women’s resources, including Today’s Christian Woman magazine and Marriage Partnership.com, both award-winning publications of Christianity Today International. She has been a columnist for Let’s Worship and has published more than 250 articles. Also an accomplished book author, Ginger has written or contributed to fifteen books, including Surprised by Remarriage: A Guide to the Happily Even After (Revell) and her most recent novel series, Secrets from Lulu’s Café (Howard/Simon & Schuster), which includes Desperate Pastors’ Wives, A Matter of Wife and Death, and the newly released Katt’s in the Cradle. Ginger worked as a professional actress and singer before making the transition to more solitary roles behind a computer.  Visit her at www.GingerKolbaba.com

Part II sessions:

  • Ghostwriting/Collaboration: Make Money Writing for Somebody Else -- Learn how to get started, the tricks of the trade, what to be aware of, and how to succeed in a profitable way to write.

  • The So-What Factor: Anticipating Readers' Questions and Reactions to Your Writing -- This class will focus on how to make sure that you don't fall victim to one of the worst sides of writing--that your writing doesn't become self-indulgent, but really meets the needs of the reader.

  • Article Writing Tips Every Editor Wants You to Know -- There's a special skill to writing articles--whether they're in print or online. This editor will share what she wishes every writer knew about writing and the best ways for writers to break into the business and succeed.

  • The Writer-Editor Relationship: What Makes a Good One -- So much about the writing business is about nurturing a great relationship between you and your editors. We'll discuss sure-fire ways to impress and to nab those coveted assignments.

ERIC BUTTERMAN

Eric Butterman is a freelance writer and teacher who's written for more than 100 publications, including Glamour and ESPN.com. His articles have allowed him to do everything from chat with Venus Williams about her killer serve to find out Action Film Director John Woo would actually love to direct a musical. His students have credited his courses with helping them sell an article for as much as $4,000 and make four-figure deals before the course was even over. Butterman concentrates on using actual pitches that sold as examples and taking you through an understanding of every step that goes into succeeding in writing--including negotiating deals and how to turn one assignment into many. He's been a freelance instructor for the Editorial Freelancers Association, JournalismJobs.com and Ed2010.com. In addition, he's lectured at NYU and Harvard.

Part II sessions:

  • Making A Living At Sports Writing -- Learn how to sell more sports articles and write strong pieces on a short deadline (like just after the game ends!). Learn how to expand your thinking when pitching ideas--baseball's great but there's hundreds of sports out there and those could be an easier way in. If you love sports, it's time to share it with a reader and make some money at it. Butterman students have sold sports articles for as much as $4,000 and one even landed a staff position at Sport Diver!

  • How To Make Money In A Bad Economy -- With publishing companies laying off workers, freelance writers offer them a cheaper alternative--yep, you might actually make MORE money. You'll learn pitching from actual pitches which sold for $1,000 or more. I'll show you how following up on the phone could double your writing business. Plus, I'll even give you one email strategy which resulted in five figures in articles--no pitch involved.

  • Achieving The Writing Career You Want -- The sad truth is the success of a writer isn't usually just based on talent. It's often about who's the most organized, has a clear plan for future goals and understands how to best execute it. We'll look at how to make the most of literally every hour you devote to your writing career. This covers everything from finding the balance between pleasing clients and getting new ones to creating a "career map" which will allow you to see where you want to be a year from now. Change can come fast--if you're moving in the right direction!

  • Friday lunch speaker

DENNIS HENSLEY & HOLLY MILLER

Dennis E. Hensley, Ph.D., is a contributing editor for Writers' Journal and the author of eight textbooks on writing, including How to Write What You Love and Make a Living at It (Random House). He has written 51 books, including Millennium Approaches (Avon), Uncommon Sense (Bobbs-Merrill), and Money Wise (Harvest House). He directs the professional writing major at Taylor University. His 3,000 freelance articles have appeared in Reader's Digest, Success, People, The Writer, Writer's Digest, and Downbeat, among dozens of others.

Holly Miller is an editor with The Saturday Evening Post and co-author of Feature & Magazine Writing (Wiley, 2009). She and Dennis Hensley have collaborated on four novels and three nonfiction books.

