Weekend with Your Novel: Craft & Concept

Mark your calendar for Nov. 2-4, 2012.

(Workshop day is Saturday, Nov. 3, with optional critique groups Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Nov. 2, 3, 4.)

Please note: The following information pertains to last year’s program. More up-to-date information to come.

What are agents looking for in their stack of submissions and emails? Great attention to the craft of writing and a great concept.

But what is a “concept” that sells? What turns a so-so novel manuscript or a plot premise into gold for the writer? What twist might you need to add or even take away in order to transform your character or plot into a “winning concept”?

And sure, we all know that our craft needs to be polished, but this weekend assumes you want to know what agents will pick apart in your manuscript before you send it to them. Right? This weekend presents deep-revision tactics—useful even if you’re just starting a novel.
 
Let’s create power on your pages overnight.

In the 12 workshops (in two tracks for levels of experience), you get a mix of hands-on exercises, discussion, lecture, and challenging questions to mull over about your novel. But hands-on stuff is always optional; feel free to just sit and listen, absorb, and enjoy.

Add on the workshop and Q&A at lunch with Karen Doornebos and you’ll go home with a map for not just revising, but getting an agent and a sale. (Lunch is optional and extra—$12.50.)

We provide plenty of thorough handouts to take home, too.

If you wish—add a critique group’s microscope on your pages. Critique workshops let you examine your writing style, characterizations, scene work, point of view usage, and much more. You also learn from the contributions of the other writers in your group and the comments made by the instructor on everybody’s material. You make quick progress in a professional, friendly, and respectful atmosphere.

We’ve also found that many writers like to use this weekend as a deadline to finally finish their novel or to start a novel. Sign up, write like crazy, and then reward yourself by attending this weekend with fellow writers who have likely done the very same thing.

Can’t decide which workshops to take? Bring a friend! Share notes afterward. Make this a weekend “spa” for your novel or your writers’ group. 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. Make it your goal to make agents, editors, and readers go “wow” about your craft and concept.

Jump in, keep going, develop the skills to land an agent.

 

P.S. The fall weekend retreat is an ideal warm-up for those of you attending spring conferences across the country where agents take pitches, including the Friday-Sunday noon, April 13-15, 2012, 23nd anniversary edition of Writers’ Institute in Madison.

At a glance

Dates: November 11-13, 2011
Location: The Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St., Madison.
Workshop instructors : Christine DeSmet, Christopher Mohar, Laurel Yourke, Laurie Scheer
Critique group leaders (subject to last-minute change): Bob Curry, Christine DeSmet, Angela Rydell, Laurie Scheer, Laurel Yourke

Fees (Choose one option)

Option 1, $145 (by Oct. 14; $165 after):  For those wanting a critique session plus Saturday  workshops.
Option 2, $95 (by Oct. 14; $115 after):  Saturday workshops only; no critique group.
Option 3, $50:  Critique group session only. See Critique Group information. You may sign up for as many critique group sessions as you wish.
Lunch with the group and guest speaker:   Add $12.50.

Lodging information 

A block has been reserved in nearby Lowell Center, 610 Langdon St. Go to :   bit.ly/novel11nov. Our group number or name is “NOVEL.” Lodging costs are on your own. Call toll-free 1-866-301-1753.

 

What's new about this fall - new topics, new teacher

This year, your weekend expands into two tracks. Take workshops in either track if you wish, or focus on everything in one track for a thorough weekend focused at that level of craft.

Track 1: “I’m starting out in novel writing and writing workshops.”

Who benefits most from workshops in this track: You’re probably writing your first chapters, or maybe you haven’t written at all but want to start smart. Maybe you’ve written a whole manuscript that’s been sitting on the shelf for a long time and you’re ready to re-start. Or you’ve vowed to start a new novel differently and smarter this time.

Track 2: “I’m close to looking for an agent.”

Who benefits most from workshops in this track: You’ve finished your manuscript or are close. You may have gone through a revision or two already. You’re serious about polishing and using all the advice you can get in a short time. You’ve likely taken other workshops and read several good how-to books so you know the jargon and don’t need basics explained to you. You may be looking ahead to pitching to the agents coming to the April 2011 UW-Madison “Writers’ Institute” conference.

