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Schedule and Workshops

Sunday morning, March 29, 2009

9:00-11:45 am	CONCURRENT SESSIONS (choose one)
10:15-10:30	Break (coffee, tea)

I-1 Inside story: (Part 2) – Building the Transformational Arc of Character, with Dara Marks
Inside Story illuminates the inner journey of the character, enabling writers to build an internal structure that forms the Transformational Arc. Knowing how to utilize the power of the Arc will enhance your ability to move beyond traditional story structure and construct scripts that are more powerful, meaningful and marketable. Having a strong transformational arc is what makes the difference between a good story and a great one.

I-2 New! Novelist’s Boot Camp—Advanced tactics for the near- and newly-published, with Todd Stone

Todd’s brand new workshop debuts in Madison. Once you’re at the stage where your book sells or is about to, then the panic sets in. Can you write the next one as well as the first? What if a publisher wants a three-book contract? How do you pump them out in a timely way—and still retain the feeling of joy and creativity? What if you want to switch genres or expand your career? This workshop expands on 10 powerful drills from Novelist’s Boot Camp to empower near- and newly-published authors to gain increased control, have greater confidence, make more progress in achieving their writing goals, and have more fun—even as those authors are challenged by newfound career demands on their time and creativity. Several exercises are included.

Topics—

Life changes
Expectations and realities of your new career. Books per year? Quit your day job? A new “management” plan. Promotion needs. Divide and conquer or be divided and conquered.

Drills for success

Develop a career novelist ’s mindset
Improve your writing process
Map your progress
Escape from the list straightjacket
Adopt a principled approach; invent a comprehensive concept
Use a character matrix
Put your book on an index card
Build your Master Story Summary
Blast through writer’s block
Aim for the gut
Leverage the intimacy of the senses
Revise using “passes”

I-3 through I-5. Advanced-level novel critique workshops (must be pre-registered), 9:00-11:30 a.m.
Open to those enrolled for at least one conference day. $50 if enrolled by March 7; $60 after. Questions? Call Christine DeSmet, 608-262-3447, or e-mail cdesmet@dcs.wisc.edu

Who should attend the Sunday advanced sessions?
Writers who have completed a substantial amount of their novel, or writers who have been rejected a couple of times and want to know why. This is the right spot for you if you’ve taken at least a few writing workshops or classes, have read some books on the craft of writing, know that you can handle the basics and are looking to polish, or are perhaps already in a critique group.

I-3 Anne Calcagno (Limit 6)

I-4 Robert Curry (Limit 6)

I-5 Laurel Yourke (Limit 6)

A critique workshop helps writers in several ways.

It provides a concentrated experience for learning a lot in a short time, thus saving you months or even years of time and heartache through trial-and-error on your own. You can also test your pages to see if you’re agent and editor “ready.” Agents and editors tell us they know within three pages whether they want to read on or not. Even for poets, there’s that “instant impression” factor at work.

Others find this roll-up-your-sleeves experience and deadline a perfect way to finally begin their writing in a serious way. If you’re a first-time writer, this is a good place to help you start right.

Multiply what you learn by six because you also learn from the comments shared on others’ projects in the workshop. Bring your notepad and pen! These are real workshops.

Critiques are conducted in a professional, nurturing way. We want you to succeed. We’ve designed these workshops for those who want to keep the momentum going.

Please note that if you’re in a critique workshop, you’ll need to leave that for eight minutes for your agent appointment. Please let your instructor know.

How to participate
Please send your first three pages in correct format, plus the one-sentence logline or a short summary (100 or fewer words) of your novel’s plot.

Format: Manuscript pages should be double-spaced, 12-point typeface (Times New Roman or Courier), one-inch margins, name and page numbers in the header. The first page may start its text near the top for this workshop. The short summary may be single-spaced.

Email or mail your pages by March7 for all workshops in an attachment in Word for PC (please, no Vista version) or Rich Text file to: Christine DeSmet, coordinator, cdesmet@dcs.wisc.edu, or Writers’ Institute Critique Sessions, 610 Langdon St., Room 621, Madison, WI 53703. Please indicate your workshop instructor and number (L1, L2, or L3). Thank you.

J1-18 Sunday morning agent pitch meetings, 9:00-10:00 a.m. (see also K sessions at 10:30-11:30)

Six slots with each agent. Each writer gets about eight minutes. Please sign up for a time slot when you register (or at the event if slots remain open). Additional fee.

J1-6 Private pitch time, with Jennifer Jackson

J7-12 Private pitch time, with Victoria Skurnick

J13-18 Private pitch time, with Amy Tipton

(Lauren Abramo is not available at this time. Appointments with her during this time slot may be added at a later date.)

10:00-10:30 Break between agent appointments

K1-12 Sunday morning agent pitch meetings, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

K1-6 Private pitch time, with Jennifer Jackson

K7-12 Private pitch time, with Victoria Skurnick

(Sorry, Lauren Abramo and Amy Tipton are not available during this time period.)

Department of Liberal Studies & the Arts
610 Langdon Street, Rm. 715.....Madison WI 53703
Phone: 608-263-6320 or .....877-336-7836
Fax: 608-265-2475.....E-mail: liberalarts@dcs.wisc.edu

Liberal Studies & the Arts | UW Madison Continuing Studies