March 17, 2012 at Ball State Alumni Center,  9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

On Saturday, March 17, two returning favorite MWW faculty members join us for encore workshops that feature each one in a cozy full-day session. Make this a St. Patrick’s Day dedicated to improving your writing! These special intensive sessions will be held at at the Ball State Alumni Center, (Muncie, IN) from 9 am to 2:30 pm. Just 20 participants will be able to attend the session of their choice at a cost of $125 (includes a brown bag lunch so the work continues to flow).

REGISTER HERE! 

Romance Writing

“Once Upon A Time…Writing Your First Novel” with multi-published author SHIRLEY JUMP. Have you ever wanted to write a short story or novel? Wondered what it took to get from “Once upon a time” to “The End”?  This session will help you: [1] decide whether an idea is “big” enough to encompass a novel; [2] create characters; [3] decide on character goals, motivations and conflicts; [4] develop a story arc; [5] create scenes and sequels; [6] polish your manuscript; [7] discover resources for getting published. At the end of this session, you will have a good basic knowledge of how to write a story, and you’ll understand what encompasses a strong plot. [Note: this session is for any fiction writer!]

In 2009, Shirley captivated MWW with her banquet keynote describing how she “quit” writing only days later to receive one of many contracts which brought her to the New York Times bestseller list. She’s published 35+ books, from romantic comedy to romance with recipes to YA with zombies, and has worked for three publishing houses.

A powerhouse of insider publishing information, Shirley will share the secrets she’s learned in her career in this intensive session. She’s currently teaching a popular online course called “Taking A Book From Good To Sold” and is ready to help writers, at whatever stage, in their writing journeys.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shirley Jump spends her days writing women’s fiction and romantic comedies (One Day to Find a Husband, July 2012) to feed her shoe addiction and avoid cleaning the toilets. As AJ Whitten (www.ajwhitten.com), she and her daughter also write horror young adult novels for Houghton Mifflin’s Graphia imprint (The Cellar, May 2011). She cleverly finds writing time by feeding her kids junk food, allowing them to dress in the clothes they find on the floor and encouraging the dogs to double as vacuum cleaners. Visit her website at www.shirleyjump.com or read recipes and life adventures at www.shirleyjump.blogspot.com.

WRITING PICTURE BOOKS with PETER J. WELLING

“You must write for children in the same way as you do for adults, only better.”   Maxim Gorky

In this session, we will attempt to give you the ways to accomplish that dictum.  We start with the blank page and an idea and move to 32 pages of glorious writing for kids. Along the way we will discuss the following:  How many words? Which words? If you’re not writing tales of Mister Stickman, where do you get pictures? Do you need an Agent? Which publishers are best?  Who sends the limo to pick you up for your book signings? How do you autograph an ebook? How do you submit your manuscript? Do you need a lawyer to protect your intellectual property? Why is the number three important to picture book writers? How many trips to the mailbox do you have to make before you get a contract?  Here’s my first writing tip: Bring pen, paper and your sense of humor on March 17.

Peter J. Welling is a native Hoosier Hoosier and taught his popular Writing for Children session at the 2005 Midwest Writers Workshop.  He received a degree in English from IUSB (1977) and received the Award of Excellence his senior year.  He is the recipient of the IUSB College of Arts & Sciences Distinguished Alumnus Award (2003). Peter has served as an Adjunct Faculty member at IUPUI Continuing Ed and received the Indiana University Continuing Studies Teaching Excellence Award (2005). He is the author/illustrator of six pictures books and illustrator of The Kvetch Who Stole Hanukkah which will be receiving recognition from Storytelling World Awards in spring, 2012. Peter wrote two police novels which were published in London under the pseudonym Steve Garcia.  He has also illustrated two novels by Katherine Black.  Peter and his wife have four sons, three and a half daughters in law, and five grandkids.

Picture Books (Illustrated and Authored)

• Andrew McGroundhog and His Shady Shadow
• Shawn O’Hisser, The Last Snake in Ireland
• Michael LeSouffle and The April Fool
• Justin Potemkin and The 500 Mile Race
• Joe Van der Katt and The Great Pickett Fence
• Darlene Halloween and The Great Chicago Fire

Illustrated

• The Kvetch Who Stole Hanukkah

Click here for our E-pistle announcing this event! Share with others!

These comments capture the 2011 MWW experience shared by 175 participants (from 13 states and Canada), 14 faculty and 12 planning committee members:

“I want to let you know that this is hands down the BEST writers’ conference I’ve ever attended.” – Kathleen Ortiz, literary agent, Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation

“Thank you for everything you did to make MWW pleasant, productive and comfortable. The attendees were so warm and welcoming, and from what I’ve seen, the most talented I’ve met at conferences. So, I now see why everyone says such nice things about MWW – because they’re true.” – Jessica Sinsheimer, Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency

Images to remember: How to Write a Great Query Letter discussion with our four agents; Kelsey Timmerman’s “The Care and Feeding of Agents” and his strange hand gesture for shooing away agents; the Blue Bottle open mic evening (where we heard snippets of many genres–thrillers, urban fantasy, poetry, humor and stuff we couldn’t identify but liked anyway. The energy was electric.); David Slonim’s inspiring banquet presentation enlightening us to the importance of nostrils. (“Nostrils” equals EMPATHY – connecting with your audience.) [Check our Photo Galleries!]

