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Prepare to gain a professional edge. That’s what this weekend is all about.
Dates: Friday, November 2, 2007, 7:00-8:30 pm; Saturday, November 3, 2007, 9:15 am-4:00 pm; 9:00 am introductions. Optional Saturday networking lunch ($12.50), 12:00-1:15. Optional critique workshop, Sunday, November 4, 2007, 9:30 am-12:30 pm
Location: The Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St., Madison.
Fees: Early bird discount by Oct. 12 is $145 all
three days; $165 after Oct. 12; or, enroll for Friday only, $35; Saturday
only,
$95. Saturday & Sunday only, $150. Add the optional Saturday lunch for $12.50. (Sunday's critique workshop is available only to those signed up for Saturday, too. Hurry - Sunday is limited to 10 each section. There are four sections. Material must be received by Oct. 12)
Instructors: Robery Curry; Christine
DeSmet; John Galligan Laurel Yourke.
To Register: Call 608-262-7942. Program #7102.
This year's focus: Things that Make the Differece
Join fellow writers for a weekend of 10 hands-on workshops Friday through Saturday, plus optional critique sessions—all filled with techniques that will help YOU get published.
You’ve probably heard famous published writers mention one or two things that “made the difference” for them in their first sale or publication. We thought: Why not collect a whole bunch of those secret tips and put them together in one place to save writers time and heartache? That’s what this weekend is about: fast action for getting your manuscript into the shape you really want. This year. Not in five years.
Be prepared to take home lists that matter: lists for writing stellar scenes, lists for creating better characters and plot structures, lists for smarter revisions, lists of dumb stuff we all do and wish we hadn’t after the rejection comes flying at us. You’ll also get examples of scenes, plots, and more in the handouts, too. You’ll learn how to put together a synopsis that works, and how to write a killer first page.
Who is this weekend for? You might be at the idea stage for your next novel, or mired in the middle of your current novel. Perhaps you’ve written five manuscripts and are collecting rejections. Perhaps you’ve never written a novel but you’re darn serious and want to write it with some wisdom in your back pocket.
Can’t decide which workshops to take? Bring a friend! Make this a weekend “spa” for your novel. Go out to dinner on Saturday night with your friends and exchange notes. Set up your writing plan for the coming winter months.
Take advantage of the camaraderie and idea sharing. Craft a more powerful novel. Make agents, editors, and readers go “wow.”
Other reasons writers attend this weekend.
Here's what Karen Doornebos of Riverside, Illinois, said after attending:
"As an English major, an advertising writer, Writer's Boot Camp attendee, and an avid reader of how-to-write fiction books, I didn't know how much I would get out of Weekend with Your Novel. It turned out to be the best investment in my writing I've ever made. Worth much more than my entire library of how-to books! Don't hesitate to sign up. Seriously. How much do you really do in a weekend at home anyway?!
"Just go! You'll love it and so will every single one of your characters. Even your antagonist will thank you."
Another reason to attend? How about interpreting and maybe even stopping those confusing rejection letters and critiques we sometimes get?
How often have we all sent out a manuscript and then received a note from a reader/critique pal, agent or editor that said something like: "Liked the plot, but…" "Liked the characters, but…" "What's the point of this scene?" "It bogs down in the middle..." "Just didn't feel compelling to me." "Flat scenes." "Scene action is awkward." "Seen this type of scene too many times." "Dialogue doesn't move the scenes along." "Not edgy enough for me."
What do those comments mean? How do you know what changes to make in your manuscript? The editor or agent rarely tells you what to change, right? Even our critique pals can't always put their finger on what's wrong. There's always something we forgot to polish and we don't know exactly what it is. Until now.
You get real-world experience—a hands-on workshop approach in EVERY session.
Be prepared to have fun while making great "aha" discoveries. We're known for practical workshops that key in on strategies and solutions; we don't sit back for just a chat. Bring a pad of paper, that favorite pen, and let's get serious about getting that novel polished and published.
This program is designed for the writer who has vowed, "Enough is enough, I'm going to push my writing to that next level and get published." (Or published again after a hiatus.)
You can enroll for any amount of time, choosing Friday, or Saturday, or three days which includes the critique. We've set the fees accordingly. You decide what's going to help you the most. (Note there are discounts for attending the whole weekend, and for early-bird registration.)
New this year: An optional lunch. We won’t have a guest speaker; instead, you’ve asked us in the past for time to network with other writers. Join us and find a new friend or two, maybe even a critique buddy for the future.
Prepare ahead for Friday evening's workshop.
Friday night takes you inside a wonderful, well-written book (choose one detailed in this information). We show you techniques that the author used to drive the story from beginning to end with his or her great scenes and other techniques ranging from character hooks to plot tricks.