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Critique sessions

Special option:  If you don’t have the time to join us for the Saturday workshops, you can still sign up for a critique session only.  

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, or not.” You learn by listening to and participating in the discussion on all eight writers’ manuscripts in each group.

Critique groups fill fast. Please call 608-262-2451 to register. Choose from:

1. Friday, 4:30-6:30, with Laurie Scheer
2. Friday, 6:30-8:30 with Christopher Mohar
3. Saturday, 4:30-6:30, with Christine DeSmet
4. Saturday, 4:30-6:30, with Christopher Mohar
5. Sunday, 9:00-11:00 with Laurel Yourke
6. Sunday, 9:00-11:00 with Laurie Scheer

Additional critique groups will be added to Saturday if a waiting list develops. Your instructors for those sessions to be determined.

What to send and where to send it.

Please email as an attachment the first three pages of your project, OR a scene of up to three-pages from any “problem” area—by Oct. 14 if possible. Pages must be in standard format, double-spaced (not 1.5 spacing, no cheating, please), 12-point Times New Roman typeface, one-inch margins. For this workshop, you can use the whole page instead of dropping down if it’s the first page of a chapter. Please add your name to the header in the upper left, and page numeral upper right.

Please also email up to a half-page, single-spaced summary of what your book is about or what’s transpired in the book up to the point of your scene. Please state what genre you’re working in. Examples of genre:  mystery, mainstream/literary, Young Adult fantasy, romantic suspense.

Use Microsoft Word, or Rich Text File, or a PDF. Please submit as an attachment to email.

Please submit your three pages and summary with genre information by Oct. 14 by email attachment in proper format to Laura Kahl, lkahl@dcs.wisc.edu or by postal mail, Laura Kahl/Novel Weekend Critique, 21 N. Park St., 7th floor, Madison, WI 53715-1218.

Email addresses are shared within each critique group but not beyond that. Our lists are never shared with any outside folks.

Are you signing up after our Oct. 14 date? Please contact us for openings in critique groups

 

Schedule

The 2011 schedule for “Weekend with Your Novel” is currently listed to give you a taste of the program; we’ll have new information posted in early August.

Saturday registration:  Lobby. 8 a.m. Coffee, tea available.

Early-bird bonus session: 
8:15-8:45 a.m.  “So You Wanna Sell Your Novel?”
Informal Q&A. Join us at anytime during this time period. Your instructors give tips and techniques about marketing. Christine DeSmet, Christopher Mohar, Laurie Scheer, Laurel Yourke

Workshops start at 9:00. Click on the name of the workshop for a detailed description.

9:00-10:30 a.m. (Break 10:30-10:45 a.m.)	1. The Concept and The Query Letter - Laurel Yourke (Track 2)	2. Why Am I Getting All These Rejections? - Laurie Scheer (Track 2)	3. Increase the Stakes, Decrease the Rejections - Christine DeSmet (Track 1)
10:45 a.m.-Noon (Noon:  Buffet lunch optional; $12.50 pre-paid only. Guest speaker: “How I went from here to SOLD.”)	4. Beginnings: Start Strong to Sell - Christopher Mohar (Track 1)	5. Metaphor for Novelists - Laurel Yourke (Track 2)	6. Trouble & Twists: Making Nice Characters Just Naughty Enough - Christine DeSmet (Track 1)
1:15-2:45 (Break: 2:45-3:00, coffee/tea/cookies)	7. Middles: Tone the Spare Tire - Christopher Mohar (Track 1)	8. Reads Like a Movie - Laurie Scheer (Track 1)	9. Choosing and Capitalizing on the Inciting Incident - Laurel Yourke (Track 2)
3:00-4:15	10. Endings: Ten Tips to Leave Readers Wanting More - Christopher Mohar (Track 2)	11. Case Study: The World’s Worst First Novel - Laurie Scheer (Track 2)	12. Diamond-Quality Style & Voice - Christine DeSmet (Track 2)
4:30-6:30 Critique Groups (private groups/pre-register)	Christine DeSmet	Christopher Mohar	(Wait list; group may be added at 4:30)

 

Workshop descriptions

You may attend any session, no matter what track it’s in. You may change your mind at the last minute and attend a different workshop.

