Session II Classes: Fall Conference 2007
Fall Conference 2007 was held in Winston-Salem, NC, at The Hawthorne Inn.
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.
Saturday, November 17, 11:00 am-12:30 pm
FICTION - Short Story Writing, with Louise Hawes.
While a novelist relies on the accretion of details over days, years,
perhaps lifetimes, most short fiction packs its punch into a few telling
details and revealing moments. How is this feat of compression
accomplished? How can you suggest, within the space of a few pages, the
arc of a life, a whole person, a day that changes us forever? The author
of two collections of short fiction and stories that have appeared in
half a dozen anthologies and literary journals will discuss what makes a
powerful short, how to shape your story, and the recent expansion of the
short fiction market. Bring the first page of your story for an in-class
critique.
PLAYWRITING - Writing the One-Act Play: From Pitch to Staging, with Samm-Art Williams.
Playwright Samm-Art Williams will take aspiring and working playwrights
through the process of conceiving, writing, and refining the one-act
play. From pitch to outline to first and second drafts, he will cover
plot development, dialogue, characters, narration, and staging. Come
prepared to discuss issues in your own work and ask questions about this
form of theatrical writing.
PUBLISHING - Step Away from the Desk: What to Expect from a Publisher, with Ed Southern.
Writers write, but authors do all sorts of other jobs. Once you've
signed your first book deal, you need to understand what's going to be
expected of you, and what you can expect from your publisher. Will they
send you on a tour? Will they set up interviews? Will they advertise?
Will they get you on Oprah? This class will be led by a publisher and
author who has more than 12 years' experience in the book business.
WRITING MARATHON - Writing by Heart, with Marjorie Hudson.
Working from prompts from great literature and from memory, we'll
generate stories of love and courage from childhood and teen years, a
rich source of both memoir and fiction material. Class participants will
be invited to share a table with Hudson at lunch and get her personal
advice about writing, publishing, and the writer's life.
POETRY - Translating Emotion into Poetry, with Joseph Bathanti.
This session will explore how poems, through narrative conventions,
dramatic situation, and the strategic use of imagery, can make the
emotions we use when composing poetry accessible to our readers. We'll
examine how to write about sentiment without falling prey to
sentimentality. Handouts illustrating these techniques will be provided
and we'll engage in some in-class writing.
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