Friday night is not a book talk; it's a workshop. Please be prepared for note-taking. If you're new to our UW programs, attending Friday night is a perfect way to get to know us and our style of teaching at a very reasonable fee.
Please choose ONE of three books to read prior to joining us on Friday. The books are:
Lunch at the Picadilly, by Clyde Edgerton, instruction led by Christine DeSmet.
If you enjoyed Kent Haruf’s Plainsong, Ben Sherwood’s The Life and Death of Charlie St. Cloud, or the books about lovely Mitford by Jan Karon, then you’ll find yet another fine writer who focuses on family relationships, older characters as well as the young, and issues about life’s changes—in this case about what it’s like when you’re an adult child caring for a relative who’s been put into a nursing home. Hilarity, sadness, wisdom, and fun action are all found in Mr. Edgerton’s novel.
This short book (252 pages, trade paperback) is one that you can write, too. Really. I chose this book because I think it outlines a way for any of us to write. It’s built on a situation from everyday life. The scenes are almost entirely dialogue of the type you might have over the lunch table or in the car any day of the week. But there’s action, too, some of it downright hilarious.
Questions to start our discussion on Friday evening, Nov. 2:
We’ll also talk about the “Central Question” that drives the characters and what that question might be in your book. It’s something you need to know! We’ll talk about character strengths and the fatal flaw (see the Saturday workshops, too, on this subject), the character secrets and your character’s secrets and how they create and drive a plot. We’ll figure out what the “logline” is for this novel, and help you write one for your novel. (Logline=that one-sentence summation of what the book is about, usually told through the main character’s eyes. The logline is necessary for pitching your novel in your query letter and meetings with agents.)
Plan to take home new techniques you can use in your own writing!
“A zany tale about old folks and those who love them…Honor and respect abide in this gentle tale of the twilight time.” –Southern Living
“Graceful and often painfully funny.” –The New York Times Book Review
Blue Ridge, by T.R. Pearson, instruction led by John Galligan.
In this murder mystery of remarkable brevity and depth, T.R. Pearson pairs the subtle tools of the literary storyteller with the craft tricks of the genre novelist to tell a tale that is at once gripping, hilarious, sad, and powerful. Careful study of Blue Ridge will yield important clues about how to give your genre novel the subtlety, depth, and style that will
set your work apart from the field.
Questions for study and discussion:
The Girl in Hyacinth Blue, by Susan Vreeland, instruction led by Laurel Yourke.
Big riskscan reap big payoffs, and reverse chronology is just one that pays off for Vreeland in The Girl in Hyacinth Blue. It’s actually the story of a painting, possibly by Vermeer, and the people whose lives it touches before each of them must reluctantly part with a dearly valued possession. For nearly four centuries the painting functions a sort of witness to a series of cataclysms: flood, theft, even the Holocaust. Yet the story of the painting—and of most of the characters—ends on a note of hope.
This novel (paperback: 256 pages) has much to teach every writer committed to reading like a writer. Reviewers have called it “an art detective story” and “a nontraditional love story” by a writer “adept at capturing the differing sensibilities of various historical periods.” It’s all that and more, with a structure other reviewers compare with a series of interlocking Chinese boxes or the lives frozen into scenes on the Grecian urn of the famous Keats poem.
We’ll spend our time discussing how Vreeland works her magic by discussing questions like these:
Please choose one session to attend in each of the time blocks. Can't make up your mind on choices? Bring a buddy and share notes later. Note: Please tell the Registration person the workshops you want so that we can provide proper room arrangements. Each session is numbered. Don't worry—you can change your mind at the last minute. But thanks for helping us plan ahead for the chairs and space.
Note that we'll all gather for a large-group workshop early on Saturday morning. We'll be discussing your questions about how to get published.
Introductions at 9:00 am. Coffee, tea available at 8:30 am. Workshops start at 9:15.
9:15-10:30 a.m.
(Break 10:30-10:45 a.m.)
1. First page=first step to a sale. Please email (optional) your first page at least a week prior to the program.
John Galligan2. 25 characterization techniques for creating more tension on every page.
Christine DeSmet3. 25 ways to screw up a scene.
Laurel Yourke10:45 a.m.-Noon
(Optional lunch,
Noon-1:15. Sign up ahead of time required.)
4. Write from inside your characters. Create a more powerful writer’s voice.
John Galligan5. Four scenes that agents, editors, & readers look for: set-piece, denial, crisis (vs. climax), echo.
Christine DeSmet6. Synopsis clinic.
Laurel Yourke1:15-2:45 p.m.
(Break: 2:45-3:00 p.m.)
7. The “Dirty Thirty,” 30 things you should never do. Clutter, klutziness, common gaffes that guarantee rejection. John Galligan
8. The root of powerful fiction: understanding how the fatal flaw and “transformational arc” of your character create your book’s structure.
