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 From Dust to Diamonds: Building the Skill of Revision
with Elizabeth Lyon
When:
Saturday October 23, 2010
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Lunch (on your own) 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Where:
Bainbridge Cinemas,
403 Madison Ave. N., Bainbridge Island
Registration opens September 1, 2010
Cost: Early registration (ends 9/30): $65
Regular registration: $75
Groups of 5 or more registering together: $60/person
What:
Every writer desires publication. To achieve this every writer needs revision. Elizabeth Lyon will delineate four steps to polish and perfect our work. In her first session she will discuss the many ways to honor our writing and see it published, both traditionally and non-traditionally. During the remainder of the morning and in the afternoon her focus will be on revising for voice and style and creating movement through effective characterization and plot. These strategies will help us create prose with the fresh, original voice that editors and agents seek, as well as crafting effective characterization and plot to keep readers engaged. See below for a full program.
Who will benefit:
This workshop will benefit writers of both fiction and creative nonfiction (memoir, autobiography and nonfiction written like a novel) at any stage of the process - from those thinking about their project, to a writer with a few paragraphs or chapters, to a published author looking for more insights and skills.
ELIZABETH LYON is the best-selling author of six books on writing fiction, nonfiction, revision, and marketing, including Manuscript Makeover, A Writer’s Guide to Fiction, The Sell Your Novel Tool Kit, and Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write. The Writer magazine selected Manuscript Makeover as one of “10 Great Writing Books in 2008” and “perhaps the most comprehensive book on revising fiction.” Lyon has worked as a freelance book editor since 1988. Her articles have been published in The Writer, Writer’s Digest, 2008 Guide to Literary Agents, and other guides and handbooks. Visit her website at www.elizabethlyon.com.
FURTHER DETAILS OF THE DAY
Morning Session:
The New and Old World of Publishing
Every writer deserves publication. Few manuscripts are ready. Why? They need revision. In her first session of a day focused on improving our writing, Elizabeth Lyon will discuss the many ways to honor our writing and see it published, both traditionally and non-traditionally. She will provide an overview of marketing using “new media,” discuss the benefits and drawbacks of blogging, friending, tweeting, podcasts, RSS feeds, and other ways to explore this alien landscape. Do we have to learn all of this to sell our writing? Maybe, maybe not.
Afternoon Sessions:
Revising for Voice and Style
Editors and agents favor a voice or style that is "fresh, original." The problem is how to unearth it. One technique guides us into our imagination to the Eureka discovery of true gold. The second technique takes that gold and refines it by using smart “wordsmithing” that shows how to make changes in syntax, diction, word choice, power positions, and imagery. These two vastly different techniques are designed to turn dull, lifeless prose into vibrant exciting writing.
Movement, Movement, Movement!
Why would anyone stick with reading a stagnant story? Writers must create movement, using all the techniques in the toolkit, but how? Underlying effective characterization is movement. Underlying effective plot is movement. We’ll learn how to create movement through actions, reactions, emotions, reversals, subtext, and raised questions. These dust-to-diamonds skills improve pace, increase suspense, deepen characters and, most important of all, keep our readers flipping the pages to see what happens next.
Closing & Q/A
Book signing
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Things you need to know regarding registration.
1) You can register by mail or online using PayPal.
2) Registration opens September 1, 2010. Mail in registration closes October 18, 2010 (as postmarked). PayPal registration will remain open until October 21, 2010.
| Early Registration (postmarked on or before September 30, 2010) |
$65.00 |
| Regular Registration (postmarked on or after October 1, 2010) |
$75.00 |
| Group Registration (5 or more persons) |
$60.00/person |
3) Registrations are refundable up to and including September 30, 2010. After this date, refunds will only be made if the event is fully booked and your place can be filled from a waiting list. ALL refunds are subject to a $15 administration charge.
4) You will receive confirmation of your registration via e-mail. If you do not receive this confirmation within 12 business days, please contact registrar@fieldsend.org
5) Group Registrations are NOT available through PayPal. Groups must register BY MAIL. Please follow the instructions given on the registration form and below.
6) If you have any special requirements for assistance at this event, or questions regarding registration, please contact registrar@fieldsend.org
To Register by Mail:
1) Complete a registration form. Registration forms are available at the Bainbridge Public Library, Eagle Harbor Books or, click here to download a blank form (Word document) that you can print.
2) Write your check or money order, made out to Field’s End.
3) Mail your form and check to: Field’s End Registrar, Bainbridge Public Library, 1270 Madison Ave. N, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110.
Registering as a Group:
Registration forms and payment for group members must be submitted by mail together in one envelope. Individual checks or one check for the entire group are acceptable. To ensure sufficient places are available, it is recommended that groups register early. There is no registration available for groups through PayPal.
To Register using PayPal:
A word about PayPal: PayPal encourages people to register and establish an account. When you click on the PayPal link during registration the page will prompt you for a PayPal user ID and password. Please note it is NOT necessary to have an account with PayPal to register for this event. Below the question "Don't have a PayPal account?" you will see the word "CONTINUE," click on this and you will be able to finish paying for your registration by credit card without setting up an account.
You will receive e-mail confirmation of your payment from PayPal AND your registration from Field’s End. If you do NOT receive this confirmation it may mean your registration has not been received. Please contact registrar@fieldsend.org
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