Track 1:  “I’m starting out in novel writing and writing workshops.”
Who benefits most from workshops in this track:  You’re probably writing your first chapters, or maybe you haven’t written at all but want to start smart. Maybe you’ve written a whole manuscript that’s been sitting on the shelf for a long time and you’re ready to re-start. Or you’ve vowed to start a new novel differently and smarter this time.

Track 2:  “I’m close to looking for an agent.”
Who benefits most from workshops in this track:  You’ve finished your manuscript or are close. You may have gone through a revision or two already. Maybe even suffered a couple of agent rejections. You’re serious about polishing and using all the advice you can get in a short time. You’ve likely taken other workshops and read several good how-to books so you know the jargon and don’t need basics explained to you. You may be looking ahead to pitching to the agents coming to the April 2012 UW-Madison “Writers’ Institute” conference.

 

Guest luncheon speaker:  Karen Doornebos
We’re pleased to have Karen with us to talk about the process she went through with her manuscript, including attending this fall program in the past and using its tips to arm herself for deep revisions. She’ll share tips and techniques with you, as well as the realities of how she found an agent and then a sale. Her book, Definitely Not Mr. Darcy (Berkley Trade), will be on sale this September. Karen will be introduced by Laurel Yourke. 
“Once an award-winning copywriter for brands such as Diet Coke and Johnnie Walker, I switched to tea with my debut novel, Definitely Not Mr. Darcy. I graduated with honors in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and lived and worked in London. That inspired the book, but the reality of life in a Chicago suburb with my husband, my son, daughter, and various pets provided the opportunity to write it. I’m sampling candy cane martinis and wassail for my next book, Christmas on the Rocks.” –Karen Doornebos, www.karendoornebos.com

 

1. The Concept and the Query Letter
with Laurel Yourke

A concept simply means an idea, but its connotation is quite different: something original, captivating, splashy. A must-have. Your novel’s Concept motivated you in the first place. So it already exists in your heart. But maybe you haven’t started, or finished, or have struggled so long that inspiration’s burned to embers. To land an agent, recapture what fired you, then use that to invigorate every sentence of your query letter with the glitz that gets novels noticed. Hands-on activity: Come with thoughts about your Concept. How does it drive a book that agents want to represent and readers want to read? You’ll x-ray the contents of the query letter—from hook to platform to closing paragraph—using your own Concept to make every component dazzle and entice.

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2. Why Am I Getting All These Rejections?!
with Laurie Scheer

Are you receiving rejection letter after rejection letter? Not sure why this is happening?
Learn the insider info you need to know about the professionals who are evaluating your material and how they are evaluating your submissions.  Publishers, agencies, production companies, networks and studios all employ professional readers.  In this workshop you’ll learn about the elements needed to do coverage, the document that evaluates your submission.  As you become more aware of what readers are looking for in your material and why, you will be able to hone your craft and better understand why rejection letters exist.  Learning the behind-the-scenes secrets of what agents want is also a plus to understanding what readers do.  After this workshop, receiving a rejection letter will be easier and eventually, utilizing the information you learn in this workshop may soon result in your not receiving those rejection messages.

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3. Increase the Stakes, Decrease the Rejections
with Christine DeSmet

Stakes sell. What’s at stake for your character? Have you thought about the concept of what’s at stake for your readers? What keeps the stakes cooking and readers reading? If your character goes in search of other characters and subplots in order to have something to do, you have a “lack of stakes” issue. Let’s look at a long list of some true sources of tension, trouble, and terror for your character and plot. ACTIVITY: Please bring your logline, synopsis or plot outline to refer to, plus your main character’s flaw and strength, and a list of all the stakes you can find in your manuscript. And of course, if you’ve been rejected for plot problems, bring that issue with for discussion and help.

