Our Two-Part Workshop format offers a blend of genre-specific intensive instruction (Part I) and more than 30 cross-discipline sessions (Part II). In Part II, July 26-28, from Thursday afternoon until the closing banquet on Saturday night, you have ample time to network with faculty and other participants, glean information about fiction and nonfiction writing techniques, marketing, and taking your writing career to the next level. There are also agent pitch sessions, query critiques, social media consultations, networking, writing contests, and more!
Costs
- Part I: Intensive Session – One day, Thursday, July 26 — $125 [Fee also includes: Thursday lunch]
- Part II: Thursday evening, Friday & Saturday – July 26-28 — $250 [Fee includes: Friday lunch & evening meal; Saturday awards banquet]
- Part I & Part II: Package — $350 [Fee includes: Thursday & Friday lunches, Friday dinner; Saturday awards banquet]
Part II Session Topics
MWW 2012 Part II Sessions
TERENCE FAHERTY
- I’ll Wait to See the Movie – How to use screenwriting techniques to improve the pacing and structure of your book and your chances of selling it.
- Writing the Period Mystery – A discussion of how to bring to life a historical period through your fiction. Although aimed specifically at mystery writing, these techniques can be applied to any type of historical writing.
- Two for the Price of One – A discussion of the two stories in every mystery, the hidden story and the open story, and how understanding their relationship can make your idea development easier and your plotting more effective.
JANE FRIEDMAN
- Social Media with Media Consultants — Changes in the publishing industry have forced writers to become “author-preneurs”—marketers, promoters, social media experts, and much more. At MWW, we know how time-consuming and confusing these tasks can be, and we want to help by offering individualized social media services. This isn’t just about “self-promotion.” New technologies allow us to seek out other readers and writers, to participate in a community that isn’t limited by geography. Consultants will be available to show you how to start a blog or create a simple website, how to join and engage with Skype, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and GoodReads, how to create an email newsletter or database. Sign up for a 45 minute individual tutorial priced at $35, bring your laptop and/or smartphone, and get ready to join the digital age!
- Twitter: One Size Does Not Fit All – Using Twitter at first is mostly about finding your voice and finding like-minded people (or your target audience). But your strategy, motivation, or purpose on Twitter will undoubtedly change as your career grows. This session discusses three potential models for getting started, plus practical tips on handling the information stream if you’re not yet familiar with Twitter. Advanced strategies will be touched on, with models of how individuals (and businesses) have used it to develop stronger audiences, market products, and self-promote.
- Start Here: How to Get Your Book Published Panel [Cathy Day, moderator]; with Chuck Sambuchino, Kathleen Rooney, JL Stermer
- Build Your Website in 24 Hours or Less – It’s indisputable: All authors must have their own website. It’s critical for effective online marketing and readership growth. This session—which is ideal for those with a laptop with them at the conference—focuses on the simplest, most robust, and FREE tools to get a site up and running in a day or less—often in one evening! You don’t have to know any code, understand any technical jargon, or have previous experience with websites or blogs. While several different site-building tools will be discussed, this session offers a step-by-step tutorial on setting up a site using WordPress, a best-in-class system for websites today and free to use.
JACK HEFFRON
- Writing the Memoir [with Lee Martin, Kathleen Rooney]. [Cathy Day, moderator]
- Making a Scene: 5 Strategies for making Your Nonfiction More Dramatic – The best nonfiction tells a page-turning story, whether it’s a personal memoir or a service article. In this workshop you’ll learn powerful techniques for making your nonfiction more gripping and satisfying for your readers.
- Make Yourself a Star: Building a Freelance Career – In this workshop, Jack Heffron draws on his many years as a professional writer and editor to present insider strategies for getting published and developing your personal brand as a freelancer. You’ll learn the benefits of social media, blogging and networking as well as ways to position yourself for success in the world of nonfiction writing.”
GARY HENSLEY
- Four Tax Schedules Every Writer Needs to Understand – Attend this session to 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 – Attend this session to 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. This year’s expanded session promises to be the best ever on this challenging issue. Handouts to attendees.
JULIE HYZY
- Writing Dialogue in Crime Fiction – Unless someone is about to get struck by lightning, you don’t want your characters standing around discussing the weather. Or discussing any of a thousand mundane things people do every day. Crime fiction demands crackling dialogue and constant conflict. How to maintain snap while keeping it real.
- The Voices in Your Head: When to Pay Attention, When to Ignore – What do you hear when you write? Constant, biting criticism, or gentle words of warning? Do your characters rebel when you set them up for trouble? Do they make suggestions, or do they follow your every whim? How to cope with the critic on your shoulder. And how to decide when it’s time to listen up.
- Danger, Will Robinson!: Avoid mistakes that could get your manuscript rejected – So many manuscripts are rejected every day because authors didn’t take the time to avoid common errors. This is an introductory segment on how to submit your manuscript, and how to keep from making rookie mistakes.