Their Thursday interactive Intensive Session Manuscript Makeover is designed for those fiction and non-fiction writers who are ready to take a quantum leap forward in enhancing their writing skills. Participants will submit 5-to-10 pages of a manuscript in progress. The instructors will edit and critique these pages and display them (anonymously) to the class as a way of revealing strengths and weaknesses in the material. Additionally, the instructors will lead the students in writing exercises and offer advice on such topics as enhancing dialogue, learning to self-edit, mastering proofreading, finding the right markets for manuscripts and knowing when and how to go into writing full-time. This session is limited to the first 20 persons to register. Please submit your sample manuscript pages with your registration.

 JANE FRIEDMAN

Jane Friedman is publisher and editorial director of the Writer's Digest brand community at F+W Media in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she oversees Writer's Digest magazine, Writer’s Digest Books, and the Writer's Market series. Writer's Digest is the world’s #1 resource and community for writers, and for more than 85 years has published the best-selling annual reference guide, Writer’s Market. She has a near-daily blog, There Are No Rules (blog.writersdigest.com/norules).

Part II sessions:
  • Essential Online Tools for Marketing and Promotion (Part 1 & 2) -- Your ability to market and promote yourself online affects your ability to get published and stay published. In today’s tough environment, writers must be savvy about their online activities and understand the key tools available, to increase their chances at publication and to improve book sales. This session will cover social networking sites, blogging tools, and basic website building. After this session, you’ll know the next steps for building your online presence in a way that leads to more meaningful exposure for you and your writing.
  • Building Your Platform: A Hands-on Brainstorm for All Writers -- When writers hear about the need to have a “platform,” many don’t know where to start (or what it even means). In this session, you’ll learn what a platform is, how you can start building it, and how to cultivate it over the long term, whether you’re published or not. Bring a 100-word summary of your book (your hook or your pitch) to read out loud, and Jane and the group will offer concrete ideas and suggestions of how to reach out to your potential audience.
  • The Newest Tools and Sites for Writers Looking to Get Discovered -- There are more alternative tools than ever for getting your work out into the public eye (and in front of editors and agents), without going through the traditional channels of query letters and slush piles. Learn about some of the new community sites (e.g., WeBook, Authonomy) and alternative publishing options (e.g., Smashwords, Lulu) that might be right for you and your work.

JOANNA STAMPEL-VOLPE

Joanna Stampfel-Volpe is an agent with Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation.  She represents everything from children’s books (chapter books to YA, both non-fiction and fiction), to adult fiction (speculative, romance, historical, paranormal, unique fantasy, literary, dark comedy, dark drama, horror) and she will occasionally take on a strong narrative non-fiction with environmental or food (or both!) elements. What she is NOT looking for right now: picture books, cookbooks, mysteries, screenplays, poetry, short story collections, epic fantasy, hi-science fiction, academic non-fiction, thrillers, westerns.

  • The Dreaded Synopsis -- What to include and not include your synopsis, how long it should be, how it is different from an outline, why agents ask for it, etc. (includes group exercises & Q&A)

DIANE FREED

Senior Associate, FinePrint Literary Management

Diane has been in the book publishing field her entire career, and with FinePrint since 2006 where she represents both non-fiction and fiction writers. She is looking for non-fiction projects in the categories of advice/relationships, spirituality, health/fitness, memoir, narrative nonfiction, popular culture, lifestyle, women's issues, the environment, and humor. Her fiction interests generally are commercial and literary fiction, including women's commercial fiction. Inspirational writing, both fiction and non-fiction, particularly appeals to her. Whatever the genre, often it's the humorous touches that win her over. Along with agenting, as a book packager in the Boston area Diane has owned and managed an independent publishing services company, providing services to major book publishers, including Addison-Wesley/Pearson, McGraw-Hill, and Harvard Business School Press. Prior to this she was a production supervisor of trade titles at Addison-Wesley. At U.S. News & World Report she edited a reference book on the Vietnam War and supervised editorial production of series books. At Wellesley College, she facilitated a book publishing collaboration that incorporated Stone Center theory of women's development into college psychology texts. Diane has a B.S. in journalism from the University of Illinois.