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4. Beginnings: Start Strong to Sell
with Christopher Mohar

Over ninety percent of manuscripts get rejected in their first few pages—mostly due to unoriginal ideas or prose that fail to grab the reader—so if you want to sell your novel, you’ve got to start strong. Most writers know that this means you need a good “hook,” but do you know how to write a hook that works not only through your first sentence, but through your first paragraph, first page, and even first chapter? Find out how to dive into your work at a headstrong pace and keep that momentum going as you develop your bang-up beginning. We’ll look at novels that did it right (and sold!), as well as the top five mistakes that get novels rejected, so you can refine the current draft of your opening or shape your new idea with skill from the get-go.

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5. Metaphor for Novelists
with Laurel Yourke

If you think that poet-person stuff isn’t for you, consider how many successful contemporary novels build on a central metaphor, from Jane Hamilton’s “Laura Rider’s Masterpiece” to Jonathan Franzen’s “Freedom” or Kim Edwards’ “The Memory-Keeper’s Daughter.” Agents are instantly attracted to what metaphor can add, from haunting titles to background that nourishes plot instead of competing with it. When metaphor confines the battle to a single white whale instead of a packed ark, the constraint inspires revision of every aspect of your novel. The result is richer texture, characters and themes. Hands-on activity: What’s your novel’s central metaphor? If you don’t have one, you’ll explore possibilities, perhaps choosing one on the spot. Already know your metaphor? You’ll tweak and harness it to make your novel stand out from the rest.

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6. Trouble & Twists: Making Nice Characters Just "Naughty" Enough
with Christine DeSmet

So you’re writing a nice character for your cozy mystery, suspense, romance, literary novel, humor novel, etc., but you’re afraid your character is too ordinary (dull?). Do you have to write the harsh, tough, angry, trouble-with-mother character in order to sell? No. But many times our first try at writing nice characters gets rejected with agent-speak like, “Character not compelling enough,” or the dreaded, “I didn’t care enough to get excited about this manuscript after all. Sorry.” Let’s make nice REALLY nice. IN-CLASS ACTIVITY PREPARATION:  Bring a list that includes 1) the two best things about your main character, 2) two qualities of your antagonist, 3) two qualities of one other major functional character, and finally, 4) two great qualities about your setting that sells it to readers. Upgrade your characters’ status in the eyes of agents.

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7. Middles: Tone the Spare Tire
with Christopher Mohar

Got some weight to lose from your mid-section? No, I don’t mean those extra ten pounds you resolved to burn off last New Year’s Day. Novels can have problems with flab around the waist, too! Middles are notoriously difficult to write well and don’t always get the attention that writers love to lavish on their beginnings and ends. Don’t overlook your core. Put your novel through some prose Pilates and do combat with the dreaded saggy mid-section in this series of discussions and exercises that cover common trouble areas in the novel’s body. We’ll take on complications, twists, raising the stakes, holding tension, and several secrets of how character development can bring out the most from the mid-points of your plot.

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8. Reads Like A Movie
with Laurie Scheer

Are you writing a novel that is fast-paced, full of quick, fast dialogue and extensive descriptions?  These are tips that screenwriters use within their 120 page requirement limits.  Learning these tips could assist you in improving your own fiction writing and help you with your storylines. If you have been experiencing writer’s block or not sure how to organize your material, this course gets right to the basics of storytelling providing you with writing strategies to help you realize your fiction goals.  This workshop looks at  the secrets of selling dialogue, plots that stick to the spine of the story, creating embraceable characters, understanding how to modify descriptive prose-and why, analyzing the differences between prose and scriptwriting and packaging your idea(s) in a succinct manner. In addition to looking at various screenwriting techniques, the instructor will encourage in-class exercises to illustrate how to apply these skills to your writing.

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9. Choosing and Capitalizing on the Inciting Incident
with Laurel Yourke

The Inciting Incident launches the query letter and synopsis as well as beginning your book with a first-paragraph bang. Agents reject novels that begin before the plot does. Nor will agents represent novels that take off running but soon falter. Discover how to start at the right moment and exploit that moment to set up—to cause—everything that follows. Hands-on activity: If you don’t know where your novel starts, a series of questions will help you identify that. If you already have an Inciting Incident, come with a few sentences describing it. Think brief, so you can apply this material to your synopsis and query, too. Make your Inciting Incident a springboard that keeps an agent’s attention—all the way to a signed contract.