D.E. JOHNSON
- Settings You Can’t Escape – How do some writers create a setting that’s so real that not only can you see what’s happening, you can also hear, smell, feel, and taste it? Setting is a lot more than just a place for your story to happen. A good setting immerses the reader in the story and works as a tool that helps you create mood, intensify the drama, and sell your story (both literally and figuratively). The New York Times called D.E. Johnson’s most recent book, Motor City Shakedown, “extraordinarily vivid.” It’s not magic; it’s simply executing a strategy. Dan will show you how to apply this strategy to your writing.
- When to Say When – When should you stop researching and start writing? When is a book or story finished? These are big questions for many writers. You may be buried right now under an avalanche of minutiae for that historical novel or non-fiction book. You might have a book that’s been sitting in the bowels of your computer for a decade while you “give it one more polish.” If so, you need help! Dan’s books have been lauded for their historical accuracy as well as for the restraint he shows in using only the research that advances the story. You’ll learn about research, knowing when to stop and just write the book, and how to know with any writing project when you’re finished.
SARAH LAPOLLA
- Agent Panel Q&A: with Kathleen Ortiz, JL Stermer, Brooks Sherman
- The Dreaded Synopsis: Why They Matter – Sarah LaPolla. Writing a query can be hard enough, but what happens when an agent’s guidelines also require a synopsis? We’ll discuss what makes them different from a query, what should go in them, and why they are important. Come prepared to write your own synopsis, and learn why they aren’t as painful as they appear.
LEE MARTIN
- Writing the Memoir [with Kathleen Rooney, Jack Heffron]. [Cathy Day, moderator]
- The Art of Flash Fiction
- Saturday Banquet Speaker
ERICA O’ROURKE
- Critique Partners Are Critical – Why do I need a critique partner? How do I find one? How do I keep one? We’ll answer these questions and more, plus talk about ways to get the most out of a critique partnership — one of the most valuable tools in your writer’s bag of tricks.
- The Walking Dead(line): How to balance writing and the rest of your life – In today’s publishing industry, tight deadlines are a fact of life — and real life doesn’t come with a pause button. We’ll share stories and develop techniques for balancing your work, family, and writing obligations without turning into a zombie.
- Tricks of the Trilogy – How do you create a story that spans multiple books yet satisfies your reader?
Writing a trilogy requires a different mindset than writing three standalone stories. We’ll discuss the challenges and benefits unique to writing a series, how to avoid Second Book Syndrome, and how to craft a finale that will leave readers satisfied…and wishing for a fourth book!
KATHLEEN ORTIZ
- Agent Panel Q&A: with JL Stermer, Sarah LaPolla, Brooks Sherman
- First2 Pages of Your Manuscript: Important!
KATHLEEN ROONEY
- Writing the Memoir [with Lee Martin, Jack Heffron]. [Cathy Day, moderator]
- Publishers Point of View: Inside Publishing – Do you have a manuscript that’s looking for a home? Are you unsure as to where that home might be? This session will walk participants through the editorial process both from a trade and an independent perspective: from concept or receipt of a manuscript, to review and approval, to revision and delivery of the final manuscript. We will also explore how to launch and market the finished product.
- Start Here: How to Get Your Book Published Panel [Cathy Day, moderator]; With Jane Friedman, Chuck Sambuchino, JL Stermer
CHUCK SAMBUCHINO
- Mastering the In-person Pitch — This is a chance for anyone and everyone to practice their “agent pitch” on me. I’ll critique the pitch for all to hear. Individuals can pitch or simply attend to listen in on other pitches. It’s an opportunity for writers to rehearse their elevator pitch before sitting face-to-face with agents. This session targets fiction and nonfiction writers, both novice and intermediate; and it breaks down what needs to be in a pitch, and what NOT to include in a pitch. Chuck will listen to sample pitches to help you prepare for your pitch with an agent on Friday or Saturday.
- Chapter 1 Dos and Don’ts – This workshop examines that all-important Chapter 1. It spends a lot of time going over what not to do—listing clichés and overused techniques that repeatedly pop up in chapter 1 manuscripts, with comments from agents and editors alike. Following a discussion of agent pet peeves, the workshop addresses what writers should be doing to draw readers in.
- Start Here: How to Get Your Book Published Panel [Cathy Day, moderator]; with Jane Friedman, Kathleen Rooney, JL Stermer
- The Business of Scriptwriting: You’ve Written a Play or Screenplay—Now What? – This workshop examines what writers need to do if they’ve finished that play or screenplay and don’t know what to do now. We’ll address targeting markets, getting plays read/workshopped, writing script queries, the difference between agents and managers, and more. Everything is discussed, from writing and rewriting to contests and dealing with directors. Handouts provided. It’s not a session about craft; it’s a session about business—for writers who have a script and no idea what to do with it.
BROOKS SHERMAN
- Agent Panel Q&A: with Kathleen Ortiz, JL Stermer, Sarah LaPolla
- Query Critique Workshop
JL STERMER
- Agent Panel Q&A: with Kathleen Ortiz, Sarah LaPolla, Brooks Sherman
- Start Here: How to Get Your Book Published Panel [Cathy Day, moderator]; with Jane Friedman, Chuck Sambuchino, Kathleen Rooney