INGRID CUMMINGS

Ingrid is an author, science writer, radio-show host, and international speaker. A Contributing Editor at Indianapolis Monthly magazine and an award-winning newspaper columnist, she also teaches college classes, hosts a local radio show called Rubicon Salon, and provides editorial services. Named one of “Eight to Watch in ’08” by the Indianapolis Star, her first book, The Vigorous Mind, is freshly published by HCI.  www.rubiconbrio.net

Part II sessions:

  • Is Writing Art, or Craft? -- This presentation is an exploration of the luscious tension between the two poles that all artists, including writers, must negotiate:  Art and Craft.  This is a tender, touchy subject, and writers often shy away from it, fearing they’ll be branded by association with either extreme.  We’ll be discussing the nature of talent, marketability, money, reputation, status, publicity, cultural mores, the artistic ego, business practices, and other real-world concerns of writers of all stripes.  We’ll also tackle whether any of this truly matters in the production of quality copy.  The foundation of this topic actually is this: what is the nature of art in our time?  Is writing an art or a craft? 

  • The Artist’s Way:  The Answer is Creativity No Matter What the Question Is -- This presentation is a powerful program for amping up creative freedom via the written word.  It’s designed for anyone interested in living more creatively by re-engaging with their writing.  If you’re at a crossroads with your creativity, we’ll help you discover/recover your spark, suggest ways to keep the fire stoked, figure out why you sabotage yourself, and learn how to affirm the power and possibility your writing represents.  All that and a bag of chips….!

THOM SATTERLEE

Thom Satterlee is the author of the poetry collection Burning Wyclif, which won the Walt McDonald First-Book in Poetry Competition and was subsequently named a 2007 American Library Association Notable Book and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.  More recently, Thom received a 2009 National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship in Poetry.  He teaches creative writing at Taylor University and lives in Marion, Indiana.

Part II sessions:

  • Five-Minute Poems -- William Carlos Williams wrote “The Red Wheelbarrow” in five minutes.  Five minutes!  Although it’s unlikely that any of us will create lasting art in less time than it takes to drink a cup of coffee, this workshop hopes to use the pressure of the clock to stimulate new work.  Published poems will serve as catalysts for our efforts, and time will be allotted for individuals to share with the group.  [NOTE: a 75-minute workshop on Friday afternoon.]

  • Submitting Poems To Literary Journals -- Before assembling a full-length collection of poetry, poets often submit individual poems to literary journals.  This session will present an overview of the various journals and offer strategies for submitting work both electronically and as hard-copy.  [NOTE:  50-minute session on Saturday morning.]

ALAN GARINGER

Alan Garinger has been a fulltime freelance writer for 25 years.  A former teacher and principal, it’s not surprising that much of his work has been related to the field of education.  He has written all or part of 70 television programs that have been broadcast nationwide. His series, GED-ON-TV, has helped more than a million people pass the GED test. He has written TV narration for Wally Famous Amos and Bob Keeshan. His environmental articles have appeared in many magazines, such as Mother Earth News and Acorn. In recent years he has concentrated on writing for young readers. He has published six books in this genre including five youth/young adult novels. His most recent is Alone: The Journey of the Boy Sims, is a historical novel set in 19th century Indiana.

Part II sessions:

  • Developing Young Characters -- Whether you write for young adults or adults, the youthful characters take special care. The session will explore the characteristics that are built into the personalities, their quirks, habits, even selecting appropriate names.

  • Plotting Novels for Young People -- This session will include determining the sub-genres that exist in writing for young people. Participants will be provided several patterns to follow when starting such a project. Other considerations will include, pacing, dialogue, plot swings and creating suspenseful moments.

GARY HENSLEY

Gary's sessions will focus on the Business Side of Writing. His articles have appeared in Writer's Digest, Writers' Journal, Christian Communicator and several other professional publications. He will cover the business and tax aspects of your career as a professional writer/author. His experience includes working for national and local CPA firms, the Michigan Department of Treasury as an auditor, and as a tax consultant for the Ford Motor Company. As a self-employed accountant/tax consultant, he was enrolled to practice before the IRS for 20 years. He holds both Bachelor and Master of Business Administration degrees from Saginaw Valley State University.

Part II sessions:

  • Four Tax Schedules Every Writer Needs to Understand -- Learn the four critical tax schedules that can make you or break you financially as a professional writer.  Don't count on your tax preparer to develop your tax-saving strategies.  Also, as part of this session, Gary will cover the key documentation you will need to substantiate your deductions. Handouts to attendees.

