Schedule

8:30 - 9:30 Registration and coffee

9:30 - 10:30 Welcome and Conference Opener Debra Dean

“The Secret to Becoming an Overnight Success (In 15 Easy Years)”

“I Can’t Wait to Hear What I Have to Say”

“Of Lightning Bugs and Lightning”*, a discussion of craft, moderated by George Shannon.

Breakout Session I

• Garth Stein: Who’s Zooming Whom: How to Get in Charge - and Stay in Charge - of Your Fiction
• As a writer, you have to gain the reader's trust. Our tools include style, plot, character, pacing, dialogue, and the mastery of the dramatic construct. There are other secret things that nobody really talks about (but we'll talk about here). This workshop is designed to help you gain control of your fiction, so wherever you go, your readers want to follow.
• Mary Guterson: Facing the Demon Blank Page
• This workshop is for anyone who fears the blank page. It is most appropriate for beginning writers, but all levels are welcome. We will discuss the strategy of using a framework to get a story down on paper, do at least one in-class exercise, and leave with ideas to use at home.
• Susan Wiggs: From Idea to Printed Page - The Evolution of A Book
• Some people think that seeing a book come into being is akin to watching sausage being made - who wants to know? Smart writers do! See a manuscript through all the tortuous phases of production, from inspiration to publication.
• Priscilla Long: Working with Sound in Poetry and Prose
• This workshop will present ways to begin or deepen your work with sound. We are seeking to use sound to increase the grace of our prose or poetry. We will look at how to play the vowel scale to intensify emotion, how to use sound to drive meaning home (for example using harsh sounds to express harsh meanings), and how to incorporate elements of poetry into our work whether we write articles, poems, essays, stories or books.

Breakout Session II

• Katherine Ramsland: Real Stories in Character: The Art of Memoir and Biography
• In this workshop, we'll discuss how and why certain characters are memorable, how to approach people to learn what makes them “writable” characters, how to best utilize them for narrative drive, how to deal with “sensitive” areas, and how to make a character transcendent. Participants may bring their work on a character for critique and development.
• Clyde Ford: Flesh and Bones: The Anatomy of a Great Story
• Whatever the form - novel, short story, screen or stage play - great stories have structure and substance. Clyde will present the gross anatomy of story, and flesh out the substance by discussing scenes and sequels, characterization, dialogue and plot. He’ll speak about finding the theme of your work and using it throughout your writing. Whether you’re a new writer or you’ve been at it for years, you’ll find something in Clyde’s presentation that will help polish your skills.
• Kelli Russell Agodon: Not a Vacation Planet: Writing Poems that Matter
• Regarding a question on how to mix poetry and activism, poet Joy Jarjo responded, “That’s why we were put here. This is not a vacation planet.” This session will explore writing poetry that moves to the heart of issues that matter most to us as writers. We’ll also discuss strategies to help these poems matter deeply to readers as well. We’ll look at poetry that may be very political or deeply personal and explore our own obsessions and interests and how we can turn them into powerful poems. Handouts will include writing exercises and examples of poems that make a difference in our world.
• Veronica Randall and Bob Dugoni: Page One
• Click here for the Page One workshop description and requirements. Veronica and Bob will present an editor and an author’s perspective on your submitted project.

Breakout Session III

• Veronica Randall: What You Can Do for Your Editor and What Your Editor Can Do for You
• A good editor is an accomplished tightrope walker who treads the slender thread between advocating for her author while representing the interests of her publisher. This class will demystify and enrich the intimate, uniquely rewarding and hopefully long term relationship between author and editor.
• Elsa Watson: Taming the Beast: Revising, from First Draft to Final Polish
• We’ll cover tips and tricks for improving plot unity, pacing, imagery, paragraph construction, and ways to get yourself through the snarls of the revision process.
• Robert Dugoni: Better than Fiction: Writing nonfiction in a fiction style
• As with all good books, bestselling nonfiction like THE PERFECT STORM tells a story in a compelling, interesting style. This session will focus on storytelling techniques that can improve your fiction and help bring your nonfiction to life.
• Katherine Ramsland and Garth Stein: Page One
• See below for a description of the Page One workshops.

Page One
Editors, agents and readers make vital decisions after reading the first page. Participants may bring the first page of a project. A sampling will be anonymously read aloud followed by the workshop leaders’ comments as editor or author. While there will not be time to read and comment on all submissions, we can all learn from the strengths and temporary flaws of any first page discussed.

There are two Page One workshops, one during Session II and one during Session III breakouts. If you wish to have your work considered, bring one page, between 250-300 words, double spaced, in a 12 point font. When you check in at the conference, look for the box which corresponds to the Page One session you wish to attend, and deposit your work in it. You do not have to submit work to attend a Page One workshop, and there is no guarantee that work you do submit will be addressed in the workshop. Workshop leaders will choose representative work to discuss.

Cancellations

Lodging

Bainbridge Island Lodging Association

Gilbert Thomes Jewelry