A Special Pre-Conference Event

Character & Voice*
A workshop intensive with L.A. Banks

Authentic characters leap off the page and linger in a reader’s memory--and in this workshop, L. A. Banks, author of The Vampire Huntress Legends series as well as over thirty novels and ten novellas, will show us how to create them through detailed attention to voice and motivation. Participants will look at how to craft internal and external dialogue that fits a character’s personality and environment, and how to combine that dialogue with the five senses to demonstrate credible emotion. Banks will also touch on Joseph Campbell's A Hero's Journey to illustrate character motivation and growth within the context of the story arc.  NOTE: This workshop will be interactive, and participants should come prepared to share either a one-page scene with dialogue that conveys emotion or a set-up paragraph of such a scene that employs the five senses and conveys enough of the dialogue context that it can be quickly understood.

Limited to the first 15 people.

*This workshop is optional and is NOT included in the Write Stuff conference price. If you are registering for the conference, check the “Character & Voice ” option on the conference registration form and enclose a separate check made out to GLVWG for $40.

GLVWG reserves the right to cancel advance registration workshops that do not fill. In the event of cancellation, your check will be returned.

Page Cuts

Advanced registration necessary; sessions fill quickly. Page Cuts critique sessions are optional and included in the conference price. Participants will be assigned to a room headed by a team of industry professionals who have been asked to provide off-the-cuff feedback. Check the “Page Cuts” option on the conference registration form. Participants should bring four copies of the first page of a longer work of fiction, creative nonfiction, or memoir, along with four copies of a one-paragraph plot synopsis of the entire work. Your work will be read aloud by a room moderator and commented upon by our panelists; no names will be used. Opinions of workshop leaders are theirs alone and do not represent the opinions of GLVWG.

Limited to 36 readings. Those interested in being critiqued should bring four (4) copies of their first page of a longer work. Copies must be formatted as follows: Double-spaced, 12 pt. “Times” font, 1-inch margins, Title & Genre at top of page. No names please. Print to start at the top of the page.

Stand Up…er…Sit Down and Be Heard with Karen Syed

Easy-to-swallow tips and advice on how to survive the most stressful ten minutes of your writing career—the agent/editor pitch—offered from both sides of the table.

Concurrent Sessions

A Big Lizard Ate My Chapters... Really, He Did… - Elvira Woodruff
Where do stories for children's books come from? And how do they end up on the page? It's a twisty path, full of spice and surprises. Elvira Woodruff shares how a paper mummy inspired not only a title but a text, how a six foot lizard caused three chapters to be annihilated, and how she ended up leaving the quiet of her Lehigh Valley home to sip tea with the Ravenmaster at the Tower of London, all in the name of research. Come listen to a popular children's book author dish on the stories behind the books. As she says, "It's not the finished books I love so much, as the life these books have given me."

Don’t Be a Bobblehead: Things to Avoid in Your Fictional Prose - Tim Esaias
Tim will try to inoculate you against the nods, smiles, POV expressions, clenched jaws, anachronisms, Vanilla Verb-Pairs and other "bobble-headisms" that can choke your prose to death, and poison your chances for a sale. He'll also address the Moon Muddle and raise the Pack Animal Question. This talk will be the bane of your bad habits, and a guide for your good ones.

Expanding the Poem’s Horizons - Ann E. Michael
Sometimes poets “get stuck” writing the same way, with the same style, using the same images. Nothing wrong with that; it's practice and hones one approach to the poem. If, however, you feel you've “been there, done that” and are puzzled about how to branch out and extend your reach in terms of style, form, or image, this workshop intends to offer techniques to help you break out of a poetic rut. If you like, feel free to bring a poem along—one you are dissatisfied with and willing to play with—and see what emerges. Limited to 14 participants. No advanced submission or sign up necessary. Those intending to participate should bring a poem they would like to expand.

Agent Panel
Literary Agents will share insights, guidelines and ideas for writers. The panel will be comprised of: Cherry Weiner (Cherry Weiner Literary Agency), Erin Niumata (Folio Literary Management), and Jaimee Garbacik (The Literary Group International). Agents Stephany Evans (Fine Print Literary Management) and Ann Boyle (Wylie-Merrick Agency), who are participating as Page Cuts panelists, will join Weiner, Niumata and Garbacik in meeting with participants individually throughout the day to receive proposals.  

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Concurrent Sessions

Creating a Page-Turner - Tracy Higley
“I couldn’t put it down!” Learn the secrets to creating fiction that will keep readers turning the pages of your novel long into the night, no matter what genre you’re writing in.

Top Ten Tips From Successful Writers - Katherine Ramsland
Katherine Ramsland has crossed paths with other high profile writers at conferences, signings, and publishing events held all over the country. Along the way she has pocketed some treasured pearls of wisdom. Her top ten list will cover the ways some of today’s successful writers approach craft, dissolve writer's block, develop a business attitude, and more.

Editorial Gangster - Karen Syed
Editors are a necessary tool in your success as an author. Echelon Press publisher Karen Syed will provide some tips on how to survive working with yours.

Informal Genre Chat: Writing for Children - Elvira Woodruff
An opportunity to find out more about writing for children’s markets through informal, small group discussion with a published author. Due to space constraints, limited to the first 15 conferees to arrive.

Query Letter Clinic - Jonathan Maberry
Keynote Jonathan Maberry, who has had some 1,000 articles, 17 nonfiction books, and three novels published, will look at as many of your query letters as time allows, offer feedback, and help you learn how to make more money as a writer doing less work. Due to space constraints, participants must sign up (see registration form) — Limited to 15 participants. Bring a query letter – Jonathan will read aloud and critique off-the-cuff. Sign-up to reserve your spot – no prior submission necessary.

Concurrent agent and editor appointments

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