So much great advice… And wonderful interaction between faculty and attendees…

• Patti Digh emphasizing that the strength to say “no” to others really means saying “yes” to yourself and your dreams.
• Jane Friedman bringing us wit and wisdom on self-publishing and everything current in publishing.
• Cathy Day constructing her fledgling novel before our eyes and asking us to do the same, whether using sticky notes and highlighters or laptops.

Truly, all participants will describe their MWW 2011 experience differently. You just had to be there. Because in the end, it’s the attendees, swooping in with their enthusiasm, talent and energy, who make MWW what it is. None of us wanted it to end. And, in a way, it goes on, as we incorporate what we learned into our writing over the coming months.

If you weren’t able to attend this year, we missed you! And we hope to see you for the 39th annual MWW in 2012. We can hardly wait!

Get individual editing of your work!

On Saturday, October 29, Midwest Writers will offer a special session of “Manuscript Makeover,” the session which sells out first at our MWW summer workshop. MM is an intensive session with Dennis E. Hensley and Holly Miller, held at the Ball State Alumni Center, (Muncie, IN) from 9 am to 3:30 pm. The one-day workshop is limited to 20 participants and costs $125 (and includes a brown bag lunch so the work flow won’t be interrupted). Register here! 

This interactive intensive is designed for those fiction and nonfiction writers who are ready to take a quantum leap forward in enhancing their writing skills. Participants will submit the first 10 pages of a manuscript in progress and a one-page synopsis. 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. After your registration has been received, you will be asked to e-mail the FIRST 10 pages (double-spaced) of your manuscript and a one-page synopsis (single-spaced) by October 10.

Dr. Dennis 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. He has written 51 books, including Millennium Approaches, Uncommon Sense, and Money Wise. 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. She and Dennis Hensley have collaborated on four novels and three nonfiction books. She teaches university courses and is a popular lecturer/editor. Her byline has appeared in TV Guide, Reader’s Digest, Writer’s Digest, Young World, Indianapolis Monthly and In Trust magazines.

Check out this video clip from this summer’s Manuscript Makeover Intensive Session at MWW!

Holly Miller Intensive.MP4

On Saturday, October 8, Midwest Writers will offer “Make Money Writing in Tough Times” at the Putnam County Library, Greencastle, IN from 9 am to 12 pm.

This mini-workshop is open to persons interested in learning more about writing and in furthering their writing careers. Participants will learn from presenters with extensive writing credits about  ways to “break in” to fiction or nonfiction, writing fiction and mysteries, and what agents want.

Featured Speakers:

Terence Faherty,  

special guest for the day, is the author of two mystery series, the Shamus-winning Scott Elliott private eye series, set in the golden age of Hollywood, and the Edgar-nominated Owen Keane series, which follows the adventures of a failed seminarian turned metaphysical detective.  His short fiction, which appears regularly in mystery magazines and anthologies, has won the Macavity Award and been nominated for the Anthony and the Derringer.

Cathy Shouse has had hundreds of stories published in newspapers and magazines, including The Saturday Evening Post and Family Fun. She is a former contributing writer for Focus on the Family and was named a 2007 MWW Fellow for fiction. Her first book, Images of America: Fairmount was released in 2010. She is a frequent presenter at Midwest Writers special events.

Dr. Dennis Hensley, who has written six novels, is the author of How to Write What You Love and Make a Living at It (Harper-Collins). A MWW committee member, he has written 51 books and published more than 3,000 articles in major periodicals. He is a frequent speaker at writers’ conferences throughout the country. His many awards include the prestigious Elizabeth Sherrill Lifetime Achievement Award.

Participants will receive $20 certificates toward the cost of attending the 39th annual MWW workshop, scheduled in Muncie, IN, July 26-28, 2012. The Friends of the Putnam County Public Library will provide light refreshments.  For more information and to register contact the Reference Desk at 765-653-2755, ex. 124 or ex. 115.  Note: Registration is required. The $10 payment will be taken at the door on the day of the event only. Seating is limited. Early registration is encouraged.

So, we welcome all participants to bring some of your writing! If you would like to be in the spotlight to read from your work for five minutes, you will need to write your name on a ticket and drop it into our specially designed “Message in a Bottle” bottle during the day on Friday,

Then, after our writing contest we’ll begin our Coffeehouse-style Message in a Bottle Reading with emcees Kelsey Timmerman and Cathy Shouse selecting tickets from the bottle. Lucky winners will read for five minutes. We’ll sip delicious coffee, listen to your works-in-progress, and applaud!

During our 2009 MWW, agent Joanna Stampfel-Volpe of the Nancy Coffey Literary Agency met with workshop participants for pitch sessions and signed three authors as clients. In fact, Joanne now represents MWW attendee Veronica Roth who writes YA and has contracted a 3-book deal with Harper Collins Children’s books.

Veronica’s first book, Divergent, has been on the New York Times Bestseller List at #6 for three weeks!

Click here to view the embedded video.