Fall Conference 2006
Fall Conference 2006 was held in Durham, NC, at the
Sheraton Imperial Hotel. The conference is over, but we have
left this conference information on the site so that you can refer to it as a model
of what our Fall Conference is like.
Session II Classes: Fall Conference 2006
Saturday, November 11, 11:00 am-12:30 pm
PUBLISHING - Out of the Slush Pile: How to Get an Agent's Attention for Your Work, with Douglas Stewart
How to craft a good query letter, how to put together an attractive
package for an agent, and how to deal with your agent once you've got
one. This is a basic primer for getting started with the business side
of the writing profession. For those who have a first project ready (or
almost ready) to go.
ALL GENRES - Spinning Words into Gold: Reaping the Rewards Writing Offers, with Maureen Ryan Griffin
Sure you want to write, but -- what's in it for you? Discover how
empowering it is to get clarity about what "riches" you'd like writing
to provide. What gold would you like to spin of your words? Tap into the
power of intention and learn to deliberately (and imaginatively) design
a writing future that inspires you. Take a peek at what hidden beliefs
might be getting in the way of unbridled success. Through a playful,
profound series of hands-on exercises, you will kindle joy and energy
that will fuel your writing, no matter what your genre.
* Writing exercises
CREATIVE NONFICTION - A Drama in Three Acts: Structuring Creative Nonfiction, with Philip Gerard
In this session we'll explore practical steps the writer can take to
create a dynamic blueprint for either short or long work. Far from
limiting creativity, a disciplined effort at "prevision" in a dramatic
template using suspense and moments of climactic action can free the
writer to be inspired within chapters, scenes, and sentences. It can
help the writer follow the story wherever it leads and be open to the
same sense of surprise and wonder we wish for our readers. We will
address structure, not formula, as a way of getting material under
control and presenting it most effectively.
CREATIVE NONFICTION - The Nature of Nature Writing, with Janet Lembke
Come find words to celebrate the world around us. This workshop
deals with translating our personal experiences in the natural world
into compellingly readable essays. Different approaches, from the
objective to the imaginatively subjective, will be considered and
illustrated with examples. Brief exercises will give participants
practice in presenting their own approach. A booklist of some of the
best recent nature writing will be available.
* Writing exercises
FICTION - How to Be (or Not to Be) Funny in Fiction, with Michael Malone
Have you toyed with humor in your writing? Would you like to make
your readers laugh out loud, cringe at a character's puns, or bleed from
the bite of satire? This course outlines the use of satire, humor, and
social commentary in the novel.
FICTION - Mystery Writing Fundamentals, with Sarah Shaber
How do mystery writers develop their plots, flesh out their heroes
and villains, and place it all in a compelling setting? Delve into the
mysteries of plot, character, and place, and the weaving of them all
into the whole cloth of whodunit. For intermediate writers. Bring paper
and pencil for some writing exercises.
* Writing exercises
POETRY - Panel: The Poet As Witness in the 21st Century, with
Moderator Pat Riviere-Seel, Anjail Rashida Ahmad, John Balaban, and
Kathryn Stripling Byer
Rant, rave, or whisper, the personal is political and the poetry of
witness is part of our cultural conversation. The century began with a
revival of poetry after 9/11, the Iraq war brought poems of protest, and
Hurricane Katrina refocused attention on racial and socioeconomic
divides. This panel will explore what it means to be alive and writing
poetry in the 21st century. Panelists will explore strategies and
techniques used to craft poems that engage social and political issues
as well as the poet's role as witness.
POETRY - Like, As, or Is: The Power of Simile and Metaphor, with Alan Michael Parker
In this course, participants will consider how to say one thing in
terms of another, and the various consequences of doing so. The session
will be discussion-oriented, and the approach will be hands-on with an
exercise or two planned, so be sure to bring a pen and paper!
* Writing exercises
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