Christine DeSmet9. The camera’s range: introduction to psychic distance.
Laurel Yourke3:00-4:00 p.m.
General Session: “How to Botch a Writing Career.” A mini-skit or two about some things that writers—writers who want to publish—might not want to do.
John, Christine, Laurel
We must receive your material by Oct. 12.
Take yet another giant step with the critiques on Sunday—but space is limited to 10 each section; there are four sections. Sign up early. You will be assigned a section randomly.
Sunday promises even more tips on craft. The critique workshop focuses on YOUR craft issues that stand between you and publication. Editors and agents tell us they know within just a few pages whether a manuscript is “right or ready.” Please send the first three pages of your project, OR a scene of 1-3 pages from any “problem” area—by October 12. Those must be in standard format, double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman or Courier/New Courier typeface, one-inch margins.
Please submit your three pages BY OCTOBER 12 by email attachment in proper format to Christine DeSmet, cdesmet@dcs.wisc.edu or by postal mail, Christine DeSmet/Novel Weekend Critique, 610 Langdon St., Room 621, Madison, WI 53703.
Bob
Curry writes fiction, plays and screenplays, including the script
for The Last Great Ride, starring Ernest Borgnine and Eileen
Brennan, and teaches writing and acting for the UW-Madison Division of
Continuing Studies and Madison Area Technical College. He also edits fiction
and drama on a professional freelance basis. He has MFA degrees in fiction
and acting and is currently still working on a novel. He’s
been a professional actor for 25 years.
Christine DeSmet is a novelist and novella writer, screenwriter, and writing teacher at UW-Madison where she specializes in one-on-one coaching of writers. Her romantic suspense, Spirit Lake, is an award-winning, best-selling novel for publisher Hard Shell Word Factory. Several of her short stories appear in anthologies published by Whiskey Creek Press, including the award-winning, Tales from the Treasure Trove, Volume I, which earned first-place awards from Romantic Times Magazine and the Electronic Publishing Internet Connection (EPIC) in Spring 2006. She has two new humorous romantic mystery stories out this Fall 2007, “When the Dead People Brought a Dish-to-Pass,” in the Halloween anthology, Shadows of the Heart, Whiskey Creek Press; and “Stolen Pleasures,” in The Object of Romance anthology, from a new publisher, Beacon Books Publishing. Another story, “Mayhem in Memphis,” will appear in Hard Shell Word Factory’s new 2008 mystery anthology featuring Egyptian antiquities. Christine is also a past winner of the Slamdance Film Festival and optioned that screenplay to New Line Cinema. She’s a member of Writers Guild of America, East, and Jewels of the Quill. Her play, “Climax!” was a top-ten finalist in May 2007 in the first Wisconsin Wrights New Play Contest.
John Galligan, Madison, is the author of The Nail Knot and The Blood Knot, featuring fly fisherman Ned Oglivie (“Dog” to his friends), and Red Sky, Red Dragonfly. In addition to being a novelist and teacher, John has worked as a newspaper journalist, feature-film screenwriter, house painter, au pair, ESL teacher, cab driver, and freezer boy in a salmon cannery. He currently teaches writing at Madison Area Technical College, where his experience is enriched by students from every corner of the local and world community.
Laurel Yourke, of the UW-Madison Department of Liberal Studies and the Arts, published Take Your Characters to Dinner: Creating the Illusion of Reality in Fiction. This text forms the backbone of credit and noncredit courses offered in print and online to writers all over the world. She is a recipient of the UW-Madison Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence and the Council of Wisconsin Writers Award for Encouragement of Wisconsin Writers. Her critique workshops for intermediate and advanced fiction writers and poets have existed since 1995. Her poetry collection, Waiting for Beethoven, came out in 2005, with the second edition published in 2006. Her poetry has appeared in university presses; Wisconsin Academy Proceedings, and other periodicals and has twice been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Her articles have appeared in Anew and the Wisconsin Academy Review.
First Page = First Step to a Sale. John Galligan
An on-the-spot critique and revision session focusing first lines, first paragraphs, and first pages with eye toward riveting the attention of the agents, editors, and their readers. Participants should email their first page at least one week before the conference.
25 characterization techniques for creating more tension on every page. Christine DeSmet
You’ve heard it said: You must have tension on every page to create good fiction and to sell your fiction. But what does that mean? You likely have a scene here and there with great conflict, even a fist fight or chase scene. Then what do you do on the other 275 pages of your 300-page novel? Take your pages from flat to fantastic.
25 ways to screw up a scene. Laurel Yourke
Some writers like loooong scenes, while other writers want to end them before they get off the ground. What else do we inadvertently do to our scenes? Substituting scenery for conflict may be fun for writers, but never for readers. We’ll discuss what you might be doing—or not doing—to your scenes that makes them no livelier then the transitions and exposition connecting them. These twenty-five things you’ll decide never to slip into again will give you twenty-five scene tricks that you’ll want to perform over and over. If you like, come prepared to rethink a scene or two needing a bit of repair.
