“Character Intensive”
Full Day Workshop
with Juilene Osborne-McKnight

You yourself are a character, an archetype embodied in the story you are telling yourself.   Humans seem to come wired for story and most human interactions include a component of story.  So why, if story is natural, do we seem to have such  difficulty in allowing our characters to tell their own stories.

This character intensive will  use a series of techniques to allow us to "see" our characters in action, "hear" their dialogue, and most importantly, understand their archetypes and allow them to achieve or transcend those archetypes.  We will use published examples, prompts and exercises throughout the workshop.

Students who wish to are also asked to bring with them four copies of a scene from a current piece of their own fiction (short or long)  that they consider pivotal to character development.

(Includes morning coffee/tea and box lunch)

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

The Writer’s Café, Conference Edition
Moderator: Bart Palamaro
(Salon C) 

“The Traditional Publishing Path”
with Jane Friedman

Get all the basics on how to get your book traditionally published, including how to research markets, write query letters, and contact agents. Learn what it takes to capture the attention of a New York publisher, plus what expectations you should have when dealing with anyone inside the publishing industry. Topics discussed include:

Understanding the Industry. Learn the landscape of the commercial publishing industry and what makes a project commercially viable for a Big Six New York publisher. If you don't have a commercially viable work, other options will be discussed, including small presses and university presses.

Resources & Research. Find out the best resources—both free and paid—for researching agents and publishers, as well as industry professionals. Learn how to spot scams and evaluate new resources and services that are frequently offered to writers in their quest to publish.

The Query, Pitch, and Proposal Process. If you've written your query like a pro, then you should be getting requests for your manuscript (or proposal) at least 50% of the time. Learn the 5 key elements of every query, how to build a compelling novel hook, and how to avoid the problems that plague (and sabotage) queries as well as live pitches. Book proposal packages (for novels, memoir, and nonfiction) will also be covered.

Working With Editors, Agents, and Publishers. How do you know if you have a good agent? How do you know if you have a good contract? How do you know if you have a good publisher? Industry standards and expectations will be outlined, as well as how not only to be an excellent first-time author, but a strong career author. Critical commercial aspects of the business will also be covered: marketing & promotion plans, author responsibilities for online marketing, hiring freelance editors or publicists, and more. Knowing what to expect in advance will make you smarter and savvier when heading into first-book deal territory.

(Includes coffee/tea and box lunch)

 “Mastering the Art of Self-Editing”
with Ramona DeFelice-Long

This workshop is for novelists and short story artists seeking how to view, and review, their work with a sharp and critical eye. A hands-on approach will share revision skills and strategies to strengthen craft, style, and technique in a completed draft or work in progress. Specific topics will include a range of macro and micro areas such as active vs. passive writing; characters and consistency; scene goals and evaluation; backstory; effective word choices; recognizing writerly habits; and common style and syntax errors. The workshop goal is to learn how to create clean, economical, submission-ready copy. Participants should bring a chapter or 10 pages of a work in progress for exercises.

The Basics of Independent E-Book Publishing”
with Jane Friedman

There are more options than ever to distribute your work and make it available to readers, without assistance or approval from a publisher. New online services offer one-click publishing capabilities, at no cost to you, and sophisticated paid packages are also available. Get an unbiased, insider look at the e-book publishing scene, when you should do it, and—if you do—how to be effective in your efforts, without damaging your credibility or investing more money than you should. Learn what services are available to distribute your e-book, plus what you can expect from these services, and how they turn a profit.

Page Cuts 

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"Hook or Elevator Pitch:
Grabbing an Editor’s Attention in 10 Seconds or Less"
(Open Seating)

This session will also discuss the benefits of having a good elevator pitch even if you self-publish. This will be hands-on, so here is your opportunity to bring your best query hook/elevator pitch (25-100 words along to share. AND plan to work on a perfect pitch for your current WIP, fiction or non-fiction.

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Concurrent Workshops (Open Seating unless otherwise indicated)

The Villain’s Journey: Writing Compelling and Believable Villains – Don Helin

Villains have to be strong and unique, not just your round-of-the-mill bad guys.  And they have to be motivated to do what they do.  Learn how to make your villain catch your reader's imagination and keep it throughout your novel.

13 Things to Think About When Writing for YA/Tweens – Jon Gibbs 

There’s more to writing for the middle grade/young adult market than just making your characters the appropriate age. What topics interest YA/Tween readers today? Should you write in first person or third? What level of vocabulary should you use? Which (if any) topics or situations are considered off-limits by traditional publishers? Join New Jersey author, Jon Gibbs, for a fun, informative presentation on what to keep in mind when writing for the YA/Tween market.

Agents Panel

Literary agents Julia Bannon (L. Perkins Agency), Emily Gref (Lowenstein Associates), Jita Fumich (Folio Literary Management), Emily Keyes (L. Perkins Agency), and Sara D'Emic (Talcott Notch Literary) will share insights, guidelines, and ideas for writers. These agents will meet with participants to hear pre-scheduled pitches throughout the day.

Hard Truths – Ramona DeFelice Long

This session lasts until 10:40 and is limited to 15 people. Pre-registration is required.

Hard Truths will look at writing memoir and creative nonfiction pieces from real life experiences. This double workshop will examine the differences and similarities between these two popular and marketable genres. The memoir portion will focus on guidelines for writing with fairness and balance about your personal experiences. The creative non-fiction portion will examine how basic storytelling skills can be used to turn real events into essays and articles that both inspire and inform.

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Concurrent Workshops (Open Seating unless otherwise indicated)

Reclaiming Poetry: The Art of Extreme Concentration – Lee Upton

At some time in their lives most writers have at least experimented with writing poetry. The fiction writer Cynthia Ozick argues that serious writers always have done field work in poetry:  “Writers who are artists either write poetry or have written poetry.”  In this session Lee Upton will introduce and discuss a set of exercises for both seasoned poets and those writers who are only now seeking to reclaim poetry for themselves.  What all the exercises have in common:  they sharpen two of a writer’s most important capacities:  the ability to concentrate intensively and to develop self-trust.

Snark & Suspense – Bonnie Calhoun

Are you looking for your voice? Do you have a snappy wit or are you an introvert when it comes to engaging conversation? Are your characters an extension of you . . . or the ‘you’ that you would like to be? Come learn how to create that timing in conversation, and how to build that element in to a suspense situation to keep them coming back for more

Platform 101: A Definition and A Life Philosophy – Jane Friedman

Writers are often scared or baffled by platform because it’s seen as a marketing and promotion mindset—antithetical to the artist mindset. However, there is a way to approach platform that isn’t about selling, but rather understanding human behavior (including your own!).

Hard Truths

Continuation of memoir and creative nonfiction double-session with Ramona DeFelice-Long. Limited to 15. Pre-registration required.

Concurrent agent and editor appointments

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