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Endings: Ten Tips to Leave Readers Wanting More
with Christopher Mohar

Cravings can be dangerous when it comes to chocolate cake or buying lottery tickets, but for novel endings, a little craving can be a good thing: pro writers aim to leave readers wanting more, so that they keep thinking about the story long after they’ve closed the book. The key to a memorable ending is balance. If you include too much, you risk over-writing and overwhelming your readers. Too little, and your ending fails to live up to all of the brilliant plotting and character development and hard work that you put into the rest of the book so far. How do you strike the right balance? And how do you know where to end to begin with? We’ll cover ten tricks and techniques to help ensure that your ending sticks out to readers, agents, and editors.

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11. Case Study: An Analysis of the World’s Worst First Novel
with Laurie Scheer

Here are some ingredients needed to create a bad first novel: a topic that includes introverted subject matter important only to the author, a small, quiet obscure scenario, slow pace, and  all of the characters sounding alike…let’s stop there. In this case study workshop, an analysis of the first chapter of an author’s first novel takes place.  During the analysis, elements that often appear in writer’s first efforts are discussed.  While unraveling one of the world’s worst first drafts, the writer becomes aware of what not to do while composing their own novel manuscript.  Additionally, while working with this real-world first time manuscript, the history of how it reached agents and the journey it went through along the way is revealed while workshop participants also learn what to avoid while preparing their manuscripts, seeking representation and what to re-write without pay/or for pay and finally now to accept rejection only to triumph knowing what not to do next time around.  Join Laurie Scheer as she shares her first novel manuscript facing embarrassment with hopes to help others avoid the mistakes she made.

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12. Diamond-Quality Style & Voice
with Christine DeSmet

Is your voice on the page still lacklustre? Don’t know what to do about brightening it? Has an agent said your manuscript wasn’t “compelling” enough? Style and voice get down to your choices in words, sentences, paragraph structure, phrasing, punctuation, regionalisms, humor (or lack of it), and more. In addition, many writers miss the common clutter that lurks, obscuring the brilliance of your prose and pace. IN-CLASS ACTIVITY:  Please bring any ten pages of your manuscript and a couple of highlighter pens. We will turn your rough manuscript into a diamond via cut, clarity, carat, and color.  Unearth your true voice.

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Instructors

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Visitor information

The following links will take you to visitor information pages from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

• Campus information and visitor center
• While you're on campus - things to see and do
• Campus map
• Directions to campus
• Parking and transportation

 

What they said about past editions of this program

“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.” - Karen Doornebos, Riverside, Illinois

“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

 

 

Writing books we recommend

No textbook on writing is required reading for this retreat. Many of you have asked us for recommendations of books that can enhance your learning experience and maybe speed you on your way toward publication.

Dwight Swain, Techniques of the Selling Writer (particularly for Track 1 attendees)
Noah Lukeman, The First Five Pages and The Plot Thickens (and his free download, How to Write a Great Query Letter)
Donald Maass, Writing the Breakout Novel and Workbook
Robert McKee, Story
Christopher Vogler, The Writer’s Journey
Laurel Yourke, Take Your Characters to Dinner

How to register

1. Review what you want to do. What days? Critiques or not? Lunch?
   

2. You don’t have to decide on what workshops you’re attending now or tell the registration people. Workshops are numbered for your convenience only.
   

3. Register by calling 608-262-2451. Credit cards and checks are both accepted. You will be asked for your email address. It will be shared only with your critique group (if you choose that option) for the purposes of sharing manuscript material.
   

4. Next…
   If attending a critique group session, please email your three pages to Laura Kahl by Oct. 14 if possible. Late registrations for critique groups will be accepted as space allows.

Prepare to gain a professional edge. That's what this weekend is all about.

Questions? Need guidance on which book to read beforehand, or which workshops to sign up for? Call Christine DeSmet, 608-262-3447, or email her at cdesmet@dcs.wisc.edu.