  • Are You A Professional Writer?  Don't wait for an IRS audit to find out -- Find out what it takes to be considered a professional writer in the eyes of the IRS.  Learn what you have to do now to nail down your professional status and why you don't want your writing efforts classified as a hobby.

  • 2009 Stimulus Tax Law Changes -- The major stimulus packages coming out of Washington contain major changes to the Internal Revenue Code that affect how you need to operate, record and report your writing income and expenses.  Attend this session to put yourself on the cutting edge of the business side of your writing.

PHIL GULLEY

Beloved Indiana author and Quaker pastor Philip Gulley has become the voice of small-town American life. Gulley is the author of 15 books including the acclaimed Harmony series of novels chronicling life in the eccentric Quaker community of Harmony, Indiana and the best selling Porch Talk series of inspirational and humorous stories. He is also a co-author of the books If Grace Is True and If God Is Love, written with James Mulholland.

In his latest book, I Love You, Miss Huddleston: And Other Inappropriate Longing of My Indiana Childhood, Gulley takes us on a hilarious and nostalgic trip back in time to those innocent and awkward days of adolescence. Evoking an age when childhood was less sheltered, and the only rule was to be home by dinnertime, Gulley and his friends Peanut, Bunny, and Suds Norton embark on a series of misadventures in their small town of Danville, IN leaving a trail of rotten tomatoes and a shapely red-headed mannequin in their wake. With Gulley's sharp wit and keen observation, I Love You, Miss Huddleston is a story that captures a nearly extinct phenomenon--a childhood of unrelieved and happy chaos. In the same vein as Bill Bryson’s The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, and with a dash of The Dangerous Book for Boys, Gulley’s memoir is sure to strike a chord with readers of all ages.

Gulley continues to pastor at Fairfield Friends Meeting near Indianapolis. He hosts the television program "Porch Talk with Phil Gulley” on the Indiana PBS affiliate WFYI and their flagship show Across Indiana, for which he recently received an Emmy Award. He also writes the popular monthly Home Again column for Indianapolis Monthly Magazine. He is writing a new book called If the Church Were Christian, scheduled for release January, 2010.

HOWIE SNIDER

A retired USMC Lt. Col., Howie Snider was an aviator and a Public Information Officer. He also wrote speeches, one of which received the Freedom Foundation Medal. For 14 years he owned a restaurant and taught journalism at Ball State for 23 years. His writing has been published in magazines and he was a feature writer for newspapers. Several years ago he began writing children stories and reading them in public schools. His presentation as our Thursday luncheon speaker will describe his relationship with AuthorHouse, which will be publishing his children’s stories.

KELSEY TIMMERMAN

Kelsey Timmerman is the author of Where Am I Wearing? A Global Tour to the Countries, Factories, and People That Make Our Clothes.  His writing has appeared in publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Condé Nast Portfolio and has aired on NPR. He has spent the night in Castle Dracula in Romania, gone undercover as an underwear buyer in Bangladesh, played PlayStation in Kosovo, taught an island village to play baseball in Honduras, and in another life, worked as a SCUBA instructor in Key West, Florida.  He lives in Muncie, Indiana, and met his literary agent while attending the MWW. Check out his blog: www.whereamiwearing.com

JD WEBB

J. D. (Dave) Webb became a full-time author in 2002 after spending 25 years in corporate management. A company purge promoted him to cobbler and he owned a shoe repair and sales shop for 11 years. During these careers he wrote short stories and suppressed an urge to write a novel.  After making a conscious decision to live at the poverty level, those novels began forcing their way out. His credits include Shepherd's Pie and Her Name Is Mommy in the Mike Shepherd PI series, and the first in a series featuring Fulton Moon a cobbler and amateur sleuth titled Moon Over Chicago. That book was a finalist for the 2008 Eppie award for mysteries by EPIC (Electronically Published Internet Connection) an organization of over 900 authors, publishers and editors. Dave, a five-time participant in the Midwest Writers Workshop and a 2008 MWW Fellow, credits this conference in helping him to publication. He says the road to publication is filled with plot holes. One of the ways to fill those is to attend this workshop.

JEFF PEARSON

Jeffrey Owen Pearson lives in Muncie, Indiana. His poetry has appeared in Flying Island, Maize, The Tipton Poetry Journal, and Country Feedback Literary Magazine. His chapbook Hawaii Slides was published in 2007 by Pudding House Publications. He has been nominated for the Puschcart Prize.