Writing from Inside Your Characters. John Galligan
Most writers, having made the basic choice of point-of-view, still need to dig deeper into the craftsman's toolbox in order to capture the voices of their characters. Closing the distance between the narrator and the focus character is one key to unlocking a powerful voice. With an understanding of narrative distance, writers bring their characters to life through appropriate choices in language and style, including diction, grammar, detail selection and emotions.
Four scenes that agents, editors, & readers look for: set-piece, denial, crisis (vs. climax), echo. Christine DeSmet
What is the set-piece of your novel? Let’s identify that scene for you because agents often ask about it and want it mentioned in the synopsis. Another scene that gets overlooked is the denial scene, in which the character refuses to take on his or her story. The midpoint crisis requires certain elements or your ending climax won’t work. Echo scenes are necessary to show the transformation of your character; how many echoes do you need? Learn the ingredients of these four scenes that can make or break a novel.
Synopsis clinic: condensing into drama and danger. Laurel Yourke
“But I’m a novelist, not a synopsis writer,” comes the moan. Ah. Want to be a novelist? Then you’d better be a synopsis writer, too. It isn’t easy, but it’s easier than you think. We’ll talk start-up strategies, do’s and don’ts, outlines versus free-wheeling, restoring your voice, and making language work for you. Hint: adjectives and verbs play bigger roles than you think. Finally, we’ll demolish the deadly demons that threaten every synopsis. If you like, bring a draft of your synopsis with you. If you haven’t gotten that far, this clinic will at least get you started.
"The Dirty Thirty": Thirty things you should never do. John Galligan
A laundry list of clutter, klutziness, & common gaffes that will guarantee you rejection. Covering everything from over-used words, to illogical dialog tags, to common grammar, punctuation, and usage errors, the "Dirty Thirty" list should hang above the workstation of every writer.
The root of powerful fiction: understanding how the fatal flaw and “transformational arc” of your character create your book’s structure. Christine DeSmet
Does your head spin about all that “journey of the character” stuff, that “arc” stuff? Don’t let it. We’ll clarify what you need for your book. Does your character have a fatal flaw? Or just a bunch of bad habits he’s trying to get rid of? What is a fatal flaw? What’s not? This workshop helps you create and revise your story structure for power, no matter if you’re writing a book about a bunny for kids, a wizard for teens, or an adventurous sleuth or spy for adults.
The camera’s range: introduction to psychic distance. Laurel Yourke
Psychic distance is John Gardner’s mouthful of a term for how far readers feel from the point-of-view character. Do readers get a broad, distant, external view or a close, intimate, internal one? What about all the stages in between? Yes, there’s some fancy terminology involved here—along with new ways to view language, point of view and scene. But deepen your comfort level with this concept, and you’ll astound yourself with how you clue readers in to what’s happening both externally and internally, heightening your conflicts and invigorating your scenes. Isn’t a short technical-term journey worth it to reap results like those? Learn the in’s and out’s of psychic distance; it could become the best tool you never knew you had.
Tell your friends to visit our website for this same information. We’re at http://www.dcs.wisc.edu/lsa/writing
Prepare to gain a professional edge. That's what this weekend is all about.
Several hotels are located nearby, including Lowell Center, 610 Langdon St. Lodging costs are on your own. Call toll-free 1-866-301-1753.
The following links will take you to visitor information pages from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“Wonderful—inspiring—motivating. Very generous program.” Jay Kist, Palatine, Ill.
“The Saturday lineup was fantastic! Something for writers gestating ideas and/or polishing their final work. Great job!” Jessica Riley, Oshkosh, Wis.
“I learned so much. This weekend really followed my bliss.” Jane Govoni, Oxford, Wis.
“Well instructed. After each session or workshop, I came out with answers, questions, and invigorating inspiration! Thank you. I especially appreciated the opportunities to reflect on my own novel (as well as others). The suggested resources and readings are much appreciated. In summary, every cent spent for this weekend was returned ten fold. Definitely worth the time and money.” Phonekeo Siharath, Madison
“I have attended a number of seminars on writing. A Weekend with Your Novel was far and away the best. I plan on attending your next seminar. Terrific!” Michael Cummins, Lake Forest, Ill.
Tell your friends about this program.
The Department of Liberal Studies & the Arts is a part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Continuing Studies. The units within Continuing Studies provide continuing education programs for lifelong learners, from precollege to seniors, as well as counseling services for adult learners. You will find the UW-Madison Continuing Studies home page at http://www.dcs.wisc.edu, or browse the Web site using the navigational links below.
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